Deathtrap (Crossbreed #3)(12)

He leaned in and grinned wolfishly. “Let’s change destiny. Follow me if you’re up for an experiment.”

My brows touched my hairline as he stood up. Curious, I grabbed my coat and followed him through the crowd.

Club Nine was an enormous establishment, the main door on the front right. Upon entering a wide hall, customers found themselves in a large room mostly used for dancing. The bar ran along the front wall, the kitchen hidden behind it. Bathrooms were tucked away on the left side of the building. The unique thing about Club Nine was the lounge rooms in the back. Straight ahead, past the dance floor, an archway framed a wide hall, which was a cozy chamber unto itself. There were nine rooms, each with an arched entranceway made from brick. The lights affixed to the ceiling splashed a different color on the brick around every entrance. Four rooms on the left, four on the right, and one straight ahead. They weren’t labeled since the colored lights indicated which room was which.

“Why are they separated?” I asked. “Does something different go on in each one?” If the gluttony room had a buffet table, I was all in.

My new friend turned, hands in his pockets. “The club is a perfect example of how people like order. They want to be associated with something because it gives them a sense of belonging. In some clubs, people gravitate toward their own Breed. In others, it’s social status. Here, they want to commiserate and mingle with people who share common interests.”

“But it’s just a gimmick.”

“For some it is.” He disappeared behind me and suddenly stuck his head between my legs.

I hopped forward and scowled at him. “I don’t know what you think is going on here—”

“Haven’t you ever been to a rock concert?” He looked up at me, hands on his knees. “Ride my shoulders and switch out two of the colors.”

When he moved behind me again, I didn’t run off. Mostly because it seemed like a harmless idea, and I wanted to prove to him that it was absurd.

A woman sauntered past us, paying no attention as he hoisted me up. People did crazy things in Breed clubs all the time, so I didn’t concern myself with what other people might be thinking.

“Which ones?” he asked.

After he reminded me of the colors and their meaning, I pointed at the yellow and violet. They weren’t the kind of bulbs that heated up, so it didn’t take long to switch them out.

He set me down and studied them. “Why limbo and lust?”

I patted his shoulder and gave him a wry grin. “Lonely people need love?”

He sat down on a bench. “I would have interchanged treachery and greed.”

“You mean they aren’t the same?” I quipped, sitting beside him. “You wanted to prove that this has nothing to do with good or evil. If your theory has merit, then it won’t matter which of the nine I selected.”

“All in good fun,” he replied.

After a few minutes of people coming and going, voices within the rooms grew louder. One woman stormed out of the lust room, her lips pressed tight and fists clenched. A man wandered out shortly afterward, a scarlet mark across his alabaster cheek.

Serves you right for treating her like a piece of meat, I thought.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” my partner in crime asked.

“What? Being bad?”

He leaned forward and held my gaze. “No. To be free.”

“Switching a few lights hardly makes a person free.”

“There’s a light in every situation. You can’t switch those lights when you’re busy following rules.”

“Are you sure you didn’t drink the heresy? You seem to like anarchy.”

“That would imply I enjoy negative outcomes. Believe it or not, good things can come out of chaos. Life can arise from death, just as death can arise from life.” He jerked his head at the room. “One of those lonely men in there might connect with a woman who fills the void in his life.”

That was probably why I’d selected the most innocuous combination.

“That’s a pretty necklace,” he said. “A gift?”

I glanced down at the red heart dangling from my neck. It swung from the silver chain in a forward motion. “Not really. I needed costume jewelry for a thing I had to attend, so someone gave it to me.” I stood up and put on my grey trench coat, wishing I’d worn the leather jacket instead since it was easier to carry.

“Can I have your number?” he asked again, rising to face me.

I smiled playfully. “Let’s keep it simple.”

He inclined his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. Then he reached out and held my pendant between his fingers. “Who gave you this heart? Someone you loved?”

“No. Just my partner.”

“Your partner is a man of considerable wealth.”

“It’s not real.”

“This is a Burmese ruby of the finest quality. It’s a one of a kind and worth millions. The last time I saw it was at an auction in 1932.”

My breath caught.

He winked and let go. “How’s that for a little chaos? Have fun with your newfound knowledge, Butterfly.”

As I watched him disappear into the crowd, I felt the heat from the ruby burning against my chest like a fiery stone.





Chapter 5