“Well, he knows her.” Callie giggled and sipped her drink.
Kenzie flinched. “What do you mean?”
“They don’t just let anyone up here. This is VIP. Trust me, if you’re up here, they know you, everything about you.” She leaned closer and Kenzie immediately followed. “My man says they have cameras in the front, some kind of high-tech photo image scan. They do a check before you’re allowed into the holding room. It’s crazy, right?” She giggled. “From one scan of your face, they can pull up everything on you, who you are, where you live.”
She could feel the blood draining from her face, her flesh breaking out into a prickled chill. Cameras. Her body temperature plummeted and she knew the feeling. This was what happened right before she puked.
They knew who they were, where they lived. If Taylor followed through with this, they’d know exactly who took the money and precisely where to find them. She licked her lips, batting down the chunks rising from her stomach. They hadto get outta here. Her eyes darted to the bar. Three men stood around it but no sign of Taylor.
A cool hand rested on her hand. “You alright?”
“Yeah, just looking for my friend.” The room wasn’t huge but more people had come in since they arrived. If she wanted to get out, she’d be skirting her way to the exit.
“There she is?”
She turned back to Callie who was looking down at the room below through the glass. Kenzie stood and peered down through the masses of people. It was easy to spot her as there weren’t many women. Taylor stood close to the back wall and was talking with a guy she’d never seen. The lump in her throat got larger constricting her breathing. Why would Taylor leave her up here? The only exit was on the main floor. She was trapped and her best friend had abandoned her.What the hell?
“I’m gonna go check on her, make sure she’s good.”
Callie smiled oblivious to what was going on in Kenzie’s head. “Okay, I’ll save your seats.”
Kenzie mustered a smile. Her lips tightened almost making it impossible. She slowly weaved through the throngs of men, bumping into one.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, just a few feet away from the door.
The man looked down at her and her stomach plummeted. She knew this guy. The scar and the green eyes, she remembered him. Stone. He was one of the guys looking for Taylor. He stared down at her. His scowl locked in place.
We’re so screwed.
She turned quickly, rushing to the door and threw it open almost knocking the man guarding the door.
She gripped the banister and ran down the stairs, tripping on the last one and falling to the ground. Her knees slammed into the hard floor and she yelped. The pain shot up through her calves. She was pretty sure she just busted her knee caps. Oh fuck!
She dropped her head and took a breath. Suddenly, largehands grasped her waist and she was being pulled up. The second her feet touched the ground she spun around, face to face with the man with the scar.
“Need to get you the fuck out of here.”
What?She inched away as he stepped forward. Her adrenaline hiked up and all thoughts of her aching knees were gone. She had to get out and away from this guy. Her dad’s voice played in her head. He’d been reciting the same line since she was a little girl.
You ever feel cornered, kick em’ in the balls.
She blocked the pain from her swing. The man’s eyes widened as if he knew what was coming and for the first time in her life, she was quicker than an assailant. Her sneaker made contact with his crotch before his hands could stop her. He immediately cowered over gripping his groin, emitting a loud grunt.
“You fucking bitch.”
She spun around and ran through the door, pushing people out of her way.
Taylor was in the same spot she had been in earlier and Kenzie raced to her. She pushed a body out of her way, shoulder checking some poor guy who got in her way. Taylor turned a second before she reached her. She seemed to be able to read Kenzie’s face. Her feet pounded on the concrete and Kenzie blurted the first thing that popped in her head.
Not, “they’re after us”. She didn’t say, “they know who we are”. Through her hitched breath, she muttered, “You left me.”
In this crazy, dangerous, scene, all she could say was she left her. She had been the most loyal friend to Taylor and she just left her.
Taylor shook her head, scrunching her brows. “No, I didn’t leave you. I just needed…” Her gaze shifted over her shoulder and her bottom lip fell open as her face paled. Taylor, who rarely showed fear, was giving her a look, she’d never seen before. She heaved a breath and said, “Run.”
“What?”
Taylor’s face twitched and her eyes darkened in a dreaded stare. “Run.”
