“We’ll find her, and when we do we’ll get her out of there.” Papan tightened his arm around my shoulder. “You just need to make sure you stay next to me. Don’t wander off, and if you lose sight of me for whatever reason, stick to Hicks.”
“Don’t you mean Rad?” I couldn’t help but tease.
Conrad gave me an annoyed sideways glance. “Everything in the vampire world always has to sound way cooler than it is.”
“All jokes aside, Foxy. Whatever you do, don’t go running off on your own trying to be the hero who rescues Ebony.”
The lights turned green for pedestrians and we stepped off the sidewalk.
“Being the hero is my job, so don’t get any ideas about saving her,” Conrad added. “As stubborn as the Wolf is, he’s right. Make sure you stay with us at all times. We don’t need to lose two of you in there.”
“Please, don’t talk to me like I’m some damsel in distress who’ll need a big strong man to save her,” I returned. I was starting to get a little annoyed with his warnings about the club. As far as I could tell, anyone who wasn’t a vampire was in danger and most people lining the street seemed to be human.
“Whatever,” Conrad said with a roll of his eyes. “Come on, I know the bouncer.”
Papan and I stuck close behind him.
“Hey, Press,” he called to a beefy man. “How are you, my man?”
The man’s grim lips curved into something resembling a smile. “Hey, Rad, what brings you here tonight?”
He hitched a thumb our way. “I’ve got a couple of relos over from the suburbs who want to see how the real people party. Y’know what I’m saying, right?”
Press nodded. “Yeah, I get ya.” He looked me up and down, licking his lips as he paused on my chest, before glaring at Papan as if he were a threat. “Sure, bring them in.”
“Hey, do you know if Cam’s here tonight?”
“Yeah, he’s in, but he’s got some business going on upstairs and will be busy all night.” Press suddenly looked uncomfortable, which was a strange feat for a man whose neck was almost as wide as my waist. “I can let him know you’re in.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. We don’t need Cam to have a good time.” Conrad rammed himself between Papan and me, casually throwing an arm over each of our shoulders. “Come on, Westies. Let me show you how city people party!”
I couldn’t help but scan the crowd and see the disapproving glances we were getting from people who would probably end up waiting for hours. The few times I’d actually braved clubs, I’d hated people like us. I never liked the clubbing scene much. It felt more like a meat market than anything else, where the girls were there to be ogled and the guys ready to stalk them. It made me uncomfortable back then and now wasn’t any different, especially since the places we’d stopped in tonight had the added non-bonus of bloodsuckers.
As soon as we entered the club—and Conrad made sure we didn’t pay a cover charge—he dropped his arms and turned to face us.
“Let’s head for the bar. It’s on the far right side of the room and will probably be our best vantage point to scope out what’s going on,” he instructed, not bothering to wait for us.
I grabbed Papan’s hand and we trailed the vampire hunter. He stopped every now and then to shake hands with someone or whisper something to someone else. A lot of the people—or were they vamps?—seemed to know exactly who he was.
The music thumped a manic rhythm, making the bass pulsate inside my chest.
At the bar, a pretty woman stood behind the counter. She was thin, had spiked blue hair, and was wearing a tight leather vest revealing a lot of inked skin. Both of her arms—as well as her chest—were covered in colorful tattoos that I couldn’t decipher under the bleak lighting. She called out as we approached, “Rad, hey, how’re ya this fine evening?”
“Narelle, you’re looking as bewitching as ever,” he said with a wink.
She hung her head back and laughed as she wiped the counter. “What will it be this evening, the usual?” She dumped the rag and leaned her toned, colored arms against the counter. “Or are you in the mood for something different?”
“Actually, we’re not here to drink,” Conrad said. “And this isn’t a social call.”
The familiarity between these two made me wonder if they were former lovers, or maybe even something more serious. Was this woman a vampire?
“Who’ve you got with you?” Narelle turned her gaze our way. She barely looked at me before her eyes narrowed and lingered on Papan. She licked her lips.
Yep, she’s gotta be a vamp.
“Relos from out of town, you know how it is,” Conrad said offhandedly. “So be a good girl and keep your hands off them.”
“Oh, you’re no fun.” Narelle pouted, the tips of her fangs peeking past her lips as she kept her gaze glued on Papan. “Are you a shifter?”
Papan shrugged. “Something like that, why?”
“I like shifters,” she said, leaning forward. “And I love their blood even more. Werewolves are my fave.” She licked her lips, a little more thoroughly this time. “Delish.”
I couldn’t believe the nerve of this woman.
Papan glared at the bartender, his nose raised in the air.
“Can you smell something?” I said, cupping my hand around his ear so no one could eavesdrop. Then again, in a vampire-owned club, I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone heard my question in spite of the loud dance music.
“She’s here,” he simply said.
Conrad leaned closer to the bar, and placing both of his hands over Narelle’s, pinned her to the spot. “What’s Cam got going on tonight?”
Narelle peered quickly over her shoulder, as if to double-check no one was listening. “He’s got a private show upstairs.” Her eyes flashed, turning a lighter shade than they’d been a second ago. “I can’t tell you more.”
“He’s got her up there, doesn’t he?”
“Rad, you know I can’t answer that. He’s my fucking maker and if I tell you what he’s doing, he’ll take me out.”
“That’s never stopped you before, so quit being a bitch.”
“Look, if you were to ask the right questions, I might be able to lead you in the right direction,” she said, her eyes shining. “That’s the best I can do.”
I couldn’t believe this. If this woman had any idea of what was really going on inside this club, why hadn’t she called Conrad and saved us all a lot of time wasted? They obviously had some sort of past together. My fingers itched for the silver dagger so I could stab her with it.
Such a violent thought shook me to the core, but didn’t surprise me. I was here to get Ebony out of this joint and I didn’t care what I had to do to make that happen.
“Fair enough,” Conrad said. “I can play this game. Cam’s got Ebony up there, hasn’t he?”
Narelle nodded.
“And he’s using her for his own entertainment?”
“No.”
Conrad frowned. “He’s giving her to someone else first?”
“He’s hosting a private party.”
“That’s all I need to know. I appreciate your help and will make sure he never finds out you were the one who told me what was going on.”
Narelle snorted. “How the fuck are you going to do that?”
“I’m going to kill him, that’s how.”
“Good luck. I hope you can.”
“Either way, I’ll protect you from any backlash.”
The bartender slid her right hand from beneath Conrad’s and ran her thin fingers up and down the leather sleeve of his jacket. “Rad, I’m a big girl and can protect myself, which is more than I can say for the little girl you’re looking for.”
“Do you know how she got here?”
“I have no idea, but I’d say she’s pretty close to dying.”
“He’s planning to turn her?”
Narelle shook her head. “I said she’s close to dying, not turning.”
My heart san
k. We couldn’t be too late.
Conrad removed his other hand from hers and motioned for us to follow him onto the dance floor. We passed couples dancing a little too close while others danced with friends. Everyone was clearly intoxicated.
I might be a spook catcher and have never come across a vampire but I could feel something strange in the air. The sensation vibrated over my skin and made me want to release myself from the constraints of clothing. There were too many vampires concealing their true selves in this club, and they seemed to be using their power of persuasion pretty strongly.
As I passed by a short, bald man he flashed me a toothy grin and his fangs shot out from his gums. “Hello, gorgeous, dance with me.” He grabbed my arm before I could move out of the way.
“I don’t think so.” I attempted to pull back but he already had a vice-like grip around me. “Let go of me.”
Papan’s hand slid from mine and he swung around. A frown darkened his face as his eyes scanned the gyrating dancers bumping into him. He was tall enough to tower over a lot of the crowd but the sheer number of people cramped onto the dance floor kept him away from me.
“That’s better—come here.” The bald man grabbed my hips and pulled me close, pressing the front of his body against mine. “You smell so nice, so different.” He nuzzled my neck roughly as I squirmed to push him off.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake him and Papan was still trying to push his way towards me. “Fox!” he yelled, though I wasn’t sure if he’d spotted me or was just calling out my name.
I had to get away from this asshole, and I only knew of one way to do it.
His fingers dug into my hips but both of my arms were free. I placed a palm on his chest, putting some distance between our upper bodies even though he was grinding his crotch against me.
“Yeah, that’s more like it.” A leer cut across his mouth as he settled into what he thought was my acceptance of his rough dance.
He was so intent on keeping me in place I felt like we were going to meld together. If he thought I was dancing, maybe I could use this to my advantage. As much as it made me sick to the stomach, I smiled at him as I ran my hand up and down his chest. When I made an attempt to sway my hips from side to side, he seemed hesitant to release me but I didn’t stop my movements. Rubbing myself against him eventually caused his smirk to widen and his grip loosened slightly. I was free to move and found myself slowly making my way down as if caught in the middle of a seductive wiggle.
Baldy licked his lips. “Yeah, baby, that’s what I’m talking about.”
I kept my eyes on his as I went lower, before sliding my right hand down my thigh, my fingers reaching lower, until I was able to wrap them around the hilt of the dagger tucked inside my boot. I’d never been more excited to have it on me.
After unclipping the top of the sheath, I slowly yanked the blade out and continued my swaying motions as the music blared around us and the other dancers shuffled too close.
Baldy was lost to the music, so I straightened and thrust the dagger into the side of his neck. He gasped, but I stepped in real close so I could wrap my hand around the silver hilt. I didn’t want to lose my weapon on the packed dance floor.
The last time I’d tried to stab someone in the neck, I’d missed completely so it felt good to see my aim had improved.
I quickly slid the blade out of his neck and stabbed Baldy again, this time in the heart. He stumbled back, collapsing on the dance floor and writhing like a person having a seizure.
The bodies around us caught him, serving as a wide net. Everyone was so entranced no one noticed what was happening.
Curling rings of smoke drifted from both of the open wounds and I knew he was as good as dead.
“Wood or silver, straight to the heart is the only way to kill them,” Conrad had told me earlier. “Vamps can heal silver wounds, but not when there’s direct impact with their heart.”
I stepped back just as Baldy released an inhuman shriek. I stumbled into someone’s arms, but still held the blade at my side, ready to stab.
“Relax, it’s me,” Papan whispered in my ear. “Come on.”
The vampire’s blistered body exploded with a spray of ash and blood, but we’d already blended into the crowd.
Someone screamed and the sea of bodies adjusted. I barely dodged being pushed in the opposite direction and quickly ducked low to tuck the dagger back into its hilt. I wasn’t about to risk anyone seeing it—not since I hadn’t had time to redo the shrouding incantation.
At least the panicked, shifting crowd helped conceal what I’d done.
By the time we reached the metal stairs on the opposite side of the spacious room and caught up with Conrad, there was no way anyone would know I was responsible for the commotion. That thought made me feel a little smug, even if I knew being cocky in such an unstable situation wasn’t a good idea.
I sucked in a breath filled with smoke, sweat and heat, and let it out very slowly. My pulse gradually slowed. The incident on the dance floor hadn’t affected me as much as I thought it would.
“Are you two okay?” Conrad was looking over the crowd with a frown.
I nodded.
“What the fuck just happened?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I replied. “I took care of it.”
He shook his head. “Yeah, I can see that.”
Papan squeezed my hand and I turned to look at him. I couldn’t help but flash him a quick smile. He was probably freaked out because he’d temporarily lost me in the crowd of dancers, but I didn’t need rescuing all the time.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m positive.”
“We better get upstairs before the commotion attracts too much attention,” Conrad said with another shake of his head.
When we’d almost reached the top of the stairs, I peeked down at the dance floor. Most of the dancers on the edges still hadn’t noticed anything had happened, but there was a wide circle of gawkers in the middle.
“Don’t worry about them,” Papan said.
I turned to look at him and nodded.
His eyes had shifted to amber, which probably wasn’t a good thing. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“You found me, and that’s what matters.”
Conrad placed a hand on Papan’s shoulder. “Maybe you can channel that anger towards the fuckers upstairs, because I doubt Cam’s going to give Ebony up without a fight.”
“Let’s do this,” I whispered. All of the fear and expectation I’d felt while crossing the road to reach this club now intermingled with the determination to save Ebony. The sooner we found her the better.
I’m not leaving without Ebony.
Conrad continued up the rickety metal stairs. We followed close behind and stepped into a passageway painted in black—the ceiling, walls, and floor. It felt like walking into the inside of a box. Papan motioned for me to step in front of him, so I was sandwiched between the two guys.
The passageway wound around the side and came to a sudden end. If it wasn’t for the slim line of light underneath, I wouldn’t have known it was a door.
We crowded around it and I could hear the mumblings of chatter, laughter, and even some moans and groans. My heart pounded like a jackhammer and my stomach lurched.
“I can smell her,” Papan whispered. “She’s inside.”
“Are you sure?” Conrad’s hand was already poised and ready to knock.
He nodded.
Conrad knocked once.
“They’re not going to answer,” I snapped.
“They will if they’re expecting someone.” Just as Conrad said that, the door opened wide and a smiling man wearing nothing but skimpy underwear answered the door.
His beaming smile faded when he saw us. “What the fuck?”
Conrad smacked his elbow against the guy’s face, following it up with a quick stake through the heart.
Blood and ash flew into the air.
C
onrad rushed inside and I followed while Papan shut the door behind us.
“Ebony!” Conrad yelled. “Where are you?” He stormed around the room like a man ready to tear the place apart with his bare hands. His body was tense and menacing as a handful of half-naked women and men stepped out of his way.
I looked around, trying to calm my breathing and heartbeat, while searching for her. But she wasn’t here.
Papan stepped up beside me, tapping the back of my hand. “Over there!”
I turned to look at where he pointed and my legs almost collapsed beneath me.
Ebony was in this room, strung up like a lamb ready for slaughter.
The middle of the room had several steps ascending to a small circular stage. A demented stripper’s pole was erected in the middle and Ebony’s frail body was pressed against it. A thick, silver chain crisscrossed over her chest, stomach, and legs, holding her steady. Her wrists were secured by a thinner chain dangling from the ceiling, keeping both of her arms upright and toes barely skimming the floor.
Several vampires stupid enough to risk sucking at her between the silver links hovered around her. Their skin puffed with smoke as they greedily slurped more blood from my friend.
“What the fuck?” Conrad raced ahead of us, climbing the stairs two at a time and reaching her in seconds. The bloodsuckers tormenting her hissed at him, but retreated when he kicked a few of them away and then raised his stake.
My stomach turned.
“Ebony, honey, wake up.” He stood in front of her, cupping her face in an attempt to rouse her, but her head lolled to the side and her eyes had the glaze of someone who’d been drugged.
I couldn’t stop the tears from blurring my vision. Her thin body looked anorexic and she was barely wearing her bra and panties. Her ribs showed through her skin and her hip bones jutted out. There were bite marks all over her petite frame. Some had bled more than others and left trails of crimson along her waxy skin.
My fists curled at my sides. Who the fuck would be so cruel and take advantage of someone like this?
“Ebony,” I whispered, but Papan wrapped his hand around my wrist to stop me before I could get any closer. I was about to yank out of his grip when a blond man stepped out from the shadows and onto the stage.
On Pins and Needles: Sierra Fox, Book 3 Page 20
