Liar (Madison Kate #2)(70)

"I'm surprised to see you here, Moore," Steele commented, his voice low and cold.

Dallas's easy smile faltered a second as his eyes flashed to Steele's face. "All of Hades' clubs are neutral zones," he replied in a careful, even tone. "I'm not breaking the rules by being here."

Steele gave a small incline of his head. "Make sure that doesn't change. I'm not in the mood to send Ferryman a reminder tonight."

Dallas's smile totally slipped from his face at that thinly veiled threat. "I think the reminder you all sent to Zane and the Reapers was enough, thanks." He shifted his gaze to me, his brow creasing with concern. "I'm worried about you, Katie. Maybe we can talk tonight... alone?"

Steele's hand tightened on my waist, and Dallas flicked a nervous glance at him before pasting an all too fake smile back on his face.

"Anyway, let's go see what Bree's ordered for us. I don't trust that girl's choices in liquor." Dallas laughed, but it was a forced sound as he headed in the direction Bree and Kody had gone.

I paused Steele before we followed, placing my flat palm against his hard stomach.

"I know you guys have a lot of secrets," I said, shifting so I could meet his eyes and show how serious I was, "and I've been all kinds of patient with you, regardless of everything else going on" —like my stalker mail reminding me that they're all liars—"but that patience is running out."

Steele sighed, but it wasn't a frustrated gesture. It was more a sigh of resignation. "I know, babe," he replied, meeting my eyes without flinching away. "Trust me, it's on my mind more than you realize. Kody's too."

I pursed my lips, unable to help asking, "But not Archer’s?"

Steele's gaze shifted away from mine a moment, looking over my shoulder and across the club with a frown pulling his brow. "Arch..." He trailed off with a small grimace. "Come on, let's find the others. This is supposed to be a night out for you, Hellcat. Have fun with your friends; we're just here to make sure no one tries to kill you."

I scowled as he tried to herd me toward the bar. "Max Steele, don't brush me off. Sooner or later, I'm going to need to know what's going on."

He gave me a weak smile, linking his fingers together behind my back. "I know. But can it be later? I really like it when you don't hate me." He leaned down, bringing his lips to mine for a coaxing sort of kiss, and I melted into him.

I groaned slightly as the hardness of his piercing teased my tongue, and I tried to shove aside my anxiety about the immediate future. But nothing could shift the sinking feeling his words had given me. His total certainty that whenever I discovered all their secrets, I'd inevitably hate him once more.

"Fine," I murmured when he broke away from our kiss. "But we're revisiting this later."

He gave me a short nod. "But not tonight," he added, linking our fingers together as we walked over to the bar.

I wanted to push the issue further, but I also agreed. I didn't want to know all their secrets and lies tonight. I wanted to get naked and fucked six ways to Sunday with Steele... or Kody. Or both. A girl could dream, right?

"Hey, there you are!" Bree announced as Steele helped me navigate the crowd to reach her, Kody, and Dallas near the end of the long bar. "I thought you got lost or something."

Her smile was touched by a small frown as she looked down at my fingers interlinked with Steele's. I wasn't letting go of him in a hurry, though, so she could speculate all she wanted. Contrary to popular belief, we didn't always need to tell our girlfriends every aspect of our sex lives, and I'd been keeping my mouth shut on my involvement with Kody and Steele. But it didn't take a genius to work it out simply based on body language and familiar touches.

"What did you order?" I asked her, deflecting the question written all over her face. On the bar top was a tray holding a whole array of drinks, and I was eager to get the party started. Within reason, obviously, seeing as I had no interest in getting blackout drunk when people were trying to kill me.

Bree beamed, happy with the topic of discussion. "Come on, let's get somewhere to sit, and we can drink a few of these before we dance."

Dallas snorted a laugh, sipping whiskey from his cut-crystal glass. "I'm not fucking dancing."

My bubbly friend just glared at him, then indicated he carry the drinks tray as she led the way to a circle of chairs around a low table beside the dance-floor. It was marked with a reserved sign, but as we approached, a staff member nodded to Kody and removed the sign.

Fancy.

For a while, the five of us sat and chatted and drank like actual friends. Like people who didn't have shady, dangerous pasts or psychotic killers hunting them. Like none of us had ties to violent gangs or... whatever else was going on. It was nice. It was exactly what I needed after the stress of my exams and the paranoia of my stalker delivering dead animals and unwelcome sex pictures.

"Oh, I love this song!" Bree exclaimed when a new tune came on, and she started bopping her head. "Come on, we need to dance." She held her hand out to me, indicating that I get up with her.

I laughed, but didn't object. I used to love going dancing with Bree, and I was just the perfect level of tipsy to let myself go on a crowded dance floor.