“While your offer is somewhat charming, I have all I need. Thank you.” Danika brushes her fingers with mine and I stiffen yet my pulse slows and the fire within my veins cool.
“Huh. Well, okay then. Guess it’s time for business.”
Bullet speaks first, having already inched his way closer to me and Danika, Tank having done the same. “We’re not here to start any trouble, just looking for some leads.”
“And you believe them to be what? Just hanging around my club. These drug kings as you call them.”
“Perhaps,” Bullet answers again.
Alexander leisurely drinks his scotch, eyeing us over the rim cautiously. “I have one hell of a security team here. Anything dirty wouldn’t slip past my guys. I don’t like side hustles happening in my club that have not been approved by myself.” He eyes Danika over his cup as he takes another drink but then to me, nodding in a strange understanding. Like he’s giving me a truce. Fucker isn’t a good man by any stretch of the means, but he can clearly respect his boundaries.
Bullet cocks his head. “No doubt you do, but we’re just trying to cover all our options.”Since I killed our only lead.“We won’t cause any trouble, just scoping things out. Besides, you wanted us to find your guy so here we are trying to do that.”
He wipes the access alcohol from his lips and then eyes the bar from the window. “First round is on the house. But no funny business in my club.” He turns toward us slowly. “You don’t want me as your enemy.”
Tank subtly adds, “You don’t want us as one either.”
Alexander smiles. “Touché.” He holds up his drink in a cheer motion. “Have fun boys.” He doesn’t acknowledge Danika this time and I’m glad for it.
She shouldn’t even fucking be here, but now that she is and refusing to leave, I don’t want her out of my sight.
TWENTY-NINE
Danika
Liem hasn’t loosened his grip on me since we’ve arrived. I won’t lie; it’s comforting. Only him holding me like this can put me at ease. However, I’m here to help, so he’s going to have to loosen up eventually.
I’m not sure what made me do it, being here, but my stomach turned to knots when he told him he was coming back. Obviously Liem can take care of himself, but I needed to be here. There wasn’t any other explanation. Just this.
Tank finishes his curious scan of the bar floor. “I’ll take upstairs. Meet back here in an hour?” His focus falls back on us.
Bullet agrees. “I’ll head to the back. Hush, brother, don’t do anything… erratic.”
There’s a quick twitch to Liem’s right eye, but he gives them a subtle nod before surveying the area himself. He’s focused. Attentive. He’s in an element, I’m just not sure which one. Does he fully enjoy this line of work or is it simply surviving?
The crowd is thick. People are high on anything and everything. They dance. Laugh. Not being self-aware of any part of their surroundings. I’m on edge from what happened before but I selfishly know I’ll be okay with Liem here. I just hope I end up being a help in some way rather than a hindrance.
“What exactly are we looking for?” I ask into Liem’s ear, his arm finally loosening around me.
“Anything illegal. If it looks out of place, it is. Alexander claims he doesn’t do business like that here. If it isn’t a part of his club, we’d know.”
Got it. look for anything suspicious and not in your face obvious.
Great.
“So, the woman slipping that guy something under his tongue is all part of the Alexander club experience?”
“Yes.”
Okay then. Getting my drink spiked twice isn’t in my bingo card for the night.
A tall man slips onto the dance floor, heading to the other side, his head low, hands in pockets, and all I can see is the back of his dark hair. Nowthatscreams conspicuous.
A rave song thumps out from the speakers, and I latch onto Liem’s arm. “Wanna dance?”
He follows my line of sight, clocking the weird guy working his way through the swarm of people and Liem watches him slowly advancing to the other side. “Do not let go of me.” He takes my hand as he guides us into the mass of dancers. It’s loud, chaotic, musty, and feels more like a rock concert gearing up for a massive mosh pit. But drugs will do that to you.
With Liem’s focus on our mystery man, we’re in the heart of it now. The area around us grows more suffocating. We weave in and out trying to get to our guy, but as tight of a grip Liem has on me, it’s no match for the carefree men and women bumping into us. I don’t stand a chance.
