The Ghosts

Chapter Six, Part One

“You know I’m missing Switched at Birth for this.”

We were sitting in his truck outside a night club. I was now four months into my first year and it was December. We were running surveillance on the club for two Tigers. They were selling drugs from the Otherworld to humans that couldn’t handle it. Three humans were dead because of the overly potent drugs and if it continued, there could be more.

“Wouldn’t have had a chance to watch it anyways.”

I popped a peanut into my mouth and looked around. I was extremely bored and I was having a hard time sitting still. I reached over and turned on the car, just enough that the radio came on. He clicked it off and glared at me.

“Inconspicuous, Geo.”

“Well then we should probably be making out. There is no way we don’t stick out like sore thumbs. We’re just sitting here staring at the door. Someone is going to notice something is up.”

“Making out? Really?”

“Don’t you know what teenagers do late at night in the dark? Are you that old not to remember?”

“Oh geeze.” He turned and looked back at the door. “Why do you always make me feel older than I really am?”

I shrugged. “What do these Tigers look like?”

“Two guys between the ages of 16 and 25.”

“You do realize most of the guys out here tonight are between those ages.” He looked at me. “Including you.”

He rolled his eyes. “We’re not going to get anything good from here. Time to go inside.”

“You just figured that out? Come on, Gregori. I thought you were supposed to be good at this. Why have we been sitting in the car for the past twenty minutes?”

“It’s called scoping out the place first so we know what we’re walking into. Let’s go.”

We got out of the car and approached the door. The bouncer was a big black guy and his hands were clasped in front of him. He was well respected it looked like, a guy no one wanted to cross. You could tell by the way everyone in line was being calm. Well, as calm as a person could be waiting in line to get into a club. The music was even louder out here than in the cab and I suddenly had the urge to tell Gregori we couldn’t do this because I didn’t have my ear plugs with me.

The bouncer knew Gregori though. As we approached, his face took on that ‘oh crap’ expression I was getting accustomed to every time I went out in the field with him. He didn’t like Gregori at all or the fact that he was there. Most people didn’t and I didn’t exactly understand that. He was generally cool as a cucumber and never had to use an ounce of violence. Yet these people were still scared of him. I didn’t get it.

“What are you doing here?”

“I need some information.”

“Come on, man…”

“You’ve been told to give up the information. You haven’t. You know what that would mean and now you get to deal with the consequences. I’m here. So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

“Fine, man. Come on.”

They always chose the easy way. Damn. I was hoping this time I would get what the “hard way” meant. The bouncer turned to lead the way through the door when he finally noticed me.

“Who’s she?”

“She’s not your problem. I am.”

“Is she over twenty-one?”