On the Edge (11 page)

I knew our arrival would be a big production tonight. It’s as though we’re some kind of celebrities, and I guess in this town, we are.

The modern exterior of the building that houses the nightclub is classy. Even the doormen are decked out in evening finery. All these trappings remind me that I’m just a tag along to this lifestyle.

Cole wraps his arm around my waist and guides me through the crowd. I relax a little when we make it inside and I no longer feel as if I’m on display at the zoo. I take a moment to look around the impressive atmosphere of the black and red interior. Black, plush couches and love seats with fat, red throw pillows are scattered around the room. Randomly placed tables of differing heights finish off the almost homey atmosphere. The bar takes up one whole wall, and when I see the large dance floor next to the DJ booth, I get excited about the idea of dancing. A hallway leads to the back where I assume the bathrooms are located, and off to the side are roped off stairs with a bouncer standing guard at the base. This makes me curious as to what is up there, and I make a mental note to ask about that later.

Meanwhile, Cole leads me to the area reserved for the Knight family. It’s in the center of the room, making it easy for those who work for them to pay their respects throughout the night. But the location once again makes me feel as if I’m on display.

A waitress speaks to Bruce first, asking what he wants to drink. He orders himself a whiskey, and each of the guys order a beer. When it comes time for me to place my order, I hesitate, but end up ordering a Malibu and pineapple, my favorite drink of all time.

Julie squeezes onto the love seat with Cole and me, putting me practically on top of him. Cole doesn’t seem to mind, and carefully picks me up and holds me in his lap. Julie moves in closer and talks my ear off. Women across the club, both young and old, shoot me dirty looks filled with hate, but hey, Cole Knight belongs to me.

We’ve only been here a short time when an older man sits down beside Bruce. Judging from everyone but Cole’s reaction, this man demands respect. Cole respects no one but his father, and sometimes I wonder how far even that respect goes. Frank, Bruce’s right hand for over twenty years, introduces himself to me. The way he eyes me, as if I’m a piece of meat, creeps me out. He would have no problem putting the moves on me if I weren’t Cole’s girlfriend. Cole must sense it too, because he has been short and rude to Frank since he sat down with us. It seems that sitting in his lap is not enough. His hands haven’t stopped caressing my body, and in some manner, he’s going above and beyond to stake his claim.

“Cole, can I please go dance with your sister now?” My words slur a little because I’ve had three drinks, and even though I’m underage, no one has said anything about it. After sitting here for two hours being Cole’s arm decoration, I’m ready to go dance.

“Fine, just stay where I can see you.” he says tersely.

Is he fucking kidding me? He’s killing my good mood. I don’t know what has happened from the time we left the house until now, but his attitude sucks. I’m just about ready to call it a night and go home if this is how it’s going to be. I make my way out to the dance floor and join Julie. She smiles when she sees me, pulling me in close so that I can hear her. “So my brother finally let you go?”

“Yes but he’s acting like a douche.”

“What do you mean?” she asks truly confused.

I explain to her how he acted when I said I wanted to come dance with her.

She shakes her head before speaking. “I don’t know why he’s acting that way with you.”

“Me either, but whatever. I‘m over it now.”

Someone dances up behind me and I look over my shoulder to see Justin. I give him a slight smile but, as I turn back to talk to Julie, I see Cole’s face. When I do, that’s it for me. There is nothing but pure rage on his face. Is he seriously going to be mad that his own siblings are dancing with me? Justin is even keeping a respectable distance. I watch him for a bit and realize that his anger seems to be growing. Well, mine is building too. Julie is trying to get my attention. Only after she sees Cole does she look back at me.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Kat,” she pleads with me.

“All I want to do is leave. I’m so over this whole thing. I’m over this party and I’m over Cole,” I say.

“Kat, please calm down. Don’t make it worse. I swear you two are both so fucking hotheaded.”

Storming my way off the dance floor, I see my brother standing across the club and I make my way in his direction. I hate to interrupt him when he’s talking to a chick, but I need to get out of here.

“Drew!” I practically shout. Julie is still following me.

“Kat, please don’t,” she pleads.

“What do you need?” my brother asks while the girl he’s talking to gives me the evil eye.

“I need money for a cab,” I scream.

“What the hell, Kat? Why do you need a cab?” he asks, pissed with me now.

“If I don’t leave, I’m going to lose it on someone.” I glance back at Cole. A chick is draped all over him, kissing the side of his neck, and pressing her body so close to him that I’m not sure air can get between them. Yet he still has the nerve to glare at me. Fuck that shit. I’m outta of here.

“Oh, shit,” Julie exclaims. “Kat.”

“What the fuck?” Drew sees what is happening and is getting pissed. “I’m going to kill him.”

I grab my brother’s arm. “It’s not worth it. Just give me money and let me get the fuck out of here.”

“Kat, where are you going?”

“Don’t worry. I’m headed to the house.”

He reaches in his back pocket, pulls out a wad of cash, and hands it to me. “Let me get one of the guys to see you home, at least.”

“Drew, you can’t send your sister home. Cole is going to be pissed,” Julie says, trying to keep things smooth.

“Cole should have thought about that before fucking over my sister.”

I don’t stand around to listen to whatever else they say. I grab the money, tuck it into my bra, and head to the front of the club. Cole finally shakes off the girl and walks towards me. I try to speed up, but Bruce cuts me off. “What’s going on?”

“Keep your son the fuck away from me!” I shout before marching out into the night air.

“Kat, please tell me what’s going on?” Bruce asks, following me outside.

“Your son is an ass and I’m so over him. He wants to be pissy with me for dancing with Julie and Justin, but then I turn around and he has a chick draped all over him.”

“Where are you going, Kat?” he asks me.

“Home,” I reply. When a cab pulls up at the curb, I walk up to it, throw open the door, and give the cabbie the address for the mansion. As I’m slamming the door, Cole rushes outside. The last thing I see is him hitting the wall outside the club as we drive off. It takes ten minutes for the cab to get to the mansion, and by the time I get home, I’m so pissed, there’s not one rational thought in my head.

“Leave the meter running. I’ve got to pack a bag then I’ll be back out.”

The driver nods his head in understanding. I run upstairs to my room, grab a bag, and throw things into it, hoping that whatever I pack matches because I don’t have time to make it all pretty. I walk over to the desk and grab my lock box with all the money I have in the world in it. I stuff it in my bag and then hurry back down the stairs to the waiting cab.

I give him the address of a shelter located near a bus stop. I’m not stupid. I know Cole is going to find this driver, and when he questions him, the guy will say where he left me. I’m going to be one step ahead of him.

As I lean my head against the seat, the events of the evening roll through me. I don’t know what happened with Cole, but the way he acted is the exact reason I didn’t want to get involved with him in the first place. I’m not, nor will I ever be someone’s arm candy. For him to get pissed at me for dancing with his brother and sister is ridiculous. Then for him to even imagine that I would be okay with another girl hanging on him? I don’t know what he is thinking.

I’m so thankful I haven’t had sex with him. To think I was going to say we could renegotiate the deal tonight. Yet under all my anger, I’m hurt. I fucking love the douche and that’s what has me the most upset. I’ve allowed myself to care when I knew it was a bad idea from the beginning.

The driver drops me off in front of the shelter, and when I pay the fare, I tip him an extra $50 to forget where he dropped me, for at least an hour. The peeling paint and barred windows make me glad that I’m not staying overnight. Built back in the twenties, the place looks as though no one has taken care of it in a long time.

With my bag in hand, I walk into the dark foyer to speak with the lady at the front desk. Her eyes bore into me as I cross the floor and she clutches an old, beat-up telephone. Her cautious nature has me checking behind me to see if anyone has followed me inside.

“I was wondering if you have a place I can change clothes?” I ask.

“Um, sure.” She points to the left of me, and drags the phone closer to her chest. “The bathroom is right through that door.”

“Thanks.”

Locking the door behind me, I waste no time changing clothes and hurrying back outside. I make my way to the bus stop at the corner, and while I wait, my eyes make a steady sweep of the area. I don’t want anyone sneaking up on me and trying to force me to go back.

Though the wait seems forever, the city bus pulls up only a few minutes later. As I make my way to an empty seat, I catch the attention of a group of guys my age. It’s not hard to tell they’re talking about me by the way they keep glancing in my direction. I have to admit they’re not a bad looking group of guys. The hottest one decides to come hit on me, and at another time in my life, I would have fucked him six ways to Sunday, but not today.

“Hey babe.” His deep voice sends a tingle through me. I didn’t expect that.

I roll my eyes while checking him out on the sly. I take in his light brown hair and his equally brown eyes. The look in his eyes betrays a warmth that shows he runs deeper than the tough guy persona he is trying to portray. There is no doubt this guy can survive on the streets if he needs to but he also has a soft side that shines through his eyes.

“What’s your name, beautiful?” He tries again.

“Fuck off,” I snap out.

“Feisty! I like ‘em that way.”

I fight the urge to junk punch him, and he takes my silence as permission and plops in the seat next to me. Even the way he slouches is super sexy. I’m almost tempted to talk to this guy. When my phone goes off, I see it’s Cole, and I’m so not answering that call right now.

“A pretty thing like you shouldn’t be all alone. Let me keep you company,” he says in a smooth voice.

“Dude, for the last time, fuck off. I’ve had a fucking night from hell and I’m not in the mood to deal with an asshat like you,” I finally shout at him.

“Damn, you don’t have to be such a bitch,” he says. “Want to talk about it?” His sincere offer surprises me.

“Not really.” Just then, my phone goes off again. Julie’s texting me that she’s worried and asking me to call her. Before I even put my phone back, it rings again. Of course, it’s Cole.

“Let me guess. The people you’re pissed with?”

“I’m only pissed with one of them. The other is his sister.”

“Boyfriend?” he asks.

“Not after tonight.” I type a text as we talk, asking Drew to tell Cole to back the fuck off. “What’s your name?” I ask, surprising the guy.

“Drake.”

“Well, Drake, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Kat. Why don’t you put your name and number in my phone, and maybe when I don’t hate men, I’ll send you a text and we can hook up.”

Surprise crosses his face.

“Sure.” He takes my phone and types in his information.

“Out of curiosity, Drake, are you by any chance connected to the Knight family?”

A little flicker of something crosses his face before he answers.

“No, I’m not. I’m not affiliated with any of the families. My boys and I try to stay away from them if we can.”

Drake just went up one hundred points in my book. Right now, anyone not attached is a blessing.

“Is that who you’re running from?”

“Sorta. I was dating one of the Knights, and my brother works for them. It’s just a mess.”

“Which brother were you dating?” he asks.

“Cole. Lord help me, the twins and I are friends at school, but when Cole met me, he decided he wanted me. Tonight, he got pissed at me for nothing, and let some girl hang on him because he was pissed at me.”

“Douche,” Drake says.

“Tell me about it,” I say as I slump back against the seat.

“So why don’t you go home?”

I can’t stop the laugh that escapes me.

“Yea, that’s not an option. I’ve been living with the Knights, so it looks like I’m homeless.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Tonight, I need to find a hotel, shower, and sleep. When I get up in the morning, I’ll figure out what I’m going to do.”

“I know you don’t know me but I have an extra room in my apartment you can sleep in.”

“Thanks, but you don’t want to be part of hiding me if Cole finds me.”

“Let me handle Cole. Trust me, please.”