She glanced back toward the dining room, before pinning him with a stare. “It’s not safe there. You’ll be caught.”
“It’s better if I leave while they’re distracted. Plus, if I wait, it will be too late.” He grabbed her shoulders. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
Clarissa narrowed her eyes. “You’ll never make it past the Sky Tower guards.”
“Then help me. Distract them. You’ve done it before.” He gave her a pleading expression, willing her to understand that he needed to do this and that he would not be stopped.
“It’s that important to you?”
“It is.”
The tension in her face cleared, and she laughed. She raised a perfect eyebrow. “You’ve met someone.”
“Not really. Maybe. I don’t know.” He sighed. “Yes.”
Clarissa sent him a look saying he was silly. “Sounds like she’s got you all twisted up. I don’t have to meet her to know I adore her.”
“Are you going to help me or not?”
Clarissa let out a grunt. “Yes, but you’d better ping me the minute you get home, or I’ll go after you myself.”
Dade nodded. “Agreed.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Arden surveyed the dance floor from the floating moonglass balcony that overlooked the club. Colin danced beside her. He bumped and ground against her during the chorus. She’d occasionally throw him a glare, to which he responded by singing the lyrics at the top of his lungs.
Below, bodies gyrated in a tangled mess. They danced with their arms entwined, twisting together as they passed inhalers of Shine. The drug was encapsulated in a reflective disk that had a retractable mouthpiece. After they inhaled, they’d share smoky kisses with their partners and sometimes with strangers. The air took on its smoky scent.
“Dance,” Colin yelled as he leaned into her ear. He pushed against her, trying to get her to move with him.
She took a sip of her glowing blue drink laced with pink cubes.
“You’re such a party pooper.” He moved away, sensually dancing and pressing himself against the see-through balustrade. The people below cheered, catcalling him to come down and join them. Colin threw kisses at them, continuing his antics.
The music vibrated through her, numbing her mind as well as her senses. Blind was the worst way to do business. Plus, she just didn’t want to be here. There was nothing new and exciting in this. Maybe it was time to consider other options. Even as she had that thought, she pushed it away. What could she do, really? Become a day worker with no skills? The only skills she had were those the gang had taught her. She was pretty sure “ass kicking” wasn’t exactly marketable.
“Does it seem crowded tonight?” she yell-asked Colin.
“No more than usual. You just haven’t gone out in a while.” He knocked his hip against hers. “We should go down and get sweaty.”
“No.” Arden touched her gold-sequined mask, a nervous habit because she knew the nanotech wouldn’t let it slip out of place. She’d paired it with a matching gold dress. Her hair was down tonight, golden brown, untamed curls long against her back.
Everyone in the party scene loved masks. They’d become popular in the last year even though they’d been difficult to procure since the govies put restrictions on them now. The masks clung without being heavy, like a translucent sheen, so the wearer felt as if nothing were on the skin.
Colin pulled out a number of Shine disks from his pocket. The disks were single-use and dispensed Shine in an aerosol blast that was inhaled. “I have seven more. How many do you have left?”
“About the same.”
The Shine had gone like hotcakes earlier, which was nice because it meant an early night.
“Ready for another round?” he asked.
“In a minute.” Arden tipped her drink, showing him that it wasn’t quite empty.
Turning back to the dance floor, she watched Uri dance with Mariah near the DJ booth. The pressurized floors changed colors beneath them. Holograms projected around them, flicking between rainbows of color. Mariah’s back was pushed up against Uri’s front, her head leaned onto his shoulder as they moved together. They looked happy.
Arden wanted that. She’d admit, to herself at least, that she was jealous of their relationship. They made it look easy.
Perhaps it wasn’t the relationship she wanted, so much as the feeling of having someone to lean on. Metaphorically speaking, because she really didn’t need anyone. Though it might be nice to have someone to count on, with whom she could share something deeper than friendship. And maybe experience a little romance.
“If you want to be productive, you should keep your eyes open for the Ghost,” Arden said.
“Why would I want to be productive?” Colin asked. He took out an inhaler and slipped a Shine disk into it before taking a hit. “I bet you he’s super hot underneath that mask. Like Batman.”
“Or she. Like Batwoman.”
“Why are you so insistent on ruining every fantasy I have?”
“It’s a gift.” This time when she looked over the club, she searched for the Ghost’s signature red mask.
The red mask she saw made her catch her breath.
Arden knew exactly who she was looking at the second she set eyes on him. She’d watched that swagger for at least an hour earlier that afternoon. No amount of camouflage could keep her from recognizing Dade, because he had imprinted on her brain. He stood out like a shiny beacon in a sea of bland. And she had to admit, she’d been searching for him on the dance floor.
Dade looked amazing in a dress tunic. Which was exceptionally over-the-top for a club. And yet, his yumminess was indescribable. The boy should wear a dress tunic every day. The horns of his mask curved over his head, and he wore his longish hair loose. Why would he wear a devil mask? Everyone knew better. Perhaps he was too coddled in his Tower to realize its implication. That was funny, and yet heartbreaking as well.
He was also alone, again. Which meant he hadn’t listened to a word she’d said. Why had she bothered giving advice if he was going to ignore it? The boy had a death wish.
“Is that?” Colin squinted, as if that would help him see Dade’s face beneath the mask.
It would be impossible. From here she could tell that he was wearing a mask that would obscure his identity. The perception of his facial features hazed and shifted as she watched, the nanotech rearranging itself so as not to allow anyone to get a lock on his features. She didn’t need to see his face to know it was him, though. She could pick Dade out from anywhere at this point simply by the way he carried himself. Confidently, like most siskin, yet there was a core of inner strength that burned brightly.
She could hear the surprise in Colin’s voice when he said, “It can’t be Dade Croix. Not slumming it like this.” He shook his head, laughing.