“Time!” Kian’s voice penetrated the fog surrounding me and Carter, and we broke apart, both breathing heavily.
“Is something going on here? I called time five times.”
Carter stiffened, glancing over at Kian, and the heat disappeared from his gaze. “Nah. Just an experiment to see if the geek can actually kiss.” He didn’t even look at me.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, then opened them and climbed off him. “I think I’ll leave now.” My voice was quiet but steady, and I’d never been so grateful. Without another word, I pivoted on my heel and walked out without looking back.
Lena caught up with me outside. “What happened?” I gave her a rundown, and her eyes darkened. “I will fuck him up. What the actual fuck is his problem?”
“I don’t even want to know anymore. Can we just go—”
“I’m not letting him scare you away.”
“I wasn’t going to say that.” A small smile curved over my lips. “I was going to say, can we just go and dance and forget about him?”
She returned my smile. “Yep. Let’s go.” We made our way back into the warehouse, and I pasted a bright smile on my face as we began to dance, ignoring the ache that was spreading deep in my chest.
24
I lost myself in the music. Gradually the pain in my chest receded, and one song merged into another until I was breathless and dying for a drink.
“Lena!” Shouting over the music to be heard, I waved my hand to get her attention. Her head swung around to face me. Lifting my hand, I mimed drinking a drink, then pointed to the bar with my eyebrows raised. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, glanced at it, then shook her head with a sigh. Stepping closer, she spoke loudly.
“I’ve got to go now really. I promised my mum I’d be back by 1:00 a.m. She’s taking me into London tomorrow to go shopping for a dress for the winter ball.” She pulled a face, letting me know what she thought of that idea, and I laughed.
“Do you mind if I stay? I could get an Uber back with Jax and the others?” I’d heard Lena’s friends mention they were going to book an Uber home, and I knew at least one of them lived close to me.
?
??You don’t need my permission to stay.” Grinning at me, she squeezed my arm. “Stay, have fun. You’re doing great. I’m proud of you.”
I smiled at her. As usual, my aunt was doing an overnight shift at the hospital, so I had nothing to rush home for.
Bounding over to Jax, she spoke into his ear, and he glanced over to me with a nod and a thumbs up, and I shot him a smile. After saying my goodbyes to Lena and promising to text her, I made my way over to the bar, where I ordered a bottle of water. Downing the water, I leaned against the wall, people-watching.
Through the smoky haze I noticed a large walkway above me that circled the warehouse. Heading over to the metal steps, I ducked under the barrier and made my way up to the top. After I’d placed my bottle of water down on the floor, I leaned on the railing that ran along the side of the walkway, my arms folded, just watching the people down below me. Everything was still hazy, but the crowds had thinned out a little, allowing me to focus more clearly on the individuals.
Something caught my eye, far down below. Darting between the dancing bodies were figures in LED masks, randomly pelting people with paint bombs. I laughed, but my laughter died away almost instantly as the sight of the masks brought back memories of Carter.
With a sigh, I leaned down to pick up my water bottle.
My spine prickled with awareness.
When I straightened up, I realised I was no longer alone on the walkway.
My head turned, slowly, almost against my will. I blinked, my focus fixed on the far end of the walkway where a swirl of thick red smoke was pumping from a metal cylinder, obscuring my vision. As the smoke grenade dropped to the walkway floor with a clatter, a figure dressed in black, with a smooth, black mask concealing their features emerged through the clearing smoke.
The fear was instantaneous. This wasn’t even like when Carter had grabbed me. This was bone-deep, a chill that surged through my veins, urging me to get away right now. My water bottle fell from my fingers, forgotten, as I froze in place.
There was only one way off this walkway, and it was behind the figure.
They stepped closer. Despite being clad in an oversized hoodie, I could tell that they were shorter than Carter, with a slim build that was nothing like his bulk. “Wh-what do you want?” I breathed out, attempting to keep my voice even as my earlier confidence evaporated. At the same time, I reached into my shorts pocket, grasping my keys. Threading them between my fingers, I took a step towards the figure. The figure hesitated, and I took my chance, feinting to the left and then darting to the right. As I passed the figure, they reached out a gloved hand, gripping a handful of my hair and yanking my head back.
My heart hammered hard in my chest, and on instinct I threw my hands out, grabbing the round bar running along the top of the railing. Throwing my head forwards, I managed to tear my hair free, hearing a high-pitched grunt come from behind me. I didn’t waste any more time, clattering down the stairs as fast as I could and leaping off the last few, smacking blindly into a large body.
All the air was knocked out of me. Arms came around me, encircling my waist. “Little trickster. Where are you going in such a hurry?”
I had never in my life been so glad for Carter’s presence as I was right then. I shivered against him, and his voice changed, concern threading through his tone. “What’s wrong?”