“I can’t believe you got a tattoo,” Tara gasps, clutching onto my arm. “It looks amazing. Nate is one talented tattoo artist.”
“He really is.” I flash her a smile.
Buzzing with excitement, we walk toward the fancy bar. I shuffle along in the new dress and ridiculously painful stilettos we bought on our shopping trip. “Come on, you must be excited. This is the best bar in downtown. I’m surprised you got a reservation at such late notice.”
“Really?” I look at her with my eyebrows drawn a little. “They gave me a table, no problem.”
“So, come on.” She tugs on my arm, checking over her shoulder at the guys walking behind us. “You got to admit that Nate is looking mighty fine tonight.”
I laugh a little. “He’s got his own style, I’ll give you that.” I glance at him and Brax talking in hushed voices. His long hair is tied back into a bun, the tattoos stretch up to his neck. “You really dig him, don’t you?”
“Shhh…” she says, pressing her index finger to her lips. “This double-date, non-date thing can’t get us into trouble. I’ve already been warned.”
“By who?”
“Those two.” She juts her thumb over her shoulder at the boys, and I nod, knowing how discreet these two have to be.
“If you two are serious about each other and want to be together, you can’t let anyone stop you.”
“Whoa, slow down there, princess.” She laughs a little. “Right now, I dig the guy. Doesn’t mean I’m serious, mmmkay?”
“Sure, Tara,” I say, walking up to the guy at the entrance to the bar. His eyes are focused on me and I stop right in front of him.
“Reservation for four, in the name of Harris.”
“You booked this in Brax’s name?” she whispers in my ear.
“Of course,” I say with a loose lift of my shoulders. “You’re looking at the future Mrs. Harris,” I say with a nudge of my elbow.
“Ah, yes. We’ve been expecting you.” The smart-looking guy says, holding out his arm. “Just this way.” He turns and I look at Tara, wondering why he would say that, but never challenging it. She shakes her head, her bottom lip downturned a little. I check over to see Brax’s face hardened, his eyes on me. I have no idea what is happening, but I continue to follow the waiter to the booth right at the back of the bar. Sliding into the booth, I sit beside Tara. Brax and Nate sit opposite us.
“What can I get you guys to drink?” the waiter asks.
“Cocktails. We gotta order cocktails,” Tara sings beside me, reaching for the drinks menu, passing one to me. I look up at Brax whose harsh expression hasn’t lifted the whole time.
“What would you recommend?” I ask the waiter, looking up at him as he grasps his notepad in his hand.
“Well, the martini we sell is our most popular cocktail. But of course the Manhattan and Sex on the Beach are popular too.”
“We’ll have two martinis please,” Tara shouts from beside me.
“Two bourbons for us. Make them doubles, on the rocks,” Brax blurts out, glaring at the waiter. Nodding his head, he leaves the table and I can’t help but glare at Brax.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, confused by his sudden change in temperament.
Leaning over the table, he stares directly at me. “What was that about, when we first got here.”
“I wondered about that too,” Tara interjects. “We’ve been expecting you. Strange thing to say.”
“I knew this was a bad idea,” he grumbles.
“It’s fine.” I grab a hold of his hand. “Just relax and have fun.”
Our drinks arrive and I take the straw, sipping the drink carefully. I haven’t had alcohol in such a long time, and then it was only the little bit that Dad let me have at Christmas, as a treat.
“This is soooo good,” Tara hums, her hand landing on my arm.
“Those two have had their heads together since we picked you up,” I remark, wondering what is going on with the pair.
“Business, and the whole trouble with Jeffries. I know Nate has been working hard at getting his father to understand and work with Brax, but by all accounts, he’s still pissed.”
I sigh a little. “God, I hope they figure their shit out. The last thing we need is trouble with the MC.”
“Nate won’t let that happen. He seems to have earned his father’s respect since your rescue.” She raises her eyebrows. “The money was a real sweetener.”
“Tara.” His voice booms over me and I snap my head to see Carter standing beside me. Brax jumps out of his seat, forcing Carter back, his hand on his chest.
“Back the fuck up, man,” Brax orders, his teeth clenched and his eyes narrowed on Carter.
“Can I not say hello to my own cousin, now?”
“I have nothing to say to you, Carter.” She dismisses him, grabbing her drink and placing the straw between her lips.
“Get your hands off me, Brax,” he warns, as a swarm of men appear by his side.
“Hey, man.” Nate stands beside Brax. “We came for a drink, not trouble. You need to stand down.”
“This is the company you keep, is it now, Tara? Huh? The likes of the Savages?” He nods his head toward Nate and I see him fly toward Carter. “Calm down, Nate.” Carter chuckles, enjoying every second of taunting us.
“We’re just here for a quiet drink.” I let him know.
“What makes you think I’m looking for trouble?” he asks, his eyes burning into me. “I just came to say hi to my little cousin, no crime in that, right?” The smug look on his face grows as the anger does in Brax.
“We are going.” Brax turns to me, grabbing my wrist and pulling me to my feet.
“Going where, exactly? I own every bar that’s worth drinking in around here.”
“Screw you,” I yell at him, snapping my arm from Brax’s hold. “Quite frankly, I have no idea what your damn problem is, but screwing over the person you’ve regarded as your best friend for years, makes you an asshole.”
“Why, thank you.” He smirks, brushing the shoulders of his suit jacket smugly. “You sure have a lot of fire for someone who has suffered at the hands of some crazy madman.”
“What do you mean by that?” I ask, pushing on his chest a little, Brax’s arm wraps around my waist as he pulls me back.
“Nothing,” he says pressing his lips together, his nostrils flaring a little as he shakes his head from side to side. I can’t help but shudder a little, my eyes narrowing on Carter.
“Carter, please. You didn’t have to come here tonight. Just please, let us have a few drinks and we’ll be out of here,” Tara pleads with her cousin. I watch as he looks over to the men standing beside him, nodding and I watch as they disperse.
“Does your mom know you’re here with him?” His eyes land on Nate and then back on Tara.
“I’m here with Izzy. We’ve become good friends and we enjoy spending time together.” She hooks her arm through mine, smiling widely at Carter.
“Sure,” he replies with a roll of his eyes.
“We should leave.” Brax’s hot breath whispers into my ear, causing me to shudder. I spin in his hold, looking up at him, closer to his eyes than I’ve ever been before. I have the really high stilettos to thank for that.
Placing my hand on the side of his face, I make him look at me, only me. “I’m walking like a penguin in this damn dress and crippling myself with these shoes I can only describe as pure torture. We are having this drink no matter what ‘Mr. I run the whole world’ Carter says. Got it?”
He looks at me with narrowed eyes, but I see the smile he’s fighting back.
“I really want us to stay, Brax, please?” I press onto my tiptoes, planting a quick kiss on his lips before sliding back in my seat. “I’m not going to be forced out of this bar just because the owner is a jerk!”
“Damn right,” Tara sings, sliding in beside me, clapping her hands in front of me. I try to ignore the dark cloud hanging over Brax as he sighs and slinks back into the chair, watching as Carter skulks away from our booth and out of sight. I let out a breath of relief. I can’t help but feel bad that Brax doesn’t want to be here, but I stand by what I said. No one is forcing us out.
Even after some time has passed and more alcohol has been consumed, Brax’s jaw is clenched, never softening. His eyes constantly scan the room as if he is waiting for something to happen.
“Time for us to powder our noses,” Tara suggests, grabbing my hand and pulling me eagerly out of my seat.
“Dammit,” I giggle, unsteadily finding my feet. I adjust my dress, placing my hand softly on Brax’s shoulder. “We’re going to the bathroom,” I say with a smile, but his expression never softens.
“I should come with you,” he replies, stepping up from his seat.
“No! Stay,” I coax, pressing a firm hand on his chest. “We will be fine. You order us another round of drinks.”
“Baby, be careful.” He draws his eyebrows down, concern shows in his gaze.
“I need you to relax a little. We are supposed to be having fun.” I reach up, grabbing his chin and lowering his lips until they meet mine.
“I can’t relax. Not here.”
“Try. Please,” I reply with a pout, releasing his chin and turning to Tara and we make our way to the bathroom. We dance our way inside, the effects of the alcohol working through my bloodstream causes me to feel a little uncoordinated. I push forward into the toilet cubicle, the door banging loudly as I try to close it. Only it flies open again and I giggle, realizing I haven’t closed it properly. Only, as I turn, Carter stands before me, rushing to place his hand over my mouth. I mumble against it, but his mouth lands on my ear.
“Do not say a word,” he warns with his hand grasping the back of my neck tightly. I lift my shoulders, trying to loosen the viselike grip he has on me, but it’s no use. I use my hands to push against him, but it makes no impact.
“It wasn’t meant to be this way, Isabelle.” My heart pounds painfully fast as I listen to his whispers. “You were always supposed to be with me. I warned your father.”
What? He knew my father?
“Fucking pussy hid you because I claimed you for myself. He owed me, Isabelle, and you were the ultimate prize. The forbidden fruit.”
I blink my eyes rapidly as I try to let his words digest in my scrambled brain, nausea overwhelming me. Opening my mouth to gasp for a breath, I bring my mouth back down, biting the skin on his palm. As he draws back his hand, I race to grab hold of the lock on the door, only to be pulled back by his hand grabbing my arm.
“Let go of me,” I yell, pushing my hand against the door, banging repeatedly.
“Izzy,” Tara calls out. “What’s wrong, babe? Is the door stuck?” I hear her rattling the door, trying to gain entry. I frantically look behind me. Carter's eyes are wide, his head moving slowly from left to right. He brings his index finger against his lips, pressing it there.
“Don’t say a word about me,” he mouths, moving until he’s positioned behind the door, reaching and sliding the lock open. Opening the door, I glance one final time at him before racing out of the cubicle as fast as possible.
“What the hell?” Tara giggles, grabbing my hand. “Maybe that cocktail has gone to your head. What were you doing in there?”
I shake my head, grabbing her hand as I pull her out of the bathroom.
“He was in there.” My voice shakes as I fight back the tears.
“Who? What?” she asks, her eyes searching mine as confusion dances across her face.
“Carter.” I rest my back against the cool wall beside the bathroom. My stomach rolls as I can’t control the sick feeling deep in my stomach.
“What?” She whips her head back and forth looking between me and the bathroom. “In there?”
“Yes,” I yell a little louder than intended. It’s like she’s doubting me.
“Okay, okay.” She soothes her hand, stroking the top of my arm as she closes the space. “Did he hurt you?” Her eyes narrow on me as her expression turns to one of anger.
“No, not really,” I reply quietly, closing my eyes. “But he told me he had something to do with my capture. Apparently, he knew my father.”
“Wait… what?” She gawks at me.
“You heard.” I adjust myself a little, standing away from the wall. “Said something about my father hiding me away from him and that I’m the forbidden fruit.”
“Shiiiitttt…”
“We should get back,” I tell her, stepping away, only to catch sight of Carter sneaking out of the ladies’ room.
“You,” she snaps at him, pointing her finger at his face, storming toward him. “What did you do to her?”
“Get the fuck away from me,” he growls, grabbing her hand, twisting it and forcing her arm behind her back. She lets out a squeal as she struggles against him.
“Get off me,” she demands, but the smile on his face spreads, his gaze locked on me.
“Let go of her.” I tug on her arms, trying to get him to release her. My body brushes against his as I try to separate the two of them. “You don’t want to cause a scene now, do you?” I glower at him, venom lacing my tone.
“No, but having you pressed against me is totally turning me on, babe.”
“Fuck you, Carter,” I say, putting space between me and the creep, shuddering as I feel a wave of disgust wash over me. “Let her go,” I yell, stamping my foot down, the pointed heel of my stiletto makes contact with the top of his foot. Crying out, he lets go of Tara and she tumbles forward. “Let’s go,” I say with widened eyes, wrapping my arms around her.
“You’re not going to get away with this,” Tara yells over at her cousin, but I continue pulling her away from the bathroom.
“The boys will be wondering where we are,” I say in a panicked tone. “Please, Tara, don’t say anything about Carter.”
“We have to tell them, Izzy. We can’t keep this a secret.”
I glance up at her, knowing that she’s right. I could never keep this from him, but not tonight. “I will tell him, just not here, okay? I’m worried about what will happen.”
“Shit will hit the fan, that’s what’ll happen,” she says with a nod. “That boy loves you and I have no doubt in my mind he would kill anyone that so much as laid a finger on you.”
I nod, knowing she’s right, and in some way I may have to filter the truth about what happened tonight. But one thing I do know is that I need answers. I need to know exactly what he meant and how he is involved.
Making our way back over to the table, I notice Nate and Brax huddled together, the two of them laughing loudly.
“Looks like you two are getting along just fine,” Tara remarks, smiling nervously.
“We thought you two had lost your way,” Nate jokes with a lift of his brow.
Sliding down into my seat I grab my drink, sipping on it, hoping the alcohol can calm my nerves. “We should take the party back to our place,” I say with an upbeat tone and a smile. I look at Brax’s beautiful face. He finally looks calm and relaxed and I know that for now, I can’t say anything. I have to deal with this alone. I have to find out the truth.