Feeling like I’m on secret mission, I sneak along the brick wall towards the door. Making sure the staff person is still distracted, I pull open the back door enough to slink inside. Now here’s where I might be making a dick move. See, I don’t want him to finish up too quickly and follow me back inside. I don’t want to get caught now that I’m finally inside Blood Rose. So…I may accidentally tap the wedge that’s holding the door open with my foot until it’s outside, and the door clicks shut behind me, locking the guy outside. Oops. Sorry? Honestly, I’m not all that sorry.
I know, I’m kind of an asshole, but what are you gonna do about it? At least I’m an asshole with a cause. I’m a lawful asshole, if you will. Unless you count me sneaking in through the back entrance of a club as unlawful, in which case I probably lean more neutral. Definitely not chaotic though…at least not usually.
Tiptoeing down the thankfully empty hallway, I pause at different doors, listening, but hearing nothing. I’m sure most of the staff are up front, seeing as the club is now open. The bond leads me further down the hall, but then abruptly stops me in front of a door on the right side of the hall.
Casting a furtive glance both ways down the hall, I turn back to the door and try the knob. Huh, unlocked. Well, that’s surprising, but I’m not going to complain.
The door opens to a darkened set of stone steps. It smells damp and musty wherever they lead, and a chill rises from down below. A sense of foreboding falls over me. It feels like I’m about to walk into a crypt, but the bond tells me to keep going. Despite my misgivings, I toe my way down the steps, using my phone as a flashlight.
The only sound I hear down here is the dripping of water from somewhere deeper below. No breathing, no talking, no signs of life. As I sink deeper below the club, I start to wonder if I should be following this tether. I might have given it too much trust. I mean, I don’t even really know what it is, or where it came from. I’m just assuming that it has something to do with my bond to Kip, but I have no real evidence either way.
But, I’m already here, and something inside of me is saying that Kip might be in danger. That he might need me. I’ve never been an intuitive person before now, so it has to mean something that alarms are blaring in my head telling me to keep going.
I finally reach the bottom, and when I turn back to look at where I came from, all I see is darkness swallowing the steps. I inhale shakily, but force myself to continue. In front of me is another door. It seems odd, to have a door at the top of the stairs and another at the bottom. Then again, this whole scenario seems odd to me.
I try the doorhandle, but it won’t budge. Why leave the top door unlocked but then lock this one? I rattle it, hoping that maybe it’s jammed instead of locked, but don’t have any luck.
“Hello?” I hear a muffled voice call to me from the other side of the locked door.
I debate on responding. What if this is a trap, or what if this is someone who works here and they realize I’m trespassing?
“Tyson? Is that you, man? Please, I’m cold. And it’s so dark. You know I don’t like the dark.”
Wait, is that…
“Kip?” I whisper, pressing my ear against the door to hear better.
I hear a huff. “Of course it’s Kip, you dickhead. You’re the one who got me locked up in here.”
“No…I didn’t…what?”
“If you’re here to play games with me, you might as well leave. I’m so over all of this, Tys.”
“No, I’m not Tyson. It’s…I’m Charlie.”
There’s a pause, and then I hear shuffling and some type of clinking sound.
“Charlie? Is it really you? Or are you just messing with me.”
“It’s me. What’s going on, Kip?”
A sigh. “You shouldn’t be here, Charlie. It’s not safe. If they find you here…I don’t know what they’ll do.”
“Who?”
“Tyson and…well, I can’t remember. But there’s someone else. I did something bad, and now I’m being punished. I have to prove that I can control myself. And I promise I’m trying, and I’ll get out of here. But you have to leave sweetheart, you aren’t safe here.”
I roll my forehead against the door. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I think I hear the click of a throat swallowing, followed by a deep inhale. “I almost hurt a client, at the gym. I think it was earlier today, but I’m not sure how long I’ve been in here. She…she fell and cut her head and I…I couldn’t control myself. Tyson had to restrain me. And until I can prove that I won’t hurt anyone in bloodlust, I have to stay here.”
“What? Kip…I’m so sorry. That’s not who you are.”
He takes a minute to respond. “Isn’t it though? I mean…I attacked you once too. That’s what vampires do.”
“I mean, yeah, but you didn’t mean it. It was your instincts kicking in.” I try to reassure him. “It was scary, but I know it wasn’t really you. Just like you wouldn’t purposefully try to hurt a client.”
“Even if I didn’t mean to, I still hurt you. And I tried to hurt Allie.” Kip sniffles. “It makes sense that I’m in here. I deserve to be.”
