She belonged here. Hadn’t Will said so? And Stax?
This was where she fit. Why no place she’d lived ever felt right until now. Liam had given her this. Without knowing what it was he was doing, other than keeping her safe, he’d given her this beautiful, colorful life.
She glanced over and caught his broad-shouldered body coming toward her through the crowd and crossed her fingers that he’d want to stay with her. Not out of loyalty or some twisted sort of chivalry. But because he loved her too.
Before she could catch his eye, Jace was blocking her view. And he looked pissed off. “This party is boring,” he said tersely. “I think the four of us should head over to Laughing Coyote. Drinks on me.”
“What?” Bailey and Kaya asked at the same time.
“You never pay for drinks,” Kaya said dubiously.
“I will now.”
“I saw Liam,” Dani told him, trying to push him aside. “I need to talk to him.”
Kaya and Bailey looked out across the crowd and their expressions made Dani nervous. Kaya paled and both she and Jace had to grab Bailey’s arms to keep her from storming off in that direction.
Dani stared at all of them, knowing it was Liam they were looking at. And that they were upset for her, which could only mean one thing.
“Gillian!” Someone shouted nearby, pushing through the crowd to greet their friend. The strawberry tart slut.
“Son of a bitch,” Bailey growled. “He followed you around like a dog for a year, spent one-night boinking your brains out with Stax, and now he’s with Gillian?”
Jace looked down at her in shock. “You two finally did it? And how the fuck was Stax invited?”
“Grow up, Jace.” Kaya whacked him on the arm. “You’re missing the finer details here. Them doing it is not the point.”
“He acted like…and then he let Stax...” He swiped a hand over his face. “Son of a bitch is right. Now I have to go kick my friend’s ass without backup. Thanks, Nick.”
“No, you don’t.” Dani was shaking her head. “He doesn’t like Gillian. She isn’t his type.”
“You said she was,” Bailey reminded her.
That’s right. She had. “I appreciate the protective detail, but I think I need to see this for myself before I start writing his obituary.”
She managed to get around them and find an empty barstool to climb up on.
She was short. She’d learned to adapt.
Liam was the easiest to spot. Tall and handsome and—she grinned—oh wow, she knew that look. Poor guy.
Gillian had her arm around his waist and his was being held over her shoulder with Gillian’s other hand. Dani wanted to laugh. What kind of sob story had he bought into to get him in this situation? She had no idea, but there was no way Liam was doing this to make her jealous or out of genuine interest.
He definitely didn’t like the strawberry tart.
She was about to turn and tell her gang their outrage wasn’t necessary, when more movement in the doorway caught her attention. And just like that, her new world came crashing down.
Sal had always promised he would find her.
Chapter Ten
She would have fallen off the stool if Kaya hadn’t reached for her.
“Dani, what is it? I can feel your panic.”
“It’s Liam—” Bailey started, but Kaya cut her off.
“No. Dani?”
She wanted to answer, but her adrenaline was pumping so furiously she could barely make out her friend’s voice. She needed to run and hide. She wanted to curl into a ball and scream at the unfairness of it.
He’d waited until she was happy, until she finally felt safe, and then he’d come for her.
“You are stronger than you were before you came here. You can and should trust your own judgment, but always know you are not alone.”
Stax told her that this morning. A man who could turn into a coyote and back again, who was literally made of magic, had told her she could handle this. Had he known what was coming?
Sal might be sick and twisted, but he was only a man. And not nearly as smart as he thought he was.
“Dani, if you don’t say something, I’m going to get Liam.”
“Don’t talk to me,” she said quietly. “I don’t want his attention on you.”
Kaya looked down quickly and whispered, “It’s him?”
You are not alone.
She couldn’t risk meeting her friend’s gaze or she might break down. “Go to Jace and tell him to get something he can use as a weapon. He should go around back before heading to the parking lot, but he needs to hurry because I may need reinforcements. You and Bailey stay inside where it’s safe. If I’m not back in ten minutes, call the police. Please, Kaya.”
She edged her way along the bar without waiting for a response, clinging to her small purse but slipping off her heels in case she needed to run. She had to get him away from all these people who’d taken her in and accepted her. Her friends.