Gavin glanced between the two of us and then nodded.
I dashed away my tears and cleared my throat. “I need a ride to the dorms.”
When I turned to go to the room, I noticed Dean had already packed his bags. At least I’d be able to pack in silence.
* * *
The trip was made in silence. Gavin drove Emma’s car. Dean rode in the front since he was the first to be dropped off. I had dried my tears and used my anger to keep them at bay. Trust. How could we have anything if we couldn’t have trust?
The car stopped, and Dean climbed out of the car without a word. I moved to the front and watched as he walked to his dorm. A small part of me hoped he would look back and for just a flicker I saw it when he opened the door. It was brief, but it was something.
“You aren’t going to a bunch of clubs on your own,” Gavin said after Dean had gone inside. “If you weren’t so busy making sure to keep Chance’s secrets, you would have realized how helpful Dean could have been tonight.”
I turned, worn and weary to Gavin. “You don’t think I know this? I didn’t want this. I want to be honest. I want to rely on him.” I looked over my shoulder at the building. “But I also want someone who trusts me.”
“Well, trust is a two-way street,” Gavin said and pulled out toward my dorm. “If you want him to trust you, you’re going to have to give him something to believe in. Right now, he doesn’t even know if you have feelings for him.”
“How would you know?” I turned to him. Anger coursed through me.
“Have you told him how you feel?” Gavin asked.
I continued to glare at him as I thought it over. Dean had been honest with me from the start nearly a year ago. He said he had feelings, and nothing had changed from that day. But in all that time, I hadn’t put into words how I really felt. Sure, I expressed lust toward him, but his feelings obviously went deeper than that for me. It wasn’t on purpose, but how was I going to express to him how I felt when I didn’t really know myself?
“How did you know?” I asked quietly.
“You can see it in every move he makes. Everything he says.” Gavin pulled into the dorm parking lot and looked over at me. “He might seem sure of himself, but he’s always doubting. It’s no way to start a relationship.”
I saw Chance’s car pull in across the way.
“You’re going to have to choose,” Gavin said quietly. “Between keeping the man you care about and breaking the trust of another. You can’t have it both ways.”
I stared out at Chance and knew Gavin was right. Chance was never going to tell me I could tell Dean. In his mind, there was a small chance that we might get back together.
“When did you get so wise?” I turned to Gavin and grinned.
“It’s Emma.” He smiled. “She makes me think differently.”
I smiled back. She had made him think differently. Their love had shaped them both into something different.
Chance knocked on my window, startling me out of my thoughts.
I rolled it down. “Gavin is going to help,” I said.
“Thank you,” Chance said. The relief was evident on his face.
“Have you called your parents?” I asked.
His face darkened. “She’ll turn up,” he spit out. “Like she’s a fucking stray cat.”
I winced. Chance wasn’t much on cursing. It was odd to hear something like that even come out of his mouth.
“Let’s get started,” Gavin said. He took the paper that Chance handed him. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”
Gavin scanned the list and looked up. “We’ll hit the south side. You go downtown.”
“You sure?” Chance looked at Gavin.
I had never really spent much time on the south side of town. Actually, I could say with certainty that none of us had spent much time on that side of town. We were in a bubble, and it was rare that we ever came out of it. I wondered what Vivien was thinking going to these places.
“There are two of us,” Gavin said. “We’re more likely to find her there if we’ve got more people.”
Chance nodded. “Okay. Just be careful,” he said to me. “Call me if you find her.”
“I will,” I said and took his hand. “It will be okay.”
I let go and watched him walk back to his car.
“You know he has feelings for you,” Gavin said as we pulled out.
I turned to look at him. He could be an asshole sometimes, but that didn’t make him any less right.
“I know.” I sighed. “We spent all that time together and never really knew each other until now.”
“And?” he said as he turned.
“He’s just Chance,” I said. “I don’t have those sort of feelings for him, and I think if he had time to really think about it, he’d see that he doesn’t have those feelings for me.”
I stared out the window and watched the suburban houses fade away. The buildings got closer together, and graffiti littered the walls. We stopped outside a metal building that looked more like a warehouse than a club.
“We stick together,” Gavin said. “Some of these places can get pretty rough.”
After paying the cover, we made our way through the crowd, scouring all the corners of the club. Lights flashed overhead, making it hard to see people as they were. We worked our way back to the front before stopping outside to look over the list of places Vivien had been seen by the PI.
The next one was just down the road. We parked out front and again paid the cover. This one was smaller and had only a few people inside. This crowd was rough, and I worried that we were already too late.
Gavin pulled me out and back to the car.
“We don’t know what state she’s going to be in,” he said. “You need to be ready for anything.”
I swallowed. When I said I would help, I thought I’d just be playing the role of a big sister.
The next place was unusual. It looked like an old firehouse that had been converted. There wasn’t loud music playing from the outside, but there were far more people inside, and the doors were guarded.
I shook a little when we walked up. The big man out front was heavily tattooed and glared as we approached. He held up his hand. We stopped.
“What’s the cover?” Gavin said.
“No cover, but you don’t get in without knowing the word,” the man said.
“Word?” Gavin said. “What word?”
“You don’t know it, I’m not letting you in.” The man sneered.
I put my hand on Gavin’s shoulder and pulled him back.
“Listen, I don’t know what kind of club this is, but my friend’s sister might be inside,” I said. When he seemed unmoved, I pressed on. “She’s only seventeen, and we’re just worried.”
He shifted on his feet and glanced around.
“Please,” I said. “It’s Thanksgiving.”
The man looked down at me, and I watched as the resolve broke.
“Fine,” he said and pointed to Gavin. “But he stays out here.”
“No fucking…” Gavin started.
“Deal,” I said and gave Gavin a stern look. “I’ll call if I find her. Won’t be more than a few minutes.”
I turned back to the man at the door. For some reason, his tattooed arms and stern face didn’t seem so scary to me. Maybe he had a sister that he would have worried over. I placed my hand on his arm.
“Thank you,” I said.
His eyes widened a little before he nodded. “Stick to the walls and watch your back. Lot of pricks floating around.”
I nodded and stood tall. If I was going in, I was going in like I owned the place.
He rapped on the door a few times, and the lock snapped open. The steel doors creaked as they opened, and I walked calmly in.
***
Chapter Seventeen
My heart sped up when the door closed firmly behind me. I was stuck inside this place that I knew nothing about. Slowly, I made my way down the dimly lit hal
lway. I could hear shouting and banging as I made my way in. The stench of body odor and stale beer hung in the air.
I turned the corner and was blinded by the light of the room for a moment. As my eyes adjusted, I noticed the swarm of people in the center of the room. It was decent sized on the lower floor. They had sealed off the doors where the fire trucks would have come out of and blocked out the windows.
I moved along the wall, keeping my eye out for anyone who might do me harm and Vivien.
I jumped when the crowd in the middle of the room cheered loudly. When I turned, they were clearing out. Through gaps in the crowd, I could make out a bloodied man being sat in a chair in the corner, while a less bloodied man strutted around, pumping his arm in the air.
“Fighting?” I asked aloud. Several people near me snickered.
I turned my back on the fighters and doubled my efforts to find Vivien. There was a flight of stairs to the next level. I scanned the room one last time and made my way upstairs.
Several people argued over money in the hallway. I stayed to the side and kept my eyes averted.
On the second level, I found a much smaller group standing around two men. Much like downstairs, both men were bloodied. The hollow sounds they made while hitting one another made my stomach turn.
I came back downstairs and again tried to avoid the ongoing fight. One man threw a punch and flung the other back in my direction. I grunted when he fell into me and pushed him forward. The force pushed me back a few steps, and I knew when my foot touched the top of the stairs, I was in for some pain of my own.
It was a moment frozen in time. Everything seemed to slow as I flew back over the steps. I closed my eyes and prepared for the impact.
I grunted when two massive arms came across my chest. We tumbled backwards but were no longer in danger of serious injury. The man held firm and kept us both upright.
“What the fuck?” he bellowed when we came to a stop. “You nearly fucking killed her!”
The man came out from behind me, and I realized it was the fighter from before. The one that had won. He was less bloody now but still pretty banged up.
“I didn’t mean it, Nicky,” the man who had thrown the punch earlier said. “This mutha owes me some money.”
Nicky stormed up the steps and towered over the man. “You hurt a woman like that here, and we’re all gonna be hurting. Now clear the fuck outta here, Tom, before I clear you out.”
The man stared a moment or two before moving on.
Nicky turned back to me, and I got the impression he wasn’t thrilled to have someone like me there.
“Fuck, did she call in for more of you?” he mumbled.
“I’m sorry?” I looked around to make sure he was talking to me.
“You’re with her, aren’t you?” The man walked down the steps.
He was fairly handsome despite all the bruises and cuts. His hair was dark brown and matched well with his muscled tan skin. His nose had been broken several times, but it didn’t really detract from his natural good looks.
“I’m looking for my friend’s sister,” I started but stopped when I realized he clearly wasn’t listening.
“You must be with her,” he mumbled and moved around the room. “Not that she ever talks to me.” He turned and made a face. “Too damn good for all of us.”
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Well, if she’s so great, what the hell is she doing here?” He looked at me like he was expecting an answer.
“The lighting?” I said meekly.
Nicky stopped and turned to look at me. Within seconds, he was laughing hard.
“I like you,” he said and gave me a warm smile. He nodded his head to the side. “She’s usually over by the corner when she comes.”
We made our way across the room. More than once we had to stop so someone could congratulate him.
As we neared the corner, I hoped that this was the end of it all. Maybe I could just convince her to come home.
“What the hell is going on?” Nicky said when we reached the corner. The menace was clear in his voice.
I peeked around and saw Vivien swaying in the arms of a man. He was clearly holding her in place and trying to pull her away. She fought as best she could, but she wasn’t in the best form to fight someone off.
Nicky stormed ahead of me to where they were. Not even pausing, he gently pulled Vivien out of the man’s arms and pushed her into mine. She slumped to the ground.
“Son of a bitch,” Nicky seethed. He flung his arm back to deliver a blinding punch to the other man.
The pervert sailed across the room into the crowd, trying to fight back all the while. Within seconds, people were tossing punches wildly. The crowd erupted into chaos. Nicky plastered himself between us and the crowd. Several times he grunted when someone ran into him.
“Grace,” Gavin yelled. He and the large bouncer made their way to us.
“Nicky,” the bouncer said urgently.
“I know,” Nicky answered.
I wrapped my arms around Gavin and sighed. It would be fine.
“We’re not clear yet,” Nicky said to us. “The cops are going to be coming soon, and we need to clear out.”
“Let’s go,” I said.
Gavin stepped forward to pick up the disoriented Vivien but stopped when Nicky effortlessly lifted her up.
“Second floor,” the bouncer said. “It’s the best way out without being caught.”
“Take the lead, Ben,” Nicky said.
We followed them through the crowd. The fighting was getting out of control, and it wouldn’t be long before someone brought out more than their fists.
“I don’t understand,” I shouted to Nicky. “Why the second floor?”
He stopped to sandwich Vivien and me against the wall as some men came our way. Ben quickly disposed of them. I winced at the violence.
“Fire escape,” he said to me before turning to run up the stairs.
Luckily, the second floor had cleared out with all the commotion. When we made it to the back window, Ben threw it up and ushered us out. We raced blindly down the stairs. When we hit the bottom, I could hear sirens in the distance.
“Ride with them,” Ben said to Nicky. “I’ll meet you.”
Ben looked expectantly at Gavin.
“College dorms. Booker hall,” he said.
Ben nodded and raced over to his truck. We waited for Gavin to drive the car around back. It would be easier to load from, and the alley was right there.
“Nick?” Vivien sat up to look at him. Her eyes found my face and tried to focus. “Grace?”
“I’m here, sweetie.” I put a soothing hand to her head.
“Don’t make me go back, Grace.” She began to cry. “He’s always there.”
“Oh, honey, Chance is just trying to help,” I said.
“Not Chance. Robert.” She sobbed harder. Nicky tightened his arms around her. “It hurt so bad, Grace. He wouldn’t stop, and it hurt so bad.”
My hand stilled on her forehead.
“No one believes me.” She stopped crying and looked over to me. “You believe me, right?”
I continued stroking her head. “Of course I do.”
My hand shook with rage and sadness for her. This Robert had hurt her. No. Not just hurt her. Raped her.
The car skidded to a stop in front of us, and I turned to Nicky.
“You can’t tell him,” I said.
“Someone needs to deal with this shit.” Nicky’s face was red, and I was sure he’d be first in line to deal with this.
“That won’t help her,” I said and ran my thumb across her furrowed brow.
“Okay,” he said. “But I don’t like this shit.”
Nicky loaded her into the back seat and slid in.
“Neither do I,” I whispered.
I climbed into the car, and Gavin sped off. I could see the flashing lights over the tops of the buildings as we pulled away.
Once we were far eno
ugh from the sirens, I pulled out my phone and dialed Chance.
“I’ve got her,” I said when he picked up.
“Thank God,” he whispered.
“Meet me at my dorm,” I said and then ended the call.
We drove in silence. Each of us lost in our own thoughts. It all made sense now why she was acting this way. But the real question was what to do about all this? Telling Chance just seemed like I’d be giving him the rope to hang himself with. No, Vivien needed to be the one to tell him.
This was just not good at all. No matter how you looked at it, Vivien was going to have to conceal part of this.
We stopped outside, and I urged them to get out for a bit, so we could talk before Chance got there.
“Vivien,” I said and climbed into the seat next to her.
“I told you both, didn’t I?” she asked and covered her head.
“Yes, and I’m glad you did,” I said.
“Well, I’m not.” She glared at me.
I crossed my arms and did the best mom voice I had. “You need to tell him,” I said.
“Why?” She shot up. “So he can worry? Or better yet, not care? I can’t tell him. Just let it go.”
“I really just think–” I started.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “None of it does.”
She lay back down. Silent tears trickled down her face.
I didn’t really know what to say to her. This wasn’t something I’d ever had to deal with before. When Emma had issues with her ex-boyfriend, it wasn’t the same. This was all more than I knew how to handle.
Chance knocked on the door, and I unlocked it. He swung open her door and grabbed her in a hard hug.
“I was so worried,” he said quietly.
She hugged him back and sobbed into his chest. It broke my heart to see the shell of a girl she had become.
I followed them to his car and waited until he got her in the seat. She watched me cautiously from inside through the closed door.
“Did she talk to you?” he asked anxiously.
I nodded. “It’s not good, Chance,” I said. “Like really not good.”
His face fell, and I knew what he was thinking. There weren’t many things that could put someone in a state like hers.
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