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“Then we’d better let you girls get going. The sooner you leave, the sooner you’ll be back.” Liam stepped back and escorted me to the car. We climbed into the back of the limo and greeted Martin, our driver.
“Ladies,” he said in return through the window dividing the front from the back. “Champagne and sparkling cider are in the chiller. I should have you to Amarillo in an hour and a half.”
“Thank you, Martin,” we all said in unison, then laughed.
The drive to Amarillo went by quickly with the champagne and cider keeping us occupied. We stopped for dinner and then went to the clubs. Before I knew it, I was buzzed and having the best time of my life. I just wished Liam and Duke were here so I could dance with them. Blake and Tori had to sit out most of the time, but Alex and Grace were my partners on the dance floor.
“Be right back, ladies. I have to go to the bathroom.” I tossed back my shot at the table and looked for the nearest restroom sign.
“Do you want us to come with you?” Jessie asked, taking a sip of her fruity cocktail.
“I’ll be fine.” I headed to the back corner and waited in line.
“Excuse me.” The deep voice coming from behind me had ice settling in my veins.Jeff? I scanned the crowd in search of the owner but found only other girls waiting in line.
When I didn’t see anyone familiar, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. It had to have been my imagination. I was having too much fun, and I was feeling good from the alcohol. My mind had to be sabotaging my good time.
When it was my turn, I went as quickly as possible. I wanted to return to the safety of the girls as soon as I could. Next time, I’d be sure to take Jessie’s offer to have someone come with me.
On my way back, I heard the voice again. “You think you can leave me that easily?”
The anger resonating in each word made me stop in my tracks. I spun in place, looking for the source, and spotted a man weaving through the bodies who looked very similar to Jeff from the back.
The instinct to run screamed at me, and I bumped into someone. “I’m so sorry,” I said to the gentleman who gave me an annoyed glance before returning to his friends.
I needed to calm down. There was no way Jeff could be here. I was in the middle of Texas. It’d been weeks since I left him. I hadn’t returned any of his calls or texts. How could he possibly know where I was?
Either way, the anxiety racing through my veins had me pushing my way through the crowd, bumping into one person after the other. I looked around and caught a glimpse of a face that resembled Jeff. Choking down a scream, I hurried to the table where the girls were waiting.
“Abbey, are you okay?” Grace asked, putting a hand on my arm.
“I swear I’m seeing Jeff,” I gasped.
“Honey, there’s no way he’d be here.” Blake’s calm voice reminded me how crazy I was being.
“You’re right. I know you’re right. But I keep hearing his voice, and I saw someone in the crowd who looked just like him.” I cringed and couldn’t help looking over my shoulder.
“Okay, let’s get you some water. Maybe that would help you calm down.” Jessie flagged down the bartender.
“And maybe we should call it a night anyway. It’s late, and we still have a long drive home,” Tori added.
“I didn’t mean to ruin the night,” I whispered. Tears still clogged my throat, and the terror I’d felt still hadn’t subsided.
“Abbs, you aren’t ruining anything. It’s one in the morning. We’ve been out all night and had a good time.” Blake flashed her phone screen at me. She was right. We hadn’t planned on being out this late, but we’d gotten caught up in the night.
“We’re all going to feel it in the morning.” Alex winced. I pulled my phone from my clutch and saw a text from Duke making sure we were still okay. Tapping a quick reply, I let him know we were hailing Martin and heading home.
Martin had the limo pulled up out front for us. Gripping each other, we all stumbled out the door and packed into the car. I took one last glance behind us as we pulled away, and I could have sworn I saw Jeff standing on the corner of the street. I turned around quickly and forced myself to forget about it. It had to be my thoughts from earlier in the evening messing with me… or the alcohol.
The girls were right. Jeff was in Georgia, in our apartment, probably fucking that same woman. I sighed and settled into my seat. We laughed and chatted for a half hour or so before we all quieted down. Blake and Tori were the first ones to pass out. We may have been out to have fun, but we weren’t in our early teens anymore.
I finally gave in to sleep as the late night and adrenaline surge exhausted me.
* * *
Everywhere I looked,there was Jeff.
I turned and ran to another room, but he was in there too. He was in every room I tried. No matter which direction I turned, Jeff popped up out of nowhere.
