“Well, not really,” I said. “I just feel like I haven’t been out of this hotel room for so long. I think I need to do something before I go stir-crazy.”
Jake was quiet while he weighed up my proposal. “Fine. But you can’t go alone,” he said eventually. “And I’m in the middle of something important right now. Can I pick you up in a few hours?”
“Actually,” I said, “Tucker offered to tag along.”
“Tucker?” Jake laughed outright. “He won’t be much use to you on the dance floor.”
“I know,” I said. “But he can play chaperone.” I lowered my voice, suddenly filling it with disarming familiarity. “I just want to know if you think I’ll be … you know … safe with him? I don’t know him all that well, it’s not like we’re friends or anything.” I shot Tuck a repentant look. “Do you think he’ll look after me? He won’t hurt me or anything?”
Jake gave a low, threatening chuckle. “You’ll be perfectly safe with Tucker. He won’t let anything happen to you because he knows if he did, I’d skin him alive.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to disguise my disgust. “If you trust him then so do I.”
A new thought crossed Jake’s mind. “I trust you’re not planning to do anything stupid?”
“If I was, would I ask for permission first?” I let out a long sigh of what I hoped sounded like disappointment. “Look, don’t worry about it, I’ll stay in. I don’t even feel like going anymore.”
“No, you should go,” Jake urged, anxious not to dampen my mood. “You need to get to know this place if you’re ever going to call it home. I’ll let security know you’re going out.”
“Thanks. I won’t be back late.”
“That’s probably best. You don’t know who you might run into.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said breezily. “Everyone knows I’m yours by now.”
“It’s nice to finally hear you say that.”
“There’s not much point denying it.”
“I’m glad you’re coming around. I knew you would in time.” His voice was low and he sounded so genuinely pleased. It was scary the way he’d built up our relationship in his head — he was completely delusional. I almost wished I could help him, but I knew it was too late for that.
“I’m not promising anything, Jake,” I clarified. “Just going out for a while.”
“I understand. You have fun.”
“I’ll try. Oh, and by the way, I’d like somewhere a little more
“Bethany, you never cease to amaze me … go to Hex. I’ll send word that you’re coming.”
I put the receiver down and flashed Tucker a satisfied smile. I couldn’t have been more pleased with my performance had I just climbed Everest.
“He bought it?” Tucker looked amazed.
“Hook, line, and sinker.”
“I’ve gotta hand it you, you’re a better liar than I gave you credit for,” he said.
“I was good, wasn’t I?” I jumped off the bed and headed straight for the door, eager to get out the stuffy hotel room.
“Uh … Beth.” Tucker stopped me and appraised my outfit.
“You’re not gettin’ into any club dressed like that.”
I looked down at my floral dress and sighed. Tuck was right. I needed to look the part. I rummaged through the other items in my wardrobe. There was nothing that even came close to what I needed.
I was beginning to get frustrated when someone rapped curtly at the door. When Tucker opened it, there stood Asia holding a garment bag in one hand and a designer cosmetics kit in the other. She stepped into the room flashing a savage grin and made no secret of the fact that she was there under duress. She was wearing a leather minidress with a lace-up bodice and red thigh-high boots. Her skin was like milky coffee and she had coated it with something that made it iridescent under the lights.
“Jake sent me,” she said in her husky voice. “He thought you might need some help getting ready. Looks like he was right.” She threw the garment bag over the nearest chair. “This should be your size. Try it on, then we’ll deal with the rest.” She looked me over as though I were beyond help. Before I could say anything Asia had followed me into my bathroom. Turning away from her, I hurriedly pulled on the black-and-white bandage dress she handed me and slid my feet into the crystal-studded pumps with bows on the heel. I frowned as Asia resentfully lined up compacts and giant brushes on the marble counter. I knew she wouldn’t be wasting her time on me unless Jake had expressly asked her.
“Oh, honey,” she drawled. “If you’re gonna hit the clubs you gotta look the part. You can’t go turning up like some Girl Scout.”
“Let’s just get this over with,” I grumbled.
“Fine by me.” Asia grinned and pointed an eyelash curler at me as if it were a deadly weapon.
When I emerged from the bathroom, I was unrecognizable. Every loop and natural kink in my hair had been ironed out, my mouth was a sticky berry-colored pout and silver-blue eye shadow glittered on my lids. Bronzing powder covered my face, giving my naturally pale skin a sun-kissed look. Earrings in the shape of giant fans hung from my ears and the false lashes Asia had glued above my own tickled when I closed my eyes. She had even sprayed my legs with fake tan from a golden bottle and I smelled like a giant coconut.
My transformation appeared to render Tucker speechless. “Beth, is that you under there?” he said. “You look … um … very …”
“Quit your drooling, farm boy,” Asia snapped. “Now let’s make tracks.”
“You’re coming?” he asked.
“Sure. Why not? You got a problem with that?” Asia’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“No problem at all,” Tucker said. He looked at me meaningfully, concluding that this must be Jake’s idea of an insurance policy.
When the three of us left the penthouse suite and came down to the lobby, everybody stopped to watch us in unison.
My new attire may not have felt right for an angel, but it did make me feel better equipped to cope with the dangers that might be waiting in the murky tunnels of Hades. I was keen to get going and start my search for the elusive portals. I knew it was dangerous, but for once I wasn’t intimidated. I felt as if I’d been kept in the dark, both literally and metaphorically, for weeks.
I purposely ignored the appreciative smiles from the hotel staff as we sailed out of the revolving doors. I was fast learning that manners and friendliness weren’t the way to go if I wanted to gain any respect in Hades. Outside a uniformed doorman tipped his hat and signaled to a long black limousine that crawled silently up to collect us.
“Mr. Thorn ordered a car for you,” the doorman announced.
“How thoughtful of him,” I said grudgingly as I slid into the backseat with Tucker. Even when he wasn’t there Jake liked to keep a tight hold of the reins.
Asia sat up front. The driver appeared to know her and they chatted briefly about mutual contacts. From behind the partition of tinted glass, Tucker and I caught muffled fragments of their conversation.
“Stay close at Hex,” Tucker advised. “I’m told it draws an interesting crowd.” I didn’t ask for his definition of interesting. I would soon find out for myself.
The club district of Hades was very different from where Hotel Ambrosia was located. The hotel appeared to be in a more remote area while the club district was a maze of tunnels with metal doors set in concrete walls. The bouncers guarding the entrances looked like clones with their crew cuts and expressionless faces. The way the music spilled out with its rhythmic beat made you feel like the place had a heartbeat of its own. The effect was claustrophobic.
Club Hex was located at some distance from the others, accessible via a separate tunnel. When Asia flashed her pass I realized entry here was by invitation only. Once inside I understood why. The first thing I noticed was the scent of expensive cigars in the air. Hex wasn’t so much a nightclub as a gaming room for the Hades’ elite to wile away their time. Its main patrons were high-ranking demons of both sexes. They all moved with the agility of panthers and shared a preoccupation with vanity, which was evidenced by their glamorous attire. Not all of them were demons. Some I could see were human — not souls, but flesh and blood, like Hanna and Tuck. I understood without having to ask that they were there for the express purpose of pleasuring their masters.
