Eden

Jared opened my door and helped me in. “Oh, now it’s him?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I’m playing around with both.”

Jared shut the door and in the next moment, slid into his seat. He shoved the shift into gear and then pulled away, a residual smile on his face.

I leaned over and hugged his arm, leaning my head on his shoulder. For the first time in a long time, tomorrow didn’t seem so ominous. Eli gave us all a bit of hope.

My cell phone rang, and I fished it from my purse, reading the display. “Hi, Beth,” I said.

“How long have you been in town?”

“A few hours. I know I said I would come over. We had to see Lillian and Cynthia, first.”

“Okay, I get that, but you could have at least called!”

I frowned. I was failing right and left at friendship. “Okay. Let me make it up to you. I’ll meet you at the pub in twenty minutes.”

“The pub? Really?”

“Yes. I’m sure you need a drink. I’ll call Ryan and Claire. They can meet us there.”

“Just like old times!” Beth squealed. “I’ll tell Chad!”

I dropped the phone into my purse and smiled. “She hung up on me.”

Jared frowned. “Do you think it’s wise to meet in a public place after the day we just had?”

I looked out the window. “This is my town. I dare them.”

Jared chuckled, and then took my hand, kissing my fingers. “You’re very attractive when you’re feisty.”

I grinned over his compliment, and watched Providence pass by as we made our way to the pub. Once in a while I would sneak glances at him. Jared hadn’t changed much since we met. He was still the tall, blond, movie- star-handsome man that sat next to me on the bench almost three years before. His chest and arm muscles still caught my eye when they moved and flexed under his shirt; his blue-gray eyes still made me pause. Life couldn’t have spiraled out of control anymore than it had, but I wouldn’t trade it. A different life didn’t even appeal to me at that point. Despite that we were about to run for our lives, I had everything I’d ever wanted, with a man I loved desperately. Was the danger, stress, and fear worth it? Damn right it was.

The neighborhood around the pub had deteriorated since my freshman year. The streets seemed darker, and instead of college students congregating outside the front door, those loitering were much older, wearing sad stories on their faces. Jared pulled into the parking lot across the street. Nearly hopscotching my way around the puddles in the road, I ignored the stares of those standing outside, and led Jared into the pub. Tozzi was no longer behind the bar. In his place was a large woman with long, yellow hair. She didn’t greet us when we came in.

“New management, I’m guessing,” Jared said as we found a table. “I guess Beth hasn’t been here lately, either, or she would have said something.”

“It’s a shame. Some of my favorite Brown memories are of this place.”

Jared put his elbows on the table and settled in, smiling. “You mean the first night we danced?”

I rested my cheek on the palm of my hand, shooting a flirtatious smile across the table. “That’s exactly what I was referring to, yes.”

The music was loud, so I resorted to texting Beth to see if she wanted to meet elsewhere. I felt safe anywhere if I was with Jared. Although Chad was no pipsqueak, I couldn’t imagine she would be comfortable here.

Seconds after I sent the text, Beth and Chad pushed through the door. Beth’s eyes were wide as she looked around, and only slightly relieved when she recognized Jared and me. She waved at us, and then pulled Chad hastily across the room to our little corner.

“What in the hell happened to this place?” she said.

I leaned into the table. “Do you want to leave?”

“Why?” Chad said, puffing up his chest. “I’m ready for a beer.”

We ordered, then Claire appeared, with Ryan right behind her.

One of the men whistled, and then slapped Claire’s backside. She jerked to a stop, and with her stiletto boots, kicked the leg of the chair the man was in. It splintered, sending him tumbling to the ground. Neither Claire nor Ryan glanced behind them. They simply continued to our table as if nothing had happened.

One of the misfits at the man’s table stood, and then Jared pushed himself away from the table, rising until his six feet, two inches towered over his challenger. Even from across the room he was intimidating. When the friend promptly took his seat, Jared did the same.

“You always have to make an entrance,” Jared grumbled to his sister.

“I’ll never get his greasy fingerprints out of this fabric.”

“That’s what you get for wearing pleather,” Ryan joked.

“This is not pleather,” Claire seethed. She jerked her head, shaking her bangs from her eyes. Her ice blue irises glowed against her nearly white hair, and I silently hoped that Bean looked just like her. A little nicer, of course, but physically, Claire was the perfect female specimen.

Beth filled us in on the magnitude of emotions at Titan, the rumors, and how well Grant was handling it all. The longer Beth talked, the hotter the pub became, as more grungy bikers and seedy individuals flowed through the door. Hearing Beth over the noise became more difficult for Chad, but Jared and I only pretended to struggle. To me, Beth sounded like she was talking directly into my ear.

A fight broke out, and Jared stood. He was on high alert, waiting for the crowd around us to shell. I watched the scuffle until they were thrown outside, and then I breathed. Jared was right. I was too confident. Even with the added security of Claire and Ryan, Chad and Beth could easily be hurt if the rowdy crowd inside shelled and we had to fight our way out.

“Maybe we should find somewhere else,” I said.

“I agree,” Beth jumped in.

“I’ll get the tab,” Jared said.

Claire rolled her eyes. “You guys are babies.”

Beth and I left Claire and Ryan sitting at the table, walking together toward the door. Just a few feet away, we waited for Chad and Jared to pay the bill. Chad was laughing at something Jared had said. I smiled. There was something so satisfying about Jared socializing with someone other than our inner circle. It made him more… human.

Spending time with people who didn’t know our secrets was relaxing for me, and it seemed to be that way for Jared, too. In that moment, I accepted my choice to keep the truth from Beth. Not only was it for her own safety, but I could rationalize that it was for my own sanity as well.

“You’ve really popped!” Beth said, gesturing to my stomach.

Instinctively I put my hand on my rounded belly. “Crazy, isn’t it? It seems like it happened overnight.”

Just then another fight broke out. People were punching and shoving, their bodies bouncing against each other like pinballs. I desperately tried to find Jared in the chaos, but when a line of sight finally opened up, he was no longer beside the bar.

Knowing the safest place for us was outside, I hurriedly opened the door and pushed Beth into the night air. The fighting spilled out onto the sidewalk, forcing Beth and me farther away. I tried to keep her out of harm’s way, tugging on her until we found ourselves in the alley.

“Oddly enough, I feel safer in the dark,” Beth whispered.

Yelling and breaking glass sounded just around the corner, and I decided to stay put. We waited for Jared and Chad, but the minutes passed, and I fought away feeling of panic. I imagined they were fighting their way out of the pub in that moment, and at any second they would come around the corner.

The small space between the two buildings didn’t allow for much light. I felt a chill down my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. From each end of the alleyway, whispers floated from the shadows.

I squeezed Beth’s hand. “We should see what’s taking so long.”

Beth nodded. We took a step, and then froze. A large man that I recognized from the pub stood in the way, his eyes bulging black spheres. His mouth moved, but he spoke in a different language. Something I’d never heard before.

Beth let out a small gasp, and she took a step back, pulling me with her. A dark, metal side door opened, and the bartender stepped out. Her expressionless face and dark eyes signaled that she had shelled as well.