The bouncer guarding it folded his arms. “No entry.”
“Dixie, is she back there?” Kane demanded.
“Sorry, brother. Never heard of her, and you ain’t going in to see for yourself.”
Another man exited the backstage and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
The first smiled. “Brother to brother, one more push, and I make a courtesy call to Deadwater. Don’t lose your man the goodwill he has with the circuit.”
Kane looked between them then at me. He was asking permission to throw down, but a pang in my gut told me it was the wrong move.
I retreated.
He followed. “They know something, aye?”
“I’m getting cover-up vibes. The manager was very clear to hold that line, but if they’d never heard of Dixie, why be so confrontative?”
Frustration tightened his features. “It means while we’re hanging around here, Dixie’s run out the back. She’ll be long gone. Fuck.”
Hopelessness washed over me, countering the rhythmic music and the warmth of the space. I hadn’t anticipated this. That getting close to Dixie might make us further away.
The energy I’d had for finding her evaporated. “We should go.”
In silent agreement, we skirted the room to the exit, then were back in the nightclub with its heavy sound and even thicker crowd. The corridor around the edge was rammed with people threading their way around or up to other activities in the shadows. Kane barged a path, and his hand came back to claim mine, keeping me close.
Even in my disappointment, I shivered at his touch. Being in such a crowded space couldn’t be good for him. But when we reached the steps, he paused. I stopped as well.
Agitation filled his eyes. He dropped down one stair then caught hold of my wrist, bringing me in so he could put his mouth to my ear. “What will it take to persuade ye?”
“Persuade me what?”
“To do what I described.”
My breath caught. He wanted to chase me. Did he mean outside tonight? I gulped, lost on the idea of release after hitting a low point. “For you to do the things I want.”
“Like what?”
“Kissing, romance, affection.”
Confusion mixed with challenge and a dozen other emotions in his eyes. It woke the part of me that thrilled when he’d described how he was a predator. A violent man who wanted to do bad things to me. The heat of his stare boosted the fire inside me until I was molten.
“I have no fucking clue how to do those things.”
I pushed my advantage. “You let me boyfriend train you and I’ll let you hunt me.”
His eyes flared with need. I felt it all the way through my body.
A shout made it through the music, and Kane lifted his gaze to something over my shoulder. The emotion drained from his features.
“What is it?” I peered back.
Through the crowd came a woman in a tiny gold outfit like the waitress and bartender had been wearing in the strip club.
Kane’s expression reset to his typical pissed-off scowl. “A problem. If ye want to boyfriend train me, start now. Make your claim.”
My claim? Oh, shit. My heart sank. He knew her. I took a second look, and the gorgeous brunette craned her neck to spot him then continued weaving through.
I swung my focus back to him. “Lesson one. Don’t use me?—”
