by Elle East
That’s when I realize that everyone at the party is watching us scream at each other. I look around and Cherry is next to us, smiling her pretty and insincere smile. She came with the East Marters too.
I look behind me and the Vicious Crew are walking forward to confront Seth. This is going to be bad.
18
I can see Daire talking but I can’t hear what he’s saying. He and Seth are staring at each other like they want to rip the other one apart. Theo, Brax and Alec are behind their leader, looking massive, pissed off, and deadly—but the rest of the East Marters look just as massive, pissed off, and deadly, behind Seth.
The whole party is on edge. If things get violent, I’m going to grab Olivia and run. Thank god I wore flats. I look down at Olivia’s feet and she’s worn five inch spiked heels. Dammit.
One of the East Marters raises his shirt above his waistband to show off that he has a gun. It doesn’t cause a stampede because probably half the people at this party have guns. I know the Vicious Crew have them because I’ve seen them before. I saw one in Alec’s glove box when we went on that first job to the motel. I’ve seen Theo with one in his pocket, which he quickly tried to hide when he saw me looking.
But when the guy then reaches for his gun, that’s when chaos erupts. The entire party starts running and shoving. I’m taken by surprise and knocked off my feet. I fall to the ground hard and get the wind knocked out of me. I feel Olivia’s hand on my arm, trying to help me up, but then the crowd rips her away.
I try to stand up but I can’t. I keep getting shoved back down by the panicking crowd. There are boots and high heels stepping all over me. Someone kicks me in the face and I don’t know if it’s by accident or on purpose. I can still hear the pounding music but everything is starting to go black. I’m starting to lose consciousness.
Right before I pass out, someone grabs me with hands that feel like steel and drags me to my feet. I’m dazed and barely conscious so it takes me a second to realize it’s Alec. He’s yelling and shoving people away from me so I can stay standing.
I cling to him like I’m drowning and he’s a life preserver—because he is. He just saved my life.
He wraps a strong arm around my waist to help me stay up, and we start moving through the crowd. Everyone is going deeper into the building and there’s too many of them so we have to move with them.
There are exits at the back of the mall but when we get there, no one can get out so everyone starts running in random directions. They are all panicking and it’s incredibly dangerous.
Alec suddenly shifts and starts pulling me a different way. He shoves people aside and we make it to a hidden stairwell. Inside, away from the music, it’s finally quieter and Alec asks, “Are you ok?”
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly, my voice echoing. My whole body hurts and I’m not sure if anything is broken.
“Can you walk up the stairs?” he asks in concern.
I nod and we start going up. We climb two flights and the entire time my body is screaming in pain so I can’t help but lean on him. He doesn’t seem to mind and grips me firmly.
I breathe out a sigh of relief when we finally make it to the top. There’s a couple doors on either side of a short hallway. Alec takes us to the farthest one and we go inside. The room is pitch black until he flicks on the lights and I see that it looks like it used to be a custodial room or something.
There are no windows, it’s just a small box with cleaning supplies in one corner and a ratty old couch and a hot plate in the other. He locks the door behind us and helps me over to the couch.
“What the hell happened out there?” I finally get the chance to ask.
“The cops came and everyone freaked out. They had the entire building surrounded, every exit blocked so people couldn’t get out and were panicking. They don’t usually come to this area of town because no one lives here. Someone must have tipped them off.” He shakes his head angrily. “That was fucking dangerous.”
“Tell me about it,” I say with a laugh but then wince. It hurts to laugh.
“Are you ok?” he asks again, obvious concern on his face.
“Yeah, I think so.” I move all my limbs to make sure nothing is actually broken. “It’s not as bad as I first thought. I think I just got the wind knocked out of me then couldn’t catch my breath again—then got stepped on about a million times. Nothing is broken though, so I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? Let me check.” Without thinking, he reaches over to feel my body and I grab his hands.
“I’m fine,” I say and then our eyes lock.
A moment passes between us.
“I’m glad you’re not hurt,” he whispers.
“Why did you come get me?” I ask.
His brow furrows like he’s confused why I would ask that. “I brought you here tonight. You’re my date so I have to make sure you’re safe and nothing happens to you.”
Another moment passes as I stare into his amber eyes.
Then I remember Olivia.
“Fuck,” I mumble and take out my phone. “My sister. We got separated and I don’t know what happened to her.”
I’m about to text her but I see that she’s already texted me.
Olivia: Wtf happened to you???
Olivia: ARE YOU OK?????????
Olivia: The police are here did you get out??
Olivia: Addison!!! Where are you
I quickly text back that I’m ok but I didn’t get out of the building and we are trapped upstairs in one of the rooms.
Olivia: THANK GOD YOU AREN’T DEAD
Olivia: We got out
Olivia: I’m hiding in the woods with jackie and marcy
Olivia: Jackie’s brother is coming to pick us up
Olivia: We can see the mall and there’s a million cops surrounding it do not try to come out
Olivia: Also did we like shop here or something?? It looks familiar
I roll my eyes and smile. I text her saying that she should head home and that I’m going to wait it out up here and that I’ll be home as soon as I can.
Olivia: Want me to wait for you?
Addison: No just get home safe
Olivia: Ok text me to let me know what’s happening
Addison: Will do
Olivia: Also please don’t die
Addison: I’ll try not to
Addison: Jk I’ll be home as soon as I can but I’m safe right now
Olivia: Who are you with?
Addison: Alec
Olivia: Of course
Addison: What’s that supposed to mean?
Olivia: You really don’t know?
Addison: WHAT
There’s a long pause and I can see Olivia’s typing, but she erases whatever she was going to send and just says, “See you when you get home.”
I put my phone down with a frustrated sigh.
“Everything ok?” Alec looks up and asks. He’s been texting on his phone the whole time too.
“Yeah, just annoying sister stuff, that’s all. She annoys me like no one else in the world, you know?”
“I know exactly what you mean. I have a brother and a sister, twins. They are twelve right now and spoiled and bratty. They annoy the shit out of me.”
“But no matter how much they annoy you, you have to protect them.”
“Right. That’s just what big siblings do. And the annoying part is that they’ll never understand all we do for them or appreciate it.”
“Exactly!” I yell, but then quickly cover my mouth with my hand.
We both listen for a moment, but there’s nothing but silence beyond the door.
“Listen, about what you did for your sister—you know, by volunteering for the Threesome Pact—I get it. You’re a good sister.”
When he says that I can’t help but be touched. Unexpected tears prick the backs of my eyes. It was a really hard thing to do and only Adalee has told me that it was admirable. Olivia didn’t even thank me after the day it happene
d.
“Thanks,” I say quietly.
“I’ve been texting with the guys. Theo and Brax made sure your sister got out so they are all outside. They are saying about half of the party made it out. There’s been gunshots inside the building so the police have locked it down and they are not letting anyone else out right now.”
An unexpected wave of relief washes over me when he says that Brax is safe.
“Where’s Daire?” I can’t help but ask.
“He’s still inside. He said that it’s tense and a gun fight could break out any minute so we should stay where we are. He said it’s too dangerous to come out.”
“Where’s he hiding then? Or is he just out in the open? By himself?”
“Daire is a big boy and can take care of himself. If anything, it’s the people trapped in that room with him that should worry.”
I consider that for a moment, but I can’t help but worry about him. Why, though? Who cares if he gets hurt. He deserves it.
I don’t want to think about it any longer so I change the subject.
“How did you know about this room?”
“I’ve been to parties here before, like I said, cops don’t usually come to this side of town so a lot of Marter parties are thrown here. Also, so many people show up you need a big space and it’s not like we are going to rent out one of the ballrooms at Sheltered Glen. I found this room when Cherry and I were trying to find a place to—” He realizes what he just said and stops abruptly.
“She’s so awful,” I can’t help but say.
“Tell me about it.” He shakes his head sadly.
“What happens when the police finally get in? Won’t they find us?”
“I don’t think so. You saw the entrance to get up here, it’s pretty hidden so they probably won’t find it. Even if they do, this is the only room that’s ever unlocked and now that it’s locked like the rest they’ll just assume no one is here.”
“Hopefully.”
“Hopefully,” he repeats.
We sit in silence for a bit on the old couch. He keeps looking at his phone and texting. My body still aches, but not as badly as before. I’m sure I’ll be bruised and sore tomorrow, but for now it’s manageable. I’m just grateful that Alec got me out of there when he did because I could have actually died.
Eventually, Alec breaks the silence. “Daire says that the police have started letting people out the back door and then arresting them the second they leave, so most are staying inside. He says that at least four people have already been stabbed downstairs and one person was shot in the leg.”
“That’s insane.” I shiver in fear.
“He also says that—” Alec breaks off mid-sentence and rushes over to the light switch and plunges us into darkness.
We then hear voices echoing in the stairwell and my blood runs cold. Neither of us move a muscle and just wait.
The voices are loud and obnoxious, it’s clearly not the police coming up the stairs. When they get to our level, we can hear they are trying to open the doors.
I feel like my heart is going to explode with tension. From the sounds of their voices it’s a group of guys and they are looking for a place to hide, but also talking about how they just stabbed someone for fun because they could get away with it. If they find us in here, then we are fucked.
They try each door, slowly coming closer. Eventually they reach ours and I hear the handle turning.
Through the door I can hear their muffled voices. “… I thought you said this one was unlocked?”
“It was, man. Maybe—”
Suddenly, a thundering pounding fills the room as they smash their fists against it.
“Anyone in there? Open the fuck up!” One of them yells and then the pounding starts again, but this time it’s louder, as if they are using their boots and trying to kick the door in. Luckily it’s metal and there’s no way they’d be able to break it with just their body weight.
“Do you think anyone is actually in there?”
“Dunno, man… Got a gun?”
No. Please, no.
“Seth grabbed it from me.”
“Fuck.”
There’s more violent pounding.
“Are you sure? Maybe it was never open. Maybe you got it wrong?”
“What the fuck you just say to me?”
“I’m saying that no one knows about this place because it’s fucking impossible to find. There’s no one in there and YOU ARE WRONG.”
There are sounds of a scuffle, then one of them yells, “No!”, and then starts moaning in pain.
“You fucking stabbed me, dude!”
“Now you won’t fucking question me again then.”
I can hear steps down the hall as one of them walks away.
“He fucking stabbed me!”
“I know,” a new male voice says. “Let’s go back downstairs.”
“I’m bleeding!”
“Don’t be a pussy, dude.”
They both walk away and I hear their echoing footsteps down the stairs. I’m still too scared to breathe out a sigh of relief. Alec hasn’t moved the entire time. When we finally hear the sounds of the door closing at the bottom of the stairs, Alec turns on the flashlight of his phone.
I see he’s braced against the door, holding it shut just in case they manage to break in.
“You ok?” he whispers.
I’m too scared to speak so I just nod. He stays there for a while, ear pressed against the door, until he’s convinced that the coast is clear and turns back on the light. I want to tell him to turn it off, but I trust he knows what he’s doing.
He comes back to sit with me and says, “Daire texted me that some of the East Marters were heading our way. I don’t think they could see whether the lights were on or not, but I just wanted to be careful.”
“I appreciate that… could we turn them back off?”
“Oh, sure,” he says in surprise and walks over to the light switch. I feel more comfortable when we are in the dark again.
Alec turns on his flashlight and walks back over to the couch.
“What would have happened if they’d gotten in here?” I ask, but I don’t know if I actually want to know the answer.
Alec pats his pocket and pulls out a pocket pistol—and a book falls out. He picks up the book sheepishly and then says about the gun, “I know it looks small, but it’s all in how you use it.” He grins and I can’t help but laugh.
I don’t like that I’m trapped in a room with a violent member of the Vicious Crew and a gun, but it does make me feel a bit more safe knowing that he can protect us if anyone gets in here.
My body is so full of tension and my nerves are so frayed, that I look for any excuse to distract myself.
“So what are you reading?” I ask, motioning to the thin book that he’s shoved back in his pocket along with the gun.
“Nothing,” he says quickly and I’m suddenly intrigued. What kind of person is embarrassed to have a book in their pocket but not embarrassed to have a gun?—Everyone at Marter High, that’s who, I remind myself.
“Seems like we are going to be stuck here for a while together, so you might as well tell me. I’m going to get it out of you, eventually.”
He smirks at that. He’s intrigued.
“How you going to make me?” he purrs, and I’m reminded of just how sexy Alec Cross can be.
“I don’t know, I’ll have to think of something. What would it take to make you show me?” Am I flirting? This is not the right time to be flirting. What is wrong with me?
He thinks for a second, before getting a wicked smile on his face. “Flash me and I’ll show you.”
My mouth drops open in shock. “What?”
He shrugs nonchalantly. “I don’t want to show you, but you want to see it, so you’re going to have to show me something that I want to see.”
He almost had me fooled tonight with all his gentlemanly behaviour. Picking me up, the dancing, the saving of my life, but th
is moment just reminds me that he’s Vicious Crew through and through.
“I’m not flashing you!”
He shrugs. “You don’t have to and I don’t want to show you this book, so either way I win. And I think I know you by now, the not knowing is going to drive you crazy—but I also don’t think you’d actually do it.”
“You don’t know me,” I say defensively.
“I know your type, Highness.”
I hate that he got the upper hand. I sit in annoyed silence for a bit, then without thinking I stand up and start lifting up my dress. Alec’s eyes open wide in surprise for just a split second, then they narrow in excitement.
I’m doing this because I need a distraction from being scared. I need to feel something other than pain and fear. I’m doing this because Alec is hot and a small part of me is excited that he’s going to be looking at me. But it’s mostly because he challenged me and said I wouldn’t—and he probably knows that.
The dress is tight and stretchy with no zipper in the back, so I have to reach down and take the whole thing off over my head. A thrill rushes through my body as the air hits my bare skin.
In the harsh fake light of his phone, I’m left standing in front of him in just my matching lilac colored bra and panties, and red shoes. I enjoy the fact that his jaw just hit the floor.
I reach out my hand, but he doesn’t even notice—he’s too absorbed in taking the rest of me in. I clear my throat and he finally looks up.
“Book?” I ask.
“Oh, yeah, right.” He fumbles around in his pocket for a second before giving it to me.
I’ve never felt this confident in my skin before. I’ve always like my body, but I’m realistic enough to know I’m no supermodel or anything. I never imagined that someone like Alec would be staring at it like he is right now. He’s looking at me like I’m the sexiest thing he’s ever seen in his whole life.
It makes me feel powerful.
I look down at the title. “Poetry?” I ask in surprise. That was not what I expected.
Alec shrugs self consciously. “I like to read. I’ll read almost anything.”
“Me too.”
