“The fuck you will,” I snap, and I don’t know why that makes him laugh.He tilts his head down to look at me and his eyes have that warmth again.The kind that makes me think they could use the dark cocoa color as a reference for every confection inChocolat.Even though he’s the same distance away as Laurie, it feels like it’s just the two of us.Me and Wes.
“We could lose her if I don’t catch up,” he says.“Billie may be—”
“A raging asshole?”Laurie offers.
“—difficult.But…”
“Wes,” I stress.“Therules.”
How are we supposed to survive when people keep breaking them?It’s what’s kept me from falling apart so far.It’s what’s kept us alive.I tested the theory myself when I split off from Jennifer and Laurie up on the mezzanine and the result was conclusive: bad things happen when the rules are broken.
“I know.”He shifts closer, and I look away to avoid meeting hiseyes.I don’t want him to know how the thought of him leaving scares the hell out of me.I barely know him.But when I can’t resist the pull of his stare on the top of my head, I force myself to meet his eyes.He smiles softly, ruefully, and says, “We might need to break some of those rules to make sure people don’t get hurt.”
And that’s the kicker.
Our goal is to get as many people out of here as we can.Wes is right.Being a raging asshole is not a good enough reason to let Billie die at the hands of a monster.
“This hero-complex shit is getting old,” I say only half jokingly, but he’s already passing the first aid kit to me and adjusting the flashlight in his palm.He meets my exasperated look with a smile that is far too relaxed given our situation.
“Is it a turnoff?”he murmurs, and I’m very aware of the irony that arises by him saying those words in that tone and the resultant shiver I suppress from running down the full length of my spine.
“Yeah, it is,” I reply.“It’s a glaring red flag, to be honest.”
He aims a grin at me, tilting his head in acceptance.“Noted.Any tips for navigating these hallways?”
“The path makes a square back around to the entrance,” Laurie answers, gesturing out with her pointer and middle finger like a flight attendant.“But there may be some random corridors, if I’m remembering correctly, and the bar area where John must have found the first aid kit.”
“Those corridors were really short though, right?”I ask, remembering that that was one of the reasons we gravitated more toward the second level of the club.We didn’t like the dead ends so much down here.
Laurie nods.“Just keep in the main hallway and you’ll come back to us.”
I stop myself from adding:Please, just… come back.
“Right.”He nods once before pushing off the wall again and turning to face us, knife poised in one hand, flashlight gripped in the other, back straight and looking intimidating as all hell.
At first I think he’s going to say it, the taboo promise nobody has been able to uphold all night.But then he clamps his mouth shut and just holds up three fingers.It tempts an amused scoff from my lips.I hold up three of my own and curl them one by one.
Three.
Two.
One.
With another nod, he turns and strides down the hallway.
CHAPTER 21
“Why would you want to murder me for, anyhow?”
“So I can kill you anytime I want.”
—NotSweet Home Alabama
The card from the killer and the map are stark white as they stick out of Wes’s back pocket, and I tell myself that I’m focusing on them rather than his ass as he walks away.If I were the killer, I wouldn’t want to be up against Wes in a dark hallway… Since I’m me, though, I’d actuallyloveto be up against Wes in a dark hallway.
“God, just jump each other’s bones already,” Laurie mutters when he’s out of earshot, and I turn back to see she’s caught my—okay, not completely—innocent observation of his departure.
With a faux simpering smile, I say, “Haven’t you heard?I’m already taken.”
