The Deadly (Part 3 of the Syndicate Series)

Chapter 1- The Club

In his tipsy state, also influenced by what I was pretty sure were some heavy drugs, the man never saw the knife coming. He hit the ground almost silently, the sounds from inside just loud enough to cover us, and him losing blood too quickly to really scream. I stepped back to avoid getting blood on my dress, but dragging him behind the dumpster might present a challenge. It took a moment, but I wasn't worried about being seen. The alley was dark, and this club was one of their operations, they wouldn't put cameras outside.

Once he was hidden, I leaned against the brick, reaching up the plastic piece in my ear and finally turning it back on, "One behind the dumpster."

"Jesus you scared us, Allegra," Phoenix's voice hissed back. "You went silent again."

"The bass and music on the dance floor were creating feedback. I had to turn it off, but I'm about to head back inside. I just wanted to get this guy taken care of first."

Daitan's voice had a hint of relief when she heard that I was all right, "I'll let Nyoka know you're on your way back. I don't think she would have left her post, even when you fell off line."

I was glad that this was a shity club- they weren't too worried about collecting admission so they didn't have the door locked from the inside. When we got to the front door earlier, the bouncer was too busy making out with a patron to even check my ID or ask for money. But now I was well over the legal age of admittance, and the years had taken a toll. My age was apparent even if the late-twenties didn't seem like that much. They probably didn't stop even the obviously underage from coming into their club. I had a sneaking suspicion that this business was more than just a front for trading human beings, but for taking them, too. It was right in the middle of a downtown area currently undergoing gentrification, but it was a haven for low-income people to let loose and enjoy a night off. I knew that if we looked deeper into police reports this would be the 'last place seen' for many women, maybe even a few men.

I fluffed my hair and rounded the corner, letting a more feminine gait into my step again. The girls told me that my normal walk was too predatory and aggressive, it wasn't good for baiting. It had taken me weeks to get used to doing this sort of thing in heels. My eyes went to the end of the bar, landing on Nyoka almost immediately. She had a shot glass gripped in her hand, but she wasn't drinking from it. She needed to blend into the crowd without losing any of her senses. There was a man in front of her, obviously flirting, and even though she was conversing, I knew that she was really surveying the room.

Now that there was a dead man in the alley, we couldn't just stay all night. He was somewhat hidden, but I couldn't rely on that- at any sign of danger, the boss of this place would be escorted out and it would become much harder for us to get to him. I sidled up to the counter, waving to the bartender at the other end near Nyoka. He acknowledged me with a nod of his head, and while I waited for him to finish with the other order, I turned around and leaned backwards against the counter with my elbows.

The music felt more clear now, the air more crisp. The stress, my grief, my anxieties were gone for just a moment. It wasn't the adrenaline of being in a crowded room with people all blind to each other that was giving me peace.... it was what I had just done behind that building. It shouldn't have made me feel good, and it wasn't exactly happiness, but it felt fair. It was satisfying that all of those people who the man hurt were now avenged. Momentarily, the world felt more just.

"What can I get you, sugar?"

I turned around, surprised that I could still hear him over the music. The southern twang in his voice wasn't what I expected, but up close he was more attractive than I originally thought. He didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the exhausted and sweaty crowd, something about him seeing too vigilant against the drunken and distracted bodies pulsing around us. His warm eyes and strong build were handsome, and compared to the other men that were surrounding me, my much less prim and proper gut reaction was 'damn, he's hot'. But it was definitely not the time or place for that. Ted Bundy was also attractive, and he was a serial killer. A girl has to be careful.