"I need to speak to one of your members." I planned to deepen my voice, but with the nerves I'd forgotten.
"Are you a girl?" He pulled off my hat, and my long hair fell down my back.
Before I could answer, he picked me up by my arms and easily moved me inside. The door slammed closed behind me. Even if I'd been able to reach the knob, the door would have been locked. I looked up at the impossibly tall ceiling. How was it possible it spanned to that height? The walls were brick and metal. Everything about the room was cold.
"Who are you Corded to?" His voice was gruff, and it took courage just to look up at him. "Who do you belong to?"
I didn't know much about Cording, just that it marked you as belonging to a club. I'd never seen one before, but I envisioned it as some sort of tattoo.
"Myself. I belong to myself." I stood up as straight as possible.
"Impossible. There haven't been any un-Corded girls in this city for months. If there was one, we'd know about it. Show me your arm," he demanded.
I reluctantly slipped off my coat. He ripped it from my hand and tossed it on the floor before grabbing my arm roughly and examining it from every angle.
"Get Mason," he bellowed, and I suddenly realized we weren't alone.
So focused on the man speaking to me, I'd somehow failed to notice I was surrounded on all sides by men hovering in the darkness who looked identical to the first one. I didn't know who Mason was, but I hoped he wasn't any larger than these men.
"Marcus and Elliot, go out and make sure she isn't a trap." The first man ordered, while still holding me by the arm like he was afraid I'd make a run for it if he let go. If I wasn't so desperate to save Quinn and Bailey, I might have considered it.
"A trap?" I didn't realize I'd said it out loud until the grip on my arm tightened.
"Yes. Forgive me for doubting an un-corded girl-and a blonde one at that-would just show up on our doorstep."
"I didn't just show up here." I tried to make myself look as imposing as possible. It wasn't an easy task with the size of the men around me.
The man holding me laughed and released me. "A tough one, huh? I'm Jarrett by the way."
"I like to think I'm tough." I held my chin up.
"Do you have a name?"
"Kayla." Making up a name wouldn't help me get to Ethan.
"That's a pretty name."
I spun around and came face to face with a man who had the most piercing green eyes I'd ever seen. He wasn't as large as the others, but he was more imposing somehow. Dressed in a charcoal gray suit, he screamed city.
"Hello Kayla, I'm Mason." He held out his hand, and I nervously put mine in his palm. His strong hand was smooth-it didn't have the callouses of all the other men I knew.
"Hello." My voice was softer than usual. Something about Mason made me less confident than I'd ever been.
"Why don't we go into the next room and talk?" He didn't wait for any sort of answer. He moved his hand to my lower back and led me from the lobby. I wasn't used to such intimate contact from anyone but my family. The touch felt different than the way George and Bolton had touched me. Instead of the touch of an inexperienced boy, this was the touch of a man who knew how to handle himself. The difference made him more frightening.
"Have a seat." He gestured to a small sofa. He pulled a chair over right next to it.
I sat down practically on top of the arm rest on the side furthest from his chair. He scooted his chair to my side.
"Tell me, Kayla, what brings you to Sray house?" He gently touched my left arm.
"I need to speak with one of your members." Now that we were seated, I was feeling braver. Maybe Mason wasn't as frightening as I originally thought.
As if reading my thoughts he smiled. "One of my members? Who is it?"
"Ethan. Ethan Wayne."
"Ethan?" A look of surprise crossed Mason's face. "Do you know him?"
I nodded. "Yes. We grew up together." I swallowed. Those words didn't come close to what things were like with Ethan and me.
"I'm shocked he never mentioned you. I can't imagine a man forgetting such a beautiful woman." He moved his hand down my arm a few inches. The slight movement gave me goose bumps.
I let out a deep breath. "May I speak with him, please?"
"Only if you tell me what you need to speak with him about. You need to understand something, Kayla." He leaned in close. "Nothing happens in this club without me knowing."
I mustered my strength. Concentrating was difficult with Mason's face so close to mine. "I understand, but this conversation is of a personal matter."