Page 68 of Promise Not To Fall

2 parts Grey Goose® L'Orange vodka

½ part Orange Curacao

½ part sour mix

½ part blood orange syrup

½ part orange juice

½ part orange blossom honey

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Shake with ice to chill and strain into a chilled martini glass rimmed with sugar in the raw.

Against my better judgment, I had agreed to have dinner with Liam. He ends up taking me to the Green Parrot in downtown Nassau—you know, the part of town Jake warned me to stay away from.

I don’t know why I agreed to go with him either. Maybe it was my way of making it up to him for feeling like I’d led him on. I’m not going to have sex with him or anything. It’s just dinner and drinks and friendly conversation.

The bar he takes me to is small. We sit shoulder to shoulder with about twenty other people, and it’s a stuffy, smoke-filled establishment I don’t ever plan on returning to based on their air quality. I’m surprised no one’s complained yet.

Behind us the bar is standing room only, about another twenty people crammed in drinking and talking too loudly over the music.

And here’s where the night changes, and I realize this meeting with Liam might have been a bad idea. I remember Jake’s warning about not going to Nassau alone. I’m not alone. But I don’t think I’m in that great of company, either.

Another man, older than Liam, maybe in his late thirties, joins us at the bar and sits next to me, his thigh touching mine. He makes me uncomfortable immediately. With his narrow nose, midnight skin, and eyes so dark and mysterious, he gives me a bad vibe.

“This is Messer… Messer, this is Kendall,” Liam introduces us. I don’t bother shaking hands with him. After all, half his body is touching me. That’s introduction enough as far as I’m concerned.

“How do you two know each other?” I ask Liam, motioning between the two of them.

“I met Messer, what…” He pauses, looking at Messer, and then shrugs. “Five years ago. We get together anytime I come to the Bahamas.”

“Which is?” I press, feeling like I need to know a little more about them. I’m tempted to take pictures of their drivers licenses just to be safe.

“Twice a year,” Liam says, bringing his scotch to his lips and then taking a slow drink, winking at me. “Sometimes more. Just depends on how much free time I have.”

By the way, he looks like a total dipshit when he winks. Jake does it so much better.

“The lawyers I know work too much to be sneaking off on vacation that much,” I tease, sucking down my own drink. My remark isn’t meant to be rude, but I think there’s a small part of Liam that takes offense to it.

It isn’t Liam I’m worried about, though. It’s his shady fucking friend. Most of what he says I can’t understand, but it’s the way he looks at me that freaks me out. And the way Liam does nothing to stop it pisses me off.

Leaning over, he whispers something to Liam, who smiles, nodding to me with an errant smile. “I think she would.”

“Ya lie….” Messer and Liam look at me. Messer’s smile takes over, his teeth bright white against his dark skin. And then Messer says, “Tru tru.”

Whatever the hell that means. I know what Messer’s intentions are. You can see it in his eyes and the way he watches me and my body. He wants to fuck me.

Suddenly, Liam stands and reaches for his phone on the table. “My flight leaves early in the morning.” He gestures to Messer and me. “You kids have fun.”

Is he serious? He’s leaving me here with him?

“I’ll come with you.” I stand as well, looking at Liam like he’s lost his goddamn mind if he thinks I’m staying here with this guy.

Liam shakes his head. “No, you stay. I’m not going back to my place. I gotta meet someone.” And then he walks out of the bar leaving me alone with scary dude.

I’m such an idiot. I’m a goddamn fucking idiot who just basically left myself at the mercy of these two. How could I have been so dumb? I glance at my phone and the time. There’s no way I’m staying, so I pay for my drinks and walk outside right after Liam leaves.

I wait outside for a cab with Messer, and that’s when I know I’m in grave danger. It’s drastic to say, sure, but I totally am in grave danger. Another group of men approach, same dark skin and dark eyes. They appear to be locals and friends with Messer, since he’s talking to them and gesturing to me where I stand five feet away near a white pillar outside the bar.

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