"Hey, Killer. Looks like your sweetheart is back tonight."

I flipped Joe the bird, as if I hadn't been keeping half an eye out for the loud, gregarious omega who appeared almost every Omega Night.

In a more serious tone, he leaned forward and said, "Maybe keep a closer eye on him than normal. Decker showed up half an hour ago, and he's in one of his moods."

I grunted, and Joe moved away, scanning the crowd for any problems. We didn't look like your typical bouncers, unless you knew what you were looking for. The Red Knights didn’t wear a uniform, and Club Royale preferred that we blend in. And if we could head problems off before they were an issue, so much the better. Joe, like myself and the rest of the team, was built big. Most of the guys had played football at some point in their lives, always on the defensive line. We all wore black. Joe liked to pretty himself up with a few chains, but I figured that was just asking for someone to grab them and cause some extra trouble. The only thing that showed our official status was a pair of red rubber wristbands.

Following Joe's suggestion, I started scanning the crowd. Decker wasn't hard to find. As one of the three owners, he had complete access to the VIP booths, and he was already there, arms and legs spread wide, groupies gathering.

I had nothing but respect for Jasper and Garret, the other two owners, but I saw little good in Decker. He must have been the money leg back when they started the business because he certainly didn't seem to contribute anything useful anymore. I did my best to do my job and avoid garnering his attention, but he liked his omegas small, pretty, and flirty. Which meant that my omega was right up his alley.

I shouldn't call him my omega, but other than Blondie, I didn't know what else to call him. In the years since he'd started coming to Club Royale’s Omega Night, I still hadn't managed to catch his name. Or, you know, talk to him. All the guys knew about my obsession with him, and it was a constant source of amusement to them. I knew they had a long-standing pool on whether one of them would notice him before I would on the nights he came in.

I still hadn't seen Blondie, which made me nervous. I slid through the crowd, closer to Decker. If I couldn't find Blondie, I could at least guard Decker, make sure he didn't get close to the omega.

Blondie liked to act the part of an alpha chaser. He dressed provocatively, danced freely and wildly, accepting drinks from anyone who offered, but there was something... innocent about him. There was something in his eyes that said there was more to him than what he allowed the world to see. And there was just the barest hesitation any time an alpha approached him, one he quickly covered up with a blinding smile. Things you would only notice if you looked closely.

Or were for some reason absolutely obsessive about him.

Decker got up to dance with one of his groupies, a tiny omega with dark hair that I'd kicked out a few times for shooting up in the bathrooms, and I breathed a sigh of relief. If his attention was already taken, he probably wouldn't notice Blondie. I continued to scan the crowd, looking for that shock of bleached hair that glowed under the black lights. Instead, I noticed Art, one of our more problematic alpha customers, getting a bit pushy with a smaller guy I didn't know. By the time I'd stepped in and got Art under control, Decker had disappeared, and his omega friend was still on the dance floor, lost in his own world. Probably high as a kite. 

I caught sight of Joe across the room and cut around the dance floor as quickly as possible.

"Did you see which way Decker went?" I shouted over the music.

"Bathroom, I think."

"And the omega?" I didn't like to draw attention to him more than I had to, but his safety mattered more to me than my pride.

"Haven't seen him since he came in."

Instinct clawed at my stomach, telling me that I needed to find Blondie sooner rather than later. I slid behind a couple locked together so tightly, I couldn't swear that dancing was all they were doing. The bathroom light was brighter, but still dim, keeping the atmosphere of the club intact. At first, it seemed empty, and I turned to go, but a soft whimper from one of the open stalls yanked my attention back, and I marched over without a thought.

Decker had my omega pushed up against the wall, their mouths locked together.

"Decker," I snapped, my voice more forceful than I expected.

He broke away from the omega slowly, casting a baleful glare at me, but not releasing the omega. I couldn't tell whether he was okay or not, whether Decker's advances had been appreciated. His eyes were glazed and his hair mussed.

"You're interrupting," Decker said in a tone that I knew meant I would be paying for this later.

"Jasper asked for me to find you." It was a blatant lie, but as far as I could tell, Jasper was the least tolerant of Decker's playboy ways. There was a chance he'd cover for me if he picked up on what happened.

"He can wait." Decker turned back to the omega.

"He said it was urgent."

Decker sighed, resting his head against the omega's. I wanted to rip him away and scrub every memory of his touch from the omega's body, but I held my peace. "Everything's urgent with him." But he pushed away from Blondie, placing a finger under Blondie's chin and adding, "I'll find you later."

I didn't move, forcing him to brush past me as he left.

"You okay, Blondie?" I asked, realizing these were the first words I'd ever spoken to him.

"What?" The omega seemed a bit dazed.

"You okay? You're not... high or..."

Blondie laughed finally, shaking his hair in that way he must know drew attention to him. "I meant what did you call me?"

I was glad my dark skin hid my blush. "Blondie," I said gruffly. I moved out of his way as he stepped up to the mirror to check his appearance. 

He checked his eyeliner and finger-combed his hair. "It's Marcus," he said. "You got a name, big fella?"

I was too distracted by finally hearing his name that the silence stretched out awkwardly before I said, "Killian. Killian Daye."

Marcus's eyes met mine in the mirror, and I couldn't look away. "Well, Killian Daye, once you're off duty, maybe you come find me for a dance?"

I shook my head. "I work until close."

Marcus shrugged like it didn't matter. I wanted it to matter. "Too bad."

As he turned to leave the room, I reached out to touch his arm, and he froze. "Watch out for Decker," I said. "He's bad news. If I were you, I might just call it an early night."

Marcus met my eyes again, his smile bright and carefree, but his eyes tired. "I'll keep it in mind."

And then he was gone, the bathroom suddenly much colder in his absence. I took a few calming breaths before following. I kept looking for him the rest of the night, but he seemed to have taken my advice to heart and left. Decker didn't return to his booth, which was another relief, as I could see his silhouette in the offices above, but his groupies continued to enjoy the booth until they were all too wasted to move. At the end of the night, Joe and I poured them into taxis like we always did, and I breathed a sigh of relief that Marcus wasn't one of them.