About an hour before the club closes, they disappear. Relief hits me that they left. I finish my shift, go into the locker room, and put on my jeans and top.
I step into the main room and walk over to Troy. "Hey, do you mind walking me to my car tonight?"
He furrows his eyebrows. "Did someone bother you?"
I admit, "Not anything I can report. But two guys that were in here creeped me out."
He slings his arm around my waist and leads me to the door. "Best to keep you safe, then. I got you."
I sigh. "Thanks."
"Sure." He guides me to my car and waits until I pull away.
I'm halfway home when I get the chills again. I could be wrong, but I swear someone is following me. There's an SUV that stays far enough away that I can't see who's driving it.
I debate about what to do, then I gun the engine and go through a red light. The SUV disappears, and I continue on to my place. I pull into my apartment complex lot, and a car with a group of my neighbors in it parks next to me.
"Blakely," Tim calls out, sounding intoxicated.
I laugh. "I take it you had a good night?"
His girlfriend Sarah shakes her head and then points at him. "He needs food to soak up his shots."
I wince. "That great of a night, huh?"
She rolls her eyes.
Matt, who also lives with Tim, sings, "Blakely, Blakely, Blakely!"
"He drank more than Tim," Sarah announces.
I smile bigger and say, "Sounds like—"
Floodlights glow around us. Tim puts his hand over his forehead and squints. "Dude, turn your brights off."
I spin, and bile rises in my throat. An SUV is pointed right at us.
"Let's go inside," I say, then take one step toward the building.
"Turn your lights off, assholes," Matt shouts.
"Matt, don't!" I warn, then tug on his arm.
Sarah asks, "Do you know who's in that SUV?"
I shake my head, not sure what I would tell her. Is it the guys from Cheeks or someone else? And maybe I'm assuming they're following me but it's really some drunk idiot from our complex. I answer, "No, but I think it's best we go inside. We don't need any altercations."
"Agreed," she says, then links her arm through Tim's.
The four of us get to the entrance. The SUV doesn't turn off the lights or move. I punch in the code, and the lock unlatches. We step inside, and I shut the door.
As quickly as possible, I make my way up the stairs to the second floor, helping Sarah goad Tim and Matt to follow me.
I finally get inside my apartment. Both my roommates' bedroom doors are shut, so I assume they're sleeping out or have company since neither had to work tonight. I go to the living room window and peek through the blinds.
The SUV is still there with its brights on, except the bald man from the club is standing next to the passenger door, looking up as if he knows which unit I live in.
My heart beats harder. I stare at him until he gets back inside the vehicle and it takes off. I have no clue who the men are, but I'm officially freaked out.