It’s the same goon who had me earlier.
“Let me go, you fucking asshole.”
He drops his hands but remains nearby. Despite the rapid beating of my heart, the alley is quiet. We all stand there and wait. It seems like the number of guards has now doubled, and they surround us.
No one moves. No one speaks. This situation reminds me of the old mafia movies I sometimes watch with my dad. Everyone remains this way when waiting for the big boss to arrive.
I hear the heavy footsteps first. They’re slow but constant and steady. Then, I see the shadow against the ground. The steps grow louder as they draw closer. My fear intensifies.
“Oh my God, it’s him,” I hear Cori whisper. Her eyes widen while she points straight ahead.
“Oh, shit, it is,” Selene whispers. “I’ve only ever seen him from a distance.”
Whoever this is has his back to me while he talks with one of the security guards. He’s dressed all in black. Black jeans, a black ribbed shirt that fits over his broad shoulders, and black boots. He has dark hair. It touches his shoulders just perfectly.
Despite not seeing his face, something about him says he’s dangerous. It’s from the way he twists his neck until it cracks. It’s from his stance. He stands as if he’s inconvenienced, and although I cannot see his face, he gives the vibe that he’s irritated. It’s from how every one of the men around us stares at him in awe since he made his appearance. No one has moved an inch. It’s like they’ve stopped breathing as well. Whoever this man is, he has his sleeves pulled up, and his tattoos scream at me to run. It’s too dark for me to decipher what they are, but they cover both his arms, and they scream danger.
“If you don’t get your fucking hands off me,” Cori threatens, “you’ll regret it.”
I hope and pray she doesn’t tell these people that her father is the mayor of this town. If this man is dangerous, the last thing he needs to know is that he has the daughters of the town sheriff and mayor. Who knows what he will do?
“Shut up,” one of the guys we were dancing with whispers. He sounds afraid.
I am, too, but there’s no way I’ll allow anyone here to see it. I stand a little straighter and jut out my chin, but my knees won’t stop shaking.
The mystery man finally decides to turn around. He looks past me at the group of guys. I look behind me, and they’re standing as if they’ve seen a ghost. Or maybe the devil.
“Listen,” the guy I was dancing with says, “I don’t know why you brought us here, but these bitches were—”
“Who the hell are you calling bitches, asshole?” Cori asks, but her usual fire is lacking. She’s rattled. I can tell from the tremor in her voice.
The man in black walks past me and stands in front of the guy I danced with earlier. He tilts his head, and another security guard I hadn’t seen before arrives with a drink. I stand to the side and say nothing.
Man in black grinds his teeth, and the silence in the alley becomes deafening.
“You.” He points at the man. His voice is low but gruff. He steps closer to him, and the man steps back into one of the security guards. He’s pushed away. “You think you can walk into my club and drug young girls?”
I gasp. The man blanches and raises his hands. His friends try to flee, but a wall of guards blocks their way. I inch away and stand with Cori and Selene.
“She said she was into it,” the guy lies.
“You liar,” I protest.
The man in black puts his palm to my face but doesn’t say a word to me. He doesn’t even bother to turn around. If my heart weren’t palpitating so hard, I’d knock it away, but even in my fear, I’m smart enough to know not to piss this hulk of a man off more than he already is.
“What were you going to do to her?” the dangerous man asks.
“Nothing,” the guy says. “I … uh, I wasn’t going to do anything.”
“What were you going to do with her?” The big man’s words are now a growl.
“I, uh—” the other man stammers. He never finishes his sentence, but I can see his eyes have widened. He looks ready to piss his pants.
Man in black stares at him, but his intense gaze is louder than any words. He inches closer to the guy I was dancing with. The guy steps back and collides with another security guard. He has nowhere else to go, but he looks around, and I think he’s formulating an exit plan.
“You can try to run,” the man in black says. “But that would piss me off.”
No one says a word, and the other guy hangs his head in defeat.
