Page 17 of Dead Devil's Playground
The woman sidles up to us, her smile practiced and predatory. "Mind if I join?" she purrs, eyes locked on Rev. "Looks like you could use another dancer."
I feel Rev stiffen behind me, his hands tightening on my hips. Before he can speak, I turn in his arms, facing the intruder with a smile that doesn't reach my eyes.
"Actually," I say, my voice soft and deadly, "we're good."
The woman's gaze flicks to me, dismissive at first, then wary as she catches the look in my eyes, but she doesn't back down. Brave. Stupid, but brave.
"I wasn't asking you," she says, chin tilting up defiantly. "I was asking him."
Something dark and vicious unfurls in my chest. I step away from Rev, closing the distance between myself and the blonde.Up close, I can smell her desperation, see the hunger in her eyes. She wants what's mine, and that simply won't do.
"Let me be very clear, sweetheart," I murmur, reaching out to straighten the strap of her dress with deliberate care. "These men belong to me. Touch them, look at them, even breathe too close to them, and I'll carve out your eyes with my nails and feed them to you. Do we understand each other?"
Her eyes widen, pupils dilating with fear. She swallows hard, nodding once.
I smile, patting her cheek with mock affection. "Good girl. Now run along before I change my mind about letting you leave with all your parts attached."
She backs away, nearly tripping over her heels in her haste to escape. I watch her go, satisfaction curling in my gut like a well-fed cat.
When I turn back to the twins, they're both watching me with identical expressions of heat and amusement.
"Possessive much?" Kai teases, pulling me back against him.
I shrug, unrepentant. "Mine."
Rev's laugh is dark as he moves to my side, his hand sliding possessively across my lower back. "Yes, you are," he murmurs, the double meaning clear. "And don't you forget it."
We return to our dance, the rhythm of the music seeping into my bones. I lose track of time, lost in the sensation of their hands on me, their bodies moving with mine. The moment is broken when I catch sight of something unusual on the main floor. A man near the bar is swaying oddly, his movements jerky and uncoordinated—not drunk, something else. My eyes narrow as I scan the crowd more carefully.
There—a woman in the corner, her head lolling back, eyelids fluttering. And another man near the stairs, scratching frantically at his arms like there's something crawling beneath his skin.
"Rev," I say, my voice suddenly sharp. "Look."
He follows my gaze, his body tensing as he spots what I've seen. Kai moves to my other side, his playful demeanor vanishing as he takes in the scene below.
"Drugs," he says, the word clipped. "That's not possible, we shut down every dealer in the city after we took over."
"Apparently not," I reply. I feel anger building, hot and vicious. I made the rules crystal clear when we took over: no dealing in our territory. The punishment for breaking that rule is swift and brutal.
"Camden," Rev calls, his voice commanding enough to carry over the music.
Camden is at our side in seconds, alert and ready. "Boss?"
"We've got users on the floor," Rev says, gesturing toward the increasingly obvious cases below. "Find out who's dealing."
Camden nods, already reaching for his radio, but before he can call it in, a scream cuts through the music. The crowd on the dance floor parts like the Red Sea, revealing a man convulsing on the ground, foam bubbling from his lips. Nearby, a woman collapses, her body jerking violently.
"Fuck," I breathe, already moving toward the stairs. "It's an overdose."
Rev's hand clamps around my arm, yanking me back. "Stay here," he orders, his voice brooking no argument. "Camden, lock this place down. No one leaves. Kai, with me."
The twins are already moving, cutting through the VIP section toward the stairs with Camden in tow. I watch them go, frustration burning in my veins, but I know better than to follow. Not when we don't know what we're dealing with.
Instead, I turn to the railing, gripping it so hard my knuckles turn white as I watch the scene unfold below. Security floods the main floor, but it's already too late. The overdoses are spreading like wildfire—more bodies dropping, some convulsing, othersgoing frighteningly still. Panic erupts as reality dawns on the crowd. People stampede toward exits, trampling those who fall. Screams pierce through the pounding music, which cuts off abruptly, leaving only the cacophony of terror.
I scan the main floor, searching for the twins in the pandemonium. Rev's barking orders to security while Kai's already kneeling beside one of the victims, checking for a pulse. Even from here, I can see the grim set of his jaw. Not good.
My blood runs cold. This isn't just a few people getting high—this is a coordinated attack. In my city. In my fucking club.
