Chapter 24.
788 Words
The GTO was idling at the curb, a low-frequency tremor that rattled the windows of the Brooks' quiet suburban home. Kane leaned against the driver’s side door, his thumb hooked into the pocket of his jeans, staring at the front porch with a practiced, bored indifference.
Then the heavy oak door swung open.
Maxine and Harper stepped into the porch light, and for the first time since he’d met her, the rhythmic thrum of the GTO’s engine seemed to fade into a dull hum. The black silk of the dress moved like water against her frame, the silver embroidery catching the light with every breath she took.
But it was her face that stopped him.
The hollows beneath her eyes were gone, replaced by the sharp, winged flick of eyeliner and a glow that looked- for a split second, like genuine health. Her lips were a deep, defiant crimson. She didn't look like a girl fighting a clock; she looked like a girl who owned it.
Kane’s posture didn't break, but his breath hitched, a small, involuntary hitch in his chest that he hoped the engine drowned out. He’d spent his life looking at high-end machines and expensive things, but he’d never seen anything that looked quite as dangerous as Harper Brooks in that moment.
"You're late," he said, his voice dropping into that low, raspy register to hide the fact that his heart had just executed a sharp, jagged pivot.
Harper walked down the driveway, the silk whispering against her legs. She stopped a foot away from him, her eyes searching his for a reaction. "Is it too much?"
Kane pushed off the car, his movements slow and deliberate. He let his gaze trail over her, lingering a second too long on the curve of her neck before meeting her eyes. He kept his expression flat, the "bad boy" mask firmly in place, though his pulse was currently racing at a redline.
"It'll do, Brooks," he murmured, reaching out to pull the passenger door open with a sharp clack of metal. "Try not to get any glitter on the upholstery."
He didn't tell her she looked breathtaking. He didn't tell her he was suddenly terrified to let anyone else in the club see her. He just waited until she slid into the seat, his hand lingering on the door frame just a beat longer than necessary, before he rounded the car and climbed in, the scent of her perfume already winning the war against the smell of gasoline.
The entrance to Lux Noir didn't look like much from the street- just a heavy steel door and a red velvet rope, but the vibration of the bass was already humming through the soles of Harper’s heels.
Kane didn't wait in the line that stretched around the block. He walked straight to the bouncer, a man whose neck was thicker than Harper’s waist, and offered a silent, knowing nod. The rope dropped instantly.
"Connections?" Harper whispered as they stepped into the foyer, the air suddenly tasting like dry ice and expensive gin.
"Something like that," Kane murmured, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back as he guided them through the throng. "Stay close. This place gets a little predatory after midnight."
The club was a sensory overload. Neon strips of violet and electric blue sliced through the dark, reflecting off the silver embroidery on Harper’s dress. The air was a thick, humid soup of perfume and adrenaline. To anyone else, the noise might have been a headache, but to Harper, it was a heartbeat. It was loud enough to drown out the internal ticking of her own biological clock.
"Drinks!" Maxine shouted over the roar, already vibrating with the music. "I’m buying the first round!"
She disappeared toward the long, backlit bar, her sequined top catching the light like a school of fish. Harper and Kane found a small, high-top table near the edge of the dance floor.
"You look..." Kane started, his voice barely audible over a heavy synth drop. He scanned her- the black silk, the red lips, the defiant tilt of her chin. "You don't look like a girl who was puking in a bucket eighteen hours ago."
"Good," Harper said, leaning in so her breath brushed his ear. "That girl is currently tucked under the covers in my bedroom. Tonight, I’m just a girl in a dress."
Kane’s jaw tightened, a flicker of something raw and unreadable crossing his face. He looked like he wanted to say something, but the moment was shattered by a sharp, high-pitched laugh coming from the bar.
- Writer
