We get back in the car and within the next two minutes, Roman is bringing the Escalade to a stop once again. “Where the hell are we?” I question, glancing out at the empty city streets to see nothing but high-rise buildings around us. “I don’t see any clubs or bars.”
“We’re not going to a club or bar,” Roman says as Marcus grips the neck of the whiskey bottle and gets an early start on our little party. “You want to live on the edge, Empress, then that’s what we’re going to do.”
Roman’s gaze shifts up and my stomach drops as I follow his stare right to the very top of the highest building I’ve ever seen. “That’s, ahhh … not exactly what I had in mind.”
“It’s the rooftop or nothing,” he says. “I’m not risking putting either of my brothers in prison because of your need to get fucked up. So, which is it? We can go home, or we can go up.”
“Up,” I tell him, my lips twisting into an excited smirk as my fingers curl around the door handle. “Always up.”
The boys follow my lead and within moments, we’re bypassing the building’s security and stepping into the dark elevator. “How the hell did you do that?” I ask, wishing we were able to turn on a few lights, but apparently that would draw too much attention. “The alarms should have gone off.”
Levi grins as the elevator door closes behind us. “It’d be pretty fucked up if we couldn’t get into our own goddamn building.”
My eyes bug out of my head, but I doubt they’d be able to see it in this darkness. “You own this?” I sputter, thinking of how much a building like this would cost.
No one responds as the elevator sails up through the levels and my stomach does that weird twisty motion sickness thing that happens every time I get into one of these. The silence begins to kill me but, considering just how high this building is, I have a feeling that we’re barely even halfway up.
The ride to the top takes at least a full minute before the door opens and the warm breeze forces its way inside. “Holy shit,” I breathe, looking out into the night to see the wide expanse of city lights surrounding us. I step out of the elevator with the boys right at my side, gaping in awe. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
High-rise buildings surround us, but nothing is as tall as the one we’re standing on. This has to be the biggest building in the city.
The breeze is relentless, but what else was I supposed to expect from a rooftop like this? I should just be grateful it’s flowing against me, brushing my hair off my face instead of hitting me in the other direction and pushing me right off the fucking roof.
We make our way to the edge and I peer over the side, my heart racing in my chest. “This is literally the definition of insanity,” I muse as Levi drops the big box of drinks and starts rifling around for what he wants.
I watch him with a keen eye, loving the soft glow of the city lights that brushes against his skin. It’s simply stunning. All three of them are, and while I’ll happily let both Marcus and Levi know exactly how I feel about their handsome, rugged appearances, I won’t dare peep a word to Roman. Though … I think it’s safe to say that he knows exactly what kind of effect he has over me.
I can’t help but spread my arms out wide and close my eyes as the wind sails through my hair. “God. This is the freaking life,” I breathe, channeling my inner Kate Winslet on the Titanic. “Doesn’t this make you feel so damn free?”
The boys don’t respond, but I know they’re feeling it. Why else would they bring me up here?
We pass the bottles of hard liquor around and I show off my skills as I mix all my favorite drinks and fully relax for the first time in what feels like years. With the lack of food in my stomach, it doesn’t take long for the buzz to sweep through my system and have me feeling like a fucking goddess on top of the world.
After taking another sip, I creep right up to the edge as I feel power pulsing through my veins. I’ve been on fire tonight and nothing can take that away. The breeze is my best fucking friend, and just as I feel as though I could fly, a body presses in behind me as a black blindfold comes down over my eyes.
A soft gasp pulls from deep within me and my hand flies back to his thigh, gripping tightly, terrified that one little wobble would have me truly flying over the edge. I’ve survived all odds over the past few months, but there are some things a girl simply can’t come back from. My brains splattered all over the sidewalk is definitely one of them.