Page 35 of Finders Reapers

I agreed more readily. “That sounds better.”

We both walked to the bar, and Fletcher greeted us with a smile as he tossed a bottle of Cuervo in some strange trick throw. He grabbed it with ease and began to pour a line of shots. Once Fletcher was done, he turned to Todd and me.

“Elite Energy and vodka?” Fletcher waggled his eyebrows.

I gave him a dead look. “Ha,” I said. The word held no emotion.

Todd looked between us. “I’ll take an Elite energy and vodka.” He raised his hand like a schoolboy, looking at me as if he needed my permission.

I quirked a brow but said nothing.

Fletcher didn’t wait for my order before he got Todd his drink and returned with an unopened can of coke for me.

“Stay away from Purgers and Gorge,” Fletcher warned, uncharacteristically serious before he turned around and began to serve others at the bar.

I had no idea what Fletcher had against bulimic people. “Gorge?” I repeated, frowning, as I picked up my drink and turned from the bar. “Isn’t a gorge like a valley?”

Halfway through taking a sip of his luminous pink drink, Todd snorted and gagged at the same time. He coughed and took a moment to regain his composure. “Sweet baby Jesus.” He said.

“What?” I demanded, not liking that this guy I had just met was laughing at me.

Todd wiped a tear from his eye. “Let’s go somewhere a bit more private.” He suggested, steering me to a quieter corner of the suite. Even though the place was stuffed full of people, the large plant managed to muffle the sound of heavy bass and drunk conversation.

“What did Fletcher mean?” I wondered.

Todd glanced down at his drink. “It's recreational.” He told me. Leaving out the unspoken word that belonged at the end of his sentence. Recreationaldrug.

“Why’s it called Gorge, of all things?” I wondered out loud.

Todd shrugged. “Makes you hungry. Horny. Makes you crave just about anything.” He told me. “It makes you jones hard, but when you get what you have been craving, there isn’t a better high.

“What do you crave when you’re on Gorge?” I asked as I craned my neck around the plant and glanced towards Fletcher. Why the hell would he have mentioned some recreational drug before flying away without even explaining.

Todd’s eyes glazed over as he appeared stuck in a memory. “Let’s just say it was the best sex of my life.”

“Hmm,” I said. Todd, talking about sex, only seemed to highlight that I found him as sexually attractive as a lamppost. Non-threatening, gangly, but easy to talk to.

“You wanna head to one of the bedrooms?” Todd suggested.

I kept myself from making a gagging face. “Let's dance instead.” Then I could have a few moments to work out how to reject Todd without starting drama.

It turned out that I didn’t need that moment. As we emerged from behind the leafy plant in the corner, I immediately bounced off a substantial and very hard body.

Todd gripped my shoulders to keep me from falling, but before I could thank him, whoever I had bumped into pushed me behind his back, acting as a human shield.

I recognized the closely cropped hair and the scar over his ear, even from behind.

Maddox.

“Hey!” Todd protested.

Maddox let out a grunt that sounded suspiciously like a growl. “Trust me, you’ll be better off. She’ll eat you alive.”

“Hey!” I barked, sounding almost exactly like Todd had a moment before.

Maddox glanced at me over his shoulder. “You wanna fuck this guy?” He asked, quirking his brow.

I spluttered. “We were having a nice conversation.”