Page 24 of Give Me You
His eyebrow raises, surprise flickering across his face. "Why not sit at any of the other tables?"
"Because then people like to come over and ask questions," I say, settling into the plush booth. "I just need to sit here for a minute."
Akira observes me, his dark eyes taking in details I'm not sure I want him to see. The tension in my shoulders, the way my hands won't stay still, the exhaustion that I can't quite hide. "Sit here as long as you like."
The offer makes me a little flustered. My eyes scan the VIP section, looking for Liam again. Not sure why I keep doing that. I don't even need him. We're not dating. Last night was just anecessity, this afternoon was just comfort. Nothing more. But something inside of me wants to put eyes on the Alpha, wants to confirm he's here and safe and accessible if I need him.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out. A text from Liam.Come to the security office.
The message immediately sets off alarm bells in my head. Standing up, I notice Akira rises with me. He falls into step beside me as I head toward the back of the club, and it takes me a moment to realize what he's doing. Shielding me from the crowd. His body angles between me and the other people, creating a barrier that keeps them from getting too close. Nobody bumps into me, nobody reaches out to touch me. Akira makes sure of it without saying a word.
The security office sits at the end of a long hallway, away from the main floor. When I push open the door, Liam and Otto are already inside. Both of them look grim, their expressions tight with frustration.
Otto speaks first, not wasting time on pleasantries. "It seems that there is an hour of security footage missing, right around the time you would have been drugged and then carried out of the building."
A grimace pulls at my face. "Why can't anything ever be easy?"
Of course the footage is missing. Of course whoever did this was smart enough to cover their tracks. Nothing about this situation has been straightforward, so why would this be any different?
Pulling out my phone, I'm about to call Cole to see if he caught anything when I see a new text string. Skull emojis. Lots of them. From Zaden.
"Is he a fucking child?" I mutter, staring at the screen.
Before anyone can respond, a pounding on the security office door makes us all jump.
"Police, open up!"
My blood runs cold. Otto moves toward the door, Liam walking me back a few steps, positioning himself between me and whoever is about to come through that door.
Otto opens the door, Zaden standing there with an evil grin plastered across his face. Two police officers flank him, their expressions completely neutral as they step inside, their eyes scanning the small room and landing on Akira and Liam.
"Are you Akira and Liam Stark?" one of the officers asks.
"Yes," they both answer, their voices steady despite the tension crackling in the air.
The officer pulls out handcuffs, and my heart drops into my stomach. "River Harrison was murdered a few hours ago. A few witness reports have you both at his location so we’re taking you in for questioning."
The words wash over me, but I can't process them.River Harrison murdered. The name means nothing to me, but clearly it means something to them. Both Akira and Liam go still, their faces suddenly blank of emotion. But I can see the tension in their jaws and the way their hands clench into fists.
The officers move forward, everything happening in slow motion. They turn the brothers around, pulling their arms behind their backs. The metallic click of handcuffs echoes in the small space, impossibly loud. Both Liam and Akira stare at me as they're restrained, their eyes locked on mine. Liam's expression is apologetic, like he's sorry for leaving me. Akira's is fierce, like he's memorizing my face in case he doesn't see it again.
Anguish floods through me, fear clawing at my throat, making it hard to breathe. The officers guide them toward the door, and I watch helplessly as they disappear into the hallway.
Zaden steps forward, his grin widening. "Seems like your drug dealers got in over their head and killed one of their members. Be careful who you hang out with, Emmy. This isn't a good look."
The nickname makes my skin crawl. Only my parents called me Emmy, and hearing it from Zaden's mouth feels like a violation. He's enjoying this, reveling in my distress. This is what he wanted. Not just to take my club, but to destroy everything I care about in the process.
My heart beats faster, panic rising in my chest. Looking around frantically, I search for something to calm me, something to ground me before I spiral completely. But there's nothing. Just Otto's concerned face and Zaden's satisfied smirk.
"We need to go to the station," I manage to say, turning to Otto, Zaden already disappearing down the hall.
Otto manages a slow nod, suggesting we wait a few minutes so that the chaos dies down a little bit. I almost argue with him until he asks me a question that cuts through my panic.
"When are you going to stop fighting whatever this is with those Stark Alphas?"
"What are you talking about?"
Otto glances at me. "Son, we both know they aren't just vendors at the club. Not with the way you seek Liam out and not with the way you made a beeline up those VIP steps this evening to sit with Akira."
