Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The club was packed by the time we returned. Dom had taken his time getting back with a more leisurely drive along the riverside. We stopped at a drive-through and grabbed food before heading across the city to the south end.
There were dozens of cars parked alongside Dom’s building. Inside the courtyard, several high-end sports cars sat in a row, including a classic Thunderbird and a Ferrari. People hung around and drank just like the first night they’d brought me, with music booming from inside the club.
Eyes were on Dom’s car as he parked between the others. Several people called to him in greeting, many I recognized from the night of the racing.
“Where’s your bro?” a bouncer at the entrance of the club asked. Dom signed at him and the man’s eyes dropped to me before returning to Dom. “Cool, man. Good turnout tonight. Cops were patrolling the east side, so no racing.”
Dom nodded as he brought me inside. He led me to the bar and got me a drink before getting another for himself.
I took the beer gladly then followed him carefully through the crowd.
My leg was starting to ache pretty bad. I probably should have used the crutch again but I’d left it in Dom’s car, not wanting to garner more attention.
Dom took me to back, dulling some of the noise as the door closed behind us.
He led me down a passage and showed me the back of the club.
Some of the rooms were large enough for events or parties.
Dom explained how they wanted to expand, having separate parts of the club, either for private lounges or for those who wanted to have a show.
On special occasions, like when the techno festival was going on, they’d have the whole place opened up for different artists.
“Kind of like that club downtown,” I said off-handedly. “You know, the one you and Lez stole me from?”
His expression darkened even as a smile tugged on his lips. It almost reminded me of Lez. “Yes,” he typed. “Kind of like that one.”
He showed me some of the storage rooms and offices next.
They had an impressive amount of stuff already, from extra furniture to equipment for the lights and sound system.
Some of the rooms were still being painted and remolded, with a few art pieces ready to be set up.
It was an impressive space and I dug the grungy cyberpunk feel they were going for.
When we returned to the club, I expected he was going to take me across the courtyard to show me the other side of the building. But as we got to the bar, a couple of members in their leather jackets stopped him.
“We need to talk,” I heard one of them say, a tall lanky guy with a buzzed head. He leaned in and said something in Dom’s ear. Dom’s face hardened with an expression of annoyance.
“You sure?” I saw him sign.
The man nodded.
Dom took out his phone and typed quickly before showing it to the guy. He read it over then lightly tugged at the jacket of the other guy with him who I realized looked much younger, possibly straight out of high school.
“We’ll wait for you,” he said and they left.
“Everything okay?” I asked after Dom sent out a few more texts to unseen numbers.
Shaking his head, he placed a hand on my back and started leading me through the club then out to the hallway with the elevator. “What’s going on?”
We stepped into the elevator, and he pulled the gate across then smacked the button. As it lurched slowly upward, Dom typed. “Something’s come up at one of our properties down river.”
“Something bad?”
“Yeah. A break-in. And damage to the building.”
“What kind of damage?”
Dom looked hesitant to tell me. “Shots were fired.”
My body went cold. “The Serpents?”
“Maybe. Or another gang. Can’t know for sure till we check it out.”
“What’s at the property?”
“Inventory,” he answered, but wouldn’t elaborate.
I frowned. “Dom.”
“I have to go tonight.”
Anxiety pulled at me as the elevator halted and Dom threw the gate open.
I limped back with him to his apartment.
As we stepped inside and locked the door, I went for the couch and sat down to rest my leg.
I watched as Dom rushed around grabbing stuff from his computer room including a duffel bag, not unlike the one Leslie had conjured up the night I had got beaten.
I could only guess what was inside. He went to his bedroom next and brought out another backpack with him, placing it next to the bag on the kitchen table.
“How long will you be gone?” I asked when I thought he could take a moment to answer. He stopped to check his bag and typed out, “Not sure. Hopefully not long. Probably won’t be back tonight. If the damage is bad enough, maybe not for a day or two.”
I shifted in my seat, my hands gripping the cushion. “Is Leslie joining you too?” I didn’t want to be stuck here alone.
“No. He’s going to stay to watch things here in case it’s some sort of distraction. Make sure everything stays running and no issues arise.”
I relaxed, but only a little. “What if it was to separate you? What if they jump you too?”
“I won’t be alone. Some of our best guys are coming also. And we won’t be going unprepared.”
I rose as he came around to stand next to me. I tilted my head up, studying his face. “I don’t know how you guys deal with all this without having panic attacks every day.”
That got a smirk out of him. “We panic,” he texted. “We shove it down deep and take out our frustration with our fists instead.”
“Maybe I need to try that.”
His smile grew and he pulled me into a hug. When we separated, he typed out some more. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Till then, Lez will keep you safe.”
I dropped my gaze from his, my anxiety growing. Would he? Or would some crazy scenario come up and he’d abandon me. I didn’t voice my concerns. Instead, I leaned up on my toes and kissed him quickly. “Stay safe.”
He brushed his knuckles over my face in response before returning to the kitchen table and picking up his bags, throwing one over each shoulder. As he got to the door, he hesitated before texting one last thing to me.
“You don’t have to stay up here the whole time. Club members know you’re with me and Lez. The building is yours to explore. Anything from the kitchen or bar is yours to have. No one will bother you if you don’t want them to. You’re safe here.”
I smiled at his words, wanting so badly to believe them.
“Text me,” was all I answered. He nodded and I watched him slip out the door.
I didn’t go downstairs right away, opting to stay on the couch for a little while with my leg propped up and an icepack on my knee.
I played on my phone for a bit, listening to the dull boom of music coming from below, worrying about Dom every minute.
Scared that the Serpents were coming out of hiding to stir more shit up.
There was nothing I could do and I hated that. Hated that I felt so damn helpless. Just sitting and waiting around for something bad to happen.
I looked at the time on my phone and saw it was going on eleven.
I had a feeling people would be downstairs for a while.
The me from a year ago would have been down there in a heartbeat to join them, dancing the night away with a drink in my hand, making new friends. A lot had changed in eight months.
Trying to push my anxiety away, I turned on the TV and put on a movie instead—some cheesy horror film from the sixties.
About twenty minutes in, I fell asleep and was woken up by the slamming of a door outside.
Jolting upright, I heard the sounds of women’s laughter as their footsteps faded down the hall.
Heart thumping, I glanced at the door but no one came knocking.
The movie was rolling through the credits, and when I looked at the time again, I saw it was now one-thirty in the morning.
I let out a deep sigh, sinking back against the seat.
The grogginess of sleep faded quickly as my tension returned.
The music was still booming from downstairs, but I imagined the place had to have cleared out at least a little seeing as most bars in the city stopped serving at two.
I heard a few cars loudly revving their engines and roaring away down the street, the sound disappearing within seconds.
Restlessness and curiosity drove me off the couch. I went over to the door and, resting the palm of my hand against it, I stretched my leg, feeling the tight stiffness in the muscle. When I didn’t hear any voices outside, I unlocked the door and crept into the hall.
I took the elevator down. As I stepped back into the club, I found it was a little less crowded than before. Most people were at the bar getting last-minute drinks. A few eyes turned my way as I approached, but I didn’t meet their gaze.
I ordered a coke from the bar, and a man slid in beside me. He smiled at me and I smiled back.
“Hey,” he said. “First time?”
“Huh?”
He leaned in and spoke louder over the music. “First time here?”
I turned toward him, shaking my head. “No,” I said. I wasn’t about to mention to a stranger that I was staying in one of the apartments above.
“Me neither. Haven’t seen you around, you here with anyone?”
I hesitated to answer. “Technically,” I said after a pause.
He gave me a funny look. “Technically?”
By anyone meaning Leslie, who I hadn’t seen yet and could be anywhere. I took a sip of my coke and set it down. “It’s complicated.”
He smirked. “Complicated,” he repeated. “Biker or driver?”
It was my turn to give him a weird look which made him chuckle.
“Everyone here is either a biker or illegally racing cars. So which one is your guy?”
“What makes you think I’m with a guy?”
He shrugged. “Guy, girl. Bet they’re a biker, aren’t they?”
“Why?”
His gaze fell down to my legs where I still wore my braces.
My brows rose. “You think I got in an accident on a bike?”
“Can’t blame me for assuming.”
I laughed. “No. Ironically it was from a car.”