The traffic lights ahead turned green and suddenly the Cadillac’s engine revved a few octaves louder, ripping through and drowning out every other sound in the nearby vicinity. It vibrated through the air — through my chest — and sent my heart racing.
People flinched, or squealed, as they looked to the source of the noise, while Oliver jumped so abruptly, he flung his phone in the air and covered his ears.
It was pointless trying to force away the smile on my lips, so I covered my mouth quickly instead. By the time Oliver picked his phone back up, checking it over for any cracks, Dean had already moved on.
“Who does that?” Oliver spat, wiping the phone screen on his pants as he watched the Cadillac leave.
I pursed my lips and schooled my features. “Not sure, but fifteen minutes is up. We should get your car to a garage.”
Chapter 28
Lily
No amount of warning from Xavier and Jen could have prepared me for the chaos that unfurled on a Fourth of July evening at The Den. If I thought I was used to the usually wild weekday nights, I was terribly wrong. The crowd was pressed up right against the bar, singing loudly, dancing terribly, and sloshing their drinks over their hands and down their arms every time they cheered something. Which could’ve been anything as simple as someone requesting Born in the USA for the umpteenth time. The red, white, and blue paper streamers Jen and I had pinned up haphazardly before opening were either draped around the shoulders of the revelers or being trampled on the dance floor.
There was an extra set of bouncers working tonight, standing guard near the bathrooms in case the crowds wandered downstairs. The risk of anyone stumbling across the fights happening right below our feet was high, but a packed club also worked in Antonio’s favor. Everything was hidden in plain sight.
I stepped into the staff room to grab another bag of ice from the freezer in the back. The reprieve from the packed nightclub was always welcome as the air-conditioning in the staff room actually worked. As I neared the alcove where the freezer was stored, I realized I wasn’t the only person there. There was a soft rustling coming from where the freezer was. And heavy breathing.
I didn’t have time to slow my pace and walk away. I came as far as the corner of the alcove before I gasped and spun around, squeezing my eyes shut as if I didn’t have my back to them already.
“I’m so sorry,” I blurted out.
“Get out!” Roxy shrilled. She didn’t need to say it twice as I hastily retreated to the staff room door.
From what I remember seeing, Roxy was on her knees in front of a man. He was enjoying himself so much he hadn’t even noticed when I stepped around the corner. A smile of pure bliss was spread across his lips as he leaned against the freezer door with his eyes closed.
I pushed through the staff room door and quickly closed it behind me, pressing my palms against the peeling, dark red paint on the wood. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or fear for my safety after catching Roxy like that.
“Where’s the ice?” Xavier’s voice barely cut through the music as he stopped beside me, pushing back his curly black hair from his forehead as he nodded to my empty hands.
“I, uh—”
He rolled his eyes, even though they began to shine with a little mischief. “She’s got someone in there, doesn’t she.”
I cringed. “Yes.”
Xavier's lips curved into a wicked grin.
“This shall be fun,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows as he pulled the door open and strode into the staff room.
I never heard from Roxy for the rest of the evening. Xavier managed to leave the staff room unscathed too. If she was embarrassed, she was very good at covering it up. When everyone left before 2 AM, Roxy strode right by us as we cleaned up the floor, wearing her usual face of confidence as she reminded us to lock up once we were done. She barely looked at us as she did, which I guess was better than being on the receiving end of one of her glares.
The Den was always more fun once she left, and the dance floor was empty. It took us roughly half an hour to clean up, with music playing from Jen’s tiny Bluetooth speaker she sat on top of the bar. It was refreshing to hear something other than the usual, bass tones of club music, and made mopping the sticky puddles of spilled drinks a little more enjoyable.
We all headed outside, where the evening air was warm and thick with the feeling of a brewing summer storm. There was rumbling in the distance, as it made its way along the river, blending with the echo of fireworks lighting up the sky across Brooklyn.
Terry, the bouncer, was the first to leave to get home to his family. He hoped the storm wouldn’t ruin anyone’s weekend plans. I kind of hoped it would. Maybe if it stormed all weekend, my parents would cancel their long weekend plans, in turn canceling another awkward day with Oliver.
I pulled my eyes from scanning the partly cloudy, night sky, and down to my phone to book myself an Uber. The next one would be in roughly ten minutes. Like most evenings, since what happened over a week ago involving Murphy and Dean, Jen and Xavier were more than happy waiting outside with me for my ride.
“X and I are heading back to mine for a nightcap.” Jen bumped her hip on mine, bringing my attention from my phone. She was loosening the space buns out of her platinum blonde hair, combing her fingers through the pin-straight, chin-length strands as she did. “Care to join?”
“I’d love to but can’t. I’ve got lunch with the family tomorrow. I should keep my head clear,” I smiled with a wince.
“Right. The conservative parentals. Oh, how we adore them,” she said sarcastically.
Jen once mentioned her parents were very similar to my own, except hers were school teachers in Chicago. They hadn’t approved of her decisions to dye her natural red hair, pierce her belly button, or dress the way she did, but she hadn’t cared. Feeling smothered by them, she moved away to New York to follow her dreams of starting a career in fashion — a career that was currently a work in progress while she saved money to pay for school.
