"Don't tempt me to prove you wrong. How about I call the police and ask them to run a real check on you? You think they'll find anything interesting?"

"That's a hollow threat," Neil said. "The police would never do favors for someone like you."

"I know a cop who would," Andrew said. "If I called him tonight and told him you're a serious problem child, he'd make it a priority. How cold is your trail?"

"Shut up," Neil said. "Why can't you leave me alone?"

"Because I don't trust the way you look at him," Andrew said. "Edgar Allan is in our district and you are on my team. You, a know-nothing from Arizona who somehow managed to catch Kevin's eye. You, a lie from head to foot, with a bag full of money and a hard-on for everything Kevin and Riko. Do you understand?"

Neil did, but he was as baffled as he was furious. "I'm not a mole. Are you kidding me?"

"Prove it," Andrew said. "You take a minute to think it over. Think how badly you want to try my patience right now. I'll be back."

Andrew pushed away from the wall and slipped into the crowd. Neil watched him go, then braced himself against the wall and started down the length of it. He didn't know which way led to the door, but if he could at least find a stairwell off the dance floor he could figure something out. His survival was contingent on him getting out of this club while he still had some of his wits about him.

He finally spotted the stairs through a gap between bodies. He started up, only to be stopped as Nicky came down them. Nicky took his shoulders to push him back into the crowd, ignoring the way Neil shoved and pushed to break free. This kiss tasted worse, and Neil went numb from his mouth down.

The rest of the night was shattered colors and lights.

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT

Neil woke up in a bed he didn't recognize in an equally unfamiliar room. He knew that disorienting feeling by name after moving so often, so it wasn't cause for immediate alarm. The weight of arms around him was one his body knew, but somehow it was confusing. There was something wrong with it that his hazy mind wasn't ready to process and he blinked hard against the headache pounding at his skull. He felt half-dead, though he couldn't for the life of him figure out why.

His first attempt at moving sent a stab of pain down his spine, so he relaxed against the sheets. The hold on him tightened a little in response to his shifting.

"Mom?" he said, but it came out slurred at best and barely intelligible.

The person behind him still understood, judging by the amused, "Not quite."