Page 4 of Leave Me Behind
But Eren isn’t him. I’m sure of it. And if I’m going to be miserable for the next month, why not have a bit of fun?
I return his smile.
“Sure. I just can’t stay out too late. Early commitments tomorrow,” I say as casually as I can. My veins fill with adrenaline at the thought of going out on one last free night. Hopefully getting Eren on board for a one-night stand.
His grin is murder. “I wouldn’t dream of keeping something as sweet as you out too late.”
The bar turns out to be a full-blown nightclub. Not the gross ones in small towns, but the kind that has bouncers up front checking reservations and lists.
I pay the Uber driver and stare at the building. The music is bumping so loud it’s even hard to hear the conversations outside.Should I just go back to the hotel?I consider it, but Eren is waiting for me and shouts my name.
The leggings and soft, body-tight T-shirt I wore on the plane seemed appropriate for a bar setting, but now I feel like I stand out amongst the younger women who wear belly shirts and short-shorts. Not that I have anything to wear like that anyway. I packed light; I don’t own more than three outfits for street clothes. Traveling here is the first time I’ve been off base in months. The dark forces aren’t exactly free individuals. We’re halfway between criminals and military hounds.
Eren meets me on the edge of the sidewalk. “There she is. I thought you’d totally bounce if I wasn’t up here to catch you.” He winks and all I can do is smile awkwardly.
“It did cross my mind.”
He chuckles and leads me straight to the doors. I glance over at the line of angry people waiting to get in, their impatience and rage palpable. I hate when people cut too. The bouncer gives me a gruff look but Eren nods at him and he lets me slide through without any trouble.
I didn’t pin Eren as someone who frequents the club based on his appearance.
“Ever been here before?” he asks smoothly, laying his arm around my shoulders. A chill spreads up my spine and my heart beats faster. I shake my head and he smirks. “Get ready to have one hell of a night.”
We enter the club’s main floor. It’s dark here and difficult to make out other people’s faces. Blue and purple lights flash with the music bumping through the room and thrum excitement through my veins. Vapor curls in the air as the lights cut through shadows and the distinct scent of alcohol rolls over me.
I haven’t been to a place like this since I was twenty-two, but this is way,wayfancier.
Eren smiles down at me, clearly pleased with himself at my awe. He says loudly, “I’ll get us drinks.”
“Get me an unopened can,” I shout over the music. A wicked look spreads over his face.
“Smart girl.” He winks and disappears into the crowd swarming around the bar.
I laugh and shake my head, wondering how tonight will pan out. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have a one-nighter to ease me into the dread that’s coming tomorrow. Eren seems like the kind of guy that is good at flings. In our profession, that’s not a bad trait to have. Our lives are fleeting at best and we’re always on the move. But in my case, I’m underground; I couldn’t have a relationship even if I wanted one.
It looks like Eren might be there awhile. I narrow my eyes as I watch him try to get the bartender’s attention, but there are so many people shouting and waving their cards around that I have little faith he’ll be back soon. My gaze sweeps over the sea of people bumping and grinding to the music on the dance floor. It’s in the center of the club with seating lining the outer rim for people to take breaks and drink. Each beat booms so loud it reverberates in my bones. I smile to myself and push my way into the warmth of drunken, sweaty bodies. Where I’m sure no one will see me having the time of my life.
It’s an entirely different feeling to be in a place where no one knows you. No one to judge you for letting loose.
I’ve been dancing for over ten minutes with casual movements when a club remix version of “Hey Mama” by David Guetta ques up and everyone lets out excited shrills. The sensation is exhilarating and my heart pounds lightly in my chest. I let my body follow their excitement and move with the bass, shaking my hips to the rhythm of the song.
My eyelids are heavy, chin tilted up and I happen to look at the far wall of the club. Up against it is Bradshaw. His arms are crossed tightly and he’s wearing all black, hood still pulled up. A flash of purple light beams down on him for a moment, lighting up those cold eyes and revealing that they are focused solely on me, as if he’s been watching me swing my hips this entire time. I didn’t get a good look at his neck tattoos earlier but with the light hitting him, it’s impossible not to notice the ink that follows and hardens his perfect jawline.
There’s something in the way he stares at me, like a starved man who’s contemplating a heinous act. You don’t have to tell me there isn’t one good thought in his head.
Red flags are flying all around this guy. But I can’t look away. He captivates me, scaresmeeven and I can kill a man in five seconds flat.
My veins chill under his scrutiny but I don’t stop dancing. I hold his intense gaze for a few seconds to let him know I will not be intimidated by him before forcing myself to casually glance the other way as if I don’t find him mesmerizing.
How did I forget about the psycho twin?I chide myself and roll my eyes. I refuse to let him know I’m affected by the way he watches me so carefully. My mom always said I was into bad guys. I doubt she knew I’d grow up to be into ones who clearly had psychological problems. The ones you don’t tell God about when you pray at church to forgive your sins—the ones with dark backstories and baggage.
Curious and maybe a bit teasing, I lift my lashes slowly back to him and find him still staring at me steadily. Heat rolls through me at his brashness. He doesn’t care that I’m looking straight back at him. He doesn’t look the least bit unnerved as I continue to dance, unfazed by him, rolling my hips and putting my hands up over my head like everyone else, but I notice his fingers tightening around his arm and his lower lip flattening under his teeth.
Oh.His walls aren’t so impenetrable after all.
As I continue dancing, someone comes up behind me, drawing their fingertips softly over my hips in a silent query. I smile, answering by leaning back into them and pushing my ass against a hard boner.
Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve been in a club likethis. Where the air is thick with lust and alcohol. Where strangers will touch your body with the hope that you’ll let them.
