Page 91 of Dirty Dancer

Or safe.

Most of the doors were closed and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad. A flickering light in one corner seemed an ominous sign.

“Yes,” Bodhi said and I dragged my gaze back to him. Yes—oh, our shit.

“They took all my stuff, including phone. Can you get it and the bag I had?”

Bodhi looked thoughtful. “Maybe.”

Better than no.

Not once on this whole trip had he even slowed his pace. The door he opened this time went into an office… My gaze went to the bloodied body on the floor even as movement pulled my attention across the room. Pale and shaky, she leaned against the door jamb like it was the only thing keeping her up.

Blood was all over her.

“Holy shit, Boo-Boo,” I headed straight for her. “Fuck me. What happened?”

“He touched me.”

I froze mid-step, then glared down at the body on the floor.

“He’s dead?” I needed to know.

“Definitely dead,” Bodhi confirmed. “We can do it again, though. Maybe cut the head off. I did that once. It’s messy. But not as messy since he’s already dead. Shouldn’t gush too bad.”

I almost wished he wasn’t dead. I wanted to make him hurt.

“I killed him.” Boo-Boo’s broken voice wrenched my attention back to her.

“Well,” Bodhi said. “Maybe. You weren’t sure. I definitely killed him.”

He’d found her in here. He’d found her. He’d helped her. Then he came to get me.

That was all that mattered.

‘“It doesn’t matter right now, Boo-Boo. Are you hurt?” I studied her. “Is any of that blood yours?”

Next, we needed to get out of here. Bodhi brought her pants, I had a second shirt. I nudged her back into the bathroom more for her privacy. The words “he touched me” kept circling in my head. Bodhi was a friend, but Boo-Boo was everything.

Get the blood off her.

Get her changed.

Get her out of here.

Then I wanted to kill everyone that had anything to do with this place.

“I want to go home.” Those soft words dug into my soul.

“Home—home or…”

“The clubhouse. Liam’s. Home.”

I couldn’t help but smile. We’d never wanted her to leave. I never wanted her to leave. “Good. That’s where you belong. Okay. Let’s get you changed.”

Everything in the bathroom stayed clinical. That was what she needed from me. No jokes or stupid comments. We’d do that later. Her bare feet worried me.

“It’s time,” Bodhi said.

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