Chapter Three

“Don’t believe him, he’s high,” another man stated as he walked in behind him. He was dressed in a tight black t-shirt and matching black pants. He was wide but not fat, just stocky, built out of muscle from head to toe.

“Don’t tell me what I am,” Conan snapped at him, brushing the guy’s hand away.

“Devon Barnes.” He smiled at Raven. Two others walked in behind him. Michy being one of them, Raven looked around trying to remember at what point had she even left.

Alan threw his hands up, waving them back and forth, “What the hell is going on here? Why aren’t you downstairs? Don’t we have a club to run?”

“Shana sent us up,” a woman said, sashaying past Raven. She grazed her hand slightly as she walked by.

Raven didn’t hesitate to snatch her wrist. “Don’t touch me.”

“Aye yai yai, what a strong grip you have.” She smirked but snatched her wrist back equally as strong as when Raven gripped it.

“Told you,” Michy said, with a smile.

“Don’t you all have condos of your own to occupy?” Alan sighed.

Michy and the brunette, whose wrist Raven snatched, trotted over toward the large wall of windows, plopping down onto a single seat, in each other’s lap.

“Of course we do, but we don’t have a view like this.” Michy pointed toward the cityscape.

“Again, what are you all doing up here?” Alan asked again.

Devon walked Conan over to the large sofa and eased him onto his back.

“Shana sent us up, something about blondes and combat kink, but now that we’re up here, I see what all the fuss is about.” The woman smirked.

“Someone explain to me why the sleepy one thinks he’s the reason I’m here?” Raven asked, staring at all their faces.

“That’s just it,” Michy called from her seat. “He’s sleepy. He blacks out after he smokes one of those funny cigarettes of his and he thinks his dreams are coming to life. He’s starting to slip the imaginary stuff in with real life.”

“He’s just stressed,” Alan said, immediately defending the man. “He’s had a rough start to life. He deserves to smoke a bit of those memories away. But it doesn’t hurt that you’re here, Miss Martine.”

“Call me Raven, please,” she requested.

“Raven, I would love for you and Michy to tour our clubs. Keep an eye on Conan though just to make sure he behaves,” Alan suggested.

“Can all of you account for his whereabouts throughout the night on any given day?” she asked all of them.

Just when she thought they would rally behind Conan, they shrugged, exchanging glances of worry.

Devon was the first to speak. “Listen, he takes these little naps and then he’s good for the rest of the night. He works extremely long hours, not to mention the kind of work he does is um, uh…”

“Taxing,” the brunette volunteered. “You sure she’s not here for us? We could use her in the Wolf Den. She’s got a super dominant vibe the men would enjoy breaking.”

“Enough!” Alan said to the woman grinning mischievously. “Please forgive Sadie. She never thinks before she speaks.”

“That’s fine, but I want you all to understand that I’m not here to work. I’m not here to party. I was sent here to find out what’s going on. It’s at my sole discretion that if I find anything, any little thing that needs to be dealt with…whoever is responsible will be handled accordingly,” Raven told them.

Alan touched her shoulder, motioning toward a long hallway. They stopped in the middle of it, where he pushed a button. The wall itself sunk in an inch and slid out of the way. There were two tiers of clothes hanging up. Some were folded on a shelf.

“Michy! Come help our guest find something to wear to Induction tonight. I don’t want to scare her, so please, something modest. When you’re done with that, you and Sadie get Conan back to the Den!”

“I’m not going back to work tonight,” Conan called from the couch.

“Work the cage then,” Alan told him. “But you’re not staying up here. There’s money to be made. Now, if I have to go on a scavenger hunt for new members of this pack then so be it. I will! DO NOT MAKE ME LOOK FOR NEW MEMBERS!”

Conan got up from the couch with a huff as he dropped his linen pants right in the center of Alan’s entryway. Raven swallowed hard watching his muscular, naked ass switch out of the room. The door opened and closed with a loud bang.

“Oooh, he’s mad.” Michy laughed as she finally appeared in the hallway.

“Go pick…those…up!” Alan snarled.

Michy stopped laughing, wiping the smile off her face as she trotted toward the pants. Picking them up, she dropped them into a bin near the corner of the closet.

“SADIE!” Alan called. The brunette appeared at the hall entryway. Her blunt bob cut framed her face nicely. Her dark brown eyes, lined with makeup were stunning to look at, deep enough to get lost in.

“You summoned me?” she whispered seductively.

“You get in the cage,” he commanded her. “You’re in a far better mood than he is anyway. Michy take Conan and Raven to Induction. Show her around. Put her at ease. Show her why the Council is okay with me operating the way that I do. It’s all on the up and up. Make sure she has a really good time.”

“But I hate parties,” Raven murmured, looking at the clothes hanging in front of her. None of them were modest at all. Alan stared at them intensely and then to her, from head to toe.

“Nonsense, everyone loves parties,” he said to himself more than to her. “Put her in something blue, Michy. Be quick about it. Tell Shana to get back up here. The last thing I need for her to be doing is mingling with the help.”

“It will be done,” she answered formally.

Raven stood back as Michy pulled out clothes for her to wear. After settling on a pair of blue leather Daisy Dukes and a black leather bra top, Michy took Raven to her condo. The pack lived on the top floor of the building. All of their quarters connected but those doors and halls were only to be used in emergency situations.

“You’ll be staying with me,” Michy told her. “I’m the only one with a designated guest room.”

Quite a guest room it was. She hadn’t any idea the amount of wealth circulating amongst the Barstow pack, but they were loaded and spared no expense in showing it. The room was far brighter than the ambiance everywhere else in the building. As a matter of fact, the entire place was bright with its beige walls. There were colorful furniture pieces, and the energy just rang happiness. It was surprising to Raven.

By the time they showered and got dressed, Conan was standing in front of the elevator wearing a pair of satin pants and matching shirt that remained unbuttoned. Raven eyed him cautiously as his mood was palpable. He was pissed.

“Maybe we can do this another night,” Raven suggested. She was feeling bad for the brooding fantasy standing next to her.

He tipped his head slightly, eyeing her up and down. He licked his lips. They glistened after his tongue retreated back into his mouth. Raven’s breathing slowed as her pulse quickened. Conan stared at her mouth and said, “No, it’s fine. Michy. If you see Ivan, tell him I’m looking for him.”

“Okay, Conan,” she said with a deflated smile.

Raven made a note to ask her about this Ivan person later. As they traveled down in the elevator, she noticed they went passed the lobby. As a matter of fact, there were another ten floors underneath the ground floor. When the doors opened, there was music booming from the end of a long hallway. Devon was standing with his arms folded across his chest, another gentleman was next to him wearing the same all-black uniform.

The aroma of the other fellow nearly knocked Raven on her ass as she scrunched her face and turned away from him.

“Now, that’s fucking insulting,” the guy sneered. “You’re acting like you’ve never smelled bear before.”

“But Alan said-,” Raven began.

Devon cut her off. “He’s working security. He’s not part of our pack. He doesn’t work for the club. He only comes in on nights where we’re a bit busy. Don’t worry about it. Okay? You guys go enjoy your night. Especially you, Michy.”

He winked at her and when she walked by, Raven watched as Devon’s meaty hand grabbed all of her backside. Pulling her in close, he stuck his tongue in her mouth and she returned the gesture. They kissed like they’d never see each other again and it made Raven’s nipples harden just watching them.

Michy pulled away, gasping for air, and right in time to see Raven shrinking away from their brazenly intimate moment. The smile on Michy’s face was contagious as she reached out for Raven, grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the club. It wasn’t too crowded and the music didn’t sound as loud as she thought it would be walking in from the elevator. With people bumping into her and brushing up against her skin, Raven kept wiping her own shoulder against her face as if that would be enough to wipe away the touch of other people on her skin.

Conan was walking through, ahead of them. He worked the crowd and there were even a few women who flashed some rolled up wads of cash at him. He turned them away silently and continued to make his way to the bar. Raven took this as her chance to question him.

“Why are you the only one in your pack who thinks you’re responsible for the disappearances?” she asked, hopping on a stool next to him.

“Because I don’t know what happens after I smoke.” He shrugged, signaling the bartender. The guy serving them drinks was cute with curly blonde hair and shirtless body. He wiped a glass clean while asking them for their order.

“Seltzer water and cranberry juice,” Conan told him.

“Is there a number? Anyone in particular that you actually remember?” she asked him.

Conan huffed and groaned a bit. “Why don’t you order something to drink? You’re way too stiff for what you have on. You sound like a reporter, not an Enforcer.”

“I’m stiff? But you’re the one ordering cranberry soda.” She shook her head, turning around and putting her back against the bar. She set her elbows on top of the counter. It inadvertently forced her cleavage up and practically out of the bra top. Conan’s eyes found their way to them. He licked his lips and shuffled his stance a bit.

“You keep standing like that and I’ll show you what’s stiff about me,” he joked.

Raven looked down, suddenly remembering she wasn’t in her usual garb. “Shit!”

She stood erect, pulling her shorts down and the bra up. Michy sashayed over with a smile on her face. “Why are you two over here all alone? You should be out on the dance floor shaking it up and having a good time. Besides, Ivan’s out there.”

Hearing the man’s name piqued Conan’s interest and he craned his neck looking for him on the dance floor.

“I’ll be back,” Conan told them as he began to snake his way through the crowd.

Raven tried to keep her eyes on him, but her senses were becoming overwhelmed again. There was too much going on all at once. There were wolves and humans alike moving together, talking and laughing. It all seemed very innocent, and she began to understand what Alan was saying. So long as it remained this peaceful and innocent there wasn’t anything that needed to be fixed.

“Did you get something to drink yet?” Michy asked her.

“No.” She shook her head.

Michy signaled the bartender while Raven watched Conan talk to a guy, presumably Ivan. They exchanged something but all Raven saw was Conan light a cigarette.

“Here, drink this,” Michy told her, offering her a shot glass filled with an amber-colored liquid.

“What is it?” Raven asked.

“It doesn’t matter. Drink it. It’ll loosen you up and who knows? Maybe you’ll get a chance to dance with Ricky.” She eyed the bartender.

“I really just want to do my job and get back home,” Raven told her honestly.

“Go back home to do what? Stare at the old men and women of the Council? To be alone in your cabin in the woods? Girl, relax and enjoy yourself. You’ll do your job. Tomorrow, you will be right on top of everything. For tonight, you should let loose and have some fun. It might actually help your investigation to see what you’re looking for,” Michy reasoned.

When she explained it that way, Raven didn’t feel so bad about the minuscule part of her that actually wanted to have a good time. Fun wasn’t exactly a concept she grew up with. Being bred to become an Enforcer had been a childhood dedicated to perfection and a very strict curriculum of training. Raven forced herself to think about all the fun she had missed out on growing up, so it would be easier for her to take the shot. She downed it. The liquid burned her throat slowly, igniting a ball of heat in her belly.

“Good girl,” Michy said, signaling to the bartender again. “Another round.”

“No!” Raven protested. “I don’t know what kind of effect this is going to have on me.”

“I do.” Michy laughed, handing her another shot. They clinked the tiny glasses. “Bottoms up!”