anyone else in danger.”
“Don’t you think it’s more dangerous for people if you don’t tell them? I mean, you told me, right?”
“You were different.”
“How?” he asks, folding his arms in front of his chest while staring at me.
“I really don’t feel like getting into this, okay? I was just attacked by someone, and then grilled by one of my best friends about you. I think I may be a little overemotional at the moment.”
“But she didn’t say anything about me.”
“She’s a girl. She didn’t have to. We say a lot more with a glare than we do with just words.”
“You can say that again,” he murmurs.
“Anyway, I think I’ve had my fill for the night. And it seems like Unknown got what he wanted from me. So, I’m just going to go buy a souvenir T-shirt and head home.”
“I still owe you that drink,” he says.
“Fine, but I have to be home by midnight. Father’s orders.”
“Okay, but not here. There’s this cool little bar directly across the street from my school. It’s literally a block from here. I might be able to score us some free drinks since I know the owner,” he replies with inflection on the free drinks part.
“Free drinks are always good. Besides, if we stay, then Alex will know we lied to her, and I’d never hear the end of that.”
“All right, let’s grab your jacket from behind the bar and then we’ll head out,” he says.
“I’ll just wait for you here.” When I see his forehead crease after my response, I add, “I’ll be fine. Just hurry back, okay?”
“Are you sure?”
I release a hollow giggle. “Yeah, I’m sure. I can pretty much guarantee that if I go to the bar and we bump into Alex, we’ll never be able to get out of here.”
“Good point. I’ll be right back, all right? Don’t move,” he says before hurrying off.
I feel exposed standing near the entrance alone. Most of the activity in the club is around the bar or on the dance floor. The only other people here with me are a couple massively making out on the wall beside me, and the guy who offered me a costume earlier. I feel dirty thinking back to when Unknown had me in his arms and was trying to feel me up. I want to burn this costume and proceed to pour acid all over the places his gloves touched my bare skin.
The sloppiness of the kiss happening next to me is beginning to gross me out. It sounds like someone’s slurping up an ice cream sandwich that started to melt. I decide to move away from the wall and wait closer to the door for Parker to return.
I tense when I see several people wearing that red reaper costume approaching me. I have flashes of one of them grabbing me and dragging me outside kicking and screaming.
Snap out of it, Dani. Unknown is gone…Parker chased him off. After the last of the group passes by and out the door, I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
“Sorry it took me so long, I wanted to change out of that stupid hoodie for obvious reasons,” Parker explains, coming up beside me with my jacket in hand.
“Thanks for doing that.”
“No problem. Ready to go?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
Parker holds the sheriff’s jacket open so I can slide into it. He quickly rubs his hands up and down my arms after I’m cozied up in the jacket to get me all warmed up before we head out into the cold. I can’t help but wish he was this attentive all the time.
Chapter Twenty Six
When we get outside, my first reaction is to walk to my car, but Parker has other plans.
“I’ll drive,” he says, tugging on my hand in the direction of where he parked. When I send him a worried look, he says, “Don’t worry, your car will be fine here. We’re only going to be gone for a little while, and this place doesn’t close until three in the morning.”
“I don’t know. What if—”
“‘What if’ nothing. Come on, let me drive,” he says.
Reaching his motorcycle, he hands me the one helmet that’s resting on the hook attached to seat’s backrest. “Here, you should wear it.”
“But what about you?”
“I’ll be fine. Besides, you’re precious cargo, and I’m not,” he replies with a grin. I slide on the helmet to cover the major blush that’s destroying my face.
Parker settles onto the bike and pulls out a stick of cinnamon gum