Page 54 of Tarnished Tyrant (Zhukova Bratva 1)

“No killing anyone tonight,” she tuts. “You promised.”

Belle is playing a part, but she has no clue how close to the truth she is.

“You promised we’d have a nice night,” she continues. “Just pay him, Niki.”

She slides her hand between our bodies and reaches into my pocket. I feel my wallet slide out, but I let Belle take the lead. Mostly because the bouncer is watching her with a fair amount of curiosity. If nothing else, we are making his night more interesting.

She opens my wallet and pulls out a stack of cash. She fans it in front of the bouncer. “Please take the money and let him in. You seem nice. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Jealousy twists in my stomach, but then Belle rolls her hips against me again. I’m not sure if she’s doing it on purpose to keep me calm, but either way, it’s working. Somehow.

The man’s eyes flit from the money to Belle and back again. Finally, he snatches the money out of her hand and lifts the rope. “Don’t cause any trouble, alright?”

Belle grabs my hand this time and I let her lead me inside.

The music thrums through the building the moment we’re through the doors. The bass pulses through the floors like a heartbeat. Belle eases closer to me as the crowd tightens around us.

“There are so many people.” She has to turn towards me to be heard, forcing our bodies even closer together.

I wrap a hand around her waist. “If Elise is here, I’ll find her.”

The club is designed with an oval-shaped bar in the center and a ring of tables around it. The back of the space is open for dancing. A DJ booth looms on a raised platform along the back wall. And, like the name of the venue suggests, the entire space is painted a deep ruby red.

I tug her closer to me and whisper in her ear. “I’ll get us some drinks.”

She shakes her head, her loose auburn hair brushing over my skin. “I just want to find my sister.”

“There’s no reason you can’t have a little fun, too.”

She looks back over her shoulder at me, the lights above the bar catching the flecks of green in her eyes. Someone squeezes behind her, and she steps closer to me, our bodies fitting together effortlessly.

It's easy, touching her. Being next to her.

And, like a drug, every hit of her I get only makes me want more.

“I think I need to be careful about having fun with you,” Belle says, barely loud enough for me to hear.

“I promise not to pull you over to the dark side. Unless you ask nicely," I say, repeating her line from out front.

She bites back a smile and then leans her head towards the back of the club. “Let’s keep looking.”

I pull on her hand. “I have a better idea.”

Before Belle can ask what I mean, I grab her around the waist and lift her up. She yelps before she realizes what I’m doing and plants her feet on the nearest table.

“Do you see her?”

Belle squints into the flashing lights, her eyes scanning over the crowd. From this angle, her dress is even more devastating. Her legs are on full display and the swell of her ass is visible just beneath the material. I want to lick her skin like an ice cream cone.

“There’s too many people. I can’t pick her out.”

Behind me, I hear someone wolf whistle. When I turn around, the man with the buzzed head and the silver chain from the line outside is standing a few feet away. His gaze is hungry as he takes Belle in.

“You gonna give us a show, sweetheart?” he yells, whistling again.

Belle tosses him a dirty look and holds out her hands for me to help her down. But just as I move to help her, the man jumps forward and cups her ass.

“Here. Let me help,” he says with a shit-eating grin on his face.

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