Page 55 of Judgment
Paisley
ANDRE’S GRIP ON me tightens and he pulls me closer, leaning into my ear. “How do we get out of here?”
I reach one hand out through the gap in the jacket he holds around my mostly naked and shaking body, managing to point one finger toward the door leading backstage.
“No.” He hauls me up against his side. “I mean out of here. We’re leaving this place.” He practically carries me down the narrow steps situated at the end of the stage. The steps I probably never would have made it down on my own.
Then we’re moving through the crush of customers. The energy level is always a little crazy in here, but whenever a fight breaks out or someone gets removed by the bouncers it gets even worse.
I don’t like being here when it’s like that. Everyone seems to feed off of each other and things get very out of hand very quickly.
I grab onto Andre’s shirt with the hand I poked out earlier, gripping tight in case someone tries to get between us.
I’m supposed to be here all night, working a whole shift, but right now I don’t care. I just want away from this place. Away from the man who grabbed me.
I don’t know how Madison deals with this. How any of the girls deal with it.
“Oh my gosh.” Madison steps right in front of me, almost like my thoughts summoned her. She grabs my shoulders. “I saw what happened. Are you okay?”
I manage a little nod. “I’m okay.”
Andre continues dragging me toward the door, but Madison blocks his path, looking him up and down through narrowed eyes. “You can’t just take her out of here.”
Andre’s black brows lift in surprise, but there’s no sign of the immediate anger I’m expecting.
Still, I’m not risking my best friend.
“It’s okay. I don’t want to be here.”
Madison’s eyes narrow even more and she steps in close, going toe to toe with Andre, completely unafraid of a man who’s probably killed more people than we know. “She safe with you?”
“She’s safer with me than she is without me.”
I’m not sure how I feel about that answer. It raises a few questions that I’m not confident I want the answers to.
Madison seems just as unhappy with that answer as I am, her bright red lips pressing into a deep frown. “What if I want to talk to her later? Where’s she going to be?”
Andre digs into his pocket and pulls out his wallet. He flips a business card Madison’s direction, holding it between two fingers. “This is where she’ll be. Call me when you get off work and I’ll send a car for you so you can bring her things by.”
“I’m not staying with you, Andre.” I might still be shaking from that prick grabbing me, but there’s no way I’m letting Andre think this is the loophole he needs to get me to move in with him.
Andre scrubs one hand down his face. “No one said you were.” His black eyes focus on me, hard and unyielding. “But that is where you will be when she gets off work.”
Madison snaps the card away from him. “She better be happy when I get there.” She steps out of Andre’s path but continues to glare at him as we pass.
So maybe I do know how Madison deals with this kind of shit. She’s definitely much more capable of it than I am.
We make it almost to the exit before another person steps in our path.
Vi is wearing the same smile she always is, looking calm, cool, and collected, in spite of what’s happening in the club.
“I’m taking her out of here.” Andre offers an explanation Vi didn’t ask for.
“I’m sure that’s what you think you’re doing, Mr. Valinov.” Her steely eyes come to me. “But the only way you are taking her is if she agrees to it.”
I manage another jerky nod. “I want to go.”
Vi looks skeptical. “And you want to go with him, specifically?”