Tray looked over. The movie had ended, but neither of us had gotten up from the couch. He asked, “What is it?”
I showed him my phone. “Mandy called and she never calls much. She called three times.”
“So call her back,” he suggested, “and then once she starts in, hang up.”
“Oh and it’s so easy,” I mocked him.
Tray laughed and wrapped his arms around me. He scooted down and pulled me on top. As I straddled him, I called her back. Tray started tickling me under my shirt and I laughed as I tried to twist away from him.
“Taryn!” Mandy yelled into the phone.
I frowned. There was loud music in the background. “Where are you?”
“Oh my God, Taryn. We did something really stupid,” she scrambled.
Hearing the panic from her, I froze. Everything stopped. The laughing stopped. My hand fell from Tray’s tickling ones. I sat completely still. “What did you do?”
Tray stopped, hearing my tone.
“Amber went off about you and Tray. How you’re just screwing him and that’s why you get away with everything you do…and so,” she paused for some air, “Amber remembered your ex and she wanted to get even with you…”
A knot of dread forming in my stomach.
“She knew that his brother owns the Seven8 in Pedlam so we…” She stopped.
I groaned. “Please tell me you didn’t go there. Please, Mandy. That place is dangerous.”
Her voice got so small. “We did.”
My heart stopped. “The Seven8 is dangerous, Mandy. People go there in masses for safety reasons. Girls don’t go there unless they’re connected. You are not connected.”
“Yeah, well…we kinda figured that out for ourselves.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. “This is bad. You need to leave. I don’t care if you’re alone or where you are. Leave that place. Now.”
An unspoken decision was made between Tray and I. He had undone my pants earlier, and fastened them now. I didn’t ask. He understood. My shirt was straightened, and he sat up. He reached around me and fastened my bra. Then he pressed a kiss to my cheek and whispered, “Let’s go get them.”
I nodded. Mandy talked as I followed him up the stairs and waited as he got whatever he needed. She said, “No, I can’t. We can’t. We’re in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“We finally got in and these guys started hitting on Amber and Jennica.”
My hand clenched around the phone. Jennica? For real? No, Taryn. Be calm. The rage in me would have to wait. Get my sister to safety and then murder her. That was the new plan.
She kept going, “When Samuel tried to step in, they beat him up, Taryn. He can barely walk and he’s bleeding everywhere and they won’t let us leave.”
“Grab one of the bouncers. Make them help you.”
“We can’t. This place is packed and these guys have us in a back corner. We have to go past them to get out and they won’t let us.” She lowered her voice and I could barely hear it. “I’m so scared, Taryn. I don’t know what to do.”
Tray touched my arm and gestured to the door. He was ready. I nodded to him and followed behind him. I said to Mandy, “Are all of you guys in the corner? Is there anyone who isn’t?”
“Yeah, Grant. He’s not in the corner with us. He went to the bathroom, but we haven’t seen him since we got here. Amber thinks he got beat up too,” she cried out. I could hear a hitch in her voice.
“I’m coming, Mandy.” Tray turned onto the highway, but he didn’t go towards the school. I put a hand over the phone. “Where are you going?”
“You’re not going to the Seven8 alone.”
“Jace owns that club. I’ll be fine.” I pressed my lips together. Tray didn’t need to be told about Jace’s last threat, that if I went back, his guards would shoot me in a limb. I’d have to tackle that when we got there.
“I don’t care if God owns that club. You’re not going in there alone.”
“Taryn!” Mandy yelled from my phone.
I raised it back up. “Hold on. We’re coming. Don’t do anything.”
Pedlam was an hour drive. Tray made it in forty minutes. When he parked, he was out the door and crossing the street by the time I unbuckled my seat belt. I darted after him. “Hey! Wait up.”
He stopped down the street, and we both studied the line. He frowned. “Why is one of the most dangerous clubs in town the most popular? Are all people idiots?”
I nodded. “Yes.” Then one of the guards saw me and I ducked behind him. “Um...” Crap. The guard lifted his radio and talked into it. This could be a problem.