Thor called out as we walked away, “Stay where we can see you!” Lennon rolled her eyes and waved at the guys, pulling me to the dance floor by my arm. I gave Cricket and Thor a little parting wink and followed.
I started to panic a bit, never having danced in front of anyone except unimpressed guards. “Len…” I yelled into her ear, suddenly nervous. Lennon smirked at me before she yanked my arm, and we both were enveloped by the crowd of sweaty dancing clubbers. I was jostled and elbowed, which immediately got my back up.
Surprisingly enough, my stay in Uncle Roark’s basement left me lacking confidence in social situations. I might seem like a bastion of experience, poise, and grace, but inside, I was just a girl winging it. When I was overwhelmed and overstimulated, I had to remind myselfthat I wasn’t in the basement anymore. I was okay and safe. Or as safe as anyone could ever be…
Lennon dropped my hand once she had towed us far enough away from the guys to encourage partners but not so far as to cut off Cricket’s and Thor’s line of sight. With my now free hand, I quickly slapped myself across the face.
Lennon gasped. “What are you doing?”
So, Iwasreally here, not in the basement. Yay! A Cheshire cat grin spread across my face.“Just checking.” Time for Allure to witness their new Lady of the Dance in action.
The tequila and vodka I’d consumed finally did its job, and I was feelin’ as loose as a goose. Clubs were so much fun! Lennon and I had been dancing for a long time, only taking breaks to go to the bathroom or over to the table for shots. Swaying my hips to the beat, I pulled my sweaty hair off my neck and held it all in a bunch on the top of my head. Lennon was behind me, her back pressed to mine. When we initially started dancing, we were completely enveloped, but a bubble of space seemed to have formed around us at some point. It was almost like people were giving us room. I felt like we were being watched, but then I remembered how successful that showDancing with the Starswas and figured people must recognize our rhythmic genius and want to admire our form.Figures. I can’t help that I’m just good at lots of stuff.
Different men tried to dance up on us several times, but Lennon and I were having too much fun together to really pay them any notice. While the thrumming bass and loud beats coupled with the crowd and the rainbow spotlights initially overwhelmed me, Tequila Indigo felt confident, fun, andfree.
Lennon turned and leaned into me, mouthing “bathroom,” so we linked arms and headed in the direction of the restrooms. Thankfully, the line moved quickly, and Lennon and I peeled off for the available stalls. I did my business, and when I stood, the room suddenly spun. I got the stall steady and was able to get my shorts up and headed out to wash my hands. Lennon looked a little wobbly too.Time to switch to water.
Thor and Cricket were one step ahead of us, though. When we arrived at the table post-potty break, they already had glasses of water waiting for us. Cricket looked mildly buzzed and flirted with a couple of girls at the table next to ours. Thor was stone-cold sober by this point and looked very much like he’d love nothing more than to herd us back to the SUV and make a quick escape. I felt his eyes on us the entire time we were dancing, and I was pleased to think I’d be able to give him a glowing babysitting reference to Priest and Duke. He licked his lips and leaned into my ear to yell, “You’re an incredible dancer.” I grinned at him, pleased with the compliment.
Lennon was the very first person in my life who had paid me a compliment, and it shocked the ever-living hell out of me. I was a glutton for the stuff now, but not because I was conceited. When you were starved of any kind of affection or positive feedback about yourself, and you got your first taste of a sincere act of approval…it must be what getting high felt like. Thor’s four little words made me feel high; like I was literally floating, rising above the shithole I crawled out of when I escaped the Callahans. I’d do anything to keep feeling this way, like I wasn’t a complete waste of space, and Ididdeserve to be happy. My soul rang little bells and did back handsprings and cheered wildly when I was praised, and I felt like my cracks were just a little bit smaller than they were yesterday.
Cricket started to speak across the table. “Hey, do you wanna—”
But he was interrupted by Thor. “It’s time to go. Now.” Thor narrowed his eyes at someone behind us and jerked his head at Cricket. Whoever he noticed across the club seemed to have spooked him. I scanned the crowd, looking for whatever had set him off. Thor grabbed my hand and started for the exit, followed by Cricket and Lennon.
Once we were outside, he gave our number to the parking attendant and snapped for him to hurry when a man peeled out of the shadows andstepped forward. He was of average height and lanky build. His white-blond hair was artfully tousled, and he had snakebite piercings on his bottom lip. He looked kind of like the guy who played Spike in theBuffy the Vampire Slayershow.
“Take your time, Andrew. Our guests are expected in the mezzanine for a brief chat, then they’ll be ready to leave.”
“The fuck we will, Andrew. Car. Now.” Thor glared at Spike, and poor Andrew, the valet, had backed away from his podium and looked about ready to bolt. Cricket positioned himself between us and the new arrival, a move that caused a small smirk to quirk up the right corner of the stranger’s mouth. Tension filled the air, which I felt compelled to break.
“Hey, Spike, tell Buffy her club is fun and all, but we’re heading home now. It was nice to meet you. I always preferred you over Angel, by the way. He was so whiny.” Whiners were so not sexy, no matter how cute they looked on the series DVD boxset cover. Despite himself, Cricket choked out a laugh before he got himself under control and tried to cover it with a cough. Tough biker guys didn’t giggle.
“Hilarious, but Mr. Petrov insists you visit his VIP area on the mezzanine immediately.” This fuckin’ guy was gonna bring out the Pesci in Tequila Indigo. Hissing like a crocodile, I sneered,“Unless the VIP area is Hellmouth-adjacent, I don’t give a fu—” But before I could finish my threat,Cricket intervened.
“Five minutes. That’s all he gets from the Crows.” Spike quirked his eyebrow in amusement and gestured to the side door he must have exited through.
Following Spike, Cricket pulled Lennon under his arm like he was her date, and Thor did the same to me. My arm wrapped around his waist, selling the date image the guys suddenly wanted to portray, and when I did, I felt the firm outline of Thor’s hammer at the small of his back, tucked in his jeans. At least if Spike and this Mr. Petrov person started any shit, we wouldn’t be totally unarmed. Thor had his hammer, I had my knife, and hopefully, Lennon and Cricket were packin’ something. I cursed myself as a bad bestie for not making sure she was armed before we left the clubhouse.Do better, Indigo. Do better.
I waved at Hodor as we passed the line that had formed and walked back into the club, but he was too grumpy to wave back.Jerk.Spike led us to the staircase with the velvet rope, moving it aside so we could pass and ascend to the mezzanine. The club's upper level was more luxe than the main floor. Velvet-lined booths and a private bar took up most of the space. Patrons were spread throughout, and the noise wasn’t quite as intense up here. Spike followed us up the stairs and walked past us, heading to a door. He pulled a card from his pocket and swiped it across a keyless entry pad on the matte black door, which he opened with a flourish and a gesture for us to enter. Thor leaned down to murmur in my ear, “Just follow my lead.” A subtle nod on my part told Thor I understood. I didn’t know what kind of business Mr. Petrov had with the Crows, but I hoped we could wrap it up quickly. My buzz was just about gone, and I was starting to get a headache.
Thor and I entered the room, followed by Cricket and Lennon, with Spike in the rear. The first thing I noticed when the door closed was that the room was soundproof. I couldn’t hear any of the club cacophony, and the sudden silence was disorienting. Spike strode over to stand next to a man who was seated in the middle of a plush sectional couch. His green eyes roamed over me unabashedly, so I took my time inspecting him as well. It was hard to tell since he was sitting, but he seemed to be of medium height and build, and his brown hair was styled away from his face. If it weren’t for the tattoos that covered his hands and crawled up his neck, he’d be unremarkable. Handsome, but not too eye-catching. He was dressed in a well-tailored black-on-black suit that looked expensive, but he had no accessories or anything else that screamed “wealthy” except maybe his watch. His presence was understated, and the predator in me recognized that this was by design. He wore a mask, one that said “I’m average, I’m safe, I’m not going to pull your fingernails out while I threaten your family at all.” Like recognized like, and he was a snake in the grass—dangerous.
He continued his perusal, and I wondered if he’d come to the same conclusion about me.I hope not. I liked surprising people. Something was infinitely satisfying about defying people’s expectations of you, and most men tended to write me off as harmless at the least or a funchallenge at best. The look on their faces when I defied expectations was priceless.
Spike stood beside the man and bent down to murmur something in his ear. Two standard-issue bodyguards stood behind the couch, hands clasped in front of their junk and eyes trained on me and my friends.
“When we were told Mr. Petrov wanted to chat, I assumed it was Mr. Mikhail Petrov.” Cricket’s voice shattered the silence and brought the man’s attention away from me to the two bikers in the room. A small smile tugged at the corner of Spike’s lips.
“Well, you know what they say when you assume…” he drawled.
Spike’s boss rose smoothly, buttoned his jacket with one hand, and walked over to Cricket. “An understandable assumption. Until recently, my father’s representative handled all business with your club on his behalf. I am his son, Riordan, and I’ll be representing my father in Nevada for the foreseeable future.”
Like a bird, I quirked my head as I assessed Riordan Petrov. Something about him seemed familiar, though I was certain we’d never met.
“Tonight is my first official night running The Goldfinch, and I noticed your two friends dancing and knew I just had to meet them.” He held his hand out to Lennon, giving it a chaste kiss while he gave her a not-so-chaste smolder. Lennon wasn’t picking up what he was laying down, though. She took her hand back, nodding in greeting in lieu of giving him her name. He turned to me. “Even in a crowd, you stand out, and I told Ivan we had to meet. What is your name?” He held his hand out, waiting for me to place mine within his grasp. Thor tensed beside me, but I extended my hand to him. As he placed a kiss on the back of my hand, I introduced myself.
“I’m Indigo. This is Cricket and Thor. I don’t recommend trying to kiss their hands, though. They’re fist bump kind of guys.” Then I bent down to kiss the back of Riordan’s hand too. Maybe this was how you greeted people in the hospitality and gaming industry? I was a guest here, however unwilling, and when in Rome, you did as the Romans did. Or at least, that was what Bones said once. Mirth danced in his green eyes, and he let out a low chuckle.
