Toxic (Denazen #2)(42)

In the corner, the keg had been knocked on its side. Small droplets of golden liquid formed an expanding puddle underneath it. The folding table that once held the mixed drinks was also on the floor, a pool of pink creeping toward the center of the room. Scattered glow jewelry lay everywhere, making the room look like a tiny neon graveyard.

I hesitated at the stairs, listening. All quiet. It seemed like everyone had gotten out. Pointing the cell into the hall, I used it to light my way to the kitchen. There was still noise coming from outside. Faint voices and car doors slamming. The Parkview police were on a mission. A few weeks ago the local paper had done an article about the party scene and how the Parkview PD wasn’t doing enough—aka anything—to stop it. Now, they were determined to prove themselves. They’d chase you through the woods all the way to the next town from what I’d heard. I had no intention of testing that theory.

I brushed the old lace curtains aside to check the backyard. If the coast was clear, I could make a break for it and find Kale and Kiernan. But unfortunately, the coast wasn’t clear. Thin material aside revealed Able on the other side of the glass, grinning like a cat that’d just eaten an entire flock of baby birds. I nearly toppled backward out of surprise.

My hands shot out to fumble with the lock, but he was too fast. He slammed the door open and pushed inside. “Thought you lost me, yeah?”

Running was my first plan, but it didn’t pan out. I tripped over a fallen metal folding chair and went down hard. Breath caught in my lungs as my left elbow slammed against the floor. Thousands of tiny tingles shot down my arm and up my neck.

Able was on me, and there was no time to run. Time for plan B. Scrambling upright, I took the folding chair and backed away several steps. No way was I going to make this easy for him.

He chuckled. “You’re gonna hit me with a folding chair, yeah?” He stopped and spread his arms wide. “Go for it. I’ll even give you a free shot.”

No need to tell me twice. Fingers tightening around the legs, I swung the chair at his head as hard as I could. At the last second, I mentally crossed my fingers and pictured one of the heavy wooden chairs in the lobby of the Sanctuary. Cherry wood, deep red velvet seat cushion, and an ornate back. Tacky as hell, but seriously heavy. The sudden weight change knocked me slightly off balance but not before the chair collided with Able in a satisfying thud. He and the chair crashed to the ground, and I took off toward the door.

I made it to the stairs and was about to slip back out the front door, but Aubrey stepped out from the dining room and into my path. There was only one way to go. Up. I changed direction, skidding on the drink-soaked floor, and took the steps two at a time. When I got to the top, Able’s scream split the air. Any sense of humor he had was gone.

Really, coming back into the house was one of the more brain-dead things I’d done recently. I’d backed myself into a corner.

“Hey!” someone whisper-yelled as I passed one of the rooms.

I knew that voice. It was like nails scraping against a blackboard.

Jade was standing by a sliding glass door that lead to a small second-story balcony. There was just enough light from the moon filtering through the dirty glass to make out her annoyed expression.

“What are you still doing here?” A quick glance down the hall. Still clear. They had to be regrouping or something, or they would be here by now. “More important, where the hell is Kale?”

“We got separated by the crowd.”

I stared. “You got separated? Are you crazy? In this kind of chaos, do you know the damage he could accidentally do if you’re not with him?”

She rolled her eyes. “Relax. When we heard the sirens, I told him if we got split up to head back to the hotel.”

“And he agreed to that?” I was relieved but also a little annoyed by the idea he’d leave without knowing I was safe.

Jade read my expression like a book, lips curling into a cruel smile. “Of course. You just have to know how to ask.” She leaned closer. “Weren’t you wearing a different shirt? And what’s up with your hair?”

“Never mind. Why are you hiding up here? You could have easily gotten snagged by the cops.”

She nodded at the sliding glass doors. “I was in the bathroom when the cops came in. I ran in here to hide and was going to go out and climb down, but it’s stuck.”

Pushing her aside, I reached for the handle and yanked. Yep. Stuck.

“Up here, yeah?” Able’s voice came from down the hall. “In one of these rooms. She didn’t get far.”

I tiptoed back to the door and peered around the edge. Aubrey and Able were making their way down the hall, peering into the rooms along the way. There were two rooms between them and us. Only one choice left. “I’d love to say I’m sorry about this, but really, I’m so not.”

Jade scrunched up her nose and folded her arms. “Sorry? About wha—”

I ran at her with as much speed as I could gather in the short distance. Grabbing her shoulders, I propelled us into the sliding glass door. It shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, some skimming my neck and cheeks, but most missing me, thanks to my handy-dandy human shield.

Could we have found another way out? Maybe. At the very least, I probably could have kicked the window to break it instead of tossing Jade through it like a volleyball—but that wouldn’t have been nearly as satisfying. Or as much fun.