Page 21 of Unlocked

“You should be the one concerned.” Enos smirks. “Luke, then Bo, by birth order you’re up next.” Rosco pales, shaking his head in denial. I can’t help grinning at Rosco’s discomfort. I totally understand how he feels. It wasn’t that long ago I would have felt the same, but that was pre-Shelby.

Chapter 12

Shelby

Asoft knock sounds on the door of the bathroom. My eyes roll upward. I don’t want to have to talk to anyone right now. I seriously hope whoever is wanting in here isn’t some good Samaritan, who will try to comfort the pathetic crying woman in a bar bathroom. I don’t want to have to pretend to be nice to anyone, right now. Grumpily I turn to stomp toward the door, praying Bo has left since the pounding on the door has stopped.

“Shelby?” Marley’s compassionate voice is like pouring gasoline on a fire. A sob escapes me. I cry even harder than before. I don’t want to upset my friend. This is her time to shine. Her bachelorette party should be a fun-filled night, not spent comforting me in the bathroom over something silly. Now that I’ve had a moment to think things through, I don’t think Bo had intended to embarrass me. He had just happened to say some of the same words, that creep had said in my past, and with that same song playing, it had been too much. I’d had a momentary flash back. I feel so foolish. “It’s me, Marley. Let me in, please?”

I scramble to get myself in control of my emotions. I can’t ruin Marley’s night by crying like a baby. Huffing out a deep breath, I quickly swipe my eyes, then go over to unlock the door.I open it a little hoping that Bo has found somewhere else to be. I’m not that lucky.

Marley is standing at the door. As I open it wide enough for her to enter, Bo steps up behind her, looking as if he’s going to say something to me. His face is pained, but I can’t allow myself to believe that he’s that concerned over my feelings. More likely, he’s worried his brother will be upset with him for causing Marley any distress. I try to close the door back, but Marley’s hand flies up preventing me from shutting the door in his face. “Back off!” she commands over her shoulder. Bo complies with a disappointed look in my direction. I almost feel badly for him. Almost. I turn away and head over to the sinks.

I place my hands on the sink, my head falling forward.Was I wrong about Bo?He’d looked so upset, just now.Could he really have been upset for me? Or is he just worried about upsetting Marley and his brother?I wish I wasn’t so fucked up in the head that I could be normal around people. Not overthink every interaction.

“What’s going on Shelby?” Marley asks once she’s inside the bathroom. I do my best to get myself under control to answer her. I blow out a breath before turning around to face her.

“I’m sorry, Marley,” I apologize. “I don’t mean to ruin your night.”

“What? You aren’t ruining my night!” Marley exclaims. “You’re my friend, Shelby, and I just want to make sure you’re okay. You want to talk about it?” I shake my head, turning back to the mirrors. “Come on, I want to be here for you,” Marley says softly. I take a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

“Bo is really hot, and I can’t think straight when I’m around him,” I confess, feeling my face heat just thinking about how he made my body feel when he’d pulled me close. “He might be a nice guy. I don’t know, but I’ve been treated like shit before by guys just like him. I can’t let him get to me, Marley. I won’t bethe butt of another joke.” Marley’s concerned expression morphs into understanding.

“Bo wouldn’t do that to you,” Marley declares with certainty. “He is a playboy, so I’m not going to say he might not break your heart because he very well could. He’s known to be the king of one-night stands, but he would never treat you badly. He’s very up front about the kind of relationship, or lack thereof, he’s willing to participate in. He really is interested in you, though it might just be for a fling while you are here but not to make fun of you.”

I study Marley’s face for a long beat, looking for any signs of deception, but I don’t see it. She honestly believes what she’s saying about Bo. Whether or not, she’s accurate about his intentions and behavior remain to be seen, but Marley believes Bo is a good guy at heart. I have no reason to doubt her word. I give her a nod before splashing some cold water on my face. I don’t want go back out there looking like I’ve been in here crying my eyes out, even though it’s the truth. I can’t face everyone with my eyes and nose red from my outburst.

“I’ve made such a fool of myself. I can’t face him, right now,” I murmur as much to myself as to Marley. She places a comforting hand on my shoulder. Our eyes meet in the mirror. “Could you ask him to just give me some space?”

“Yes, absolutely. I’ll go talk to him.” Marley squeezes my shoulder. She exits the bathroom, leaving me to get myself together before having to go out and face our friends again. Taking a couple of deep breaths, I give myself a pep talk.You can do this! Just go out there and hold your head high. Yeah, right.

I let out an unladylike snort. Who am I kidding? I don’t have the backbone for this. I just need to go home and lick my wounds so I can mentally prepare myself to get through the rehearsal tomorrow night and then the wedding the next day. It’s only three more days, and I’ll be heading back to my apartment andmy lonely life. Blowing out a breath, I hear the door open, again, signaling that Marley is returning. I hope this doesn’t upset her, but I need to go home and regroup.

“Bo asked me to apologize to you for upsetting you,” Marley says upon reentering the bathroom. “He agreed to give you some space, but I think you should give him a chance. Just get to know him and go from there. I’m not saying you should jump into bed with him, but you could at least be friends, maybe?”

“I don’t know, Marley,” I answer with a shrug. “I’ll think about it but not tonight. I think I’ll just head back to Luke’s if that’s okay with him?” Marley starts to protest, but I interrupt her. “Please don’t be upset or let this ruin your night. I’m just not the bar scene kind of girl, okay?”

“Okay,” she agrees reluctantly. “You aren’t going to bail on the wedding, are you?”

“Of course not!” I say with a smile. “I wouldn’t miss it!” I hug my friend tightly as the bathroom door opens. Marley and I turn to leave, still arm in arm, when the girl entering the room speaks.

“I wouldn’t miss your big day either,” the young woman sneers, glaring at Marley. I feel Marley’s entire body tense under my arm. “Although your big day won’t be the one you’re thinking of.” The woman gives a maniacal laugh, causing a shiver to run down my spine. My entire body strains with unease. There’s something bad about to happen that has nothing to do with my incident with Bo. Marley’s arm on my back urges me to get moving. We take a few steps, past the girl, toward the door, that abruptly, flies open with a bang. Marley falls forward like she’s been struck from behind.What the fuck is happening??

A tall man is blocking our exit from the bathroom. He’s flanked by two Arabic looking men. Panic surges through me. One of the Arabic men grabs me while the one blocking our path grabs onto Marley. I’m shoved against the wall. A large handover my mouth prevents me from screaming for help. I glance to my left, seeing Marley is in a similar predicament. The men zip-tie our hands and tie gags over our mouths. The woman peeks out the door.

“The coast is clear,” she throws over her shoulder. “We need to go, now!” The men drag us from the room and down the hall toward the back of the bar and out into the night. We are shoved into the back of a black van. Our kidnappers pile into the vehicle and speed away.Who are these people, and what do they want with us?

“Kristen, are you certain we weren’t seen?” A man who looks very similar to the woman named Kristen asks. She nods her head. “I attempted to disable the security cameras, but I’m not certain I was successful. It was more difficult to hack into the system than I had expected. We will need to be cautious,” the man continues.

“Konner, stop worrying,” Kristen chastises. “Those Robertson men will never know it was us.” Marley growls around her gag. Kristen glares over at her. “Shut up bitch! You’ll get what’s coming to you soon enough. You’ll pay for getting me fired and distracting Luke. I could have gotten him to fall in love with me if you hadn’t seduced him. I still don’t know what he sees in you. I know what you see in him, dollar signs, same as me.” Marley attempts to get up from where we’ve been dropped.

Konner’s foot flies out hitting Marley in the chest and knocking her back on her ass. Oh God! I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that he would physically abuse us, but the violence of the attack rattles me. I’ve been away from the violence for years, but by this one act, I’m thrown back in time. I’m a child again, cowering from my father’s rage.

Chapter 13

Bo

Meanwhile…

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