Like hell.
I saw the stairs then ran toward it. I was such in a hurry that I didn’t see where I was stepping on. Something grabbed my dress, making me fall face first into the railing. My right eye blacked out for a few seconds as I got up before it returned to normal. I kicked behind me, causing him to lose his grasp on me, and I hurried up the stairs.
What the hell was wrong with him? He was like some possessed beast.
All alcohol gone from my system, I reached the top step with my ears throbbing from the blood rush and the sudden loud music.
A hand around my waist made me flinch and I turned around to shove him when a wrist caught mine, holding it still.
"Ivory?"
I looked up at the voice and froze and relaxed. Thank goodness.
"What happened to you?"
I flinched as Darius touched my upper lip and looked at his finger. Blood. Was that my blood? Oh god, blood.
He looked from his finger to me and then I watched, horrified, as his eyes turned dark and his face contorted into an angry beast. "Hold her." The words were barely heard through his clenched teeth as he shoved me backward.
Before I could even ask who I was meant to hold or stop myself from falling, I was shoved into two arms that held me upright.
Jesse.
"Where's he going?" I asked at the same time that Adrian said, "Should we call an ambulance?" from beside Jesse with narrowed eyes.
CHAPTER FORTYONE
"Do we have Band-Aid’s? There has to be a first aid kit here somewhere?" Adrian said, ignoring my question.
I could feel my temples throbbing and I narrowed my eyes as I felt hot under all the lights.
"Sit down," said Jesse, pushing me toward a stool in the corner. I was more than happy to sit down and relax my feet that felt too painful.
"Here, it's water. Don't get too excited," Adrian was saying as he handed me a glass of water. I rolled my eyes and watched as he opened a white box next to him, taking out a needle and thread.
I inched backward. "Is he sober enough to use that?" I asked and then stopped. "I don't need any stitching."
Maybe a few band-aids and some cold ice, but the rest of me was well put together.
"It's not for you," said Adrian, chucking me something else. It was a damp cloth and I placed it against my face, sighing at the pain. God, this hurt. Was there a mirror somewhere so I could look at myself?
Where was Darius?
I pulled the cloth back and winced at the blood I saw. I was sure I had a cut or two but not that much blood would have come out. It was just a cut on my forehead.
My right eye was the most painful part of me as it twitched, straining against the bright lights I could see in a distance. Adrian and Jesse seemed to be in their own little world having a conversation while I just applied more damp towels to my face.
Did they have any aspirin somewhere? I was sure the bartender had some.
"Where is he going?" I asked as Jesse walked toward the other side.
Adrian turned to face me, looking a bit more sober than a few minutes ago, squinting his eyes as he looked at me.
"You look yuck."
"Thanks," I said with a scoff. Understatement of the year. I was sure my hair was a mess and sticking out everywhere, makeup ruined and not being able to tell the difference between my lipstick and blood. Maybe that's why the towel was so red. Could it be my lipstick?
Wait, it can’t be my lipstick. I was pretty sure that I washed that off.
"Where's Darius?" I asked again, flipping the towel over.
"Having a very civil discussion with James," he said. And then it hit me. He was having a civil discussion with James?
"What?" I said, standing up quickly that my ankle protested. How did he know it was James? I didn't exactly tell him.
"You shouldn't really go there," Adrian appealed as I rushed toward the stairs. As much as I hated James and wanted his dead body floating on the water, I didn't want Darius to be the one to land his body there.
The last thing I needed was some criminal case, or a guilty conscience. I rushed towards the room door when I heard faint voices in the distance making me halt.
"How does it feel to have my leftovers?"
I winced and my stomach churched when I heard James’s voice. God, I hated him. The idea of his dead body was sounding a bit better now.
"I don't know. Why don't you tell me since you know what you're missing out on?"
I heard the door open and stayed behind the corner, waiting a few seconds which really felt like minutes, before going into the room.
The sight only made me feel sicker. I wasn't expecting James to be on the floor covered in blood and holding his hand to his jaw. He looked up, wincing, but then relaxed when he saw it was me.
"I-Ivory," he said, hurrying or trying to get to his feet. "See what he did to me? He is vi –"