The house was lit up, with music blaring through the open doors and windows. People stood outside laughing and shouting at each other while a group of guys cheered about some game they had set up on a table.
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. There were a lot of people here. What if someone saw?
Any hesitation I had vanished when Brian spotted me.
I couldn’t help but notice how his entire face lit up with a smile. He seemed genuinely happy to see me. Why?
“Hey,” He rushed up and gave me a charming smirk. “I was beginning to think you stood me up.”
I wrapped my arms around my waist as his eyes dropped to my cleavage. I should’ve kept the sweater.
“Hi.” That was all I could think of to say.
The smile on his face spread. “That right there is one of the many ways your cuteness shines.”
I arched a brow. Was he still on the cute thing?
“More like awkward.”
Let’s call a cow a cow. There was no need to beat around the bush. I knew I was awkward. He knew I was awkward. Hell, the people in the house probably knew it.
“Come on.”
Brian moved to grab my hand, but I jerked away from him. This would be the point when most guys moved on to easier prey.
Not him. He just chuckled and said, “Sorry, I forgot about the no-handshaking rule.”
“It’s not really a rule.” I pointed out.
He was the one who added that clause. Not me.
“Okay, well, how about we start with a drink?”
I eyed him for a second. “I don’t drink.”
“They have soda.”
“Is it in a can?” I was not about to accept an open drink from anyone.
“You’re a suspicious one.” His eyes lit up with amusement. “Do I need to add an ‘I won’t drug you’ clause to our date?”
Maybe? It wouldn’t be a bad clause to have.
“Hey.” He held his hands up. Palms displayed defensively. “I’m happy to stay here all night and talk to you.”
That would defeat the purpose of me coming to this thing in the first place. If I had to guess, I’d say that Chase Ackerman was inside. Somewhere near the alcohol. Why would he hunt his prey when he could wait for them to come to him?
“I could use a drink,” I said, then followed Brian into the house.
It was even more crowded inside. All I could smell was stale alcohol and smoke. It was so thick that I almost choked on it. On the upside, spotting Mr. Ackerman and his stupid smile wasn’t too hard. He was right where I thought he’d be—standing next to the keg, hitting on an obviously drunk girl.
I had to hand it to Trina. She was right about me sticking out. Chase didn’t notice when I bumped into him and dumped the contents of my vial in his cup. He didn’t look my way as I walked by. His entire focus was on the girl giggling next to him.
Brian pulled me over to a corner of the room and started discussing his major. I think he said something about…pre-law? I was only half paying attention. My eyes were glued to the red solo cup across the room. Would Chase know something was off? Probably not. Fentanyl didn’t have a taste or much of a smell, for that matter, but it packed one hell of a punch.
I was almost disappointed at the lack of reaction when Chase lifted the cup to his mouth. A part of me longed for a lip curl as he swallowed the rest of his drink. I wanted him to feel the same fear he’d invoked in others. I wanted him to know what was happening and that I was responsible for it. But that moment would come. And it did.
Fifteen minutes later, Chase’s body seized. For a brief moment, his eyes met mine. It wasn’t more than a fraction of a second, but it was long enough for him to see the smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth.
