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He stops by an ornate wooden door flanked by a server with rainbow colored hair and a devil’s outfit. Red leather pants and a tight red vest. Horns peek up through the hair.

West holds up the key.

They smile and push the door open to reveal a dark staircase straight down to a basement.

We walk down the dark space and into a cavernous room bathed in red light. The ceiling is low, supported by thick stone pillars. Smoke hangs in the air. The scent hits me first—incense and sweat and some kind of thick perfume.

We’ve made it to hell.

CHAPTER20

NORA

The space is lit by red lights. Thick smoke rolls along our feet, and the air feels heady. I make out a few bodies dancing to the pulsing beat. Others are sitting on futons, and a couple is draped over one…

Making out lazily.

A goblet hangs from the man’s hand while his partner kisses his neck. I look at them too long and flinch when a waiter approaches us. He’s dressed in a red leather suit and has dark-rimmed kohl around his eyes. “Welcome to hell.” The tray he holds up has shots, a few drinks, and… are those pills? “Be careful down here, angel,” he tells me with a smile that encourages me to be anything but.

“Thanks.” I reach out and take one of the shots. It burns. Whiskey with some kind of spice.

West takes the empty cup from me. “You don’t know what that was.”

“Alcohol,” I say with a grimace. “And liquid courage. God, I don’t like whiskey.”

“Be careful what you drink down here.” The darkness casts shadows over his sharp cheekbones.

“You sound like there’s danger down here.”

“There is.” He takes my hand again. Fingers curve over mine, and we start walking through the party.

Like we hold hands all the time.

His palm is warm and a bit dry in mine, and it sends a shot of heat through me. I kissed him yesterday.

Kissed West Calloway.

And he let me do it, set the pace, run point.

He leads me past the bar and past another velvet couch with two women making out so vigorously that it looks like the prelude to something that should be done behind closed doors. Except that’s probably the point.

Virtues rule in paradise above.

But down here, all is lost.

And West brought me here. He didn’t avoid this, he didn’t come here alone, in some misguided attempt to protect me. He let me come.

Excitement courses through me.

This place is electric.

The air grows thicker in the next room, warm with incense. He’s clearly been here before; he knows to turn around a pillar and move down a few small steps. This place is huge… and yet there are people everywhere. In various states of undress.

His hand is warm around mine.

I can’t stop noticing it. How it feels to have him holding on to me like we’re together. I know it’s an act. But I’m notnotliking it.

Another couple stops us. The man smiling widely and leans in to talk to West. I can’t hear what he says, but I can practically feel West’s irritation at being stopped.