Page 77 of Defying Ella
We went from almost jogging to a roadblock and it sounded like someone had turned the volume up around us. Voices chattered and women screamed. The space we’d created with our fast pace closed in fast. Between the strobing lights, the darkness, and the sheer number of bodies, I couldn’t see a thing.
Jared backed up. I tried to get out of his way, but I hadnowhere to go. He bumped into me and then I felt it, the shaking.
Are we being mobbed right now?
I could just about make out someone’s hands tugging at his sleeve. If I could see beyond the flash of the strobes or hear beyond the blaring music, would I find them all staring at him? Shouting requests at him?
Using his death grip on my hand, I forced him to face me. With his body hunched down, I just had to lift on my tiptoes and we were on the same level.
I wrapped my arms around him, resting my head against his and shouted: “Let me help.”
His arms wound around my waist, crushing me to him while he pressed his face into my neck. His heart pounded, all of his efforts to calm himself undone in minutes.
“Do you trust me to get you out of here?”
He nodded against my neck.
“Okay, then take my hand, keep your head close to mine and keep up.” My fingers threaded into his hair, unable to resist with him so close. “Understand?”
Again, he nodded.
I took a deep breath and stiffened my spine. Then, I found the strength to force his rigid arms away from me and squeeze myself between him and the bodies barricading us, placing myself between him and the clamouring crowd blocking our exit path.
Immediately, he crowded against my back. For a second, I thought I felt his lips brush my shoulder and then logic won out; I must have imagined it. One of his hand’s griped mine and the other pressed against my hip, tight enough to hold us flush together if he wanted.
Voices boomed around me. Frantic expressions flickered in the darkened space in front of me.
I blocked it all out and barrelled forward, using everything I had to shove people out of our way. The women lost theirbalance, falling into the people behind, clamouring to get to him. Ordinarily, I’d feel guilty, but then they shouldn’t treat him like an animal.
By the time, we made it to the door, my body shook and my heart pounded. Jared had migrated from gripping my hip to wrapping an arm straight across my midsection. He held me so tightly, it was a miracle I hadn’t thrown up.
The bouncers stared at us with hostile expressions.
“A little assistance would have been helpful,” I snapped at the pair of them.
I forced Jared to release me, but maintained a firm hold on his hand. The bouncers blinked in shock, their gazes flickering between Jared’s ghost-white face and the rush of people following us out.
“Do you want to do your damn jobs and control these assholes before I find some police to do it for you?”
That seemed to jimmy some sense into their brains. They blocked the path of the people trying to rush out of the building, at least giving us time to get some distance between us and the club.
I led Jared down the street towards the taxi rank. The second we turned the corner, he stopped, tugging at my hand.
“We need to get you in a taxi before any of them follow us.”
My gaze roamed his pale, sweaty face. His hand shook in mine, but still he refused to budge towards the waiting taxi.
“Jared, c’mon.” I glanced around him, my pulse racing, certain we’d be surrounded in seconds.
“I can’t. Not like this.” He held his other shaking hand before my eyes. “I need to walk this off.”
I bit back a growl of frustration.
“And what if you get mobbed again?”
He stared at me, his green gaze imploring. Against my better judgement, I softened.
“Fine,” I groaned. “Where to?”
