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“Not that we can discern. I’ll check the cameras,” I say, already bringing up the footage on my phone and rewinding back to when Candy was last on screen in the main bar. About a half hour ago.
I stop the footage and then press play, watching intently as Candy enters the bar with a beaming smile on her face. One of our members approaches her and they have a brief conversation, Candy’s face morphing into one of confusion, before she seems to excuse herself and rush into the dressing room. Switching cameras, I rewind to the time stamp and see Candy crash into Dash. He holds her and seems to comfort her for a moment before she steps back. Her back is to the camera now but I can see Dash clearly. He looks agitated, scrubbing his hand through his hair and taking a step towards Candy, who backs away.
A moment later, she turns and bolts for the exit, and I switch cameras again. She disappears out the fire exit. I hop to the car park camera and…nothing. Just a screen full of static snow. There’s no footage.
“Fuck. We might have a problem,” I hiss.
“What is it?”
“Candy ran away from Dash, upset about something, and left the club but we’ve lost outside footage.”
“Coincidence?”
“Possibly. But…I don’t know. Where would she go?”
“Back to the house?” Frost suggests.
I shake my head. The security hasn’t alerted me.
“Where’s Dash?” Wint demands.
I flick back to the dressing room camera and rewind it to when Candy ran off. Dash looks devastated. A moment later he pulls out his phone, stares at the screen and then launches it across the room before slamming his fist into the nearest locker.
Instead of going after Candy, he grabs his phone and goes back to the bar, so I track his movements. He cuts across the carpark and heads up to the office, and when I switch the footage I’m shocked to see Dash emptying the safe.
“Fuck.”
“What?”
“We definitely have a problem.”
I turn my phone around so the others can watch Dash close the safe, shoulder a bag full of cash and take off. We track him out of the club and once he makes it to the car park, the screen is blank.
“Check if his car is gone,” I bark, but I already know it will be.What the hell is going on? Why didn’t Dash go after Candy? Why did she run from him? And what on earth was on his phone to make mild-mannered Dash react in such a violent way?
I don’t even need to check the safe to know it’s empty. Our boy is in trouble, and I’ve got a horrible feeling that our girl might somehow be involved.
BETWIXTMAS
(AKA – NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT DAY IT IS)
‘CHASE HER’ – BAILEY ZIMMERMAN
‘BROKEN’ – LIFEHOUSE
CANDY
My mouth feels like it’s full of cotton wool, and my eyes are so heavy. I want to roll over and go back to sleep, but when I try to move I can’t. The clank of heavy chains pulls me a little closer to reality, but I’m still half asleep, stuck in a dream turned nightmare where a masked stranger has me chained up in the dungeon, and it’s nothing like I imagined it would be.
The strong scent of dampness and mildew fills my nostrils, a stark contrast to the crisp, clean air of my guest bedroom at my bosses’ house. As I struggle against the weight on my eyelids, my mind claws its way to consciousness. Panic sets in as I become aware of my surroundings – the hard, cold floor beneath me, the echoing silence broken only by the distant hum of machinery.
Where am I? What happened?
Each attempt to swallow sends a shiver down my spine. I’m so thirsty, my throat feels like it’s on fire. I attempt to raise my hand to my face, but a sudden realisation freezes me. Heavy chains clank, their metallic symphony resonating through the confined space. My senses awaken with a jolt.
It hits me like a tidal wave: I’m not in my bed. I’m not at home. I’m somewhere dark and cold, a prisoner in a nightmare Ihave no understanding of. My eyes finally adjust to the dim light that barely illuminates the damp walls around me.
The air is thick, cloying and the musty odour clings to my skin. Rusted chains bind my wrists to the cold, unforgiving floor. Fear tightens its grip around my chest as I take in the dungeon-like space.
