Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nash felt Abi crawling across his mating mark, which was hidden underneath the collar of his shirt. Eight tiny legs tickled his skin. Abi wouldn’t be Abi if he didn’t pick a venomous spider. He was the biggest black widow spider ever, but still tiny enough to stay unseen.
We’re too exposed in the city. How are you going to fly out if it becomes necessary? Abi was right. The club was downtown with street parking only. People were everywhere, dressed in their finest club clothes. They glittered in all their shiny short skirts and leather pants.
The lights from the clubs lit up the streets. Some clubs had set tables up on the sidewalk. People sat around drinking and talking. The club block was a social district, so there were already half-drunk people holding colorful drinks and martini glasses. Music floated outside the club doors.
Nash passed a man sitting on the curb between two cars.
The poor guy leaned against a bumper with his eyes half-lidded. “Fuck. I’m gonna puke.”
Nash stopped and pulled out his phone. He dialed Daruss.
A phone rang nearby. Nash searched around and found Jude sitting on Daruss’s lap and Raylee beside them.
Raylee drank something red and, knowing Raylee, it was probably fruity.
But the glass was mostly empty. His cheeks were pink, and his eyes were glassy.
Wren and Jonik were at their table too. They had eyes only for each other.
Daruss had a hand up Jude’s shirt. “Yeah.”
“Two things. Pay attention to your other boy, or he’ll puke up fruit-flavored vodka later.” Raylee was far too small to drink so much.
Daruss cursed and pulled the drink away from Raylee.
“Half of that was supposed to be mine. Sheesh, pretty. You sucked it all down.” Jude leaned into Raylee with a smile and kissed him. “I got something else you can suck down.”
Raylee apologized with a silly grin on his face. And then he leaned against Daruss. “The world is spinning, Daddy.”
“I’ll bet it is, baby.” Daruss pulled Raylee against him. “What’s the second thing?”
“There’s a guy sitting on the curb between the two cars. Where I’m standing. He’s going to be a target if someone doesn’t watch out for him.”
“I’m on it.”
You’re a sweetheart, Nash. Was that Abi making fun of him?
Better to rescue him from himself instead of rescuing him from people like Mallor.
Agreed. I didn’t mean it sarcastically. I was being sincere.
Nash smirked. I’m only a sweetheart for you, boy.
Peter was in his head too. Nash felt the invasion as though someone lurked in the shadows of his mind, listening to their conversation.
The only difference between Peter and Abi was that Nash knew what Abi felt.
He could tie feelings to Abi’s words. Abi felt like a warm blanket. His presence was comforting and loving.
We’re in place. So are your people.
Indeed, Daruss stood, kissing each one of his boys and telling them to take care of each other and Wren. Jonik fell into step alongside Daruss.
Landry didn’t make eye contact with Nash when he appeared by the drunk man’s side. He asked the man if he wanted to join him and his friends, pointing to where Jude, Raylee, and Wren sat. Jude had his arm around Raylee, letting Raylee rest against him.
I’m heading to the club now.
Abi, where are you?
I’m good, Pete. Ready to pop out of the cake for Michael Mallor.
So your intention is to surprise him?
Peter could ask either of them, but Nash was the one who answered. If he thinks he has the upper hand, he’ll give me more information.
Wait. That’s not how you spun it. Abi hadn’t ever been so protective before.
We talked about it in the car, Abi.
What we talked about was making him think you’re alone. But what you’re talking about is letting Mallor hurt you. You’re resigned to that fate, Nash. I can feel it.
The possibility of getting hurt has crossed my mind. Nash figured Mallor wouldn’t hold back, especially if he thought Nash wanted revenge.
This is exactly what I’m worried about. Abi’s eight little legs crawled across his skin. He made a home in the dip of Nash’s collarbone. I’m going to kill Mallor if he lays one finger on you. I don’t give a fuck about anything else but you.
Peter stayed silent, but he listened to their argument like an uncomfortable friend stuck in the backseat of a car with them. Nash appreciated him not butting in.
I love you too, baby. But this has always been a possible outcome.
I’m going to kill him for touching you when you were a kid. I’m going to make his death slow and painful if he hurts you again. And you’re going to watch me do it so you’ll know I’m not fucking around.
Nash wanted to call Abi off, but the bloodthirstiness was rather cute.
On my go-ahead. And make it extra slow. We might get even more information out of him that way.
I didn’t realize you were just as murderous as Abi, Peter said through their link.
Nash didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t deny it.
He’d killed plenty of people. All of them deserved it.
They were people like Mallor. Nash had become very good at infiltrating criminal organizations and eliminating the bad guys.
Mallor was the only one who had run long enough and had stayed out of Nash’s line of sight—until Jonik spoke his name.
Don’t worry. Abi and I will get the information you need to take down all his associates. But we’ll do it my way.
We’ll see what type of team you make. So Sylvain intended to test them.
It seemed they had something to prove. We’re walking into the club now.
The club wasn’t exactly nondescript, but the only indicator that it was part of the club district was the plain white text on the door that read Club Black. Underneath that was members-only.
The bouncer at the door didn’t ask for identification or a membership card. He simply opened the door and let Nash inside.
The bouncer is Sylvain family. Peter again. Mallor told the employees to let him know when you arrived. He won’t be doing that. I have two more inside, but that’s it. The rest of us are patrons.
Got it. Nash would stay out of sight for as long as he could. Blending in with the crowd was something he was good at.
The bar was next to the front door and was the first thing anyone saw.
In true sex club fashion, a stage took up much of the room.
A lean man hung upside down from a pole in nothing but barely-there mesh panties.
People sat along the stage waiting for attention, while others danced to the same music.
On the right were several doors, and then a curtained doorway in the back corner.
He grinned at a woman who slid in front of him and began dancing. Blending in meant dancing with her, but he twirled her around at the right moment and headed further into the room.
Nash danced his way to the curtain, taking his time so as not to draw attention to himself.
Very good, Mr. Drake. No one has caught on to your presence. At least not any of the employees. Not even the two I’ve planted inside.
Not that Nash needed Spider’s approval, but it was good to know he still had the upper hand.
There had to be a guard on the other side of the curtain. I need the guard taken out. Quickly, baby. Think you can do that?
Extend your arm.
Nash stood next to the curtain, using his arm to lean against the wall, bracing himself as if he were too drunk to stand upright on his own. He swayed a bit, the way someone with a heavy head would.
Abi’s tiny spider legs disappeared. He grew longer inside Nash’s shirt, curling around Nash to accommodate his new, longer snake body, and then his snake head popped out of his shirt.
What kind of snake are you?
King cobra. It’s not native to here, but I’m bored with the rattlesnake, which is the only venomous snake in this part of North America.
Boring. Abi sounded a little put out by Mother Nature, as if she had done him a disservice by not creating more variety.
A cobra can also kill the fastest. They have a neurotoxin that will work within minutes. It’s neat stuff.
Nash chuckled.
On the bright side, they won’t have anti-venom here. King cobras live in Southeast Asia. I doubt the emergency room doctors would even know what the problem is. By the time they do all the tests, it will be too late, and that’s assuming they get him to the hospital quickly, which I doubt very much.
The chuckle must have alerted the guard to their presence because he pulled back the curtain. He seemed to know right where they were too because his gaze met Nash’s. His scowl was deep and menacing.
By the time the guy saw Abi in all his flare-headed glory, it was too late. Abi had already struck. His strike range was amazing. Several feet separated them from the bouncer, but it didn’t seem like any distance at all.
The bouncer winced and then seemed confused as he cupped his cheek. A small amount of blood trickled from twin fang marks. When he pulled his hand away, blood covered his fingertips.
Abi slithered back into Nash’s shirt. He wrapped himself around Nash’s waist. If someone looked closely enough, they would see the ripples of Abi’s body through Nash’s white shirt.
The man’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to scream. Nash wrapped his hand around the guy’s throat before a sound could escape. He put a finger to his lips before smiling. “You don’t want to make my snake come out again, do you?”
Abi poked his head out of Nash’s shirt and bit the guy again.
The guy would have screamed if Nash had not restricted his airway.
Nash shrugged. “Oops.”
His eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground with a thud. There wasn’t any way the venom would have worked that fast. I think you scared him to death, baby.
Abi chuckled and tucked himself back into Nash’s shirt.
Nash wanted to stay hidden for as long as possible.
The victims are almost out. Headed to safety. For a club of dragon shifter bikers, your guys are very efficient. Who knew Spider Sylvain could make backhanded compliments sound like teasing? Nash didn’t even know Spider had a sense of humor.
We do our best. Nash wanted to take the bait, if that was Spider actually baiting him. Who could really tell?
Spider chuckled. Give the signal, and when you’re ready, we’ll get the party started out here.
Give us ten minutes. That was all they would need.
Nash walked down a long hallway. Several doors were closed. Club members could take advantage of the unoccupied rooms.
Nash passed an open door and peeked inside.
There was what appeared to be a padded sawhorse with straps on it.
Nash didn’t pretend to know how to use it, but he supposed Abi would bend over the thing and Nash would fuck him.
If that were indeed how it was done, it would be fun until all the blood rushed to Abi’s head and he passed out from it. What a way to kill the mood.
Abi poked his head out of Nash’s shirt. His little forked tongue scented the air. Hard pass, Daddy.
Nash chuckled. What? Why wouldn’t you want to spice things up?
You’re plenty spicy. On fire. I like it just the way you give it to me. Daddy. I don’t need all the extra stuff.
Abi rubbed his head against Nash’s chest.
Nash moved further down the hall. The rooms were too small for what Mallor had in store for him. He’d need lots of room when he made Nash bleed.
Nash took longer strides and quickened his pace as he headed to the end of the hall. The room had to be bigger. Either that or it led to another floor with a larger space. Nash was unsure, but he’d find out soon enough.
The sign on the door read Private Use Only. There were no instructions on seeing the manager if someone wanted to use the room. All the rooms in this part of the club were private, so the only way the sign made sense was if someone had exclusive access. That someone would most definitely be Mallor.
The magic was powerful. He could taste it in the air. Sparks lingered on his tongue.
When Nash touched the doorknob, the magic sizzled. He wanted to recoil the way Abi had. Tuck himself away and then run as fast as he could.
The magic was all for Nash.
Nash’s heart rate increased. He held his breath when the doorknob turned on its own.
He hadn’t used magic at the fighting arena. This is insanely strong. Yeah, Abi had a point.
Mallor hadn’t wanted them to know how strong a warlock he was. Maybe subduing Nash to get to Abi was his plan all along. Or maybe he wanted both of them.
Eshan can help. He’s like a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Abi’s family might be notorious, but Nash already loved them.
It'll take Eshan a bit to get there, but he’s on his way. And thank the gods, Spider was still in his head.
I smell blood, Nash.
Nash cursed. How long for your guy to get here?
Ten minutes tops.
Abi must have known what Nash intended to do. We should wait for Eshan, Nash.
Nash might have a shitty sense of smell, but he had excellent hearing. He could hear whimpering on the other side of the door.
We’re going in.
Abi cursed. I hope you know what you’re doing.
Nash hoped he did too, but he had a feeling the shitshow was about to start.
Nash turned the knob and pushed the door open.
Mallor sat on a leather couch. His suit jacket lay on the arm of the couch next to him. He had unbuttoned his blue shirt past his pecs.
A naked man with blood covering his body lay in the fetal position next to him. The man shook. He cried when Mallor touched his ankle. The shaking grew in intensity.
Mallor smiled when his gaze met Nash’s. “I knew who you were the second the arena went up in flames. You’re the boy who got away. Why did you come back to me, Nash Drake?”
The magic held Nash in place, making it impossible to move.
The next ten minutes would be the longest of his life.