“Don’t be so sure.” Leandro leans back again, seemingly satisfied with the exchange, which irks me to no end. Making him happy was never my intention. Destroying him is.
“I’m the mistake you will live to regret.” I shoot him a challenging gaze, hoping he’ll take the bait.
Unable to put a name to the vague flicker of emotion that crosses his face when he says, “Don’t be so sure of that either.” He surveys me a long moment, then switches his focus to Daire. “He’s not back there.”
Daire ignores him, moves to slip past him.
“I already told you, he’s not here.” His voice betrays his growing annoyance with her.
“Yeah, well, you’re not exactly a fountain of truth,” Daire says. “So I figured I’d see for myself.”
“And you weren’t exactly on the guest list,” Leandro snaps. “And it’s not our policy to tolerate crashers.”
His words hint at an unspoken threat, and I insert myself between them, poised to intervene. Just give me a reason.
“But, in this case…” Leandro’s lips widen into a smile, though it starts and stops there. “I’ll make an exception.” His gaze settles on me. “I’d hate to get Dace any more worked up than he already is. I’m not sure any of us are ready to see his inner beast.”
His eyes flash on mine and all I can think is, he knows!
He knows what I’ve done.
He can sense it inside me.
And the worst part is, he likes what he sees.
I glance at Daire, nod for her to proceed. Just about to join her, when I say, “Cade and Coyote travel as a pack. You can’t tell me he’s not here.”
“Not tonight, bro.” Gabe snorts, the sound loud, crude, and rude, just like he is. “Dude’s got a date.”
I can feel Leandro studying me, and though I do my best to hide my alarm, I’m not sure it worked.
Especially when I see the way his eyes glint when he says, “Coyote tends to scare the girls away. So Cade decided to move his private party elsewhere.”
I take a moment to absorb the words, searching for even the slightest speck of truth. “And yet these girls aren’t scared?” I motion to the surrounding crowd that’s just now starting to venture back into the room.
“This is no ordinary girl.” Leandro shrugs, studies me through slitted lids. “She hasn’t been, how should I say—?” He looks to Gabe to supply the word for him, as I peer past his shoulder to see Daire sneaking into and out of the back room with empty hands and shaking head.
“Indoctrinated.” Gabe leans forward, takes a sip of his drink.
“Indoctrinated.” Leandro bobs his head as though he’s still not quite satisfied. But then deciding to go with it, he says, “Anyway, you should know all about that. If I’m not mistaken, and believe me, I never am, the two of you were once an item.”
Daire looks at me with a wide, stricken gaze. And it’s only a second later when she’s spinning on her heel, racing from the room, as I linger long enough to shout, “Where’d they go? Tell me—now!”
Leandro meets my demand with an empty grin, as Gabe laughs into his drink.
Without another word, I’m chasing after Daire, with Leandro’s voice calling out from behind me, “You can’t escape me, son! Like it or not, you wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me. I made you. I’m in you. Anyone can see it. Even with the mask, it’s right there in your eyes.”
forty-one
Daire
When Jacy and Crickett turn the corner before me and push into the bathroom, I tell Dace I’ll be right back, and push in behind them. Thinking that as Phyre’s new BFFs, there’s a pretty good chance they might be able to tell me where to find them.
They settle before the mirror. Removing their masks, they place them on the long metal shelf and tend to their hair. Jacy adjusts the slant of her side-swept bangs, while Crickett fluffs at her ends, and I stand just behind them, trying not to choke on the perfumed puffs of alcohol fumes wafting off them.
“Where’s Phyre?” I ask, sparing no time for small talk.
They continue their primping, allowing a few beats to pass before I can truly confirm they are bent on ignoring me.