Trembling, I stood up and continued to search for him. He wouldn’t. No, no, not Remy. He wouldn’t be in one of those rooms. There was only one reason he would be. Oh, fuck. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to bring me here and then abandon me to root some chick. You’re thinking the worst of him, chill the fuck out. Well, it was hard to chill the fuck out when he’d been sex deprived for how many damn months now?

I recoiled from abrupt hands touching me. I searched for a Jackal and relief swept me when I saw Logan locking arms around a woman’s waist, dancing with her.

“Where’s Remy?” I breathlessly asked after weaving through countless bodies.

Logan looked around non-committedly, his lower half more concerned with the woman rubbing against it. “Dunno. Did you try the bar?”

I gave him an annoyed look. “Of course I tried the bar, you dumbass.”

More hands touched me. “Fuck off!” I screamed, shoving them away.

“Better watch out,” grinned Logan, green eyes gleaming at the men around us. “This is Remy’s girl. Don’t wanna be touchin’ that, alright?”

Instantly those hands vanished. Well, glad to know there were perks to being “Remy’s girl.”

I tried the bar next, just to be certain, but there was nothing. Anger surfaced in me. He fucking wouldn’t. Oh, even if he didn’t, I would have some choice words for his random abandonment of me in seedy-sex-central. This was just so un-fucking-like him! He was always protective of me. He wouldn’t have gone pussy hunting.

He wasn’t like that.

He wasn’t!

Fritz hooted from my peripheral. I looked at the two women dangling off of him and suppressed a shudder. The man’s hygiene was questionable. His hair was greasy, his beard uneven, and his nails were black from oil and dirt. He practically lived in the entertainment room on the couch – had a big stain on it in the shape of his ass as proof – where he smoked and drank whiskey all day long, mouthing people off and dribbling on and on about starting a war with the Scorpions. You couldn’t pay me a million dollars to touch him and yet these women were taking him on for… for free.

I should have gone back to my table and patiently waited for him. I should have, but dammit I couldn’t. So used to being fucked over by those I least expected, I wanted to make sure I could eliminate him from that fear. If there was one thing I knew, it was that people were capable of anything, and some of them were damn good liars.

My heart thumped wildly as I ploughed down the corridor. It was like Prom all over again, except I was ready – and almost certain – to walk in on Remy doing the unthinkable. I was long desensitized by sex after opening three doors and being greeted with images I would have to burn my brain to forget. I was especially sickened to find Prez buried in the legs of a woman who, much to my dismay, wasn’t even the eighteen year old he’d taken. I pitied Dayna.

Then it happened.

By the fourth door, all air escaped me. I froze and blinked hard to make sure this was real. To make sure I wasn’t in some sick and twisted nightmare.

Just one girl. One very beautiful girl was kissing him and then making her way down below the waist as he sat with his eyes shut and face upwards. His mouth was slightly opened and his tongue lapped his bottom lip as the woman began undoing his belt.

Jaxon.

Had someone stabbed me? Because I sure as fuck felt like it. I couldn’t even look away, and that was all I wanted to do. Just look away, close the door and move on. Walk away, walk away… My feet were rooted, unwilling to budge, an invisible pull forcing me to watch on.

As if sensing me, he opened his eyes and looked right at me. The second our eyes met, my binds were cut. It took me hardly a second to turn around and run. I slammed into chests, squeezed through people, shoved women out of my way, and then harsh hands grabbed at my shoulders. Dazedly, I looked up at a face I would have gladly scratched the eyes out of.

Finley held my shoulders painfully. “You okay there? You look like you’ve seen something you didn’t like.” The wicked look in his eye told me he knew exactly what I’d seen.

“Let go of me,” I demanded.

“Why? Isn’t this what you wanted to be part of?”

“Let go of me!” I repeated harsher this time.

He did and I turned away and ran again, feeling prickles down my spine at his laughter behind me. I didn’t stop moving until I was outside the bar and standing in the parking lot.

I was floating, staring disbelievingly all around me, waiting for my nightmare to end. My vision blurred and I nearly fell over right there on the spot. Shock tumbled through my body and it felt like an electric current burning my senses and had me staring at the busy street in fascination. I remember thinking, I just want to die.

How could I have been so stupid?! How could I have hoped to entertain the thought that he was still holding on to me somehow? That he couldn’t just move on, not after everything he’d said to me all those months ago? While I’d felt guilty kissing Remy every damn time, he was out fucking women.

“I want you to check the footage again because that shit isn’t makin’ sense.” The familiar voice pulled me away from my thoughts. I turned to it and found Remy standing beside his bike, talking on his phone.

No woman around. No lust in his eyes. My ever patient, faithful Remy.

And I fucking hated him.

I stormed in his direction. When he saw me, he hung up the phone immediately, confused at my anger as I gripped his vest in both my hands.

“You left me in there!” I screamed, tears flowing down my face. “You left me without a fucking word!” And it was your fault I walked in on him. Your fault I had to find you and found him instead!

“Calm down, calm down,” he repeated, softly grabbing at my fisted hands. “I didn’t mean to leave you. I got a call while I was waitin’ on drinks, Birdy. Went out here to take care of shit–”

“You should have told me!” I interrupted icily.

“I didn’t think I’d take long.”

“There’s no excuse, Remy! You left me in that orgy infested gutter!”

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” He apologized again and brought me into his chest, stroking my back as he laid kisses on my head. I sobbed into his chest, feeling as though he knew what was wrong, as if he was trying to make it all better.

I fully sank into him. His arms were what kept me upright, and he held me to him for a time that seemed to stretch on and on. My tears slowed and my breathing evened out. Lost in the feel of his relaxing sway with my cheek against his chest, I finally opened my eyes. My heart tightened at what I saw.