His voice is smooth and sweet, but beneath it there’ssomething sinister. I see why he has to have girls inebriated to get in their pants—he screams red flags. Smart women everywhere would stay the fuck away from this creep.
“You’re quite beautiful,” he continues when I don’t respond. His fingers slide further and further up my thigh until he’s so close to touching me where I least would like his fingers. “You and my friend here bear a striking resemblance, too.” He leans in, his free hands brushing hair off my shoulder as his cool breath slides across my skin. “Have you ever been with a woman before? You two could almost pass as twins. People love twins.”
I have the urge to smack him, to knee him in the balls, to take his wandering fingers and snap them until I hear them pop.
But I think of the girl on the video—alone and hurt. I can do this. I’m strong. I can play pretend a moment longer.
“Been with a woman?” I whisper back, slurring slightly to sound as if I’ve been drinking. “Like,beenwith one?”
I let his lips caress my neck, his hand caress my thigh, and while my blood is on fire with fury at this disgusting excuse for a man, I let my body relax into his touch.
Erika slides up to my other side, catching onto the plan. Her hand lands on my hip, her lips caress my shoulder in small kisses. No one in the bar even bats an eye. They sit by absentmindedly as two predators lure me into a web. I’m angry—angry at the complacency of those around us. Women deserve to have value and worth in this world.
“I could eat your cunt so good you’d see stars,” Erika coos into my ear as Will’s fingers slide against my very dry panties. “It’d be all about you and your pleasure, sweet thing.”
“I just came to have a drink.” I can feel the blush rising in my cheeks despite myself. These two are evil—pure and simple.
They don’t give up that easily, though.
“We could make you feel good,” Will croons as his fingers continue their gentle caress between my thighs. My mind canwrap itself around this plan, but my body doesn’t lie. I’m tense; my entire form is clenching in unease with every pass of his fingers. He either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care about my discomfort. “Have some drinks, relax, make each other feel so very good.”
My phone chirps in my purse that’s slung over the back of the bar stool. It’s my signal. I need to leave.
Now.
If Garett flips back through the cameras and sees Will touching me, there will be no stopping the chaos which will ensue. Part of me feels like I’ve just met Garett, but a deeper part of me feels as though I’ve known him for lifetimes. But I know for certain that he absolutely would not want Will touching me.
“No, thank you.” I try to shrug them off but they twist around me tighter, like snakes constricting. “I actually think I’ll be going now.”
I shove at their fingers and hands, but they hold tighter. Unease begins to swirl in the pit of my stomach. I want to get out of here right now.
“What’s the rush, Ali?” Will asks as his fingers dig painfully into my thigh. I cry out at his bruising touch. The bartender’s eyes flick to me briefly before he spins and heads in the opposite direction.
Fucking coward.
“I didn’t give you my name,” I grit out between clenched teeth. Unease grows more and more as I realize I fell into their trap.
“You didn’t need to, Allison.” Will’s hand moves from my thigh to around my throat. He squeezes painfully and tears prick my eyes. Erika laughs as she watches on. “You think you could walk into my space, playing stupid games, and I wouldn’t catch on? You stupid fucking slut.” He grips tighter. My air cuts off and my lungs burn. I begin to panic, clawing at his fingers. Hedoesn’t relent. “Sent here by your husband to spy on me?”
My husband?
Realization hits me instantly. He thinks Brody sent me here. Why the fuck would Brody send me? Did something happen between them? I nod in agreement, hoping to throw him off the scent of Luke and Garett.
“Tell Brody that I am working on his stupid fucking charges but Garett’s security is top notch. It’s going to take time to get the evidence he wants,” Will seethes in my ear.
My husband hired this psycho to prove that Garett kidnapped Celeste and not him. He’s been trying to counter hack Garett. But he’s failed. Despite my nerves, a small sense of satisfied pride swells inside me. I nod again, unable to speak with how tightly he’s choking me.
“Good girl,” Will snarls in my ear before releasing my throat. He roughly spins my stool and shoves me.
I stumble, almost falling, before catching myself. Swiftly, I grab my purse and run. I don’t stop and I don’t look back as I head for the light streaming in through the large front doors.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Garett
“Iwill fucking end him!” I roar as I pace back and forth. I sense the females on the couch flinch at my anger. I’m too far gone in my rage to truly care. “I will rip him limb from limb, and then I will cut him open, pull out his entrails, and fucking feed them to him.”
“Garett, brother—” Luke tries to placate me with a soft tone but I’m too worked up.
