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“You’ve got this Rick,” the gatekeeper who had done all of the talking said. Rick strode forward and closed the distance between him and Howie in a few strides. He took Howie by the scruff of the neck, and threw him against the wall opposite me. His bones crunched and I jumped at the force of the impact. As Howie staggered to his feet Rick brought his fist back and slammed it into Howie’s stomach. Howie doubled over and fell to the ground, clutching his body, putting his hand up to signal his surrender.
“We see you around here again, we’ll make sure you can’t walk away,” the first gatekeeper said. I was shocked by the savage way they had displayed their strength, but I was also impressed and grateful.
“My name is Dalton, are you okay?” he asked. His voice was softer now. Howie scurried away like a discovered rat, and I was confident I would never see him again. I nodded, dazed. Rick and Dalton glanced at each other.
“We should get her inside,” Dalton said. Rick nodded. Rick was slightly taller and had lighter hair, but an intense gaze that elicited fear in me. Dalton had a kind expression in his eyes, and there was something about the two men that said I could trust them. I felt safe with them. They had the kind of aura that spread a sense of confidence and stability, so I followed them back to the Blue Lagoon. They took me inside. The club seemed different now. It was desolate. There was barely anyone on the dance floor. Rick and Dalton escorted me through a door that was camouflaged as part of the wall and I was in a sterile corridor in which another door led me to a small office.
“Wait here, I’ll get you something to drink,” Dalton said. The office consisted of a small desk, a filing cabinet, and a table with four chairs sitting around it. I took one and looked at the flecked paint that was coming off the walls.
“What’s this used for?” I asked idly, wanting to break the silence. Rick had an intimidating presence. Although he wasn’t looking at me, it still felt as though he was studying me.
“This is where we bring people who are trouble,” he said simply. I wondered if I was one such person, or if I was the exception. I didn’t have anything else to say and Rick didn’t seem like he was interested in conversing, but thankfully, it wasn’t long before Dalton returned. He wore a warm smile, and placed a steaming mug of coffee in front of me, along with a packet of chips.
“I thought you might be hungry too,” he said, and sat down. He looked up at Rick and gestured to a seat. Rick rolled his eyes, and hesitantly sat down.
“Thank you for saving me,” I said.
“It seems like your friend was right,” Dalton said. I cringed as I realized that they had overheard our argument.
“Yes…well…it didn’t necessarily seem like that at the time.” Whatever effects of the alcohol and the club that had been in my system to intoxicate me and elevate me to another level of consciousness, had completely dissipated. I was entirely sober, both from the argument with Jennifer and the situation with Howie. I took a sip of coffee and forced a few chips in my mouth, and instantly felt more myself.
“I thought you could use a little break to collect yourself, and then we’ll send you on your way.”
“Does this happen a lot?” I asked. I got the sense that they were well-practiced at this.
“Unfortunately, yes. Some people just don’t know when to stop, so we keep an eye on the surrounding area. We can’t always punish them properly, but we get them where we can. We usually like catching them when they’re in the club so we can bring them in here, isn’t that right Rick?”
Rick growled and smirked.
“You’ll have to excuse him,” Dalton said, “he’s the strong silent type, at least that’s what he likes to think.” Dalton nudged him in the arm and chuckled. He even managed to raise a smile from Rick as well. The two of them had the camaraderie of brothers, so I asked them if they were indeed related. Dalton exhaled deeply and leaned back in his chair, turning his head towards Rick.
“Sometimes I think we might as well be. We’ve been through a hell of a lot together,” he said.
“That we have,” Rick replied. “Sometimes I think it’s too much, but we end up working pretty well as a team. I don’t think we’ve ever had an argument like you and your friend.”
I squirmed and cringed. “Well, that’s just, uh, that’s kind of the way we do things…” I trailed off. I wasn’t sure why I felt like I had to justify myself in front of these men. They were strangers after all, and yes, they had saved me when I needed them, but that didn’t mean I had the need to explain everything away.
“I’m sure it is,” Dalton said. “Can I give you some advice Ellie? It is Ellie, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, how did you know?” I asked, more than a little surprised that he would have remembered me, just from checking me when I’d entered the Blue Lagoon, but that was indeed what had happened. “I’m not usually the type to make an impression,” I said.
“I doubt that,” Dalton replied. There was a flirtatious tone to his voice, and in the moment I wondered if I had been imagining it. “But next time, maybe try listening to her, because she seems like she has your best interests at heart,” he said. A moment of silence hung in the air, and I locked gazes with Dalton. I saw calmness in his eyes, and the idea of his serenity almost frightened me. I took another long gulp of coffee, and finished off the chips.
“Thanks for the snack,” I said. “I think I’d better be going now, though. I don’t think I really want to see the club with all the lights on, it’ll probably only depress me.” Dalton laughed. The two men rose, and Rick held open the door for me.
“There will be a cab waiting outside; I just made sure to reserve one for you.”
“Thank you, thank you again, for so much, for everything.” It didn’t seem like I could thank them enough for what happened. I couldn’t help but think about what would have happened had they not intervened. I wouldn’t have been able to fight Howie off by myself. He would have taken everything from me, and I’d have been back to square one, but Rick and Dalton had been there for me. Even though I barely knew them, they were about the only men in my life who hadn’t treated me like I was a worthless piece of crap.
It had been one hell of a night and I was glad to get in the taxi and return home. Before I crawled into bed, I quickly sent a message to Jennifer apologizing for what had happened, although I knew I’d have to make amends the following day. I splashed water on my face, and felt better once I had changed into my pajamas. I sighed as my head hit the pillow. The music had finally faded from my mind, and instead of focusing on the bad things that had happened during the evening, I thought about the good things, I thought about Rick and Dalton.
Chapter Four
“I’m really sorry Jennifer,” I said meekly, as I stepped into her office and placed a tray of muffins on her desk. The office had glass walls, but with the door shut nobody could hear anything we said. Jennifer looked down at the muffins and clasped her hands together. I looked around the office and couldn’t help but think that it should have been mine. I envisioned myself sitting behind that desk, in a smart suit, with the phone ready to talk to important clients and make important deals.
Jennifer opened her palm and gestured for me to take a seat. She took out a blueberry muffin, her
favorite, and took a bite. She leaned back and sighed with ecstasy.
