looking for his dark head was every minute where I felt sweat pool in the small of my back. I was hot, hard not to be in an enclosed space with almost a thousand people breathing, moving, dancing, but it wasn’t just the heat.
Jason dead.
Jason with his throat slashed.
Jason with his blood coating his chest like a crimson sea.
No. I wouldn’t.
I wouldn’t let him die!
Not when I was close, so close to fulfilling my duty and getting out of here. Get out of the proverbial chicken coop and make for the hills.
Parting would never be such sweeter sorrow.
Thirty minutes later, I sprinted up the metal stairs, having convinced myself the only reason I hadn’t found Jason was because he was here with Ryder.
No such luck.
Ryder pushed back from the metal railing, his strangely dark eyebrows furrowed down. “You couldn’t find him either?”
I swallowed a lump of fear and nodded. “I must have been over every square inch of that dance floor. It’s hard to believe we could have both missed him.”
“Means he’s not on the floor,” he said and then sighed. “Fucking hell. There’s a chance he might’ve gotten past the security doors and is wandering around in the employee hallways. This place is a fucking maze. If he’s not here, he’s got to be there. And if he’s there, Vincent’s going to have my ass on a stick.”
The club hadn’t appeared very large from the outside, certainly not large enough for one young vampire to get lost, and I told him as much.
He paused on the first step down. “Are you serious? You think this is all we have? Just in case you didn’t know, Vincent’s a powerful son of a bitch. There’s a lot of us who’ve thrown our lot in with him. He lets us stay here.”
I stared at the high metallic ceiling and felt my stomach dip. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to get over the fear of heights. “Down. You live underneath the club.”
“Bingo.”
Why was I not surprised? “How many levels?”
“Four.”
I cursed under my breath. “How big?”
He blinked. “You’re not going to like it.”
“Just tell me.”
He did.
I cursed again, this time louder.
The vampire laughed.
At least someone was enjoying themself. “What’s so funny?”
He shook his head, still laughing to himself. “Nothing. Sorry. So, what now?”
As if there was a choice. “I’ve got to get down there.”
“Ooh, no can do,” he said, wincing. “Vincent’s rules. Look, if it makes you feel any better, if he is down there, someone’ll probably come drag him out in a little while. You want to sit down and see?”
I’d never survive the wait. “I can’t. He’s my responsibility. I’m supposed to be looking after him.”
He was silent for a moment. “You’re not doing a very good job of it, you know?
Truer words had never been spoken. “It’s…a work in progress, I’m afraid.”
How could it not be? I’d never had to guard anyone in my life before.
I rubbed my temples, trying to ignore the sudden pounding that made me feel like I was on an amusement park Tilt-a-Whirl. “He’s never hunted before. He was fed, that’s all.”
Ryder made a sound in the back of his throat. “I can understand your trepidation, but I really can’t let you go down. Orders are orders. No outsiders or humans allowed below. You’re just going to have to come up with another option.”
My options were…I struggled with the sudden nonsensical urge to laugh. What options? I couldn’t fight past Ryder, well, not fight and manage to stay conscious enough to get below. “Take me with you.”
His eyes widened. “You want to go downstairs? With me?”
“I don’t have a choice,” I said. “If I’m with you, no one will stop me. You don’t understand how crucial it is that I find Jason. There was an attempt on his life a couple of days ago. I have reason to believe he is still wanted.”
“I heard,” he replied, tilting his head to one side. Only a benevolent nun could’ve trusted the smile gracing his red lips. “Let’s make a deal.”
Deals. Everyone wanted to make them.
I, on the other hand, was really starting to hate them.
It was a deal that got me into this mess in the first place.
I doubted this deal was going to make the situation any better.
But it didn’t hurt to hear him out. As long as he was quick about it. “What’s the deal?”
He leaned against the metal stair railing, bracing his chin on his knuckles. It was an innocent pose and