Page 90 of Elusion

Fuck.

We jump down and shove our way through the crowd to intercept him before he reaches the bar. Benji and I manage to get in front of him and bring him to a halt, but with the vein in his forehead visible, how long we can hold him off is a real concern. Gavin catches up with us then, and Benji points out Tyler. He charges forward, and Benji has to stop him as well, pushing him back with a hand on the chest.

Benji glances over his shoulder. “Dude, that’s not Calico with him.”

“No, it’s her fucking mom,” I say.

“I don’t give a fuck who’s with him.” Johnny’s murderous eyes stay on his target behind me. “He only survived last time because of Callie. I didn’t want to scare her more than he already had by pinning her to a fucking wall.”

I blow out a breath, a rage building at the thought of him hurting her. Scaring her. Fuck. Touching her.

“He said they were just talking even though Johnny dragged him off her.” Benji drops his hand from Gavin’s chest. “Her hands were shaking, and she could barely talk. But with all the shit in her life, man, she repeated his words.”

His mind changes regarding the outcome of the situation, and he aligns himself with the other two, facing the bar. They’re all in front of me, ready to defend Callie. To finally show one of these dreadful people in her life the consequences of their actions.

“What’s the word, Waters?” Gavin asks. “We charging in and taking out this piece of shit?”

“Absolutely not.” I turn around and let myself look at Tyler. “We can’t charge in because we need to make him swing first.”

Johnny slaps a hand on my shoulder, smirking. “All I want is a beer, dude.”

Right behind Tyler, where he won’t notice them, Johnny and Benji approach the bar. Since he doesn’t know us, Gavin and I go to the other side of Lauren. I can’t focus on him without losing it, so while we wait for the bartender, I study her. I search for every possible difference between her and Callie. And the closer I look, the more I find.

Lauren’s clothes look like she raided Callie’s high school wardrobe. A revealing top and giant holes in her jeans expose too much of her skin. Her lips are more unbalanced, a crease appears below each eye, she wears way more makeup, the ends of her hair are split, and a cheap flowery smell wafts off her.

Most importantly, in Callie’s presence, I gain a sense of completion, and being around Lauren makes me nauseous.

She winks at me. Fucking winks. I almost lose my shit. I want to scream at her and shake some sense into her. How can she think she belongs in this bar, flirting with a college guy? She should be at home with her kids, apologizing to them for the hell she put them through and fixing what she and Graham have done over the years.

My face must give away how close I am to the edge because Gavin’s hand grips my shoulder.

“Easy, tiger. Let John work his asshole magic.”

On the other side, Benji rubs his chin, his impatience unmissable. He meets my gaze, one eyebrow cocking to confirm my current state. Ready to rip this guy’s head off is my response, but before I figure out a gesture to convey this, Johnny flags down the bartender.

He orders us a round and gestures to Tyler and Lauren. “And whatever these two are having.”

Tyler turns to thank him but never gets that far.

Knowing he recognizes them, Johnny and Benji grin. They consider a slow buildup a part of the fun in a fight.

“Let’s go, babe.” Tyler grabs Lauren by the elbow.

“No,” she says, her voice higher than Callie’s. “I want to stay and get to know our new friends.”

“Yeah, Tyler,” Benji says. “Stay. Get to know us.”

“Babe, introduce me.” Lauren laughs—far from a Callie laugh—and nudges Tyler. “How do you know each other?”

The muscles in his jaw tighten.

Johnny extends a hand to her. “Tyler and I go way back. What was it, almost two months ago, when I pulled you off a girl in the hallway at that party?”

Lauren falls silent, her giddy expression gone as she jerks her hand away. Her eyes dart to Tyler. “Ty?”

He clicks his tongue, peering over at Gavin and me, realizing we’re all together. His head turns toward Johnny and Benji and back to us. A smirk forms on his pathetic, drunken face.

Then, he fucking swings.

---