Gena tried once more to pull away from Marcus, but his grip was unrelenting. As they got closer to the angry guard, she decided it was probably best she was so close to his large body. The man Marcus called Gareth didn’t seem happy to see her again.
“Does Vlad know you’re bringing her here?” asked Gareth.
Marcus’s entrancing eyes narrowed at the man in front of them. “Since when did I need permission to do anything?”
Gareth clenched his jaw and shot another angry glare toward Gena. “She isn’t normal,” he said. “She could be dangerous.”
Gena took an instinctive step back, but Marcus gripped her tighter. What did he mean she wasn’t normal? Who could she be dangerous to?
Marcus sent the other man a sardonic grin and raised an eyebrow. “If you don’t move out of our way in the next two seconds, I will show you what the fucking meaning of dangerous is,” he said in an eerily calm voice.
Gena’s gaze darted between the two men, afraid to see what would happen next. Gareth must have taken the threat seriously because he moved and let them both pass into the red room.
When they got into the room, the man on the throne lit up with a smile. “Marcus! You brought the night’s entertainment back!”
Gena shot Marcus a skeptical look. “Entertainment?”
Marcus started to reply, but throne man spoke again before he could say anything. “We were so excited when you burst past Gareth earlier. It really was a disappointment when you ran off just as fast as you came.” He held out a hand, motioning to the three other men in the room to stay where they were. “We were on the edge of our seats with anticipation.”
He slowly looked Gena over from head to toe, and she was suddenly very happy she was covered up by Marcus’s jacket. His eyes seemed as if they were trying to strip her right down to her soul.
“I’m sorry for my interruption,” she meekly said. She couldn’t seem to find her voice with so many eyes on her.
The man still seemed amused. “Marcus, give the poor thing some breathing room. She’s obviously terrified. From the smell of things, you’ve already caused enough damage. Truth be told, I’m a bit jealous.”
“What smell?” Gena looked up at Marcus. As uneasy as he made her, she didn’t want him to leave her alone with these strange men.
“Ignore Vlad,” he reassured her. “He’s just trying to keep you on your toes.”
So this was Vlad. She’d assumed, but hadn’t been sure until now. The man in question shot a curious look at Marcus. “I’m impressed. You two were together less than an hour and you already have him wrapped around your finger.” Gena opened her mouth to disagree, but Vlad cut her off. “Your blood. That’s what everyone in this room is smelling right now. You reek of it. Why don’t you take off my friend’s jacket and show us exactly what is going on in there.”
Gena wrapped her arms defensively around herself and moved closer to Marcus. Vlad saw this and stepped up so fast it was almost a blur. Her fear must be causing her mind to play tricks on her...
Vlad gave Marcus a disapproving glare. “This is my place. Marcus won’t keep you safe. You came here because you want something from me. I suggest you come over here and ask nicely.”
She looked questioningly up at Marcus, but he kept his stony gaze on Vlad. He didn’t seem intimidated, but, even though Marcus seemed to have more muscle than any other man in the room, he was outnumbered. Vlad had three men and Gareth outside the door. She walked away from Marcus and this time he didn’t stop her.
Luckily Vlad was only ten feet away, so she didn’t go too far away from Marcus, though she immediately felt the loss of his comforting body heat.
Since Vlad was standing now, he towered about six inches above her, and her heels were considerable. He lifted his hands and brought them to rest on her shoulders. She saw his eyes glance over her shoulder. “Back off, Marcus,” he said.
Gena saw the other three men tense up and tried to look behind her, but one of Vlad’s cold hands caught her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. “Who made you bleed?” He stared deeply into her eyes.
His eyes were a beautiful golden brown. The more she looked at him, the more sparkling golden colors she found in his eyes. Realizing she was getting distracted, she shook her head. “Um, that doesn’t matter. I’m having trouble of the supernatural sort and I’m looking for a psychic to help me sort out what is happening. I was told you could help.”
Vlad gave her a puzzled look and glanced at Marcus. “You don’t want to tell me who hurt you?” he asked.
Gena shook her head. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
Vlad laughed out loud, but Gena could not figure out what he thought was so funny. She glanced back at Marcus and saw that his stony expression hadn’t changed. When Vlad quieted down a bit, she asked, “Can you help me?”
Vlad released her and sat back down on his throne. “I would like to, but I need to discuss a few business matters with Marcus first. We’re going to need some privacy, but I can assure you I won’t forget about you.”
Marcus’s voice came from behind her. “Wait by the bar, Gena. I will be out in a few minutes and we can talk about where you can find a psychic.”
Gena was curious about what the men wanted to discuss but was grateful for any excuse to get out of the red room. She couldn’t take any more of their scrutinizing stares.
She nodded to Marcus in acknowledgment and walked out of the room. Gareth still looked pissed, but she suspected he didn’t have any emotions besides pissed off.
The music pounded just as loud as it had before, but it was still less oppressive than the intimidating red lights and the five intense men she’d left.
When Gena reached the entrance to the main section of the club, she surveyed the mass of people moving in time with the music.
Marcus had told her to wait at the bar, but there didn’t seem to be a spare inch of space left for her to squeeze in, and the last thing she wanted was a drink. She thought about going outside to breathe in some fresh air but nixed the idea after considering that she should stay where Marcus could easily find her. And the memory that Ryan could be anywhere right now. Even watching the outside of the bar.
She stuck to the edges of the room where there were fewer people and tried not to think too hard about what she was getting herself into. These people weren’t normal. Vlad sat on a throne surrounded by guards and owned a club where one of the requirements for entry was lack of clothing.
What did he even need guards for anyway? Who did he need protection from? And how did Marcus fit into this? Marcus didn’t act as though Vlad was his boss, so what did that say about their relationship? They could be friends, but Vlad had said they needed to discuss business. Maybe Marcus worked in the same industry as Vlad.
Once again, the fact that Vlad needed guards bothered her. There had to be illegal dealings going on in the club. How deeply involved could she allow herself to get with this crowd?
She hated to feel like a baby, but she couldn’t help but think of how much she’d love to call her mother at this moment. To hear her voice and reassure her that her daughter wasn’t brutally murdered. Well, she was murdered, but she didn’t stay dead. She rolled her eyes at how that conversation would play out.
A hand went around her wrist. For a split second, Gena thought Marcus had come for her, but the grip immediately tightened and pulled her to a dark corner.