know he’d affected me. Instead, I smiled and greeted a little girl who’d come up to get a Coke.
Five minutes later, Max finally emerged from the back door, looking more exhausted than I’d ever seen him. He came over to the table and plastered on a smile. “Thanks for covering for so long. You two are officially off duty.”
“Yeah, I’ve already heard that a couple of times tonight,” I said with a forced smile of my own. “Everything go okay with those cups?”
His eye twitched. “Yep.” He walked behind the table. “Now go. Hank’s here, and you’ve been stuck behind the table.”
“I already checked on him. He’s chatting with a couple of guys, and he shooed me away.”
He laughed, but it sounded strained. “Sounds like him. Don’t worry about taking him home. I’m sure Wyatt will do it.”
“I haven’t seen Wyatt since he showed up with Hank. I’m not sure he’s still here.”
“He’ll be back.”
Marco took my hand. “I’m going to dance with my girlfriend, and we’ll sort out how Hank’s going to get home later.”
He tugged me around the table toward the dancers, then leaned into my ear. “I’d love nothing more than to leave, but Bart’s here and watching. I don’t want him to think he has that kind of power over you.”
“I know. I agree. Let’s stay for a bit before we go.”
The band finished an upbeat song, then started a slow one. Marco tugged me to his chest and linked his hands at the small of my back and began to sway. I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck and stared up into his troubled eyes.
“How worried should I be?” he asked so quietly I was sure I was the only one who could hear.
“About which part?” I asked, tipping one corner of my mouth into a smile. “Bart or my chat with his wife?”
His eyes widened, then he cursed under his breath. “Where?”
“In Max’s apartment. I was looking for him to ask him about the keg. His mother was inside, and she sent him out and insisted I stay.”
He watched me intently.
“She knows my name, Marco.”
His face paled. “Did Bart tell her?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But she insinuated that he either doesn’t keep secrets from her or isn’t able to.”
He lifted a hand to cup my cheek, and his voice shook. “It’s time for you to go.”
I stopped in place. “What?”
He turned to the side, pulling me with him so we were still dancing. “I never thought I’d say these words, but Bart’s right. It’s getting too dangerous for you here.”
“I’m not ready to go yet.”
He shook his head. “We’ll figure out where to send you. I have money I can—”
I put my finger on his lips. “Marco. Stop. I need to talk to Bingham. She said he has what we need.”
His eyes narrowed. “If he had something, trust me, he’d have already used it.”
I couldn’t help thinking he was right, but what was I to make of the barter situation she’d set up? Even if it was a bust, I needed to talk to Bingham, and I wanted to see his reaction when I told him about Emily’s request. “We can’t talk about it here. We need to wait until we get home.”
He smiled softly, but his eyes looked sad. “You called my place home.”
Despite my fear and my anxiety, I teased, “How do you know I wasn’t talking about Hank’s?”
“You meant my house. And I can’t wait to take you home.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Hank wasn’t ready to leave and insisted that Wyatt would be back to give him a ride. Then he told me that if he saw me before noon, he’d lock me out of the house. I laughed and reluctantly left him with his friends.
Marco wanted to drive me home in his Explorer, but I planned on going to Hank’s first thing in the morning, and it would be easier if I had my own car.
We left the lights and music, and after Marco walked me to my car, I drove him to his Explorer. He followed me to his house. He got out of his car first and took my overnight bag as we walked inside.
I knew he wanted to take me to his room, but he was too worried about what had happened with Emily. So instead, he led me to the sofa and settled in next to me. “Tell me what happened. In detail.”
I told him everything, including Emily warning me not to tell him.
“You told