This is not reality.
Is it?
Kane and another couple of guys try to pull back some of the over-the-top manic girls, but one of them spots me through the blockade of the guys. “Oh my God, it’s Lunar… the whore,” she calls out.
All heads pivot in my direction, and my muscles tense as they converge, breaking through Ryan’s defenses and grabbing, yanking, and tearing at my clothes. My heart slams against my chest as I struggle, trying to push them off. They unite in their craziness, all the girls reaching for me at the same time. I scream as they yank me so hard my shoulder jerks, and they drag me away from Danger, his frantic protests doing nothing in the chaos.
My top rips, exposing my bra, and a couple of girls at the back pull out their cells, the flash of their camera phones making my eyes instantly water while I cuss under my breath, trying to yank my top back on while still fighting the girls off me.
Another girl shrieks in my face, her wild actions startling me as she slams her hand across my cheek, leaving behind a stinging scratch. I flinch back and hear Danger yelling, but they hold us apart.
Then, a violent tug on my hair wrenches my head to the side so forcefully it elicits a sharp yelp, my knees giving out before I collapse to the ground with the searing pain. My knees graze the pebbles, and my shorts offer no protection.
Kane finally manages to break free from the swarm, swooping in, pushing the girls aside almost aggressively, and scooping me from the ground. My breathing is rushed as I instinctively wrap my legs around his waist, clinging to him desperately, needing his support, while he races with me toward the car.
“I got you, Lunar. Hang in there.” His words offer me little comfort while hands continue to grapple at my back, ripping my top even more, before Kane reaches the car.
He wrenches open the door and practically shoves me inside. “Stay there. Donotget out!” he demands, slamming the door shut and positioning himself in front of it like a guard dog.
Panting for breath as the screaming continues outside the car, my hand moves up to my pulsating cheek. The warm liquid tickles my fingers before I pull back to see traces of blood. “Fucking lunatics,” I state, moving closer to the door to stare out the window, but I can’t see anything past Kane’s bulky frame.
I want to know if Danger’s okay.
The screams are like nails on a chalkboard, each one making me a little more anxious than the last. I don’t know if my heart can take much more of this insanity. My breathing is becomingincreasingly too fast as I press my forehead to the window to try to see something—anything!
My head is starting to feel foggy, and my eyes are blinking rapidly. Finally, Kane steps aside, the door opening quickly.
Quickly, I shuffle out of the way to let the guys inside.
Nate jumps in, followed by Matt, Ryan, and lastly, Danger. The door slams, and I think I’m hyperventilating.
No, I know I’m hyperventilating.
Oh God, I can’t breathe!
When Danger sees me, his nostrils flare, his face turns red, and he slides over to my side, his hand moving up to the scratches on my cheek. “What did they do to you?” he asks, leaning in and kissing my forehead tenderly.
Instantly, the panic I was experiencing begins to subside the second he touches me, and I ease into his arms. With his presence, my breathing slows, and my head clears.
He smells like Danger, all woody and sweaty from the show.
Just how I like him.
Letting out a long exhale, my hands run up his chest, clenching his ripped shirt. “I’m fine. I was more concerned about you.”
He scoffs. “Worried about me? They fucking tore your face open and ripped your clothes, Lunar. This isnotokay.” Danger spins in the seat. “Kane, what in the fucking hell happened out there? Why wasn’t this predicted? Why didn’t we have more damn security?”
I cuddle into his side while he continues to rant, and Ryan hands me his jacket. I place it over my top so Nate will stop staring at my exposed bra.The fucking creep.
Kane’s jaw clenches, surveying the damage. His expression is tight with anger and frustration. “I don’t know. We should have been prepared for this. I will investigate. You have my word.”
“It’s not good enough,” Danger states, his voice seething with anger. “We need answers. This shouldneverhave happened.”
Fear lingers despite his reassurances, a reminder of the chaos that unfolded around us.
“That was fucking crazy,” Ryan murmurs just before the car takes off.
The girls bang on the outside windows, still trying to get in as we slowly crawl through the mass of hysteria.
