Apparently, ditching him in the parking lot was only the start of her avoidance of him. Since he’d arrived at the penthouse party, Rafe hadn’t been able to catch more than a fleeting glimpse of her.
He could have sworn he saw her slip outside not more than two minutes ago.
Weaving through the clusters of men and women chattering over their drinks near the illuminated pool and surrounding seating areas, Rafe spotted the briefest hint of black leather and glossy sable hair retreating into the darkness. He wouldn’t mistake that tall, knockout body for anyone else. She disappeared into the shadows at the far end of the long terrace.
He homed in on her with single-minded purpose.
He found her seated on a stone bench tucked into a gloomy corner. With her arms wrapped around her bent knees and her combat boots planted before her on the bench, she glanced up as Rafe approached. “You just don’t take a bloody hint, do you, vampire?”
She leaned a bit heavily on the word, as if to remind him of their difference. Not to mention her disdain.
Rafe smiled and lifted his shoulder. “Just trying to be friendly. In case no one told you, the whole point of a party is to socialize.”
“So, go socialize. In case no one told you, the whole point of doing that is to find someone who’s actually interested in talking to you.”
“Ah. And you’re not.”
One slender brow arched, she touched her finger to the tip of her nose. “Look at you, learning to take a hint after all.”
He chuckled. “Why aren’t you inside with everyone else?”
“I came out here to be alone,” she said, slanting him a flat look when he made no move to leave. “Besides, I’m just waiting for Cruz to wrap up so we can get out of here.”
Rafe grunted. “Where’d he go, anyway? Looked like he had serious business to take care of with someone.”
“Did it?”
When she didn’t respond any more than that, he decided to take a different tack. Exhaling a sigh, he turned his head to look out at the city lights competing with the stars and moon overhead. “This view must cost some bank, eh? What’d Fish say the guy’s name was who owns the place?”
No one had mentioned the penthouse owner’s name to him, and unfortunately the cagey brunette staring holes in his skull wasn’t even tempted to take the bait. He glanced at her and was met with a narrowed stare.
“You ask a lot of questions.”
“What can I say? I’m naturally curious.”
And if he had to use his Breed powers to trance the woman in order to get those answers, he wasn’t above stooping to do that right here and now.
Earlier tonight at the tavern, he’d considered her attractive. Now, with only a few feet to separate them in the secluded corner of the moonlit terrace, he realized just how inadequate the term was in describing her.
Her face was lovely, creamy skin accentuating a delicate bone structure and lips the color of a dark, dusky rose. Her warm bourbon-hued eyes were too large for her face and infinitely expressive—even when Rafe was certain she was doing her best to shut him out.
All of that beauty was framed by a mane of thick, rich brown waves that tumbled over her shoulders and down her rigid spine. The glossy strands gleamed like silk under the starlight, a mesmerizing contrast against the studded black leather of her biker’s jacket.
The woman herself was a study in contrasts, right down to her voice, which was measured and sophisticated, a sexy purr that stroked over his senses more than he cared to admit.
When she let the silence lengthen between them, he stepped closer and took a seat on the bench. “I’m Rafe, by the way.”
“I know who you are.” She tilted her head and studied him. “I heard one of the Order warriors call you that back at Asylum.”
He gave her a grim nod. “What about you? Is Brinks your last name or something?”
“Just a name.”
It wasn’t exactly an answer, and she obviously wasn’t in the mood for sharing.
He didn’t know what he’d done to trigger her animosity—aside from having been born Breed. Her comments back at Asylum left no question that she wasn’t going to make it easy for him to establish any kind of footing in Cruz’s gang.
If he thought he was going to win her over with a few smiles and some small talk, he’d apparently overestimated his charm. Or underestimated her instant dislike for him.
He was in uncharted territory now. Blessed with a combination of his mother’s golden looks and his father’s bulk and swagger, Rafe was accustomed to having the undivided attention of any female he wanted.
Not this one.
And damn if that didn’t make him all the more determined to find out why.
“So, you and Cruz. You together?”
“As in a couple? No.” She denied it so fast it might as well have been a scoff. “Why? Do you assume because I’m female I must be sleeping with him? Or maybe you think they’re all sharing me?”
An instant, uninvited image of her being passed between those four rough men filled his mind before he could stop it. He had no right to feel the spike of aggression, of protectiveness, that swept through him on the heels of that unwelcome possibility.
He shook his head, if only to dislodge the vision. “Just trying to understand the situation.”
And yeah, he wanted to know why a beautiful, clearly intelligent woman like her was wasting time hanging around a criminal element like Cruz and his pals. If not out of personal involvement, then what brought her to them?
What made her protective of Cruz and his criminal endeavors when Rafe wasn’t sure she even liked the man?
Or was it her own secrets she was trying to protect?
The whole reason he was there was to find out if the gang had a connection to Opus Nostrum, and, if so, who was at the other end of the string. That meant no one could be above suspicion. For all he knew, he might be looking at that connection right now.
As if sensing his increased scrutiny of her, she glanced away from him and didn’t look back. “I’m not with Cruz or anyone else. I don’t mix business with pleasure.”
Rafe grunted. “Smart policy. So, what kind of business are we talking about?”
“We aren’t. You’re the only one who keeps talking.”
“Must be lucrative,” he pressed. “Maybe there’s room for me in there somewhere.”
“There’s not.”
Something resembling fear flashed across her face in the instant she swung her head around to look at him. But she tamped it down just as quickly, shuttering her expression.
Rafe believed she wasn’t involved with Cruz or any of the other men in his gang, but he wasn’t buying for a second that her defensiveness had anything to do with loyalty to them. Her reaction right now was personal.
And so was her desperation to get away from him and his questions.
Because she was hiding something.
Lying about something.
Hell, right now he wasn’t sure he could believe anything that was coming out of her pretty mouth.
That didn’t mean he was ready to accept that fact and walk away. Far from it.
Sensing her secrecy only made him want to peel her apart layer by layer until he was satisfied he had the answers he needed. Whether he did that by charm, force, or some other means to his advantage, he damn well didn’t care. All that mattered was his mission.