Page 87 of Dealing Dirty
“Shh!”
We reach the center of the hall, and Derrick slams into the back of me when I skid to a halt. His hands wrap around my biceps to steady us.
A tall, dark figure looms at the end of the hallway.
Neither of us dare to speak.
“I said ten o’clock sharp. What the hell were you two doing?” Ben’s gruff voice emerges from the shadows just before he does.
Relief slumps my shoulders as he removes his mask. “Can you stop playing Batman and get us the hell out of here?”
Ben’s mouth quirks when he approaches, and Derrick fails to contain a chuckle.
“She should be in here,” he says, unlocking the door and pushing it open.
The room is an exact replica of mine, cot and all.
“Hazel?” I call into the empty room.
The swishing of my skirt echoes off the walls as I enter the tiny bathroom. My heart breaks into a million pieces when I find her curled up on the tile floor.
There won’t be a single day of my life that I won’t regret doing this to her.
“Hazel,” I breathe her name, squatting beside her. Her strange golden eyes are dim, and she looks weak. But at least she’s alive.
Placing my palm under her pretty face, I turn it toward me and search for injuries.
“I’m fine,” she rasps, wrapping her small hand around my wrist.
The boys rush in behind me, and Ben stops dead in his tracks, training his eyes on her.
Derrick flips on the bathroom light, and her eyes practically glow as she glares at Ben. When he bends to help me get her to her feet, she flinches.
“It’s okay, you can trust him. Ben’s working undercover.”
His body is rigid, watching her heavy breathing as she studies him.
“Good to know you’re not a traitor,” she murmurs.
Ben’s eyes nervously flick to mine before quietly asking permission to move her. “I’d like you to go with Juliana and Derrick now. Jackie has surely noticed Juliana’s absence, and we don’t have much time.”
Her hold on his thick arms is tight as she bobs her head, and like he’s holding precious china, he sets her gently on her booted feet.
Someone’s given her an oversized T-shirt, but her leather pants and boots are the same from last night.
I take her hand in mine and gather as much of my dress as possible in the other. “I’m so sorry, Hazel. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
She pulls my body into hers, and I breathe in her lemony scent. “Oh, shut up. Minus being locked away like Rapunzel, this is the most action I’ve had in a while.”
I gape at her, humbled by her immediate forgiveness. “How can you laugh at a time like this?”
“Because life’s too short,chica. And I’m not going to waste a second of it being mad at a good friend.”
My lip trembles as Derrick leads us out of the room and into the empty hall. Ben’s expression softens as he takes a step away from us and moves back toward the stairs.
“I’ll stay behind and keep them off your scent, but you won’t have long.”
I give a curt nod, but Hazel stops.
