Free Chasing Silver by Jamie Craig

make sure he’s tall with a killer accent.”
    His ghost of a smile followed her as she slammed the door and headed for the club. The distant music made the air pulse, echoing through her skin and into her blood, charging her for what she was about to do. She wasn’t scared, but the anticipation of the encounter had her a little jumpy. For Nathan’s sake and for her own peace of mind, she didn’t want to fuck this up. She needed to know she could survive here. She needed to know once she and Nathan parted ways, she wouldn’t be worse off than if she’d stayed in 2084.
    Every step drew an appreciative glance from both men and women. The ends of her hair tickled along her spine, the slight breeze lifting loose tendrils around her face. By the time she reached the burly black bouncer, the faintest touch could have set Remy off.
    His eyes bored into hers. “You on the list, doll?” He didn’t even have to raise his voice. The deep bass undercut the music like sliding across silk.
    Though her smile didn’t waver, a moment of panic sent Remy’s mind racing to improvise. She leaned forward, pressing her breasts along his tree trunk biceps, her mouth hovering at his ear. “I’m here for Tian. And he was expecting me ten minutes ago.”
    Mentioning the gang leader did as she’d hoped. The bouncer tensed, head snapping up as his gaze swept over her one more time. Remy didn’t have to wait more than a few seconds before he stepped to the side, releasing the catch on the red velvet ropes to clear the path for her to enter. Giving him a wink, she walked past and went into the club.
    As soon as she crossed the threshold, the intoxicating scents of sweat and alcohol assaulted her. She hesitated, eyes flickering shut as she focused on how alive the place felt, wondering if it was possible to forget everything she had promised to let the crowd swallow her up. It would be easy. Too easy. She was a pretty girl, and nobody knew her here. A fresh start. That was what she wanted, after all.
    But blocking out the club’s visuals brought the image of Nathan’s solemn face, the green light strobing across his skin, as he’d looked at her in the car.
    She straightened. Opened her eyes.
    She wasn’t going anywhere.
    Spotting Tian was simple. Nathan had shown her picture after picture of the gang leader until she had him memorized. As Tian rose from a table tucked in an upper alcove, Remy decided the photos didn’t do the man justice. He wasn’t tall, but his compact build was clearly displayed in the silk shirt and trousers he wore, and his dark eyes were bright with intelligence, even from that distance. His black hair was shorn close in the back, but a long hank fell across his forehead, making him seem almost boyish as he worked the crowd.
    Her gaze scanned the room. Nobody matched Cesar’s description.
    Here goes nothing.
    She navigated through the throng, ignoring the various pinches and grabs from wandering hands along the way. Once or twice, she lost sight of him, taller bodies blocking him from her view, but then the masses would thin and she’d spot the purple shirt gleaming under the lights a few feet from where he had last stood. She was about to brush against his arm and get his attention when a man with a stud in his nose melted out of nowhere to stand in front of him.
    Remy stopped. It was the crazy Nathan had warned her about.
    Cesar leaned down to whisper in Tian’s ear, but the music and distance made it impossible to hear what he was saying. The smile Tian had sported since she’d spotted him vanished, and for the first time, she saw the danger Nathan had hinted at settle like a mask over his face. Without a glance at the others surrounding him, Tian pushed past the crowd, angling for the front of the club. Cesar was close on his heels.
    Her disorientation lasted only for a moment. Turning on her heel, Remy took off after them.
    *   *   *
    Nathan leaned against his car, checking his watch every minute. As