Page 62 of Twilight of Embers
A muscle along Maddox’s cheek fluttered, but he typed something into the iPad, and I knew he’d sent the order.
“What else?” I asked, eager to move on from the Corbetts. Discussing them unsettled my beast. As it was, I’d need to fly for hours tonight to burn off the anger.
“We need to discuss Knox—”
Maddox’s voice was cut off by the ring of my desk phone.
I pushed the button for speakerphone. “McCarthy.”
“Hey, boss.”
I could hear voices behind Samson and knew he was at his usual post. “What do you need?”
“We might have a problem.”
I instantly straightened, on alert. “Talk.”
“Your girl’s here. Hayden.”
My skin rippled, my scales trying to break free at just the sound of her name.
Samson pushed on. “Came with a girl Cal has a deal with. She tips big, and he always lets her and her friends in. What do you want me to do?”
Maddox leaned forward on the couch. He was gripping the iPad so tightly that his knuckles bleached white.
I was quiet for a moment, playing the angles. But it was my beast who won. “Let her in.”
I flipped over my phone, wondering why the hell her guards hadn’t warned me of her whereabouts. But as I did, I saw a flurry of texts from them with various locations. I’d forgotten I’d put the damned thing on silent.
“Will do, boss.”
I hung up and met Maddox’s glare.
“What the hell are you playing at, Cill?”
I grinned at him, but there was a feral edge. “Our Little Flame wants to play. Who are we to stop her?”
31
HAYDEN
As the bouncer opened the door, a wave of heat and music hit me. The song had a heavy bass, and the heat was almost oppressive. But still, I followed Maggie and Bella inside.
As soon as the club’s interior came into view, I stopped dead. In a million years, I never would’ve guessed that this was what lay behind industrial walls. Everything read decadent, opulent debauchery.
Black leather booths lined the walls. Each one was crowded with people drinking champagne or harder things. The dance floor was packed with people. Some moving so closely, I wondered if they were doing more than dancing. Above the dance floor were gold metal cages with scantily clad dancers moving to their own rhythm.
My gaze pulled to a massive but still-crowded bar that was absolutely gorgeous. The gleaming dark wood countertop was littered with drinks as bartenders hurried to serve more.
Delaney pushed me farther inside. “Come on, I need a drink.”
I swallowed hard and stepped deeper inside the club. I’d been right about the energy; it pulsed all around us, a living, breathing thing.
“Supposedly, there’s a secret VIP floor. I’ve been trying to get us in there, but so far, no luck,” Delaney said as she navigated the crowd.
I couldn’t imagine what a VIP floor would look like if this was the regular one.
We came to a stop in a crowd waiting for drinks, and Maggie practically bounced on her stilettos. “Isn’t this place incredible?” she squealed.
