“In that case.” Nathan snagged a couple more drinks off the trays and held them out to us.
I eyed the shots with unconcealed distaste. “I want to have a good time. Not kill myself with tomorrow’s hangover.”
Nathan’s hands didn’t lower. “I have faith that you’ll be fine.”
I made an irritated sound, knowing he’d stand there all night holding those drinks if he had to.
“You win.” I snatched the shot from him and downed it. “But you have to match us drink for drink.”
Nathan’s grin started slow, taking over his face little by little until he was practically beaming.
Belatedly, I realized what a mistake it was to issue a challenge like that.
He snagged the last two shots from Anton’s tray and downed them one after the other. He burped once he was done. “Hope you can keep up, A.”
Anton smirked as Nathan snagged Deborah around the shoulders, steering her toward a darkened entranceway that I could tell led to a club. Even from here, I could feel the pounding base coming from inside. Blue and green lights spilled out as patrons came and went.
“Great going.” Caroline drifted to my side as Connor trailed after the enforcers and my companion. “You really have a knack for defusing situations.”
“Like you’re any better.”
She’d downed that shot without thinking twice about it.
Face it—we were both winging it.
Hopefully, once we had an actual lead, Caroline and Sondra would allow me to bring Liam and his people in on things. Ifhe ever decided to show up. Given Nathan’s presence, I had to believe he wasn’t far away. I was tempted to ask, but I didn’t want to give away the fact that I didn’t know where my own boyfriend was.
Nathan stopped at the entrance of the club. “You coming?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
He waited for me as the other three slipped into the club.
“What?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Nothing. Just looking forward to tonight.”
That made one of us.
The club was heaving. Sound assaulting us from every direction. I hesitated to call what I was hearing music because of how deafening it was.
The bulk of the room was taken up by the massive dance floor. Stairs led up to a balcony that rimmed the perimeter of the club. People either sat in the booths up there or stood at the railing overlooking the dance floor.
Sheets of blue and green light splayed over the dancers, highlighting their undulating bodies.
Scanning the club, I noted the bar that acted as an island amidst all the chaos. Club goers were packed at least four deep around it, shouting orders to the fleet of bartenders.
Every once in a while, a cocktail waitress or waiter would zip to the end of the bar to pick up a tray of drinks before circling among the dancers and the bar tables lining the very edges of the room.
“Wait here,” Nathan shouted. “I’ll get us another drink.”
Oh no. I didn’t need any more alcohol. I was already starting to feel a warm flush.
Hoping to buy time to work a little of the alcohol out of my system, I hooked an arm around his and dragged him into the mass of heaving bodies, Caroline trailing behind us.
“You promised me a good time,” I shouted so he could hear me above the din. “I want to dance.”
There wasn’t any hesitation before Nathan’s lips curved. “Hell yeah.”
