Page 42 of For the Boys
Brent opened up his text thread with Berkley and sent her the address for the loft, saying when to meet him and to bring her friends.
“Well shit,” he said out loud to his empty apartment. “What the hell am I going to wear?”
Chapter Eight
Berkley
“Is this where we all finally agree that Brent is a creepy stalker and you stop giving him the time of day?” Lexie asked from the backseat as they traveled the surprisingly quiet city streets in the direction of Greektown.
Berkley rolled her eyes. “He’s not a creepy stalker. He wanted to hang out tonight, and this is where he told me to meet him. Plus, he specifically told me to bring you guys. Do you think he’d do that if he was planning something nefarious?”
Honestly, Berkley hadn’t been entirely sure about meeting Brent tonight. It was hard to ignore the yawning pit in her stomach that warned her to tread with caution when it came to this man.
But she couldn’t deny the fact that she was warming up to him. He wouldn’t have asked her to meet him tonight, along with her friends, if he didn’t actually want to see her, right? Plus, a group hang did not mean she was dating the guy. She could enjoy herself tonight while still keeping him at arm’s length.
“Well, whether or not his intentions arenefarious,” Kimber said, emphasizing the word, “is still debatable, because we don’t know him all that well. But I’m on Berk’s side on this one. He wouldn’t have invited us if he planned to strangle her in some dark alley and leave her for dead.”
Berkley shuddered and cast a glare in the rearview mirror at her friend. “Gee, thanks for that visual, Kimber.”
Kimber mock saluted. “At your service.”
“But honestly, where are we going? And do you think Cole is going to be there?” Amelia asked, opening the visor above the passenger seat so she could check her makeup in the mirror.
“I don’t know where we’re going, as I’ve told you about ten times.” Berkley sighed. “Somewhere in Greektown. I tried to search the address online, and it’s an abandoned building from the looks of it.”
“Great, so not only is Brent going to strangle Berkley to death, but his teammates will probably be there to take care of the rest of us,” Lexie said. “I can just see the headlines.” She dropped her voice several octaves in a poor imitation of a nightly news anchor. “Police find severely mutilated bodies of four formerly beautiful women.”
Berkley sighed again. “Stop that. Everything is going to be fine.”
Surrounded by all manner of luxury vehicles, Berkley pulled into a conspicuously open parking space in front of a large brick building. She turned off the car and grabbed her phone from the cupholder to text Brent that they had arrived.
Less than a minute later, Brent came out of the building and waved. Berkley got out of the car and walked up to him, her friends trailing reluctantly behind her.
“Hey,” he said, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets in what Berkley could only guess was a nervous gesture.Good, she thought.I’m nervous too, and my friends think we’re here so you can murder us all.
“Hey, yourself,” she said. She surreptitiously smoothed her hair and gave him her brightest smile. “What is this place?”
“You’ll see! C’mon.” He turned on his heel and opened the door, holding it ajar as she, followed by Lexie, Amelia, and Kimber, stepped through and into a small foyer with a giant freight elevator dominating the wall directly in front of them. An ascending staircase stood on their right, and a wall of mailboxes sat on the left.
Brent walked to the elevator, the doors of which were already open. The five of them stepped inside, and Brent shut the door before pressing the button for the fifth floor.
“You’re not taking us somewhere to kill us, are you?” Lexie blurted.
Brent barked out a laugh. “Absolutely not. I just want it to be a surprise. This is one of my favorite places.”
Berkley glared daggers at her, but Lexie just shrugged.
They arrived at the fifth floor, and it opened to a long hallway with a single large door about halfway down. Faint voices and the rumblings of bass came from somewhere nearby.
“Are you ready?” he asked them when they reached the door.
Berkley shrugged, and her friends looked uncomfortable.
As Brent slid open the giant metal door, she closed her eyes.
She felt Brent step up next to her and reach down to grab her hand. “Berkley,” he whispered, his breath tickling to hair on the side of her head. “Open your eyes.”
“Oh. My. God.”
