Rebelonging (Unbelonging, Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

had to grab my phone
out of the car." He glanced toward the restaurant. "You can thank
my girlfriend for that."
    He mimicked a high-pitched female voice. "You
love that stupid cell phone more than me. Can't you leave it
outside just once so we can have a nice dinner?" His voice
returned to normal. "So I leave it outside, and what happens?" He
flicked his head toward the crowd. "This."
    I looked toward the commotion. I still didn't
know what this was.
    "She'd better be grateful," the guy said.
    I'd seen the look on the redhead's face. When
he returned, he was more likely to get a fork in the eyeball than
anything resembling gratitude.
    "Um, yeah," I said, as I craned my neck in a
desperate bid for a better vantage point.
    "Hey, I've got it," he said. His eyes were
bright with excitement. "You wanna see, right? I know. Lemme give
you a boost."
    "A boost?"
    "Yeah. Get you higher for a better look." He
grinned. "For a price."
    I narrowed my gaze. "What kind of price?" My
skirt was almost obscene as it was. One lift above eye level, and I
might as well be charging him .
    "Video." He thrust his phone into my hand.
"Zoom in on the car, will ya?"
    "What car?"
    "You'll see." He licked his lips. "Oh man,
this'll be great on my site. Total viral. You just watch."
    I glanced toward the commotion. The lights
were still flashing. A few paces ahead of me, someone laughed long
and hard.
    It had been a hellish night. If there was one
thing I could use, it was a good laugh. Probably, so could
Josie.
    Still, this was beyond strange. I bit my lip.
"I dunno."
    "Aw c'mon, please?" He looked at me with
puppy dog eyes. "I'm desperate. Help a guy out, will ya?"
    He looked so ridiculous that I had to smile.
The sensation felt utterly foreign after faking it far too long.
Something inside me uncoiled, and I felt an odd surge of gratitude
for the unexpected release.
    "I can't believe I'm actually considering
this," I said.
    He grinned. "Just be careful of the phone,
alright? I just replaced it last week." He smile faded, and he
looked around. "Some psycho smashed the piss out of my last one.
Can you believe it?"
    Oddly enough, I could.
    A second later, he leapt behind me and called
out, "Ready?"
    I didn't move. Sure, I owed Josie and all,
but how would this work? I looked down at my skirt. It was way too
short for what the guy was suggesting.
    But then, almost before I knew what was
happening, I felt Shaggy's head plow between my knees and his hands
on my waist. "Hey!" I yelled, clutching his head for balance as he
lifted me skyward. "What are you doing?"
    "The favor. Just like we talked about."
    "Yeah, but—"
    "Now c'mon. Get me some good stuff, will ya?
Remember," he said, "the car. Anyone pops out of it, get a shot of
'em, alright?"
    Already, this had been one of the strangest
nights of my life. I glanced down, relieved to see my skirt – and
not my panties – pressed tight against the back of his neck.
    If nothing else, at least I wasn't giving the
guy's neck a hoo-ha massage.
    I shifted my gaze to the commotion, eager for
a laugh, or at least a distraction. There was only one problem.
What I saw there wasn't exactly the chucklefest I'd been hoping
for.

Chapter 7
    Wobbling on Shaggy's shoulders, I caught my
breath. Memories flashed in my brain. Two guys in ski masks. A dark
sedan. A knife at my throat. Concrete at my back. A gloved hand
mashed across my mouth.
    Had it really been only just a few hours ago?
Unsteadily, I reached a hand to my throat. That knife, it hadn't
even been real. But it sure had felt real. My fear, that was more
real than anything – until a rescuer had shot out of the darkness
to change everything.
    Lawton.
    If I closed my eyes, I could still see his
face, a shadowed profile of unrestrained fury as he beat the living
crap out of the guy who'd been on top of me. If Lawton's brother
hadn't pulled him off, well, let's just say the guy's odds of
survival weren't looking too good.
    Now, staring at that