Free Emily Kimelman - Sydney Rye 05 - The Devil's Breath by Emily Kimelman

think you own me.”
    “It’s just-” Dan started and then gave up.
    “It’s just what, Dan?” I shook my head. “If I’m such a slut how come you’re both so in love with me?” Their eyes jumped to my face. It was almost like I’d slapped them. “Get out,” I said, feeling the rage building inside me. “Now,” I said. Blue growled low in his throat, backing me up.

CHAPTER SIX
A Fuck or a Fight
    W hen I got downstairs I was still fuming. I crossed through the lobby, my mind filled—the look on Dan and Mulberry’s faces, the thumping of my heart, the heat in my chest. So when a bellboy touched my elbow, I whirled around on him quickly and aggressively. Blue let out a low growl and the young man stumbled back. It was the same kid who delivered the dress and I took a deep breath before apologizing. 
    He smiled nervously. “Mr. Maxim asked me to give you this.” He held up a key fob with the Audi symbol on it. “Your car is waiting outside.”
    “Thank you,” I said, taking the fob from him. In the hotel’s half moon drive a midnight blue Audi A4 was the only car without a driver. It was parked in a tow zone. I crossed to it and stood for a moment. Its headlights reminded me of panther eyes. I felt a thrill and realized that this was going to be fun.
    Blue’s head grazed the ceiling of the passenger side. I pulled out onto Ocean Drive and followed the instructions programmed into the car’s navigation system. The traffic was slow, this was a street more for showing off than getting somewhere. Eyes drifted across the car, taking in the dark metal, the sculpted lines, the Audi symbol that told everyone how much this beast cost. People crowded the streets, girls in short skirts and high heels, men with broad shoulders and recently cut hair. They all looked good, in their best outfits, out to find a fuck or a fight. The same as a million others who roamed the streets of any city in any part of the world. It often amazed me how different we all were and yet how still the same instincts drew us from our homes and out into the night.
    As we inched along Blue let out a yelp and I turned to see Dan and Mulberry standing next to a beat up Land Cruiser parked in an alley off the main drag. Mulberry ran a hand through his hair and looked at the ground. Dan shook his head and opened up the door of the SUV and said one more thing before climbing in. It must be his car, I thought. It occurred to me that Dan had lived in Key West before I’d called him away. He’d never mentioned what kind of car he drove and I’d never asked. Mulberry turned away and walked deeper into the shadowed alley as Dan’s car turned on, the brake lights glowing. A car tooted behind me and I realized the light was green.
    We reached the highway, and when I opened Blue’s window he stuck his nose out so that as we picked up speed his ears flapped in the wind and he half closed his eyes, letting the long lashes touch to protect his sensitive irises from the rushing wind. I barely began to feel the power of my new ride when the GPS told me to turn onto Star Island. I slowed and made the right, crossing a bridge to where a guard booth waited, a long arm blocking the road any further.
    I rolled down my window as a smiling guard asked my intentions. “I’m here to see Robert Maxim,” I said. He nodded and let me through. I would have thought he’d needed my name or some kind of ID. As I passed under the gate I saw before me a long, narrow park that ran through the center of the island. It formed an oval with the road ringed around it. The name of the park was displayed on a sign installed by the city. They weren’t really allowed to keep people off this island, I thought, as I drove along the park, they just liked to pretend they did. A guard booth was certainly enough to dissuade unsure oglers from crossing the bridge.
    To my right, opposite the park, were walls covered in tropical vegetation. A dense mix of green vines, bushes bursting