Free Deep Cover by Kimberly Van Meter

became louder as they got closer.
    Capri knocked on a solid metal door toward the back of the building and a large, criminal type opened up. The handlebar mustache was disturbing enough, but the freakish muscles roping his arms weren’t natural in the least.
    “Hi, Bear,” Capri said with a sunny smile. “We’re here to party!”
    “Who’s she?”
    “A friend,” Capri answered, lifting up on her toes to whisper something in the man’s ear. Judging by the way the man allowed them to pass, whatever Capri said must’ve been the magic words. Capri slipped her hand through Poppy’s and led her inside the cavernous building.
    “What was that all about?” Poppy asked. “What did you say to him?”
    “Don’t worry about it. Bear is a softy deep down. He just looks scary.”
    “That’s for sure,” Poppy murmured, glancing back at the hulking guard. “Does he eat small kids for breakfast?”
    “You’re funny.” Capri laughed, shaking her head as if Poppy said the weirdest things. “Okay, let’s find DJ Raven and get this party started.”
    Poppy followed Capri through the thick crowd of people wearing neon paint that glowed in the black light streaming in from the high ceilings as they danced to the throbbing music.
    Capri waved at the DJ, lost in his own world, one ear covered with the headphones while the other ear was free, his fingers working in time to the beat. “That’s Raven,” she said to Poppy with a happy squeal. “He’s so cool.”
    Although Capri identified him as male, DJ Raven could’ve been male or female. He had that androgynous look that was pretty and handsome at the same time. Plus, the name? Raven? Maybe his name should’ve been Peacock judging by the wild array of bright colors in his long hair.
    “Hi, Raven,” Capri said, waving again to catch his attention. Raven looked up and Poppy startled at the pale contact lens bleaching out the natural color of the irises. “This is my friend Laci. I want to show her a good time. Got anything that could help?”
    Poppy perked up, tensing imperceptibly while holding the easy smile. So DJ Raven was one of the suppliers. Capri lifted on her toes to accept a tiny package from Raven and then bounced away in time to the music.
    “C’mon,” Capri shouted above the din, pointing as she said, “Bathroom.”
    Poppy nodded and followed Capri, taking a quick sweep of the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Shaine. But it was too dark and the writhing knot of people was too dense.
    She had no choice but to follow Capri and hope for the best.

CHAPTER 9
    S haine knocked on the metal door and when he was greeted by a giant, stone-faced man, he wondered if he was about to get his ass stomped into the concrete.
    “Private party.”
    “I was invited.”
    “By who?”
    Technically, he was invited by the hot chick at the bar but he used Angelo instead.
    “Angelo.”
    The man slowly stepped aside, but continued to stare Shaine down as if hoping Shaine would do something stupid just so he could wipe the floor with him.
    But Shaine wasn’t stupid. He slipped past the man and into the party, immediately assaulted by a kaleidoscope of neon colors as people walked by in glow-in-the-dark body paint illuminated by the black lights.
    Music—if you could call it that—was nearly a wall of sound that vibrated his insides, and he wondered if kids nowadays were deaf.
    He scanned the crowd and caught a glimpse of Poppy being led into the bathroom by Capri, and he headed that way. He wanted to have eyes on Poppy in this place.
    His instincts told him to stay sharp; anything could go south at any point and they had zero backup.
    But before he could get too far, he was clapped around the shoulders and spun around to face Angelo, who was wearing a big-ass grin, and Brandi draped on his arm.
    “You made it,” Angelo exclaimed. “I’d almost given up hope that you were coming.”
    “I never miss a good time,” Shaine responded with an easy smile. “Where’s