Page 101 of Born into Madness
Think I can change your mind about that?
ME:
What’s up?
Instead of texting, I get a phone call. As soon as I answer it, Sav’s voice fills the line. “Okay, so just hear me out. Some of the Kappas are going out tonight, and they want me to come, but I don’t want to go without you.”
I keep petting the beagle puppy that I’ve fallen completely in love with, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why she hasn’t been adopted yet. I stroke her soft fur while I ask, “Where are you going?”
“Well, here’s the funny part,” she says. “They all want to go to The Red Room. I didn’t say a word about who you’re engaged to, but I thought it would be fun to go and see what it’s like. I mean, you’re about to marry the guy who owns the place. Shouldn’t we at least check it out?”
“I don’t know, Sav,” I start to say, not thrilled about the idea of hanging out in a busy club without Sasha. “Maybe we should wait for another night. Once Niki gets back, maybe we could all go there together.”
“We can definitely go back there once he gets back,” she quickly says, and I can hear the tell-tale sounds of her dragging hangers across the rod in her closet, already picking out a killer outfit for tonight. “But I have to go tonight, and I don’t want to do it without you. You know they’re just going to get drunk and leave me the first chance they get. I need my girl by my side. You said Sasha was working, so maybe he’ll even be there.”
I pet Maude’s cute little head while Sav tells me what she’s thinking about wearing and I try to decide what I want to do. In the end, I say, “Okay, I’ll meet you over there, but I can’t stay late.”
“I wouldn’t dream of keeping you out past your bedtime,” she says, and I can tell she’s grinning while she says it. “I wouldn’t want to stay out late either if I had a muscular, tattooed badass waiting to crawl into bed with me.”
“It is a lot more fun than sleeping alone,” I admit.
We agree to meet at eight, and when I put my phone away, I scoop Maude up and kiss her head. “I promise I’m going to find you a home.”
She whimpers and licks my face. I’m already in love with all the dogs and cats here, but this little gal is special. There’s just something about her that squeezes my heart every time I see her. I reluctantly put her back in her kennel and force myself to walk away. I’m not so sure Sasha would appreciate coming home to twenty new dogs and fifteen cats. I’m not so sure Chort would be down for that either.
I say a quick goodbye to everyone and then drive back home to get ready. I’m planning on texting Sasha to let him know where I’ll be, but I want to wait until I get there. I feel badbugging him while he’s working, especially since I have no idea what exactly he’s doing. What if I text and he’s in the middle of something dangerous? He usually has his phone on vibrate, but what if that’s enough noise to attract attention when he’s trying to stay hidden? I also know he would hate it if I don’t tell him anything, so I compromise on a text once I get to the club.
Sav and five other Kappas are already in line once I get there, and based on how good they look in their very short skirts and tops, we’re quickly let inside. Sav and I are severely overdressed compared to everyone else, but I win the prize for wearing jeans and an off-the-shoulder top. Sav opted for a cute silver dress, but it fully covers her breasts and ass and makes her look like she’s training to be a nun when compared to her sorority sisters.
Once we’re inside, I take a few minutes to look around. The club is huge with booths and tables set up around a large dance floor that’s currently filled with bodies grinding it out to the loud upbeat music that blares through hidden speakers. A long bar fills the space to our right, and every inch of it is taken.
Gabby leans in close to us and yells over the music, “I’ll go get us drinks!” She’s twenty-one and clearly set on getting loaded tonight.
“You don’t have to worry about me,” I tell her. “I’ll just grab a drink later.”
I can tell she’s disappointed in my answer, but doesn’t care enough to press the issue. Once she walks off, I pull my phone out and wave it at Sav so she’ll know what I’m doing. She nods and gives me a thumbs up while the others drag her out onto the dance floor. I realize I should’ve done this in the Jeep before I came in as I push my way through the ever-growing crowd to get to the corner. Out of the way, I quickly send a text to let Sasha know where I’m at. Within seconds my phone is ringing with Fiancé/Stalker lighting up my screen.
“I see you changed your contact info,” I yell over the music so he can hear me.
“What are you doing at The Red Room?” he asks, and I can tell by the edge in his voice that he’s not thrilled I’m here.
“Sav had to come and she wanted me to tag along. Should I not be here?” I ask the question while looking around, suddenly wondering if there’s more to this club than what meets the eye. If the Bratva owns it, does that mean they do dangerous things here? I hadn’t thought about that until now, and I suddenly feel very stupid.
“I’m on my way, Cyn. Don’t leave the club, and don’t drink anything you didn’t see the bartender pour himself, okay?”
I can barely hear him over the music, and what he’s said makes me want to ask a million questions, but there’s no way I’ll be able to do it here. I’m already getting glared at for yelling into my phone while everyone else is trying to have a good time.
“Okay, I’ll wait here,” I tell him. “But I want answers when you get here.”
“You’ll get them,krovinka, but for now be careful, and if you don’t feel safe go to the blond guy in the corner booth. His name’s Pasha. Tell him I sent you.”
“Okay, I will,” I promise him before we say goodbye and I put my phone away.
Before I walk back to the others, I quickly scan the crowded club, and when the gyrating bodies slow down to adjust to the new song’s tempo, enough space clears for me to see into the far corner. Sure enough, there’s a man sitting in a corner booth with blond hair. I can’t see him well enough to get a good visual, but I know he has to be the man Sasha’s talking about.
Now that I know where my emergency plan lies, I scoot around bodies until I’m back on the other side of the club by the bar. Sav and the others are giving it their all to the new song, so I edge my way to the end of the bar, and claim a small space formyself. The bartender is good and immediately notices the new face.
“What can I get for you?” he asks in a well-trained voice that’s just loud enough for me to hear, but not so loud he’s screaming in my face.
