Chapter 16 #4
She whimpers and licks my face. I’m already in love with all the dogs and cats here, but this little gal is special.
There’s just something about her that squeezes my heart every time I see her.
I reluctantly put her back in her kennel and force myself to walk away.
I’m not so sure Sasha would appreciate coming home to twenty new dogs and fifteen cats.
I’m not so sure Chort would be down for that either.
I say a quick goodbye to everyone and then drive back home to get ready.
I’m planning on texting Sasha to let him know where I’ll be, but I want to wait until I get there.
I feel bad bugging him while he’s working, especially since I have no idea what exactly he’s doing.
What if I text and he’s in the middle of something dangerous?
He usually has his phone on vibrate, but what if that’s enough noise to attract attention when he’s trying to stay hidden?
I also know he would hate it if I don’t tell him anything, so I compromise on a text once I get to the club.
Sav and five other Kappas are already in line once I get there, and based on how good they look in their very short skirts and tops, we’re quickly let inside.
Sav and I are severely overdressed compared to everyone else, but I win the prize for wearing jeans and an off-the-shoulder top.
Sav opted for a cute silver dress, but it fully covers her breasts and ass and makes her look like she’s training to be a nun when compared to her sorority sisters.
Once we’re inside, I take a few minutes to look around.
The club is huge with booths and tables set up around a large dance floor that’s currently filled with bodies grinding it out to the loud upbeat music that blares through hidden speakers.
A long bar fills the space to our right, and every inch of it is taken.
Gabby leans in close to us and yells over the music, “I’ll go get us drinks!” She’s twenty-one and clearly set on getting loaded tonight.
“You don’t have to worry about me,” I tell her. “I’ll just grab a drink later.”
I can tell she’s disappointed in my answer, but doesn’t care enough to press the issue.
Once she walks off, I pull my phone out and wave it at Sav so she’ll know what I’m doing.
She nods and gives me a thumbs up while the others drag her out onto the dance floor.
I realize I should’ve done this in the Jeep before I came in as I push my way through the ever-growing crowd to get to the corner.
Out of the way, I quickly send a text to let Sasha know where I’m at.
Within seconds my phone is ringing with Fiancé/Stalker lighting up my screen.
“I see you changed your contact info,” I yell over the music so he can hear me.
“What are you doing at The Red Room?” he asks, and I can tell by the edge in his voice that he’s not thrilled I’m here.
“Sav had to come and she wanted me to tag along. Should I not be here?” I ask the question while looking around, suddenly wondering if there’s more to this club than what meets the eye.
If the Bratva owns it, does that mean they do dangerous things here?
I hadn’t thought about that until now, and I suddenly feel very stupid.
“I’m on my way, Cyn. Don’t leave the club, and don’t drink anything you didn’t see the bartender pour himself, okay?”
I can barely hear him over the music, and what he’s said makes me want to ask a million questions, but there’s no way I’ll be able to do it here. I’m already getting glared at for yelling into my phone while everyone else is trying to have a good time.
“Okay, I’ll wait here,” I tell him. “But I want answers when you get here.”
“You’ll get them, krovinka, but for now be careful, and if you don’t feel safe go to the blond guy in the corner booth. His name’s Pasha. Tell him I sent you.”
“Okay, I will,” I promise him before we say goodbye and I put my phone away.
Before I walk back to the others, I quickly scan the crowded club, and when the gyrating bodies slow down to adjust to the new song’s tempo, enough space clears for me to see into the far corner.
Sure enough, there’s a man sitting in a corner booth with blond hair.
I can’t see him well enough to get a good visual, but I know he has to be the man Sasha’s talking about.
Now that I know where my emergency plan lies, I scoot around bodies until I’m back on the other side of the club by the bar.
Sav and the others are giving it their all to the new song, so I edge my way to the end of the bar, and claim a small space for myself.
The bartender is good and immediately notices the new face.
“What can I get for you?” he asks in a well-trained voice that’s just loud enough for me to hear, but not so loud he’s screaming in my face.
“Can I get two Sprites?” I end up sounding like I’m yelling, so I smile to soften it.
He grins, probably very used to being screamed at all night and says, “Coming right up.”
When he places them in front of me, I try not to wince at the price before handing over a twenty and telling him to keep the change. God, Sasha’s family must make a killing from this place. If nonalcoholic drinks are this expensive, the others must be through the roof.
When I turn back around, I see a small high-top table that someone’s just left. Clutching my drinks, I rush over there as fast as I can, letting out a sigh of relief when I make it in time. I’ve just climbed onto the tall chair and taken my first sip when I hear someone call my name.
Looking over, I try not to cringe when I see Ben.
I know Sav’s going to be all kinds of irritated to see him, but there’s no getting out of it.
He gives me a big smile and sits down across from me without an invite.
Ben has barely ever looked in my direction, and I know the only reason he’s smiling at me now is because he’s trying to use me to get to Sav.
I almost laugh when I think about what he’d do if Niki were to show up.
If the two of them ever get together, Ben will have to admit defeat, because no way in hell would he try to go up against someone who looks like Niki.
“Hey,” he yells from across the table before looking around the club. I can tell the second he spots Sav, because he gets a lecherous look in his eyes that I don’t care for. Turning back around, he motions towards the two Sprites I’d ordered. “You want anything else to drink?”
“No,” I tell him and take another sip. “I’m only twenty, and I’m not drinking tonight anyway.”
“You think Savanna might want something?”
I point to the other glass right next to mine. “I just got her one.”
He nods and then goes back to staring at her. When the song ends, Sav and the others start walking over. I give her an I’m sorry, what the hell was I supposed to do look when she notices Ben sitting across from me.
“Hey,” Sav tells him as she takes the chair next to mine. The others crowd around, all of them way more eager to see Ben than we are. While they chat, Sav leans in close to me and says, “I can’t believe he followed me here.”
“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “Once Niki makes it clear you’re his, no one will be brave enough to approach you.”
She grins at the idea but says, “I’m not going to get my hopes up. I’m sure he has a lot of girls trying to get his attention.”
“From what I could see, he definitely only wants attention from you,” I tell her, and she smiles even bigger.
“Oh, I love this song,” Gabby squeals when the beat changes.
In seconds, she’s grabbing Sav’s hand and leading her back out onto the floor with the others.
I think about joining them, but Sasha told me to not drink anything that I didn’t see the bartender pour, and I don’t want to leave our glasses alone.
I grab my Sprite and take a big drink before turning to watch the dance floor again.
After several minutes, I go back for more. I’ve just swallowed when I hear Ben say, “You stupid fucking bitch.”
“What?” Stunned at the anger in his voice, I look at him and feel a woozy rush hit me. “Damn,” I mutter, assuming I’d just moved too quickly and made myself dizzy. When it doesn’t go away, Ben leans in closer.
“You’re drinking from Savanna’s drink, fat ass.”
My face flames to life at the insult and the pure hate in his voice. My instincts are on high alert, and when I try to look over to where I know Pasha is, the room starts to tilt and I nearly fall off my chair.
“Jesus Christ,” Ben growls. He’s at my side in seconds, pulling me off my chair and then wrapping his arm around me to hold me up.
He grunts like I weigh a million pounds, and I’d punch him in the nuts if I could manage the coordination.
Fear starts to inch its way up my spine, but I’m too woozy to piece anything together.
“Sasha,” I start to say, but the word is slurred and too soft to be heard over the music that sounds a hell of a lot louder than it was a few minutes ago.
Ben’s fingers dig into my side. His touch is rough and painful, and not at all how Sasha treats me. I try to will my body to fight back, but nothing is working as it should and all I want to do is fall to the floor and sleep.
I have just enough time to think about how angry Sasha is going to be before everything goes dark.