Page 35 of One Good Crash

Isohated this. I yanked my arm out of her grasp and said, "Listen,snookems—"

She stiffened. "Stop calling me that."

Well, that was rich.Ignoring her protest, I finished what I'd been about to say. "I don’t know what's going on between the two of you, but I'm not involved, and I don't want to be."

"Oh, but you are," she said, "because you're playing where you don't belong." She made a show of looking around. "Just answer me one question. Who do you know?"

"What do you mean?"

She said it again, slower this time. "Whodo you know? Here. At this party." Her voice hardened. "Name one person."

I lifted my chin. "I know Jax.Andhis brother."

"That's a little convenient."

"Oh yeah? Why?"

"Because they're both gone."

Yes. They were. Igave a tight shrug and said nothing else.

But apparently, she wasn't done. "Give me another name, someone who's here right now who can vouch for you."

Therewasno one.

It was like she'd found my weak spot and was kicking it for all she was worth.

Somehow, I stiffened my spine and said, "I'm vouching for myself, so take your 'fine hook' and shove it."

Escape time.

With that, I turned away. To my infinite relief, she didn't try to stop me as I stalked off, heading toward the rear of the house.

I didn't know where exactly I was going, but Ididknow that I'd be smart to put some distance between us. As the party went on, I tried to blend with the crowd, even as I kept a sharp eye out for the redhead.

From time to time, I spotted her, watching me with open malice, and I couldn't help but wonder what awful things she was planning behind those green eyes of hers.

The whole situation was beyond nerve-wracking, and I kept asking myself the same question.What if she called my bluff? What then?

I thought of my ex-aunt Tabitha. She'd been kicked out. Had she walked out on her own accord?

Or had she been dragged out, kicking and screaming? It wasn't lost on me that Jax had led me to a different part of the house, just as that one-minute deadline had expired.

I envisioned Tabitha being hauled out by a bouncer or something.Would I be next?

As the minutes turned to hours, I tried not to panic. But when Jax never did return, that's when I knew, I was in serious trouble.

Chapter 15

Around me, the party had thinned considerably. I wasn't sure how many hours had passed, but it was at least three or four.

You know how time flies when you're having fun? Well, it doesn't fly at all when you're dodging a redheaded psychoortrying to pretend that you belong someplace when you don't.

It didn't help that I'd realized – far too late, of course – that Jax still had my phone and wallet. I considered the ten measly dollars I had to my name. Back when I'd actually had it in my possession, it had seemed like nothing at all.

Now, it was everything, because without it, I was even more doomed than before. On top of that, the wallet contained my driver's license and debit card, not that any funds were available. Still, I did need it back.

I watched with increasing desperation as one guest drifted away after another. By now, even the band had packed up and left.