dad, but they weren’t wrong when they accused him of acting in a parental role toward them. Maybe it was because he was the oldest of his siblings and had been taking care of others his entire life. It was simply his nature.
The music changed, the guy running the music booth having recognized their group, and a Broadway classic came on. The girls laughed and cheered the DJ, who immediately blushed under their attention… which was exactly why he changed the song when he saw them on the dance floor.
No one seemed to care, and Heather’s beaming smile was all the reward the young man needed. This time, it was “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray, and even the guys joined in, bellowing out the lyrics as they danced around like maniacs.
Bailey laughed when Will grabbed him and spun him around, only for Heather to catch him in her arms. She did some complicated spin while holding his hand, then twirled into him and pecked a kiss on his cheek before disappearing once more.
Then Joey scooped him up and did some complicated dance step that he managed to lead Bailey into following. A large dip completed that maneuver, and Bailey’s head almost touched the floor. He laughed and clung to Joey, but Joey simply pulled him back up with a grin.
By the time the song ended, they were all laughing and out of breath. They headed back to their booth, but when they all slid into place, Bailey noticed Ashley wasn’t with them.
He glanced at the dance floor again, but she wasn’t there either. “Heather, have you seen Ashley?”
“She went to the bathroom.”
The hair on Bailey’s arms rose. “I’m going to go check on her.”
“I’m sure she can pee without you, Bails.” Joey laughed.
Bailey hesitated for a moment, but he knew he had to go. “Something’s wrong.”
Will looked up. “I’ll come with you.”
“Me too,” Heather added.
Joey followed, and the four of them hurried to the small hallway that shielded the doors to the bathrooms. Ashley stood in the hallway with a large dark-haired man holding on to her arms. She swayed against him and nearly fell.
“Ashley!”
The man looked up and snarled.
“Get your hands off of her,” Bailey demanded. “Heather, get security. Now.”
She ran off without question as Bailey marched forward. The guy practically growled as Bailey approached, but he took his hands off Ashley’s arms and backed up a step. She slumped backward, and only the stranger’s quick action kept her from falling.
Bailey realized he hadn’t been hurting her, he’d been holding her up. Bailey hurried closer and pulled her against him, taking her weight from the stranger.
“Ashley, talk to me.”
“Bails,” she slurred. “I’m… I’m… I feel funny.”
Then she tried to kiss him.
Bailey turned his head at the last second and wrapped his arms around her. He pretended he didn’t feel her attempting to hump his thigh. She would be mortified if she knew what she was doing.
“What happened?” He glared at the big guy, wishing for once in his life that he knew how to fight. He’d find whoever hurt Ashley, punch the jackass right in the face, then kick him in the balls for good measure.
“I don’t know.” Dude’s voice was low and growly, but also rang with truth. “I found her like that.”
Bailey took a second to think about the stranger’s claim of innocence and decided to believe him. The way he’d been standing when they approached was protective, not aggressive. And he’d moved away the moment he realized they were Ashley’s friends. Bailey’s gut hadn’t led him wrong yet, and he trusted his instincts. It didn’t matter that the guy was one of the hottest men Bailey had ever seen in his entire life. Hot or not, his ass was grass if he’d laid a hand on Bailey’s friend.
“Sure you did,” Will said, as angry and defensive as Bailey.
“Will,” Ashley purred, turning her attention to their friend. “You’re so hot.”
“She’s been drugged, Bailey.” Joey gasped. “Holy shit.”
Heather returned with the bar’s lone security guy a second later. He took one look at the size of the dark-haired dude and his eyes widened. Considering the security guard looked about as tough as a wet mop and Mr. Growly Hot could probably bench press him, Bailey wasn’t surprised by the show of fear.
“Uh… maybe I should call the cops,” Security Guy offered.
“You should,” Bailey said. “She’s been drugged.”
The big guy made a noise, drawing Bailey’s attention to him again. He looked… worried, but his eyes were on