“Saw you dancing and thought you were here alone,” I add, smirking. “Already hate that motherfucker for what he gets to touch every night. I thought I was going to have to kill him.”
Riley stares up at me. She doesn’t blink. Doesn’t breathe.
“Babe,” I probe.
“You shouldn’t say that,” she says, face serious.
Her hand squeezes tighter. She’s anxious now, maybe. Or pissed. I don’t know.
I decide to ease her mind if it’s nerves getting to her.
“I wouldn’t really kill him.” My smirk grows into a smile. “Mess him up though.”
“No. Not that.” She shakes her head. “The other thing. What he gets to touch. You shouldn’t say that.”
“It’s true.”
“Even so. We’re friends. You shouldn’t say it.”
I bend to get closer. “You might wanna take your hand off me if we’re friends, darlin’,” I warn.
Riley’s eyes flicker wider. She yanks her hand back in a way it’s like she forgot she even had it there, her movement driven by panic, but before she can lower her arm to her side, I’m grabbing onto her wrist and keeping it between us.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
I step closer, keeping my hold.
Her resistance is weak.
“You wouldn’t be dragging me anywhere,” I inform her, need vibrating in my throat so bad I can fucking taste it.
I run the risk of her hearing that need, but it’s funny.
I just don’t care.
Riley blinks. Her lips part.
And that resistance she’s putting up goes from weak to non-existent.
“CJ,” she murmurs under the sound of the music.
“Not anywhere, darlin’. Are you hearing me?”
I don’t know why this is so important. I don’t know why I need to make sure this sticks with her, but I do.
Hesitation keeps her still for a beat, or those damn nerves, I don’t know, but she eventually nods.
“I’m hearing you,” Riley mutters.
Good. It’s sticking.
“We’re just hitting a bump,” she adds with a quick voice, suddenly looking uneasy. “It happens to everyone. We’ll be better soon. I know we will.”
My brow pulls tight.
They’ll be better soon?
“What the fuck’s that mean?” I ask her, not liking the way she’s sounding or looking right now.
Riley opens her mouth to respond, but then her eyes dart away and focus over my shoulder. I watch them widen and fill with alarm.
“Hey. What the fuck is this?” a voice bellows at my back a second before a hand is shoving at my arm, trying to turn me.
My frame goes rigid. Unmovable and alive with awareness.
I turn when I want to turn, and it’s right then to get a look at the dumb motherfucker trying to start something with me.
“Might wanna back off, friend,” I warn, watching the guy step closer and recognizing his reaction. He’s sizing me up.
I do the same.
He’s tall, but I’m taller. Got some muscle to him but nothing I’m worried about. And his eyes are fixated on Riley in a way we can go ahead and skip the introductions.
My jaw clenches.
“Why are you touching my girl? Get your hands off her,” the guy bites out.
Riley spins to face him, pulling her arm away that I was still holding, and wraps her hand around his bicep. “It’s okay. He knows Reed,” she says. Her other hand flattens on his chest. “Calm down, okay?”
“Listen to her,” I suggest, glaring when he looks at me again.
He sniffs, then narrows his eyes, which are jumping between mine like he’s chasing something.
“Fuck you. Why were you touching her?” he hisses through his teeth. “Huh? Why were you touching her, asshole?” He steps closer, bringing Riley with him since she’s still holding on.
I don’t move.
“Richard! Stop!” Riley yanks him back. “Calm down! What’s wrong with you? I said he knows Reed. He’s a friend.”
“Yeah?” Richard turns his head, bends lower, and gets in her face. “He a piece of shit like Reed too? A worthless little bitch, like Reed?”
“Back off. I’m not gonna say it again,” I warn, gaining his attention. He straightens up.
My voice draws some eyes from the crowd around us. I can feel them on me.
Richard bares his teeth. “Or what?” he asks, moving closer. “Huh? Or what? What are you gonna do?”
“He’s a cop!” Riley yells, pulling his arm. “He’s going to arrest you. Stop it!”
Richard stops, body going rigid and eyes swelling. The color drains from his face as he stares at me.
I figure he’s just reacting to the threat of being arrested so I don’t think much of his panic. Instead, I decide to fill him in on one of the issues I got with him right now.
“I know you got beef with Reed, but on top of him being her brother, something that should keep you from running your mouth the way you’re doing out of respect for her, he’s also a good friend of mine. You already stepped out of line with me once. Calm your shit.”
Richard laughs. It sounds nervous. Then he sniffs a couple times and wipes at his nose with the back of his hand.
I narrow my eyes on him. That’s when I start noticing more.
He can’t stand still. He’s shifting his weight around, rocking his upper body, cracking his knuckles. Constantly sniffing and darting his eyes all over the place like he can’t focus on one thing too long. He looks wired.
My jaw flexes again. The muscles in my back and shoulders tense up.
The other shit that sometimes goes on at these things has definitely been going on.
Richard is on something. Coke, by the looks of it. I recognize his behavior all too well.
Jesus fucking Christ.
Letting his woman out of his sight, looking the way she does in a crowd like this so he can score some blow.
Wasn’t lying after all. I am going to kill him.
I move in so I’m standing in his space. “I’m going to ask you once and if you lie to me, this shit is going to end a helluva lot worse for you,” I inform the prick, watching his eyes dart all over my face. “You got it on you or did you score it from someone?”
Richard leans back. “The fuck you talking about?”
“CJ . . .”
Riley’s voice is at my shoulder. It’s full of questions.
That I’m not surprised about.
I ignore her for now and stay on Richard. “The blow,” I elaborate. “Did you bring it?”
He shakes his head, blinking fast. “What?”
I lean in. “Last time,” I growl.
I’ve dealt with people on drugs a lot. I know their reactions can be unpredictable. You gotta be ready for anything.
I’m fucking ready.
Richard smiles like he knows something I don’t, then he steps back, laughing and shaking his head. “Man, what the fuck? You’re crazy. Come on, Ri.”
He grabs her hand and tugs her away from me, wrapping his arm around her waist, but it barely lands before I’m stepping up and separating them. I get Riley behind me and put myself between them.
“CJ!” she calls out, pushing up against my back.
I ignore her and get up in his face.
“Hey, man, what are you doing?” Richard tries to move around me to get to Riley. I side-step with him. His face turns red. “What the fuck, man? Move!”
The crowd around us starts stirring. Bodies knock into me and move past in a herd, fast, like they’re all gathering for something. All three of us start getting pushed around the floor and separated.