Page 17 of ’Til You Break

“I’m—” The words die in my throat.

Hannah.

She’s standing at the far end of the bar.

I raise my beer to show the bartender I’m fine.

What the hell is Hannah doing here?

She’s with three other people. Two men and another woman.

One man’s hands are wrapped around her waist. Rage rolls through my chest. I have no explanation for it. Nor for the bitterness that floods my mouth when I swallow another sip of beer.

Stick to the task.

Hannah doesn’t know I’m here, and she won’t unless I make myself known. I force my attention back to Mark. Nothing has changed at his table. And that’s exactly the problem.

Ever since I met Hannah in the diner, I haven’t had full control of my own thoughts. No matter how hard I try, they always drift back to her.

She was responsible for my mistakes last night, and this morning enough truth had slipped out to awaken her curiosity.

Why did she have to come here?

I take three more photographs before slipping my phone back into my pocket. If I move closer to Mark’s table, maybe I’ll overhear something useful.

That was the plan.

Then I look back at Hannah. One last time. They’re standing up now. The same man still has his hand around her waist. She’s laughing as she playfully pushes him away. He pulls her straight back.

Something inside me snaps.

I abandon Mark and head for the dance floor.

Hannah and her friends are hovering on the edge of the crowd, and slowly disappearing into the moving sea of bodies.

God...

She looks incredible in that simple blue dress. It rides high enough to reveal her pale thighs. No wonder she’s attractive to every vulture in the room.

The man’s hands are still on her when I reach them. I’ve watched exactly where they’ve been. He’s lucky they don’t wander any lower than her waist.

Having to interrupt my plans has put me in a foul mood, and now I’m just looking for an excuse to vent my anger and frustration.

Hannah still hasn’t noticed me. She’s dancing with her back to me. The man she’s with is shorter than I am, so I lean down until my mouth is beside his ear.

“You’d better move along,” I murmur. “And don’t look at her again.”

I pause.

“Next time, I’ll take your fucking eyes.”

“What the—” He peers over his shoulder and finds me standing at my full height, puffing out my chest.

The man wisely decides to back away from a fight he can’t handle, and he steps aside. Hannah turns to see what happened to her dance partner. She stares at me, dumbfounded, craning her neck to meet my gaze despite the heels she’s wearing.

“Vik?” she says, so softly I have to read my name on her lips. “What are you doing here?”

It’s a question I’ve been asking myself since I started walking.