Chapter 1
Dana
The music in the bar was loud. Couples on the dance floor swayed in tight embraces to an oldie even I recognized.
I cringed and looked away. That wasn’t for me. Letting anybody that close could be dangerous. The strength of a secret was directly proportional to the distance you kept people at.
The Rusty Bucket was exactly what it sounded like—a dimly lit hole-in-the-wall. The kind of place tourists avoided and local Los Angelenos pretended they didn’t frequent. The crowd said otherwise.
I shouldn’t be here. One hour, maybe a little more, I told myself, and I could take the bus back to the safety of our tiny apartment.
Madison Hayes, my effervescent roommate, had been relentless. Twenty-seven going on seventeen when it came to social plans, she had hounded me all week, all month actually, to join her. She’d texted this afternoon, reminding me I’d promised to join her and her friend Gloria.
I could have disappointed Maddy, stayed home, ordered takeout, kept the blinds closed, and pretended the world outside our Culver City apartment didn’t exist. The voice in the back of my head said it was too soon for this public an outing, too dangerous.
But no, I’d given in to Maddy in the hope that this would be a one-off.
The air smelled of lime, tequila, sawdust, and lust. The music was louder than the old jukebox in the corner should have been able to produce. The bar was crowded and the tables were full as people yelled over the music to be heard.
“Isn’t this great?” Gloria gushed, swinging her arm wide.
“Like they say, it’s a target-rich environment.
” Small and bubbly with a pixie cut, dyed electric blue, she was the Energizer bunny of our group.
When I arrived, she’d hugged me like we’d known each other forever instead of three weeks. “Maddy was afraid you’d bail.”
Maddy shook her head and grabbed a chip from our plate of nachos. “Nobody bails on me.”
I raised my glass. “To friends.” It had seemed like forever since I’d left all mine behind and been able to claim a new one.
Dozens of male gazes roamed the room, occasionally landing on us, probably due to Gloria’s low-cut top. I returned only frosty vibes.
Gloria didn’t realize she had her description of the bar backward. We were the targets here.
The guys were hoping one drink would lead to five or more, and a few close dances would lead to them getting lucky tonight.
For the girls, it would lead to waking up with a hangover next to someone whose middle name she didn’t even know. Not a fate I’d been able to risk for a year now.
Fun as it had been when I was younger, getting drunk was a risk I couldn’t take. The statute of limitations hadn’t yet run out, and Dennis had claimed I talked in my sleep. Then again, Dennis had always considered truth a flexible concept.
Maddy clinked her glass against mine. “Admit it. You like this.”
I smiled and nodded for her sake. “It’s good to get out for a change.”
“Yeah,” Gloria agreed. “Out is better than in, except when it comes to a bed.”
Maddy giggled at her joke.
“I’m so glad you came,” Gloria said, aiming her comment at me.
“Three is more fun than two. If there’s only two, and one gets picked up, then there’s only one, and one is a lonely number.
” Bubbly she was, Einstein she wasn’t. She probably hadn’t ever heard of the Beatles.
She downed the rest of her third margarita. “I need another.”
Maddy didn’t restrain her friend.
Fun. The word felt foreign. After a year of looking over my shoulder, I had loosened up, but fun was not yet on my radar.
Fun could lead to reckless, and that could lead to…
A chill ran down my spine. I knew how gruesome the outcome could be.
That was why my glass still contained my first and only rum and Coke of the night.
Maddy pulled a chip from the nachos plate and washed it down with her Tom Collins.
We talked about nothing important—Gloria’s latest yoga instructor drama, Maddy’s disastrous date the week before. I laughed when I was supposed to, nodded, and kept my answers short. The less I said about myself, the better.
“No boyfriend in over a year?” Gloria chided after she licked the salt off the rim of her glass. “You need to get out more. I can show you some great places.”
Before I could fend her off, her attention swiveled to the four guys approaching. “Hi.” She smiled and giggled.
They walked through the bar as if they owned it.
“Mind if we join you? I’m Nick,” the leader of this pack asked, already pulling out the chair next to me.
Gloria agreed before I could find a polite way to say no.
Nick was the obvious leader—tall, broad, wearing a black leather jacket that looked too new to be cool.
We quickly learned the others’ names.
Stan was quieter, hands in his pockets, eyes darting around the table as if he was used to apologizing for his friend.
Ty had the gym-rat build and the cocky grin. He chose a spot next to Maddy.
Jose had a neck tattoo that disappeared under his collar—some kind of tribal design I didn’t want to stare at long enough to identify.
Within minutes, they’d ordered a pitcher of margaritas for the table. “To new friends,” Nick said, raising his glass.
I lifted my drink and tentatively sipped, checking the location of the exit again.
The night started harmlessly enough. Jose asked Gloria to dance. She accepted with a delighted squeal and let him pull her onto the small, crowded floor. Ty did the same with Maddy, leaving me alone with Nick and Stan.
“What’s your name, sweet stuff?” Nick asked, his breath already heavy with tequila.
“Daniele,” I fibbed. I’d learned long ago to use a random name when accosted by a guy in a setting like this.
He grabbed my wrist. “Okay, Daniele, we’re gonna dance.”
I pulled my hand away. “I don’t think so.”
Nick leaned in too close, elbow on the table. “The next dance then.” He said it more as a demand than a question.
“No thanks, not tonight.”
“Why not? You too good for us?”
I met his gaze. “I’m just here to support my friends, and my ankle hurts.”
He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Come on. One dance. I won’t bite.” After a second, he added, “Unless you ask me to.” He laughed at his own joke.
I didn’t. “No, thanks.” See—even if I felt like puking, I could be civil to a jerk.
Stan shifted uncomfortably, then pointed to the door. “Hey, that blonde’s hot.”
“Whatever.” Nick shoved away from the table. “This one’s stuck up.”
He stood and stalked toward a group of women near the bar. I watched him go, tension coiling in my stomach. I knew that look—the bruised ego, the entitlement. I’d seen it often enough.
The others returned from the dance floor flushed and laughing. They poured more margaritas.
I stuck to my original rum and Coke.
Gloria disappeared onto the dance floor with Jose again.
Maddy danced several times with Ty, coming back with pink cheeks each time.
Avoiding staring, I noticed Nick get blown off by two different blondes at the bar. His face turned an angry red after the second one.
He was batting zero and not happy about it. Catching my eye, he glared at me from across the room.
Half an hour later, he and Stan returned to our table. “Let’s go.” His voice was sharp. “Where’s Jose?”
Ty chuckled. “He left.”
I’d missed that. Scanning the dance floor, I didn’t see him or Gloria.
“I’m not waiting for you idiots,” Nick said, pulling out a set of keys.
Ty hesitated, eyes on Maddy. “I could—”
Maddy looked at me and didn’t take Ty up on his obvious offer.
“Truck’s mine,” Nick cut in. “You want a ride, get your ass moving.”
Ty sighed and followed Nick out.
Maddy watched him leave with a small, disappointed tilt of her head. “He was cute.”
“You could have given him your number.”
She lifted her glass and smiled behind it. “I did.”
I checked the time. “Maybe we should get going soon.”
We stepped into the night. The Southern California air was still warm. We turned left for the nearby bus stop.
Ahead, Nick and his two buddies were passing a bottle around next to a pickup truck.
Grabbing Maddy’s arm, I spun us around. The next bus stop down the line was farther, but I wasn’t going near them if I could help it.
Maddy didn’t complain. Instead, she started mumbling about Ty.
The street lights on this block were bright, but not so on the next block of the desolate street. We walked fast, heads down, Maddy still chattering about Ty.
“Like you said,” I consoled her. “He has your number. It’s just a waiting game now.”
“I guess. Why do the guys have it so easy?”
I shrugged. “Who says you’re not the one with the power?”
A block from the bar, headlights swept over us. A black pickup slowed, then stopped at the curb ahead.
Doors opened. Nick stepped out first, bottle in hand, with Stan and Ty behind him. Their eyes were glassy, movements loose.
“Well, look who it is,” Nick called, voice carrying on the quiet street. “Daniele, Little-Miss-Stuck-Up.”
My pulse jumped, as I caught my toe on a crack in the sidewalk.
Maddy caught my elbow. “Keep walking, Dana.”
“Dana, huh?” Nick blocked our path. “You owe me a dance, sweet stuff.” With the street to our left and darkened buildings to the right, past him was the only way home.
“Leave us alone,” I said, trying to keep my voice level.
Across the street, a lone runner pounded the pavement.
Maddy stepped forward. “Hey. Back off. We’re going home.”
Nick shoved her—hard. She stumbled backward, hit the pavement with a sharp cry, palms scraping against concrete.
Something snapped inside me. I lunged to help her up, but he pulled me away, his breath hot and sour in my face. “You think you’re better than me, bitch?” He yanked my arm throwing me toward his pickup.
The collision stung my shoulder.
“Leave them alone.” The runner across the street had stopped.
Regaining my balance, I pushed away from the truck.
“Stay there,” Nick bellowed, shoving me against the pickup.
Pain bloomed across my back as I hit the cold metal hard.
Nick turned. “Fuck off and keep moving.”
The shadowy figure raced toward us.
The man, tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a dark hoodie, moved with the violence of lightning. He slammed into Nick with a single brutal punch. Nick staggered back, landing against the building with a thud.
“I said leave them alone,” the man boomed. NAVY was written in bold letters on the sweatshirt.
Stan and Ty rushed in. Fists swinging.
The stranger didn’t flinch. He was precise, efficient, and brutal. He ducked a punch and cracked an elbow against Stan’s jaw. A kick drove into Ty’s stomach, folding him in half. He finished off Stan with a vicious punch.
Stan landed in a heap on the pavement.
Nick recovered and swung wildly. The stranger caught his arm, twisted, and sent him crashing to the ground.
Then, a blade glinted in the dim light. Ty was up, holding a knife, and our knight in shining armor faced the other way.
“Watch out,” I yelled.
Maddy scrambled to her feet, clutching my sleeve. “Run.”
I should have. But I couldn’t.
The stranger spun, and his eyes collided with mine. His brows furrowed. “Dana?”
Stan struggled to his feet.
Nick brandished a knife as well. “You’re gonna bleed, asshole.” Nick slashed.
The stranger leaped back.
Nick yelled and lunged.
The stranger shifted his stance, grabbing Nick’s arm, tripping him, and sending him into the building with a kick to the back.
Stan rushed in, landing a punch.
The man in the hoodie put him on the pavement in two brutal punches.
Ty circled, with an evil grin on his face, then surged forward.
The stranger dodged, kicked him in the gut, and grabbed his wrist.
I heard the awful crack of breaking bone as Ty screamed in pain.
Maddy pulled at me again. “We gotta go.”
We ran, huffing and puffing, for blocks.
My lungs burned. The sounds of the struggle receded behind us.
We didn’t stop until we rounded a corner and ducked behind a dumpster in a narrow service alley near the next bus stop.
Maddy sobbed and shook. “What the hell?”
I pulled her close, both of us gasping for air.
“Who was that?” she wheezed.
“No idea.” My heart was still hammering too hard to think straight. I’d recognized the face from long ago, but I couldn’t risk connecting with anyone from my past. I was now Dana Baker, boring California bookkeeper, not the South Carolina Dana Miller he’d known and asked out on a date.
And then I heard it—the faint, faraway yell across the blocks, cutting through the dark and the distant traffic.
“Dana.”
“He must know you,” Maddy said between labored breaths.
Hearing the bus approach, I grabbed Maddy’s hand and pulled her out to the bus stop. “I don’t know who he is, and we can’t stop.” We needed to get home. We needed to lock the doors.
Once on the bus, I was finally able to calm down.
“We should have called an Uber,” Maddy said.
I nodded in agreement, still panting. I really should have gotten takeout and stayed home.