36. Kelsey
Kelsey
Kelsey wasn’t sure what she expected, but what she saw wasn’t it.
A single-story beige building with several windows and a dark roof.
Floodlights were mounted on poles, illuminating the lot.
The front reminded Kelsey of a hotel that offered valet parking with a large portico covering the entrance.
Beneath it, several motorcycles stood. None were familiar to her.
Of the myriad cars surrounding her, she recognized none, which only made the knot of nerves in her stomach tighten. With her arm looped into Carrie’s, she did her best to wear a brave face as they followed a small group toward the door.
A burly man with a shaved head, torn jeans, and a Henley with a leather vest over it guarded the entrance. His patch was bright white, probably new, and read Prospect where Kev’s had his nickname.
He seemed to scan IDs and pat people down before they went inside. From the outside, this place was the furthest thing from a nightclub. Yet the process of gaining access was identical.
Standing aside while the group before them was inspected, Kelsey glanced around. As much of a long shot as the hope was, considering the men were fighting, she couldn’t help but wish for Kev to either be outside watching or inside waiting.
Carrie said they were at war. There was no way he’d be invited.
“Chris!” Carrie squealed, returning Kelsey’s attention to the bouncer at the door.
Stooping slightly, he wrapped his arms around her friend and lifted her in a hug.
“Rumor has it, your big night has arrived,” he said once he released her.
Kelsey furrowed her brows. What did that mean? Peering at her friend, Kelsey had to wonder what Carrie hadn’t told her.
Carrie beamed and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Maybe. Mike hasn’t really said much.”
“Well, I, for one, am looking forward to making it official,” he said with a pat to her ass and a wink.
What the fuck was going on?
Carrie’s cheeks tinged pink as she swatted his hand away. “Stop it.” She giggled nervously.
Despite her friend’s cheery exterior, dread settled in Kelsey’s chest, expanding like a balloon.
Everyone around her was having a good time, but it didn’t feel right.
From everything she’d seen about these men, they weren’t good people.
Would tonight be the night they finally showed themselves to be who they really were?
Or was Kelsey wrong? Was Kev the bad guy in all of this?
“This is Kelsey.” Carrie stepped out of the bouncer’s reach and gestured in Kelsey’s direction. “I’m not sure if you two have met yet.”
Chris’s eyes ran her up and down. His leer made her skin crawl. “You seem like a handful,” he commented.
She summoned every ounce of her willpower to bite her tongue for Carrie’s sake. Apparently, this was her special night. Kelsey didn’t want to ruin it.
“We can go in, right?” Carrie asked.
Licking his lips, Chris nodded.
“See you later,” Carrie called over her shoulder as she yanked Kelsey through the door.
Once inside, Kelsey got a better view of their work-in-progress clubhouse. Vastly different from the fort in the woods she imagined children would make, she was impressed. Though it was far from finished.
The floors were cement, and the walls were bare.
Two-by-four structures, clearly the beginning of something more, had plywood on top of them to serve as a makeshift bar.
The place smelled of drywall, fresh paint, and pungent, dank weed.
A few other lingering scents assaulted Kelsey’s nose, but she couldn’t identify them, other than to say they were unpleasant.
While not quite packed to the gills, far more people were at this thing than she’d expected.
Men in leather vests, some without, and scantily clad women mingled about.
Several ladies had more clothes than others.
The women with everything covered clung to men.
The ones who were practically naked were dancing, drinking, and smoking God only knew what.
“What is this?” Kelsey asked as she latched on to Carrie.
“A party,” her friend responded gleefully. “We need to find Mike.”
Did they, though? Kelsey’s hackles were thoroughly raised. She couldn’t explain why. There wasn’t an obvious threat about this place. For some reason, she wasn’t picking up on the happy vibe of everyone else.
“Cheeks!” someone hollered.
What did they just call her? Had Carrie started a life with these bikers Kelsey knew nothing about? New friends. How out of the loop had she gotten over the last few weeks?
Carrie stopped in her tracks and turned toward the voice.
Cheeks? What was that about?
“Machete!” Carrie shouted, let go of Kelsey, and flung herself at a man Kelsey had never seen before.
He had scraggly shoulder-length brown hair that looked as though it hadn’t been washed in ages. The smell coming off him hinted at the same. He was shirtless, except for the vest which proclaimed his nickname and the title Sgt at Arms.
Whatever that meant.
Kelsey had no desire to learn. Her discomfort increased with each passing second. She was supposed to be optimistic. This was for Carrie. She owed Mike and his friends a chance. Not that she hadn’t given them a bunch already.
Though to be fair, they weren’t Pete. That guy could just be the rotten apple in the bunch. Right?
Taking a deep breath, she sought to cleanse her energy. If she went into this thinking something bad would happen, her outlook would be a self-fulfilling prophecy. She had to try, but nothing about this place felt right. How could her best friend be so comfortable and Kelsey not be?
Pete. Obviously.
Her experience with these bikers was vastly different. Clearly, they were nicer to Carrie than Pete had ever been to Kelsey. She couldn’t fault the others for Pete being a jackass.
They deserved the benefit of the doubt.
Didn’t they?
Kelsey scanned the people milling about, drinking beers and puffing on one-hitters. The man she hoped to avoid wasn’t around. At least she had yet to see him. This was his club, though. Then again, Carrie said he wouldn’t be there. Kelsey could relax. Her friend promised.
Returning her attention to Carrie in time for the guy to grab a handful of Carrie’s ass, Kelsey couldn’t help but frown. For people who were supposed to be celebrating her in some way, these guys were far too handsy with Carrie.
Not to mention, Kelsey thought Carrie was dating Mike—exclusively. At least that was how Carrie had explained it. These men sure as shit weren’t acting like it.
“Stop.” Carrie giggled, tucking hair behind her ear and stepping away.
While she had a smile on her face and laughed, Kelsey could see a hint of hesitation in Carrie’s eyes. She wasn’t comfortable with how the men took liberties. Kelsey wasn’t either.
Could she use that as leverage to skedaddle?
“Machete,” Carrie said as she reached for Kelsey’s hand. “Have you met my friend Kelsey?”
Nope. Another introduction to someone Kelsey didn’t want to have the misfortune of knowing. They had to stick it out a little longer.
Briefly, he flicked his gaze toward her. Thankfully, he wasn’t like the bouncer. He didn’t eyeball her like a slab of beef. She’d never been more thrilled to have a guy not be interested in her than she was in that moment.
“Nah.” He shook his head and returned his attention to Carrie.
No greeting. No pleasantries. Just confirming he hadn’t been familiar with her and apparently had no interest in getting acquainted with her. The feeling was mutual.
The man smirked as he dug in his pocket. “I’ve got something for you.”
Carrie brought her hands together and hopped from one foot to the other.
Kelsey stood back with her arms around herself, doing her best to settle the jitters crawling all over her skin.
This was a party. She’d been to plenty of them before.
A bunch of people getting together to have a good time shouldn’t make her this nervous.
She was twenty-seven years old, hardly the oldest person in the room, yet she was out of place.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. She came for Carrie. This was a big day for her—apparently. She had neglected to share whatever was planned with Kelsey. If tonight was so important, why hadn’t Carrie told her?
From his pocket, Machete, the handsy man, pulled a small baggie containing colorful pills. Almost like Skittles, but definitely not. Kelsey was no stranger to party drugs and assumed them to be ecstasy.
She bit her lips together to hide her frown. She hadn’t indulged since college.
Carrie squealed. “You always have the good stuff!”
Always? What was Carrie doing with these guys when Kelsey wasn’t around?
His creepy grin grew as he offered her a bright lime-colored one. “You know what they say about green, don’t you?”
Kelsey cringed.
Carrie rolled her eyes. “That’s M&M’s,” she said as she accepted the offering and placed it on her tongue.
Machete extended the bag toward Kelsey. “You want one?”
“What is it?” Kelsey asked as she eyed it warily. She had her suspicions but wanted to make sure. For all she knew, what he held would be Fentanyl or something worse. Would he tell her the truth if it were something nefarious? Kelsey didn’t trust any of these bikers as far as she could throw them.
Why, though?
Aside from Pete, they’d been nothing but welcoming to her.
Why was her gut telling her not to trust these guys?
What she wouldn’t give for a clear indicator of what she felt.
She’d take anything at this point. Hopefully, she’d see a rat scurrying past. Then she’d have a reason for being on edge.
Pete wasn’t even there. He couldn’t be the reason.
“Party favors to loosen you up a little.” He wriggled his shoulders in an awkward dance.
She shook her head. “Nope. I’m good. Designated driver,” Kelsey said, pointing to herself.
He scowled. “Whatever.”
Shifting his attention back to Carrie, he curled his finger under her chin. The gesture was far too familiar for Kelsey’s liking.
“I’ll see you later, Cheeks.” He winked before turning away and shouting out another name.
Kelsey closed the distance between them and grabbed Carrie. “What did you just take?”
“Molly,” she said nonchalantly. “We’re at a party. We’re going to have a good time. Let’s get you a drink so you can loosen up.”
She took hold of Kelsey’s hand and pulled her deeper into the building. Kelsey had no intention of drinking anything. The wine she had earlier had already worn off. She didn’t feel safe here, and one of them had to keep their wits.