Page 32 of Masked Darling

“Kade!”

With a final glare at Alison, Kade turned, and started striding toward his bike. He had to find her, and he had to do it now. Because she was probably with–

“You’ll find her, right?” Alison was on the porch of the apartment shouting to him now. When he glanced at her there were tears streaming down her face.

“That’s what I’m doing!”

Alison called after him but he ignored her pleas to know where he was going. He didn’t even look back at her as he clutched the phone against his ear and straddled the blue Yamaha Jagger had gifted him with his fancy author money. At least it was better than the scrap metal his dad had him riding.

“Where is the gang staying?”

“You can’t possibly—” Jagger started to argue.

“Yes, I fucking can! Where, Jag?”

“East Hill Inn, the place by the—”

He was already on the move.

The clock was ticking, and if there was one thing Kade knew—it was that time was not on his side. Not if they had Madison in their hands since yesterday.

The gravel crunched under Kade’s boots as he made his way to the edge of the lot, where the dim lights of the Inn flickered faintly in the distance. The bike he left parked by the fence was one of many in the small lot. His eyes were on the ground eyeing the broken glass and cigarette butts, and his steps seemed to echo louder than the last, each one pulling him closer to the men who waited by the entrance. He could already smell the thick, acrid scent of their cigarettes, mixing with the stale air of the parking lot.

When he reached them, they didn’t acknowledge him at first, their gazes fixed on the door of the Inn. They were a rough-looking group, tattoos peeking out from their sleeves, leather jackets worn and faded, each one carrying the kind of indifference that only a man used to violent acts could have. Kade nodded in their direction, but that was about all the greeting he got.

“Hey, fellas,” Kade called out, trying to sound casual despite the tense knot forming in his chest.

They didn’t say a word, but one of them, a man with a long, tangled mess of black hair that blended in with his beard, glanced up at him.

“You mind if I bum one? Seems like a good night for a smoke,” Kade said, his tone easy, almost too easy.

The man just nodded and lit his own cigarette. “Owner doesn’t allow it inside,” he muttered, exhaling smoke in a lazy curl that drifted upward like an unspoken warning.

Kade took a cigarette and stuck it between his lips. “Yeah, figured as much.”

He took the offered lighter, feeling the warmth of the flame flicker against his skin before he pulled the cigarette free and drew a long drag, the smoke filling his lungs and coating his throat in a familiar, bitter burn. He hadn’t smoked since his teen years, but he was used to the smoke from the bar. He leaned back against the brick wall of the Inn, crossing one ankle over the other and exhaling slowly. His fingers flexed around the cigarette, his nerves beginning to settle now that he had the moment’s illusion of control.

“You men with the Green Light gang?” Kade asked, keeping his voice low and casual. He tried not to let his eyes wander too much, trying to size up the group without seeming too obvious. But even as he spoke, he knew this was it—the point of no return.

The man with the long hair blew out another cloud of smoke, studying Kade as though he was trying to figure out if he could even have this conversation with him. “Jackets give it away, did they?”

“No, I was working your party the other night at The Serpent Pit. My brother owns it.”

The man’s lips curled up slightly, and he shared a look with the other two men before turning his eyes on Kade again. “Thought you seemed familiar.”

Kade took another drag from his cigarette, feeling the burn of it as it settled between his fingers. He shifted his weight, straightening up slightly. “I used to be with the Renegade Rebels,” he said, the words coming out smooth. “Been hearing about Green Light for a while now. They can’t stand you, that’s for sure.”

One of the other men grunted in agreement. He wasn’t much older than Kade, probably close to Jagger’s age but between his gaunt face and marked up skin, it was clear that he was on a lot of drugs that were aging him quickly. “Most can’t handle what we do.”

“I think they’re just jealous of what yougetto do,” Kade chose his words very carefully. He hoped that the innuendo he slipped into this conversation would get his foot in the door.

“You sound jealous yourself,” the younger man commented with a sneer. “Interested in joining us or something?”

Kade dropped the casual, disinterested facade and straightened, pulling off his plain black leather jacket as he was smart enough to leave his Rebel jacket at home and draped it over his arm. He ran a hand through his hair, taking another deep drag from the cigarette. “I am,” he said, his voice a little more serious now. He let the words hang in the air for a moment, letting them settle before continuing. “I can give you information on the surrounding gang networks. Their locations, their connections. I’ve always been discreet with my old gang and I liked what I saw. So, I’m coming to you as a man and I want in.” Kade paused to give a dark grin. “And I hear you get to keep the girls company until the next party.”

The men exchanged glances, and Kade could feel the tension building between the group, thick with the weight of theirscrutiny. One of them chuckled under his breath, a low, hollow sound that had Kade tensing the muscles in his neck. Just play it cool a little longer. That’s all he had to do.

“Yeah, we do,” the long-haired man said, lifting a hand to grip his beard and run his tongue along his yellow decaying teeth. “But they’re at a different location, not here. Mont doesn’t let us interact with them outside of party nights. Gotta give ‘em adequate time to recover and heal for the next ones or sales.”

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