Once she and Harper were ready, he escorted them out of the Underground. He took Devon home first, promising he’d return at 9pm and pick her up on the way to Jolene’s house. All three of them would be riding to Maddox’s club together, apparently. Whoopdeefuckingdoo.
After dinner, she took a long, hot shower and dried her hair before slipping on her favorite black dress and high heels—perfect club attire. The dress accentuated her cleavage and dipped low at the back.
It was a little before 9pm that Tanner’s mind touched hers. I’m outside, kitten.
God, it so wasn’t fair that even his telepathic voice was like a carnal stroke to her senses. I’ll be down in a sec, she told him.
When she stepped out of the building moments later, he unfolded from the car, all graceful menace and dark sensuality. And her libido had a mini orgasm or something. Well, in her defense, how did you brace yourself against that kind of concentrated sex appeal? It simply wasn’t doable.
He opened the rear passenger door as he blatantly raked his gaze over her, his eyes broody and hooded. The all-too-familiar sexual chemistry sparked to life and thickened the air, making little bumps rise on her flesh. “Well, now,” he said. “You—”
“Don’t talk, pooch, you’ll just mess everything up.”
But, of course, he taunted her throughout the journey to Jolene’s house. No sooner had he beeped the horn than Jolene came striding down the path with her eldest son, Richie. They appeared to be squabbling about something.
Shit, Devon hadn’t thought her Prime would bring Khloë’s father along. Hey, Richie was a great guy. A talented artist who could recreate any painting—hence why he made most of his money selling counterfeits. Jolene often called him a “fixer.” If something was broke, he’d mend it for you. If something of yours had gone missing, he’d find it. If you needed an alibi for the police, he’d give it to you.
He could also break the bones in your body with a stray thought. Which might have been cool if he didn’t lose control of that ability when he was pissed off. Really, he wasn’t the ideal person to take along to what would no doubt be a highly tense situation.
Richie opened the rear passenger door for his mother, saying, “Well, see, this is what happens when you don’t listen to me. You’ve known me since I was, what, born—you really should have known what I’d do.”
“I don’t need an army,” Jolene gritted out.
“Probably not. But just in case you do, we’ll be close by.” He gestured for her to hop inside the car. “You have somewhere to be, remember.”
With a regal huff, Jolene slid into the car. “I should have put you up for adoption.”
“Yeah, so you always say.” Rolling his eyes, Richie gave Devon a quick wave and then shut the door.
Returning the wave, Devon asked, “Everything okay, Jolene?”
“No. That idiot is paranoid that Maddox is going to pull something. I vetoed him coming along, so now he’s insisting on hanging close to the club with a large number from our lair.”
Tanner pulled onto the road. “It’s fine so long as they stay outside. Like I said to you on the phone earlier, the smaller our group, the better. Maddox will talk with a small group. If a large bunch of us go in there, Maddox will see it as confrontational.”
“It would also make me seem weak to have lots of backup, I know,” said Jolene. “Have you told Maddox that we’re coming?”
“No. But I don’t think he’ll be surprised to see us there. News of Devon’s kidnapping circulated fast. Given his rep, he’ll know we’ll consider him an obvious suspect.”
The drive to Maddox’s club—which was aptly named, the Damned—was relatively short. Unlike most demonic clubs, it wasn’t located within the Underground. Tanner parked at the far end of the lot and then led both Devon and Jolene to the club. There was a long line of people waiting to get inside, so it was clearly popular. The bouncers instantly recognized him and unclipped the red rope, allowing the three of them to pass. Well that surprised her.
“Are you and Maddox friends or something?” she asked as they walked inside. It was dark, loud, and jam-packed with people. Strobe lights flashed and sliced through the fog-filled air. Patrons crowded the dance floor, moving to the beat that was so intense Devon could feel it through the soles of her shoes.