“And get a better hotel?” Jordan added hopefully. “I’m not talking about the Ritz, but something that doesn’t have a neon sign would be a step in the right direction. And I’d really like not to have to share a bathroom with two boys.”

I looked around the cramped room and remembered listening to music from the bar down the street at 2:00 a.m. “Sounds like a plan. We also need to buy some clothes.”

Jordan’s eyes lit up. “Clothes?”

I laughed and sat up. “We’re not going to Rodeo Drive. But you and I could use a few extra tops and jeans.”

“Not to mention outfits for tonight.” She waved at my clothes. “You can’t wear that to a place like Blue Nyx.”

“I guess you’re right.” The last thing I cared about was dressing up to go out, but we needed to blend in when we went to the nightclub.

Excitement curled in my stomach. Two days ago when we’d gotten to Los Angeles, we’d learned that Adele, the proprietor of Blue Nyx, was out of town and not due back until tonight. I was hoping she could tell me something about Madeline. We were close; I could feel it in my gut.

“Of course I’m right.” She jumped off the bed with a gleam in her eyes that I had come to dread. “What are you lying around for? We have shopping to do.”

I groaned and let her pull me to my feet. “Okay, but I’m telling you right now I draw the line at wearing a dress. I don’t care how hot you think it looks."

Two hours later, I was threatening to strangle Jordan with the next scrap of cloth she claimed was “club wear.” Those outfits might be what everyone was wearing, but they were definitely not me, and no amount of coaxing or bullying was going to get me into one of them.

I tossed one of the offending dresses over the dressing room door at her. “What the heck, Jordan? I wear more than this to bed.”

She snickered loudly, enjoying herself way too much.

“I’m getting this.” I opened the door and held up a pair of skinny black pants and a loose green sleeveless top. The top was pretty without looking like a second skin, and I’d just found a nice pair of black boots that would go great with the outfit.

Jordan looked it over with a critical eye. “It’s still a bit overdressed, but I guess it’ll have to do.”

“Overdressed?” I gave her a hard look. “Are we done now?” We’d already purchased some jeans and tops for everyday wear along with a few other necessities. I had one more stop planned for today – if we ever finished trying on clothes.

“Almost. You need one more outfit, maybe two, before we go.” She headed for the checkout with me close at her heels.

“More outfits? What for?”

She smiled over her shoulder. “Don’t sound so worried. You’ll like these.”

“I doubt it.”

Outside, she pulled me down the street to another shop. I stopped struggling when I saw the mannequins in the window were wearing jeans and tank tops, and there wasn’t a skimpy dress in sight.

“People like Orias and that guy, Garret, don’t take you seriously because you look like you just walked out of a high school. You need to start dressing like the badass chick you are.” She pushed open the door. “I think you’ll find something in here more to your taste.”

Jordan was right on both counts. I did like the store, and I did need a wardrobe change. I was tired of people not taking me seriously. Hoodies weren’t going to cut it anymore.

By the time we left the shop, I had splurged on several pairs of dark jeans, some tank tops, a pair of black combat boots, and a soft, black bomber-style leather jacket. I had to admit the clothes had looked pretty damn good on me when I’d modeled them for Jordan.

“You’re actually smiling,” Jordan said as we walked to the car. “I told you you’d like that last place.”

“You were right. It was time for a change.”

She gasped dramatically. “What? Did... did you just admit I was right? I feel faint.”

We laughed as we dropped our bags in the trunk. It struck me that this was the most normal outing I’d had in months, and the first time I had ever gone shopping with another girl. And I was actually enjoying myself.

Jordan started the car. “Hotel?”

“Actually, we have one more stop.” I pulled a slip of paper from my pocket and read off the address I’d written down last night.

“Where are we going?” Jordan asked.

“It’s a surprise. You’ll like it.”

“Really?” Her face glowed with excitement. “Are we going to kill something nasty?”

I snorted. “Out of all the things we could do in LA, you come up with that one?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “You said I’d like it, and you always seem to find the bad guys. Or they find you.”

“Well it’s not that, but I’m pretty sure you’ll like it even more.”

It was her turn to snort. “More than killing things? Doubt it.”

“Bloodthirsty much?”

We pulled up in front of a two-story pawnshop with bars on the windows and colorful graffiti across the brick front. Jordan leaned forward, peering at the building. “A pawnshop? Is this some kind of payback for the dresses?”

“Nope.” I grinned because I couldn’t wait to show her what waited for us inside. “Come on.”

The shop was empty except for a middle-aged employee sitting behind the counter, playing solitaire with a deck of cards. The balding man gave us a dismissive glance and went back to his game. I walked up to him and tapped the counter to get his attention. The tag on his shirt had the name Rick on it.