Page 53 of Give You Up

“Still young.”

“Still closer to my dad’s age.”

“Holy fuck, really?”

“Yes. My dad is thirty-nine.”

“That means he had you—”

“Got my mom pregnant when they were seventeen. He turned eighteen after I was born,” I said, saving him from doing the math in his head.

He has enough to deal with, the crowd surging close to capacity from the line that goes around the block, as well as the crowds that will show up later after the gala finishes in an hour.

Crimson is the only nightclub in proximity to the convention center.

“Midnight texted something about you pointing out the guy to me?”

“Yeah, come over here. Sit on my lap, why don’t you?” He pats his lap, his dark eyes gleaming. I roll my eyes. He barks laughter. “JK.”

Just kidding. As if he had to spell it out. He rises from his chair, then brings a rolling chair from the corner of the room and puts it next to his. I take a seat, and hunched forward, I study the images on the screen with Dom. He zooms in until he finds who he is looking for.

“Here he is. He’s been here every Friday and Saturday.”

“Every one of them?” This guy can’t be the one who assaulted Natalie. On the drive to Alexandria, Taron and I exchanged notes.

I pull out my cell phone from my little over-the-chest purse, go to my calendar, and find the Saturday that Taron’s roommates threw the party for him.

“Except for one Saturday.”

My head snaps up. Which Saturday? The one of the party? My heart beats fast like hummingbird wings.

“Which one?” Or the better question would be, “How do you keep track of who and on which days? Tons of people go in and out of here.”

“I noticed for one reason. The guy with him. This dude sticks out like blood in snow.”

I tip closer to the screen. See exactly what Dom means. Suck in a breath when I see him.Hunter. Buzz cut on the sides. Mohawk in my favorite shade of polish, midnight blue. Inked on his neck and arms.

His cousin Rhett is the one with the snake and butterfly tattoo? He assaulted Natalie? When I was with Rhett and Hunter, they were inked, but they did not have on their flesh my friends’ symbol of friendship.

The four of us contributed our part to that symbol. Midnight came up with the snake. He says they are cunning, lethal, brutal, but also harmless and helpful.

Like what?I had asked. I detest snakes. And to have one inked on me? Uh-uh. Until he told me of garter or garden snakes. They help the environment and gardeners by eating rats and insects. Okay, I am fine with having a snake on my skin. Except Midnight went with a fierce snake, the most venomous snake, a black mamba. Of course he would pick a black mamba. Black is his favorite color.

Riley went with a butterfly, a creature that starts out as an ugly worm that transforms into a thing of beauty. I picked blood red for the butterfly wings. Dare chose royal blue. He later told me his family crest is made up of the colors red and blue.

I follow the guys’ movements on the screen. What’s changed from then to now with the tats? And what did I do to piss off the universe that my ex-boyfriend and his cousin are in my neck of the woods?

This is not good. Rhett can be the biggest jerk, but there is no way he is capable of drugging and raping a woman.

I stand up so fast, the chair rolls back and hits Dom’s desk.

“You okay, sweetheart?”

“Migraine coming on. I get these auras.” Crap, I will go to hell for lying to Midnight’s friend, but I am in no mood to revisit my past by running into those two again.

I cram the heel of my palm against my temple. Close my eyes. Inhale and exhale so deeply, I’m certain my chest visibly rises and falls.

“Do you mind calling me an Uber?”

---