and men were gyrating inside human-size birdcages. Others were leading around submissives on leashes. A lady covered entirely in latex gave Christian a seductive wink before unzipping her mouth and licking her lips.
They made their way toward a hallway in the back. A large man, hands clasped in front, took a step to block him. “The old man stays here.”
“He’s with me.”
The guard shook his head. “The owner won’t speak to you unless the human remains here.”
“Just go,” Crush ordered him. “I’ll keep the numbskull company.”
Christian blew past the guard, attuned to the sounds behind each door. When he heard whistling, he knocked.
“Enter.”
Christian stepped inside and closed the door behind him. The first thing that grabbed his attention in the dark room was all the screens displaying images of the club, inside and out.
The chair behind the desk turned. Houdini regarded Christian with a pensive stare. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Christian marched up to the desk and pressed his fingers against the wood. “Well, well. If it isn’t the devil incarnate.”
“Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? Did you come here to settle a score? Or did Raven not tell you about our conversations, and jealousy is afoot.”
“Where is she?”
“I could have let you stand outside, so use my time wisely.”
“And I could have knocked out that pinhead and walked right in.”
Houdini put his hands on his lap, his demeanor cool. “I would have seen it and bolted the outside door. In case you didn’t notice, there aren’t windows. My building is Vampire proof.”
Christian stood erect. “I find that rather ironic.”
“State your business.”
“I’m here for Raven.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Houdini rose from his seat and stood at the edge of the desk. He appeared flummoxed. “If she’s missing, what makes you think I have anything to do with it?”
“Because you like to meddle. You’ve meddled in her creation and done an effective job gaslighting her. You kidnapped her once, and I suspect you had something to do with digging up the bodies of three Shifters who attacked us while we were on a job outside the country. I buried those bodies where no one would find them. Raven could have been jailed for that little incident, but you knew I’d take the blame, didn’t you?”
Houdini put his hands in his pockets. “All in good fun.”
Christian reeled in his contempt for this insipid excuse of a Vampire. “I suppose it’s money you want.”
Houdini sighed. “I’ll shoot straight with you, Poe. I don’t know where Raven is. I didn’t search for her the first time, and I won’t search for her now. If you’ve lost her, that’s quite unfortunate. She was here this morning. We talked briefly, and then she left. Perhaps for good. Maybe she’s finally discovered that the best life is lived outside of another’s shadow.”
“She’s not in my shadow.”
“No, but she’s in Keystone’s.” Houdini swiveled around and sat in his seat. “If you don’t mind, I have to address my staffing crisis and search for replacements. Should you know of anyone who won’t screw me over, send them my way.”
Christian paced toward the door and gripped the knob. “If I find out you’re behind this, they don’t have laws written for what I’ll do to you. It won’t be murder, I can tell you that much. But you’ll pray for death.”
“Isn’t that what we all pray for in the quiet moments? Maybe you should ask yourself why finding Raven is so important to you. Goodbye, Poe.”
After exiting the room, Christian stalked through the club, eager to get as far away from Houdini as possible. Crush jogged after him noisily, his boots stomping against the floor and change jingling in his pockets. Distracted by his emotions, Christian let down his guard. The noisy world closed in on him. The clucking of tongues, thighs rubbing together, voices overlapping, whips cracking, the deafening sound of a hundred hearts beating, loud music, and the clinking of glasses.
Once outside, he paced to the corner and anchored his hands on his hips.
“Are you gonna tell me what the fuck happened in there?” Crush caught his breath and leaned on a lamppost. “Is that where Raven was working undercover? You let my little girl dance on those tables?”
“Jaysus, will you get your knickers out of a bunch? She was only working the bar. The job’s over, but she wanted to go back and talk to someone. They said she left this morning without incident.” Christian turned his eyes up at the buildings. “We