Page 35 of Bitter Spirits

Locke and Isa hit the second-floor landing and stayed toward the back wall.

“Fine, I’ll foot the fuckin’ bill.” Beto’s frustration eased back, replaced by what sounded like actual concern. “I need to get her out of here.”

“Will she talk?” There was a hint of menace in Angel’s question.

The footsteps above stopped abruptly. Locke grabbed for Isa, who was in mid-step, and yanked her back. She gave a soft, surprised gasp, but fortunately, it didn’t travel far.

“Not your problem, Herrera.”

“No, I can guarantee it won’t be.”

“Don’t be a dick,” Beto growled as a series of beeps sounded. “I don’t know what got into the little shit, but she said he attacked her. It was clearly self-defense.”

A door was pulled open. “That should be easy enough to verify.”

“I’m going to want that recording,” Beto said.

“I’m sure you are. Let’s go see how your companion is doing.” There was a pause, then Angel added, “After you.”

There were the sounds of movement. Locke waited for the definitive clunk of the door closing. It didn’t come. Isa went to move, but he pressed her harder against the wall and shook his head. Someone was above them. Listening.

“Dutch, you coming?” a voice called out.

After a heavy pause, a gruff “Yeah” came from directly above them. Finally, the door closed, and silence resettled in the stairwell.

Locke put his mouth near Isa’s ear. “Haul ass, babe. We need to get out now.”

She didn’t need more prompting. They hustled down to the first floor.

He reached for the push bar on the door only to stop when Isa seized the back of his shirt and pressed against his back. “If we can get in without being spotted, head to your right. There should be a fire exit at the end of the hall by the restrooms. Don’t forget the cameras.”

He nodded and cracked the door open. The pounding swell of music rushed in. Locke’s magic slipped through the opening, sniffing out the electric buzz indicating active surveillance. With skillful ease, he separated the competing scents of bodies, alcohol, and noise and locked on to the telltale hum of security cameras. His magic slid along the nerve-tingling scent and struck out, interrupting the digital feed so they wouldn’t be spotted. He nudged Isa in front of him, opened the door just wide enough for her to squeeze through, then followed her into the flash of dizzying lights.

It took a second for his vision to adjust, but Isa had already grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward to the restrooms. He scanned the crowd and spotted one of the bouncers a few feet away, his back to them as he looked out over the crowded dance floor, one hand at his ear, clearly talking to someone.

Isa squeezed his hand hard in warning, and he saw another bouncer winding his way through the dancers, coming closer. Locke thickened the air, pulling the shadows around him and Isa, blurring their images until they were just another couple out to make the most of the limited privacy offered by the restrooms. He crowded Isa’s back, blocking as much of her as he could from the bouncer’s attention, but even as they kept moving, he could feel the man watching them hustle down the hall. He braced for the inevitable confrontation and was almost disappointed when it never materialized and the sense of being watched faded away.

Isa turned toward the women’s restroom, using Locke to block her as she looked behind them. “We’re clear.”

“Go,” he urged, nudging her farther down the hall, where the red glow of a fire exit taunted them.

They rushed forward, and Locke hastily etched a rune, using the residual magic in his signet ring, and disarmed the alarm, clearing the way.

Thank the gods for shitty security.

They pushed through the door and onto a narrow walkway at the back of the building.

Isa grabbed his hand and looked to the left then to the right. “Come on, this way.”

Figuring she knew where she was going, he followed even as he kept an eye on their back trail. He was a little concerned about the apparent lack of security. It seemed too easy to get out of a club that required secret code words, passing through illusions, and a mute, stone-faced bouncer to get in. He would have thought they’d be a little more invested in keeping unwanted attention at bay.

Am I missing something?

Unease crept over him, but no one popped out of the door or around a corner to stop them. They got to the end of the building, where a covered walkway led off to the left and into a lighted parking garage. Two flights down an open stairwell later, they were back on the main side of the mall. They skirted the outdoor lighting as much as possible as they made their way to his car. Only when they were inside his Charger and turning out of the mall parking lot did some of the tension riding his ass ease up.

“Well, that was fun.”

“It was something.” Isa watched the side mirror, proving he wasn’t the only one who thought their escape was a little too easy.