23. Isla
23
ISLA
Talk about awkward. I could barely walk in regular heels, but these were four-inch high and so thin I felt like I was walking on twigs. Who actually wore these things? Were they masochists? Did they not get enough love as a child? Seriously, I didn’t know how anyone could actually enjoy this experience.
“Can I hold your hand on the way in?” Jane asked.
“Why? Are you nervous?”
“No, because I’m afraid I’m going to fall on my ass.”
“Then you’ll take me with you,” I hissed. “I don’t need to show off my underwear, thank you very much.”
She snorted at that. “You wore underwear? Rookie mistake.”
“You didn’t? Doesn’t it feel all…airy?”
“Yep. Not the best feeling ever, but I kept thinking they were sticking out. So, I went commando.”
“So, you’re more comfortable with strangers seeing your coochie than seeing your underwear?”
“Hey, I never said there was any logic in it.”
“Ready, ladies?” IKE asked, parking down the street from the club.
“Um…one question. How do I get out of the car without flashing everyone my girly bits?”
Jane nodded. “Yep, I’d like to know that, too.”
“I’ll block you,” IKE said, shoving open his door.
Well, that didn’t make me feel too much better. Just because he was blocking me didn’t mean there wasn’t someone out there with a camera just waiting for the money shot of some unfortunate girl’s private parts. And that girl would be me. Yes, I knew how unrealistic that was, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen. Hell, if I was a celebrity, you could guarantee it would happen.
The door swung open and the January chill hit me like a freight train. “Holy shit.” My skin instantly pebbled. There was no way I was going to survive the walk to the club. “You know, I think we should forget this whole thing with Shawn and go home.”
He reached in and grabbed my wrist, practically yanking me out of the car. “You know we need this.”
I stood on wobbly feet, tugging—what little bit of my dress there was—down as much as possible. I felt so exposed out here. And not just because of the cold, though that wasn’t making this any better.
“I swear to God, if I freeze to death, I will come back to haunt you.”
“I can guarantee you won’t freeze tonight,” IKE grinned.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that before,” I muttered under my breath.
The coat I was wearing did little to cut the bitterly cold air. There was no way I could wear my regular coat, so IKE insisted I get a new one, along with this ridiculous dress and shoes. My ankles wobbled with every step I took. There was no way I was going to make it to the club like this.
“You’re lucky there’s no ice on the ground,” I muttered.
“Just keep it together.”
“You keep it together,” I retorted. Okay, not the best comeback, but it was all I had. I started to really shiver as we approached the back of the line. There was no way I’d survive out here this long.
“IKE—”
He slipped a hundred dollar bill into my hand and raised his eyebrow at me. “Um…what am I supposed to do with this?”
“Use it to get us in.”
“Oh. Right.”
How the hell was I supposed to do that? Be seductive. I could do that. I could seduce the pants off this man. I flung my hair over my shoulder, giving myself a neck spasm in the process, then tried my best to look sexy as I walked. I nearly fell twice as my ankle rolled, but I made it to the front of the line with the guys and Jane in tow.
Grinning at the bouncer, I held out my hand for him. “Got room for four more?”
He looked at me, then at IKE, IRIS, and Jane. “Nope.”
Okay, I must have done that wrong. I stepped forward and held out my hand again, willing him to take it, but the damn man wouldn’t lift his hand. I didn’t know what to do, and IKE was counting on me, so I sidled up to him and ran my hand up his chest. I could tuck it…where the hell was I supposed to tuck money on a man?
“Are you sure you can’t let us in?” I batted my eyelashes at him, then tucked the money down the top of his shirt.
His brows slanted together as he stepped back. “Did you just tuck money into my shirt?”
“Um…I?—”
But before I could explain myself, IKE was in front of me, staring the man down. That was all it took. He looked at the man. Looked! And then we were in the door. I didn’t get it. I was in a sexy dress. I passed him money, granted not in the usual way, and I got no reaction. Nothing.
Jane snorted out a laugh once we got inside. “Did you really stuff money down his shirt like a dancer?”
“I panicked, okay?” I shook off the embarrassment as we headed inside. With every step, the music got louder, making me wish I was anywhere other than here. Now I remembered why I hated this place so much. Everywhere I looked, bodies were crammed into each other. Sweaty people touching each other…ick. It was so gross.
“Let’s head to the bar,” IKE said in my ear. “Stay close.”
He didn’t have to worry about that. I didn’t want to go anywhere without him. I nodded and held his hand as he led me through the club toward the bar. It was pretty crowded where we were and someone shoved into me, spilling a drink down my leg. I slipped, but IKE caught me, his eyes focused on the man who had bumped into me.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
But he still wasn’t looking at me. The hard lines of his jaw and the slight tick of his eyebrow said he wanted to hit the guy, but now wasn’t the time to start a fight.
“Hey, bartender, right?”
“Yeah.”
I grimaced at the sticky feel of liquid in my shoe as we continued to the bar. Finally, the crowd thinned out a little, making it easier for me to walk beside IKE. IRIS and Jane were further ahead, already in line at the bar.
I couldn’t see all the bartenders from where we were, but a few were clear, and none were the man Shawn introduced me to. Minutes ticked by as we waited for the line to move up. Finally, we made it to the bar and IKE ordered drinks.
“Anything?”
I shook my head. “No, none of these guys.”
“Keep looking. Maybe he’ll turn up later.”
I nodded and let him pull me into the crowd. Sipping my drink, it was easy to loosen up and forget my nerves.
“Dance?”
“What?” IKE’s hand was facing up, ready to take mine. “I didn’t know you danced.”
“When in Rome.”
He pulled me onto the dance floor and swayed with me to the music. It was awful. I was a terrible dancer anyway, but the music made it even worse. Of course, he was smooth as ever, showing me up and making me look like an idiot.
“Is there anything you’re not good at?” I asked him.
He pretended to think about it. “I don’t seem to be very good at this.”
“At this?” I asked in confusion.
“Being with women.”
I was about to ask him more when I spotted someone out of the corner of my eye. Taking a closer look, I thought he looked familiar. “IKE, I think that’s him.”
“Are you sure?”
“No. I need to get closer.”
He grabbed my hand and tugged me through the crowd, signaling to IRIS on the way. My heart started thumping. God, I was so nervous. I just wanted this to be over.
“What about now?” IKE asked.
I shuffled around another couple and then it was clear, a direct line of sight to the man, and it was him. “Yes, that’s him.” Hope filled me so quickly that I got lightheaded. This could all be over soon.
“Alright, I just want you to bump into him. Pretend like you didn’t know he was there.”
I blew out a breath and then another. “Okay. I can do that.”
“Good. I’ll be right over here.” Then he waved to Jane. “You’re up.”
Jane walked over and linked her arm with mine. “Time to catch some bait.”
“I think we’re the bait,” I said.
“No, he’s the bait.”
“We’re setting the trap, and we’re the bait for the trap. He’s the fish.”
“Whatever. I liked my line better. I can’t say it’s time to go fishing. That just sounds weird.”
“We could say it’s time to go hunting.”
“How about it’s time to go blow shit up?”
I shook my head as we approached the man. “I can tell you’re married to IRIS.”
I started laughing and then stumbled right into the man, then caught his arm. “Oh, I’m so sorry. These stupid heels—” I looked up at him and paused. “Do I know you?”
“Um… you look familiar.”
I studied him for a moment, then brightened my face with a smile. “You’re friends with Shawn. My husband.”
“Isla? Oh my gosh, it’s been so long. How have you been?”
“Good, good! I can’t believe it’s you! This is my friend, Jane. Jane this is… Shoot, I can’t remember your name.”
“Mitch.”
She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Hey, I just have to put this down,” he said, holding up a box. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere. I wanna catch up.”
“Okay.” I blew out a big breath as I spun around and faced Jane. “Oh my gosh, I thought I was gonna shit myself.”
“Good thing you’re not going commando like me.”
I burst out laughing, thankful for her humor. “Okay. What am I supposed to say?”
“Just keep him talking. You know what to do.”
“I know, but…God, I suck at espionage.”
“Just take a deep breath and repeat after me.”
I nodded, prepared for anything she could throw at me.
“I am Isla.”
I repeated it.
“I will get this information.”
Again, I repeated it.
“I will not be a pussy.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Isla, don’t make me kick your ass.”
“Isla, don’t make me kick your ass.”
“That’s not what you’re supposed to repeat.”
“That’s not what you’re supposed to repeat,” I said, trying to keep a straight face.
“Dammit, that’s not how this works!”
“Dammit, that’s not how this works!”
“You suck!”
“You suck!”
“If you don’t stop that, I’m gonna kill you!”
“If you don’t stop that, I’m gonna kill you!”
“Stop repeating everything I say!”
“Stop repeating everything I say!”
Her nostrils flared in anger. “We are not five years old.”
“We are not five years old,” I repeated. Man, this was getting really hard to do without laughing.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “I suck monkey dick.”
“I suck—” I snapped my lips shut and glared at her. “Not cool.”
“Neither is repeating everything I say like a little kid.”
“You told me to. You said, Isla, repeat after me.”
“Yes, but you were supposed to repeat the encouraging words I said. Not all the bullshit after that.”
I grinned at her. “I know, but that was so much more fun and helped me relax.” I spotted Mitch and put on my game face. “Heads up. Here he comes.” I glanced at IKE, nodding to him once.
I put a huge smile on my face as he returned, but nerves were eating me up inside. I still didn’t know how to go about this. I couldn’t let on that Shawn was on the run. I had no idea how he would react to that. I had to feel him out first.
“Hey, I got us a booth,” he said, pointing to the back of the club. On the upper level, there was a sectioned-off area that looked like it was only for paying customers. I took Jane’s hand so we didn’t get separated and followed him through the crowd to the stairs. As we passed IKE, I motioned with my eyes to the upper rooms.
I was slightly nervous about going up there without IKE, but at least I had Jane with me. We climbed in our heels, tottering precariously on the floating staircase. This was all new since the last time I’d been in here, which wasn’t a surprise. Businesses had to update or risk losing customers.
We walked through glass doors and instantly, the noise level was cut in half. I could actually hear myself think again and the constant beat pulsing through my body had dulled to a manageable degree.
“This is amazing,” I said, looking around at the space. Leather booths, a bar just for up here, and a waitress…this really was an improvement. “This wasn’t here last time, was it?”
“No. It was actually my idea,” Mitch grinned. “I’m part owner of the club now.”
“Seriously? That’s amazing.” I took the seat he motioned to, not faking my excitement for him at all. When I knew him, he was just a bartender. I genuinely thought it was cool that he had gotten this far.
“Well, it took a lot of hard work, but I finally made it. So, where’s Shawn tonight?”
“Oh, it’s a girl’s night,” Jane cut in, lying her ass off. “I dragged her away from him for the night to spend time with me.”
“And you came here,” he said, his voice alluding to just a bit of incredulity.
“Nostalgia,” I said without thinking. “I was telling Jane that I came here with Shawn on one of our first dates. We thought it would be fun to go back to some of our old stomping grounds and see what they were like now.”
“And?”
“And I’m very impressed,” I smiled at him. “You’ve really done a lot with the place.” I had to move this along before he got bored and moved on. “You know, I was thinking about how Shawn knew you before I did. What did the two of you get up to before I met Shawn?”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, just…what did you do for fun? Where did you hang out?”
“Mostly here,” he chuckled. “We didn’t exactly have a lively bachelorhood. I mean, you remember him back then. Straight as an arrow, that one.”
“Yeah, he was.”
He was, and then it all changed. Had he gotten involved with Mitch again? What if Mitch was somehow connected to all this? He was always a somewhat bad influence on Shawn, from what I remembered. And now he had part ownership in this club. I didn’t want to think that Mitch couldn’t get ahead on his own, but I couldn’t help but wonder.
“So, what’s he up to now?”
I was pulled out of my thoughts by Mitch’s question. “Um…Working hard. He’s a detective now.”
“Really? That’s impressive.”
“He works a lot,” I said, swallowing the bitterness I felt churning inside.
Unfortunately, my acting skills needed some work because he saw right through me. “Why do you not seem happy about that?”
“I’m very happy for him. He always wanted to be a detective.” I just hadn’t expected it to change him so much. “But it puts a lot of strain on us.”
“As any change in a job does,” Mitch nodded. “And speaking of…I need to get back to work, but you two should stay as long as you want.”
As soon as he stood, I panicked. I had failed. I hadn’t gotten any information out of him. Nothing that would lead us to Shawn.
“But we haven’t gotten to catch up,” I said, shoving out of the booth.
He huffed out a laugh. “It’s been years and now you want to catch up? You hardly know me, Isla.”
I was pushing too much. He was never going to buy any of this. “Sorry, it’s just…”
Pressure filled my chest at the thought of failing, of walking out of here and knowing Shawn would disappear with no way for me to find him. The Irish wouldn’t stop trying to kill him. And if they failed, they’d come after me next. I had to do something.
“Mitch—” I stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “Shawn is missing. He got into some trouble at work and…and I don’t know where he is. There are some bad people after him, and I’m trying to find him before they catch up to him.”
He cocked his head to the side, a sad look coming over his face. “Oh, Isla…I wish you had just said that.” He sighed and looked out over the club. “Tell you what, after I close up the club for the night, I’ll meet with you and we’ll figure out where he is.”
“Thank you,” I said, relief flooding me.
He placed his hand on the back of my neck and pulled me forward, kissing me on the cheek. It was entirely too familiar, but I wasn’t going to complain when he was going to help us.
“I’ll see you after closing.”
“Okay. Sounds good.”
“Help yourself to a few drinks.”
I was going to need it. I smiled as he walked away. Relief flooded me as I turned to Jane. “I can’t believe he’s going to help us.”
“But does he really know anything?”
“I don’t know, but if there’s a chance, I have to take it. It’s the only way to end this.”
“I’ll get us some drinks. Just sit down, okay?”
I nodded and headed back to the booth, but stumbled on the way. Whoa. A dizzying sensation washed over me, but I shook it off. I slid into the booth, closing my eyes for a moment, shaking off my nerves. I just had to get through the rest of the night.
I wished IKE was with me, but until he could be here, I had to hold it together. I could do this. Jane slid into the booth across from me and said something, but it didn’t sound right.
“What?”
She spoke again, her voice distant and distorted. My pulse kicked up as my vision tunneled, almost as if I was looking through a kaleidoscope and the picture was blurring in multiple directions.
I shoved up from the table on shaky legs, stumbling over to the door. I had to get to IKE. Now.