My fist pounds on the door a little harder than I intended. A few seconds later, it opens, but it's not the girl I wanted to see on the other side. Kennedy notices the look on my face, and her shoulders sag.
"Seriously, asshole? Now?"
My brows furrow. "What?"
She exhales heavily and rolls her eyes. "You're too late."
"Too late for what? Where's Amelia?"
Leaning against the doorway, she shakes her head. "After you rejected her, again, she promised herself that was it. She was done with trying to get you to see something she claims must not be there."
I rub the back of my neck to try and ease some of the tension. "Kennedy, what are you talking about? Where the hell is Amelia?"
The next words to leave her mouth make my chest hurt.
"She met someone else."
THE ENERGY AT THIS party is high, but I can't be bothered. All the people here are complete garbage. Junkies. Drug dealers. There are even a couple of hookers. If it were up to me, I'd be at home or at the gym to work out some frustrations, but there's only so far I can push Blade before he snaps. I need to pick my battles.
I do my best to stay in the background. The last thing I want is to be on any of these people's radar. It's bad enough I'm involved with Blade and still haven't figured out how to get out of it without jeopardizing Easton's safety.
As I'm scoping out the place, a familiar face walks in and my shoulders sag—dread washing over me. I watch as Jace keeps his head down and goes over to Rinaldo, one of the sketchiest guys around. He's known for having all the hardcore drugs. Kind of like Blade, but more intense. To be honest, I think Rinaldo is actually Blade's boss, but no one is supposed to know about it, so it's not something that I can confirm.
He takes out a wad of cash, and Rinaldo hands him a baggie that looks like it has a lot more than just one kind of drug in it. Pills. Cocaine. The only thing I don't see in there is heroin. When he's done, he slips right back out the way he came. Clearly, he has no intentions of hanging around, probably to avoid being seen by anyone he knows.
I walk through the house and find an empty room, slipping my phone out of my pocket once I'm safely inside. The number I dial isn't one I ever thought I'd be calling, but there's no way I can go without telling him this. Not in good conscience.
"Bronsyn," Carter greets me. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
Letting out a breath, I try to figure out how to say this. "You filled me in on Amelia when you didn't have to, so I'm returning the favor."
"Okay?" His tone becomes wary, and I can hear him walk away from whatever noise was in the background. "What's up?"
"I'm at what I'd describe as a low-life reunion. It's a bunch of scumbags and drug dealers who get together and have a party once in a while," I explain. "And I just saw Jace buying some pretty hard drugs from a guy I can promise you he doesn't want to be involved with."
Carter sighs heavily. "Fuck. Seriously?"
"I wouldn't lie about something like that."
"No, I know you wouldn't," he replies. "Thanks for giving me the heads up."
"No problem." The sound of someone trying to open the door has me on high alert. "I've got to go, but I'll text you tomorrow and give you some pointers."
He sounds totally out of it, but then realizes something last minute. "Are you good? You mentioned you're there. Do you need me to come help you get out of there?"
I hum, not having expected that. "I'm alright, but thanks for the offer."
Thankfully, when I reopen the door, whoever was trying to get in is long gone. I slip out of the bedroom without being seen and head back into the living room. Just as I'm passing the front door, however, my heart stops and panic fills my whole body.
"Amelia?"
She looks like a model, with her tank-top, shorts, and knee high boots, but she's in the wrong fucking place. Her eyes meet mine, and she seems surprised for a second until she masks it over.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask. "You don't belong here. You need to go."
I try to usher her out the door, but she isn't having it. She places a hand on my chest and pushes me backwards.
"Stop trying to control me!" she hisses. "You can't constantly order me around like your little fucking lapdog."
I shake my head. "That's not what I'm trying to do, but you can't be here. Please. I'll bring you home."
The timid girl I once knew is long gone as she stands her ground. "I'm not leaving. And besides, I'm not here for you."
She glances over my shoulder and when she finds what she was looking for, she slips past me and walks further into the house. I watch as she walks right over to Blade who immediately presses his lips to hers. My blood boils as Amelia smiles into the kiss. When they break apart, he pulls her in for a hug and stares over her shoulder, directly at me.
Shots fucking fired.
THE REST OF THE party, I'm completely on edge. I can't manage to look away from Amelia, but I can't go over there, either. Blade obviously has an agenda. He never does anything without one. And instead of using Easton as his pawn, he's using Amelia. Honestly, I don't know which is worse. Meelz seems like she can hold her own, but I don't trust anyone I care about around Blade.
Not a single damn soul.
Everyone starts heading out a little after one in the morning, and while I could have left a couple hours ago, I knew that wasn't an option. I had to stay and keep an eye on Amelia to make sure she's safe. And here, she's anything but.
Blade places a hand on her lower back and the two of them head for the door. The thought of her leaving with him has me feeling like I could vomit right here and now. Without giving myself a second to hesitate, I step in front of them in a desperate attempt to keep her from going with him.
"Let me drive you home."
Her brows raise as she looks at me like I've lost my mind. "No, thanks. I have a ride."
They go to walk past me but I grab her wrist. "Meelz. Please."
She must be able to see the sheer panic on my face because that actually gets her to stop for a second and her irritated expression to falter. Before she can say anything, however, Blade speaks up for her.
"She said she has a ride," he presses. "I'm sure there are plenty of other girls here who need one, though. Go find one of them."
With that, he leads her away and into a car I know isn't his. For one, it's worth way too much money. Chances are he probably stole it.
He opens the passenger door like some kind of gentleman he's not, and she climbs inside. As he walks around to get in the driver's side, he smirks and winks at me.
I swear to fuck, I'm going to kill him.
FOR THE FOURTH NIGHT in a row, I sleep like total shit. Only this time, it's not because thoughts of a half-naked Amelia are running through my head. Instead, it's filled with thoughts of her in danger. Blade getting her high. Blade pressing his knife into her neck like he's done to me and so many others on numerous occasions. The possibilities of what he has in store for her are fucking endless, and none of them are good.