Chapter 002

Graduation day had come and gone. Mom, Dad and I had celebrated, done the whole 'picture with the diploma' bit, and now I was ready to party.

Ivy and I had hit up the local bar, and were letting loose, celebrating our newfound freedom from school.

Mom, bless her heart, was unaware of this particular part of the celebration, also the fact that her goody two shoes daughter was pounding down the drinks like there was no tomorrow.

“Hey, bartender, what's that drink called again? You know, the one with the little umbrella?” I slurred my words, barely holding it together.

The bartender, a patient-looking woman in her forties, smiled kindly at me. “You mean Mai Tai, hon?”

“That’s the one,” I said, giving her a thumbs-up. “I'll have another one of those,” I was having the time of my life. Ariana Grande’s 'Thank U, Next' blasted through the speakers, my head swaying from side to side, nodding to the beat.

For the first time in my life, I was in a bar, getting tipsy_

Am I?

I thought, pouting my lips and pondering the question.

The bartender, who’d been watching me with a smirk on her face, quickly tried to hide her laughter, but I didn’t mind. I grinned back at her.

The bar was a kaleidoscope of noise and movement. The beat of the music thrummed through my bones, and everywhere I turned, there were people dancing, partying, and having the time of their lives.

“Woo!” I shouted, throwing my hands up as Ivy, my gorgeous, wild-haired, beautiful friend, winked at me from across the dance floor, where she was grinding against Liam, some cute guy she’d been hitting on all night.

My eyes drifted back to my Mai Tai, the bright red liquid swishing around the glass in a dizzying dance. But when I looked back again, things had taken a dramatic turn on the dance floor.

Gone was the playful flirtation between Ivy and Liam. In its place was a full-blown make-out session.

“What the hell,” I muttered to myself, lifting the glass to my lips and downing the rest of the cocktail in one smooth gulp.

The air suddenly felt heavy, almost suffocating. I turned to my side and found myself uncomfortably close to a man who was leering at me. His breath reeked of cigarettes and cheap cologne, and the smell was making me even more nauseous than I already was.

The room started to spin, the clinking of glasses and the drunken chatter of the bar patrons fading into a dull buzz in the background.

Stumbling off the bar stool, I fished out a few bucks and slapped them on the counter. “Thanks for the drinks,” I slurred, barely managing to sound coherent.

The bartender nodded in response, but I didn’t wait to see if she understood me.

With my eyes scanning the crowded room, I staggered forward, desperate to find Ivy. She had been dancing with Liam not too long ago, but now I couldn’t spot them anywhere.

Defeated, I stumbled towards the exit, weaving my way through the drunken mass of revelers. I needed fresh air, needed to clear my head.

The cold night air slapped me in the face as I stumbled outside, trying to make sense of the street before me. Ivy’s apartment couldn’t be far, I was sure of it. But the street signs swam in front of my eyes, and I couldn’t seem to get my bearings.

"Just hold it together,” I murmured, feeling the bile rise in my throat. “I’ll find a place to…” Before I could finish the thought, a hand clamped down on my arm, spinning me around to face the man from the bar.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” he leered at me, his dark eyes roaming over my body.

The man was tall, huge, his face grizzled with stubble and his body covered in unkempt hair. He looked like he had spent his life on the wrong side of a bar brawl.

Instinctively, I tried to wrench my arm out of his grip, but he held on tight.

My stomach turned, this time not from the alcohol but from sheer terror.

“What’s wrong, pretty? Scared? Don’t you remember me?” he asked, a sneer curling his lips. His grip tightened around my arm, and I felt panic rising in my chest.

Nausea swirled in my stomach. I needed to vomit, but this man, whoever he is, wouldn’t let me go.

“Hey…you.” I swallowed hard, fighting the bile that threatened to spill from my lips. “Let me go. Now.”

But the man only laughed, his eyes gleaming with an unholy mix of intoxication and malice. “Or what? You gonna cry for help? No one’s gonna hear you.”

He leaned in closer, and I could smell the alcohol on his breath. “Shut up and follow me,” he growled again, yanking me harder, forcing me to stumble after him.

The world swam before my eyes, and I could feel the vomit rising in my throat again. I tried to twist away, but his grip was unyielding.

“No. Please,” I begged, desperate for him to hear me.

“The lady said No,” a deep voice rang out from the darkness, “And you don’t force a woman like that.”

The man holding me froze, his head turning towards the sound. I twisted in his grasp, my heart pounding in my chest as I followed his gaze.

There, parked in the alley, was a car, its windows tinted and its engine idling. And sitting in the backseat, his features obscured by the dark, was the source of that commanding voice.

“She’s my fiancée, and we have our wedding set for tomorrow.” the mysterious man in the car declared. “You’ve made a grave mistake. You’ve picked the wrong woman to mess with, and I assure you, you won’t like the consequences.”

I glanced from the shadowy figure in the car to the grizzly looking man who was still gripping my arm. His grimy hand fell away from my arm, and I instinctively rubbed the sore spot.

But I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. Seriously, this knight in shining armor should come out of his car and fight this creep, not spin some wild tale about a wedding.

Still, I played along, keeping my face as blank as possible.

The man in the car watched me for a moment before cocking his head slightly. “It’s our big day tomorrow. Get in the car. Party's over.”

I nodded, casting a final glance at the man who’d tried to grab me. He was staring at us, uncertain, before slinking back into the shadows.

I slid into the passenger seat, still shaking from the fear and adrenaline coursing through my veins, and I found myself wondering if I’d just exchanged one kidnapper for another.

But before I could give it much thought, the driver car started the engine, and we sped away, leaving the would-be kidnapper in a cloud of exhaust.

Each time I remembered the “fiancée” and the “wedding” let out a strangled giggle, trying to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside me—it was all just too absurd!

Maybe the alcohol in my system had made me bolder, But I found myself trusting this stranger seated next to me, giggling as I asked,

“Did you really have to say all that? The lies, I mean.”

“He was armed, you know,” the man said, meeting my gaze for a moment before returning his eyes to the road. “You didn’t see it, but I did.”

I nodded, sobering a bit at his words. “Well, it worked. You saved me. Although, I have to say, those were some pretty creative lies.”

"Every word I spoke was true, Miss Monroe. We are getting married tomorrow, as planned. There is no backing out now."

My face sobered, and I began to frown in deep thought. But between the alcohol, the dizziness, and the sheer absurdity of the situation, my head was spinning_