Page 8 of Jake Forever
Somewhere over my shoulder, an unfamiliar male voice said, "Time to go."
I looked up. "What?"
It was the stranger. He flicked his chin toward the nearby exit. "C'mon."
I whirled to my right, looking to catch Jake's eye. Instead, I almost caught a fist to the face as Dorian took a wild swing somewhere near Jake's head.
I heard another thud as Dorian lost his footing once more and slipped sideways onto the tile floor. "Son-of-a-bitch!" he hollered.
Jake stood and turned in my direction. "Go."
Sitting too stunned to move, I stared up at him. "What?"
Behind him, Dorian was struggling to his feet, looking even more unhinged. And yet, for some insane reason, I still wasn't moving.
Looking at Dorian, I couldn't help but think, he looked a lot nicer on the movie screen – friendly, in a jovial sort of way.
But he wasn't looking friendly now. With a guttural roar, he lunged forward, making me flinch backward in my seat.
Jake whirled toward him and caught a fist to the jaw. I heard myself say, "Oh, my God!"
Jake stepped toward him, sending his chair clattering to the tile floor. When Dorian swung again, Jake was ready. He ducked to the left, leaving Dorian stumbling forward. He lost his footing, tripped over Jake's chair, and landed in a messy heap on the floor just behind me.
I felt a hand on my elbow. The hand belonged to the stranger. "Come on," he urged.
I was having a hard time thinking. Around us, the place had erupted into pure pandemonium. The guys at Dorian's table, along with his security team, had waded into the mix, only to be tackled down by other audience members the moment they tried to cause more trouble.
A few table-lengths away, I spotted Ronnie, staggering sideways as a perky redhead with a gymnast's body clung to his back like she'd just jumped him from behind.
Well, that's something you don't see every day.
Jake's voice broke my concentration. "What the hell am I paying you for?" Through clenched teeth, he added, "Get her outta here. Now."
The guy's grip on my elbow tightened. "Come on. Please?"
Reluctantly, I stumbled to my feet and let the guy hustle me toward the side exit. Just before we ducked out the side door, I took one last look. Through the commotion, I zoomed in on Jake.
He was absolutely surrounded by flailing bodies and flying fists. Dorian was nowhere in sight, leaving me to wonder if he'd slipped again.
I spotted Trey, now standing on the table, recording the chaos as it raged around him.
He was grinning. And somehow, I knew that this time, a nipple-sighting wasn't the cause. It was the spectacle – and the millions of views it would generate before the night ended.
Jake was rich. Stuff like this was the reason why. But every once in a while, like now, I couldn't help but wonder, how long things could go on like this?
How long could he take such crazy chances? How long could he wreak havoc all around him, and walk away unscathed? How long before the insanity caught up with him, and took him down, whether physical, financially, or both?
And through all this, one other thought kept nagging at the back of my mind. How long before I lost him, one way or another?
