Page 125

It was so bad I had to put a hand over his heart to calm him.
He settled into something that was a little closer to a purr.
Vaughn cleared his throat. “What’s your problem, bro? Caleb said I could bring my girl.”
The bouncer thrust a clipboard at Vaughn. “Sign then, if she’s yours.”
Vaughn glanced at me.
I wasn’t impressed, but I nodded. We hadn’t come all this way for nothing. I wasn’t turning back now.
Vaughn read the text, explaining it as he went. “It’s a lot of legal mumbo jumbo about staying out of areas marked do not disturb, security cameras are in use, as well as ‘don’t sue if you get injured’ sort of statements… Fucking hell, three pages? What is all this?”
I shifted my weight from foot to foot. “Just sign it. People are staring.” It was either that or turn around and leave. That would feel like running away, and Caleb would win again.
Vaughn glanced up and found a small crowd gathered behind us.
“Hurry up, bro,” someone called. “Halloween doesn’t last all month. We only got tonight.”
The bodyguard huffed out an impatient sigh. “She ain’t coming in unless you sign it. So sign or say goodbye.”
For a moment, I thought Vaughn was going to refuse. But eventually, he signed the paper and thrust it back to the guy. “There. Happy?”
“Keep running your mouth and I’ll be real happy to toss you out on your ass. Phones.”
The guys reluctantly put theirs into the bucket.
“I didn’t bring one,” I announced. I held out my open purse, careful to keep the hole closed with my finger. “Nothing in here but my wallet, keys, and some tampons.”
The guy poked a finger at my things, and I held my breath, praying he wouldn’t notice the phone sitting in the bottom of the bag, obscured by the black liner.
A muscle ticked in Vaughn’s jaw as his fingers clenched into fists. “Don’t touch her shit, bro. Didn’t your mother to teach you to look with your eyes, not your fingers?”
The bouncer glanced up from my purse. “What did you say?”
I could see exactly where this was headed. Into a fight before we’d even stepped foot inside. I grabbed Vaughn’s hand and squeezed it. “Let’s go.”
He looked down in surprise at my fingers wrapped around his, but he followed me through the gates, the other two guys close at our heels.
“I don’t like this,” Fang muttered.
I tried to make light of the fact that my gut was screaming to get out of here too. “It’s just a party.”
“A really fucking big one. I forgot how you rich people do this.” Kian let out a low, impressed whistle.
I was sure my eyes were big too. “Is this what your parties were like in high school, Vaughn?”
He wandered toward the pool, lit up with lights. Around the edges, people sat or stood around in groups, some dancing to the music pouring out over the speakers.
“I don’t know this many people.”
There were a lot of people there for a backyard party, but then most people didn’t have backyards the size of small countries. Everywhere I turned, there were bodies moving around, laughing, talking. Everyone had costumes. Some simple like Dracula capes and fangs, some more elaborate like a guy in a Viking costume, his hair braided into intricate strands.
But one thing stood out most. “Where are all the women?”
Fang gazed around, his eyes narrowing on the handful who were all outnumbered twenty to one. He stepped in closer. “Nowhere alone, Pix.”
I normally would have sassed him and told him no man controlled me.