Rising by Holly Kelly Read Free Book Online Page A

to be in and out so quickly ,” he said as he picked her up. About a minute later, a man nodded them in at the front door. Bodies packed the room from wall to wall. Lights flashed, music pulsed, and hundreds of people bounced and gyrated to the music. The floral air fresheners didn’t quite mask the deep scent of alcohol and a hundred sweating bodies.
    Ron’s eyes followed two women —a blonde and a brunette—as they strutted by, balancing on five-inch stilettos. Their skirts were so short that if they bent over… Sara grimaced.
    “Hey Ron ,” the brunette said.
    “Hello, Kat ,” Ron answered with an appreciative grin.
    “Hi Ron.” The blonde gave a little wave.
    “Hi Kit ,” he answered, still smiling.
    “Kit and Kat?” Sara said.
    “I know. Aren’t they cute?”
    Cute was not the exact the word she would use for those two.
    “Do you come here often?” Sara asked.
    “Yeah. This is my usual hunting grounds,” he answered, his eyebrow raised.
    “Don’t you mean stomping grounds?”
    A smile spread across his face. “Sure.”
    S ara began to re-evaluate what she knew about him. She’d always thought he was proper, refined, eloquent, annoying... Now he seemed to be revealing a side of himself she’d never seen before—a creepy side.
    A commotion interrupted her thoughts. The women in the club noisily fluttered around someone or something at the front door. Even the stilettos twins ran to join the fray.
    “Hey, Ron. I see your taste in women remains impeccable.” Sara turned to see a bulging, tattooed man step up to the bar. Ron plopped her down on a stool. She’d never heard such a rough-looking man use the word “impeccable” before. Maybe Ron was rubbing off on him.
    “Hello, Thomas,” Ron answered with a smile.
    Thomas looked her up and down. His eyes lingered on her spandex-covered stump, when they finally returned to her face, his smile widened and eyebrows rose.
    “We can’t stay long,” Ron said. “We just want a quick drink. Sara here will have a virgin blue Hawaiian and I’ll have the same —with the alcohol, of course. There’s a big tip in it for you if you give her drink a little extra attention to make it just right.”
    Ron brushed a stray strand of hair away from her eyes , making her skin crawl. Warning bells were going off in her head. Okay , calm down. Just one drink and I’m on my way home.
    “Sure thing, Ron,” Thomas answered. He mixed the drinks. The little extra time didn’t amount to much—the drinks were in front of them in about a minute. Ron handed Thomas a bill and Sara could have sworn she saw a fifty on it. Thomas put it in his pocket. She must have been mistaken. These drinks couldn’t have cost twenty-five dollars apiece, even with a big tip added on.
    She sipped her beverage, surprised at how much she liked it. It tasted fruity, tropical and, within minutes, weariness overwhelmed her. She hadn’t even finished her drink when Ron scooped her off the stool.
    “I think it’s time to leave,” he said. “You’ve definitely had enough.”
    “But I didn’t finish my drink.” Her voice sounded funny in her ears —distant and a little slurred. Something felt wrong in all this. A wave of nausea and dizziness washed over her. She grabbed Ron’s neck, trying to steady herself. His arms roped around her, but she still felt as if she were falling.
    Sara jumped when she heard the car door shut. How did I get in the car? She could feel her pulse pounding against her skull. Something told her she needed help, but she couldn’t seem to find her voice—or move her arms.
    What’s wrong with me? Then it hit her. He drugged me. The creep drugged me!  
    She could guess what came next. Please no! A nightmare unfolded before her eyes, yet, no matter how upset and frightened she was she couldn’t marshal a fight. The powerful drug soon dragged her down into blackness.

     

    Xanthus paced around his Harley-Davidson motorcycle and suppressed the urge to hit