Page 21 of Never Fear (Whiskey Ridge)
Maybe it was the paranoia, or maybe I was quite literally losing my mind, but I froze, foot hovering midair, as I tried to guess if whoever was walking into this restroom was a really slow, heavy-footed woman or a determined man looking for someone.
I hadn’t realized I’d stopped breathing until I had to force a deep inhale through my nose, doing my best to quiet the sound.
Stop freaking out. Whoever it is, they aren’t looking for you.
But then a stall door slammed into the wall, and I flinched.
Whoever the fuck they were, they meant business, and I wanted no part in it, whether they were looking for me or not. Based on recent events, though, my mind wouldn’t stop jumping to the worst-case scenario.
My eyes searched the stall, but I was in the last one in the corner, so it wasn’t like I could hop on over to the next. Another door flying open told me they were checking each one, and they’d inevitably get to the one I was in.
Looking up, I found a window—albeit an incredibly small one—and gauged whether I could fit through the opening before the mystery person reached my door. Locked or not, that loose bolt wasn’t going to hold if they really wanted in here.
With no other options, I carefully set the sole of my boot on the rim of the toilet, bracing both hands on the walls on either side of me. So carefully, with sweat dripping down the back of my neck and palms growing damp, I pulled my other foot up. Meanwhile, the man—I was now confident that wasn’t a woman walking around in here like Bigfoot himself—slammed open two more stalls.
Fuck. Mine was next.
I quickly grabbed the rusty latch, shoving with as much strength as I could muster, but the damn thing wouldn’t budge. I tugged on it, thinking maybe I was pushing the wrong way, but when that didn’t work, I nearly cried. My heart had never beat so damn hard, and I didn’t even know what the man wanted. Maybe he thought his wife washooking up with some rodeo clown and he was on his way to kill the asshole. He probably didn’t even want me.
But with one glance over my shoulder to find black combat boots coming to a stop before my stall door, I decided I didn’t want to find out his real reason for being in here.
Shooting my attention back to the window, my eyes searched frantically for any sign of it being locked. Rust covered most of the latch, but with an awkward angle of my neck, I found a pin lodged inside of it. I quickly slid it out and shoved the handle again, and it budged.
I could nearly squeal with relief, but I wasn’t out of the doghouse yet. I turned it, setting a palm on the foggy glass, and pushed. The window swung open, and I didn’t hesitate as the stall door shook with the man’s efforts of opening it. With both hands braced on the sill, I practically launched myself through the window. Right as the stall burst open. And then my shoulder slammed into the hard dirt.
The only problem was, I wasn’t free yet.
Not as I looked over my shoulder and found two large hands grasping the sill.
Chapter 10
Austin
As soon as I rounded the corner at the bottom of the bleachers and looked up, my plastic cup filled to the brim with beer nearly burst in my fist.Of fucking course, McKenna left. She couldn’t do what she was told even if it’d save her goddamn life.
I stomped up the metal stairs, footsteps echoing as people slid away from the edge, out of my way. I was sure I looked about ready to kill someone, and truth be told, I was. McKenna was not getting out of this shit easily.
“Where’d they go?” I asked Booker, the question coming out more like a statement, as I set my beer on the bench and scanned the crowd in front of us.
“Claimed they had to pee.” Booker looked about as pissed as I did, arms crossed and jaw set. Hell, there was probably a reason no one chose to sit within five feet of us.
That was wise of them.
I pinned him with a glare. “And you didn’t go with them, why?”
“The girls claimed we’d lose our seats if all of usleft, and you fucking ditched me.” His eyes were slits as he turned his attention up to me.
I nearly rolled my eyes but stopped myself. McKenna was rubbing off on me. The thought had me pulling my cowboy hat off my head in frustration, my hands needing something to do.
“I have Brynne’s location on my phone,” Booker went on, flashing his cell at me. “They’re still at the bathrooms if you want to give ‘em hell. Apparently, they don’t listen to me.”
I rolled my lips together. “I’m in the same boat as you, Booker.” I ran a hand through my hair before setting my hat back on my head. “I told her to stay put.”
Booker chuckled, the sound grating on my nerves. “She’s giving you a run for your money, huh?”
Giving him one last glare that promised death, I ditched my beer and headed back down the bleachers, not stopping until I found Brynne waiting by a tree about ten feet from the bathrooms.
“McKenna still in there?” I asked, focusing on the open restroom door. The question came out harsher than I would have liked, but fuck, I couldn’t hide that I was irritated with their carelessness.
