Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
C losing the door behind her, Larissa thanked every God in existence that the hallway was empty and the sprawled-out couple across the hall seemed comatose from their exertions.
Instead of using the opportunity to flee down the stairs, she rushed toward the restroom Winter had led her to before she had lost her ever-loving mind. Hurriedly closing the door, with fumbling fingers, she managed to lock it before leaning against the sink and staring at the woman she didn’t recognize.
Shell-shocked eyes took in the tumbled hair she had taken over an hour to style before going out, her shirt had been stretched out and no longer clung to the curve of her neck, and worse than anything, her lips were puffy and swollen from the man who had pillaged her mouth as if he were on a mission to storm every defense she had to keep men at bay.
Frantically looking around the bathroom, she found a small door to the side—a linen closet—and quickly grabbed a hand towel before she went back to the sink.
She turned the cold handle on to wet the cloth and pressed it to her lips. Then, uncaring about the privacy of who lived there, she started opening drawers, searching for a hairbrush. When she couldn’t find one, she tried finger-combing the thick mess without success when a thought came to her mind. Going to the shower, she pulled back the curtain to find a purple hairbrush hanging from a shower caddy. Seizing it as if were a bar of gold, she darted back to the sink and brushed her hair out so fast she felt the roots being ripped out.
A sudden tap on the door had her soul leaving her body, still so shaken by what she had done.
“Larissa?”
Winter’s voice from the other side of the door had her running back to the shower to put the brush back.
“Are you okay? You were taking so long I thought I would come check on you to make sure you’re all right.”
“I’m all right.” Quickly switching the washcloth to her forehead, she unlocked the door. “I’m sorry I took so long. I’ve had a headache. I was hoping the cold washcloth would help.”
Winter gazed at her sympathetically. “I hate migraines.” Stepping around her, she went to the mirrored cabinet beside the sink and opened the front to take out a bottle. “Here you go.” After handing her the Tylenol, Winter turned expectantly toward the hallway.
Getting her silent message that she wanted her to go back downstairs, Larissa started walking next to her.
As she came down the steps, she noticed most of the other women had left. Only Lily, Beth, and her sisters were still there.
Her jaw dropped when she realized what they were doing. Closing her mouth with a snap, she could only shake her head at the sight of the heavy bar being turned over.
“We needed you to help right it again,” Winter explained, moving to one end of the bar. “Lily, Beth, and I can take this side if you, Priscilla, and Lana can get the other.”
Following Winter’s suggestion, they took up their positions.
Larissa didn’t think they wouldn’t be able to right the heavy wooden counter. but after four failed attempts, they finally succeeded.
Moving the stool that had survived the crash back to the bar, Larissa, along with Lily, gathered the remains of the other two.
“Do you mind helping me put them in the dining room? I’ll ask my husband to fix them in the morning.”
Lifting one of the bent stools, she followed Lily to the dining room. She set it down next to the one Lily carried as one of the legs fell off.
“You sure we shouldn’t have carried them to the dumpster?”
Lily frowned at the now three-legged stool. “I’m positive they can be fixed.”
“Okay.” Larissa gave her a crooked smile. “I’m a big believer in thinking positive, too, but I’m pretty positive these two would be more useful as firewood.”
Lily laughingly nodded her head. “I think you’re right.”
“Will you girls get in trouble for the damage?”
A mysterious look crossed Lily’s face. “Depends on if they find out.”
“How did the counter get turned over?”
“Sex Piston bet Crazy Bitch all of them could stand on the bar.”
“How many did it hold?”
“We’ll never know. Sex Piston, Crazy Bitch, T.A., Fat Louise, and Killyama all climbed it at the same time. When they did, it flipped over.”
“Winter didn’t want them to stay and help put it back up?”
Laughter gurgled from Lily as they walked back to the main room. “They took off.”
“Oh no.” Larissa pressed her fingers to her brow. There had to be a full moon tonight, right? That was the only reason that could explain the absolutely bizarre behavior that had gone on.
Wanting to burst into grateful tears at finding her sisters standing by the door with their coats on, Larissa grabbed her own coat and tugged it on so fast that she slapped herself with the belt.
“Thanks …” Larissa came to a stop, not knowing what to thank Beth and Lily for. “For the invite,” she finished lamely.
Ignoring her sisters’ strange looks, she motioned them to open the door.
“We can’t leave just yet,” Priscilla explained. “We’re waiting for Winter to get the guard watching the door to leave.”
“There’s a guard at the door?” Larissa asked stupidly.
“Yes, Winter told him her cat got out and asked if he would mind looking for it. She’s going to let—”
The door snapped open.
“Nickel just went around the corner. Hurry.” Winter waved them through the door. “Be careful—the steps are slick,” she warned.
Larissa didn’t care at this point if she slid down the fucking steps on her ass; she just wanted to get in her car and get the hell out of there.
Rudely brushing past her sisters, she rushed down the steps, ignoring Winter’s warning. Her mind was still trying to come to grips with the stark reality of what she had allowed to happen in one of the bedrooms upstairs in a motorcycle club.
In the headlong rush, she congratulated herself for making it safely to the bottom when her foot hit a slab of concrete.
Fearful of being caught after Winter had gone to so much trouble keeping their presence a secret, she bit back a pain-filled scream.
She found herself in a crumpled heap and was still trying to figure out how she had hurt herself when Priscilla and Lana appeared by her side.
“What happened?” Lana whispered.
“I don’t know,” Larissa whimpered out.
“Let’s get you in the back seat of the car. I’ll check you out while Priscilla drives.”
It took everything to not to cry out as her sister got her back on her feet. A rush of dizziness struck her when she tried to put her weight down on her right foot.
“I’ve twisted my ankle.”
Priscilla supported her while Lana opened the car door, which she used to slide inside. As she closed the door, Lana rushed to the other side to slide in next to her. Larissa started crying when she heard the engine start.
The sound of crunchy snow was music to her ears.
“I’m going to check your ankle,” Lana warned, bending down. “I’m so sorry you got hurt,” she apologized. “You wanted to leave, and I ignored you.”
Larissa was in too much pain to be angry, and she certainly couldn’t be angry at her sister for wanting to chase after a man when she had done something so much worse.
“It’s okay. Were you able to get a chance to talk to him?”
“No. Winter said he came in while I was in the restroom, barfing up my left lung.”
Larissa frowned. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. He must have come in after I went upstairs to use the restroom.”
A sinking feeling hit her in the gut. The man she had sex with had just come in from the cold …
“Did you see him come in, Priscilla?” Larissa asked casually.
“Yes. He didn’t talk to anyone. He just went up the stairs.”
He couldn’t be the man she had sex with, could he? Oh God … she had a sinking suspicion he was.
Larissa started shivering, either in reaction to hurting her ankle, or for being such a stupid idiot for having sex with a man she wouldn’t recognize if she sat next to him in a restaurant.
Wearily, she leaned her head against the window and stared out, then started laughing hilariously.
Lana’s concerned voice drew her back to reality. “Why are you laughing?”
“It’s a full moon.”