Chapter 10 Jade
Hopper’s is packed, which I expected would be the case on a Friday night.
The sound of a glass being set on the counter pulls me from my thoughts, and I look up to see the bartender set our drinks in front of us. Grabbing mine, I watch Hazel take a ridiculously large gulp of her own before I do the same.
I’m not sure what it is. I think Hazel called it a Cosmo, but I have no idea what that means. It’s a deep red color, and the smell of alcohol is pretty strong, but the flavor isn’t at all what I expected. It’s actually surprisingly sweet in a way that I know makes it dangerous.
“See, I told you it was good.” Hazel leans into me, shouting over the music, and I roll my eyes at her. She had said that, but I still doubted her. Most people's idea of a good drink is beer, and I can’t stand beer.
Technically speaking, we shouldn’t even be able to drink, but Hazel didn’t bat an eye when the bouncer let us in without marking us with tonight’s stamp that would identify us as underage.
She giggled and gushed about how it was our lucky night as she dragged me across the club and straight to the bar.
Apparently, Hazel has a wild side. I’m just not sure if it’s adorable or terrifying.
I may or may not have messaged Kratos on our drive over, letting him know where we’re headed.
While he might not have liked it, he knows me, and he knew I was going whether he gave me the okay.
So when Dom was the bouncer at the door, even though I knew it was way above his pay grade, I couldn’t help but smile, knowing Kratos made the call for me even when he was against it.
Dom had given me a nod but didn’t call any attention to me, making me like him even more than I had before.
He seemed like a good one, and I needed to keep track of who was and wasn’t worth my trust within our ranks.
Looking down at my glass, I’m shocked to see I’d finished my drink without even noticing. That’s how good it was. Thankfully, after years of hanging off rich men's arms, I had built up a tolerance to drinking and wasn’t the lightweight I was once upon a time.
I set my glass down, seeing that Hazel’s finished hers as well, though judging by the look of her, she doesn’t have the same tolerance I do.
I make a mental note to keep a close eye on her and track just how many drinks she has tonight.
She sets her glass down before leaning my way again to say something over the sound of the pounding bass that fills every corner of the club.
Before she can get a word out, two more glasses clink down on the counter in front of us. We turn to face the bartender, and he nods to the end of the bar.
“From him,” he says before he turns to serve someone else. I look down the bar and find Jake standing with a drink of his own. He lifts his glass to us before bringing it to his lips and taking a gulp of the amber liquid.
Hazel’s giggle has me looking away from Jake and back to her as she begins to down her second drink.
Fuck.
Okay, not only does she not have my tolerance, she clearly has no tolerance.
I grab my own drink and take a sip.
“Wanna go dance?” I yell to Hazel, hoping to distract her before she can finish chugging her drink. It works.
Thank fuck.
She sets down the drink clumsily, and it spills over the edge, though she doesn’t seem to notice.
She doesn’t hesitate or even stop to wipe her hand before she grabs my arm and drags me toward the dance floor with her.
I didn’t even have the option of setting my drink down, so instead, I finish it.
Dropping the empty cup down on a random table as we rush past.
Gulping down that much alcohol that quickly warms my body up and gives me just the slightest buzz. I push past that feeling and breathe deeply to center myself. I’m all about having fun with Hazel tonight, but I need to make sure I keep my head in the game and, more importantly, keep her safe.
Hazel pushes past body after body in an attempt to find a spot she wants to dance in.
I’m not sure why all the areas we just passed weren't good enough, but I don’t question her.
Not that I could even if I wanted to. I could probably scream her name right now, and she wouldn’t even hear me over the music.
She comes to a sudden halt, spinning around to face me without dropping my hand.
With a smile on her face that’s more relaxed and open than I’ve ever seen before, she sways to the beat that surrounds us.
I’m practically in her arms by the time I stop my forward movement, but she doesn’t seem to mind, and neither do I.
This trip to Hopper’s might have started out with other intentions, but I really am enjoying just being out with her.
The music shifts into something that’s more of a remix of songs by the DJ.
The lights dim further, and colorful lights blink to life around the room, moving over people and away so quickly my eyes don’t even have time to adjust properly.
Hazel lets out an excited scream, and while she sways on her feet, she manages to stay upright as she continues to move around happily.
I let myself get lost in the pounding bass, and just like when I danced with Trent at Jake’s party, I find myself letting go. I don’t know how long we danced. A few guys and even girls come up to dance around us, but we don’t pay them any attention, and eventually, they take the hint.
It’s not until someone's arm snakes around Hazel’s stomach, and she squeaks in surprise, that I find the need to step in.
The need to keep her safe has adrenaline pumping hard and fast through my veins, but before I make a move to push them off her, she’s once again smiling, and the hand drops away on its own.
“What are two lovely ladies like yourselves doing here with no one to dance with?” A familiar male voice shouts at us both, hardly loud enough to be understood.
I look up to find Leo moving from behind Hazel so that he’s next to us and feel my shoulders sag in relief.
He smiles down at me, and I can’t help but laugh. Stupid ass almost got the shit beat out of him, and he doesn’t even know it. I sneak a glance at Hazel and find her staring at Leo with an awestruck look on her face, her cheeks now red from more than just the alcohol.
“I’m going to go grab a drink. Can you stay with Haze for a minute?
” I shout over the music to Leo. He gives me a nod before turning his attention back to Hazel.
I catch her eye just before turning away to make sure I hadn’t misread the situation.
I don’t want to leave her alone with him if that’s not what she wants.
Her gaze locks on mine, her eyes widening in panic as she looks over at Leo and back to me, but I also don’t miss the way her pupils grow, even in the low light.
“Oh, um, okay. I’ll be here,” she says, her voice so low that I have to read her lips to know what she said, but it’s all the reassurance I need.
She’s nervous about being alone with him, but not afraid.
I shoot her a wink as I move away, out of Leo’s line of sight, and her cheeks get impossibly red.
Something tells me Hazel’s got a little bit of a crush, and I can’t say I blame her. While Leo might not be my type, there’s no denying he’s good looking, and judging from the way he gravitated to her, I think it might not be one-sided either.
I take the most direct path back to the bar, hoping that I’ll be able to monitor them through the crowd. I don't make it even ten feet before I realize that was never going to be possible.
Being short is a pain in the ass sometimes. I’ll just have to trust Leo to keep her there. Since I don’t really trust him, I make sure the seat I choose at the bar has a good view of the exit, which is thankfully easy enough to see since most people are in booths or on the dance floor.
I end up in the same section as earlier, with the same bartender. He gives me a nod and starts making me another drink even before I can ask.
Damn, the service here is good. I make a mental note to tell Kratos just how much I like this place.
I know he’s worried I won’t like what he’s done with Vengeance while I’ve been away, but he worries too much.
Everything he’s done is great, from what I can see.
Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to get so many girls free, not that he will see it that way.
Not to mention the help he’s been able to offer to the community.
I sigh to myself, pulling out my phone as I wait for my drink.
How did I end up here, as the supposed leader of all this, when I had no actual part in it?
My phone lights up with a notification, and I tap on the texting app to find a message from Spencer, of all people.
Where are you?
I shake my head as I read it. After our little talk, it’s no surprise.
I honestly almost scrapped the whole idea because of it, but somehow I still found myself here.
Standing up on the bottom rings of the bar stool, I stand taller than most people in the club and easily spot Hazel still with Leo in the center of the floor dancing.
I can see the smile on her face from here.
No, this might not have been the best choice, but I can’t say I regret it.
Quickly typing out my reply, I let him know I’m with Hazel before tucking my phone back into my pocket before sitting back down to find a new drink in front of me.
I take a few sips as I think about what I’m doing.
A simple glance around the club shows me it’s not just packed with college kids.
Men in suits take up many of the booths that line the far walls, and I’m sure the other floors have even more men like that at this time of night.
Kratos designed Hopper’s so it would appeal to everyone, and he did a damn good job.
I could easily slip away and see if anyone here is worth watching, but leaving Hazel here, even with Leo, feels wrong.