Page 102 of Born into Madness
“Can I get two Sprites?” I end up sounding like I’m yelling, so I smile to soften it.
He grins, probably very used to being screamed at all night and says, “Coming right up.”
When he places them in front of me, I try not to wince at the price before handing over a twenty and telling him to keep the change. God, Sasha’s family must make a killing from this place. If nonalcoholic drinks are this expensive, the others must be through the roof.
When I turn back around, I see a small high-top table that someone’s just left. Clutching my drinks, I rush over there as fast as I can, letting out a sigh of relief when I make it in time. I’ve just climbed onto the tall chair and taken my first sip when I hear someone call my name.
Looking over, I try not to cringe when I see Ben. I know Sav’s going to be all kinds of irritated to see him, but there’s no getting out of it. He gives me a big smile and sits down across from me without an invite. Ben has barely ever looked in my direction, and I know the only reason he’s smiling at me now is because he’s trying to use me to get to Sav. I almost laugh when I think about what he’d do if Niki were to show up. If the two of them ever get together, Ben will have to admit defeat, because no way in hell would he try to go up against someone who looks like Niki.
“Hey,” he yells from across the table before looking around the club. I can tell the second he spots Sav, because he gets a lecherous look in his eyes that I don’t care for. Turning backaround, he motions towards the two Sprites I’d ordered. “You want anything else to drink?”
“No,” I tell him and take another sip. “I’m only twenty, and I’m not drinking tonight anyway.”
“You think Savanna might want something?”
I point to the other glass right next to mine. “I just got her one.”
He nods and then goes back to staring at her. When the song ends, Sav and the others start walking over. I give her anI’m sorry, what the hell was I supposed to dolook when she notices Ben sitting across from me.
“Hey,” Sav tells him as she takes the chair next to mine. The others crowd around, all of them way more eager to see Ben than we are. While they chat, Sav leans in close to me and says, “I can’t believe he followed me here.”
“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “Once Niki makes it clear you’re his, no one will be brave enough to approach you.”
She grins at the idea but says, “I’m not going to get my hopes up. I’m sure he has a lot of girls trying to get his attention.”
“From what I could see, he definitely only wants attention from you,” I tell her, and she smiles even bigger.
“Oh, I love this song,” Gabby squeals when the beat changes. In seconds, she’s grabbing Sav’s hand and leading her back out onto the floor with the others. I think about joining them, but Sasha told me to not drink anything that I didn’t see the bartender pour, and I don’t want to leave our glasses alone. I grab my Sprite and take a big drink before turning to watch the dance floor again.
After several minutes, I go back for more. I’ve just swallowed when I hear Ben say, “You stupid fucking bitch.”
“What?” Stunned at the anger in his voice, I look at him and feel a woozy rush hit me. “Damn,” I mutter, assuming I’d justmoved too quickly and made myself dizzy. When it doesn’t go away, Ben leans in closer.
“You’re drinking from Savanna’s drink, fat ass.”
My face flames to life at the insult and the pure hate in his voice. My instincts are on high alert, and when I try to look over to where I know Pasha is, the room starts to tilt and I nearly fall off my chair.
“Jesus Christ,” Ben growls. He’s at my side in seconds, pulling me off my chair and then wrapping his arm around me to hold me up. He grunts like I weigh a million pounds, and I’d punch him in the nuts if I could manage the coordination. Fear starts to inch its way up my spine, but I’m too woozy to piece anything together.
“Sasha,” I start to say, but the word is slurred and too soft to be heard over the music that sounds a hell of a lot louder than it was a few minutes ago.
Ben’s fingers dig into my side. His touch is rough and painful, and not at all how Sasha treats me. I try to will my body to fight back, but nothing is working as it should and all I want to do is fall to the floor and sleep.
I have just enough time to think about how angry Sasha is going to be before everything goes dark.
Chapter 17
Sasha
As soon as I hang up the phone with Cyn, I walk back into the warehouse and hear my dad ask, “What’s wrong?”
I’m not sure what my face is saying, but my dad has gotten good at reading me over the years, and he knows something has me worked up.
“Cyn’s at The Red Room,” I tell him, already pulling my keys from my pocket and ignoring the new weapons shipment we’d been checking.
“She’ll be fine,” he quickly says. He holds a hand up to try and keep me calm. “I’ll call Pasha and tell him to keep a close eye on her.”
I nod. “I told her to go to him if she felt unsafe, and I told her not to drink anything she didn’t see the bartender pour.”
