Chasing Bristol (The Finding Trilogy Book 2) (13 page)

Mom reached for my arm just as I turned
to leave. “Can’t you stay a while?” she pleaded. “We’ve hardly talked. I feel
like I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Whose fault is that?” I countered and
writhed out of her grasp.

She followed me from the living room. I
opened the front door and stepped outside.

“So what are you going to do about
Tyler?” she continued, chasing me as I trekked across the stoned entrance
toward my Kia.

I bit my bottom lip to stop from
screaming at her. I climbed in and started the car, wanting to leave without
saying anything.

Mom placed her hand on the door to stop
me from shutting it. That didn’t bother me as much as the awful stench that was
now inside the car.

“Well? You know a guy like that won’t
hold on forever,” she said.

While peering around for the source of
the smell, I reiterated to her, “For the hundredth time, Mom, it’s over between
me and Tyler. Somewhere there’s a better guy for me. Someone who won’t cheat on
me.”

That might be Mason. A part of me wanted
it to be him so badly.

I gave up searching and yanked the door
shut. The window was down. She arched over and stuck her hand inside to brush
my cheek. “Please think about it some more, honey. Don’t be impulsive.”

It hurt me that she only seemed to care
about my relationship with Tyler. What about the creep? Or rather, my stalker. After
all, there was a note above the dashboard.

He knew where my mother lived too.
Wonderful
.

I shrank into the seat, disgusted and so
damn tired of this shit.

“What is it, honey?” She straightened
and squeezed her nose. “My god, what is that awful smell?”

Pointing at the note, I replied, “It’s
what you should be more concerned about.”

Mom wrinkled her forehead and glanced at
the blue note waiting for me. “Ugh, what
is
that?” she said while I
snatched the note off the dashboard. I unfolded it and read the latest from my
stalker.

Look in the glove compartment.

X

Nervous about what he’d done this time,
I tossed the note on the passenger seat and slowly opened the glove
compartment.

“Ah!” Mom and I shrieked at the grotesque
sight of a bloody dead rat and burnt roses.

Bile burned my throat. I covered my
mouth and tried not to gag.

“My god! Bristol…don’t,” Mom advised as
I reached for the note beneath the roses.

Mom backed away from the car, coughing.
My fingers trembled as I unfolded the paper. There were drops of blood on it. I
clamped my mouth shut, holding my breath as I read.

I’m starting to get upset, Bristol.

You seem to think this is a game.

Why won’t you return to our home?

I hope you’re willing to lose someone if you continue being
stubborn.

X

I dropped the note on top of the other
one and wiped my hands on my jeans. Mom came back to the window.

She touched my arm, whimpering. “What
did it say? Honey, you should stay here. This scares me.”

“I can’t stay here. I’ll put you in
danger.” Looking at her, I said, “I’m going to clean this up. I’ll call you
later.”

Mom tightened her grip on my arm, her
lips quivering. She was terrified. “But Bristol—”

“Everything’s going to be okay, Mom,” I
assured her. “I promise.” She released me and stepped away from the car. I
backed down the driveway before she could protest.

It was a lie. Nothing would be the same
again. Not until this guy got what he wanted.

Me.

I’d reached my limit.
After getting my car cleaned, I called Amber and she agreed to drive us to a
club downtown that night. I told Mason that I was staying with my friends and
he didn’t need to stop by the condo.

I didn’t tell him or my dad about the
dead rat and burnt roses, not to mention my stalker’s threat. They’d probably
never let me leave the condo again, especially if they knew where we ended up
after leaving Amber’s house.

Studio 3
was chock-full from wall to wall. Amber and I found a spot at the retro-style
bar with glowing neon lights hanging over the counter. A few men winked and
nodded our way.

I noticed one guy in particular with
glossy black hair and a dimpled grin checking out Amber. He gave her
curve-hugging mini dress the once-over and licked his lips in approval.

She flashed him a flirty smile after we
got our martinis and sat on the metallic bar stools. I fixed the hem of my black
knee-length dress so it didn’t ride up as I crossed one leg over the other.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Amber yelled
over the loud dance music. “I mean, after what happened last ni—”

“I’m fine,” I told her. “The woozy
feeling’s long gone. Look, Amber, I need this. I’m sick of letting this guy
disrupt my life. I’m so stressed about everything. I just need to unwind.
Badly.”

There was still a look of uncertainty on
her face. “Fine. But why didn’t we bring Jules?”

I rolled my eyes. “You know she’s going
to say I shouldn’t be out, just like Mason.” I chugged half of my martini.

Amber raised her brows. “Slow down,
girl. You’ll get me in trouble with your dad.”

I waved her off. “I’m a big girl. I can
handle myself.”

Doubtful, she sighed and flipped her raven
hair off her shoulders then sipped her drink, leaving red lipstick stain on the
glass.

We finished our martinis and then headed
through the crowd over to the misty and dark dance floor. It was like a sweat
fest out there. My head spun a bit as I grooved to the music. I could already
feel the alcohol hitting my system; it felt good to not think about anything
and just relax.

I wasn’t sure how long we’d been
dancing, but we were both starting to feel suffocated in the thick mass and
needed to cool down.

Leaving the dance floor, Amber and I
sauntered back to the bar and ordered another round of martinis. The cute guy
from before came over and started talking to her. She introduced us, but I
couldn’t remember his name because I was buzzed.

I let them chat while I finished my
martini. As the night progressed, I began ordering shots. The alcohol took
everything away. My whole body felt light, as if I was floating in midair, and
I just wanted to dance and dance all night long.

Leaning over to Amber, I jerked her arm
to draw her attention. “Hey, I’m going back out there,” I slurred, loudly.

“Geez, Bristol.” She frowned. “I turn
away for a sec and look at you.”

“Oh I’m fine.” I giggled for no reason
and started to walk away.

Amber gripped my elbow. “Wait, I’ll go
with you.” She looked at the cute guy with the dimples and asked, “Coming?”

He placed his drink on the counter and
followed us to the dance floor. He nuzzled up to Amber, wanting to dance closer
to her, but she was too busy watching me. I motioned for her to turn around and
have fun with him. Soon, she caved and did just that.

I swung my hips to the pop mix, buzzed
and without a care. It was like being on cloud nine, higher than life. I
wondered if it had anything to do with being drugged the night before and
drinking too much now. The pounding of the stereos hit me from all corners
until it reached my soul. I wasn’t even startled when someone came up behind me
and wound his strong arms around my waist. He breathed on my neck and towed me
into his arms, pushing even closer to my rear. Uneasy, I tried to pry his hands
off and put space between us, but with the alcohol in me I didn’t have the
strength.

The stranger moved along to the music,
tightening his hold on me, never letting go. Not once. Exhausted, I closed my
eyes and dropped my head back against his hard chest, letting him take control.

It’s harmless
,
I told my drunken self.
This is a club, just have fun and let go
.

A part of me wished it was Mason, that
he was the one dancing close to me, sheltering me in his warm and protective
arms. I started to imagine it was him, losing myself in a dark haze of lust.

But then he lowered his head at my neck,
and cold lips grazed my ear as he whispered in a possessive and chilling voice,
“My love, we’ll be together soon, and no one will get in the way. Not your
family, not your friends, and definitely not your ex.”

My body stiffened.
It’s him!

Panicked, I started to squirm in his
tight hold.
How could I have missed it?
It was the same strong, leathery
cologne from that night.

My stalker released me. I spun to look
at him under the dim club lighting but only saw his dark figure hurrying off
through the crowd. I didn’t bother to tell Amber, I just rushed after him,
wanting to see his face.

I
had
to see his face.

He hurried to the exit and slipped
outside. By the time I made it through the cluster, reached the metal door, and
pushed it open, he was gone. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I looked up and down
the sidewalk hysterically, uncertain of which way to turn.

It started to rain, large, frigid drops
cooling my skin. The heavy downpour started to soak my hair and dress. I hugged
myself while I remained in one spot, turning around and around. People looked
at me as if I were crazy.

Maybe I was.

I’d been drinking too much. It could be
I’d envisioned him on the dance floor; perhaps he’d never been there at all. My
mind must have fabricated the whole thing. Fear could do that to people.

I swiveled in my heels too fast and
almost fell. Amber caught my arm and helped me regain my balance. “Bristol,
what the hell! You can’t just run off like that. Damn it. This was a mistake.
We never should have come here.”

Riddled by exhaustion, I leaned in and
flung my arms around her neck. The guy with the dimples was standing behind
Amber, shielding his eyes from the rain. He gave me a confused look.

“I think he…he was…dancing with me,” I
said in between breaths, my lips trembling from fear and the cold.

“What?” Amber eased me away. Then she peered
around, unfazed by the fact that her dress and hair were getting drenched.
Looking back at me, she asked, “Are you sure?”

I didn’t answer, only turned my head
slowly. Amber draped her arm around my shoulder and we started walking.

“Do you need help?” the guy asked. “I
could drive you two home.”

“No thanks.” Amber waved him off. “It’s
fine. We’ll make it.”

We headed across the street to where
she’d parked her car. Burned out from drinking so much and from the terror that
my stalker was causing me, I fell asleep in the passenger seat.

When I arrived at Dad’s condo, I was
surprised to see Mason there. Dad observed our water-logged dresses with his
mouth opened wide. He regarded me from head to toe, his mouth twitching in
anger. I couldn’t look at Mason; I felt crappy for lying to him.

“What the hell were you two thinking?”
Dad yelled. “Your mother told me what happened today, Bristol. Why didn’t you
tell us?”

“You lied to me,” Mason chipped in, his
voice even. “How could you be so careless?”

Amber tried to explain, “Mason, look,
Bristol just wanted to—”

“To what?” he interrupted, upset. “Give
him easy access? Pretend like it’s not serious? Give up…” He said the last part
under his breath.

I glanced at him, regret filling my heart
when I saw the look in his eyes.

“This isn’t a joke!” Mason stalked past
me to the door. He stepped outside and closed it with a thud.

Dad sighed. “Mason is right. What you
two did
was
careless.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, staring at the
floor again. Amber rubbed my back.

“At least nothing happened to you,” Dad
said in a lower tone.

“Actually,” Amber started. I bumped her
arm to stop her. When she looked at me I squinted; she understood.

“What?” Dad pressed.

Staring at him, Amber said, “Uh, nothing.
I’m going to take off. Don’t want to catch a cold.”

“Okay,” he nodded.

I mouthed “thank you” before she turned
and ambled over to the door, slipping outside.

Dad moved around me and locked the door.
I went to the bathroom, turning the tap on to fill up the tub. I didn’t want to
mention what had happened at the club and worry my dad and Mason even more.

Then again, I wasn’t sure that anything
had
happened. I’d drank way too much and I wasn’t thinking straight. What
if I’d become so afraid that I was starting to imagine things?