of his arms because this time I spring backward.
My ankle turns almost all the way around. “Oww!”
Then I conk my head on a sculpture.
It hurts too bad to move, and my ankle starts throbbing. I linger there for a minute on my knees, head leaned against a marble statue, because I’m in too much pain to move.
I inch my head back and rub it, forcing my eyes open to see what I hit.
Only, all I see is rock covered in smooth black cloth.
Not good.
I must have hit my head harder than I thought. I’m seeing things.
If there was a human statue in this room, I’d remember it. Even weirder, the sculpture slides back at the same time its powerful hands hook under my arms and bring me to my feet.
“Can you stand?” a deep voice asks.
A man.
The words swirl in my head for a moment. I blink a few times and realize this is my chance to get away from Nameless the Psycho and get my phone back.
I hope he plays along. “Oh! Oh, Max. Thank God you’re here. I haven’t seen you since that day with Angela.”
“Angela?” he asks.
Crud. He’s not young and hip enough to know the common code for help, get me out of here. I turn my head to face my rescuer for the first time.
My stomach drops.
King Grumpyface with the princely brown hair and scourging eyes is holding me.
He still has his arm swung over one of mine, steadying me. He is young enough to know it, I think, maybe in his early thirties. I hope.
I try again, this time with wide eyes and raised, wagging brows. “Max, my man! I haven’t seen you since the day we went to the rooftop bar with—” I pause to emphasize the next word. “Angela! Angela, remember?”
He studies my face for a moment like he’s trying to decide if I’m crazy.
Sigh. Can anything go right?
Nameless finally steps out of the dark corner, his eyes scanning and then landing on me with an ugly grudge. “Dude. You wanna get your hands off my girl? Thanks for helping her up, I mean, but I’ll take it from here.”
Grumpyface nods slowly. “Angela. It’s her birthday, isn’t it? I’m glad I found you here; I was looking all over. We’re going to be late for her party.”
Nameless takes another step toward me—us.
I hold in a gasp.
His eyes trace from me to the unexpected dark knight who showed up right on time. His gaze cools. “Not nice, lady. First I’m hearing about this party. Tell him to split.”
Dark Knight gently pushes me behind him and steps forward, putting his wall of a body between us.
“Back up, dude,” the stranger spits, something feral in his voice. “We’ve all been friends for years. It’s my cousin’s birthday. Angela forgot about the big day, and we need to get going.”
“Gah, do you have to move in on other guys’ dates because you can’t get your own?” Nameless snorts, taking another step.
“No. I move in because you’re drunk as hell and leering like a snake. I can smell your whiskey stink from here. Leave, or I’ll escort you out.”
Holy crap.
My heart climbs into my throat, stunned and afraid that Grumpyface is willing to come to blows to protect me.
“What the fuck ever. You don’t scare me, dude, but you’re not worth the shit,” Nameless snaps, scuffing his shoe on the floor. “Who the hell spends a Friday night at a stuffy-ass museum, anyway?”
“People who don’t need a pint of hard liquor to get through the night,” Dark Knight growls back, his fist clenched into a club at his side.
Wow.
Wow.
Still cursing under his breath, the idiot starts dashing for the door.
“Wait!” I call out, safely tucked behind my knight.
Creepo looks over his shoulder. “What do you want?”
“My phone. You can give it to my friend.” I keep my voice as nonconfrontational as possible.
“You took her phone, too?” The bullet-like accusation in Grumpman’s tone is clear.
And honestly, I feel crazy lucky that gruffness is on my side.
Nameless glares at me as he turns to hand over my phone. “She dropped it. I just picked it up.”
Right. And wouldn’t give it back.
My tall, dark, and handsome friend stands in front of me like a sentinel until Nameless is out the door at last.
With the threat gone, Dark Knight turns to face me, his eyes teal storm clouds in the dim orange light. “So are you really okay?”
I manage a split-second smile, dropping my phone into my purse so I don’t