Drew’s back was to him, so she didn’t see him when he stopped right next to her. The second her dance turn brought her around to face him, she stopped. Glad to see that Drew didn’t appear drunk at all and wasn’t even holding a cup, he felt relief set in. Maybe they’d decided not to drink tonight. It would be the smart thing to do since Charlee said she stayed at Drew’s house and Walter mentioned that was all the way in Burbank. That was another reason why Hector suspected they hadn’t driven all this way just to watch a fight and then party in East L.A.
She put her fist at her waist. “Don’t tell me you’re here looking for Charlee.”
Hector had barely been able to hear, so with that in mind, he took a few steps to get closer so he wouldn’t have to yell and leaned forward a little. “I came here looking for both of you, actually.”
Her jaw dropped and she backed up. “You have got to be kidding me. What is it with you? Is one girl at a time not good enough for the boxing stud?”
It took a second for the implication to sink in, and when he realized how she would come to that conclusion, he almost laughed. “No. That’s not what I meant at all.” She glared at him still but waited for him to explain further. “I was just checking up to make sure you girls were okay.” He pointed at her empty hands. “But you’re not drinking. You two should be all right then.” He leaned in again because he could tell she was straining to catch everything he was saying. “I said if you two aren’t drinking you should be okay. There are a lot of guys counting on girls overdoing it with the bottomless keg.”
There was a noticeable flicker in her eyes, and she glanced around. “Well, I’m not, but Charlee was.”
Immediately, Hector looked around too, and then he looked back at Drew. “Where is she?”
Drew stood on her tiptoes now, stretching her neck. “She was dancing, but she stopped drinking a while ago. We got rid of our cups.”
Hector stopped stretching his own neck to glance back at Drew. “We? I thought you said you weren’t drinking.”
“I wasn’t. She was drinking both cups.” She stopped talking then turned to Hector again, the alarm in her eyes an obvious sign she was as anxious as Hector now felt. Charlee had been drinking enough for two? “She said she was fine,” Drew said, but even she didn’t sound as if she believed that now.
“So where is she?”
“I don’t know!” She turned to the guy she’d been dancing with who now stood there checking his phone. “Do you see them, Joseph?”
Them? The guy looked around but shook his head. Drew pulled her own phone out now from her pocket and started dialing. “She was over there the last time I saw them—dancing.”
“Who’s them? Who is she with?” Hector already had a feeling he knew, but even though it was unlikely, he wanted to rule out it wasn’t someone she already knew.
“Raul,” Drew said, frowning as she hung up the phone. “She’s not answering.”
“Who’s Raul?” Hector asked without even looking back at Drew. He was busy still scanning the party, but there were too many dark corners.
“He’s a guy we met tonight who asked her to dance—his friend.”
Hector stopped searching and turned back to see Drew pointing at Joseph. His eyes zoomed in on Joseph, who for some reason looked nervous. “Raul’s your friend?” Hector asked him. Joseph nodded. “Call him. Get him on the phone now.”
It wasn’t a request, and Joseph got that loud and clear, because he was already doing something on his phone.
“There she is!” Drew said, pointing. “Oh, shit.”
“What?” Hector asked, looking in the direction Drew had pointed.
“She wasn’t that drunk earlier.” Drew was already moving through the crowd.
Hector followed her and then he saw Charlee. She was dancing and sort of hanging on some guy who also looked drunk but not nearly as drunk as Charlee. Hector practically pushed his way through the crowd now to get to her, and the way he was feeling, if anyone had a problem with it, he’d gladly unload some of what he could feel building inside him already.
As they got closer, Hector could see Charlee still held a red cup in her hand. The guy took Charlee by the other hand and started walking toward the side of the house just as Drew reached them. “Where are you going, Charlee?”
Charlee spun around, nearly losing her balance, but she held on to the guy’s hand for support. She laughed, bringing her cup up to cover her mouth. When she was done giggling, she waved the cup at Raul. “Raul here is going to show me his van,” she slurred. “He said it’s just outside.”
“No, he’s not.” Both Drew and Hector said at the same time.
Almost in slow motion, Charlee brought her attention to Hector. She hadn’t even noticed him standing next to Drew. She stared at him for a moment, confused, as if she were trying to figure out or remember who he was.
Drew took the cup from Charlee’s hand. “And why are you still drinking? I thought you’d said you had enough?” She smelled the contents of the cup and looked back at Raul accusingly. “What is this?”
“Jack and Coke.” Raul said, opening his vest to show off the flask in the inside pocket.
Charlee was still staring at Hector curiously then shook her head and turned back to Drew with a big smile. “Yes, and Raul said it wouldn’t make me wanna have to run to the restroom so much.” She stopped then looked back at Hector again and lowered her voice. “Is that really him, or am I seeing things?”