He looks down at my hands and then back up at me. “Nervous?” That one word has me on high alert. I take a quick look around. Now, I’m hoping that we’re not alone. If someone is watching, they’ll see me get shot and call for help, right?

“Uh, no. Not at all,” I ramble. He cocks a dark eyebrow in question.

I wrap my arms around myself. “I just … uh, it’s been so long …” I say. “I need it real bad,” I add quickly. What the fuck? I think I’m about to have a heart attack, my heart is pounding so hard in my chest.

After a few long seconds, he places a clear baggie in my hand. I quickly count ten pills. “That won’t last you long,” he informs me, and I shove it into my pocket. Fuck! Just breathe.

“You know how to get in touch with me if you need more.” And with that, they turn around and walk back off into the darkness.

I run to my vehicle, get in my car, and lock the doors. I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial a number, not wanting to wait another second. I need to get rid of this shit as instructed. I pull away from the curb as it starts to ring.

“Did you get it?” Case demands, not even bothering with a hello.

“Yes,” I respond as I look into my rearview mirror. There’s a reason people come over here in order to pick up their drugs, and it’s because the cops stay away. But that doesn’t make me any less worried about being caught with drugs on me.

As I wait for my directions, I listen to the music coming from the other side of the phone in the background. Case and his best friend, Brecken, own the biggest nightclub here in Chicago. It’s known for illegal activity. But that’s to be expected when the owners are the drug dealers of Chicago.

“How soon can you be here?” he asks after a long second.

“You give me a time and I’ll be there.” I check my rearview mirror again. Still clear.

“An hour.” And with that, he hangs up. I toss my phone over into the passenger seat and let out a long breath.

I loosen my shoulders and stretch my tense neck as I tilt it from side to side. Then I lift one hand to unbutton the top two buttons of my shirt because I need to breathe. I actually let out a laugh as I shake my head. I can’t believe I just did that and actually survived. Now that I’m in the clear, I start to feel the rush, the adrenaline running through my veins, and it feels good. I laugh at how nervous I was over nothing. There was nothing to it.

I get out of the car still laughing and smiling when I walk into the house I share with the girls.

Savannah jumps up from the couch with a frown on her face as I walk into the living room. “I texted you earlier.”

I smile down at her as I pull her into me, enjoying her scent. It’s fresh and relaxes me even more. “Sorry, my phoned died,” I lie.

She runs her hands up my back. “Where have you been?”

“I had to work late.” Another lie.

“Well, you’re home now.” She leans up on her tiptoes to kiss me, but I pull away. I don’t have time to give her what she wants right now. I need a shower. For some reason, meeting with those two guys makes me feel dirty. And then I gotta get to the club.

“I gotta get ready,” I say pulling away from her.

“For what? You just got home,” she huffs.

“I’m meeting Dillon out tonight,” I say lying once again. God, is this gonna be my life from now on? Nothing but lies?

“Oh, I’ll start getting ready too,” she says sounding happy about a night out.

I spin around in the hallway and look down at her. “He wants to have a guys’ night.”

Her big green eyes narrow on me, and she tosses her blond hair over her shoulder. “I know you don’t expect me to stay at home while you go out with Dillon? He is the biggest whore of a friend you have,” she declares, and I hate that I have to agree with her. Why didn’t I pick a different friend? Hell, I could have just made one up.

“But you trust me,” I remind her with a smile.

She snorts. “You’re not going out without me,” she states before she spins around and heads off down the hallway to our room.

I let out a sigh of frustration, the tension returning to my body. Now, what the fuck am I gonna do?

TAYLOR

“Wake up.”

I sit straight up, looking around frantically when I hear my bedroom door bang against the wall. I fall back down to the bed and close my eyes when I see it’s just Savannah being more dramatic than usual as she storms into my room.

“Go away,” I mumble; wanting her to leave me alone so that I can finish my nap. Today was a very long day for me. I had finals, and when I got home, all I wanted to do was catch up on all the sleep I had lost while studying the last few weeks.

“No. We’re going out. Get up.”

Her cheerful tone annoys me. “I don’t wanna go out tonight,” I say as I roll onto my stomach. I grab the pillow and cover the back of my head to drown out the light that she rudely switched on.

I squeal as she slaps my ass over my jeans, since I fell asleep still dressed. Hard enough for me to hiss in a breath as I try to rub the sting out of it. “Get up and get ready. I need a night out, and you deserve a night out.”

“You’re wrong. You just wanna get laid,” I mumble.

She winks at me with a naughty smile playing on her Barbie doll face. “I don’t need to go out to get a piece of ass.”

I almost vomit at the reminder that she is sleeping with my brother, and she laughs at me as she watches me shiver from that thought. Gross!

I shove the pillow off the bed and look out my bedroom window. How long have I been asleep? It’s dark outside. I look over at Savannah. She has her blond hair down, and I can tell she’s straightened it. She’s done her makeup as well. Glancing at my phone on the bed next to me, I see that it’s ten. “It’s too late to go out,” I say happily. “By the time I get up, get ready, and we get there … It’ll be closing.” I smile inwardly at that thought. I sure as hell don’t wanna get up and get ready for nothing. I had a date with my bed tonight. Maybe a little Netflix and some Ben and Jerry’s.

She places her hand on her hip, and the six silver bangles around her wrist clink together. “I swear I don’t know how you have survived three years of college.” She sighs heavily. “This is when everyone goes out. If you get there early, you look desperate,” she says in her duh voice. As if it’s common knowledge to show up late to a club. “This is the perfect time.”

“You guys go.” I lie back down. “I’m going to stay here and sleep.” I pull the covers up and over my head. “Don’t wake me when your drunk asses stumble in,” I inform her with a soft laugh. Their drunk sex is the worst. I swear the neighbors can hear them. And no amount of pillows can drown out the sounds.

She rips the covers off me and throws them to the floor. I growl in protest. “You need a social life. Now, get your ass up.”

She walks out of my room, and I holler after her. “You forgot to turn the light off.”

“Get your ass up, Tay!” she yells back.

I sigh as I look up at my ceiling. I haven’t been out in months. My brother, Blane, and Savannah go out all the time, and I don’t know how they do it. Work all day and then party all night long. I need my sleep. I can’t seem to function without it.

But it could give me some time alone with my brother. I never see him anymore. He hasn’t been the same since he came back from Pekin without my father a few months ago. Just as I had expected, they wouldn’t let him out on bail. I can tell it bothers my brother that he’s still in there. He needs to realize that he doesn’t owe him anything.

I guess a night out wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen. I’ve done nothing but schoolwork for the last month. I crammed day and night for my finals. Now, I have three free months of relaxation before I start my senior year in college.

“Sis?” I sit up when my brother pops his head into my room. His dark brown shaggy hair is still wet from his shower. And a towel hangs low on his hips. I place my hand over my eyes. “Can you please get dressed before you enter my room?” I beg of him. Ever since the first time he and Savannah hooked up, about six months ago, he feels like he doesn’t have to wear clothes around the house. The worst was when I came home from school early one day and they were having sex on our couch while on their lunch break. I haven’t been able to sit in that spot since then, or look at him the same. I have to admit that having to hear it is much less traumatizing than having to see it.