Troy? Why not Edmund?
Whatever. I don’t even care.
I lean forward to talk to my driver. “Hey, I’ll get out here.”
“Here?” She eyes our surroundings. We’re in the Bellefleur, not the nicest area. But I have another ride lined up.
“Yep. I’m going to the—” I scan the nearby businesses. “To Kitty Cat Karaoke. Friends are meeting me. I think I see them now.”
I don’t know why I’m lying to the driver. Maybe because there’s something matronly about her, and I know she’d disapprove. And for some reason that matters to me?
I’m losing my mind.
She pulls over next to the karaoke place, and I get out. I give her a giant tip, because she was concerned, and the world needs to reward people who care. Then I march to Kitty Cat Karaoke and text Edmund, dropping the pin of my location.
You’re in the Bellefleur??? I can practically hear his outrage.
I grin and type, It’s hardly a war-torn country.
It’s dangerous enough to be. A second later, he adds, Troy will be there in 5.
Troy
I almost don’t recognize Dani. Her hair is wet from the rain, which makes it look darker. Last night she was in a white dress, tonight she’s in black. It clings to her—I can’t see from here whether it’s because she’s wet or because of the dress’s style.
It’s also hard to see because she’s surrounded by four men. One of them is lurching toward her, arms outstretched like he’s going to grab her.
I park illegally at the curb and jump out. I rush up, shoving the grabbing guy away from Dani.
“Hey, what the fuck?” He stumbles before swinging his fist toward my face.
I block the punch. In the reflection of the club window, I see another guy coming at me. I don’t turn, just jab backward with my elbow, catching him in the throat. Not hard enough to kill him, but hard enough he’ll remember me tomorrow.
The other two guys back up immediately.
I turn to Dani. “You okay?”
I don’t know what I expected. Tearful gratitude, maybe. Or a swoon into my arms.
Instead I get her gray eyes flashing with anger. “What the fuck, asshole? We were just talking.”
“He was about to grab you?—”
She’s practically shaking with rage, standing at her full height, finger pointed up at my face. “He was trying to give me his coat, because it’s fucking raining, and he’s a fucking gentleman. Unlike you.”
From the corner of my eye, I can see a jacket on the ground, getting soaked in the rain. Shit. “Lower your finger and we’ll talk.”
She considers her stance, my stance, and my tone. Slowly, she lowers her hand.
I turn to the guys I took down, and I grab the coat from the ground. I offer the jacket to the guy I’d shoved aside. “I apologize. I misread the situation.”
They stare at me, eyes big. One of them finally steps forward and grabs the jacket.
The guy I throat-punched coughs, then nods. “Yeah, sure,” he wheezes. “No problem.”
“Sorry about my friend,” Dani says to them. “He’s a dick.”
She’s right.
