Page 5 of Darius

“I’m not really a guest.”

“Really? You were in line?” Carina asked.

Anger sparked inside Mara. If Mr. Spanos had simply responded, she would be home curled up on her couch eating popcorn with Sparkle. “Some massive jerk at the door told me the only way to speak to Darius Spanos was to possibly run into him inside.”

A puzzled expression appeared on Carina’s face. “Darius isn’t ever on the club level. Why do you want to see him?”

“I’m from the bank. He didn’t answer my attempts to contact him.”

“The bank makes house calls? Well, nightclub calls?” Carina said.

“Only when….” Mara clamped her lips shut. She couldn’t share confidential financial information with an employee. “Could you help me find Darius Spanos?”

“We definitely need to get the two of you together. Come with me. You can’t enter until you’ve passed the screening. I’ll walk you through the entry section privately before the crowd streams inside. I think you’ve had enough of people for a while.”

“Screening?” Mara stared at her in disbelief.

“Sorry. No one gets into the club without a stamp.”

“Fine,” Mara answered before muttering under her breath, “If I ever get to see Mr. Spanos, I’m going to chew him up one side and down the other. What organization won’t answer the bank’s calls, has a brutish bouncer at the door, makes people wait for hours in line only to be attacked, and then requires them to get an entry stamp? Fuck my diet. I’m stopping for tacos on the way home.”

She noticed Carina’s amused look at her. Mara attempted to smile through her annoyance but suspected her expression resembled a snarl more than happiness. There’s no way she overheard me.

Carina led her through a warren of hallways to enter a large vestibule with staff members manning metal detectors. “Sorry. You’ll have to go through. Let them check your purse.”

Mara controlled her automatic desire to roll her eyes. Why not? She pulled the strap of her crossbody phone wallet off. She dropped her small bag on Brandon’s outstretched hand and walked through the archway. The machine remained silent, and Brandon returned her possessions on the other side.

“We’ll leave you here with Carina,” Troy said quietly. “I hope your night gets better.”

Mara stopped the snarky response from erupting out of her mouth. Meeting each man’s gaze directly, she said, “Thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t intervened.”

“You’re welcome, Miss. Just doing our job,” Brandon assured her.

“This way, Mara.” Carina stood in a doorway ahead.

Mara nodded one more time at the two security guards and rejoined her. They stepped inside a room obviously meant to hold a large number of people but provided a good view of a screen in front of them to all. She glanced at Carina, hoping to get a hint of what was coming.

“Welcome to Nightfall, Mara Eliot. I am Alaric.”

At the sound of the deep voice, Mara turned to see a man standing in front of the stage. His presence commanded her attention. She couldn’t look away. How did this stranger have her name?

“Only the worthiest may pass. Are you willing to dare the entry requirements?”

She stiffened her spine. You mean being ignored for days, forced to stand in line to talk to some asshole who wouldn’t answer his phone, and then getting attacked in the queue wasn’t enough to merit getting inside? She was over this.

The man’s gaze narrowed to a laser focus that scared Mara more than any of the previous threats. He couldn’t hear her thoughts, right? She swallowed hard, frozen in place, unable to flee.

Carina patted her arm and whispered, “Say yes.”

“Yes,” Mara whispered.

“Prepare for the time of your life, Mara Eliot. Bravery earns great rewards. Perhaps we will meet again.”

Mara blinked, and the stage was empty. A video started on the screen. She stared at the shapes that turned and twisted in front of her. Heat built deep inside her core. Were those sexual moves? Something about them kindled a yearning inside her.

Words emerged from the music, worming their way through her consciousness. Without meaning to, Mara repeated the addictive script. Carina’s voice joined hers.

Mara blinked as Alaric reappeared on screen and focused directly on her. “To enter, you must take this vow, becoming one of the Nightfall’s elite. Read the words on the screen.”