by Lisa Simmons
"Get up, baby."
His arms loosened and he placed his palms against my hips as he lifted me off his lap, allowing him to stand. He pinched my side lightly before moving easily through the bodies to shut off the stereo.
"Alright, everyone out," he called, his deep voice sounding commanding and powerful. Most people looked at him once before starting the process of leaving, but a few people ignored his request.
"Hey! Get the fuck out," he shouted again, irritation flashing through his tone and catching the attention of those who hadn't listened the first time. In a mere matter of minutes, the house was empty as people started their trek toward the bars, and just the five of us were left. After allowing Emily to run to the bathroom and make sure she looked up to her standards, we were on our way.
We walked in a group and I bopped between my friends and Reece, despite his efforts to keep me by his side. Emily and Chloe giggled practically the entire way there as Luke talked to them about something they apparently found hilarious, and I found myself falling back into step with Reece. I wound my arm around his, looping it through the gap between his chest and elbow as we walked. I turned and shot him a ridiculous grin, which he caught easily before smirking at me in amusement.
"What?" he said lightly.
"Nothing, just having fun," I said honestly. I loved the feeling of having a few drinks down and being with Reece, especially when we were on such good terms. The added bonus of having my friends here and having them get along with Luke only piled on to my good mood.
"Alright, you goof," he said, chuckling at me. My palm slid down his arm before my hand locked with his. I swung it wildly between us, earning another skeptical chuckle from Reece.
"Easy, killer," he joked. I giggled and nudged him lightly with my shoulder. I hadn't even realized, but we had very quickly arrived at the bars. We didn't have to wait long before we had shown our IDs and were heading inside to the same bar we had gone to the last time we were here. The music was blaring and the lights were flashing just as they had last time, and the electric current started to flood through me instantly.
My grin widened as I pulled Reece after my friends up toward the bar. Emily leaned over and ordered something before drawing back and flashing everyone an enthusiastic thumbs up. The bartender returned with a tray of shots, numbering far more than was necessary for the small group of us.
"Everyone take three!" Emily shouted, pointing at the tray before handing her card over to the impatiently waiting bartender. She started gathering the shots and handing them out before realizing we couldn't take all three at once.
"What is it?" I shouted back, examining the light amber liquid in the shot glass she had handed me. I sniffed it tentatively and the scent of cinnamon filled my nose.
"Fireball!" she replied with a grin. Once everyone had at least one shot, we raised them up in the middle and Chloe shouted a toast that no one could hear but cheered to anyway before throwing back the shots. The liquid burned in my throat and almost felt warm, but the cinnamon helped hide the sting of the liquor. Reece watched me closely for a reaction, but when I turned to grin at him he looked a little more relaxed.
Not even five minutes later, everyone had taken their allotted shots and Emily was begging everyone to go to the dance floor. She had a hold of both mine and Chloe's arm as she tugged us backward, pleading with us to go dance with her. I glanced at Reece with an amused look, searching his face for permission. It wasn't that I needed permission, I just didn't want to leave him and make him upset.
He stepped closer to me and ducked his head before pressing a lingering kiss to my lips. His hand held the side of my face as his mouth hovered less than an inch from my own when he pulled back to speak.
"Stay where I can see you," he requested.
I nodded, wanting to keep him in my sight just as much as he did.
"And don't dance with anyone," he added sternly, raising an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes playfully.
"Of course not," I said, closing the tiny space between us to peck his lips quickly before Emily finally succeeded in pulling me away. I grinned at Reece one last time before I temporarily lost sight of him in the crowd that collapsed around him. The last thing I saw before Emily pulled me onto the dance floor were Reece's blazing green eyes burning into mine.
Reece's POV
I took a deep breath as I watched Emily drag Abigail away, trying to calm the irritation that had flashed up at the thought of being separated from her. I didn't like that one bit, especially considering what had happened to her last night and who I had seen here last time. I didn't want to be that possessive guy that wouldn't let her more than a foot away, but hell if I was going to let her out of my sight. I watched her disappear into the crowd for a few moments before, thankfully, she reappeared on the steps that led up to the dance floor. I watched the back of her head as she followed Emily and Chloe until they situated themselves by the edge, clearly in my line of vision. I smiled in satisfaction that she had listened to me.
I had a clear view of her from where we had settled at a side table, even though it was just Luke and I now. I was too focused on watching Abigail dance to notice anything else around me. The way she shifted her hips and the carefree way her arms twirled above her head were making it extremely difficult for me to remain in my seat; I wanted nothing more than to go up there with her and pull her body flush against me so I could feel the way she moved.
"Reece!"
I shook my head, my eyes snapping to Luke's face. "Sorry, what?"
"I asked if you've seen Samuel lately," he repeated.
My blood, which had been boiling hot watching Abigail dance, turned instantly to ice and I tried not to sneer in his face.
"Nope."
"Me neither," he said, frowning slightly. This was about the last thing I wanted to talk about because it was already hard enough for me to think about it without getting angry.
"When was the last time you saw him?" Luke pressed before taking a sip of his drink.
"The day I hit him," I answered. I held myself back from saying that Abigail had seen him several times now.
"Yeah, me too," he said thoughtfully.
"Why?" I couldn't stop myself from asking.
"Well, I heard he's been hanging out with his old crew..." Luke said vaguely. My eyes, which had drifted back to watch Abigail, snapped quickly back to his face.
"What? Are you serious?" I watched him closely for signs of the trepidation I was feeling at this news. My concern was reflected on his face as he nodded slowly.
"Yeah, that's what Pete said. He said he saw Samuel going to Liam's house a few times now," he continued. This was surprising to me, because as far as I knew, Samuel had cut ties with that group a long time ago. If he was reconnecting with them now, the same time he seemed to have formed a friendship with Jack...
"Well what the fuck..." I said, trailing off as I thought more.
My eyes left Luke's face to find Abigail again. A jolt struck through me, however, when she wasn't where I had last seen her. The dance floor was void of her dancing form, and my eyes scanned it frantically for any sign of her. Emily and Chloe were still there, dancing without a care in the world, but I was certain Abigail wasn't there.
The cold I had felt at the news Luke had just told me spread further through my body as I stood abruptly, the stool I had been sitting on crashing to the floor. I couldn't see her anywhere, and panic quickly started to rise in my body.
Where the fuck did she go?
"Remember what the people said, remember what the people said, when it's said and done, let it go."
Chapter 47
I laughed giddily as Emily twirled me on the dance floor, her mood infectious as she danced around like a lunatic. The music was as loud as ever as we let our bodies move to the beat and our hands were thrown up above our heads carelessly. I was having fun dancing with just my friends and was relieved when no guys approached us. I glanced at Reece out
of the corner of my eye and was pleased to see his gaze trained tightly on me.
A slight smirk pressed itself to my lips as I amped up my dancing a little more to give Reece a bit of a show. I could practically feel his gaze burning into me while I moved, and I loved the feeling of him watching me. It was like a game- me trying to draw him to me while he tried to resist. I could feel the forces rushing between us as our bodies were drawn together but our minds resisted.
I took another glance at him and was slightly disappointed to see his gaze fixed on Luke, his expression suddenly concerned. I stopped dancing for a second and dropped my arms in a momentary lack of judgment. My arm collided with something cold behind me, and the sensation of liquid running down my back struck. The liquid was cold and I jumped slightly before spinning around quickly to see a guy standing behind me. His eyes were fixed on his now empty glass and he looked like he was about to cry.
"Um, sorry," I shouted, raising an eyebrow trying to draw his attention and get an apology. It was his fault for standing so close behind me. He raised his eyes finally and stared at me before mumbling something I couldn't hear. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my friends.
"I'll be right back, that guy just spilled his drink all over me," I explained, pointing to the wetness on my back. They both nodded waving me away.
"We'll be here!" Chloe shouted. She had her sights fixed on a guy, however, so I didn't put much faith in her promise. I took one more glance at Reece, but he was still transfixed by Luke. I wouldn't be gone long, but I wished he'd been looking at me so I could wave at him to explain somewhat.
I'd only be gone for a minute; it would be fine.
I moved down the stairs and turned down the little aisle that went by the dance floor and led to the bathrooms in the opposite direction of the rest of the club. The music back here was just as loud, but the flashing lights from the bar didn't quite reach, making it relatively dark until the bathrooms themselves at the end of the hall in their own little off-shoots. The hallway was empty as I moved down it and pushed my way through the bathroom door, which was also empty.
I grabbed a few paper towels from the dispenser, huffing in annoyance as I tried to twist around and pull my shirt to the front to dab at it. Luckily, the guy had been drinking something clear, so it hadn't stained too bad. I dabbed at the fabric of my shirt to absorb as much of it as I could, but I couldn't seem to rid the fabric of the sticky substance left over by the alcohol. After a few minutes, I decided it was as good as it was going to get and threw away the paper towels.
I glanced at myself in the mirror and ran my fingers under my eyes, wiping away the few flecks of mascara that had smudged there from my dancing. After running my fingers through my hair once and straightening out my shirt, I washed my hands and dried them off. With one final once over, I decided to head back.
As soon as I pushed the door open, the music rushed back against my face after being somewhat muted by the heavy door. The hallway seemed even darker than before thanks to the bright lights of the bathroom, and my eyes were having trouble adjusting because of the alcohol in my system. I was about to turn the corner to head down the straight part of the hallway when a pair of hands gripped my shoulders and shoved me back against the wall.
My breath was forced from my lungs in a violent huff, and my eyes squeezed shut at the impact. The strong grip on my shoulders tightened and I could feel hot breath on my face. Fear rushed through me immediately; this wasn't Reece, but it was a man- a strong man who didn't want me to be able to run away.
The sickeningly hot breath that blew into my face reeked of alcohol, and it was coming out in ragged, uneven, slightly deranged sounding pants. My heart thudded nervously in my chest and my pulse seemed to soar through my veins despite the freezing feel of it. I opened my eyes and squinted at the face in front of me, my worst fears confirmed.
Jack.
"What are you doing?" I gasped, struggling to breathe properly after being shoved against the wall I was now pinned to. My hands clutched at his wrists as I tried to remove them from my shoulders.
"Let me go," I pleaded, my attempts to keep my voice strong only half successful.
"I thought we had a deal, Abigail?" he spit angrily.
"What? What are you talking about?" I asked in confusion. The fear I was trying to push down kept rising against my will, and I was irritated with myself. I didn't want to let him push me around even though every meeting with him only grew more and more drastic.
"You said you were gonna think about coming back to me, but it's clear now that was a blatant lie," he growled, his face even closer to mine than before. I turned my head to the side to try and put some space between us, and I could feel his hot breath on my cheek.
"I did think about it," I lied. My hands stayed attached to his wrists as I tried in vain to loosen his grip. My shoulders were starting to hurt from the pressure he was putting on them.
"I don't think you did," he sneered. "Every time I see you, you have your fucking tongue down his throat. I don't even wanna know what you've been doing behind closed doors."
"It's none of your business," I dared to say, my voice losing conviction more and more by the second. I was starting to sound as afraid and weak as I felt. He pushed even harder on my shoulders and I gasped.
"Slut," he growled. I shivered as I felt his lips at my ear. I wondered how I had ever enjoyed that from him.
"It was you," I said. His words had basically confirmed he had desecrated my car.
"I wouldn't have had to do that if it wasn't true," he spit.
"Get off me," I repeated, ignoring his insult. "If Reece sees you-"
I was cut off by a derisive bark of laughter. "Don't you dare threaten me with your fucking boyfriend. He can't do shit to me," he snarled.
"Why can't you just let it go? It's over, Jack, you need to move on," I said as gently as possible. I didn't want to piss him off any more that he already was but I was playing with fire here.
"No!" he shouted loudly. I jumped when his hand slammed into the concrete wall right next to my head, the force of it making my entire body shake with fear.
"You're mine, Abigail," he whispered dangerously. "I will have you again whether you like it or not."
I swallowed harshly, his words terrifying me. Not only did that sound like a threat, but it sounded like he would literally stop at nothing to make sure it came true. My breathing grew even more ragged as he pushed himself closer to me, his hands finally leaving my shoulders only to slide down my body. I felt disgusted as his palms grazed over my chest, his hands squeezing roughly before he continued on his path and gripped my hips firmly, dragging me into him despite all my resistance.
"Don't," I gasped weakly.
My hands grasped helplessly at his, attempting to stop him from touching me but failing. He was too strong and I couldn't stop him. My body felt cold and numb under his touch, and my mind was silently screaming for someone to come by and find us, but no one came.
This was very, very bad, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Reece's POV
The chair I had been sitting on crashed loudly to the floor but I made no moves to pick it up. I could hear Luke questioning my sudden drastic movement, but I ignored his questions.
"Do you see Abigail?" I shot at him, not looking at him as my eyes continued their frantic search of the dance floor. Again, she was nowhere to be seen.
"No, why?" he responded. He sounded confused.
"I need to find her," I said as my body started to carry me forward.
"Dude, she's probably fine," he reasoned, standing to follow me.
I didn't respond as I stalked forward toward the dance floor. A girl saw me heading that direction and made the mistake of approaching me. She opened her lipstick-covered mouth to try and talk to me before I cut her off.
"Fuck off," I said distractedly, brushing past her as if she was a piece of furniture. I didn't have time for that sh
it.
I pushed my way roughly through the crowd until I found Emily and Chloe, ignoring the indignant and irritated remarks fired at me on the way. They kept dancing as I approached, mistaking my arrival for a desire to dance.
"Where is she?" I questioned, not bothering to return their greeting. They squinted at me as if they couldn't hear.
"What?!" Emily shouted, never ceasing her ridiculous dancing.
"Where the fuck is Abigail?" I shouted again, glaring at her angrily enough for her to get the message and stop dancing. A look of concentration crossed her face as if she had already forgotten before she snapped her fingers once.
"She went to the bathroom. Some guy spilled his drink on her," she answered loudly. I turned abruptly from her to head to the bathroom. The momentary flash of relief was quickly forced down again; I refused to believe she was okay until I saw it with my own eyes.
Luke was waiting for me at the landing of the dance floor, a quizzical look on his face.
"You find her?" he asked.
"She's in the bathroom," I answered, my tone still hard in my anxiety.
"See dude, she's fine," he said, relaxing and grinning at me. I didn't return it.
"I'm gonna go get her."
"No, man, don't be crazy," he said, shaking his head and shooting me a look. I ignored him, my fear of looking crazy ranking somewhere around my fear of ants and butterflies. He rolled his eyes at me as I pushed past him and turned down the hall that led to the bathrooms. From what I could see, it was deserted, but the little off-shooting walkways that led to the bathrooms themselves were still hidden from my view.
My pace quickened as I got closer and closer to the first off-shoot, matching the pace of my heart. I didn't know what I was going to find, but something told me it wasn't going to be good. I should have listened to my instincts the second Luke told me about Samuel hanging out with his old crew again and dragged Abigail's ass back to my house.