Page 42 of Spar
Tori’s stomach lurched at the man’s invitation. Claire might have her beer goggles on, but there was no way Tori was letting her go anywhere with this creeper.
“Claire, come with me to the ladies’ room.” She grabbed her friend’s hand and pulled her before she could protest.
She managed to get Claire most the way to the bathroom before her friend stopped in her tracks. “Hey, he was kinda cute and he offered me chocolate.” Claire jerked her hand free from Tori’s grasp. “Ugh,” she grumbled and slipped a hand inside her purse. “Who keeps calling me?”
Tori lifted an eyebrow and waited for a tipsy Claire to find her phone and check her missed calls. A pit formed in the bottom of her stomach when her friend’s face became a puzzled expression.
Claire held her phone up for Tori to see. “They’re all from Chris. Is your phone off or something?”
Tori pulled her phone out and checked. Nothing. No calls or texts. “No, he hasn’t called.”
Claire’s phone rang in her hand. “It’s Chris again.”
“Answer it!” Tori screeched, anxious to know why he’d been calling Claire and not her.
“Hello-o-o?” Claire answered, holding the phone to one ear and a finger to the other, obviously to drown out the noise. “What?” She tipped her head down, pressing her ear into the phone.
Tori fought the urge to rip the cell away from Claire and hear what he had to say for herself by chewing on a thumbnail. She didn’t have a good feeling about whatever was going on.
“I don’t understand. Where are you?” Claire asked, pointing toward the exit and motioning for Tori to follow her.
Tori stayed on Claire’s heels as her stomach flipped anxiously. It didn’t make sense for Chris to call her friend unless he was trying to surprise her or unless something was wrong. They fought their way through the busy club and out the front doors onto the sidewalk.
“There!” Claire pointed down the street to a black truck parked along the street with its flashers on. “We’re coming.”
“Chris is here?” Tori asked. She started to smile, happy that he’d come to surprise her, but Claire’s panicked expression warned her that he wasn’t here to see her. Something was wrong.
They hurried down the sidewalk as Chris’ truck squealed out of its spot and screeched to a stop beside them. Tori stood dumbstruck next to the driver’s side as she got a look at Chris’ bloodied and bruised face.
She covered her mouth with two trembling hands. “Oh my God, what happened?”
“Time for questions later, Tori.”
Claire’s sharp tone alerted her to the urgency of the situation, and as she looked closer, she gasped at Travis, curled up and moaning in pain in the back seat.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Sorry I crashedyour girls’ night, I didn’t know what to do. How bad is it?” Chris asked.
“We need to get him to the hospital.” Claire’s tone was gentle but firm. “I’m sorry. I know that’s not what he wants, but he has broken bones.Bones— plural!”
“Christ.” Chris ran a hand over his chin, wincing at the bruising that filled the majority of the left side of his face. “Okay, I’ll take him. He’s in no condition to fight me anyway, might as well take advantage. Where’s your car? I’ll drop you and Tori off first.”
“No way. I’m coming with you,” Claire announced as she dug through her purse. “Tori can follow us to the hospital.”
“Should either of you be driving?”
Claire looked up at him. A sad, half-smile pulled at one corner of her mouth. “Tori hasn’t had a drink all night. She thinks I didn’t notice. I’m pretty sure she was holding out in hopes of driving back to see you tonight.”
Chris nodded, the pain of Claire’s admission dogpiling onto the many ways he’d fucked up tonight.
Claire gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “Let’s get Travis taken care of, and then you can sort things out with Tori.”
He followed her gaze to where Tori sat holding Travis’ hand. Her lips were moving slowly like she was singing or talking quietly to soothe him.
“You’re right.” Chris nodded and motioned for her to get into the truck. “Let’s get Travis to the hospital.”
Chris inhaled deeply, ignoring the sterile smell of the hospital and focusing on breathing through the pain throbbing inside his head.
