Page 63 of Somewhere Only We Know
I was trapped in a crowd of people that felt like it came together to form one organism of pure chaos. Pushing against me, pressed into me. Hands reached for my hair and my clothes.
“Jack!” I screamed, covering my face with my arms. When a stranger’s clammy hand reached for my wrist I yelled, “Please, let me go!”
I was going to pass out. I was going to die in this crush of bodies. All I could think over and over again was that I brought this on myself. That my stupid impulse to have this special day was going to get me killed.
“Lucky!” someone cried into my ear. “Can I get a hug?” My head whipped toward the voice. It was a man, his arms reached out for me.
Every part of me recoiled, and when I spun around to get away from him, my hat tumbled off and I could only watch as it rolled away—trampled immediately.
I closed my eyes and yelled out one more time.
“JACK!”
CHAPTER FORTY
JACK
I ran to her. Pushing through the bodies. Unthinking, staying focused on her voice.
“Jack!” I heard her yell again.
I couldn’t find her; I couldn’t reach her. Adrenaline pumped through me as I shoved people aside. It wasn’t only the group of teenagers anymore—it was dozens of people. People who had heard her name and come running. I could almost feel her terror, the panic woven through the chaos of the crowd, reaching out to me.
Nothing mattered anymore except getting to her.
“Move!” I yelled. “Out of my way!”
“Jack!” Her voice was so close. I stepped on something and when I looked down, I saw that it was her hat. A panicked energy coursed through me from seeing the familiar green object trampled, propelling me forward, moving people effortlessly.
Finally, my eyes found hers and I saw the fear pulsing in them. “Lucky!” I yelled, going to her, not thinking about using her real name. I saw the fear transform instantly into shock.
But her hands still reached out to me and I grabbed them, swiftly and tightly. I pulled her to my chest and she tucked herself into me, popping her jacket collar up toward her face.
The light show started, the music soaring into the night air, but the crowd still followed us. The neon beams tore through the fog of the harbor, the buildings taking turns dancing with every color of the rainbow.
Her entire body was rigid against mine, her breath hot against my shirt. My arms kept her close and I whispered into her hair, “I got you.”
Now I had to get us out.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
LUCKY
He called me Lucky.
He knew.
He knew the entire time?
Or was it only this moment, when the fans found me?
The need to get out of here, to escape this, was stronger than any of my questions. I kept my eyes on my feet, the usual shuffle-o-concentration to get through the crowds. This time, Ren wasn’t here with his team to threaten people.
But I did have Jack.
We were still surrounded by fans screaming and chasing us, and I was about to lose it when Jack said, “Ready?” I lifted my gaze from my feet to what was directly in front of us—a row of electric scooters with restaurant logos on them. Delivery scooters.
Before I could say anything, he was pulling me toward one and Iclimbed on it, glancing back at the group of people taking photos and reaching out for us. Jack yelled at them to back off and then jumped on in front of me. “Hold tight,” he said.
