Page 6 of Sweet Oblivion

Okay... This one might take a hot minute, and I swear to God if I don’t pee soon, my eyes are going to turn yellow. Squeezing Ryker’s hand in mine, I turn in front of him and point to the hall.“I’m going to use the restroom. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Thankfully, he nods, although I have no doubt I got most of that wrong.

It only takes me a minute before I’m washing my hands in front of the mirror, staring at the woman reflected back at me. Not too bad, considering it’s closing in on one a.m. My hair still has some bounce, and my makeup isn’t completely gone. A little smudged maybe but not too bad. Straightening the cute black shorts I bought to match the pink and black Kings tee Ashton insisted I wear, I accept that this is as good as it’s getting and step out of the ladies room, ready to find Ryker and hopefully go home.

I wonder if the older man is still with him?

What the?—

A hand covers my mouth, stifling my scream as another wraps around my waist, lifting me from my feet.

Oh. My. God.

What the hell?

I kick my legs and claw at whatever I can.

But it happens so fast.

I’m being carried.

Someone is carrying me down the dark hall toward—No.

The exit sign flashes above the door.

I kick harder, but don’t connect.

I’m being kidnapped.

This is not happening.

I didn’t escape one hell to be dragged into another.

My fingers claw and my nails break as I try to scream.

To bite.

“Shh... quiet now,” a voice threatens in the darkness.

Fuck that.

I try to scream again and again, but the music and his hand drown out the sound.

Tears stream from my eyes as my kicking feet finally make contact with something, eliciting a huff. But it doesn’t stop my attacker from moving quickly through the hall. It’s seconds really, but it feels like everything slows around me.

We’re outside before I can take my next breath, and I’m slammed against the brick wall, my head ricochetting as the pain explodes and stars dot in my vision.

The hand holding me moves, and my breath explodes from my lungs as I suck in oxygen. But before I can scream, that hand wraps around my throat instead of my mouth, clamping down and stopping me.

Stopping everything.

Cutting off my airway.

And I still.

Fighting only makes it worse.

Some things you learn and you never forget.