Page 52 of Beautiful Dark Temptation

“Come on, dude. Let’s party.”

All Wren did was party.

I hadn’t been to a party since the Fridaybefore Daniel died. It’d been an induction for Trinidad Jr. MaddoxBrennan had been there, but I hadn’t met him that night. Nick haddisappeared with T early on and was missing the following day.Didn’t show up until Sunday. Dad had burned through my phoneleaving messages. I’d been the idiot to tell Nick about theinduction. It’d been my fault he’d been there, and Dad had beenpissed. It’s the reason I hopped into the car with Daniel that day,the reason I let him drive me to our old trailer park place. Ithought he’d been protecting me from Dad until things cooled down.Instead, he’d been protecting me from myself. Daniel knew I’d betoo nosy to just sit it out if I’d been closer. He knew me betterthan anyone.

“Hey!” Wren yelled over the music breakingme from my thoughts. “What do you want?”

We had reached the bar and I needed, wantedto get drunk tonight. “Surprise me!” I yelled back.

He ordered a few top-of-the-line bottles andwe carried them with two glasses to a table River had commandeered.I searched the place for Kieran and Fox. Wren noticed. “They’rebusy in the back room,” he yelled.

Trying to get Kieran out of my thoughts, Ipoured myself a good portion of whatever Wren had ordered. Itburned nicely down my throat, settled in my stomach. “What aboutyou?” I asked River. “Aren’t you going to drink?”

He gave Wren a sour look. “I’m thedesignated driver.”

“Sucks to be you,” Wren said with a wink.Then he shot to his feet, grabbed my arm, and hauled me to thedancefloor. It took a few seconds, literally, to be overwhelmed bywomen. Wren had three over him. I had two. One in front, one in therear. Kieran hadn’t taken the lifeline I had offered him. Iwould’ve stayed at Arcadia if he’d just given me some assurancethat we could be together. That he wanted me, liked me, loved me.Fuck, my head was tied in knots. He hadn’t, so I didn’t feel guiltytouching the women around me. I even ghosted their lips with mineall the while trying not to think of Kieran in that back room.

I don’t know how many women I danced with,how many bottles I drank. Wren was a horse. He’d disappeared onceor twice. I couldn’t bring myself to take any of them to whateverdark hallway or backroom used to fuck. My dick was not happy.

I finally called it and stumbled my way tothe bathroom. Or the general vicinity where I thought the bathroomswere, which was not the case. I ended up in a dark empty hallwayflanked by a couple of doors. Shit. This place was like a maze.

The moving lights against the walls made mewoozy and I stopped to take a breath, leaned against the wall. Adoor to my left swung open. It led to stairs going up. I heardvoices. Kieran, Fox, and two other guys.

“The takeover has to go down seamlessly.Don’t take any chances,” A deep voice said. I recognized thatvoice. Not Kieran and not Fox. My brain churned for the memory.

“I want to see his face. Tristan Brennanisn’t going to know what hit him,” Kieran said. “He’ll be beggingme to leave his house intact.”

They laughed.

The guy with the deep voice stopped justunder the light and I took a good look at him. My stomach clenched,bile rose up my throat. I recognized the shaggy brown hair, thebrown eyes, a dusting of a beard grown in patches on his face. Hisboyish looks that served to divert people from thinking him athreat. But I knew the violence lurking under the surface. I’d seenhim expertly shoot and knife his way through the cartel with myfather. Talis Alvarez. And last I heard, he’d gone missing.

What was he doing here with Kieran? What thehell were they planning to do to the Brennans? Had my dad been partof that? I couldn’t think.

Fortunately, the door shaded me from view,and I waited, plastered against the wall until they walked off. Onshaky legs, I pushed myself to move. I needed to get out. I neededto regroup.

There were too many bodies from here to thecoat check. I decided to abandon the coat I was supposed to pick upfor Jack. I had my wallet, my phone, Nick. I needed help and Nickwas the only one I could trust. My brother would help me getsomewhere. Hide me. He wouldn’t abandon me.

I wiped my face and came back with wetfingers. I was crying. Why was I crying?

Because you fell for the enemy. You fell forMaddox’s safety. And for Kieran’s dick.

I was going to vomit.

I reached the exit sign. Hoping an alarmwouldn’t sound, I pushed myself out. The only sound that followedwas the door snicking closed behind me. Some clarity returned to myhead. Kieran had taken everything from me. Even my heart. But fuckhim. I wasn’t going to be his toy, his pet. I wasn’t going to bethe keeper of his secrets. He could go to hell.

We were in a populated area. I could see gasstations, motels, restaurants. And it was snowing. Fat, thickflakes stuck to the ground, the snow reaching my ankles. Cold asshit, I pulled out my phone, moving at a crisp pace down the alleytoward civilization. My feet already cold. My body shivering.

I was looking down when I heard a car brakein front of me. A piece of shit sedan slipped to a stop and thepassenger door opened. Jack stuck his head out. “Get in. Let’s getout of here!”

I didn’t even think twice. Relief spreadthrough me, and I jumped inside the car. He couldn’t take off withthe inches of snow on the ground, so he cruised into traffic.

“What the hell are you doing here? How didyou get out?” I said, my jaw clacking from the cold.

He gave me a wide smile. “I took a chance.”He scowled. “Where’s the coat?”

“I left it.”

He slammed on the brakes and the carfishtailed before stopping. I planted my hand on the dash to keepfrom slamming into it. “What the fuck?”

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