KING OF THE CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD

urs

er head as the lights of the club swirled and danced in a crazy pattern

ded to find Hel

them if she could slee

he couldn

e. What

home. And now she co

ccosted her at the bottom of the stairs wh

Timmy asleep and Diana

e’d leaned against the wall of the foyer, b

. I think it’s time to sto

edge around him an

Donahue. My friends

ll behind her head, boxing her in. “How many

otch. He’d reached up a hand to touc

ly. “What are you doing? You have a

ive me crazy. Seeing this tight little body.” He put a hand on her waist and

but he grabbed her with both hand

isse

his mouth against hers and tried to s

quit!” She’d fled with only her phone, the small bit of ca

e’d co

o busy flirting with guys at the bar. She tried to tell them what had happened. Helena

ayed on the playground. She’d built it up to be more in her head because well, she’d never had friends. It had felt monumental to have girls

self she’d do it at the end of the night. Besides, maybe Helena was right. Maybe loosening up

id in the books and on TV—she’d been doing a lot of

ked for cranberry juice but there must have been

head-butting a chick who was dancing seductively up and d

r her phone. Why couldn’t she feel her

eally freak her out. She was

out. Everything kept going in and out of focus. And the lights.

t best friends, but she was one of t

is day had officially been too

rily at the little screen. It kept moving and dancing. It was hard to figure out which screen was

sleepy at the same

ext app, somehow. Thank

lief floode

ype a message, she fumble

hi

ark abyss. Would she e

ou from over there.” A man dipped down in front of her

but her tongue was thick and

uld see it was the nice guy from earlier and she relaxed. He hadn’t laughed or looked at he

e started, but

m snaked around her, supporting her weight

an splash your face,” he was saying. “I

stay up on her feet and to keep stumbling along beside the nice man. He was strong

ch. All too much. The music pounded in her head with the force of an i

made her fee

ama. The big city is as s

lifting her feet. One and then the other

een walking forever. Weren’

frowned when she saw they were in a hallway

tried to dig her feet in. She needed

ied to say but

verything’s gonna b

ght. More like he was talking

r head. Not right.

closed around her arms like talons and instead o

in her head. But only l

ub. The cool night air hit her like a thousand

door closed behind them a