We Be Clubbin

Summer

"You and Mr. James are spoiling my son," I say to Trina through our facetime call.

It's been five days since the night Gabriel came home fighting his demons. The man sexed me so good that night, I forgot all about my plans to not sleep with him.

When he first pressed up against me, it was on my mind to turn him down. To explain to him how sex would not be a good idea. However, when he turned me to face him, I saw that look in his eyes. I knew he was fighting something. Whatever it was, I knew he needed me to quiet it down at the time. And like a fool I obliged.

Well, I'm paying for it now. Since that next morning, he's been MIA. I have no idea where he is during most of the day. He leaves early in the morning and gets back so late at night I'm not sure the sun isn't touching the sky when he arrives.

I don't know what mission he's on, but it has his head completely occupied.

"What are godparents for if not to spoil our only godchild."

I shake my head at my best friend. I'm in my work room putting the final touches on some custom orders. I glance up into my phone mounted on my desk by the ring light.

"And where do you think he's bringing that giant doll house?"

"First off, it's not a doll house. When James finishes building it, it will be a child size replica of the Avengers headquarters."

I shake my head and roll my eyes at Trina.

"I can't believe you and Gabe suckered that man into building that thing."

Trina scoffs. She pulls the phone down for a second and I can tell she's walking through her house from the flash of the walls around her. She stops, stares down at the phone and then the screen switches. I'm now staring at James and Gabe sitting amongst a giant pile of Legos. They are both fully focused on putting the little pieces together. The camera flips back to Trina.

"Does that look like a man that's being suckered." She's moving back through the house again, I'm assuming heading back to her bedroom.

I toss my head back and laugh. Suddenly my phone vibrates, and the screen switches over to a call. It's Andrew. I hit decline and go back to my FaceTime with Trina.

"Who was that?" She asks, taking a seat back on her bed. Her back pressed against the headboard.

Sighing, I say. "Andrew."

She's quiet for a moment. "When's the last time you talked to him?"

"A couple of days ago. We've been talking on the phone, but he keeps wanting to see me again."

"That's what people who are dating usually do. They see each other."

Placing the necklace I was working on back down on the table, I turn in my seat to give Trina my full attention.

"I know, it's just…Andrew is nice, but—"

"He isn't your baby daddy."

Blinking a few times, I hold up a hand. "Whoa. Where did that come from? You know that me and Gabriel are just—"

"Playing a dangerous game." She takes a sip of her drink. "You can tell me a thousand times he's not staying. Doesn't change the way that man looks at you or the way you glow when you're in his presence."

"Okay, so what. Yes, I like Gabriel."

"Like?" she scoffs. "Baby, you have passed like. You love that man."

Leaning forward I wave my hands in front of the screen. "Pump the breaks." I chuckle. "Don't be ridiculous. He's only been here a month."

"And?" She shrugs. "I knew after the first date that James was special. Two weeks after that, I knew he and I would get married. Hell, the first month I was in love. This is a man that shares a child with you. A man that helped you change your life around after one night with him.

"I don't know what happened the night you made G, and I won't pretend like I don't know it wasn't all rainbows and roses. Something scared the shit out of you. And maybe it has to do with the fact that Nic was brutally murdered that night, but something freaked you out. However, I also know that whatever you shared with that man that night stuck with you. So, no, it's not hard to believe that after nearly of month of him living with you, you have fallen in love."

I slink back in my chair. Leaning my head back, I stare up at the ceiling. She's not lying. Before Gabriel came back, I never knew what kept me from falling for anyone else. He's been back a month and I miss him when he's gone. I can't wait to see him when he comes back. I think of new ways to spend my time with him. And seeing him bond with his son is one of the best feelings in the world. Even when I tell myself that I'm not falling for him and this won't last, I still run headfirst into him.

"We're not good together." Even saying the words out loud doesn't sound believable.

"Keep telling yourself that, maybe you'll start to believe it. But in the meantime, you need to be honest with Andrew. He's a good guy and doesn't deserve to be strung along."

I scoff. "You're right. I have to tell him."

Before Trina and I could say anything else, Gabriel storms into my work room with a black garment bag and a brown shimmery shoe box. He lays the bag and shoes over the hobby table in the middle of the room.

"Get dressed," he says turning to leave. "We're going out." With no further explanation he's out the door.

"What the hell?" I ask turning back to Trina.

"Girl, don't just sit there let me see what he got."

Getting up, I detach my ring light stand from my work desk and carry it over to the table. I place the stand down so that the phone is facing me. I first take the top off the shoe box, inside is a red dust bag. I move the dust bag to the side and pull apart the white paper.

"Holy cow," I sing.

"What? Let me see," Trina demands.

Picking up the black leather strappy heels with the tan insides and the bright red bottoms, I show them to Trina.

Her mouth falls open as she stares wide eyed at the screen. "I have got to see the dress that goes with those shoes."

I gently place the heels back down in the box before unzipping the garment bag. I pause as I gaze down at the emerald green satin dress. I pull it off the hanger and hold it up to my body. It has spaghetti straps and a draped collar. The back is a scoop back and it falls so low I doubt I'll be able to wear underwear with it. Holding it up to my body, the hem of the dress hits mid-thigh.

The dress is sexy but elegant and it will show off my minimal curves perfectly.

"Girl, at this point, you need to just marry that man. He not only picked out a perfect dress for your body type, but in your favorite color. He is a winner."

Never have I agreed with my friend more. It's moments like this that make feel as if I'm falling for Gabriel. My brain is telling me that it's a false high, the feelings aren't real. However, it's hard to remain stoic.

I lay the satin dress back down on the black garment bag.

"This is a bad idea, right? Like, we both agree I shouldn't go."

Trina turns her nose up. "It was a bad idea when you let him move in with you. It's a bad idea that you let him sleep in your bed every night. It was an even worse idea that you fucked him again. Don't act like you're against bad ideas suddenly."

I roll my eyes, placing my hands on my hips. "You're not helping."

She chuckles. "No, I'm being honest. But here are some words of advice. You're going to go shower, put on those expensive shoes and that gorgeous dress. You're going to wear your hair up to show off the back of the dress, and you're going to wear some gold jewelry. And finally, you're going to stop worrying about changing things that you no longer have control of.

Dropping my arms down to my side, I sigh. "You're right."

"I know. Now, go get ready. And take pictures."

The line goes dead, and I stand for a few minutes staring at the dress and shoes. I'm going on a date. I wasn't officially asked, but I was more excited about this date than any other date I've been on.

Grabbing the dress and shoes, I head for my bedroom ready to experience the night.

***

Coming out of the bathroom, I stop by the full-length mirror. I couldn't help staring at the woman looking back at me. I felt absolutely gorgeous. The green dress looked amazing against my skin and it fit me like a glove allowing my slight curves to show. My braids were pulled up in a high bun.

The girl I was five years ago would be completely shocked to see the woman in the mirror today. She would've never believed that the two were the same. It feels like a lifetime ago that I was that girl.

"You look absolutely beautiful," his deep voice pulls my attention away from my thoughts.

"Thank you. You picked out a…." my words die when I turn to look at him in the doorway. My eyes bulge as I take in Gabriel's appearance. "Whoa."

No one could ever say he isn't an attractive man but seeing him in his black fitted T-shirt that hugs his biceps just right. Not too tight, but enough to show the stretch of the fabric. His dark washed jeans look tailored to his tall frame. His shirt is tucked in and a simple black belt with a silver buckle is an added accent. He's wearing new black biker type boots and on his wrist is the bracelet I made him with the added bead for my birthstone.

If I'm not careful, this man might get me pregnant tonight.

"You look great," I say taking him in one more time.

He looks down at himself as if he's just now seeing his outfit. He looks at me and shrugs.

"Ready to go?"

"Uhh, yeah let me grab my bag." I go to the bed to pick up my small black clutch. "Oh wait, I need to send Trina a picture." I take my phone out of my bag and hand it to Gabriel. "Take a picture please." I quickly strike a pose. He snaps a quick picture and hands me the phone back.

"Come on, let's take one together."

"Why?" he asks confused but follows me to the full-length mirror.

"I want something to commemorate the night. I can look back at it years from now when you're long gone. I'll show my grandkids how good their grandaddy looked."

Although I say it jokingly, it stings a little to know that one day, maybe even soon, he will be long gone.

Gabriel takes the phone from me and holds it up, the flash facing the mirror. I turn my body toward him placing a hand on his chest. He wraps his free arm around my back allowing his hand to rest on my right ass cheek. I don't comment on his hand placement.

He snaps the picture, but instead of giving me the phone back right away, he taps a few times on my phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Sending the pictures to my phone," he simply says.

I blush at the idea of him wanting to have something to remember the night too. He hands me the phone back. I quickly send the pictures to Trina, admiring how good he and I look together.

Stuffing the phone back in my clutch, I follow Gabriel out the bedroom. We make it outside and sitting in my driveway is a smoke grey BMW M4. My mouth falls open as he walks me to the passenger side of the car with a hand placed at my back.

"I didn't know you had a car?" I've never seen Gabriel drive. Even when he goes on errands with me, I'm always driving my car.

"I don't," he says, as he opens the door for me.

"Well, whose is this?" I ask, pointing at the vehicle.

"Just get in the car, Summer," he says.

Without another word, I get my ass in the car sinking back into the leather seat. Gabriel shuts my car door and walks around to the driver's side. I secure myself in my seatbelt and then pop the locks for him. He gets in, his head missing the roof by a few inches.

After cranking the car, he turns to me. "Are you ready?"

I nod my head. He hits a button, and the roof of the car slowly folds back revealing the night sky. Gabriel backs out of the driveway and speeds off. I lean my head back on the headrest, shut my eyes, and enjoy the ride.

Nearly thirty minutes later we pulled into a parking garage. Gabriel helps me out the car and we head out onto the street.

"How far is this place?" I ask.

I'm not complaining, but these heels aren't really made for long walks. He looks down at my feet.

"I should have gotten you flatter shoes."

"Ugh, not with this dress," I laugh. "These shoes are absolutely perfect. Thank you, by the way. I really appreciate the gifts."

"You're welcome."

"By the way, how do you know my size?"

He looks down at me and raises an eyebrow.

"You pay attention," I repeat the words he told me at the grocery store that day.

We walk about a block before things start to look familiar. In my defense this part of the city is a popular spot. Not only are there clubs around here, but there are also bars and a few nice restaurants. So, I had no idea where we would be going.

I stop walking when we turn the curve and come face to face with the familiar brick building. The line for entry is nearly wrapped around the building.

Gabriel stops a little ahead of me, he turns back to face me with a brow raised.

"So, this isn't about a date at all? This is about that ring and the thing you're working on?" I shake my head. We were standing in front of O'Cleary's. "Wow. I should've known."

I turn to walk away but stop when he wraps his hand around my bicep. Damn he's fast.

He stares into my face for a long moment as if there is a hidden message in my features. Finally, he looks away before looking back at me.

"I'm sorry," he finally says. "I should have told you where we were going and not let you get your hopes up."

It isn't just about me getting my hopes up, but I don't explain that to him. Pulling my arm from his grip, I nod my head.

"It's all good. Let's just go."

"We can't. This is the only night the Royals will be here for another thirty days. I need to go in."

Folding my arms over my chest, I say, "Okay. Go in. I'm not stopping you. I'll go into a restaurant and wait for you."

He's shaking his head at me before I finish my sentence. "You have to go with me."

"What?" I shout, dropping my arms at my side. "Why?"

He takes a step toward me, grabbing my hand in his. "I need you in there because places like this are sometimes a lot for me. The flashing lights, the loud noise and the crowd makes it hard for me to focus sometimes. I get overstimulated, but I notice when I'm around you, it quiets the noises. You make everything disappear. I need you in there with me."

Fuck. See. How am I supposed to stay angry when he says things like that to me? He has a way of making me feel so important and so special. I want to be all those things for him that he needs me to be.

"Look, I wish I could. But you don't understand what you're asking of me. O'Cleary's is a breeding ground for my old vices. Since I've been out of rehab, I've stayed clear of places like that. My demons run rampant in that place."

He cups my face in his palms, his green eyes staring down at me. "There isn't a place on this earth you need to fear when you're with me. I got you, Summer. Forever. Do you believe that?"

For some reason, without a doubt, I believed him. I nod my head.

"Good. But you're right. I should have thought about your demons before I brought you here. I'll find another way. Come on." He lets go of my face and grabs my hand, heading back the way we came.

I take a few steps but stop. Closing my eyes, I allow the words of my sponsor to penetrate my thoughts. "You still fear relapsing." There is no doubt that even after five years that is a huge fear of mine. I've done well to stay away from places like this.

Even when Trina goes out for her birthday, I usually go to the dinner party but leave before she goes to a club. I'm not saying that I wanted to start hanging at clubs again, but I did want to face this fear. Because if I can fight off those old urges in here, I can do it anywhere. And if I had to face this battle with anyone by my side, it would be Gabriel.

"Alright, let's do it."

He stares at me quietly for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I can do it. But if I need to leave, we will leave right?"

"Immediately," he says.

I dip my chin ready to face the biggest hurdle of my life. Gabriel holds my hand the entire walk up to the club. From outside I can hear the music bumping. I head to the back of the line ready to wait with everyone else. However, Gabriel has other plans. He tugs me to the front of the line. Standing in front of us is a tall woman with a blunt bob. Standing behind her are three bulky bodyguards.

She gives the bouncer at the door her name. He checks the iPad in his hand. Apparently, she was on his list because he handed her one of the VIP bracelets for the Royal's. Once the tall woman and her three companions walk into the club, the bouncer at the front door turns to us.

I was about to tell Gabriel that unless we were part of the royal crew, we wouldn't get in this way.

The bouncer's eyes widen when we step up.

"Sorry Sir, go right in," he opens the door allowing us in without even paying the hundred-dollar door fee. The pounding music engulfs us as we walk inside. I tap his arm and he bends down to hear me.

"How did we get in? They never let anyone cut the line or skip paying."

He smiles before leaning into my ear. "I paid him a home visit. He was very willing to let me in."

I shake my head because I can only imagine what that visit consisted of. Gabriel and I head to one of the only vacant booths. Already the dance floor is packed. Bodies grind against each other; the strobe lights shine across the room casting everyone in colorful hues.

I slide into the booth and Gabriel slips in beside me. His gaze bounces around the room and to the glass divider for the VIP section. Just like I knew it would be, it's filled with the Royals and their bodyguards.

"Are you okay?" I ask Gabriel when I fill his body tense beside me. He looks down at me and smiles.

"Yes. What about you?" I look around the room at the alcohol flowing, and at the tables where the strobe lights don't quite reach. The tables I know to be the supplier of my many intoxicated nights. I look, waiting for an itch or a burning need, yet nothing happens. Turning back to him, I smile.

"I'm good."

He dips his chin at me. Not long after, a waitress comes to the table, one I know too well. If I thought I would get through this night without any hiccups fate has just proven that's a lie.

"Hey Summer," Clarissa sings. "Girl it's been a minute. Where've you been?"

I look over to Gabriel who is watching me cautiously. Sometimes I feel like this man is so in tuned with my emotions he can pick up on them without me uttering one single word.

"Umm, around." I wave my hand in a circle awkwardly.

Clarissa laughs. "I was telling one of the new waitresses about you the other day. Nobody partied harder than you. Remember the time you did those lines off that guys…"

"Coke," I blurt out. "A Coca-Cola would be nice. Gabriel what about you?"

Clarissa turns her attention to Gabriel as if she's just now noticing him. She grimaces before lifting up her tablet.

"Water," he says in that monotone voice.

"That's it, just a water and a pop?" Clarissa looks to me as if she's expecting more.

When Clarissa knew me, I was taking Tequila shots like they were going extinct. I started my day with a bottle and often ended it passed out in the back breakroom. I understand her questioning my order.

"Give us time to look at the menu and we may order some food."

She looks over to Gabriel before nodding her head. "Well just so you know, we have some of our service men in the building. If you want, I can place an order for you." She winks.

Service men is what we called the dealers that were allowed in the club to supply the partiers. I had a pretty good relationship with the service men. I didn't always have the money to pay, but dealers had no qualms about taking a blow job for a small bag of coke.

Swallowing the knot that has just formed in my throat I shut my eyes. The memory of those nights hit me. That feeling of being so high nothing seemed to matter to you. The feeling of floating that a few lines of coke brought you. It's hard to explain.

Then another vision pops in my head. A high so pure there is nothing in the world like it. A vision of Gabe smiling up at me.

I open my eyes and shake my head. "No. I'm good. Just the pop is fine."

"Are you sure—"

"Walk away."

The tone of his voice and the way he's glaring at Clarissa made me feel sorry for the woman. Clarissa, assumingly picking up on his threat, quickly rushes away.

"You didn't have to do that," I chuckle. "I wasn't going to change my mind."

He looks over to me briefly, before looking up at the glass VIP section. "Forever," he says referencing his earlier statement.

Without a doubt, and with not much to base it on, I knew that no matter what, Gabriel indeed had my back.

"Let's dance?" I say, bumping my shoulder into his side.

He looks down at me and then over to the dance floor. "Dance?"

I realized that it might be too much to ask of him. The dance floor is crowded, people are damn near all over each other. The lights are flashing over the gyrating crowd. Just like he didn't want to push me out of my comfort zone, I don't want to force him either.

I lift my shoulder and let it drop. "Don't worry about it."

I was a little disappointed, because I love to dance. And the thought of letting loose and having some fun with Gabriel was exciting.

He places a hand on my thigh. I look over to him and he's staring at me.

"Come on."

I smile so big my cheeks hurt. Gabriel stands and then holds out a hand for me. I place my hand in his and slide out the booth. He leads me to the dance floor. Oddly enough, when we get to the crowd, they immediately make a space for us.

The song the DJ is playing is fast paced. I expected Gabriel to stand there and just watch me dance. I would've never thought he could actually dance. He's no Micheal Jackson or Chris Brown, but he stayed on the beat and was light on his feet.

We danced six songs back-to-back, only taking a few breaks to enjoy our drinks. Finally, my feet started complaining. letting me know that unless I wanted blisters in the morning, I had better sit my ass down.

Grabbing Gabriel's hand, I lead him back to the table. As soon as we have a seat, I lean my head on his arm.

"I had no idea you could dance so well."

He looks down at me, briefly before going back to scanning the room. "Priest taught us all how to dance when we were ten. We all thought it was stupid. Only person that enjoyed it was Zel. But, Zel usually liked everything."

I loved when Gabriel talked about his brothers. It always brought a brightness to his eyes and a slight smile to his face.

"Well, that was nice of Priest. Is he like your father?"

He turns to look at me, his gaze narrows as he takes me in. He runs a finger over my dusting of freckles.

"Yeah, he is." He finally says.

We enjoy the music a little longer. Gabriel spends the time texting on his phone and scanning the room. I dance in my seat as I enjoy my second Coca-Cola.

"Okay," I say, putting my drink down. "I think I'm ready to order some food."

He pulls a wad of cash out of his pocket and places it on the table. "Order. I have to take a leak."

I look at his untouched glass of water. "Okay."

He goes to slide out of the bench but stops. He turns back to me. "Do not move from this spot."

Placing a hand to my head in a salute, I say, "Aye aye captain."

He smirks at me before sliding out of the bench. I watch him as he disappears around the corner and into the back hallway where the bathrooms are. For this to be a fake date, it was turning out to be rather enjoyable.

Beast

There are a few people in the restroom when I walk in. They stare at me when I enter. I glare back at them. Two men at the urinals quickly shake themselves off before hastily stuffing their cocks back in their pants and clearing the bathroom. The other guy doesn't even use the urinal before he leaves.

I go to the stall with the white paper that reads ‘Out of Order' in black bold letters. I tear the caution tape down and walk into the bathroom.

Taped to the back of the toilet is a clear bag with one gun, a bowie knife and holster, and some construction wire. I place the knife and holster on my leg, the gun at my back and stick the wire in my pocket.

Although the bouncer wouldn't have checked me when I came in, I still had to stash my weapons. Most members of the Church have been trained to spot the bulge of a gun or knife holster. Same way I spotted Victoria's and Yohan's back at Tim's office.

I had no doubt that the Royals' bodyguards could do the same. I couldn't take the risk of carrying my stuff with me.

Just then the door to the bathroom creaks open and two sets of footsteps enter. The click of the lock echoes through the area.

After flushing the toilet, I unzip my pants. I then walk out the bathroom rezipping them.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here, brother? Beast Boy at a Royal Society affair?"

I look up to find two men standing in front of the sink. One almost as tall as me with dark blonde hair shaved low. His eyes are a startling blue. Not quite as unique as Many's, but still peculiar. The other guy is shorter with dark brown hair. The rest of his features are unsubstantial. Both men have an arm of tally mark tattoos.

"I didn't think I'd ever see the day," Blue eyes reply. "Corbyn's going to be pissed. First Sim goes rogue, and now this."

I've always admired Fem's talents. Out of all the gifts at the Church, I thought hers to be the most special. I wished I had the ability to transform into characters, to be what people wanted me to be. It would have made my life easier.

Thankfully, after working with Fem for so long and seeing her in action, I was able to pick up a few of her techniques.

Taking a step back, I skim through my memory rolodex for a shocked expression. Widening my eyes, I freeze my movements, my hand still stuck at my zipper.

"How did you recognize me?" I ask, causing my voice to pitch up at the end.

Plain face chuckles. "You come in here towering over everyone like a fucking giant and you think we wouldn't notice you?" He looks to blue eyes. Both men laugh.

"That Church made you stupid." Plain face says.

"I heard they are nothing but trained monkeys over there," Blue eyes adds. "Heard they even got a blind guy. That shit sounds pathetic." Both men laugh again.

"What do you want?" I wipe my hands down the front of my pants as if I'm wiping away sweat.

They look at each other and laugh.

"All our lives, we were told you were this giant enigma. A top tier killer," Blue eyes says pushing away from the sink to stand on my side. I angle my body toward him slightly, keeping him from seeing my back.

"You were the big bad bogeyman," Plain face says standing at my other side.

"What do you think, brother? Want to have some fun and take down the incredible Beast Boy?" Blue eyes asks.

"Time to show Corbyn who the real killers are in the f….."

"Aht aht, Boris." Blue eyes says cutting off plain face.

At this point, I can't keep up the fa?ade anymore. I spotted these two as soon as I walked in the club. They've been making their rounds in the VIP section. Every table seemed to know who they were. I even caught the moment they spotted me. It wasn't when I walked in. It was while I was dancing with Summer.

From that point on, they couldn't keep their attention off me. Which is why I lured them into this bathroom. Dropping my shoulders and shaking my head. I let out a deep breath.

"Well, this was easier than I thought."

"What?" Boris questions right before I pull the gun out of my back and shoot him in the thigh. He goes down easily.

Blue eyes rushes me, shoving his shoulder into my chest. He shoves me against one of cubicle doors and we both go tumbling into the stall. I land on the toilet, and he falls over me. Somehow during the tussle, I lost my gun.

I deliver two powerful blows to his side directly over his ribs. He groans and loosens his grip. I shove him off me and he falls out of the stall. He quickly recovers, getting back to his feet.

Standing, I grab my blade out of my ankle, and walk out of the stall.

Boris is up now too, two knives in each hand, his shirt wrapped around his thigh to stop the blood flow. I could have killed him, but then where's the fun in that.

Boris charges me, and I charge straight for him. He swipes his knives at my head. I lean back avoiding nearly getting my head severed. He leans back to lunge at me again. I move to avoid one blade but the other rips into my shoulder drawing blood. I ignore the pain.

I kick Boris in the thigh, reinjuring his leg. He shouts through clenched teeth before falling to his knees. I look up into the mirror just in time to see blue eyes charging toward me with a knife of his own. I move to the side, grabbing his arm out in front of him, I then bend it back toward his face. With my free hand, I shove his head down to meet the end of his blade. It gouges into his eye. He screams so loud it hurt my ears.

Boris attempts to stand up from the ground, but I use my steel-toed boot to kick him in the head. He falls back onto the tile.

Grabbing the back of blue eyes' head tighter, I lean forward to say into his ear.

"Don't ever call my brother pathetic."

I shove his head down toward the sink. The hilt of the knife hits the edge of the counter shoving the blade further up. He falls to the ground motionless.

Grabbing Boris's leg, I pull him from underneath the sink where he landed. He slowly comes awake. Placing my knee on his chest, I pull the wire out of my pocket and wrap it around his neck. He grabs the metal, but I wrap it around my hands and yank in opposite directions.

His face immediately reddens. He claws at my hands, but it's no use. I tug the ends of the wire further apart cutting into his flesh. Boris stops fighting and goes limp.

As quickly as it started it was over. Their arrogance got the best of them. The fight was over the moment they thought they got the jump on me. If they knew anything about the Church, they should have known I'd be prepared.

After cleaning up the scene as best as I could, I take Boris' knife since it had my blood on it. Grabbing my gun near the trashcan I stuff it back in the back of my jeans. I then place both men in the "out of order" stall before heading out of the bathroom.

I quickly make my way back up the hall and toward the dance floor. Passing only one person on my way out. I keep my head down to block my appearance from those around me. I don't have to worry about the cameras, they've been on a loop since I walked in.

When I get back to the table, Summer is smiling at me.

"We need to leave," I say as soon as I reach her.

Her smile falls. "But I just ordered wings."

I grab her arm and gently pull her out of the seat. "Now, Summer."

She stops and looks at my face, taking in everything.

"Okay."

I pull her with me back toward the exit. A loud commotion erupts behind us. We don't stop to see what it is. We walk out of the building and straight toward the parking garage. Once we climb in the car I quickly pull away putting as much distance as possible between us and the club. We ride in silence.