“You don’t call me asking if I’ve seen my baby girl. If you don’t know where the fuck she is, then something isn’t right. Now what’s going on?”
“Let’s go inside. The sun bothers my eyes.”
Crush pulled the lining out of his pockets. “I’m all out of fucks to give.”
“We finished our assignment. No troubles. Everything was fine, so Raven and I separated to tie up a few loose ends. She seemed weary, and I thought she’d be back by now. That was this morning.”
“And she doesn’t have a phone on her?”
Christian shook his head. “I can’t imagine she would have walked the whole way home. I assumed she had enough money for a cab.”
“Get your bike. Let’s go.”
There was no point arguing. Crush was on a mission, and Christian needed an excuse to leave the house and become an overbearing lover. Viktor had been gushing over Raven’s accomplishments all day, and he rarely did that with anyone. Most of them had slept through the morning after getting back home, and following a late lunch, Viktor broke out the wine, and it all went to hell in a handbasket after that. They were merry and drunk, Kira bringing out a continual parade of food. It didn’t seem right celebrating without Raven, so after calling the hotel and finding out that she’d checked out early that morning, Christian paced the halls. An hour later, he left a message with Crush. That man must have sped over like a bullet, because he’d forgotten his wallet from the looks of the faded rectangular mark on his empty back pocket.
At least the sun would be down soon. Once Christian fired up the Ducati, he followed Crush down to the gate and then sped in front of him. Crush suddenly appeared to his left and gave him a death scowl before falling back. Christian didn’t know all the social rules when it came to the biker lifestyle, and he didn’t give a shite. Crush wouldn’t know where to look, and Christian’s first instinct was to retrace her steps. She’d mentioned going to the White Owl and the hotel.
Raven was probably having a burger and beer, yet worry nestled deep in his spine. Something wasn’t right. Somehow Crush felt it too. Perhaps because they shared the same blood.
But so did Christian and Raven. Not in the same way, but her blood still lingered in his veins as his did in hers, and maybe that connection was more powerful than he could have realized.
Or maybe now that he actually cared about someone in this world, all he could think about was the fear of losing her and what life might be like without Raven to keep him grounded.
They pulled up to the club around dusk. Instead of locating a parking lot, Christian jumped the curb and parked his Ducati by the building. A line of people shot him baleful looks, but Christian ignored the humans as he approached the doorman.
Crush parked his Harley on the street and dismounted.
“Your kind isn’t allowed.” The bouncer reached inside his sports jacket and flashed impalement wood at Christian. Then he flicked a glance at Crush. “Are you two together?”
Christian glowered. “He’s not my type. Now if you’ll kindly step out of the way, I won’t detach your miniature head from your disproportionately large body.”
The man slowly shook his head. “Don’t start trouble. You don’t want trouble.”
Christian stood toe to toe, nose to nose. “Aye, I want trouble.”
The man’s phone vibrated. He answered, eyes still locked on Christian.
“Let them in,” Christian heard a voice on the line say.
The man ground his teeth as he hung up and reluctantly opened the door.
Crush fell into step beside Christian in the dark hall. “What did he mean by your kind?”
“No Vampires. He couldn’t say it in front of an audience. Not all clubs allow my Breed.”
“Huh. I thought he meant peckerheads.”
The techno bass assailed Christian’s ears, so he made a volume adjustment to tone it down.
“What the fuck is this?” Crush stared at a woman tied to a wooden X.
Christian gripped the old man by the collar and yanked him away. “If you’d rather fool around, I can do this alone.”
“I’ve never seen that out in the open.”
“Best you stay downstairs then. It’s usually raunchier on the higher floors, and we wouldn’t want you keeling over from cardiac arrest.” Christian stopped and scoped the bar. He needed to figure out where the offices were so he could speak to a manager.