arms against the cold. “They’re
usually pretty quick around this area.”
“Even on a
Friday?”
Cordelia
shrugged.
Harper looked
down either side of the road, trying to make out a taxi from each set of
headlights.
“Hey girls,”
a voice rang jovially behind them.
Cordelia and
Harper both turned as three men in suits surrounded them.
The bouncer
at the club’s opening bowed his head and stepped back inside, closing the door
behind him.
“Uh – do we
know you?” Cordelia asked.
“You know
me,” a voice piped behind them.
They turned
to face the man at the edge of the road.
“You remember
me, don’t you? Come on, Cordelia.”
“Oh,” she
murmured. “Jayden. Jayden Sommers. Of course I remember you.”
“Did you see
us before?” Jayden asked.
“You mean in
there?” Cordelia replied.
“Yeah,” he
nodded. “You should have come and said hello.”
“Well, why
didn’t you come and say hello?” Harper asked defensively.
The two men
behind her started laughing.
“You look
good,” Cordelia said to Jayden. “Things going well for you?”
Jayden gave
half a smile, and raised his eyebrows.
Harper was
getting a really bad vibe from him.
At that
moment, the taxi cab pulled up to the sidewalk. Harper brushed past Jayden to
get to it. “That’s us.”
Jayden put a
hand on Harper’s arm. “Don’t be silly. We’ll take you home.”
Harper
violently shook his hand off. “Don’t fucking touch me.”
“Whoa,”
Cordelia murmured. “Relax, Harper. I know this guy. He’s a friend of mine.”
“Are you
coming or not?” Harper demanded.
“Trust me
guys, I’ve got this,” Jayden said smiling. He stepped round to the driver’s
door and tapped on the glass.
“Taxi for
Cordelia?” the driver asked.
Harper
watched as Jayden handed him some money. “For your trouble.”
The cabbie
accepted it, muttering under his breath, and then pulled away back to the road.
It was as
though Harper’s heart stopped in the middle of its beat.
“Come on,”
Jayden said. “We’re parked around back.”
They started
walking.
CHAPTER FOUR
In the back of the night club’s
parking lot, there were still plenty of people around, arriving and going. For
a moment, Harper had been concerned they were going into a secluded area. She
knew Cordelia wouldn’t automatically trust someone for no reason, but how her
so called friend behaved with the cab implied he wanted to get something out of
them tonight. Seriously. Cordelia had to see it.
“So I left
there, then I went up to Mount Hitchfield because there was an opening, and I
got the job there,” Cordelia babbled. “But it only lasted a few weeks – the
boss was a fucking bitch and we clashed all the time. I met my boyfriend
Marshall somewhere between that and –”
“What’s your
name?” one of Jayden’s friends asked Harper from behind.
She glanced
over her shoulder. “Harper.”
“You have a
boyfriend, Harper?” the second one said.
“I’m kind of
engaged.”
“No shit.”
“Yeah,
getting married on Sunday.”
Faint
chuckle.
Harper didn’t
want to look back anymore. She was keeping her eyes right ahead.
Jayden
stopped in front of a large black van, and forced the side of it open.
“Everybody in.”
Cordelia
stepped inside first. Jayden stepped in the back behind her.
“Aren’t you
driving?” Cordelia asked.
“Not yet.”
Harper went
to step inside also, but Jayden quickly closed the door in her face.
“Hey!” Harper
yelled. “What on earth –?”
Jayden’s
friends grabbed her waist and forced her up against the side of the van. One of
them revealed a silver pistol inside of his jacket.
“Don’t
scream,” he whispered. “Don’t yell. Don’t say a fucking word.”
Harper stared
into the man’s eyes, wide with madness, as her whole body started to shake. She
could hear stuff banging on the inside of the van. Cordelia was trying to call
out for help.
“Why?” Harper
sobbed. “Why are
usually pretty quick around this area.”
“Even on a
Friday?”
Cordelia
shrugged.
Harper looked
down either side of the road, trying to make out a taxi from each set of
headlights.
“Hey girls,”
a voice rang jovially behind them.
Cordelia and
Harper both turned as three men in suits surrounded them.
The bouncer
at the club’s opening bowed his head and stepped back inside, closing the door
behind him.
“Uh – do we
know you?” Cordelia asked.
“You know
me,” a voice piped behind them.
They turned
to face the man at the edge of the road.
“You remember
me, don’t you? Come on, Cordelia.”
“Oh,” she
murmured. “Jayden. Jayden Sommers. Of course I remember you.”
“Did you see
us before?” Jayden asked.
“You mean in
there?” Cordelia replied.
“Yeah,” he
nodded. “You should have come and said hello.”
“Well, why
didn’t you come and say hello?” Harper asked defensively.
The two men
behind her started laughing.
“You look
good,” Cordelia said to Jayden. “Things going well for you?”
Jayden gave
half a smile, and raised his eyebrows.
Harper was
getting a really bad vibe from him.
At that
moment, the taxi cab pulled up to the sidewalk. Harper brushed past Jayden to
get to it. “That’s us.”
Jayden put a
hand on Harper’s arm. “Don’t be silly. We’ll take you home.”
Harper
violently shook his hand off. “Don’t fucking touch me.”
“Whoa,”
Cordelia murmured. “Relax, Harper. I know this guy. He’s a friend of mine.”
“Are you
coming or not?” Harper demanded.
“Trust me
guys, I’ve got this,” Jayden said smiling. He stepped round to the driver’s
door and tapped on the glass.
“Taxi for
Cordelia?” the driver asked.
Harper
watched as Jayden handed him some money. “For your trouble.”
The cabbie
accepted it, muttering under his breath, and then pulled away back to the road.
It was as
though Harper’s heart stopped in the middle of its beat.
“Come on,”
Jayden said. “We’re parked around back.”
They started
walking.
CHAPTER FOUR
In the back of the night club’s
parking lot, there were still plenty of people around, arriving and going. For
a moment, Harper had been concerned they were going into a secluded area. She
knew Cordelia wouldn’t automatically trust someone for no reason, but how her
so called friend behaved with the cab implied he wanted to get something out of
them tonight. Seriously. Cordelia had to see it.
“So I left
there, then I went up to Mount Hitchfield because there was an opening, and I
got the job there,” Cordelia babbled. “But it only lasted a few weeks – the
boss was a fucking bitch and we clashed all the time. I met my boyfriend
Marshall somewhere between that and –”
“What’s your
name?” one of Jayden’s friends asked Harper from behind.
She glanced
over her shoulder. “Harper.”
“You have a
boyfriend, Harper?” the second one said.
“I’m kind of
engaged.”
“No shit.”
“Yeah,
getting married on Sunday.”
Faint
chuckle.
Harper didn’t
want to look back anymore. She was keeping her eyes right ahead.
Jayden
stopped in front of a large black van, and forced the side of it open.
“Everybody in.”
Cordelia
stepped inside first. Jayden stepped in the back behind her.
“Aren’t you
driving?” Cordelia asked.
“Not yet.”
Harper went
to step inside also, but Jayden quickly closed the door in her face.
“Hey!” Harper
yelled. “What on earth –?”
Jayden’s
friends grabbed her waist and forced her up against the side of the van. One of
them revealed a silver pistol inside of his jacket.
“Don’t
scream,” he whispered. “Don’t yell. Don’t say a fucking word.”
Harper stared
into the man’s eyes, wide with madness, as her whole body started to shake. She
could hear stuff banging on the inside of the van. Cordelia was trying to call
out for help.
“Why?” Harper
sobbed. “Why are
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