Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
THORA
It’s been a couple of days since I’ve seen Anton, and I’m beginning to wonder whether I ever will again. He hasn’t shown up at the café or anywhere else in town. Maybe he grew bored with me and moved on.
I hate that the thought bothers me. He’s no one to me. Just a man from a world every bit as dangerous as my own. We aren’t even friends, no matter how much I wish we were.
Be honest. Friendship isn’t all you wanted from him.
So what? Friends with benefits could work.
Great. Now I’m talking with myself. What the hell has happened to me?
I abandon the argument and walk over to the full-length mirror, fluffing my hair before pulling a pair of high-heeled pumps from the closet.
I swipe on another layer of nude lipstick and check that my eyeliner hasn’t smudged. I’m already running late for my night out with Blair, and she’ll kill me if her favorite band starts before I get there.
Of course, that makes me wonder what kind of music Anton listens to and whether we have anything in common besides the dangerous families we were born into.
By the time I reach the foyer, I’m annoyed with myself for thinking about him this much. I pull my coat from the closet and slip it over my black minidress before reaching for the door.
“Be careful tonight, will you?” Greer’s voice stops me before I touch the handle.
I exhale before turning around, hearing the worry beneath her words.
They’ve all treated me differently since the incident, watching me as though I might fall apart without warning. Some days, I’m exhausted from having the worst thing that ever happened to me constantly on their minds.
“Stop worrying about me. I’m okay. I’ll be safe. Plus, I’ve got Blair, and she’ll knock anyone out if they even look at me wrong.”
Her mouth twitches as she steps closer. “Are you sure you’re okay? I know it’s been a while since—”
“Just stop. I love you, you know I do, but I don’t want to talk about it. Ever. It’s in the past, and I haven’t really thought about it much. Until now.”
Which is a lie, of course.
“Fine.” She waves a hand through the air. “I’m sorry. You’re right.” The frustration leaves her face. “I just don’t want some son of a bitch making you afraid ever again.”
The words hit me right in the chest.
The truth is, sometimes I am scared. Scared of what I lived through and what could happen again. It’s not something I can just stop thinking about, no matter how badly I want to. Maybe time will make it easier. For now, I’ve learned to live with it.
That’s what makes Anton so confusing. Of all the men I’ve been around since, he’s the only one who makes me feel okay. Safe, even, though I can’t explain why.
Maybe it’s nothing more than the attraction talking. I have no fucking idea anymore.
“I promise I’m okay. Stop worrying so much or you’ll get wrinkles.”
“God, you’re awful.”
She grins, and I return it as I pull my handbag higher over my shoulder. “All right, I’ve gotta run before I’m late for the first song and Blair chews my head off.”
Greer studies me. “Have fun tonight.”
“I will.”
Turning away, I step outside before she can say anything else, because honestly, fun is exactly what the doctor ordered.
The place is already packed when I get to the bar. People spill out onto the sidewalk, laughter and music bleeding through the doors as I make my way inside.
The smell of liquor hits me the second I step in, the air thick with it. It takes me a minute to spot Blair leaning against the bar with a drink in hand, her blonde hair falling down her back as she laughs at something the bartender says. When her eyes catch mine, her whole face lights up.
“There you are!” she calls, pushing off the bar as I make my way over. “I was starting to think you bailed on me.”
“Not a chance.” I pull her in for a quick hug. “You’d never let me live it down.”
“You’re damn right, I wouldn’t.” She gives me a slow once-over, her lips curving. “Also, rude of you to show up looking this hot without warning me first.”
I roll my eyes, but I can’t help the smile that tugs at my mouth. “Speak for yourself.”
My gaze drifts down to her black leather skirt and red crop top.
“I know, right? Isn’t this skirt the cutest?”
“I wonder why you decided to wear it today.” I give her a knowing look, and she waves it off.
“It’s not for him.”
We both know that’s a lie. She’s had a thing for the lead singer of her favorite local band for months.
She takes another sip of her drink, clearly avoiding the topic, and I let it go. For now.
“What are you drinking?” she asks. “It’s on me.”
“A mojito is good.”
She orders me one, and when the bartender brings it over, I wrap my fingers around the ice-cold glass and take a sip as the lights dim.
“Perfect timing.” Blair flicks her chin toward the stage.
The opening act begins, the first notes rising above the cheers of the crowd, and for a while, the music pulls me out of my thoughts until everything else fades.
Then a strange sensation skates over the back of my neck. I can’t explain it, but my stomach knots and my body goes rigid with the sudden certainty that someone in the crowd is watching me.
My grip cinches around my drink as I glance around, my gaze drifting over the bar. But I don’t see anyone suspicious. No reason for the unease curling through me to be there at all.
Still, it refuses to leave.
Blair doesn’t notice, still dancing and singing her heart out. I try to force my attention back to the band, telling myself I’m being ridiculous, but every time I start to relax, I catch myself looking over my shoulder again.
By the time the main act hits the stage, I’m feeling better, and the first song drags me back into the rhythm of the room as the crowd surges closer. I let myself dance too, the music taking over.
A few songs in, I forget about the creepy sensation altogether. Still nursing my drink, I laugh at something Blair says, the alcohol warming my throat and helping me get out of my own head. Just as she leans closer to say something else, two guys step up to us.
“Hey, ladies.” The taller one gives us a nod. “Mind if we join you?”
“Uh…”
“Sure,” Blair cuts in. “The more, the merrier. Right, Thora?”
“Mm-hmm.” I press my lips together and shoot her a look, but she only nudges me with her elbow.
“It wouldn’t kill you to meet some cute guys,” she says into my ear.
It could kill me. Never know…
“Thora.” The guy with the blue eyes gives me an appreciative once-over. “That’s pretty. Just like the rest of you.”
Oh God. That’s it? That’s his entire pickup line?
“Thanks,” I manage.
“I’m Kaden,” he adds, gesturing toward the man beside him. “And that’s my cousin, Elliot.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Beside us, Blair is already laughing with her palm on Elliot’s arm as she draws him closer to the music.
“Want to dance?” Kaden asks.
“Sure.”
His face brightens, but I feel nothing. He’s attractive in a laid-back, surfer kind of way, yet when his hands settle on my waist, he isn’t the man occupying my thoughts.
Anton is.
I picture those dark eyes fixed on me and his solid body pressed against mine. I wonder what he would do if he saw another man touching me this way. Whether he would care at all.
He probably wouldn’t. But for now, I let myself pretend he would. That I matter to him.
At first, I’m fine. Kaden isn’t doing anything wrong. Then he leans into me, his palm sliding to my back as his mouth brushes near my ear.
“You’re pretty.”
The words shatter whatever calm I had left. Because it’s not him anymore. It’s someone else—voice deeper, rougher—and I’m not here.
I’m back there. Where it all happened.
“You’re pretty.”
The words rip through my head as the memory crashes in, dragging me under until I feel it all over again. The hard surface beneath my back, my body jerking as I fight him, panic ripping through me while I twist and kick, my heel connecting with something solid as I beg him to let me go.
Hands grab at me, forcing me down. “Shut up.”
His palm clamps over my mouth, smothering my scream as my head slams against the floor and pain bursts behind my eyes. I can’t breathe. Can’t move. Can’t escape the sickening certainty that he’s going to rape me before he kills me.
The music crashes back all at once, loud and disorienting.
“Let go of me.” I push against Kaden, but his arms only clamp down harder.
My pulse pounds as the crowd closes in, and the noise swells until I can’t think past it. Panic tears through me, blurring the edges of my vision.
I can’t stay here. I need air.
“Let go!” I drive both palms into his chest, shoving him hard enough to send him stumbling back.
Blair spins around, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Kaden snaps, staring at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Don’t talk to her like that.” Blair steps between us before he can come any closer.
The other guy says something, then both of them begin backing away.
“Fuck this,” Kaden scoffs before disappearing into the crowd with his cousin.
Blair turns to me, concern snagging at her brows. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I press my fingers to my temple. “I just…didn’t want him touching me, and he wouldn’t let go, so I… I’m going to run to the bathroom.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’ll only be a few minutes. Don’t worry. I’m fine.”
Her expression turns doubtful. “Hurry back. If you’re not here in five minutes, I’m coming after you.”
A thin laugh escapes me. “All right, Mom.”
“Shut up.” She tosses a teasing curve of her lips.
But I’m already turning away, pushing through the crowd as shoulders knock into mine and the music pounds behind me. I fight for space, for air, for anything that doesn’t make me feel trapped back there again.
I stumble through the rear exit just as the pressure in my chest becomes unbearable.
Cold air strikes my face, and I pull it into my lungs in slow, practiced breaths, bracing both palms against the brick wall.
He’s dead. He can’t hurt you.