Annabelle
I didn’t have a chance to go over and check in with Macy like I’d planned because I ended up spending the rest of the week helping Ember with wedding plans, which included helping her friend, Reese, plan her bachelorette party. Ember made the wise decision to have the bachelorette party the weekend before the wedding, but that didn’t leave Reese much time to get things arranged.
When Saturday rolled around, the party had turned into an all-day event. First, we met at Ember’s house for a catered breakfast. The next several hours were spent at the spa getting anything from manicures/pedicures and massages to mud baths and full body waxes. I opted for a pedicure, facial, and body scrub. I planned to get my nails done before the wedding, but there was no way I would keep them intact for an entire week.
We had a late lunch after the spa and then went back to Ember’s house to get ready for our night out. I thought it might make Ember uncomfortable to have her mother tag along, but she assured me, several times, that she wanted me to attend. With all the girls in the house, it took several hours for everyone to be ready to go. Unbelievably, we didn’t have to wait for anyone when our ride showed up.
Reese arranged for a stretch SUV limousine to drive us to and from the bachelorette party. Since Croftridge was such a small town, we had to drive to a larger city nearby to find some bars/clubs that would be suitable for this type of party.
Once in the limo, drinks were poured and passed around. Reese then informed everyone she had some special accessories for Ember to wear—a sash declaring her a bride-to-be, a tiara with a small veil attached, and a candy necklace. My drink nearly came out of my nose when I realized the necklace was made of little candy penises.
Once Ember had donned her new accessories, Reese presented her with a checklist of things to complete before the night ended. “Now, I know what a lot of you are thinking. Those brutes we claim as our men would totally flip their shit if they found out we were talking to or touching anyone of the opposite sex. So, to keep the peace, this list requires none of those things.” She smiled proudly and handed the list to Ember, who promptly groaned and slapped her hand over her face.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Reese exclaimed and reached into her purse. She held up what looked like two credit cards and squealed, “I got Byte to make us fake IDs!”
“You did what?” Ember asked. “I don’t want him to get into any trouble.”
Reese smirked. “He won’t. Your dad okayed it, but just for tonight. We have to give them back tomorrow.”
Ember turned her worried eyes to me. “I’m sure your dad only agreed because he knew I would be with you. Enjoy your night, baby girl.”
One of the other girls chimed in, “Tell us what’s on the list.”
Ember lifted the paper and began reading. “It’s your final fling before the ring. The party won’t stop until you’ve completed all of your tasks. To ensure your success, alternate shots and tasks as you move through the list. Tasks—Dance on a bar or table, Sing one karaoke song, Blow your candy pecker whistle when all of your candy penises have been devoured (by people other than yourself), Drop a penis straw in the drinks of five people you don’t know, Collect 10 condoms from people you don’t know. Shots—Blowjob, Cockteaser, Sex on the Beach, Screaming Orgasm, The Dash.”
“How am I supposed to complete this list without interacting with men? And what the hell is ‘The Dash’?” Ember shrieked.
“Relax. Women can eat the candy from the necklace. I mean, I don’t think men would do that anyway. As for the condoms, just ask a woman or have one ask a man for you,” Reese explained.
“And ‘The Dash’?”
Reese laughed. “Oh, that’s a shot I found online. It’s made from two liquors I’ve never heard of. Supposedly, it tastes like strawberry cream. Anyway, you’ll have to do it at the first bar because Duke knows one of the bartenders there and he agreed to make the shot if we supplied the ingredients.”
Ember grinned mischievously. “One day, Reese Walker, you will be getting married and I will get you back for this.”
By the time we arrived at the first stop, almost everyone in our group had downed at least two drinks. I was trying to go easy on the alcohol so at least one person in our group had a clear head. Being the bride’s mother, as well as the oldest in attendance, I silently volunteered myself for the position.
At the first club, we danced for a while and the girls had a few more drinks. Ember completed a few tasks on her list. The funniest one thus far was watching her try to take a shot that was piled high with whipped cream with no hands. It took her several tries, but she finally managed to get it all down without making too much of a mess. After an hour or so, we left and headed to our second destination.
It was at the second stop that I noticed him. A man I had seen at the first club was now at the second club. I tried not to make too much of it as it was likely just a coincidence, but something about it just didn’t sit right with me. I decided I would keep it to myself for the time being and keep an eye on him. I made sure to remind the girls not to leave their drinks unattended and to not accept any drinks from strangers.
We stayed at the second club a little longer than we did the first. The man was looming in the background the entire time. When we left to go to our third stop, I suggested we take the limo. The girls thought this was a great idea because their feet were getting sore from dancing in their high heels. I didn’t make the suggestion to provide mercy for their abused toes. I wanted to have our ride nearby in case we needed to leave quickly and I thought driving would make it harder for anyone to follow us. I felt like I was being paranoid for no reason, but I just couldn’t let it go.
We had a table reserved for us at the third club. As soon as I sat down, I immediately scanned the area. When I didn’t see the man from the previous clubs anywhere, I breathed a sigh of relief. The alcohol was catching up to a few of the girls, so I was very glad we reserved a table. I danced with Ember and Reese in between checking on the ones at the table.
I had just turned around to head back to the dance floor when I saw him. The same man and he was staring right at me. My chest tightened with fear and I froze for a brief second before I reacted. I needed to get the girls out of there, but I didn’t know how to do it without causing alarm. Doing my best to remain calm and not draw unnecessary attention, I walked to the bathroom. Of course, there was a freaking line. Here’s the thing about drunk women, they talk a lot and they pee slow.
After several minutes of standing in almost the same exact spot, I pulled my phone out and sent a text to Phoenix.
Annabelle: I think we’re being followed. What should I do?
Phoenix: You are being followed.
Annabelle: What??
Phoenix: Shaker and Carbon have been tailing you all night.
Annabelle: I’m not talking about them!!!
Phoenix: WTF doll face?
Annabelle: Idk. Get them in here please.
Phoenix: Ok. Hang on babe.
Phoenix: They’re not answering. I’m heading out. You stay put and keep the girls together.
Annabelle: I don’t want to scare them.
Phoenix: You think a man is following you. My boys are on duty and not answering their president. You get the girls and stay put. I’m on my way.
Shit. I hoped I was overreacting. I would much rather be embarrassed about being paranoid than be right about one of us being in danger. Finding out that Shaker and Carbon weren’t answering their phones didn’t ease my worry at all.
Since I was only in line so I could call Phoenix without anyone knowing, I turned around to go gather up the girls and stopped dead in my tracks. My eyes had to be deceiving me. I couldn’t really be seeing the unknown stalker man talking to Crystal.
Not wasting any time and not giving a shit about drawing attention, I walked as fast as I could to the dance floor. I grabbed Ember’s arm and tugged, “I need you to come to the table with me. All of you. Now!”
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Ember asked, eyes wide.
“I’ll explain in a minute. Help me get everyone rounded up and back to the table. Stay in groups of three or more,” I said, grabbing Sarah, Ember’s employee, by the arm and dragging her with me.
With everyone back at our table, I dropped into a chair and explained, “I noticed a guy following us. He’s been everywhere we’ve been tonight and he’s been staring. So, I sent a text to Phoenix about it. Come to find out, Shaker and Carbon have been shadowing us all night, or were supposed to be, but Phoenix can’t get a hold of them. He told me to gather up everyone and stay put. He’s on his way now.”
I faced Ember. “I’m sorry, baby. I thought I was just being paranoid. I called your dad so he could talk me down without upsetting you all. I didn’t want to ruin your party.”
“You didn’t ruin anything, Mom. You did the right thing,” Ember replied.
Reese was sitting quietly, staring off into space, her face uncharacteristically blank. “Reese, honey, are you okay?” I asked.
Ember whispered, “You realize Carbon’s her brother, right?”
“Oh, I’m not sure I knew that,” I said. “Hey, did you see Crystal earlier?”
“No. You saw her?” Ember asked.
“I thought I did, but it might not have been her,” I lied. I knew it was her. I would have written that off as a true coincidence if I hadn’t seen her talking to stalker man.
Hands slid over my shoulders from behind, causing me to scream and jump out of my chair. “It’s me, baby! I’m sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
Phoenix. He would make everything better. He would take care of everything and get us home safely. “I’m so glad you’re here. Did you find Shaker and Carbon?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. Dash and Duke are looking for them. Where’s this fucker that’s been following you?”
When I looked up, he wasn’t standing in the spot he had been in all night. My eyes wildly darted around the club trying to spot him. My finger shot out. “That’s him. The man walking toward the back door!”
“Stay here!” Phoenix ordered and took off after him. The man pushed open the back door and stepped through it. Phoenix was hot on his tail and probably would have caught him if Crystal hadn’t stepped out of the bathroom and directly into Phoenix’s path. Phoenix tried to push her out of the way, but she grabbed onto his arm, which resulted in him sort of dragging her with him. He finally managed to shake her off and pushed through the back door. When he came back in moments later, I knew he had lost him.
He stomped past Crystal, completely ignoring her, and returned to where we were seated. “I saw what happened,” I told him, before he even said anything. “I also saw her talking to that man earlier, right after I sent that text to you.”
Without a single word, Phoenix turned around and stalked toward Crystal.