Page 7 of Targeted By Vengeance

The guard’s eyes bounced between us as we approached him. His hands unclasped, and I instinctively grabbed Maria’s hand, ready to tug her out of the way in case he reached for a weapon.

She glanced at me, raising a brow.

Rather than his waistband, the man’s hand wrapped around the knob of the back door and opened it for us.

I let out a breath of relief as I released Maria’s hand.

Smiling, she nudged me with her elbow. “Relax,” she murmured, her voice soft and jagged. “You’re safe here.”

Inside, all the lights of the club were on, allowing a complete view of the interior. Two long bars sat on both sides of the building. Small tables with high chairs were scattered around a glossy dance floor. On the upper level sat velvet U-shaped booths with small circular tables between them. The scent of alcohol and expensive perfume lingered in the air from the night before.

Maria quickly darted off towards one of the bars where two men stood. Polar opposites of each other, one wore a simple polo shirt and jeans while the other was decked out in a red button down and sleek black slacks.

Hurrying behind her, I watched as she threw her arms around the one wearing a polo shirt and pressed her lips against his.

“Damn,” the other man said, a smile in his green eyes though his mouth was curled in disgust. “You just gonna treat me like a wet food stamp even though I was here first?”

Maria grinned when she pulled out of the kiss. She opened her arms for the other man, but he held up his hand.

“Nah, I don’t want a hug now. You keep the nerd germs to yourself.”

“Fuck you,” Maria’s - boyfriend, I assume - spat, though there was no malice in his voice. He didn’t even spare the other guy a glance. His eyes were fixed on the woman in his arms.

Green eyes went to me, and a charming smile was shot my way. “You must be Simone,” he said. He extended his hand. “I’m Dante.”

My brows pinched as I shook his hand. “How do you…?”

“Oh, Mateo told me all about you. He couldn’t stop going on and on about your pretty brown eyes, killer legs, luscious lips, and ferocious attitude. I’ve never heard a man down so bad.”

Unwanted heat rushed to my cheeks. “He really described me that way?”

Dante began to nod, but Mateo’s voice cut him off.

“Don’t listen to a word out of his mouth,” he said, appearing at my side. “He ain’t nothing but a damn schmoozer.”

“Schmoozer and liar aren’t synonymous, and in this case, I’m definitely one, but not the other.” He tilted his head. “And I thought vampires slept during the day. The fuck you doing out in broad daylight?”

“Don’t start with me when you’re out here looking like a tube of lipstick.”

Dante ran his hands over the top of his auburn hair, slicked back into a puff of tight curls at his neck. “At least I look good. I don’t know if you can say the same.”

“Ignore Dante,” Maria’s boyfriend told me between their bantering. “He specializes in shit-talking.”

I smiled. “I see.”

“I’m Miles, by the way,” he said, offering a wave.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Where’s your wife?” Mateo asked. “Before I whoop your ass.”

“In the back,” Dante said. “Come on, I’ll take you to her.”

Maria stayed back with Miles while Mateo and I followed Dante down the hall towards the back offices.

Dante knocked on one of the doors before pushing it open. “Hey, princess,” he called as he walked inside. “Our guests are here.”

The woman at the desk tore her eyes away from the computer screen and looked up at us. Her mane of dark curls bounced as rose from her seat. “Oh, hi,” she said, a smile spreading across her red frosted lips. She extended her hand as she stepped towards me. “I’m Lexie.”