“As shady as they come. Thought we could poke around and see what exactly is going on in there.”
“The sooner, the better so we can get the fuck out of the cold.”
“You’re turning into a pussy.” Slade heads down the alleyway.
I roll my eyes. “I’m just not partial to freezing my balls off. I prefer tropical climates.”
“Whatever you say, pussy.” There’s humor in his gravelly voice.
The bouncer gives us a once-over before he lets us in, skeptical of our appearance and our interest in the club. We’re older than all of the other people standing in line and not wearing a stitch of designer anything. But they luckily let us in reguarless without any hassle.
Inside, it’s a typical dance club. Nothing I haven’t seen before. A couple of bars, big dance floor, and flashing strobe lights.
“So what are we looking for exactly?” I ask Slade as we order a drink and pretend to be nobodies at the bar.
“Anything unusual.”
I take a sip of my crappy gin and tonic. “Informative.”
After a few minutes, we decide to part ways to cover more ground and inspect the place more thoroughly. He stays on the edge of the dance floor as I climb the stairs to the second-floor landing. I stay back, as inconspicuous as possible, and scan the room. I watch the dancers, the bartenders, and even the bouncers. Everything looks kosher. Just a bunch of drunks letting loose in the appropriate atmosphere.
I spot Slade snaking through the crowd slowly, but not unusually slow. As I visually follow him I catch a splash of blonde hair in the middle of the dance floor. I take a step forward to make sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks. And they’re not. It’s her, in a short pleated skirt, cropped top, and thigh high boots. Her tousled hair curly and long and being grabbed by some prick wearing a polo shirt who couldn’t be more than twenty-one. My stomach lurches as I watch them. She lied straight to my face. Said she was going out with girlfriends. Why?Probably because she didn’t think grandpa would approve,my subconscious sneers.How long did you think you were going to keep a young, gorgeous blonde satisfied?
I find that hard to believe after the week we’ve had, but I am seeing it with my own eyes, how she responds to him, laughing and grinding against his body as they move to the obnoxious techno music.
In a moment of blind rage, I bolt toward the dance floor, pushing my way through the sweaty crowd as I try to find them. I scour the whole club and somehow come up empty. I saw them,her,but seemingly they’re gone. I retake my position on the second level, vowing to stand here all night if I have to. Minutes tick by and my rage only escalates.
“I wish you’d stay . . . you’re the only one I come for . . . I love you.”
It feels like all my emotions are being wrung dry.
After a while, I spot the guy in the crowd, but no Tara to speak of. Before I can even think, I’m hurrying down the stairs and following him into the bathroom. He doesn’t even see me coming as I force him into a stall, locking us both inside.
“What the fuck, man!” he shouts at me, but I crush my forearm to his throat, silencing him. The guy’s green eyes widen with fear. That’s right, buddy; be scared.
“The girl you were with, where is she?”
He shakes his head as if to say he doesn’t know.
“Where?” I slam my fist against the wall right next to his head. He jumps, looking like he just shit himself.
“I don’t know. She’s gone.”
“How do you know her? Are you dating?”
“Dating? No!” he scrambles. “Are you her boyfriend? They said it was anonymous!”
“They? Who?” I demand.
“Are you some sort of cop?” His voice is high-pitched, terrified.
I tilt my head, now really looking at the man in front of me.
“You could say that. Now, tell me what I want to know or I’ll make your life a living fucking nightmare.”
“They’ll kill me if I talk.”
Enraged, I grab his junk and twist. “If you don’t talk, I’ll make sure you never use your cock again.”
