“And what do you think of the music?” Q’s chest swelled with pride.
Wanda glanced at him before she was pulled into the changing beat. “I LOVE IT! It’s so . . . moving . . .”
Wanda shifted her hips, her eyes drifting into the distance. Ky’s beast growled a bit as he watched the easy bait. He wanted to throw her against the wall, take her in his hands, and force himself on her. He even pictured wrapping his hands around her neck, slowly cutting off her windpipe just to get a rise.
“And what about you, Natara?” Q’s question snapped Ky back into focus. He searched the table for Natti’s drink. “What do you think?”
“It’s not bad.” She shrugged. “It’s good to dance to. Just not a big fan of the beat. Especially of the last three tracks. What sort of mix is this anyway?”
“Actually,” Q growled, sounding insulted, “this is a creation of my own.”
“Really? You’re in a band?”
“No. This is a computer simulation.” Q took a sip of beer before getting caught up in his ego. “You see, you can alter people’s emotions with sounds, alter their brain waves. I’ve taken that technology and used specific notes and tones so people feel more relaxed and carefree.”
Natti eyed the crowd and snorted. “Relaxed and carefree?”
“It’s a high of a different kind.” Q sneered. “Of course, it isn’t close to getting high the old fashioned way.” He pulled out a few packets. “You want some?”
“Oh!” Wanda began to reach over for the brightly colored pills, and Natti slapped her wrist.
“No thanks,” she hissed. “We don’t do drugs.”
“Drugs?” Wanda looked befuddled, and then she was swallowed up by the music again.
“Are you sure?” Q held them out. “I have lots of good smack, acid, cocaine, hydrocodone, pot—”
“My high is staying in control of my own body,” Natti told him with her wicked death glare. “I won’t let drugs or anything else do it for me.”
Ky watched Natti put her water bottle next to another on the table. A smile twisted his face, his hand inching toward it.
“I understand.” Q shrugged, returning an equally wicked grin. “I just sell the stuff.”
Natti shifted, clearly uncomfortable. “Ah, where’s the loo? I need to freshen up.”
“The what? Oh, right. Over there.” Q jerked his thumb to the far wall of the living room.
“Wanda, you want to come with me?”
Wanda gazed at Natti and shook her head. “I’m cool here!”
“Wanda, I think—”
Q grinned and cut in between them. “Hey, she’ll be fine here. Maybe we can talk some more until you get back.”
“Wanda, are you sure you’ll be all right here?” Natti’s eyes focused on Q.
Wanda swayed and spun. “Totally. I’m loving this music!”
Natti hesitated. “Okay! I’ll be right back. Keep an eye on our drinks while I’m gone, okay?”
Wanda nodded, and Natti gave her one last nervous glance before disappearing into the crowd. Ky grabbed the opportunity to snatch both water bottles.
“So you created this music?” Wanda chuckled. “It’s awesome! You must be a real genius!”
Reading her name, Ky undid the cap of Natti’s water bottle and slipped in the roofie. He closed the cap and swirled it, the powder dissolving before his eyes. The beast roared within him as his own hunger for lust grew.
“Yep! I am truly blessed,” Q said proudly. “A gift from God!”
“So, you’re going to like be one of those people who strive to cure cancer.”
Ky snorted a laugh, listening to Q while he made sure there was no trace of the drug left. “Why would I do that when there is so much more money to be made in treating the symptoms of a disease than in the actual cure?”
“Oh.” Wanda sounded disappointed and shocked by Q’s answer.
Ky was about to place the water bottles down when he accidently bumped the table with his thigh, causing him to juggle the bottles across the table. He was able to catch them before they landed on the floor. Q smacked his forehead in disbelief.
“Sorry.” Ky handed both water bottles to a bewildered Wanda. “Just a little clumsy, I guess.”
Without looking, Wanda simply placed one of the bottles down. “Ah, thanks.”
“Well, we have to get back to the stereo.” Q jerked his thumb as a signal to Ky. “We’ll probably be back though.”
Ky eyed Wanda one last time. “Yeah, see you around.”
“Okay.” Wanda waved.
Ky and Q rushed to a far corner where Ky could still see Wanda standing next to the table, sipping from the bottle she had in her hand. Her head was still bopping to the music that was consuming her mind. Q pulled out his cell phone.
“Right, now I just have to text Seth to get his butt over here.” His fingers sped across the Samsung Galaxy keyboard, typing out a quick message, and then hit send. “When Natara returns and takes a sip of that Rohypnol, she won’t know what hit her. She’ll lose the ability to control herself or what is about to happen to her. And her friend will be too zoned out to even notice.”
“Dude, this is totally rad!”