Descent (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell)

Chapter One
Hallie
“One more round!”
As my best friend orders up another round—on me—I look at the fruity drink in front of me that I
haven’t even finished yet.
It’s my fault. I’m not a fast drinker. Charity could drink a brawny old biker under the table, but
when I drink, I tend to pace myself.
“Come on,” she says, her butt hitting the chair as she sits back down and wraps an arm around
my shoulders. “Why are you still on your first drink? It’s a bachelorette party, for fuck’s sake.”
“This is my second drink,” I tell her, though I can see it doesn’t make a bit of difference. “And I
know it’s your bachelorette party, that’s why I’m at this loud-ass bar to begin with.”
When we were younger, I enjoyed going out drinking with Charity, but as I approach 26, I’m
finding the whole scene a little tired. If I’m being honest, I would have preferred to spend the evening
at home in my pajamas, curled up on the couch with my cat.
Even in twenty years, I doubt that will be Charity’s idea of a good time, so instead we’re taking
a party bus from bar to bar. This is our first stop, and I think Charity is starting to get bored of the
place.
“We need to get you a man,” Charity says off-handedly, like it’s a to-do list item she just
remembered to bring up.
“We don’t,” I disagree.
“We do.” She signals the bartender, and he runs right over to get her a shot while we wait for that
second round. She throws it back like a champ, then brings the glass down on the bar top with a hard
thud. Looking over at me, she says, “I’ve got just the guy for you. When I get back from Bermuda, I’m
gonna set you two up.”
I’m shaking my head before she even finishes her thought. We have gone down this road before,
and Charity’s idea of the man I need and my idea of the kind of man I need do not line up. “I
appreciate the sentiment, but really, I’m good.”
“I know that last guy didn’t turn out so great,” she acknowledges.
Recalling how rude he was to the waiter and the bathroom break he took which resulted in him
returning to the table with white powder residue beneath his nose, my lips thin. “No, it sure didn’t.”
Undeterred, she goes on, “But if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”