Chapter 36 JUST HER
THANE
The fact that I couldn’t reach anyone was driving me insane.
My car screeched into the Galaxy driveway. The second the engine died, I ripped off my seat belt and yanked the door open.
The bouncers moved to block me the moment I reached the entrance.
“Your pass code, sir.”
I scoffed, fear and rage burning through my chest. Rachel’s weak voice on the phone kept echoing. The way she said, “it hurts." All I could think about was the last time she got hurt because of this Molly mess. She wasn’t safe then, and now she was somewhere in this fcking club, possibly worse.
“I need to see someone. Move.”
One of them grabbed my arm firmly. “Password required.”
“Bullsht.” I tried to shove past them, but they both locked onto me like machines. “Get the fck off me!”
They didn’t even budge. They dragged me back outside and dropped me near the curb. I staggered, breathing hard, my heart pounding so violently I could barely think straight.
She called me scared and in pain. If something happened to her again… I’d lose my mind.
Fck this.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Noah again. This time he answered.
“Hey, man.”
“I’m outside right now and these idiots won’t fcking let me in.”
“Wait — what?” The music and shouting nearly drowned him out. What'd you say?”
“I said, I’m fcking outside.”
“Alright, just chill. I’m coming.”
He hung up.
I started pacing, trying to keep my temper in check. My jaw locked so tight, it hurt. Why the hell did he sound so calm? If he’d been inside laughing and drinking while Rachel was somewhere hurt or scared, I swore I’d knock his jaw loose tonight.
I ran a hand through my hair, roughly. I swear, Noah… if you…
I heard my name.
“Thane!”
My head snapped to the side.
Tiara was stumbling toward me in her heels, half-running, half-staggering. A glass of wine sloshed in her hand, sweat shining across her forehead.
“Noah said you weren’t coming…”
“Where the fck is Rachel?” I cut her off, my voice edged with barely contained panic.
She blinked at me, confused. Then she hiccupped. “What? Rachel?”
“Answer me, T.” My voice dropped dangerously low. “I don’t have time for this.”
She squinted at me like she was trying to process my words through the alcohol.
“God, Thane. Rachel’s fine.” She waved her hand dismissively. “She’s probably somewhere inside having the time of her life. Come on, let’s go.”
Before I could react, she grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the entrance.
If she were a guy right now, I’d have already put her on the ground and punched her. The kind of punch that takes a week to heal.
She pulled me past the bouncers. This time they didn’t stop us.
When we got inside, Noah spotted me immediately and walked over.
“Sorry I missed your call.” He smirked, holding a cup of booze in one hand like nothing happened. “Want some?”
“Where the hell is Rachel?” I snapped, ignoring the cup. My heart was still hammering from her broken voice on the phone. “I couldn’t get through to her. I told you not to fcking leave her alone, Noah.” I couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t safe. That one phone call had sent ice chilling through my veins, and I still hadn’t thawed.
He didn’t even look bothered by my tone. “Wait.” He raised a brow. “Did you seriously rush down here because you thought something happened to her?”
“She called me,” I shot back. “Crying. And if anything actually happened to her…”
“Yeah, yeah. Relax.” He waved me off like I was overreacting. “The girls are at the pool. She’s probably somewhere around there.”
I was already moving before he finished the sentence, pushing through the crowd. I wasn’t calming down until I saw her breathing and in one piece. Every second without eyes on her felt like torture.
“Just cool it, man,” Noah said, struggling to keep up with my pace. “I told you she’s fine.”
The whole place smelled like weed and overpriced alcohol. The lights pulsed across the walls, dim and flashing, making it almost impossible to recognize anyone’s face. My chest felt too tight, like I couldn’t pull in enough air.
We turned down another corridor that opened up to the pool area.
A few girls ran past us, half naked and completely wasted.
Then I saw Rachel. She was standing with Tiara near the pool, wearing nothing but a bra and a pair of shorts. A joint passed lazily between them.
They didn’t notice me until I was already in front of her.
I snatched the blunt from her fingers and tossed it aside, then spun her toward me.
“What the hell, man?” Tiara complained beside us.
Rachel blinked up at me slowly. Her eyes were heavy, unfocused. Completely stoned.
Shit. It was obvious this was probably her first time.
Hey.” I leaned in closer, raising my voice over the music, trying to keep my hands steady. “Can you hear me?”
She squinted at me like she was trying to figure out if I was real. Then she pulled her arm out of my grip. That’s when I noticed the bandage wrapped around her thumb.
My chest tightened violently. What the fuck happened? The image of her weak voice on the phone flashed again, and suddenly the bandage felt like proof that she wasn’t safe.
I grabbed her hand and turned it gently, my pulse roaring in my ears. “How did she get this?”
Tiara swallowed the rest of the drink in her cup before answering.
Tiara downed the rest of her drink before answering. “I tried following her to the ladies’ room, but she said she was fine. I don’t know how she cut herself. Noah has already cleaned it up.”
She gave me a look. “Is that why you’re freaking out?”
“I’m taking her home,” I said, shooting Noah a hard look.
For a second, Rachel just stared at me, her eyes still glassy. Then it was like the fog in her brain suddenly cleared. She shoved my chest.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she slurred. “I’m staying with T tonight.”
“You’re drunk,” I said flatly. “And you’re coming home with me.”
She laughed and turned to Tiara. “Who the hell let him in?” she asked. “I thought he wasn’t coming.”
Tiara shrugged. “He said you called him. Girl, you’re wasted. I told you to slow down.”
Rachel rolled her eyes and reached for another cup on the table. I grabbed it before she could.
She glared at me, mouth already opening to argue, but I didn’t give her the chance. I caught her wrist and started pulling her away from the pool.
“Let me go, Thane!”
I ignored her.
“Noah!” she called behind us like he was supposed to rescue her.
God help him if he tried. But Noah only sighed somewhere behind us.
“I’m out of this,” he said lazily. “Your bro’s right.”
The moment we stepped outside into the cooler night air, Rachel jerked her arm free.
“What right do you have to drag me out like that?” she snapped, her voice loud, angry, and unsteady. “I said I’m not going with you!”
I clenched my jaw, forcing my breath down.
She had no idea what the last hour had done to me. Her weak, terrified voice on the phone saying, “It hurts” repeating in my head like a damn nightmare. After everything with Molly, the fear that something had happened to her again had nearly torn me apart. And now she was standing here, high and still stubborn, like she had all the strength in the world to fight.
She raked her fingers through her hair, fanning her face like the night still wasn’t enough to sober her up.
“You’re high,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. “Let’s just go home.”
“What are you, my boyfriend?” she shot back. “Didn’t you say you had important things to deal with? Why are you suddenly bothering me?”
At that point, I was done arguing. Before she could react, I stepped forward, scooped her off the ground like a ten-year-old kid, and carried her straight to the car.
“Thane!” she shouted, kicking lightly against my hold. “Put me down!”
I ignored her protests, opened the passenger door, and set her gently in the seat.
She kept complaining while I fastened the seat belt across her chest. Then I shut the door.
“You’ve gone crazy!” she yelled through the window.
I walked around to the driver’s side and got in. Rachel was still fighting the seat belt, trying to pull it off. That was the last of my patience.
Before I could think better of it, I caught her wrist to stop her. My other hand moved behind her head, fingers threading into her hair.
And then I kissed her. It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t careful either. My mouth crushed into hers, deep and demanding, pouring every ounce of the fear that had been ripping through me since her call. My tongue swept deep past her lips, tasting the alcohol and the faint sweetness of whatever she’d been smoking. I kissed her like I was trying to remind myself she was real, alive, warm, and right here with me instead of hurt somewhere because of all the sht swirling around us.
She made a faint, surprised sound against my mouth, then melted into it slowly. Her free hand fisted in my shirt, pulling me closer as the kiss turned hotter, messier. I tilted her head back, deepening it, my teeth grazing her soft bottom lip before soothing it with my tongue. Heat flooded my skin, drowning out the club noise, the panic, everything except the feel of her soft lips and the way her body arched toward me.
For a moment, the whole world narrowed to just her, the desperate relief of having her safe, the raw need I’d been fighting since that almost-kiss outside her room, and the fear that I’d almost lost her again.
When I finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard. Her lips were swollen, her eyes dark and dazed in a completely different way now.
Her lips parted, hesitation flickering across her face like she wanted to say something.
Then suddenly, her hand swung across my face. The slap cracked through the air, snapping my head to the side.