The skepticism in his voice wasn’t exactly reassuring.
I threaded my way through the crowd and started for the hall on the right. It was quieter over here, the music from the other side of the theater a low thump, more of a vibration than a sound.
The theaters on this side of the building were dark and quiet, the hall empty except for two large guys standing in front of an unmarked door that looked like a supply closet.
One of the guys — tall and muscular with black hair and a Barbarians tattoo — looked me up and down. “Wrong side, girlie.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”
“Fight Night’s that way,” the other guy said, tipping his head toward the other side of the theater. He was tall and thin, with long blond hair and a Blades tattoo on his left arm, visible under his black tank top.
“I’m not here for Fight Night.”
“Cutting it close,” the Barbarian said. “Doors close in less than five minutes.”
I shrugged.
“Your funeral.” He stepped forward. “Arms up.”
“Arms… what?” He was close now, just a foot away and clearly planning to touch me.
“Weapons aren’t allowed in the Hunt,” the skinny guy said. “Not on the girls anyway.”
I snorted at that last part. Was there a single situation in the world where women weren’t undermined?
“Figures,” I said, already queuing up my lie. “I don’t have any weapons.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” The Barbarian gestured for me to lift my arms.
I raised them because I didn’t have a choice. I mean, I could have left, called the whole thing off. But that wasn’t really an option, not if I wanted revenge for June.
And I very much wanted revenge for the murder of my sister. Wanted to keep what had happened to her from happening to anyone else.
There was nothing sexual in the pat down. The big guy started at my shoulders, running his hands down my arms like he was a doctor looking for a break. He continued up the side of my body, past my cell phone in my jacket pocket, then shook his head when he got to Rose in the shoulder holster against my side.
“You said you didn’t have any weapons.” He sounded almost wounded.
“I lied.” I pulled away when he started to take Rose out of the holster. “You’re not taking my gun.”
His eyes flashed and I realized he was probably a dangerous man. “You can either give me the gun or you can leave. The end.”
My inner battle only lasted a few seconds, mostly because I’d fought it long before I’d gotten here. I wasn’t leaving. Not until I’d done everything I could for June.
“Will I get it back?” I asked.
“When the Hunt’s over,” the skinny guy said.
I couldn’t even see him behind the man in front of me.
“Even if I lose?”
“Even if you lose.” The Barbarian was getting annoyed. “Now are you in or are you out?”
I exhaled the last of my resistance and removed Rose from my shoulder holster.
I handed it to him. “I’ll come after you if I don’t get that back.”
He surprised me by laughing, then turned to the skinny guy. “Bram’s going to like this one.”
