Page 29 of Take You Down

Carter’s voice pulls me out of my tumbling thoughts. “We are close. He’s like my best friend.” By the way her face softens talking about him, I believe her.

I give her an awkward smile, not sure what to say to that because there’s not much common ground there for the two of us to bond over. Instead I fill the silence with a long drink.

“Are you close with your dad?” she asks, trying to make conversation.

“Not really. I haven’t talked to him in years.”

Her face falls. “I’m sorry. That’s too bad.”

I shake my head. “Trust me, it’s not. If you knew my father, it’s not a bad thing to not have to deal with him very often.”

I can tell that she doesn’t understand my casualness about it, not able to imagine how I can go years without talking to him when it’s clear she doesn’t go maybe even a day without talking to hers. But I don’t judge her for it. Part of me wishes I had a father that made me excited to pick his phone calls up just to talk while he drives home. But there’s no point in wishing for things that I can’t change and if I’ve learned anything over my twenty-four years, there is no changing Phillip Whelan.

A gasp from the bartender has Carter and I whipping our heads in her direction. She’s staring off toward the lobby and when I follow her line of sight, I see Walker, Nikolai, and Reid walking toward the front door, a couple security guys with them as they do. No Hayden in sight though.

Luckily for them, the lobby and bar are relatively empty, so no one stops them as they walk through. That is until Walker looks over and spots us, a broad grin appearing on his face as he parts from the group and comes over.

I feel his eyes on me the entire time he closes the space between us and my body warms under his gaze.

“Ladies,” he greets, leaning an elbow on the bar and casually crossing one ankle over the other. “How’s it going?”

“Good,” Carter answers, then asks him the same in return.

“It’s a great night for a show,” he says, winking at me, reminding me of my promise to watch him tonight. I give him a small nod in confirmation and raise my drink in cheers.

Before Carter can open her mouth to say anything more, Daniel appears behind Walker, his brow furrowed in anger and zeroed in on her.

The change in Carter is instant. Where she was once at ease and calm, her body is now radiating with tension, spine so straight I’m surprised it could ever bend to begin with.

“Didn’t realize we were having a party down here,” Daniel says, trying to keep his tone casual while he keeps his eyes lasered on Carter.

“We weren’t,” Carter is quick to say before she pops up from her stool and throws a twenty-dollar bill on the bar. “I was actually just getting ready to go back up to the room and get everything together for tonight.”

Daniel cocks his head to the side. “I handled that.” He turns slightly to show the backpack he’s wearing. “I went to the room, where you said you would be, and when I didn’t find you and you weren’t answering my texts, I figured it was up to me to pack the equipment up for tonight.” He says it all with a smile but his tone is infused with none of it.

I look back and forth between them, wondering if I should say anything to this condescending prick about leaving her alone all day to do work by herself while he went out and did whatever he wanted. So what if she wants to take a little break.

But before I can say anything, Carter is up and moving toward his side, ready to go. “We’ll see you at the show,” she says, before ducking her head and waiting for Daniel to walk away and then falling into step behind him.

My dinner threatens to make a reappearance at the image of her trailing behind him, flashbacks clicking through my head of watching all of the women around me growing up doing the same with their husbands and fathers. Always letting them take the lead and following one step behind, remembering their place.

He slaps Walker on the back as he does so and Walker pulls his shoulder away from his touch, whether subconsciously or not, I’m not sure.

“Where are you all headed?” I ask Walker, the bar now feeling smaller with just the two of us here.

“Gonna go to a bar for a quick drink and then head over to the venue. I’d ask you to join, but I think Vik would have my balls if I made you late for a show.”

I let out a small laugh, knowing he’s right.

“I don’t want to keep you,” I tell him, seeing the guys growing restless by the front door. “I’ll see you later.”

Walker starts walking backward, and does he have eyeballs in the back of his head or something? He seems to do that a lot, and without incident. “You sure will.” He smiles, before he reaches the guys and they leave.

I down the rest of my drink and excuse myself after paying before the bartender can ask me any of the questions that are so clearly on the tip of her tongue about Walker coming over here and the familiarity in which Carter and I interacted with him.

I’ve got a show to get to.

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