He closed the door to my side of the car and climbed in. The engine roared to life and I ducked my head, hoping no one on the street was paying attention.

I gave Dare directions and soon we pulled up to the studio. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. You’ve been coming here every night by yourself? On your bike? What the hell is so important you’d risk that, Bay!” There was a ripple of anger through his words.

20

Dare

She stared back at me with disbelief, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes lit up by the flickering overhead street light.

I took a deep breath. “Bay. This isn’t a place you should be hanging out this late at night.”

“Then you can go home. I have work to do.” She flung open the door and slammed it shut, rocking the chassis of my car.

I jumped out and followed her. The wet pavement was slick under my feet, and I caught up to her and stepped in her path.

“What are we doing here?” The street was vacant. I expected a tumbleweed to roll by. This was a shitty part of town, and my car wasn’t exactly inconspicuous.

Her lips pinched and she glanced up at the pitch-black sky with her hands on her hips. “None of your business. If you’re too scared or whatever, just go home.”

“I’m not leaving you here. How would you get home?”

“I don’t want you here now.”

“Too bad. I’m not leaving.” I glanced over her shoulder at my car sitting under the street light, the pristine paint job a beacon for someone to come and fuck with it.

She stepped around me. “The protective shtick is already old. Go back to the car, then.”

“What are you into, Bay?”

She stopped.

I nearly ran into her and braced my hands on her shoulders to keep us both from pitching forward.

“Do you think I’m a weekend stripper or something?”

“Is this guy giving you trouble?” A huge guy who looked half Santa, half Hell’s Angel stood on the sidewalk, smacking a bat against his palm. Just great, now I was going to have to beat up MC Santa to get Bay out of here.

“It’s okay, Freddy. He was just leaving.”

I hooked my hand around her arm as she tried to pass by, not taking my eyes off the guy who had to be at least six-three. “You know him?”

“No.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. She shook off my hold and headed toward the building.

Breaking out of my stunned stance, I rushed after her.

She jogged down the stairs behind Freddy, the MC Santa, without a backward look.

He blocked my path with his arms folded over his chest.

My nostrils flared and I clenched my fists at my sides. “She didn’t tell me where we were going, and I was giving her a hard time for coming here late at night all by herself.”