Unexpected Angel Page 18

  That was a rough night for me. Dylan was out of town on business, and it felt wrong to ask Zeke to come over to hang out, so I sat alone in the condo. I tried calling Holly, but as per usual these days, she didn’t answer. Dylan keeps telling me just to let her go, but I can’t do that. We’ve known each other far too long to give up.

  When I see Dylan working his way through the capacity crowd, he looks upset. No, that would be an understatement. He looks pissed off. I try wrapping my arms around him as he places our drinks on the table and his body feels rigid beneath my fingers.

  “Everything okay?” I ask, genuinely concerned. His mouth is set in a thin line as he looks down at me and I wonder if I’m the source of his disdain.

  “Fine,” he says curtly. He’s lying. As much as I want to trust him, I’m at the point where I don’t know that I will ever again blindly trust anything anyone says.

  “Do you want to go home?” I ask, knowing it would be difficult, but surely Zeke can handle tonight’s small show.

  “No.”

  What did I do to warrant the one word answers?

  I pick up my drink, deciding it’s better to let him work through whatever is going on rather than try to get him to open up.

  After nearly twenty painful minutes of silence at our table, I announce that I’m going to dance.

  Dylan reaches for my arm as I turn to walk away. I spin around, glaring at him. He knows this is what he refers to as a “hard limit” for me. It might sound silly to some people, but I have no tolerance for anyone grabbing me like they own me.

  “What?” I shriek at him. He’s the one that created all of this tension with his foul mood tonight. I’m simply choosing to get away, to not allow his surliness to wreck my evening.

  “I need you to sit down,” he says in a forceful tone, but he doesn’t word it as a command. Well screw that, I’m not in a mood to sit here while he sulks for another minute.

  “I’m going to dance. Perhaps by the time I get back, you’ll be in a better mood and I won’t want to get away,” I say defiantly.

  “Tasha, please. If I didn’t have to be here, you’d better believe we would have left a while ago. We need to talk…”

  (Dylan)

  I don’t know what game she’s playing, but the only two times I’ve brought Tasha to a show, Holly has shown up. She hasn’t made a move to acknowledge Tasha’s presence, so it could be coincidence, but I doubt it.

  Tonight, she’s once again on the arm of a known drug dealer. The fucker specializes in meth and coke, preying primarily on co-eds looking to combat the freshman fifteen who also need to be able to stay up all night studying. I only know this because Tommy just about jumped out of his skin the night I pointed out Holly at Last Chance.

  Whatever that bitch’s motivations, I’m now certain she’s into way too many things that I want Tasha to stay far away from.

  “Holly’s here,” I blurt out, not knowing how else to start the conversation.

  “Where?” Tasha’s face lights up as she starts to look around for her friend. I really need to get her back to the diner soon so she can start meeting other people. People who aren’t into selling their bodies and abusing illegal drugs.

  “Angel, I’m not telling you this so you’ll run off to find her. I’m telling you because she’s in a pretty messed up place and I need you to stay away from her.”

  Leave it to me to have this discussion in the middle of a club when I’m supposed to be working. There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that this isn’t going to backfire.

  “Are you trying to say I’m forbidden to talk to her?” She asks, folding her arms tightly across her chest. I can’t help but gawk at the way this defensive posture pushes her tits up.

  God, what I wouldn’t give to hit the rewind button on tonight and bury my face in her naked chest instead of deal with this.

  She flinches away when I reach for her. She’ll never know how much that move kills me. I know that, at least right now, she’s scared because of me. Yes, she’s pissed off, but if she’s being honest with herself, I have no reason to lie about this and that should scare her.

  “I don’t want to tell you who you can and can’t associate with, Tasha. But I would prefer that you not go out of your way to find her tonight.” At least to my own ears, my voice is steady and calm. I need to stay this way.

  “And why is that? Because if I’m spending time with her, I’m not spending time with you? Because she’s not on some pre-approved friends list? Tell me, because I’m dying to know what you have against the woman I’ve known for almost my entire life.” Normally, defiant Tasha is sexy as shit. Tonight, it’s scaring the hell out of me because I realize I’m probably fighting a losing battle. “You know, I’ve always felt like the time was going to come when I had to choose between you and her. I thought she was going to be the one telling me what an evil, sadistic prick you are but I guess I was wrong.”

  I look to Zeke, for once hoping he’ll have something to add to the conversation. It figures that the one time I want him to put himself firmly in the middle of something that doesn’t concern him, he’s sitting here tight lipped, watching everything unfold before his eyes.

  Once again, I take a chance, needing Tasha to feel the physical connection between us. I need to remind her of what we have if I have any hope of making her see what has been happening in the world around her.

  “Tasha, as I said before, I don’t want to drive a wedge between you two,” I say sincerely. “At the same time, she’s in a very bad spot right now and I can’t risk you getting tangled up in that.”

  “And what, exactly, do you know about what is or is not going on in my best friend’s life? Hell, I can’t even get her to return my phone calls, so I’m dying to hear what you think you know and how you know it.”

  (Tasha)

  I’m about to throw up. The combination of a few drinks on top of us having our first real fight is too much to take. I knew Holly didn’t care for Dylan, but it’s never been so clear that the issues go both ways.

  “Why would I lie to you about something like this? I’d prefer to not go into all of the details, but if that’s what it’s going to take, I will.” Dylan’s slowly balling his fists, cracking one knuckle at a time. I know better than to think he’d ever lay a finger on me, but it still makes me nervous. I slide my bar stool closer to Zeke. I turn to him, hoping to see something in his icy blue eyes that will tell me this is some twisted joke. That Dylan’s making something of nothing. Because as much as I don’t want to believe Dylan, he’s also never given me a reason to not believe him.

  Zeke’s face relays nothing, so I turn my attention back to Dylan. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can call a cab and go home. I motion with my hand for Dylan to continue, not knowing what to say at this point.

  “Precious, the man she’s here with tonight is a drug dealer. He’s out on parole right now, but probably not for long,” I see the pain in Dylan’s eyes and want to believe what he’s saying, but it makes no sense. I know Holly used in the past, but she straightened herself out years ago. She’s always talking about how much better she feels now that she’s not living in a haze.

  “Okay, so she’s friends with someone who’s been in jail. I’m sure all of your friends aren’t squeaky clean,” I say sarcastically. I glance over at Zeke and know I’m right. “Besides, maybe the guy learned his lesson.”

  “Not likely. Look, this guy doesn’t bring women to the bar with him. It messes up his game. He comes alone, finds a girl to hook up with, get her high and hooked, fucks her and leaves her.” I don’t care for this Dylan. Tonight, he reminds me of Nick in many ways.

  “Okay, so let’s say that is his MO, what does that have to do with Holly?” He has about ten seconds to tell me something profound before I turn and walk away. So far, he’s given me no reason to sit here and listen to this.

  “Can we talk about this later?” He asks me, turning his attention back to the stage. “I really
don’t have time to lay it all out for you, and I don’t think you want me to do that here. Am I right?”

  “You know what? No, I don’t want to talk about this tonight. Go do whatever it is you have to do.”

  Dylan slides his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest. I’m almost resentful that I still feel safe in his arms. I feel like, if I were a stronger woman, he’d repulse me for trying to make me question the two people who have meant more to me than anyone else.

  “Please,” he begs me. “I promise we’ll talk more tonight.” He looks down at me and I nod, unable to form words around the lump in my throat.

  I know I told Dylan I would stay with Zeke, but there are certain places he can’t go. I walk into the restroom and nearly run into Holly. “Sorry, guess I was in a hurry,” I apologize. I’m not sure what else to say. Somehow, ‘hey, are you using drugs again?’ seems a touch inappropriate since I have no proof.

  “It’s okay,” Holly assures me. “Come here, give me a hug.”

  A hug? You’re going from ignoring me the last time we saw each other and not answering my calls to wanting a freaking hug?

  When I don’t move from the doorway, Holly pulls me into the bathroom, wrapping her arms tightly around my body. “I miss you, Tasha,” she says sadly.

  “You wouldn’t have to miss me if you answered the damn phone when I call,” I point out. She gapes at me, unaccustomed to me asserting myself.

  “Yeah, I know.” She digs around in her clutch, more out of nervous habit than looking for anything. I watch her, trying to see any physical changes in her but there are none that I can see. “I’ve been… busy. Hey, can we go somewhere else to talk?”

  I bite my lip, trying to buy some time. This is the moment where I have to choose. If I go with Holly, I know Dylan’s going to be furious with me. If I stay, I know in my heart things will never be the same between Holly and me.

  “I can’t be gone long,” I tell her. If we can go and talk and I can be back before Dylan’s done working, no one will be the wiser. I hate deceiving him, but I feel as if he’s given me no choice by dictating whom I spend time with.

  Holly nods and reaches for my hand. Until now, I had forgotten why I came in here. “Um, before we go,” I say, pointing to the stalls.

  “Go ahead,” Holly laughs. I don’t like how strained things are between us, but maybe I’m to blame because I allowed Dylan’s knight in shining armor routine to sweep me away. Moving forward, I promise I will find a balance so I can be with a guy I know is good for me and not lose my friends or my sense of self.

  After I wash my hands, Holly grabs me again and leads me to the back door. “Come on, we’ll go this way so Mister Possessive doesn’t see you and freak.”

  “He’s not that way, Holly,” I protest. Just as I’m not going to allow Dylan to tell me I can’t spend time with Holly, I’m not going to put up with Holly bad-mouthing Dylan.

  “No?” She questions me, raising one eyebrow. “So the night I saw you at Last Chance, he didn’t have his buddy take you home before I could get away from my date and come to talk to you?”

  “It wasn’t like that,” I groan. God, so much has happened in the past month. So much she would know about if she hadn’t quit taking my calls.

  The back alley is dark when we walk outside. I hope we’re not going far because the cold November air is cutting right through me.

  “Then how was it? Because, from where I was sitting, that’s exactly what happened,” she says defensively.

  “Look, I’ve been having some issues with random text messages. I got some that night and Dylan didn’t want me there.” Holly stops and turns to me, giving me her full attention for the first time in over a month. “Whoever was sending them knew I was at the bar. Not only that, they knew when Dylan grabbed the phone out of my hand to see what was going on.”

  “Damn, babe. I had no clue…” At least she has the decency to sound remorseful about her absence in my life. “If I had…”

  “There’s no point in playing the ‘if only’ game,” I assure her. “Just don’t do that to me again, okay? I really could have used you.”

  “I’m sorry. Like I said, it’s been a rough time for me too.” She pulls out her cell phone and calls for a cab. I should tell her I can’t go anywhere too far away, but I don’t. She already thinks Dylan is controlling my life; I don’t want to give her any more ammunition. “We’ll go get some coffee and you can tell me all about what’s been going on.”

  I look back to the club, knowing that no matter what I do, I’m going to regret my decision. One look back at my best friend standing next to the cab and I make my mind up. “Come on, I have to get back before Dylan’s done working.”

  “But he doesn’t try to dominate your life, huh?” She shoots me a wry smile, and I know her question goes deeper than the obvious. I look away, not wanting her to see the lust-filled memories flooding my mind.

  When Holly tells the cab driver to take us to Grandma’s Kitchen, I take a moment to do the math so I know how long we can safely stay before having to come back. When we were younger, either we spent just about every night driving the stretch of road between the Capitol and the mall or our group was filling the booths at the all-night café.

  “I can’t stay longer than an hour,” The nausea has returned. It’s too much to hope that Zeke will cover for me, but I can hope he doesn’t try looking for me and then tell Dylan when he can’t find me.

  This is probably one of the dumbest things you’ve done in recent years. Is whatever you and Holly talk about worth losing him?

  After Holly’s phone rings, she leans forward, giving the driver a different address. “Sorry, a friend called and invited us to a party,” she says with a shrug.

  “Holly, I can not be gone all night. I have to get back before Dylan freaks out.” My chest hurts and it’s getting harder to breathe. “Please, just take me back to the club.”

  “It’ll be fine,” Holly promises me. “We’ll stop by, hang out for a bit and I’ll have you back before the warden even knows you’re gone.”

  My phone rings and I know she’s dead wrong. I glance down at the display and see a goofy picture of Zeke wearing taped up glasses and sporting buckteeth. I silence my phone and put it back in my purse. “Holly, that was Zeke. If he’s already noticed I’m not there, it won’t be long before he tells Dylan. Those two tell each other everything.”

  “So you broke out of jail for a night, big deal,” she sighs. Interesting choice of words. I debate asking her about the man Dylan saw her with earlier in the evening, but decide against it. Obviously, he couldn’t care less that she bailed on him.

  “Yeah, it is a big deal. Holly, you don’t get it,” I whimper. My temples are beginning to throb as my mind races with all the ways this decision is going to blow up in my face. As much as I’d rather not go back to my place, it will be my only choice after Dylan finds out I left with Holly. “I really like him. You have no clue how much he’s done for me.”

  “You make it sound like you’ve known him for years,” Holly sneers. “You’ve known him a month. One month. Just over four weeks. There’s no way you really know someone in that time. If he can’t realize that you’re a grown woman who can make her own choices, fuck him.”

  I grow more nervous with every mile we ride further from the center of town. We pull up in front of a house at the edge of town. I look around, but I’m not seeing enough cars for this to be where the party is.

  “Relax; they’re probably parked out back so the cops don’t come around bugging everyone.”

  As we walk up the gravel driveway, I see that Holly is the one who seems nervous. I turn around, thinking this might not be a good idea, but there’s nothing but blackness behind me. The cab’s lights are fading quickly into the distance.

  “Are you sure this is where we’re supposed to be?” I ask, willing myself to not hyperventilate. Deep breath in through the nose, out through the mouth. In-two-three-four, out-two-thr
ee-four.

  “This is where he said to go,” she shrugs. God, I’m really starting to hate the way she lifts her shoulders. It’s as if she doesn’t think anything matters.

  “Where who said to go?” There’s no music blaring in the house, no sign of anyone inside. And no way out of here.

  (Dylan)

  “Where’s Tasha?” I ask when I see Zeke roaming around the dance floor. I should take him out back and beat him to a pulp. I might not have given Tasha all the details, but he sure as fuck knows everything Tommy told us about Holly-fucking-Richards.

  The way Zeke is tugging on his black hair, I know the answer. “She’s not here,” he says flatly. “Dude, I don’t know what happened. She said she was going to the bathroom and I haven’t seen her since. I’ve asked around and no one heard any fighting or anything, so I’m thinking she might have gone home.”

  “FUCK!” I yell, drawing the eyes of everyone around me. “How long ago? You have to tell me this shit, man.”

  “I don’t know, maybe an hour now?” I want to punch him square in the mouth. He had one job tonight, and now Tasha’s nowhere to be found. I wouldn’t be so worried if I had seen Holly recently, but she seems to be MIA as well.

  “Call Tommy, get him down here. I’m going to find Starnes,” I tell him. That worthless fuck is going to tell me what’s been going on, once and for all. Any chance he and Holly showing up was coincidence flew right out the window the moment both women disappeared at the same time.

  “Don’t be stupid, Dylan,” Zeke yells after me.

  Fuck him. If he didn’t want me getting stupid, maybe he shouldn’t have let the only thing that matters in my life out of his sight.

  I throw a hand in the air, the only acknowledgement I’m willing to give him.

  It doesn’t take long to find Nathan Starnes, the low-life scum my girl’s so-called best friend has latched herself onto.

  “Where is she?” I snarl, twisting Nathan’s shirt in my hands. I shove him against the wall, glaring at the buddy who I can see doesn’t really want to get into a fight tonight.