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That was the kind of incentive I could get behind.

Now he stepped away, and I straightened my coat. “Lipstick okay?”

“You’re perfect.”

I was glad it was dark enough that he couldn’t see me blush. Taking a deep breath, I started the walk.

“Kate?”

It was hard turning back, knowing I couldn’t stay. “Yeah?”

“Remember, if you need me, I’ll come get you. Fuck everything else.”

There was a darkness in that promise that made me shiver. He would do it. I didn’t doubt it. Every man at that ranch was a warrior through and through. Noah was no exception. “I remember.”

I felt his eyes on me as I headed down the road.

To the outside world, this place looked abandoned as I approached. Where were all the cars if this was a real party? Maybe they’d all parked and walked the way I had to keep things low-key?

Or maybe Max had sent me on some kind of wild goose chase so he’d have an advantage.

“You okay?” Noah asked.

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “But it really doesn’t seem like there’s anyone here. Literally no signs of life.”

Like I’d conjured it, a door opened in the wall of the barn. I jumped back as a guy even bigger than Max stepped out, looking me up and down. “You lost?”

I swallowed, summoning the confidence that I’d had back at the car. “My name is Kate Tilbeck. Max is expecting me.”

He smirked. “Just in time.”

My stomach dropped. He’d known who I was and was testing me. Because of course he was. I put on a smile. “I told him I’d make it.”

The man stepped back and gestured behind him into utter blackness. My heart picked up speed, pounding in my ears. I was the heroine in a horror film going into a dark basement alone.

Behind me, the door thumped shut, and he brushed past me to shove open another. This one opened on light and sound, blinding after the brief and total darkness.

I stepped into the party and looked around.

It... was normal?

I’d been expecting to step into some kind of den of horror. Chains hanging from the ceiling and a bunch of people screaming over an animal fight. This seemed more like a house party than anything else.

The bouncer stepped out from behind me. “Max will be with you in a minute. Don’t wander off.”

“Okay.” I grinned at him, relieved I would be left alone for a couple of minutes.

There was a dance floor to my left, a bunch of people dancing to electric music that pumped through the floor, vibrating. They must have some amazing sound insulation, because no noise or vibration made it outside.

A few tables dotted the rest of the space with people playing poker. There was an extensive bar, well stocked and with a gorgeous blond serving the drinks. But nothing here looked remotely illegal.

“Noah,” I whispered. “This isn’t what we thought.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. There’s nothing here.”

I heard the shock in his silence. “What do you mean?”