“I don’t like to repeat myself. Tell me what you were going to do with her.” He points at me without looking in my direction.
“I was just going to have a little fun with her,” the guy finally admits.
I gasp in surprise. I look at my friends and tilt my head to the side so we can run, but the other group of goons forms a circle around us.
Man in black grabs the other man by his collar, sticks his hand in my former dance partner’s pocket, and retrieves a small, blackvial. He opens it and gestures for the man holding the drink to come closer. When he does, he pours it in.
Man in black looks at me, and his intense, dark eyes burn a hole in my body. Despite the chilly March night, I feel overheated. His eyes roam over me from head to toe, while he licks his full, pink lips. It’s probably an involuntary movement, but the quick gesture almost makes my nipples hard. Almost. I’m no fool. Danger does not turn me on.
Man in black puts one of his huge hands to my face and roughly rubs his thumb along my cheek. Then he does it to my lips, and wipes the foundation and lipstick on his black shirt.
I step back and look at my friends. They’re both struck speechless.
“Don’t touch me again,” I say with all the fake bravado I can muster.
“Or what?” he whispers, but he’s no longer looking at me. He doesn’t wait for an answer. As if he’s bored with me and our conversation, he walks away.
“What’s your name? And don’t lie to me. Tell me your fucking name.” He grinds out his words, and for now, I’m happy his attention is no longer on me.
“Gary,” my former dance partner stammers.
“Two things I don’t like, Gary,” the man says. “I don’t like liars, and I don’t like people wasting my time. When those things happen, I tend to get violent.” Gary tries to step back, but he can’t because of the wall of guards directly behind him. “What were you going to do with her?” He sounds like an adult talking to a small but stubborn child. Then he reaches behind him and pulls a gun out of his waistband.
“Oh my God,” one of my friends whispers.
I’m not sure which one since I’m now frozen in my spot. He puts the gun to the guy’s temple.
“What. Were. You. Going. To. Do. With. Her?” The dark angel enunciates each word. Even in the dark, I can see his jaw clench.
“Just have a little fun, that’s all. It would take the edge off, so she’d let me play a little bit. I wasn’t going to hurt her.” He raises both hands to ward the man off.
Dark Angel puts the gun down but doesn’t put it away. Gary takes a breath of relief.
“You want to have a little fun with her?” he asks. He even laughs, but it doesn’t sound sincere. He doesn’t strike me as a man who laughs often, if ever. “Why didn’t you just say that?” He laughs again.
Gary nods, but he looks around as if he’s uncertain if he gave the correct answer.
“Okay,” the man in black says. “Have some fun with her. We’re all gonna watch.” He puts the gun back in his waistband.
I try to run, but there’s nowhere for me to go. The security guards have us surrounded, and I know there are more of them around the building. For all I know, they could all be on alert.
“Please, let us go,” Selene says, but the dark angel doesn’t look her way.
“This is what happens when you sneak into bars when you’re underage,” he warns me.
“I’m twenty-eight years old,” I say in my defense.
He doesn’t answer.
“Go ahead,” he says to Gary.
I try to bust through the throng of guards, but two of them grab me and throw me back in the middle of the crowd.
“Go ahead,” Dark Angel orders again. “Have some fun.”
Gary takes a tentative step forward. Then another. Gasping, I try to pull away from the guards holding me. I feel tears in the back of my eyes.
“Please, stop,” Cori says. “We’ll go home and tell no one.”
