Hypnotizing Beat

by Katherine McIntyre

  “You knew what you needed to,” Danica responded. “I happened to do a little pickpocketing after we faced off with those hunters at the Joint, made a few calls on their cell phone … bada bing bada boom.”

  Trevor bolted forward to the two of them, but Kieran outpaced him, almost crashing into Liz headfirst. He threw his arms around his girlfriend all while in motion, hauling her forward with him. Trevor’s chest twisted tight, the ugly curl of jealousy. More often than not lately, he’d been indulging in the forbidden of imagining what having that sort of permanent connection might be like. As if someone could believe he was worth more than an object or would stick around to give a good goddamn.

  “I thought we were working together?” Kieran emphasized, throwing a glare back to Danica even as he continued down the corridor. “What part includes wreaking havoc on Mandalay Bay?”

  Trevor met those clever green eyes, and he couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped him. “She was the only one in danger, Ky. Liz was safe, and now we have the entire fae community focused on self-preservation, not stopping us from getting into the vault.” His fingers itched to reach out and close the space between them as they continued to race along the hallway toward the storage section backstage.

  Danica’s petal lips curled into a wry smirk. “You know my methods, Watson. Now let’s nab us the rat bastard’s hidden treasure.”

  “Wait up, guys,” Renn called from the back. Jett slunk beside them with effortless grace. Meanwhile, Renn almost tripped over his own combat boots as he stumbled to follow.

  “We’re going to leave you to get eaten by the hunters,” Jett muttered, running fingers through his dark strands.

  “We’re not zombies, J,” Liz called. “The slow one isn’t going to stop the horde because they’re taking time to wine and dine.” They hustled through the storage room backstage and out the exit door. Trevor left his guitar in the back room, his fingers brushing across the surface in a lingering stroke before he continued on. They could come back and retrieve their instruments later.

  Danica kept pace with him, heels clacking on the linoleum and with her proximity, he couldn’t help the gravitational pull of his gaze to her body. It didn’t help that the way the black dress clung to her curves made him want to pull it off with his teeth. Her green eyes flashed when they met his, heat flaring between them. Business transaction, his ass. Now that he’d tasted her, he craved her like the strings of his guitar.

  His skin prickled as they neared the exit. Crags roamed the audience out there somewhere, searching for him.

  “Are you ready for this?” Danica asked, her piercing gaze and the pointedness in her voice like a stiff shot of Jager. The woman spun subtle in a layered web, each phrase containing more than she let on.

  Trevor’s lips quirked in a grin. “A little bit of larceny’s all a part of the rockstar mystique, cher.”

  She clasped her hands together as they entered the main sprawl of Mandalay Bay, the bright lights reflecting off the marble flooring. “I’ve always wanted to swim with the sharks.”

  Liz spun around to face them. “So, are the next steps of the plan in action?”

  Danica nodded. “We’re going to need one hell of a distraction to break into the shark reef. The pocket into the Otherworld is midway through the tank.” She cast a glance to him. “Hope you’re ready for a swim.”

  Trevor jammed his hands into his pockets and slunk next to her. If it meant freedom from Alberich, he’d swim through a sea of platinum or let loose the howls he’d been suppressing for far too long. After being used for his death predictions day after day, he’d swallowed the wails until they burned in his throat, until his chest felt like it would combust. They might be an intrinsic part of him, but his death wails had been exploited for so long he couldn’t disassociate the scream with the gleam in Alberich’s eyes as he demanded to know the next to die, another person on his list to exploit.

  “We’re the distraction?” Renn asked, loping behind them with a puppy eagerness. “Does that mean we can set something on fire?”

  Jett passed him a level look. “We’re distracting, not destroying.”

  “You ruin all of our fun,” Ky teased, his gaze dancing even as he cast a look to Trevor. Understanding formed a current between them. Danica wasn’t to be trusted, no matter how her green eyes pierced right through him. When they nabbed Alberich’s hidden treasure, he’d be the one keeping hold of it.

  They continued through the hotel at a fast clip, his adrenaline pumping from the show and from seeing the old ally he’d been locked up with for years. As of late, the nightmares, the memories, snuck back into his life more and more, descending with cemetery seriousness. A couple of security guards marched past them, walkie-talkies lifted even as they kept their terse voices quiet. The chaos in Poseidon’s Lounge must’ve already slipped into this realm.

  “You sure you don’t want a snack beforehand?” Danica asked, her kitten heels clicking on the tile beside them.

  His gaze settled on her, and his tongue darted across his lips before he could help himself.

  Danica glanced away, but not fast enough to hide the tinge of pink dusting her cheeks. “Look,” she said, thrusting a hand out to the rest of the room as she avoided his eyes. “Restaurants and food stands by the dozen. Don’t want to find out you’re hypoglycemic in the middle of the extraction and have to carry both your fainting ass and our quarry.”

  A grin overtook him. Rarely did anyone get the jump on Danica Maslanka, and he’d savor this delicious moment while he could. Even though Liz and Kieran strolled ahead, Liz lifted her brow and delivered a look to the two of them. Apparently, Ky wasn’t the only one who sussed out his magnetism toward the leannan sidhe. Living in a cramped RV with the rest of the band left few secrets and even less privacy.

  Unlike most aquariums, the entrance to the shark reef in Mandalay Bay blended in with the rest of the tan hotel walls. The neon Shark Reef sign and emptied ticketing line were the remaining indicators of an exhibit, nothing like the stunning glass tunnels inside showcasing the cerulean expanse they kept some of the oldest predators contained in. Even with the late hour, this was Vegas, and enough visitors strolled through this sector to need a distraction, given the throngs of guards on high alert.

  Besides, he still hadn’t figured why Crags was in the audience.

  “All right, guys, kisses and farewells here,” Danica said, placing her hands on her hips when they neared the closed door. “We’re going to be sneaking in, and you need to make sure Alberich’s goons aren’t lurking in the distance trying to trap us inside. With any luck, we’ll be in and out quick as a flash.”

  Jett shot her a sardonic look. “You just sentenced yourself to a maelstrom of problems right there. Luck is never, ever on our side.”

  Trevor snorted. He and Jett were cut from a similar cloth, and while they didn’t do care and shares on the regular, their bitter brand of cynicism was born from experience. “Well that’s why we’ll be counting on you lot to dole out your usual brand of chaos. Should send any wayward problems running for the hills.” He tipped his fingers forward before joining the leannan sidhe.

  Danica tucked her large purse into one of the wall recesses along the edge of the food court and slipped out of her heels before waving a hand across it. “There, glamoured. I’ll pick that up later.” She nodded toward his feet. “Better kick yours off too.”

  Trevor tugged his boots off and left them in the corner beside her purse before sidling up to Danica.

  She stepped to the door. A small purse dangled from her wrist, and she pulled out what looked like a wallet. The moment she tugged out the first slim tool, he realized she’d come far more prepared than he had. Considering the extent of information they’d been given was show up, play a show, steal a thing, and run, he’d been hoping she had done some comprehensive planning.

  “I’m guessing you’ve got something in mind for when the interior alarms go off?” he asked, pointing to the blink
ing light on the wall inside.

  Danica pursed her lips and delivered an arch look. “Have you met me? My contingency plans made a brood of babies, and I’ve got a whole rabble of contingency nuggets knocking around my knees.”

  Trevor shook his head and patted her shoulder. “You do you, sweetheart. I’ll be here to scream at whatever nonsense hauls our way.”

  She blew him a quick kiss before bending down to pick the main lock.

  He should be watching the perimeter and not that perfect ass, but he remembered how it felt to grip those hips and ram into her. Besides, Ky let Renn loose in this posh food court equivalent, so elephants in china shops and all that jazz. Their drummer whipped out his pipe, and the melody was beginning to incite the passersby to a frenzy. The quick, staccato tone inspired rage from anyone who heard it.

  It also didn’t help that Renn rushed into the first fight that broke out to headbutt one of the guys. Another man dove in to try and pull him back, and the fight spiraled outward from there.

  “Follow me,” Danica said, tugging open the Shark Reef’s door.

  He cast one last glance to the fast exploding scene as Ky let out a wild laugh and leapt into the fray, fists swinging. Liz and Jett patrolled the perimeter, their level heads the best damage control anyone could ask for. With a smile, he closed the door behind him and plunged into the darkness of the closed entrance. A steady beep filtered through the room.

  Danica flipped open the outer casing of the alarm, and out came another tool from her pseudo-wallet. His fingers twitched at the lack of motion. He was dying for something or someone to pop their ugly mug into view, so he could contribute. Danica snipped one of the wires, and the beeping stopped.

  “I’m supposing you know the best way into the shark tank as well?” Trevor murmured from behind her, rocking on his heels.

  “Obviously,” she responded, amusement in her tone. “You’re here to carry the heavy stuff.”

  He followed her deeper, their bare feet not making a sound along the carpeting. It was dark as pitch in here, but Trevor didn’t fumble. He’d spent too many years in the blackness of the hateful room where Alberich kept his trophy fae.

  Danica whipped out her phone and guided them through with her faux flashlight. The fragile beams glided across surfboard keychains hanging off stands, and shelves were lined with plastic knick-knacks and stuffed sharks. Apparently, they carved their way through the gift shop.

  “So, what’s the real reason you wanted me along?” Trevor asked. “Because I’m not green enough to buy the heavy lifting excuse.”

  Danica didn’t look back or even stop her stride, but he could feel the tension settle in the air between them. “Because you’re the only one who wants this as badly as I do,” she murmured, her voice lower than normal. “I’ve spent my entire life living on the edge for my freedom, and I won’t succumb to life as one of Alberich’s pets.”

  Her voice rang through the darkness, resonant as a bell. The words lingered afterward, the sort to stick to his skin. She was right to choose him, because he wouldn’t stop until they nailed Alberich on charges at last. He’d spent so long starving for hope that he’d clutch onto this offered crumb with all his might.

  Danica stepped to the door and lifted her hand. The air grew heavier with the same mojo she had worked before they’d entered the Shark Reef. “Part three hundred and sixty-eight of my plan. I’m just casting a little glamour so any cameras they’ve got installed on the tanks don’t pick up our entrance. Let’s do this.”

  Danica pushed the door open, and Trevor’s breath caught in his throat.

  The shark tunnel surrounded them, a saturation of cerulean, and shimmering lights streaming through. The glass stretched in an arc around them, placing the wide array of sharks in the exhibit on full display. The creatures moved with sanguine grace, a chilling, primordial look in their eyes as they drifted past on either side. Bumpy coral sprawled in every direction, and a myriad assortment of anemone and aquatic plants swayed in the ever-shifting water. This exhibit didn’t just house one or two sharks—far more swam above and around as they strode through the tunnel.

  “The tank we’re swimming in to get to the rift to the Otherworld—it’s not this one, right?” Trevor asked, masking the hesitation that thumped in his chest.

  Danica whirled around to face him, her bright eyes alight. Mischief laced her features, the sort spelling imminent trouble. “Of course it’s the one filled with dozens of sharks,” she responded. “It wouldn’t be any fun otherwise.”

  Devil be damned, the woman was insane.

  Chapter Ten

  The expression ‘would rather get eaten by a shark’ had always been figurative for Danica until today.

  The adrenaline hadn’t stopped coursing through her veins from the moment the hunters invaded Poseidon’s Lounge, and the hungry look gleaming in Trevor’s eyes sure as hell wasn’t helping. Around them, sharks glided by, separated by the glass barrier. Soon, there wouldn’t be one at all between them and these apex predators who had been killing for as long as her kind.

  Except a fight against a shark was fierce, furious, and final. A fight against Tymarch Alberich would be unending agony trapped in a cage. She only needed to glimpse at the ghosts in Trevor’s eyes to understand that.

  After they bypassed the shark tunnel, Danica directed them toward the employee area, since they’d be entering where the divers did. She’d memorized the layout of the shark reef when she’d been assembling the plan, every piece laid in place. Marisa Kincaid had given her the general location, but that was the most the woman could assist without stamping into the muck herself. Of course, if she and Trevor got their heads ripped off by sharks, the Kincaids wouldn’t want any repercussions falling on them. Typical fae politicking.

  As they headed across the shiny linoleum of an employee lounge, the stairwell beckoned with the scent of the water and brine.

  “What are the merits of just nuking the place?” Trevor asked behind her. She didn’t need to look to feel how the man buzzed with nerves.

  Danica strode past the staff lunch tables and steel kitchenette, heading toward the staircase. “Because the way to destroy Alberich isn’t about slinging punches. You’ve got to play by the rules of the fae court, babe. If he’s not savagely destroyed in the eyes of his peers, his legacy will continue.”

  “Remind me to never get on your bad side,” Trevor muttered.

  She opened the door to the diver’s tank, offering a rare overhead view of the exhibits most patrons strolled through. The surface of the cerulean water glimmered under the overhead lights, and the air grew damp and cool from the one point three-million-gallon shark exhibit. No bigs. The coral reefs jutted throughout the display, clearer near the surface and murkier in the lower depths. The sharks, multi-hued fish, and probably some weird bacteria she couldn’t pronounce waited for her down there.

  As they strode up to the grating of the diver’s tank, the reality settled into her like an avalanche. This was a real test of survival, stripped down and brazen compared to the hundreds of fae functions she’d waltzed through and the deals she’d cut to keep from getting married off. Her heartbeat pulsed louder and louder by the minute, and the chill from the water settled onto her skin.

  However, she wasn’t afraid.

  Danger didn’t terrify her like confinement.

  Danica would fight her way through a shark tank and bloody her hands in any manner to keep from getting weighted down either from a figurative chain or a real one. Trevor’s hand settled on her shoulder again. She glanced to him at last. She’d expected panic from the man at the insane endeavor before them, but all she found was a steady gaze back.

  Trevor arched a brow and glanced to her bare feet. “Good thing you didn’t wear your heels—the sharks would’ve gobbled you up first.”

  Danica snorted. “Nice try, he-who-wears-stompers. I would’ve sprinkled shark bait and kicked you in to give myself a swimming head start.” She stepped forward onto the
cold metallic grating. If anything helped the reality of what they attempted sink in, that did. Trevor wiped his palms on his ripped jeans.

  Danica flashed him a grin and lifted the small waterproof bag that dangled from her wrist. “And I’ve got the essentials on me here. Told you I planned for this.” The sharks swam by at what seemed like a leisurely pace, but their constant movement made her skin prickle. She looked up to catch Trevor’s gaze and couldn’t pull away. His dark eyes were too mesmerizing, reflecting the same livewire tension she felt. They both staved off the inevitable, their nerves woven through every word that passed their lips.

  “So … where’s the pocket to the Otherworld?” Trevor asked, hooking his thumbs through his belt loops as he forced his gaze toward the tank.

  “Just a quick swim,” Danica said, pointing into the tank. “Somewhere between here and the anchor down there.”

  A large coral structure spanned out before them, the fish and sharks drifting through the large holes. Seaweed and anemone swayed in the drift of the water to a gentle rhythm. At the bottom of the tank lay a massive anchor, partially buried. It appeared close, but Danica knew better than to trust her eyes. She squinted, trying to catch a glimmer in the water, an oil slick stain, any sign of the Otherworld that might be visible to her. However, the overhead lights glancing off the surface obscured her view.

  “We don’t know where the pocket is,” Trevor said, the words hanging in the air between them. Any moment now, her nerves would desert her. This was madness, and they both knew it. But desperation drove her to insane lengths, and she wouldn’t back down now. Not when they were this close.

  “One way to find it,” she responded, walking to the edge of the white metal grate. The sheer amount of water thickened the air around her, and goosebumps traveled up her arms. She could hold her breath longer than a human, but not that much more. If she kept needing to surface for breaths, the sharks would get them. Great buffet of options right now. Her toes hung over the edge, so close to touching the water.