Page 30 of Rattle the Cage

Nodding, Blade squatted down near a burnt out light bulb and unscrewed it. “Yep. Most universities have professional-grade labs for students which would make it a prime spot for DMT development.”

Good point.

Catching up, I snapped my fingers. “Right. And it would answer where the actual organic material is coming from.”

“So you’ve thought about that too?” Nash laughed. “Can’t stop thinking about us, huh?”

I pushed her muscular shoulders and tried to ignore the flush that rose to my cheeks.

Just the cool air.

“But yes,” Nash continued, “An academic lab would have the credentials to import the material from outside the country. It would keep everything to legal channels.”

“Decrease suspicion.” I sighed. “Easier to get DMT off campus than through the borders.”

What a cluster fuck.

Blade pocketed the broken bulb and made a notch in the wood next to the empty slot. “It’s just a theory for now.”

The sun was setting over the mountains now, darkness starting to fall over the far edges of Feverpoint as we walked.

Nash came up behind me, her voice low as she spoke. “Better get you inside, Sweet Lamb. Wouldn’t want the shadows to start hunting you.”

Turning around, we headed back to the apartment as crickets made themselves known. The park was quieter at night, most of the critters starting to hibernate for the winter. But we still had work to do.

And frankly, it had become clear that I was safest with my Freaks. Even if it clouded my judgment.

Watching Butch run out of the brush with a mouse in his mouth, I sighed. “We have to find a way onto that campus.”

But where the fuck would we start?

18

TESS

Looking out the Cadillac window, I was shocked by how dark it was already. The sun was setting earlier with each passing day, darkness eager to claim Valemont.

No matter the hour, though, there was still money to be made. I was too broke — and too stubborn, frankly — to turn down shifts at Velvet Paradise when they were available.

Besides, it was a great excuse to get out of the park and away from Cyrus’ scheming. I had no idea how she planned to break into Atwood University, and frankly, I had no interest in finding out.

I’m already implicated in plenty of illegal shit just by staying with the Freaks.

And if Nash insisted on driving me? Well, I wasn’t stupid enough to turn down the offer.

The patrons at Paradise were getting wilder by the day, as if the moonlight had infected their minds. But in reality, there was no supernatural explanation for their behavior: men didn’t need one.

All they needed was permission. Sometimes not even that.

As long as they were high off of whatever male-power fantasy The Messenger was selling, I’d happily take advantage of the built-in bodyguards that my stay at Feverpoint had earned me.

Plus, if I was being honest, I’d kind of missed Nash.

While the rest of the world was hard and cold, she was sweet and gentle: always looking after every little thing I needed. The more time I spent around her, the easier it was to fall back into old habits, to let her be my safe harbor in the chaos.

Because that went so well last time.

I was so fucking sick and tired of being upset, but I couldn’t shake the lingering sense of betrayal. Which brought up another infuriatingly endearing thing about Nash: all she ever did was validate my feelings.