Addicted to Mr Parks (The Parks Series #2)(60)

“You’re not going to drink it?”

“I don’t want it just yet.” It was only bloody water.

“Oh.” Tabby looked a little disappointed. Every time I moved, she also looked as though she hoped I was going to pick the glass up. It was strange. Either that or my paranoia was suddenly let loose. “If you drink that, it might take the taste of the vodka away,” she persisted.

I think Tabby latched on that I was starting to get agitated with her as I ran my hands down my face, so she tried to pull me up to dance. I really wasn’t in the mood, so I declined but told her to go dance alone. I watched her as she danced, looking carefree until a man came dancing behind her. I looked on at first, seeing whether she was okay with him or not. When she looked at him uneasily, I intervened.

“Hey, hairy guy, I think she’s telling you no.”

His creepy smirk grew as he tightened his hairy arm around Tabby. “Then she can tell me herself.”

Tabby seemed too nice to even tell him no, so I did it for her. “Fuck off, in other words,” I yelled in his face, making him back away.

Tabby seemed shaken up, so I steered her back to our table. “You okay?”

She looked peaky and a little uncomfortable, so I picked up my glass of water and handed it to her. “Here.”

She shook her head and stood up hastily. “I just need some air. I’ll be right back.” She gently pushed me back down onto the chair. “Stay here, mind our table.”

“Wait.” I pulled on her arm as she started to move away. “I need my phone.”

Reluctantly, she dug into her bag and pulled out my phone. “I’ll be two minutes,” she mouthed. As I watched her swerve through the crowds and make her way outside, my phone buzzed in my hand. Shit. It was Parks.

Putting my finger in my left ear to try and dull the music, I answered the call and pressed the speaker as hard as I could into my right ear.

“Tell me where you are, Evelyn,” he bellowed. “And think very f*cking carefully before you start lying to me.”

My heavy lids closed, and I didn’t hesitate to be honest. He’d obviously heard the music. “Project. I haven’t touched a drink. Please trust me. And please don’t go all Incredible Hulk on my arse,” I added quickly, bracing myself for him to do just that.

“Incredible f*cking Hulk? I’m feeling angrier than him now.”

Oh shit. His voice was acrimonious, so I tried to humour him. “Are you going to spank me?”

“Spank you?” he roared. “You’ve not seen f*cking spanking like I’m going to give you.”

His reaction was understandable, but I was a grown-arse woman. “I’m not a child! Don’t you trust me?”

“You’re in recovery. You can’t be around drunks.”

“Nia says I shouldn’t walk around problems, but go in them.” Well, not into pubs per se.

“Then she’s fired,” he roared.

For some reason, something made me look up and across at the glass doors as I was about to hang up on him. My hands froze when I saw a familiar face walking through them. My thudding heart ramped up to an unhealthy level, and my breathing had completely stopped. The man had a clear determination as he searched the crowd for someone. That someone was me.

“Oh my God,” I gasped.

“Evelyn? What is it?”

“Trevor,” I breathed. “He’s here. How…?”

“Shit,” Parks’s rage turned into worry. “Evelyn, listen to me, I’m already on my way. Get into the restroom and lock yourself in until I get there. Understand?”

Parks’s demand was firm, but I was rooted to the spot, panic immobilising my limbs.


“Evelyn!” His roar had my feet taking action. I got up and quickly pushed past crowds of dancers as I hurried to the toilets. Tabby would notice me missing, but my priority was to hide.

Without thinking, I pushed my way through the queue of women waiting for the toilets and almost pulled another lady out of the cubical as she emerged. Ignoring the curses for pushing in, I quickly barricaded myself behind the door, flipped the lock, and took position on the toilet lid.

My knee was bouncing. My heart banging against my chest. My breathing on hold. All I had to do was sit and wait until Parks arrived. That was what I kept telling myself. Until I heard his voice.

“Get out.” It sent shivers down my spine. The women in the toilets went quiet until one girl spat, “Hey, you can’t come in here.”

“I said get the f*ck out before I drag you out.” Clearly Trevor wasn’t going to take orders from a woman. Especially when his prey was near.

His threat was shortly followed by the sounds of gasps, gathering items, and then the emptying of the room.

“I know you’re in here, Evey. I have informers.”

Informers? My heart was pounding against my ribs, ringing in my ears. I wasn’t sure whether to stay put or try to make a run for it.

A loud bang made my bones jump within my skin. Trevor began kicking each of the toilet doors, starting with the first. They all opened in turn as he moved closer to mine. Shit. He was going to find me. I had two choices—to walk out and face him or hope to God Parks would arrive before he got to my cubicle. On the many times I had come into contact with Trevor, I faced him down and pretended I wasn’t scared of him. The last time was at a house party of his, filled with hordes of dealers and scary-looking men, and tons of strippers and half-naked women at his beck and call. Even at his party he’d almost beat a man to death for looking at him the wrong way.