Chapter 29
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. Now that screams 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.
When the guy we’ve been trailing stops at the back, and turns our way, my heart stutters.
More people dance in my vision, then leave me with a clear view of him again.
I halt, realizing Liem is no longer holding my hand and I’m dead center in the flock of partiers.
I try to force my way forward, while keeping my eyes locked on the man.
There’s something oddly familiar about him and my stomach twists in a knowing feeling.
I yell at someone who blocks my view to move, and he pays me no mind, but finally steps away.
I keep pushing through, hoping to get a clear view.
He’s reaching into his pockets while another man is hovering against the wall.
They do a quick exchange while also paying close attention to a woman who’s talking with her girlfriend.
The first thing I notice are their drinks left unattended.
Shit.
Another body blocks my path, and I curse. They glance down at me with a roll of their eyes, but dance away.
My heart races desperately trying to get there before the same thing happens to them that happened to me.
I shuffle through the crowd and when a man steps in my path, he grabs my waist. But I don’t hesitate to shove him off earning an annoyed look from him, then soon wandering off.
Christ.
Now with a perfect shot of the guy, I know for sure he’s familiar, too familiar. Instant flashbacks of him on top of me floods my mind.
“Little rabbit. Does that feel good for you?”
Nausea swirls in the pit of my stomach and a clammy, cold sweat trickles down my neck and back. I’ve stopped dead center. Bad move because someone slams into me and I lose my footing. I go down, hitting the wood floor hard and landing on my shoulder. The pain shoots up my neck.
A panic attack takes over, and someone’s heel clips my hand. I yell out, fighting like hell to stand. But then I fold myself into a fetal position, rocking back and forth. “Gracie,” I slur her name for only me to hear.
I wasn’t fully ready. Not entirely recovered nor equipped to handle this.
Bodies are being pushed aside, and the voice, usually soft and gruff, is loud and fierce.
Liem.
He bends down, scooping me up, and before I can protest, he’s already getting me out of there.
Pine and tobacco mix through my senses as I cling to him.
I’m being cradled into his arms, into his chest and he takes me away from the mass amount of people toward the back, opposite where I hallucinated my attacker.
“Danika, can you hear me?” His voice sounds like I’m underwater. But it’s softer now and I smile at the familiar tone.
My ears ring but then subside slowly. I look around for him, knowing damn well, I won’t find who I’m looking for.
“You were having a panic attack.” His hands close around my arms and I wince. “What hurts?” Liem’s voice frantic as he scans me.
“My shoulder.” I dismiss his concern and search again. “Where did he go?”
“Gone. I turned around when I lost you.” Liem’s chest moves rapidly, and I feel bad for making him worry but when I spot the woman about to take a drink from the glass I saw being spiked, I sprint forward and don’t stop until I grab it from her, throwing it to the floor.
It shatters and people jump to avoid the pieces of shrapnel.
“Hey! What the hell is your deal?” She looks disgusted and pissed.
“I’m saving your ass. Your drink was spiked.”
The fury washes away, and she glances at the remains of her future trauma on the ground. “Oh my God… fuck this place.” Her and her friend scramble away without even a sparing glance.
“A thank you would have been nice,” I murmur.
Liem glances at the broken glass while everyone goes back to what they were doing moments before. He spins me to face him. “Who did you see?”
I stare at the back hallway that leads to the outside and make a bee line for it as Liem calls my name. The emergency exit light is the only way to see as I push open the door, and I’m hit with a burst of cold. I check in every direction, but no one is here.
“Danika. Who did you see?” His voice is more demanding this time.
“Him. I thought I saw him.”
My leg bounces a mile a minute as I take a sip of the ice water one of Alexander’s girls generously handed me.
But of course, not before Liem tasted it himself.
A highly offended Alexander decided to pour himself a glass from the same pitcher and gulp it down in front of him, proving to us he does not want to hurt me.
“Is that your guy?” Alexander points to the shadowy figure in the security camera play by play.
“Yes. That’s who I saw.”
The face of the man I can remember so vividly but here it’s grainy.
Tank scoffs. “Dude, how can you have this expensive fucking club, but your cameras suck dick?”
We all gape at Tank, him shrugging off his insult.
Alexander glares at him. “It’s the angle. Not. My. Equipment.”
“Whatever you say, man.”
Bullet crosses his arms over his chest, looking just as annoyed. “You don’t have cameras shooting in from the other direction? What about outside? Danika said she saw him going out the back.”
“I thought I saw. But I could have been imagining things.”
Alexander wears a sheepish expression. “No, but I’m considering it now.
Listen. I’m a lot of things, but keeping my club safe from any nonconsensual happenings is my top priority.
” He glances at me. “I was informed about what happened and I’m sorry you were in danger here.
But you don’t need to fear me or this club.
I’ll do what I can to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
In the meantime, I’ll do everything I can to find your guy. ”
And that’s what I’m afraid of.