Easing my way down the hallway, I rise on my tiptoes to try and spot him. He’s not where he was standing before, which means he’s probably looking for me. Spinning back around without looking properly, I manage to turn straight into a guy holding two overflowing Solo cups.
“Oh shit!” I gasp as the cold brew splashes over me, covering my dress and trickling between my breasts.
“Fuck, sorry,” the guy slurs, throwing the now-empty cup onto the ground. “You good?” He gives me a blurry-eyed blink, and I can’t believe he’s already wasted. I’ve been at this party for all of forty minutes. Admittedly, we arrived late, but still.
Pulling the saturated dress away from my body, I put finding Tyrell on hold and start opening doors in search of the bathroom.
I finally find one, three doors down, and shoulder it open, flicking on the light and snatching a towel off the railing.
That’s when I spot him.
On the ground, face down, completely out of it.
“Tyrell,” I whisper, flashbacks of finding Atlas exactly the same way making me stumble backward. I hit the edge of the bathtub, my knees buckling as I let out a gut-wrenching scream. “Tyrell!”
CHAPTER 43
TYRELL
“Tyrell!” someone screams.
I pause in the kitchen, frowning as I go still, trying to figure out where that shouting is coming from.
“What was that?” The girl beside me goes pale as she obviously hears it too. She looks at her friend, who shrugs, then flinches when another scream rents the air.
This one is nameless, just an outright cry of agony or terror. I’m not sure. But I move to investigate. And I’m not the only one doing that.
People start crowding out the hallway, and I keep an eye out for Dani as I go. She disappeared on me when I got caught in that fucking football conversation that had zero value, because in the end they agreed to disagree over who the best player was. Who gives a shit.
As soon as I noticed she was gone, I started looking for her. She said she was going to find drinks, so I headed to the kitchen. When I couldn’t find her there, my stomach sank. I figured we’d probably end up playing a game of “search the party,” and I really didn’t want to miss her.
I was seconds away from stepping into the hallway when I heard that scream.
Another one fills the air, followed by a sobbing wail, and the closer I get to the source, the more this uneasy feeling in my chest starts to grow. Flashbacks to a party three years ago torture me, and as this unrest blooms inside of me… a thought finally hits.
Shit, that’s not Dani, is it?
“Excuse me!” I start pushing people out of my way, straining to get to the bathroom.
“Is she okay?”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Did that guy try to attack her?”
“He’s passed out cold!”
“Shit, what did she do to him?”
Thankfully, I’m tall enough to see over the bulk of the crowd, and I spot Dani’s curls through the gap.
“Dani!” I shout. “Let me through! Move!”
“Hey!” Wily shouts over top of the chatter. “Move aside! His girl’s in there!”
People quickly do as they’re told, Wily ushering a frightened-looking Satch to the edge of the living room while I bolt through the door.
“Dani!” I kneel in front of her, grabbing her face and moving her to look at me. “Baby, I’m here. It’s okay, I’m here.”
