My head lifts and I scan the crowd, spotting a pair of girls only a few yards away, watching us.
“Hold on to her.” I stand, sliding Briar off of my lap and into Liam’s next to me, before storming across the room.
“What the fuck did you give her?”
“What?” The girl blinks up, and I see a flicker of fear in her eyes before she masks it with faux innocence. “I don’t?—”
“What’s your name?” I ask, cornering her up against a nearby table.
“I—” She looks to her friend for help, but the girl she was standing with has already made herself scarce. Her face turns slowly back to me and she gives me a nervous smile, brushing her hand up against my arm in a sorry attempt to flirt with me.
I reach up, grab her hand, and remove it from my bicep, glaring at her. “Don’t make me ask you again…” I warn.
She swallows, her eyes darting between me and Briar at the table behind me.
“Tara,” she finally admits, and my eyes darken.
“Listen up,Tara, you’re going to tell me exactly what you gave my girl over there, or you’re going to find out what it feels like to pray for mercy and not get any.”
“It was just a little shot. She needed to loosen up.”
“Do you think I’m a fucking idiot, Tara?”
“N-no, no,” she stutters out, shrinking back as far as she can into the table at her back.
“What did you give her?”
“Just a little liquid X!” Tara rushes out. “She’ll be fine!”
Fucking Christ. GHB. I turn to check on Briar, who is teetering dangerously on the edge of Liam’s lap. He’s doing his best to keep her upright, while also trying to touch her as little as possible.
My gaze falls back onTara. “If anything happens to that girl… and I meananything.”She gulps. “I will be back here, and I will make sure I do ten times worse to you.”
She pales, her eyes flicking between me and Briar as if to measure just how bad off she is.
Without another word I release her, stalking back over to our table and hauling Briar up onto her feet.
“Hey!” she protests, swaying precariously on her heels.
“Time to go.”
Briar goes to take a step toward the elevator and stumbles. I catch her, wrapping my arm around her waist to keep her from falling. We go a few more feet like this before my frustration wins out and I pick her up.
She watches me, surprise on her face as I carry her out of the club. She makes it as far as the elevator before her head falls down on my shoulder, her eyes fluttering as she tries to stay awake.
No one in the club even bats an eye at the clearly inebriated girl in my arms.
“So pretty.”
“Who?”
“You.” She smiles and reaches up, her fingertips touching my cheek. “Such a pretty boy.”
Pretty? I frown. I’m not sure how I feel about that.
“Mhm.” She half-laughs at the frown on my face, as if she can read my thoughts.
“What did you eat today?” How much she has in her stomach might affect how long the drug will affect her.
