“No. I want you gone.” She stepped back. “Now.”
“Dude, you really need to go,” Logan said, sidling up to Bryn. “I’ll keep an eye on her for you.”
She gave him a dirty look and turned back to Eli. “And don’t come back. Don’t call me. Don’t come over. Nothing.” She walked away before he could protest.
Eli didn’t have much of a choice. He left the dressing area, but he didn’t care what she said. He wasn’t leaving the club.
BRYN STOOD just behind the curtain, ready to start the show, dressed in a hot pink thong, bright orange micro bra, and a yellow mesh minidress covering it all, though it didn’t really hide anything. Her stomach roiled with fear as Gilles stood onstage welcoming everyone to the show. The models were lined up ready for their entrance.
“Are you sure you should do this?” Mia asked. “Maybe Eli is right.”
Bryn gave a sideways glance over her shoulder. “Do you want to be cut out of my life, too?”
Mia backed away as the opening notes of the first eighties pop song started. The crowd cheered. This was it. Bryn knew her cue. It was coming soon. Deep breath . . . and . . . go!
She stepped out from behind the curtain, clapping and woos enveloping her as Gilles read the prewritten description of her outfit. The first dozen steps were taken on shaky legs, knees threatening to buckle on her. The smile plastered on her face wavered, but she forced it to stay.
And then she focused on the smiling faces on each side of the catwalk. They calmed her nerves, her fears fading away, and she owned that stage. The smile became real and her jellied knees solidified. Bryn put a hand on her hip and sauntered down that catwalk like she was Heidi Fucking Klum. Eli could go to hell. There was no way she was giving this up, or anything, out of fear.
She got back to the curtain, giving Logan a high five as she passed. Mia and Oliver took off and Bryn couldn’t wait to change and get back out there.
“Are you okay? How was it?” Penny asked.
“Fantastic!” she said, and grabbed her next outfit, the green and pink striped baby-doll and thong for the nineties geometric scene. She slipped behind one of the changing screens and yanked off her mesh dress. “I feel like I’m high!” she yelled from behind the screen.
Bryn yanked on her itty-bitty thong and as she adjusted her breasts in the baby-doll, Mia came behind the changing screen with her next outfit.
“How’d you do?” Bryn asked.
“I felt like I was gonna puke for most of it, but then it went away. I think I’m okay now.”
“Good.” She gave Mia a quick hug. “This is so fun!”
“Yeah. Okay,” she muttered as Bryn slipped away, lining up for her next journey.
Bryn never expected this to feel so natural and fun. She didn’t think she’d like so many sets of eyes on her, watching her move, seeing her ass jiggle. But it was the opposite. She felt empowered, and beautiful. Who needed a man to make them feel special? Certainly not her!
The next song started and she breezed out onto the stage, smile so wide it hurt her cheeks. Her second turn on the runway flashed by in a blink and next thing she knew, she was backstage grabbing her next outfit. This is so fun!
ELI TRIED to focus and summoned all the training he’d had over the years. He needed to keep his emotions in check, push aside his broken heart, and concentrate on his job. And right now, his job was to keep Bryn safe.
He watched her strut down the catwalk for the third time, a vision in a hot pink lace bodysuit thing. It didn’t matter what she was wearing, she was amazing no matter what. He watched her for a moment, then looked around the club. He kept on moving, keeping an eye on the men around the stage. A lot more straight guys had filtered in since he’d first gotten there. He could tell by the way they ogled the girls. A few looked as if they were drooling, but kept their hands to themselves.
He had Joel in his sights, too. That sickening smile across his face every time Bryn walked past.
Eli headed toward backstage, checking in with the guy standing guard there. “See anything strange over this way?”
“No, sir.”
“Thanks. Don’t let anyone get back there. I’ll be back in a while.”
He headed toward the catwalk, bumping shoulders with someone. He turned. “Sorry man—” he began, but cut himself off. Troy. He didn’t know he was going to have to deal with him, too.
“Hey. Don’t I know you?” he said, and sipped his drink, the flash of one of those glow cubes illuminating his glass.
“No.” Eli turned and walked away, eyes back on the crowd.
“Yeah,” Troy said, and stepped up to his side. “You were at Bryn’s house for the party. And you’re that cop who pulled me over and kept me there for like a fucking hour. I didn’t get laid because of you.”
That brought a smile to Eli’s face. “Sorry. You shouldn’t have been speeding.”
Eli turned and began walking away, but he heard Troy again, even over the music blaring around them.
“No worries. I plan on fucking Bryn tonight.”
Eli faced him again, fists curled, willing them to stay at his side. The asshole downed his drink and set it on the bar with a satisfied smirk. He knew his next words were not the verified truth, but he was sure they were close. “Bryn is done with you, so whatever fantasy you have in your head, it’s not gonna happen.”
“We’ll see about that.” He turned, waving for the bartender and ordered another drink.
Eli walked away, shaking off the confrontation. He had more pressing things to worry about. Like keeping an eye on Joel. He checked where he had last seen him standing. Fuck. He was gone. Eli had been so damn stupid. He’d let Troy rile him and he’d lost track of Joel. Fucking wonderful.
He scanned the catwalk, no sign of him. Bryn started her next trip down the stage, this time in that bright yellow getup, the one that had sent him over the edge the day before. She looked fantastic, but his stomach churned as he looked around the place. Every set of eyes was on her, seeing her in a way that after that night was only supposed to be for him. And now he might not ever see her that way again.
She did a little spin at the end of the catwalk, her luscious ass swaying as she walked back.
Eli breathed deep. He had to fix this. He’d make her see he was trying to protect her, not control her. He’d seen so much tragedy in his lifetime and he couldn’t bear the thought of it happening to someone he loved.
In a daze, he watched Oliver and Mia complete their walk and head back behind the curtain as Penny came out and modeled a florescent outfit. Snap out of it. He couldn’t let himself get sappy and lazy. He could do that later when this thing was over and Bryn was safe. He moved through the crowd, observing guests as they became more boisterous. And more intoxicated, obviously.
Logan strutted down the catwalk and headed back. The music changed, signaling the scene change. Bryn was next. Eli stopped moving for a second. He wanted to see what stunning outfit she had on now. But the stage was empty. The owner of the club stood there, ready to read from his paper. But his eyes had lost some of their sparkle. His smile looked fake. He peeked behind the curtain.
Where was Bryn?
Mia and Oliver walked out and Gilles fumbled with his papers, stuttering as he began reading the description of Mia’s outfit. Something was wrong. Bryn was supposed to be next. Why didn’t she come out? Eli pushed through the crowd as fast as he could.
“Did anyone try to get back here?” he demanded when he got to the backstage entrance.
“No, sir. I didn’t see anyone,” the guy said, but his eyes were glued to Mia’s ass onstage. What a fucking useless asshole.
Eli stepped past and raced up the steps, but when he got there, he only found Penny and Logan. “Where’s Bryn?”
“I don’t know. She went to change.” Penny stated it so calmly, so matter-of-factly.
Eli sure as hell didn’t feel calm about any of this.
“Maybe she went to the bathroom or something,” Logan added. “And I’m thinking you shouldn’t be here when she gets back.”
“Oh! It’s my turn again,” Penny said, and jetted out to the stage.
Mia and Oliver appeared and Eli stepped to them. “Did you see anyone come back here?”
“No. Just us. Why?”
“Bryn’s missing.”
“She probably just stepped out to tend to something.”
Eli’s gut told him they were all wrong. Very wrong.
“I’m going to look for her.”
“Good. Tell her to get back here. We gotta get ready for the big finale.”
Eli trotted to the bar, snaking his way through the crowd to ask for the manager. He said he hadn’t seen anything, too busy to do anything other than serve drinks. None of the bartenders had stopped for a moment.
Eli’s heart thundered in his chest, the sound vibrating through his body, crashing in his ears like a drum, even over the loud music in the club. Where could she be? He grabbed one of his guys and filled him in as quickly as possible. Eli instructed them to check every last corner while he headed out the back door to the alley.
He looked for Bryn, for anyone, praying he was wrong. Maybe she really was in the bathroom and they’d laugh about how silly he had been. It was a nice picture.
But that picture shattered the second he laid eyes on something in the street. As he stepped to it, the dim alleyway only illuminated by the moon and one sorry excuse for a spotlight, it came into focus. A black shoe, looking like it had been casually dropped. A shoe with a big-ass heel. The same one Bryn had been wearing.
CHAPTER
Thirty-three
BRYN SAT in Troy’s passenger seat, calm, collected. There was no point in fighting him. She’d already done that and lost. After unsuccessfully attempting to have sex with her in the dressing room, liquor polluting his breath, he’d yanked her from backstage and outside. She’d hit him, clawed at him, tried to scream, but he’d been too strong for her. He’d covered her mouth and flung her over his shoulder, dropping her into the front seat of his car.
“Damn, you look so friggin’ hot.” He turned to her as he drove and smiled. “But I can’t wait to get you home and out of that.”
Fear grabbed at her throat and she swallowed it down. She needed to play along. Keep him happy.
She looked down at what she wore—one black patent leather shoe and a tiny florescent orange miniskirt with matching halter bra. It was supposed to be for the finale. Mia had a matching outfit in yellow and Penny’s was lime green. They were probably wondering where she was. Eli, too. She’d seen him from the stage. He had to be going crazy. Shaking her head, she willed her tears away. He’d been so right and she’d been so stupid.
“We’re almost to my place,” Troy said, breaking into her thoughts. “I’m already hard for you. Wanna feel?”
She didn’t answer.
He grabbed her hand and pulled it toward him. “Nice, huh?”
Turning to him, she saw his face was lit up, his eyes that had once been so dreamy now just looked crazed. Why hadn’t she noticed that before? She nodded, appeasing him, and slowly pulled her hand back.
He drove on, a smile bowing his lips, obviously some kind of disgustingly pleasant thoughts running through his brain. Think, Bryn. Think. How could she get out of this?
She shifted in her seat, her bare foot rubbing against her shoe. Her shoe! The big-ass platform stilettos she’d just had to wear in the show. The sole of that thing had to be at least an inch and a half thick, and heavy as hell. This could work. It was worth a shot. Either that, or be raped and killed and chopped into tiny bits.
So much for Joel being the creepy one. She never saw this coming.
Troy turned off the main road onto a dark street, slowing and coming to a stop in front of a townhouse. “We’re here.”
He got out and walked in front of the car, making his way toward her. Bryn had about two and a half seconds before he opened her door. She slipped her foot out of her shoe and grabbed it with her left hand.
The door opened, startling her even though she knew it was coming. “Let me help you,” he said, and held out his hand to her. Apparently even psychos have manners.
She took it and stepped out onto the curb with her bare feet, letting her left hand slip behind her, hiding the shoe.
“We better get you inside before one of my neighbors sees you in that outfit.” He slammed the door and started toward the building. “That’s just for my eyes.”
Bryn forced a smile and a giggle. She needed to seize this opportunity in the dark. If they got inside, she’d be shit out of luck. Her left hand wasn’t her strongest, but she’d have to try her damnedest. She had to do it. Now. While he was still looking straight ahead. It had to come out of nowhere. It was her only chance.
Her heart beat wildly, vibrating her body, and her hand trembled. Just do it! She gripped the shoe tight and swung it as hard as she could, smacking him on the temple.
He stumbled. “What the—”
She whacked him again. He let go of her hand and fell to his knees. She stopped, switching the shoe to her right hand, ready to attack again if need be. But all he did was turn to her as his eyes rolled back in his head, and he dropped to the ground.
“Oh my God!” Bryn’s shoe slipped from her hand and she covered her mouth. Did I kill him? She wanted to check his pulse, but what if he woke up and grabbed her? She needed to get away. Now.
ELI RAN back inside the club, grabbing the arm of the officer who was standing guard at the back door. “She’s fucking gone. How could you let this happen?”
“I didn’t see anything. I swear.”
“Of course you didn’t. You were staring at the ass onstage.”
Eli ran his hands through his hair, scraping his fingers against his scalp. Think! He needed to keep calm before he lost it, which wouldn’t help Bryn.
The show continued and Eli pushed through the crowd. He needed to get out of there. Get in his car and drive. He had to find her. But then he spotted Joel. What? He was standing by the back wall, talking to . . . er . . . flirting with what Eli was sure was a cross-dresser. He grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away from her . . . him . . . whatever, pushing him up against a support beam, his hand to his throat.
“Where is she?”
“Who?” he managed, albeit barely.
“Don’t fuck with me. Where’s Bryn? Where did you stash her?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re not even together anymore.”
Officers appeared on Eli’s sides, pulling him away, but they held Joel there.
“You’re a fucking liar. You grabbed her from backstage, took her out to the alley behind the club, and did something with her. And if you don’t tell me now, you’re gonna have my gun up your ass.”
“I swear, I didn’t.” He shook his head, face pale as a sheet of paper. “I just wanted to watch her in the show.”
“I think he’s telling the truth,” one of the officers said.
Eli wasn’t so quick to believe Joel. Because if it wasn’t him, then who?
“Anyone want a shot?” a waiter interrupted, balancing a tray of glasses with flashing glow cubes in them.
“No.” Last thing he needed was alcohol to cloud his brain. But the flash cubes. Those sparked a thought. Troy. Fuck. It was him.
Eli turned and ran out of the club, leaving his men to deal with Joel. A patrol car was stationed outside. “I need your computer,” he said to the officer leaning on it.
He slipped into the driver’s seat, tapping away at the keyboard. What was his fucking last name? It began with an N. Nathan-something. Nathanstein? No. His fingers shook as he hovered over the keyboard. Every s
econd it took to figure this out was another second Bryn spent in hell.
Nathansen! He typed it in and Troy’s information popped up. Bingo! He committed his home address to memory and ran to his car. Pulling out onto the street, he realized this whole thing would have been much easier if he’d taken the patrol car instead. Flashing lights would get him there so much quicker. But it was too late to go back.
Eli gripped the steering wheel as he drove, so tight the plastic might melt in his hand. He had to get there fast. Before anything happened. Before it was too late.
Luckily the guy didn’t live far and it hadn’t been all that long since he’d noticed Bryn gone. Troy hadn’t had that much of a head start. Eli could get there before anything happened.
He was delusional, but he had to try and be somewhat optimistic. This couldn’t end like other cases he’d seen. Sixteen years on the force had shown him far too many battered and bruised women, raped, beaten . . . worse. He couldn’t bear to see it happen to Bryn. And it would be all his fault.
Eli pulled onto the street where Troy lived. It was dark, but he found the right townhouse. Trotting up the walkway, he stopped dead in his tracks. A dark puddle marred the sidewalk, and next to it was Bryn’s other shoe. Even in the dimness of night, he knew. He’d seen blood enough times to know. He followed the droplets to the door, keys hanging from the lock, blood smeared around the knob. Luckily it was open a crack. He didn’t need to touch it to open the door. Couldn’t disturb the evidence.
Hand to his holster, he crept in. It was dark aside from a light down the hall. He headed toward it, removing his gun from its case. A groan rumbled from within the lighted room. His heart thundered in his chest, and he was terrified for what he’d find when he stepped through the doorway.
Deep breath. Eli moved forward, gun extended. There was blood everywhere, on the sink, the floor. And sitting in front of the tub, blood completely covering his shirt and face, was Troy. He held a washcloth to his head, soaked red.
“Where is she?” Eli demanded.
Troy slowly looked up, eyes barely open, blood crusted around his left socket. “I don’t know.”
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