CHAPTER ONE
EVELYNN
The smell of sweat,sex, and stale cigarettes should have been my first warning to leave. But, as usual, I ignored my instincts and listened to my friend Suzie—a girl who’d gotten me into more trouble over the years than I cared to remember. Yet every single time, I give her the benefit of the doubt.
“Will you relax? You’re making it obvious we don’t belong,” she hisses at me through her teeth.
“Don’t belong? This is a gang. A dangerous gang at that. Plus, I’m pretty sure the guy in the corner has a glass eyeball. I swear he’s glaring at me,” I whisper back, shifting uncomfortably. I can feel their eyes onus. Women walk around in tiny thongs, with their tits out for everyone to see.
“You girls want a drink?” one of the women asks, holding out a tray like we’re in a cocktail bar. The only difference is, I swear her nipple just dipped into one of the margaritas.
“Would it be weird to request a slippery nipple?” I joke. She doesn’t laugh. Awkwardly, I clear my throat, grab one of the shots, and knock it back before setting the glass on the tray. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “Thanks,” I wheeze as the alcohol burns my throat. I don’t even know what it was—just that it was strong and necessary. Suzie takes a cocktail and smiles her thanks.
“So, what’s this guy’s name who invited you?” I ask, glancing around the dark, smoke-thick space.
“He didn’t give me his name, exactly. He just said to call him T.” Suzie shrugs.
“Hold up, you agreed to come to a party in a random warehouse, in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, for a guy who just gave you a letter for his name?” I ask in disbelief. “I thought you said you two had talked for hours and had a connection?”
She gives me an apologetic smile. “Well, it was more like twenty minutes, but there was a connection. A strong connection.”
“Oh my god, Suzie! Seriously.” I groan.
“There was something there, okay? His eyes.” She swoons. “I swear, he saw right into my soul.”
“Yeah, I’m sure Bundy’s victims said the same thing,” I mutter, rolling my eyes while checking my phone for a nearby cab.
“These aren’t bad-bad guys,” Suzie defends.
I look at her like she’s lost her mind. “That’s the Crawley brothers, and the only reason I know is because one of them is sitting right over there. I recognize him from the police appeals,” I seethe, nodding toward the large, tattooed guy with a buzz cut with two women on his lap in the corner.
Suzie gives me a sheepish grin. “They aren’t that bad. It’s just bad press,” she tries to excuse.
“Bad press? Bad press. They cut a guy’s hand off for flipping off one of their members,” I state.
She swallows. “Well, I mean, you need to show respect for people like this. I wouldn’t be stupid enough to piss them off,” she says nervously.
“No, but stupid enough to try and date one,” I quip.
“Fuck off,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Oh, wait. there he is,” she says excitedly. I look over and spot a blond-haired, muscled guy in a tight black T-shirt andjeans. His whole vibe screams ‘bad boy’—just Suzie’s type. He grins at us. Here we fucking go.
He strides over, drinking in Suzie in her tight, revealing—and honestly, slutty—red top and low-slung hipster jeans hugging her ass. I’m dressed a bit provocatively too: a black lace deep V-neck bodysuit with black jeans hugging every curve. Normal attire for a bar or party. If I’d known we were coming here, I’d have worn sweats and a hoodie. Scratch that. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come at all.
“Hey, babe, you made it,” he greets, instantly pulling her in for a kiss—nothing but tongue and saliva. The sounds make me want to gag.
“God, give me a damn break,” I sigh, crossing my arms over my chest. He breaks the kiss and looks me over like I’m some prized piece of meat. I curl my lip in disgust.
“You brought a friend,” he grins.
Suzie catches her breath. “Yeah, this is my girl Evelynn,” she grins.
“Evelynn,” he breathes, and my skin crawls at how my name sounds on his lips.
“Yeah, good to meet you. Well, can’t stay. Got a family emergency,” I say, forcing a disappointed smile on my face.
“Oh, come on now, the party’s just starting. I’msure you can stay a few minutes longer,” he says, wrapping his other arm around my shoulders and leading me further into the party.
Well, fuck.
