Текст книги "Paper Thin"

Автор книги: Jennifer Snyder

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

SADIE BARELY GAVE ME enough time to get through the door before she forced me to brush my hair and apply more eyeliner. There was a local band made up of college guys she wanted to go see playing at one of the bars downtown. Apparently, the drummer had given her an invitation backstage, and she had been dying for me to get home so we could go.

“They have the best long island ice teas, and I’ve heard the wings are good. Please don’t get them though.” A disgusted look crossed her face. “There is nothing more disgusting than someone with barbeque sauce discoloring their teeth.”

“Yeah, there is. Someone with it crusted over their cuticles, trying to lick it off,” I added.

She made a gagging noise that sounded real, and a visible shiver slipped through her body. I laughed. Grossing Sadie out had always been too easy, and way too much fun.

“Anyway, no wings. Order fries or whatever else they have, but no wings.”

“Got it.” I applied a little eyeliner, and then searched the room for my jacket. The rain had yet to let up, and I knew I would be cold if I didn’t bring one with me.

“Here.” Sadie handed me the one I had been searching for. Sometimes I swore she could read my mind. It was sort of creepy at times.

I grabbed my jacket from her, and pulled it on. “I’m ready when you are.”

She was looking at herself in the mirror above her dresser, smoothing a finger beneath her eyes. “I’ve been ready all day for this.” She locked arms with me, and started toward the door.

“Wait. I forgot my phone.” I darted back inside to grab it. Once I found it, I checked to see if Emma had responded to my text yet. She hadn’t.

I’d sent her a message earlier, letting her know I’d made it back okay, but she hadn’t replied. Generally, she was quick to respond, but not this time. I wondered if it was because she was too busy enjoying herself with Dawson. My nose crinkled at the thought.

“Find it?” Sadie called from the doorway.

I held it up. “Got it.”

“Let’s go, then!” Excitement bubbled through her words, and she flashed me a contagious smile.

“All right, let’s go.” I slipped out the door, pausing in the hall, while I waited for her to lock it behind us.

“Move those feet, sister!” Sadie pushed me from behind until I was walking down the hall at a pace she felt was acceptable.

“So, how did you meet this drummer guy?” She was always meeting guys in the most random places.

“In the laundry center.”

“Seriously?” That was not the first time she’d met someone there. I didn’t understand how she always found sexy, available guys there when all I ever spotted where fat, pimply ones with shirts ten sizes too small.

“Yeah. I was folding my clothes at one of those tables when he walked up to use the washing machine behind me. He asked if I had any soap he could borrow, because the machine on the wall happened to be out, and the rest is history.”

I hated how easy it was for her. Sadie had all the guy finding luck. Maybe it would rub off on me tonight, and I would be able to find someone who could put Dawson out of my mind for good. A girl could hope anyway.

“Crazy thing was, the machine wasn’t really out of soap. I checked.” She smirked.

“You would.” I laughed.

“He thought I was sexy folding laundry, and couldn’t think of a better way to talk to me.” She flipped her red hair over her shoulder with attitude.

“You are so full of yourself.” I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, but that’s one of the many reasons you love me.” She locked her arm through mine again, and laughed.

Sadie drove us to Throttle. I had no desire to be behind the steering wheel again, much less crammed into a car after my long drive, but going out sounded fun, which was something I needed. When we pulled up in front of the place, I was shocked to see how many people had showed up to hear the band.

“Wow, this place looks packed.” I skimmed over the people standing outside.

“I figured they would be. Black Bash is seriously up and coming.”

“Black Bash?” She hadn’t mentioned their name before, and now that I’d heard it, I wasn’t so sure it was anything I cared to hear. Heavy metal music was not my thing.

“Yeah. Don’t freak out, but they are a little more rock than they are roll.” She pulled into a parking space near the back of the lot, and cut the engine of her car.

“Meaning?” I prompted her to continue.

“They’re more head banging than swaying hips.” She opened her door, and stepped out into the rain. “I know you’ll like them, if you give them a chance.”

“Awesome.” I let sarcasm have its way with the word as I bolted across the parking lot behind her. There was no way I would find anyone to get Dawson off my mind in there tonight. “So, you went from Jeff, who was a little weird for my liking, to a grungy, heavy metal guy?”

“He’s not grungy. He’s hot,” she corrected, slipping under the small awning covering the doorway to the building. The line at the door had nearly disappeared while we’d been searching for a parking spot.

“Right, you met him in the laundry center. He can’t be that grungy, I guess.”

Sadie slapped me on the arm. “Stop. Enjoy the night. Have a drink. Dance. You deserve it, because it sounds like you survived a weekend from hell.”

She had no idea. “Fine. I’ll attempt to have a good time.”

We stepped inside. The sound of an electric guitar screeching out a tune was the first thing I heard. If this was the type of music playing all night, I was bound to walk out of the place with a killer migraine tonight. Glancing around, I realized I was dressed in the preferred choice of color—black. I was so glad I’d went with my favorite pair of skinny jeans, a cleavage-showing black tank, and my black boots with a little heel. At least my clothing choice would fit in, even if my taste in music didn’t.

“Isn’t this place great?” Sadie shouted in my ear over the music. Her words seemed to vibrate with excitement. “I’ve never been to a place like this before.”

“Me either,” I shouted back, leaving off the fact I never had a desire to either. People in places like this creeped me out.

My eyes skimmed over those who had decided to be here for the night as well. Some were playing pool, while others sat at the bar or stood around talking. There were a couple tables along the far wall, and a dancefloor in the center of the space where no one seemed to be dancing, just head banging. Everyone looked so hardcore and biker scary. Even the women, dressed in skimpy clothes and biker boots or hooker heels, radiated the same vibes.

I noticed a girl who couldn’t have been much older than me or Sadie walking our way. She had a determined gaze that made her dark brown eyes seem harsh. Dressed in a skin-tight leather miniskirt and a barely-there top that showed off a set of abs I would kill for, she didn’t seem like someone to mess with. It wasn’t as though she had huge muscles, but that she had an air to her that let you know she didn’t play around. No fear. That was what oozed from her. I could sense it the second she stopped in front of us.

“Sadie, right?” She skimmed her heavily made-up eyes over Sadie. I wondered how she knew her name.

“Hey, Natasha,” Sadie greeted her with a smile. The girl never smiled back. “This is my friend, Charlotte. I hope it’s okay I brought her along.”

“It’s a bar. No invitations go out. People come and go as they please,” Natasha stated without any emotion in her voice.

“Right. Okay. Thanks.” There was a tremor of nervousness hanging in Sadie’s words. I knew she was as uncomfortable as I was in this girl’s presence.

“Thresh sent me out to get you.” Natasha flipped her glossy black hair over her shoulder, and started walking away. “He’s waiting backstage for you.”

Thresh? What kind of name was that? Surely not one his parents had given him. It had to be something he’d come up with while sitting around drinking with his friends, planning out the band details.

Thresh? I mean, what the hell?

“Okay! Great!” Sadie sounded way too excited about heading backstage, or maybe it was because Thresh was waiting for her. I couldn’t pinpoint which. She followed behind Natasha without making sure I followed.

“Sure, yeah. I’ll go back there with you,” I deadpanned.

Sadie glanced at me, and rolled her eyes. “Come on.”

Backstage was nothing spectacular. It was dark, and smelled like sweat and stale cigarettes. There was a bald guy with a beer gut toying with some wires, and a group of younger guys standing around who didn’t look the least bit scary. Definitely not scary enough to be called Black Bash. I had pictured a burly biker gang, not a muscular, tattooed group who looked sexy as hell. Suddenly, I wasn’t aching to get out of here anymore. In fact, I was positive I could pretend to like any music these guys created.

“Sadie, you made it,” a beefy muscular guy with a dragon tattoo on the inside of his forearm called out. I assumed he was Thresh.

Now that I had put a face to a name, I could see where it fit him. There was something mysterious and dangerous about him, making the name seem to fit. I just hoped that was all it was I was picking up on, and that he didn’t enjoy beating the crap out of anything. Thresh meant beat repeatedly, right? Or was there another word I was confusing it with?

“I see you brought a friend along.” He glanced at me, but didn’t give me the onceover I had been expecting. I smiled, because he’d passed my first test. His eyes seemed to be only for my friend, as they should be. “Cool. The more the merrier.”

“Yeah, she just got back in town from a horrible weekend visit home. Her sister is marrying the guy she’s had a crush on since she was little,” Sadie told everyone, completely mortifying me. “I couldn’t leave her behind. She needs to salvage her weekend somehow.”

“Nice. Thanks for that, Sadie.” I flashed her an annoyed look. “I’m sure they all really needed to know about my recent personal dilemma.”

Her blue eyes widened as though she was as shocked the words had left her mouth as I was. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to me, her face scrunching up in pain.

“A night with me, and I’m sure I could erase all those bad memories from your mind. Hell, I bet I could even erase the guy,” the guy closest to me muttered as he leaned toward me. He had jet black hair that fell to his shoulders and no shirt on. While the other guys were muscular, this guy was grotesquely so. He had the V going for him most women loved, and biceps the size of my head.

Yuck. Muscles were nice, but not that much. There was a point where you no longer looked healthy and hot. This guy had surpassed it by a mile with his veiny body that looked as though his muscles would pop any second.

“I’m sure you could, if you used the roofies in your back pocket.” There was no way I was giving him even an ounce of hope for a one-nighter with me. He seemed like the type to be persistent unless you nipped it in the bud right away. I’d dealt with his determined type a time or two at random parties around campus.

“I really like this girl.” Natasha laughed. “She’s the only one I’ve ever seen put my brother in his place right away.”

Her brother? I shifted my gaze between the two of them, searching for a family resemblance. I guessed they shared the same nose and inky hair, but that was about it. Natasha had dark eyes while her brother’s were a crazy electric-blue. Contacts. They had to be contacts.

“Nah, she’ll just take some time to convince is all,” Natasha’s brother said, taking another step closer to me.

“I don’t think so. Charlotte is pretty straight forward about things of that nature,” Sadie chimed in. “I wouldn’t waste your time.”

“Is that so?” he asked, the creepy smirk I was sure made panties drop lightning fast with other girls still clung to his lips.

“Yeah, I’m afraid so.” I sighed. “I don’t get off on any of this.” I gestured to him as a whole.

“Ouch, that’s harsh.” He chuckled.

“You seem like you come on strong and never quit, so I figured I’d nip it in the bud right away,” I told him. “It’s just not going to happen. Sadie is right, don’t waste your time.”

“Damn.” Another in the group laughed. “You are killing me over here. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk to Blaze that way!”

Blaze? Again, what a name.

I smirked, and shrugged my shoulders. My eyes took in the guy talking. He was decent looking. A little on the scrawny side when compared to the other two in the group, but I could still make out the definition in his body. That was enough for me. Combined with his sandy-colored hair and light brown eyes, he definitely was someone who grabbed my attention. I wondered what crazy band name he had been given.

“I think it was about time.” I grinned at Blaze, hoping he wasn’t irritated with me yet. I didn’t want to press my luck, but I couldn’t help getting in one more jab.

“It was. For sure,” the other guy said. My eyes pulled back to him at the sound of his voice. I took in the sweet grin stretched across his face. “I’m Johnny, but the way.”

Johnny, I could handle Johnny. It was a normal name.

“Charlotte.” I returned his smile.

“Yeah, I caught that earlier when your friend was telling us about your crappy weekend.” He licked his bottom lip, drawing my attention to his mouth. I noticed he had a lip ring. It reflected the lights above us. “I hope we can end it on a good note tonight for you.”

Normally, I didn’t go for the bad boy, tattooed, and pierced type. I went for the all-American guys or straight-up country boys. Obviously, none of them had worked out well, because here I was, still single. I caught Johnny skimming his eyes over the length of me while playing with his lip ring, and I wondered if maybe it was time I took a page from Sadie’s dating playbook and branched out to give a different type of guy a try.

BLACK BASH WAS ACTUALLY decent. They weren’t as hardcore as Sadie had made them seem. In fact, they reminded me of one of my favorite rock groups, Three Days Grace. The crowd had seemed menacing when we first walked into Throttle, but once Black Bash had taken the stage, things started to look a little different to me. Half the girls in the bar were here because of the band. The way they were dressed—all black leather pants and cropped off tops with hooker heels—was in the hopes of gaining one of the guy’s attention. They weren’t like Natasha, where it was actually her style. You could tell they were all fake. As for the burly guys, they didn’t seem as hardcore either. Maybe I had let the stories I’d heard about the place form my opinion.

After my second beer, I was loving the place. Blaze had a damn good voice, Thresh was crazy good on the drums, and Johnny could play the hell out of the electric guitar. I soon found myself wondering what else he could do with those magic fingers of his. For the first time all weekend, I was enjoying myself.

“You were right.” I leaned into Sadie, shouting in her ear. “This was exactly what I needed. Thanks for dragging me along.”

“No problem. I knew you’d have fun,” she yelled back.

The current song ended, flowing into another one. I noticed Blaze and Johnny switch places on stage. There was a quiver in my lower stomach from the sight of him standing center stage, the lights illuminating all the sharp features of his face and glinting off his lip ring. I wasn’t the only one having the same reaction. The muffled sounds of girls shouting and calling to him from around me wasn’t something I could ignore. Taking another sip of my beer, I forced my attention back to Johnny, ready to hear him sing for the first time.

The drums kicked in first. Sadie bobbed her head to her guy’s beat. The guitar was next. Blaze strummed cords that cut right though the place, exciting all the woman beneath the roof with his fast fingers and devilish grin. I anticipated the moment when Johnny opened his mouth. When it finally happened, I was mesmerized.

I’d known his voice would be good. You could tell from talking to him he would have a raspy, hypnotic voice when he sang, but I had no idea it would be this good. I listened to the lyrics. He was singing about how he wanted a girl, how he was addicted to her without ever having a taste. My eyes were glued to him. I took in the way he cupped the mic with both hands, how stiff his shoulders seemed, as though he were really an addict for this girl and was truly craving her at this moment. His eyes had closed at some point, and I wondered who he was picturing in his head. The song grew even more erotic and obsessive, becoming the hottest thing I’d ever heard. Just when I thought he couldn’t get any freaking hotter, he opened his eyes and found me.

“I’m going to get that taste. The one I crave. Before the night is through. And girl, you know it’s you,” he sang, his stare never wavering from mine.

My knees grew weak as I watched him step back from the mic, his eyes still trained on me, and lick his bottom lip. Holy hotness, I didn’t think I would be able to deny him a single thing. Johnny had turned me to freaking putty.

Sadie leaned into me. “I think he has the hots for you.”

“The feeling is totally mutual.” I watched him as he sauntered off stage. There was so much confidence in his walk. It wasn’t cocky, but bordering on it. He seemed like a guy who knew what he wanted from the night.

Natasha slipped off her stool beside Sadie, and gestured for us to follow her backstage once more. She didn’t speak a word. I didn’t want to lump her in the category of being a bitch right away, considering how off my assumptions of things had been tonight, so I followed her without scowling. For all I knew, she could suffer from a severe resting bitch face. Sometimes I had one. It sucked.

“Great show, guys!” She surprised me by saying once we made it to where the guys were standing backstage. Yeah, resting bitch face was definitely her problem. “You did awesome!”

“That was amazing!” Sadie gushed to Thresh. The hint of a smile twisted his lips at her words. He was cute, and I could see the two of them together.

“And what did you think?” Johnny was so close to me I could feel his breath sweep across my cheek when he talked. How had he snuck up on me like that?

“Wicked good.” I wasn’t sure where the words had come from. Wicked was not a word I used to describe anything, but I couldn’t think with him so close. My whole right side tingled with life at his nearness. That was what I blamed my lapse in word choice on.

“Wicked. I like that.” He grinned. “People should use that word to describe things more often.” He toyed with his lip ring while staring at me.

I found myself wondering what it would feel like to kiss him with that thing in the way. Would it be cold? What it would feel like slipping across my skin, and dipping to other places?

I wanted him. Parts of the song he’d sang flipped through my mind, and I wanted him even more.

“We were thinking of heading back to our place, and having a few drinks. You interested?” His eyes never left mine. They pinned me in place with their intensity. He felt the attraction, the pull, between us too. I could see his desire swirling through the depths of his eyes. It only intensified the urge I had to kiss him.

“Sure,” I said without consoling Sadie first. My eyes shifted to her for a split-second, before coming back to Johnny. She was lost in conversation with Thresh and the others. I didn’t think she would mind hanging out with them at their place. In fact, I was positive.

“Not going to ask your friend first?”

I shook my head. “No. She’ll be fine with it.”

“Okay, then.” His lips curved upward into a sexy smirk. One that drew my attention to his lip ring again. “Never felt one against your lips have you?” His question surprised me.

“Nope.” My response might have been simple and one-worded, but what I felt inside was anything but. His question caused my chest to balloon with heat, and my stomach to drop to my toes. Had I been that obvious about it?

His tongue flicked out, and pulled the ring into his mouth. I could feel his eyes on me, trailing across my face, dipping down to view the cleavage I had on display. When his gaze finally lifted to mine, I could see a war waging within him. He was debating whether to kiss me now or wait until later. Sexually charged tension occupied the air between us, building with each breath I took. I felt as though he were torturing me, like he was holding out on purpose. God, I bet he was good at foreplay.

“We have all night,” he muttered, sending disappointment crawling along my insides. A breath of amusement escaped him, and before I could decipher how it made me feel, his lips were pressed against mine, moving in a rhythmic, intoxicating way. He pulled away, leaving inches between us. “Doesn’t mean I cared to wait that long though.”

I didn’t kiss guys this soon after meeting them. Instead, I generally preferred to wait until at least the third or fourth date. There was something about Johnny though. He made me want to break all my rules. One-night stands had never been something I would even consider, because that was how you gained a reputation for being easy, but this guy might make me change my mind. Abruptly, he broke our kiss, leaving my lips swollen and me yearning for more.

“How was it?”

His question lacked the sense of arrogance I imagined it would hold. I liked that it was more sweet than dirty. “Nice.”

“Just nice?” He arched a brow, and a crooked grin found its way to his face. “That’s all I get?”

“Really nice?” I teased, flashing him a phony, unsure smile.

“I guess there’s always room for improvement.” He ran a hand through his hair, the smirk on his face never wavering.

“There’s also plenty of time to convince me you’re the best kisser I’ve ever locked lips with. The night is young.” My words were bold and brazen. I was glad I’d thought of them.

“Very true.” Heat burned through his words, sending sparks of desire dancing in my lower stomach.

“I see the two of you are now better acquainted.” Sadie grinned as she looped her arm through mine. “Are we going to their place now for the after party?”

“Charlotte already answered for you both.” Johnny winked.

“With her lips or vocally?” Sadie asked.

“Both,” he insisted.

I could feel the heat from my cheeks spreading down my neck as Sadie continued to glare at me. One thing was for sure, I needed to watch my alcohol consumption tonight. If not, I would be jumping this guy’s bones in front of everyone.

“Let’s go, then.” Blaze grinned. His eyes weren’t on us. They were on a group of girls standing near the stage. I wondered which one he would chose to bring home with him, or if he would decide to bring them all.

“Come on,” Johnny said. “We can go out through the back door. Blaze will meet us at the van.”

We started out the back door. The night air was damp from the rain earlier, and the scent of wet asphalt wafted to my nose. I wrapped my arms around myself as we continued walking.

“We need to decide on a time to head home,” Sadie whispered to me. “One we both agree on.”

This was our usual procedure for heading to any party. We always decided on a set time we should leave, one that still allowed us to get a few hours of sleep in before class the next day. “What time is it now?”

“I don’t know.” When she didn’t move to reach for her cell in her purse, I went for mine.

A motorcycle revved its engine after it came to a rolling stop in front of us. I couldn’t see the guy’s face because it was covered by a glossy black helmet. The little I could see of him let me know he enjoyed working out and getting tattoos. His entire left arm was one solid, never-ending tattoo. I couldn’t see his other arm fully, but from the wrist to his elbow was the same. Placing his feet on the ground, he kept his balance on the bike. Natasha stepped forward, her red lips stretched into a wide smile at the sight of him. The guy removed his helmet.

“Hey, babe,” he called to her. A thick head of brown hair and a set of brown eyes drew me in. An eyebrow ring and gauged ear holes were the next thing to capture my attention. “I was trying to get here before the show ended, but my time went over a bit. Sorry.”

“That’s okay.” Natasha cupped his face between her hands and kissed him as though he was her whole world and nothing else existed. “The show was great, but you made it just in time. We’re heading back to the guys’ place to celebrate their twentieth show.”

Twentieth. These guys had either just started up, or they weren’t able to get many shows booked, because that didn’t seem like a large number to me when it came to holding concerts.

“Cool. Want to ride with me?”

“You know it.” She stepped back so he could slide off his bike. I watched as he lifted the seat, revealing a hidden compartment. He reached inside, and pulled out a smaller helmet that matched his. Natasha slipped it over her dark hair and buckled the clasp beneath her chin without a second thought.

Once her boyfriend had taken his place back on his bike, Natasha slipped onto the back, wrapping her arms around him.

“Ever been on the back of one of those?” Johnny was inches from me again without my noticing.

“No.”

“Doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to though,” Sadie chimed in. “Do you have one?”

“I do.” He motioned to the other guys in the band. “We all do. It’s sort of our thing.”

“So not only are you in a rock band together, but you’re in a biker gang too?” There was sarcasm dripping from my voice. It was all for show. On paper, their group sounded stereotypical, but in person, their sexiness canceled any of those thoughts out.

“That would be correct, sweet cheeks,” Blaze called from somewhere behind me.

I spun to face him. He had a blonde on either arm and a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. Obviously, I had pegged him right from the beginning. He was a man-whore, and I didn’t think there was a bone in his body that had any remorse for it.

After I rolled my eyes at him, I dug in my pocket for my cell to check the time. Sadie and I still hadn’t decided on one.

“That’s our van.” Johnny pointed to a large black van parked along the building. “Why don’t you ladies follow us? Our place is about fifteen minutes away. Is that cool?”

“Sure,” Sadie answered him. “We could do that.”

“See you there.” I smiled. Good God, the guy was like sex-on-a-stick to me. I’d never felt this much attraction to someone before. It was crazy.

“Nice.” He licked along his bottom lip, pulling his silver ring into his mouth. I wondered if he was remembering our kiss, and had said the word nice to remind me.

“We’re parked over there. The red car.” Sadie motioned to our parking spot in the back.

“See you in a bit.” Thresh stepped forward, and pecked her on the cheek. For a beefy guy, he sure did seem sweet. Maybe I was more wrong than I had thought about this entire group.

“These sexy thangs are riding with us in the van.” Blaze smacked both girls with him on the ass, and then laughed as they squirmed and giggled from the contact.

Okay, so maybe I had been wrong about the majority of the group, but not him. I’d been dead on with him.

Sadie and I started across the parking lot toward her car.

“So, you and Johnny, huh?” She wasted no time grilling me.

“Don’t look too deeply into it.” I laughed.

“Oh, I am. I’ve never known you to kiss someone after meeting him.”

“That’s because I haven’t before,” I admitted.

“What’s so different about him, then?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer her, because I didn’t know the answer.

“Speechless?” Sadie razzed me. “Charlotte Montgomery is speechless when it comes to a guy. Never thought I would see the day.”

Her car came into view, and I rounded toward the passenger side. “I’m not speechless, I just don’t have an answer for your question at the moment.”

“Honey, that sounds like your speechless to me.” She grinned. “So, was he a good kisser?”

“Oh yeah.” I gushed without hesitation.

“I’ve always wanted to kiss someone with a lip piercing. Did it feel cold?” She swung the driver’s side door to her car open.

“No. I thought it would be too.” I grinned. “Then again he had been playing with it the entire night, pulling it into his mouth. Maybe it warmed it.” I lit the screen on my cell to check the time and realized I had four missed calls. All of them from Emma.

My heart dropped to my toes. Emma would never call me so many times unless something had happened.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Emma. She’s called me four times tonight.” There was a tremor vibrating through my words.

“Did she leave a message?” Sadie cranked her car.

I pressed a few things on my cell to see. There was a message for each missed call. My stomach knotted with worry. “Yeah.” My cell rang before I could press play and listen to the first message. It was Emma again.

“Is that her?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, answer it,” Sadie insisted as she started backing out of our parking space.

I held my breath as I hit the answer button. “Hey, Emma. Sorry, I wasn’t able to hear my cell ringing.”

“Charlotte, umm.” It wasn’t Emma. It was Dawson. “Something happened. It’s Emma.” His words were thick with emotion, confirming my fear something bad had happened.

“What happened?” My voice didn’t sound like my own. Fear had twisted it into someone else’s. A scared little girl’s that in no way resembled my own.

At the tone of my voice, Sadie hit the brakes. “Is everything okay?”

My heart palpitated in my throat. “It’s Dawson. Something happened to Emma.”