Page 84 of Leave

Halfway to the bar, Riley touched my back. “Hey. You okay?”

I nodded, teeth clenched as nausea wormed its way through me again.

“Nolan.” He halted, and I did the same, facing him in the low light. His dark eyes were full of concern, and he kept his hand on my side as he quietly asked, “Are you sure you’re good?”

“I’m good,” I croaked. “I, uh…” I swallowed hard. “Just don’t like how handsy Leann gets sometimes.”

Fuck, wasn’tthatan understatement.

Riley’s brow pinched. Irritation and defensiveness surged up in me, but the genuine worry in his eyes tamped them back down.

“I’m good,” I insisted.

He clearly wasn’t buying it, but as always, he seemed to know when to not push. He nodded, and we continued toward the bar. There was a line, which didn’t bother me in the slightest. A few extra minutes away from our booth? Sign me the fuck up.

As we waited, though, that queasy feeling refused to subside, and my mouth was starting to water in that telltale way that said I wasn’t winning this battle.

I took out my wallet and handed Riley a couple of twenties. “I’m going to hit the head while we’re up. If you get to the front before I get back, order us something to split?”

He blinked, and once again, I was sure he saw right through me. He took the bills, though, and nodded. “Uh. Okay. Chicken, bacon, ranch flatbread?”

Just the thought of eating anything made my stomach lurch harder, but I kept that out of my expression and nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll be back in a sec.”

I kissed his cheek just to reassure him that everything was fine. No luck—his eyes were still full of suspicion.

Without another word, I left, and I quickly found the men’s room. Typical of a club like this that was geared more toward women, the men’s room was empty. I could have my pick of stalls and heave my guts out in peace.

I really didn’t want to, though. I stood by the sinks instead, gripping the cold stainless steel and swallowing hard in between deep breaths. I could keep my stomach where it belonged. I could pull myself together. The memories surging forward could be pushed back to the far recesses of my mind where they belonged. The contents of my stomach could be forced to stay down.

And those awful hands could be made to stay off Riley, even if I had to switch seats with him to be sure. My skin was alreadycrawling at the thought, but tonight I’d learned that the only thing worse than her touching me was her touchinghim.

White-hot anger lanced through the nausea and memories, and I gripped the edges of the sink tighter. Over my dead fucking body was she laying a finger on him again.

Which meant I needed to be between them, not in here like the weak-stomached coward I was.

I defiantly forced back the nausea, splashed some cold water on my face, and after I’d dried my hands, strode toward the restroom door. I swung it open, stepped out, and—

Stopped dead.

In a heartbeat, I was in another time and place, face to face with everything I’d grown to fear and hate.

Standing right there in the narrow hall, blocking my path, Leann narrowed her eyes as a smirk curled her lips. “Something wrong, Gumby? You look a little pale.”

I swallowed against the renewed queasiness, and by some miracle, managed to not take a step back. Gritting my teeth, I gestured for her to move aside. “I’m going to back to the booth.”

She stood her ground. “Why? So you can hide behind your boyfriend?”

My stomach shriveled. I hated that she was right; that I’d done exactly that earlier. “The show is starting soon.”

“Mmhmm.” She folded her arms and took a step closer. I drew back a little, and my heart dropped when my shoulder blades touched the restroom door.

“Before we go back,” she said evenly, “I think you just need to remember our deal.”

Fresh fear crackled along the length of my spine. Oh, I remembered. The threat she’d used to keep me under her thumb were burned into my memory. “Leann, let’s—”

“And I know your boyfriend will take your side like the little lapdog he is,” she hissed, “but just remember that Sophia saw you grab me too. And so did Carly and Tina.”

My stomach somersaulted, and everything I’d done to keep from vomiting was very nearly negated. Oh, fuck. In the moment, I’d been so furious and so protective of Riley that it hadn’t occurred to me how the exchange might look to anyone else.

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