Chapter 16 #2
Reggie's neck wobbled in his frantic need to prove his innocence. I hissed through my teeth and flicked my fingers. The dismissal made Reggie sag, and he let out a deep gust of air before scurrying away. I squeezed my Little Liar's hand, encouraging her closer.
"I'm sorry about that, Little Liar. All you wanted was a night to rebel against your mom, and you got sucked into more trouble than you expected. Am I right?" I guessed as I twirled my finger and my Little Liar's boyfriend, and his friends called out for last bets.
I watched one of them skim the collection of money three more times when he thought no one was looking. She noticed it too, all while hovering her finger over her phone. What was she planning in that careful, dark gaze?
"She wouldn't care if I was here, trust me, she'd probably be following Reggie around begging to lick vodka off his sweat." She shrugged.
"I hope you won't be leaving with your friend." I refused to say boyfriend.
The soon-to-be ex's forehead creased when he noticed I held his girlfriend's hand. They carried the buckets of cash toward me, and I shook my head as the thief tucked another bill up his sleeve. He was asking to get caught.
"This isn't really my scene."
"What is?" I leaned in close and searched her expression.
I was being serious. My fingers itched to reach into her chest and pull out the pieces of her like some children did with television remotes. To discover how they worked.
"Babe. Is everything alright here?" Dickhead boyfriend cleared his throat.
The fighters had set up in opposite corners of the ring, but they waited for me to start.
"Don't worry, I took good care of your girlfriend, or ex-girlfriend, right?" I answered for her.
My lips threaded up like a silk ribbon, soft. But it covered a darkness, and everyone with brains knew it. Her ex cradled the bucket of money and scrunched his nose up.
"Look, Beck, I don't know who you think you are, but I think my girlfriend can speak for herself."
The thief flattened his hand on his chest. It was a clear, nonverbal warning not to fuck with me, but he shook off the touch with a scowl. I guess he didn't have much in that thick skull. The crowd was getting restless now, wanting the violence, wanting the blood.
"Ex-girlfriend. Lose my number, Hunter." She sneered, and her finger dropped like a gavel of judgment onto her phone.
She sucked in a sharp breath, and anticipation made me lightheaded as the lights flickered out and the room plunged into darkness.
My senses overloaded immediately. Disorienting noise roared, disjointed and furious.
My other senses tried to fill the space my dull eyesight lacked.
Heat of pressing, panicked bodies, the scent of sweat and spilled beer.
The rising tide of panicked shouts. If we didn't move, the stupid crowd would crush us.
But one thing kept me anchored. Her hand entwined in mine. It hummed with warmth as I tugged her, not toward the exit like the rest of the agitated crowd, but to the back of the room instead. I pulled open a hatch and urged her underneath.
"Get in, Little Liar."
She protested, but it was too late. Her body was too weak for my determined strength. I pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight. I turned it in her direction with a frown. Behind us, several more people followed. I scowled as I recognized Hunter being one of them.
"You've got the cash?" I barked, motioning for us to follow down the hall.
Annoyance prickled my neck. I wanted to be alone with my Little Liar. To work out what it was about her that piqued my interest. How fast was her pulse now?
"It's all here, boss. All accounted for."
I waved them up a set of concrete stairs and out another door.
Streetlights spilled into the alley, not enough to make the group of sheep feel secure, but brighter than the pitch-black basement we'd left.
There were stacks of broken-down cardboard boxes and a giant industrial bin with a padlock over the lid.
I snatched up her hand again, and laughter bubbled out of her before she clamped her lips. Hysteria most likely. Her stomach grumbled, incongruous with the mounting tension in the air.
"You can put the money there, no trouble collecting?" I pointed at an overturned milk crate, watching as the guys stacked their buckets.
Hunter shot me a glare. Hunter's thief friend pasted on a thin-lipped smile and brandished his notepad.
"No, but what was with the power? Police?"
I slid my gaze to my Little Liar, arching a singular eyebrow. I squeezed our joined hands and thumped them against my thigh. The surge of the crowd filtered through the entry to the alley, and streams of people passed by. They didn't notice us, hidden by the trash and dim light.
"Babe, what is this?" Hunter took a step toward her, and I rolled my eyes.
"Babe, babe, babe. Does your Little Liar not have a name?" I fished.
Hunter's friend inched his way back, closer to the alleyway exit, and she spat out an accusation before Hunter could tell me her real name. Maybe she just wanted to focus away from what happened with the lights, another delicious puzzle piece.
"He's been stealing all night." She shoved a finger in Hunter's friend's direction, and he froze, his lips smacked together as he strained to think of an excuse.