“Yeah. I dabble here and there.”
“Why are you bringing us here?” Reyna groaned.
“I have some business. Plus, this place is as safe as it gets as far as you’re concerned.”
“The last time I was here, there was a riot.”
“That almost never happens.”
Reyna tried to calm her racing heart. Just because there had been a riot the first time she came to Five Points didn’t mean it was going to happen again. Except she couldn’t shake the feeling that she usually found trouble wherever it was lurking.
An enormous bouncer loaded with weapons grunted at them as they approached. “Gabe.”
“Brought some strays,” Gabe said with a fierce grin.
“They’re not your usual.”
“Nah. Have to keep them fresh.”
“No fangs, right?”
“No guns. No fangs. No trouble.” Gabe quoted the motto for Five Points back at the bouncer. The guy nodded, and the door popped open for them. He gestured for Jodie and Reyna to go in first.
“You frequently bring girls here?” Jodie asked.
“Easy cover.”
“I’m sure,” Jodie drawled.
Reyna stopped short in the doorway. When she was last at Five Points, it had been a fighting ring. Now it was completely bedecked in flashing red lights, grinding on the dance floor, and club music.
“What the hell,” she muttered.
“You like?” Gabe asked, running a hand back through his russet hair.
“I thought it was a fighting house.”
“Yeah. It cleans up pretty nicely when it wants to.” He reached out for her hand, and she pulled back hastily. “Just to get us through the crowd.”
Reyna took his hand. Jodie slapped her palm into Reyna’s, and as a trio they snaked across the room. She kept her head low, but it didn’t seem to matter much anyway. The room was dark enough that Reyna could hardly make out more than a couple of feet in front of her. She didn’t think anyone was going to be checking under her baseball cap.
“This is amazing,” Jodie cried behind her. “I cannot wait to get out on that dance floor!”
“Jodie, we shouldn’t.”
“This is our one night of freedom. I am not squandering it. Plus I’m an excellent dancer. I took ballet classes back…before.”
She could imagine Jodie with her long, lean limbs being a graceful dancer. Reyna loved to dance, too, and hated that Visage was making her scared of her own shadow.
Gabe spoke to the bartender, a blond woman who seemed to be familiar with him. Jodie lifted her arms in the air and swung her hips to the rhythm. Reyna waited for Gabe’s interaction to be over.
Gabe slipped an arm around Reyna’s waist, drew her close, and said into her ear, “I have to meet up with a contact. You two can dance. Just stay near the bar and out of the lights. I need to be able to find you. I’ll be back in ten minutes. Sonya is the bartender. She can locate me if you need me before then.”
“Okay.”
“Chin up, babe.” He knocked her chin playfully with his fist and then winked before he disappeared again.
Jodie had found a group to dance with and reached her hand out to Reyna, who obediently moved toward her friend. They danced and tried to forget everything but this moment. Jodie turned to face a sexy Latino man with biceps that popped out of his shirt. Reyna closed her eyes and melded into the crowd. Jodie tugged her close, and their bodies moved in perfect harmony.
