A Whole New Crowd (A Whole New Crowd #1)(12)

“Okay.” I nodded. As Tray pulled forward, I kept looking at Grayley until he was out of sight. Then I rolled the window up and huddled against it, pressing my forehead against the glass.



CHAPTER FOUR

It wasn’t long until Tray’s phone went off. “Yeah,” he answered. A moment later, “Nah. Have fun. Grant knows the way back.”
His phone rang again, then again. He had the same conversation.
I glanced over. “A lot of people want you to go back to the party.”
He glanced sideways at me and then my phone rang, interrupting anything he might’ve said. I reached for my phone, but Tray caught my hand. “What?” It kept ringing.
“You know who that will be.”
Brian.
A weight dropped onto my shoulders and I nodded. I knew. This was part of breaking up. When he saw I was going to answer anyway, he let go and I held it to my ear. “Brian?”
He demanded, “Where are you?”
“I got a ride home.”
“I saw you, remember? Where are you? Why are you with that punk Evans and why was Clint hitting on you tonight?” He paused. I couldn’t answer before he added, “Were you teasing him? Shit. Are you teasing both of them?”
I frowned. This wasn’t Brian, or this wasn’t my Brian. He was hotheaded and a loose cannon, but he had never turned his rage against me before. I looked at Tray and saw that he had heard. Judging from the chill radiating off him and the set of his jaw, he wasn’t happy.
“Brian, you need to calm down.”
“The f*cker was all over you. He was two inches from—”
“I was handling him.”
Tray pulled the car over and watched me. A knot had formed in my gut and the longer he remained silent, just listening, the more it grew. I didn’t know how this was going to turn out, but I closed my eyes and concentrated on one thing. Brian needed to calm down.
“You were handling him? You’re the one who’s delusional, Tar. He needs to know that you’re still my property. He f*cks with me if he even goes near you.”
“Brian.” I wasn’t his property. He knew that. “Are you trying to piss me off now?”
He stopped, then let out a harsh laugh. “Are you kidding me? Are you f*cking kidding me?”
“Brian, stop.”
“No, you stop. You left, Taryn. You walked away from me, but you’re still mine—”
I ended the call. Grayley was right. Brian needed to be reined in, but I couldn’t do it. That wasn’t my place. I didn’t know why I asked Grayley to keep tabs on him. I couldn’t do anything about him anymore, but someone could and I knew only one person that Brian might listen to. His brother.
“We need to go somewhere.”
“Where?”
“You’re not going to like it.”
He frowned, then started the car. “Just tell me where.”
It was thirty minutes later when he shook his head, eyeing the nightclub. “Am I going to get killed in there?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The Seven8 was home to Jace Lanser, Brian’s older brother. Brian and Jace had a love/hate relationship, but Jace had something that Brian didn’t: discipline. Brian was smart. But Jace was smarter and ruthless.
“Come on. You’ll be fine.” I climbed out of the SUV. Going to his side, I added, “Just don’t say anything.”
Tray didn’t look appeased, but he followed me.
When we neared the door, the bouncer scanned Tray up and down. “He going to be a problem?”
“No trouble. Is Jace in?”
“Hmm. He’s in. He’s with Cammy.”
I grinned. “Those two back on again?”
“Don’t care. She’s either here or she’s not.”
“Right.” I rolled my eyes. When he kept glaring at Tray, I sighed. “You going to let us in or do I need to get in my way?”
His glare turned my way. One night he refused to let me inside, so I went through the roof. The bouncers still hadn’t lived that down.
“He’s in the back. Take the small hallway.”
Tray followed me as we circled around the front entrance, the pounding music already blaring in our ears. Catching Casey’s attention, the front bartender nodded in greeting as we slipped behind him and trailed into the hallway that led its way around the club to the back offices. At the closed office door, I knocked and waited. A second later, it opened as Cammy slipped out. She slid the strap from her halter-top up her shoulder. When she saw it was me, she stumbled. “Taryn, I didn’t know—”
“Let her in, Cammy,” came from inside.
Flushing, she rolled her eyes and slipped around us.
The sight of a shirtless Jace with his pants unbuttoned, hanging low on his lean hips, welcomed us as we went inside. Raking a hand through his tousled hair, he grinned at me, his abdominal muscles highlighted against the neon lighting inside. Brian was solid, but Jace was in a whole different league. He had a lean build, dirty blonde hair, and piercing eyes. His eyes skimmed over me and settled on Tray. He stood there, studying him and as he did, as he breathed in and out, every muscle in his body rippling from that slight movement.
“Heya, Terry.” He flashed me a grin as he buttoned his jeans. He crossed over to us and gave me a hug.
Jace was the only one who could get away with calling me that name. Brian tried once and he got a swift kick in the balls. He’d never done it again, although he sneered every time Jace said it, which made him say it every time he could.
As his arms wrapped around me, a nostalgic feeling came over me. He and Brian had been my family. Each of them protected me for years. When he started to move away, I grasped onto the back of his arms and held him tighter. I just needed a moment longer.