“Hold up.” Kat shook her head. “So you can’t really get us in. Someone else can?”
“Go figure.” I chuckled. “Biff is virtually useless.”
His lips thinned. “I know what level and cell they’re being kept in, so without me, you’d just be running around the compound begging to be captured.”
“And my fist is begging to be in your face,” I shot back.
Impatience colored Kat’s tone. “Not only are you asking us to trust you but to trust someone else?”
“That someone else is just like us, Katy.” Blake dropped his elbows on the table, rocking his glass. “He’s a hybrid but has gotten out from under Daedalus. And as expected, he hates them and would love nothing more than to screw with them. He’s not going to lead us astray.”
“And how does anyone get ‘out from under’ Daedalus?” she asked.
Blake’s smile was freaking creepy. “They…disappear.”
She tucked her hair back as she glanced at me. “Okay, say we do this, how do you get in contact with him?”
“You won’t believe anything unless you’re there to witness it for yourselves.” He picked up his glass. “I know where to find Luc.”
I smirked. “His name is Luc?”
He nodded. “He’s not going to be reachable by cell or email. He’s kind of paranoid about the government tapping cells and computers. We’ll have to go to him.”
“And where is that?” I asked.
“Every Wednesday night, he hangs at a club a few miles outside of Martinsburg,” he explained. “He’ll be there this Wednesday.”
I laughed. “The only clubs in that part of West Virginia are strip clubs.”
“You would think that.” The smugness creeping into his expression needed to be knocked out of it. “But this is a different kind of club.” He slid a quick glance in Kat’s direction. “Females don’t show up in jeans and sweaters.”
Her eyes narrowed as she swiped a fry from my plate. “What do they show up in? Nothing?”
“The closest thing to nothing,” he replied with a smile. “Bad for you. Yay for me.”
“You really want to die, don’t you?” I said.
“Sometimes, I think so.”
That surprised me, because there was a genuine quality to his words.
“Anyway,” he continued. “We go to him, he’ll get the codes, and then it’s on. We go in, you get what you want, and I get what I want. You guys will never see me again.”
“That’s pretty much the only thing you’ve said so far I like.” I shifted in the booth. “The thing is, I’m having a hard time believing you. You say this hybrid is in Martinsburg, right? There isn’t any beta quartz near that place. How come he hasn’t become some Arum’s afternoon snack yet?”
Blake met my stare. “Luc can take care of himself.”
“And where’s the Luxen he’s tied to?” Kat demanded.
“With him,” Blake answered. “Look, what happened with Adam—I never wanted that to happen. And I’m sorry, but you of all people have to understand. You’d do anything for Katy.”
“I would.” Static built on my skin. “So if for one moment I think you’re about to screw us, I won’t hesitate. You won’t get a third chance. And you haven’t seen what I’m fully capable of, boy.”
“Understood,” Blake murmured, his eyes downcast. “Are we on?”
I reached under the table and found Kat’s hand. I squeezed gently, and she drew in a shallow breath and said, “We’re on.”
Chapter 9
Since Blake was back in the picture and hanging around like a weed that wouldn’t go away, Kat rode in with me Monday morning and Dawson ended up catching a ride with Dee. After school, we made a pit stop at the post office.
Of course.
Kat loaded my arms up with packages, and when we got to her house, she stacked them on her desk, her fingers lingering on the yellow envelopes.
I plopped down on the bed, folding my arms behind my head. “You can open them now if you want.”
She twisted her hair up in a messy knot as she faced me. “I can wait.”
Grinning, I kicked off my shoes. “I know you want to do it now.”
Kat stuck her tongue out at me as she walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down, facing me. I knocked my knee off her hip. “You hanging in there?” I asked.
Nodding, she toyed with the string on her hoodie. “Yeah.”
I eyed her, knowing there was a lot on her mind besides the return of Blake and where we were going Wednesday night. She had talked to Dee last night, or at least tried to. She hadn’t talked to me about it, and neither had Dee, but I didn’t think it went over well.
I patted the spot next to me. “Come here.”
Kat crawled over.
“Closer.” I patted the spot again.
She rolled her eyes, but inched over.
I fought my smile. “Lie with me.”
An aggravated sigh was next. “You’re so needy.”
“I am the neediest needy guy out there right now.”
She shook her head, but stretched out beside me on her side, facing me. “Happy?”
Brushing a strand of hair back from her face, I pretended to think about it. “I’m happy, but I’d be thrilled if you put your head…”
Kat’s eyes narrowed as she peered up at me.
“…on my chest,” I finished with a sly grin.
Her lips twitched, and then she planted her cheek on my chest. “How about now?”
I curled my arm around her back, settling my hand on her round hip. “Much, much better.”
She laughed softly, placing her hand on my stomach. “I like when you’re needy.”
“I know.” A couple of moments passed. “How did your talk go with Dee last night?”
Her fingers curled against my shirt. “Honestly? Not good. Not good at all.”
I reached down, placing my hand over hers. She sighed and added, “She says she’s not ready to really talk about anything, and I totally understand that, but…I want her to be ready, because I miss her. She was my best friend.”
“She is your best friend.”
Kat didn’t respond.
I twisted onto my side and scooted down. Those beautiful gray eyes were full of tears. “She is still your best friend,” I repeated. “Dee still cares about you.”
“You think so?” she whispered, touching my cheek with the tips of her fingers.
Kissing the end of her nose, I then pulled back. “Yes.”
She smiled weakly. “I know I shouldn’t be worried about my friendship when we’re dealing with Blake and Dawson and Daedalus…and everything else under the sun.”
I slid my hand off her hip, to her upper thigh. “Kitten, you can worry about whatever you want. I just wish you didn’t have all that crap to be concerned with.”
“Can say the same thing for you.” She dragged her fingers down to my jaw. “You’re having to deal with a ton of crap.”
“It’s nothing.” My voice lowered as my hand tightened along her thigh.
She leaned forward, brushing her lips along mine. “What do you think we’re going to see Wednesday night?”
“I have no idea.” I nipped at her finger as the tip skated over my lower lip. “I’m not even sure about this club. Martinsburg isn’t that big of a place.”
“Bigger than here, right?” Her finger found my right dimple. “I know it’s not far from where my mom works when she’s in Winchester.”
“It’s bigger than here, but then again, most places are.”
She grinned. “I wonder who Luc is.”
“No idea. Never heard of him.”
“Hmm…” She trailed off, and I knew there was more that she wanted to say, but she kissed me again.
And I couldn’t complain about that.
The kisses started off slow and they were as sweet as sugar water, but it didn’t take any amount of time for the kiss to turn deeper, rougher. There was nothing tent
ative about the way she kissed me or the way my tongue danced with hers. I rolled, shifting her onto her back. Her arms looped around my neck and fingers immediately went to my hair. Man, she loved getting her hands in it, and that was another thing I’d never complain about.
Bracing my weight on my forearms, I settled over her, chuckling when she moaned into my mouth. I caught that sound, and then I was the one groaning as she hooked one leg around my waist.
Hell.
I shifted my weight to my left arm, and then my right hand took a nice slow trip over the dips and swells until I slipped my hand under her loose sweater. Her back arched as my finger skimmed over the smooth skin of her belly.
Knowing her mother could walk in on us at any given moment, I forced myself to slow down, dragging the kisses out until I could break away. Sliding my hand out from under her sweater was probably one of the hardest damn things I’d ever done.
Her lashes lifted. “Your eyes are glowing.”
One side of my lips kicked up in a grin. “I’m not surprised.”
She brushed her fingers through my hair, dragging the shorter strands off my forehead. Our breaths mingled in the warm space between our mouths, and the only noise in the room was the sound of our breathing. Kat pressed her forehead against mine, and as she splayed her fingers across my cheek, she let out a soft, shallow sigh.
I could live on those kisses.
I could live on those tiny breaths.
I could live on her.
By the time we hit Interstate 81, I wanted to kick Blake out of the damn car, tie him to the middle of the road, and run him over several times. At least fifty times. Maybe fifty-one.
Kat was actually wearing a coat, and based on the minuscule skirt she was wearing, paired with legit torn stockings, I was almost afraid of what she had on under the jacket, but those legs…
Yeah, I still had a thing for her legs.
We were running late because we hit a snow squall outside of Deep Creek, and jackass in the backseat just had to point out that if we’d gone south we wouldn’t have hit the snow.
He was lucky that we were close to our destination, nearing the Falling Waters exit. “Which one?”
Blake popped forward, dropping his elbows on the back of our seats. I rolled my eyes. “One more exit—Spring Mills,” he said. “You’re going to take a left off the exit, like you’re heading back to Hedgesville or Back Creek.”
I followed his instructions, eyes narrowing as we cruised down a country back road. Two miles off the exit, Blake spoke again. “See the old gas station up ahead—the pumps?”
I saw what looked like gas pumps about forty years ago. “Yeah.”
“Turn there.”
Kat leaned forward, eyeing the tall weeds overtaking the shack near the pumps. “The club is in a gas station?”
Blake laughed. “No. Just drive around the building. Stay on the dirt road.”
“You are giving my car a bath when we get back,” I muttered, easing the SUV down the narrow dirt road.
Man, the farther we drove down what I was beginning to think wasn’t an actual road, but more of a path, I imagined this is where many humans had traveled to never be seen again. Trees crowded the sides of the SUV, and we passed several run-down boarded-up houses that probably never saw electricity.
“I don’t know about this,” Kat said. “I think I’ve seen all of this in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
I snorted, but I thought she was right. The SUV bumped over the uneven terrain, and then there were cars. Everywhere. Cars parked in haphazard lines, beside trees, crammed across a field. Beyond the endless rows of vehicles was a squat, square-shaped building with no outdoor lighting.
Kat sat back. “Okay. I think I actually saw this in Hostel one and two.”
“You’ll be fine,” Blake said. “The place is hidden so it stays off the grid, not because they kidnap and kill unsuspecting tourists.”
I parked near the back, away from the assholes I knew would open their car doors right into mine. As I killed the engine, a guy stumbled out from between the row of cars in front of us. My brows rose as I caught sight of the spiky green Mohawk. Interesting.
Kat opened the door and climbed out, hugging her coat close. “What kind of place is this?”
“A very different kind of place” was Blake’s answer as he climbed out, slamming the door shut.
“Hey,” I shouted as I gently closed the driver’s door. “Slam my car door again, and it’ll be your head.”
Blake sighed as he turned to Kat. “You’ll have to lose the jacket.”
“What?” She glared at him. “It’s freezing out. See my breath?”
“You’re not going to freeze in the seconds it takes us to walk to the door. They’re not going to let you in.”
“I don’t get it.” She clutched her jacket. “So not fair.”
I went to her, folding my hands over hers. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I mean it.”
“If she doesn’t, then this was one huge time waster.”
“Shut up,” I threw over my shoulder, at Blake, and then focused on Kat. “I’m serious. Tell me now, and we’ll go home. There’s got to be another way.”
Kat shook her head and stepped back, unbuttoning my jacket. “I’m fine. Pulling on big-girl undies and all that jazz.”
Big-girl undies? What in… All thoughts vanished as she took the jacket off and tossed it inside the SUV. Holy shit, I wanted to get her up against the nearby tree and I also wanted her to put the damn jacket back on.
I stepped back, eyeing her from the pointy toes of her boots, up the ripped black tights, over the short denim skirt, and then my gaze got hung up on her bare stomach and that cute little belly button.
Oh damn.
“Yeah,” I muttered, shifting so I blocked her from the…the world. “I’m not so sure about this.”
“Wow,” Blake said, admiration obviously in his voice.
I whipped around, letting go of a small pulse of the Source. Whitish-red sparks flew from my fingertips. Douche Bag darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the hit.
Kat heaved a sigh. “Let’s get in there.”
Sending him one more look of warning, I placed my hand on her lower back. We started forward, stalking between the cars as my palm burned from the contact. The building was pretty nondescript. No windows. Only a steel door, but as we drew close, music from inside could be heard.
Kat glanced back at Blake. “So do we knock—?”
I stiffened as a mountain of a man appeared from out of freaking nowhere. Dead of winter, and this dude was wearing overalls with no shirt on underneath. His hair, spiked in three sections, was purple. Piercings were all over his face—nose, lips, eyebrows. He had a planet pierced in each of his earlobes.
And even though he was human, he looked like he could lift a house with one arm.
Kat took a step back, stumbling into me, but Mountain Man was eyeing me like he wanted a piece. “See something you like?” I asked.
The guy smirked.
Blake jumped in. “We’re here to party. That’s all.”
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