Stay Close(14)
“No way are they going to ID us,” I say, looking over at her for confirmation.
“Let me go first when we get there.”
“Got one in mind?” I ask. She always has a club she wants to go to.
“Yep,” is all she says, making me smile.
“Let’s do this.”
I pull out my phone and call for a car. We make our way back towards Pandora’s room and go into the bathroom. Pandora slides the little window open and jumps out easily. I take my heels off and toss them out the window then climb up. She helps me jump down, and it’s like we’ve done this a thousand times. Maybe we have.
Pandora’s crazy ass somehow figured out how to disable the alarm on her bathroom window a while back, and no one has seemed to notice. We make our way along the house and hurry when we get to the driveway. I pull out my emergency gate key and slide it in, then Pandora and I grab and pull open the heavy gate. We open it just enough to slip out before locking it again. We hurry down the street, where we see our car waiting at the corner.
We jump in, giggling, and I yell at the driver, ”Go, go, go!” I’m acting like someone is actually chasing us. He takes off, and the tires squeal, making us burst out laughing again.
“Take us to Sin.” Pandora gives him the address of our favorite dance club, and I sit back, relaxing.
It doesn’t take long to get into the city, then we’re slipping out of our car. Pandora grabs my hand as she struts to the front of the line. She walks with confidence and purpose. The bouncer at the door lifts the cord and opens the door for us, letting us in, without comment.
“How do you do that?” I whisper over to her.
“You act like you own the place. Besides, twins dressed up for a night out? They’re letting us in.”
I roll my eyes, but she’s probably right. Men have creepy twin fantasies.
As we make our way down a long hallway, the music grows louder and louder. We don’t stop for a table or even go to the bar for a drink. We head right for the dance floor. It’s the only reason we’re here. I let the thrumming bass take me, but my mind still fixes on what Ivan might be doing right now.
Chapter Eight
Ivan
It didn’t take me long to follow her. I’d been watching the house ever since Paige texted me that she and Ryan were going on a date. She said Pandora had the alarm off on the window in her bathroom, so if they planned on sneaking out, that’s the way they were going.
When I asked her why she didn’t put the alarm on, she said it was easier to watch one window than all the other exits in the house.
I got dressed after my workout and put on a pair of dark gray slacks and a button-up shirt. I went and sat outside the gate in my black Porsche 911, waiting to see what would happen. It only took about two hours before I watched the girls sneak out of the gate and make a run for it down to the waiting cab. I caught sight of Penelope laughing and my chest warmed instantly.
As I followed them at a distance, I thought about why I’m so drawn to her. I’ve been around darkness and dirt most of my life. There were occasions when I met people who were kind, but more often than not, I kept to myself. I knew the shadows and clung to them. But the second I looked at Penelope, I saw light for the first time. She wasn’t only innocent and pure. She was untouched in her soul. I knew by looking at her that I would never meet another woman with this kind of love radiating from her.
I’d never seen eyes like hers staring back at me. They were emeralds sparkling with truth, and they saw straight to my core. She never flinched at what she found in there. She touched me, and I felt like she cast a spell. The warmth spread to every inch of my body, coating me in her protection.
Was I really the one trying to keep her from danger? How could she undo me like this and still make me feel like she’s holding me together? It’s inexplicable, but I want to cling to her light.
I watch as the girls enter the club without being carded. I pull up to the curb, toss my keys to the valet and slip him a bill. “Keep it close,” I say in his ear as he glances down at the hundred, and nods.
The bouncer lets me in with the same courtesy he extended the twins. I try not to think about how many other underage people he lets in here.
The music is loud, and almost immediately it’s deafening my senses. I ignore it and scan the crowd as I blend into the corners of the room. I don’t want her to know I’m here, but I want to make sure she’s safe.
It takes only a second to spot the redheads on the dance floor. It’s crowded, but they dance together and people leave them alone.
I grit my teeth when the crowd clears enough for me to see what she’s got on. Her dress is so short it nearly exposes the bottom curve of her ass. I walk to the bar, which has a direct view, and order a shot.