“We did. Fucked them up good, too. It was fun.”
“Bummer I missed it.”
“Maybe you’ll get a chance to blow off some steam tonight.”
It takes a little longer than it should to get there due to an accident on the freeway, but by the time we pull into the parking lot of the club, Stealth is pumped and ready to make someone bleed.
I message the group chat to let Carnage know we’re here.
Carnage: Come to the tables near the VIP section. I’m there.
At the door, we pay our cover fee, twenty bucks each, then navigate through the club to find our brother. I spot him sitting at a table, his eyes trained on an area to his left that’s blocked by a red curtain and a burly cowboy-looking dude in front of it.
“Hey, guys.” Carnage gives us an up-nod. “So far, here’s what’s going on.”
We lean in as Carnage explains the activity he’s seen so far.
“You think it’s a ring then?” Stealth asks.
“I do, and this club is in on it. It’s a total front.”
“What do you propose we do?” I ask.
“I called Shadow and he told me do what I do best—get any innocents out of the way and blow the place up if I have to.”
I nod. “What do you need from us?”
“If we can get back there another way than through the curtain, we’ll have the element of surprise. Six girls have been taken back there so far and none of them have come out.”
“Where’s your target?” Stealth asks.
“He’s back there too. Fucker is currently out on bail for murdering his girlfriend. They gave him bail because he’s some rich tech fucker.”
“Is that why he’s a target?”
Carnage shrugs. “All I know is my instructions said to make it hurt and make sure he knows who sent me.” He cracks his knuckles with a maniacal grin on his face. “That, I can do.”
“Okay,” Stealth says, “so we find a different entrance, get the girls out, then rain down hell on them? What about everyone else in here?”
“Yeah, that’s a problem.”
There’s movement to my left, and I turn in time to see a woman being half walked and half carried towards the curtain. She looks drugged out and definitely not consenting to whatever is about to happen.
“That’s seven,” I note. “We need to act.”
“You guys ready?” Carnage asks.
“Fucking ready,” Stealth says while I nod in agreement.
The three of us rise and move in different directions, our communication almost telepathic at this point, even with Stealth having been away for so long. It’s like it always was.
I head to the curtain to chat up the bouncer, who’s dressed intight jeans, an even tighter t-shirt, and cowboy boots. “Hey, man. What’s back there? Can I get in on it?”
The man grunts, turning his dark gaze to me and sizing me up. “Members only.”
“How do you become a member?”
“You get invited.”
