Rachel is flippant as she eyes a skinny blonde in a miniscule silver mini-dress draping herself around Keven. She catches my eye. “Dance?”
Vodka buzzes through my system as I stand up, nodding. Rach tugs Jill up. “We’re heading to the dance floor,” I tell Ky. “You want to come?”
He shakes his head, standing to his full height. “Nah. You have fun with your friends.” Reeling me into his arms, he kisses me passionately, and I melt against him. When he finally releases me, I sway a little on my heels, and he grins proudly.
Keaton stands up. “Mind if I come with?”
I loop my arm in his. “Of course not. Let’s get our boogie on.”
We take the stairs to the lower level and out into the middle of the heaving crowd occupying the dance floor. The air is thick with humidity as we start dancing, and I’m regretting my decision to wear the jumpsuit. Although the material is light, it’s already starting to stick uncomfortably to my body. Jill and Rach had the right idea with their short, skimpy dresses. A few girls are eyeing Keaton up, but he’s oblivious. I think it’s sweet how loyal he is to Melissa, refusing to even lock eyes with any other girls.
After a few songs, I call a time out, desperately needing hydration. When we make our way back upstairs, the female mob surrounding our table appears to have doubled in size, and we have to fight our way through. A good-looking girl wearing the tiniest dress known to mankind is perched on the edge of the table, trying to claim Ky’s attention. She crosses and uncrosses her legs, flicking her hair and wetting her lips as she angles her body toward him. He isn’t giving her the time of day, chatting quietly with Sam who is also ignoring the girl trying to latch onto him from the other side. Jill’s lips curl into a snarl, and I watch with amusement as she throws herself into his lap, elbowing the girl aside in the process. Ky lifts his head, and the brunette leans in to speak to him, but his attention is focused purely on me. Reaching out, he grips my waist, hauling me onto his lap and nuzzling his head in my shoulder. “These girls are fucking scary,” he whispers, biting gently on my earlobe.
I crank out a laugh, but as the brunette pins me with a look Voldemort would be proud of, I can’t disagree.
Rach hands me a bottle of water, not so subtly glaring at the other girl. “He’s taken and you’re wasting your time, so move along now.”
She narrows her eyes at Rach before turning a scathing look in my direction. I can afford to be charitable, so I smile at her, curling my hands more tightly around Ky’s neck as he plants a line of kisses along my jaw. Her unhappy pout speaks volumes, but she knows when she’s beat. In a comical move, she slides along the table, twisting around to face Keven. Two girls are nestled on either side of him on the couch, but his hot gaze is fixated on Rach. “Excuse me, ladies.” He gets up, making a beeline for my bestie, his intense gaze never wavering. Taking Rachel’s hand in his, he keeps walking, holding firmly onto her. She hastily dumps her bottle on the table and lets him lead her out of the VIP room.
Ky chuckles softly against my neck as Keaton plops down on the edge of the couch, pulling at his shirt. “Haven’t you guys heard of air con? It’s so Goddamned hot in here.”
I fan his face with my hands. “There is air conditioning.” I point at the box on the far wall. “Sorry if it’s not up to your exacting standards,” I tease. “Ireland isn’t prepared for the type of heat wave we’ve been experiencing.”
“I’ll say.” He moves my hands faster, up and down, in front of his face, and I laugh.
“Here,” Jill says handing him a bottle of water. “This will help you cool down.”
Kent stands up on the couch, whipping his shirt up over his head. That boy is a blatant exhibitionist. A few wolf whistles ring out from the girlish posse. He winks at a couple of girls, wrapping his shirt around his naked waist. “Problem solved, bro,” he hollers across the table, gesturing for Keaton to remove his shirt. Kal laughs as the girl sitting beside him drips drool out of her mouth. Keanu hops up, swaying a little as he removes his shirt too. My jaw slackens. I have never seen Keanu anything less than composed. Now, as my eyes skim over him, noting the messed-up hair and the unfocused look in his eye, I realize he’s pretty smashed.
A large, older dude, wearing a black suit with shoulders the size of a bus and a fitted earpiece, approaches our table. “Gentlemen, please get down off the sofa, and put your shirts back on.”
“Aw, come on, man. It’s hot as fuck in here,” Kent pleads with a naughty grin.
The bouncer crosses his arms. “Club rules. Put your shirts back on now.”
“Dude, your rules suck,” Keanu says, slurring his words a little. He slumps down on the sofa, wrestling his shirt back on.
Kaden tugs Kent down off the couch. “Don’t be an ass. Just do as you’re told.” His look brokers no argument.
A round of protests erupts as Kent unties his shirt from his waist, reluctantly putting it back on. “Party pooper,” he murmurs under his breath.
“I’m bored,” Keanu suddenly announces, shucking off the amorous advances of the girl clinging to his side. “Let’s hit the dance floor.”
Jill hops up, dragging Sam by the arm. “I’m not taking no for an answer this time.”
“I think that’s our cue,” Ky says, nudging Keaton out of the way.
“Thank fuck,” Kal whispers in my ear, getting up to come with us. “This one is not taking the hint.” He gestures at the petite blonde behind him. She’s staring at him with an adoring look on her face.
“She’s pretty.”
“I’m not interested.”
I scan my cousin’s earnest face. He means it. Out of all of us, I think Kal has changed the most this last year. I hook my arm in his. “I’ll protect you.” I smirk.
“You’d better.” He winks. “These girls are relentless.”
“They know what they want, and they aren’t afraid to go after it.”
“I can tell, and at another time, I would’ve been all over what they’re offering. But not anymore. There’s only one girl I want, and she’s not in this room.”
It’s the first time in months he’s alluded to Lana. “I’m always here if you want to talk about it.”
He gives me a quick hug. “I know. Thanks.”
“How did Alex and James take the news about the University of Florida?” I ask him, as we trail the others out of the VIP room.
“They were actually pretty cool about it.” He scrubs a hand over his jaw. “I expected Mom to flip out but she was fine with it.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
“Totally. And they’ve also agreed it’d be a good idea if I was emancipated.” I lift a brow. “It makes sense that I’m completely independent with the distance between us. At least this way, I can look after myself.”
“And you’re very sure this is what you want?” I holler in his ear as we emerge on the ground level, and the noise almost deafens me.
“One hundred percent,” he shouts back.
“We’ll miss you in Harvard, but I really hope it works out for you, Kal. You deserve to be happy.”
His keen eyes survey me intensely, and I worry that I might have given something away. Then his shoulders relax, and I release the breath I’ve been holding. “Me too, and thanks.”
En masse, we make our way to the dance floor with a gaggle of girls following, uninvited, in our wake.
It’s crazy madness out on the floor. Throngs of dancers are jostling for space, and the heat is off the charts. Ky lines up behind me, keeping a firm arm around my waist as we dance. I spy Keven and Rach, lip-locked, in a corner of the room, and I smile to myself. The rest of my cousins are dancing, starting to mosh as they slam against one another. Swarms of girls surround them, and you’d swear there were no good-looking guys in Dublin the way they are launching themselves at my cousins. For once, the boys seem uninterested as they de
flect advances left, right, and center. Jill and I exchange amused expressions. A new, popular tune starts up, and Keanu fist pumps the air, waving his hands about excitedly, only to disappear a few seconds later. Kent is busy alternating kisses between two different girls clinging to his side. They are trading glares and insults, for obvious reasons, and it’s freaking hilarious. Ky cusses under his breath, watching his younger brother like a hawk.
Kal splutters, pointing over my shoulder. He clutches his stomach, doubled over, as tears of laughter trickle down his face. Ky spins us around, and my mouth falls open. Keanu is standing up on a narrow counter at the side of the DJ booth rocking it out as the crowd roars their approval. His hands are going crazy as he dances his ass off. And, boy, can my cousin dance. He could give Justin Timberlake a run for his money any day. Keanu whips his shirt off again, this time flinging it out into the crowd, grinning like a total doofus when a few girls tussle as they reach for it.
“Ohmigawd!” Jill shrieks, laughing. “Your cousin is certifiable.”
“Certifiably drunk, more like,” I mumble, still struggling to believe my eyes.
“Shit,” Ky exclaims, looking to the left. Two muscle-bound bouncers are advancing on the DJ booth with a ferocious look in their eye.
Chapter Six
Faye
Ky catches Kaden’s eye, but he’s already on it, moving in the direction of the DJ booth.
A loud roar emits from the top end of the dance floor, capturing our attention. A lone shape is running across the stage at the back of the room. My jaw slackens again as Kent launches himself off the stage into the middle of the thick crowd. I watch, aghast, as he spins through the air before landing on top of the crush of bodies surging forward to meet him. Miraculously, they manage to hold him upright, and the spike of anxiety swirling inside me retreats.
“What the actual fuck?” Ky shouts, looking at me in exasperation while shaking his head. I scan the crowd for Kent, but I’ve lost sight of him now his feet are back on solid ground. “He seriously needs his head examined.”
“Maybe he was trying to create a distraction?” I suggest.
Ky scoffs. “He didn’t like the fact Keanu was getting all the attention, so he did something to draw it back on himself. Honestly, I worry about his mental stability a lot.”
“He’s not the only one you should worry about.” I nudge his shoulder, pointing toward the DJ box. Keanu is being dragged off the counter by one of the bouncers, and his expression is sheepish as he peers at the floor. The bouncer twists his hands behind his back, holding them in a vise-grip, while Kaden argues animatedly with the other bouncer.
“That was frigging awesome, dude!” Kent exclaims, rejoining us, with an ecstatic smile on his face.
“That was frigging idiotic,” Ky retorts, his nostrils flaring as he swats the back of Kent’s head. “You could’ve seriously injured yourself.”
“Quit with the bitching, Dad. You’re so boring these days.”
“I thought it was brilliant,” the slutty blonde with the smudged mascara says. The other girl seems to have given up and disappeared. “And I think you deserve a reward.” Stretching up, she grabs his face in both her tiny hands and smashes her lips against his. Kent pulls her in flush to his body, grinding his hips against hers in a deliberate move.
Ky moves forward, but I hold him back. “Don’t get involved. It’s not worth it.” It isn’t. It won’t make a blind bit of difference, and all it will do is cause another argument.
Rach appears in my line of sight. Keven has her tucked possessively under his arm as he stalks through the crowd toward us. “What’s going on?” he asks Ky, keeping a tight hold on Rach.
“Just the usual crap.” Ky glances over his shoulder and cusses. “Great. They’re kicking Keanu out.” We all turn around. The same bouncer is now hauling Keanu toward the exit. Kaden eyeballs us, and Ky nods. “Time to go.”
I spin around, smothering a grin as Kent’s grabby hands slip under the hem of blondie’s dress. “Good luck getting him out of here.”
Kev and Ky share a loaded look. “You get the others out safely, and I’ll handle the little shit,” Ky tells his older brother. Kev nods and starts rounding up the others. Ky sighs, scrubbing a hand over his stubbly jaw. “This is not how I saw this night going.”
“Never a dull moment,” I joke, trying to cut a line through the strain.
Ky takes a step forward, but a hulk of a guy shoves him out of the way as he barrels toward Kent. Ky stumbles and I reach out, grabbing his arm to keep him upright. “What the heck? Are you okay?” I peer into his face.
“Oh shit!” Ky’s jaw clenches as he stares over my shoulder. I spin around just as the hulk reaches Kent and the blonde-haired girl. Roughly yanking her away, he pushes her to one side. Another guy steps forward, wrapping an arm around the girl’s waist. She doesn’t even attempt to protest, slumping in his arms with a frightened look on her face.
Kent’s chin juts up as he attempts to outstare the other guy. “What the fuck is your problem, bro?”
“My problem, bro,” the guy says, in a thick inner-city Dublin accent, “is your hands were all over my woman, and no one touches my Zara. No one.”
A group of rough-looking guys force their way through the crowd, heading in our direction. All the tiny hairs lift on my arms. Ky turns to me. “Shit’s about to get real, and I want you nowhere near this. Go get Kev and Kade for me, and then stay outside with the others.” I open my mouth to protest, but he plants a quick, hot kiss on my lips. “No time to argue. Please. Just do as I say.”
Reluctantly, I nod and take off running. I catch up to Rach and Kev at the edge of the dance floor and quickly explain. Kev utters a volley of colorful expletives. “Go outside and get Kade. Then you two stay out there. This could get messy,” he commands, before disappearing onto the dance floor.
I make a split-second decision. “I’m going back. They might need a local to help defuse things. Can you explain everything to Kaden and tell him to hurry?”
She nods quickly. “’Kay. Be careful.”
“I will.”
I shove my way forcefully through the crowd, my anxiety rising a few notches the deeper I get. A small circle has formed in the area where I last left Ky and my cousins, and I can see jack shit. Bile rises up my throat. I have a really bad feeling about this. Those guys are the type you don’t mess around with. Kent may think he’s all badass, but he’s no match for the likes of those boys. They won’t hesitate to beat his ass until he can barely breathe.
I frantically search the perimeters of the room. Where the fuck are the bouncers when you need them?
I elbow my way through the nosy mob blocking my path, ignoring the obscenities flung my way. Little beads of sweat dot my brow, and a line coasts down the gap between my breasts. I swallow the panic in my throat as the sounds of fighting reach my ears. Girls start fleeing, screaming as they run off the dance floor. More guys descend from out of nowhere, jumping into the fray. I blink profusely as I grapple with the images in front of me. At least twenty guys are brawling in the middle of the dance floor, and my boyfriend and two of my cousins are in the thick of it.
The hulk is raining blows on Kent, and Kent’s thrashing about, swinging his arms wildly. The hulk is a beast of a guy, but he’s remarkably nimble on his feet, effortlessly avoiding all of Kent’s punches. Kent isn’t so fortunate. I wince as the guy rams his fist in Kent’s face, and his head jerks back.
Terror and anger are an explosive mix inside me, and my brain shuts off. I’m blaming my slightly inebriated state for what I do next. Blood spurts out of Kent’s nose as the hulk moves in again. Racing toward them, I fling myself on the hulk’s back, jumping up and wrapping my legs around his waist as I haul myself up his body. I circle my arm around his meaty neck and tighten it, yanking as hard as I can, while cementing my grip on his torso with my legs. You could spray p
aint me on his body, and I wouldn’t be welded as tightly to him.
“Da fuck?” the guy fumes, moving back and forth in an attempt to throw me off.
I cling on harder. “Get the fuck away from my cousin. It’s not his fault your girlfriend is a cheating little slut. She was all over him, not the other way around.” It’s no word of a lie. Those girls pursued him; he didn’t go looking for them.
Reaching up, the hulk grabs my arm and squeezes, hard. A dart of pain zips up my arm, and I cry out. “Get off me, bitch,” he snarls.
Kent is struggling to his feet. “Don’t you fucking touch her, asshole,” he screams, spitting blood as he stalks toward us.
Strong hands grip my waist and tug. Caught off guard by the unexpected move, I automatically loosen my hold on the hulk, and he reacts fast, tipping me back with force. The arms at my back let go, and I scream as I feel myself falling. In desperation, I grab onto the hulk’s neck, digging my nails into his flesh as I fight the falling sensation. With a guttural roar, he swings around, throwing me off him with force. I soar through the air like a bird. Closing my eyes, I offer up a prayer as I prepare myself for a crash landing. Someone kills the music, and screams and shouts reverberate around the club as I sail toward the floor. I land on someone, my head slamming against a hard chest. A familiar groan has my eyes popping wide, and I twist around. Ky is underneath me, moaning as his arms fasten around my waist.
“Oh my God! Are you all right?” I cup his face. “Babe, are you okay?”
“I think you broke me,” he rasps in a choked voice.
“Oh God. Where does it hurt?” Panic undercuts my tone at the thought that he might have broken his back or a leg or something.
The Irish Getaway: A Kennedy Boys Optional Short Novel (The Kennedy Boys) Page 5