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“She’s, uh, here at this party.”
“What party?” I snapped, voice sharper than a jagged piece of ice.
“It’s at the old train bridge. Look, man—”
I didn’t wait to hear what he was going to say. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
The music drifted to me before I made it to the bridge. I turned off onto a one-lane road, and the tires of my truck squealed on the pavement. The old train bridge was nothing but a scenic, tourist spot these days. It had once been a functioning railroad line over the river but had long been out of use. Only half of the bridge remained, the structure reinforced, and functioned as a walking bridge below the train tracks. It lent a great view from the river and a signature spot to take photos. And apparently a great place to have illegal, middle of the night parties.
My fingers dug into the leather of the steering wheel as I came to rows of cars parked in the dirt parking lot. The entrance to the bridge was on one of the nature preserves and in a very secluded area. Cypress Falls didn’t always have enough police presence to continually monitor the area.
I pulled into an empty spot and barely yanked the key out of the ignition before I threw open the door and hopped out. The area near the mouth of the bridge was packed with people. Music pumped from multiple Bluetooth speakers. Someone had set up a bonfire in one of the fire pits of a nearby picnic area.
I sighed, scrubbing the back of my neck. The crowd made my already exhausted brain prickle with anxiety. I didn’t know why Wren was here, at a party that could easily be broken up by the cops if they didn’t keep the noise controlled—which wasn’t likely.
As I approached the bridge, a group crowded around a keg caught my attention. Shouts of, “Chug, chug, chug!” erupted throughout the night as someone did a keg stand. I rolled my eyes at the stupidity when my gaze caught on the long pair of legs currently upside down on that keg. I stopped, blinking a few times as I stared at them. I knew those legs. My stomach dropped as I made a beeline for her.
The crowd cheered as I pushed through them. It seemed as if she’d been up there forever, but then her legs finally disappeared. She faced the crowd with a triumphant, lushed grin and punched her fist in the air. The crowd clapped and roared as some guy, some soon-to-be-dead guy, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to the side as the next person stepped up to the keg.
Rage pooled in my belly, along with a rush of jealousy, as I struggled through the crowd of drunken partiers. My stare bore into whoever it was who currently had his arm around Wren’s fucking waist. He pulled her off to a less crowded area, and I sped up my pace as he leaned in and whispered something into her ear.
My skin blazed as I almost trampled people to get to her, ignoring the shouts and curses in my wake. When I was almost to them, I heard him speaking.
“Damn, girl. Those were some impressive moves. Were you a gymnast or something?”
Wren laughed, a little too loudly. “No, definitely not. Not at all.” She shook her head and tried to step away from him but stumbled, and he tightened his hold around her.
“Whoa. Careful. I gotcha.”
My fists clenched at my sides as she looked around. “Where did Ty go? And Ellie?”
The guy leaned into her, even though she was obviously trying to back away. “Mm, I don’t know. They weren’t into the keg stand like you.”
“How about you let the lady go so we don’t have any trouble here.”
The two of them stiffened at the sound of my low threat. The guy turned around, his arm remaining hooked around Wren’s waist, basically tossing her around with him so she almost fell.
I stepped toward her, eyes flashing as something resembling a growl escaped me.
Jaxon Risner stared at me, blinking rapidly as if he didn’t have a clue. “Atlas?” he said, his mouth falling open.
“Officer Ranes,” I corrected, my teeth clenching.
Jaxon’s eyes widened. “Right, sorry.” He looked me over in my T-shirt and jeans, frowning.
Jaxon was basically a kid. He was younger than Ty and barely out of high school. I reminded myself of these facts over and over again, so I didn’t punch his lights out.
I nodded toward Wren, who had been rooted to the spot, staring at me as though she’d never seen me before.
“Now, how about you let the lady go.”
Jaxon looked at Wren, blinked, and snatched his arm back as if she had suddenly caught fire. He backed away, palms raised. “Oh, yeah. Right. I’m sorry. I was just trying to help her, you know.”
I stepped up to him calmly, glaring down at him as if he were a damn bug. “Next time you try to help a lady, keep your hands to yourself unless specifically asked.” I cocked my head to the side, narrowing my eyes. “You understand that, kid?”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Yes.” He nodded.
I arched a brow. “Yes, sir,” I prompted.
