“Holy fuck,” Travis whispers. “We have to go.”
The light goes out before we can move and one of his hands falls away. Crying out, I cling to his shirt and he presses his lips to my head.
“Shh. I’m right here, baby. Just getting my gun.”
My hands shake and my heart is racing as I try to see through the darkness but to no avail. “Did you see anyone else when the light came on?”
“No. Last I saw, everyone was on the dance floor. If a light comes on again, we need to move, you hear me? Head straight for the door and don’t look back.”
I shake my head. “I need to get my brother and Tate.”
“Kodiak will take care of Tate and I don’t think the light will stay on long enough for us to find everyone.” Just as his words stop, the light flicks on again, this time all the way across the club, closer to us, and the man is standing there again. It feels like he’s staring right at Travis and me but I don’t have time to dwell on it as he begins pulling me through the mass of terrified people, toward the door. I try to search the crowd for the rest of our group but the lights go out again. We freeze, right in the middle of a large group of club patrons. Terrified whispers and random names fill the air around us as everyone tries to figure out what is going on and my entire body shakes. Where will he pop up next? Travis keeps his grip on me firm, probably too firm, but it feels good in this moment as we both try to catch our breaths and wait for the next light to flick on.
“Are you okay?” he asks, pressing another kiss to my head and I nod but I’m not okay. Not a single part of this is okay and the thought hits me that we may not make it out of this club tonight. My chest aches and my thoughts slow to a crawl as I try to wade through the utter terror wreaking havoc on my body in the darkness. “Get ready to move again, I think.”
My breath sticks in my throat and my heart races as we wait and after a few seconds, a light flicks on. This one is by the bar this time, right where we were standing before, and the man stares at us in the crowd. The black holes of the mask where the eyes are supposed to be feel like they’re burning into me and I can’t move. My entire body is shaking so badly that I don’t think I can make my legs work and all I want to do is cry.
“Move, Rowan,” Travis barks in my ear and it spurs me into motion, somehow, as we take off for the door again, shoving our way through the crowd. I spot the door to the club up ahead and see Storm and Ali moving toward it from our right as we close in on it. The lights go out again but this time, Travis doesn’t stop. He’s like a bulldozer, shoving other people out of his way as he drags me along with him and despite my fear, I know he would do anything to protect me from the man seemingly stalking us through this club.
The light comes on again, this time by the dance floor and I scream when I see him standing right next to my brother and Tate. Tate spots him first and delivers a swift kick to his chest that sends him flying backward onto his ass and in the next moment, Lincoln has her in his arms and they are running toward the door and us. We reach the door just as the light goes out again and Travis yanks it open, flooding the room with light from the streetlamp outside, drawing the attention of everyone else in the club.
“Fuck,” he hisses. “Keep moving. Don’t stop, you hear me?”
I nod as we slip outside and the next second, a steady stream of bodies pile out of the club, spilling out onto the sidewalk as some people fall to the ground but everyone else just tramples over them. It’s complete fucking chaos and my heart jumps into my throat as I think about the people that were still in there, all of the people we could lose tonight. Once we get halfway down the block, Travis finally stops but he doesn’t release me and he doesn’t put his gun away as his gaze flicks over the surrounding area.
“Oh, thank God,” someone cries and we spin around as Emma and Nix come running up to us. Emma throws her arms around me, pulling me out of Travis’s arms and into a hug as tears roll down her face. Jerking back, she meets my eyes. “Have you seen anyone else?”
“Storm and Ali were near the door when we were and my brother and Tate were still by the dance floor… I don’t know about anyone else,” I whisper, struggling to hold back my tears as my body shakes.
“There!” she shouts, pointing into the crowd as Storm and Ali burst out of the mob of bodies and I breathe a small sigh of relief before my gaze goes back to the crowd, searching for everyone else. Travis pulls me back into his body, securing his arm around my waist, and I feel his body relax slightly against me.
“There they are,” a voice calls from across the street and we turn as Henn, Kady, Chance, Carly, Moose, Juliette, Fuzz, Piper, Smith, and Quinn come running up to us. Everyone starts hugging but I turn back to the crowd, searching for Lincoln and Tate. Pain radiates from my chest and my heart hammers out of control as tears sting my eyes.
This can’t be happening.
I can’t lose them.
“I have to go back,” I whisper, shaking my head as I try to free myself from Travis’s grip. There is no way I’m leaving here without Lincoln and Tate so I have to go back and find them.
“Are you fucking insane?” Travis asks, his grip on me tightening as I turn to look at him. Tears slip down my cheeks and I plead with my eyes as we stare at each other.
“It’s my brother, Travis. I have to go get him. I have to go back.”
He shakes his head. “There is no way in hell I’m letting you go in there again. It’s a fucking madhouse but if anyone can get through it, it’s your giant of a brother. Just wait here.”
“I can’t lose him, Travis,” I whisper, my heart shattering in my chest at the thought. If they don’t make it out of that club, I’ll truly have no one. His face crumples and he shoves his gun into the waistband of his jeans before cupping my cheek and pressing his forehead to mine.
“You’re not going to lose them, okay? They are going to be fine. Both Tate and your brother are more than capable of taking care of themselves, Princess. I promise.”
I shake my head. “You don’t know that. Lincoln and Tate are the only family I have left. I have to go back for them.”
“No,” he growls, shaking his head before he presses a kiss to my lips. “I’m not going to let you put your life in danger, too. They’ll be fine.”
“So…” someone says and we pull apart, looking up as Chance arches a brow. “This is a thing?”
Carly smacks him in the chest and shoots him a glare. “Not the time.”
“Right,” he answers with a nod and shoves his hands in his pockets but as I look at everyone else’s face, I know our secret is out. There is no putting this genie back in the bottle.
“Rowan!”
I gasp, turning at the sound of my brother’s booming voice coming through the crowd but Travis still won’t release me so I throw my hand in the air.
“Over here, Lincoln.”
A moment later, he steps out of the crowd with a very angry Tate thrown over his shoulder and as soon as he sees me, he rushes over. Travis releases me just before Lincoln wraps me up in a hug, crushing me to his body.
“Thank God,” he breathes, his body shaking and his breathing heavy.