𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐍 | 𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐘
I WAS PROBABLY THE ONLY PERSON THAT WAS SOBER AROUND HERE. Apparently, that didn't worry me as much as it should have. It didn't scare me away from the shadows of each space crammed with cocaine and naked bodies, nor did it stop me from snaking through sweaty people practically sliding up against one another on the cobbled floor, grinding, drinking and swallowing each other's faces off.
It was some time after dusk when I entered Nine Lo St. Club, hoping to stumble into a few of Darren's acquaintances since it was the other prominent location besides Montanna's where they might be spotted together and the one place he had mentioned in his last moments. Tia dropped me off a block away, while my car was being detailed, slipping away without much thought.
My skin was plastered to my dress, a black jersey material clinging to every dip and curve. Even though it rode along my calves and the straps dug into my shoulders with every turn, it complimented my shape.
The barely-there cropped sweater that lay above my cleavage proved just as much, accentuating my bust greatly, which bode well with the man at the door who had let me in, after stretching my painted lips and shooting him a saccharine smile.
If anything, I didn't look like the typical party girl. I had a very innocent look going for me, even when I dropped my tone to match the surrounding voices. It was hard to perceive me as someone who liked to surround herself in places like this when I had a very studious look going for me, albeit in a sexy way.
No one recognised me. Or knew me.
I was a nobody.
Not to mention that all of my senses were on high alert, soaking in everything around me. My pupils dilated from the light beams pouring over me, my ears pricked at the sound of laughter, screams, and even the creaking of the floorboards, and before I realised it, acidity was now coating my tongue.
It wasn't even that I had consumed the narcotics that these groups ostensibly smuggled in; rather, I had participated in the actual distribution in the hopes of being connected to the supplier, but all I had was Pedro's name and no one named Darren to lead me to him.
Nevertheless, I had plotted since the minute I first set eyes on Wildershaw, assessing his whereabouts, what he did, how he utilised his time engaging in unforgivable acts. I hadn't taken his life in a haste, I had known what I was going to do to him the moment I met him and that's why I hadn't bothered to conceal my identity.
Suffice to say, he deserved it and I couldn't quite help it when my hands started to itch. I thought I had done the right thing, almost...but then a familiar face moved by me in the crowd.
Marnie.
I had given her a way out, gotten rid of her problem, granted she didn't know he was dead, but I had told her she would soon be able to stay away from the madness and just focus on school and yet here the little shit was. Parading the area as if she had already made her mark here, looking older than she was, sporting a bold lip.
I rushed forward to enter her periphery but was intercepted. I had to grit my molars together to keep from bursting when a large body positioned itself in front of me. Instead, I maintained my composure and looked up at the seven-foot-tall ape that was planted in front of me. Because I had never met him before, I almost raised my brow when he grinned at me with his perfect teeth.
"Not seen you around, pet." He commented.
"I'm not a pet." I said calmly, though sounding hesitant.
"I don't know about that. You're small and have that feral look behind your specs." He bent his head, as if he was trying to come down to my level.
"I definitely don't have any sort of look in my eyes." Disgust laced my tone as I furrowed my brows and made a move to get out of his way.
"Don't try to leave already. We just met." He laughed, patronisingly.
"I'm good." I rushed to say. "I have somewhere to be."
Except there was nothing I could do in the centre of the crowd without drawing attention to myself and my motives. He was very quick, managing to grasp me by the elbow in a strong grip, which only irritated me and sent violent signals to my head as he dragged me into an empty corner.
No matter how angry I was about to become, I wasn't trying to annihilate everything for myself in front of others if he was going to take even one more step towards me, because I would have had to bite him to really send a message. More than down in that basement with Darren, high on substances that my body strangely didn't reject, it was more daunting to be in a milieu like Nine Lo solo.
"What are you nervous about?" The man whispered against the shell of my left ear, causing me tense up further.
"I'm not." I protested. "I—"
"Don't be scared." He pushed me away at arms length and observed me. "It's insulting that you're running away from me. Most girls stick around, hell they chase after me. But you, you're scrambling to get away."
"Why's that?" I sneered, gaining confidence now that he was no longer touching me. My arms wrapped around my body protectively, and I looked at him curiously.
It was only when there was real distance between us both, that he seemed to be more than a large and tall man, bearing gold teeth. He had ashen eyes to begin with, thick brows and a crooked nose, his skin was olive and he had big biceps underneath his jacket. He was a man that had authority no doubt and was attractive to say the least.
He opened his mouth to answer me before I could ask him who he was.
"I'm Pedro Augusto."
I knew the thudding of my heart was growing louder by the second and I was visibly startled, but I was adamant to keep my reaction under wraps. I couldn't afford to lose composure, because doing so would only further jeopardise me.
What I was capable of doing was shrugging, feigning nonchalance, because I apparently didn't care about who he was; in fact, that name meant nothing to me, even if it killed me not to advance on him, because I knew exactly who he was.
It was a bold thing to do, to act unbothered, in the face of someone that everyone seemingly respected, feared and admired, although all for the wrong reasons. But whatever my expressions were portraying, they weren't betraying me. The so called gatekeeper wasn't going to make me crumble before him.
"I'm K." I spoke up to break the silence looming over us.
"You go by just K?" Pedro was humoured. That was a good sign.
"I do and don't. Don't tell me you introduce yourself by your government name each time you meet someone?" I laughed it off, confidence gripping me. "Everybody has their street name."
"If I did have to introduce myself by my official government name, I'd have to mention my father's name, my grandfather and late grandfather's name first." Pedro rolled his shoulders this time when he chuckled and I held my breath. "It's also Peter."
"Peter?" I smirked and he smiled, as if he wasn't bothered in the slightest that his name was eliciting such a reaction.
"Says the equilibrium constant." Pedro pointed at me.
"Alright, alright." I was now enticed by his knowledge and apparently soft skills. They were undeniable.
"I've definitely not seen you here before." He spoke up after a moment, in all his seriousness.
"That's because you weren't really looking for me." I casually piped up, trying to maintain credence.
"Should I be looking?" He dropped his tone.
It was only then that his desire to captivate me really alarmed me, but I also realised that it was beneficial for me. If he was Pedro, he certainly projected an energy that was visible to everyone; an impenetrable bubble swirled about him at first, even among so many people, as if he couldn't be touched.
Ultimately Augusto was the key to my thoughts and the only way into a corrupt world that so sorely needed to be dismantled, but I knew it would be exceedingly challenging to demonstrate my credentials in any way. Even if he proceeded to ogle at my tits with a vile fucker's gaze, that hardly implied he was willing to escort me to the venue's subterranean levels.
Assuming Darren was right, anyways. There was a constant changing venue, Fitz's was a cover, if anything, it bloomed from the darkest corners and crypts and now this was my best chance of getting somewhere, by hanging around the big fish and perhaps charming his pants off.
"I have to deal with something now. Stick around...K." Pedro said suggestively, voice trailing off. "If you leave early, come around another night and if I'm not at Nine Lo's, ask any of the Marty boy's moving the drink crates around to bring you to me. You look like you could be fun."
"Kai." I uttered bravely and steadily, satisfied with what oddly specific information he had relayed. "I'll think about it, thanks."
Impressed, he turned to leave and got lost among the throng of people ahead, allowing me to bask in the corner under nothing but the dim lighting, shadows and stench of mortification as he eventually disappeared out of sight completely.
Apparently I was named after a cat.
The cat in question was prowling outside my gates, presumably watching for my arrival. Still, she consistently showed up when she wanted something, never because she had to; it was rather amusing.
Kai would often hang out with me, especially lately as I was feeling more isolated than ever. Adam remained MIA. That didn't sit well with me at all. But I also didn't want to forsake it all and chase after him, not when I had important, life changing things happening.
Determined to only push myself forward and progress, I balled my fists at my side, breath whooshing out of my mouth in relief and searched for Marnie, who was moving in the direction of the spiral staircase, accompanied by a group of girls older than her, into an open area where I could easily keep an eye on her.
I shook my head, as my eyes landed on the little bar do, knowing the drinks and concoctions could contain anything, but I was too thirsty not to grab at least a Sprite with ice. My kryptonite was carbonated beverages.
My ass barely touched the chair behind the counter and my lips barely skimmed the glass for a sip, when a hand lunged forward and yanked it away from me. My body erupted in a frenzy of rage, by the time I turned to address the person who had disturbed my peace.
"You!" I blurted.
"Me." He uttered.
Hands wrapped around my drink, he only sat inches away from me flippantly, exuding a fresh, distinct scent. His hair was gently pushed back, with a few strands out of sorts, sleeves tucked to his elbows, showcasing tense muscles in his forearms, and his crisp button-up shirt protected a taut chest. To me, he seemed so out of place, yet his essence implied that he could blend in just fine.
Blaze Thayer was out to steal my thunder and quite literally kill the vibe and I was furious about it. He waited for me to explode as he regarded me with a nearly expressionless gaze and a slightly furrowed brow. I was just glad that he wasn't sticking out like a sore thumb, among people that were doing questionable things and that nobody was looking at him weirdly, except for some of the women around.
"What are you doing here?" I exhaled. "Are you honestly following me?"
"No, I'm not following you." He responded calmly. "What are you doing here?"
"I don't see how that's any of your business. It shouldn't be your concern where I go and what I do. I don't appreciate you judging me." I tilted my head just slightly, exhaling. "I'm a few months away from turning twenty seven, not seventeen."
"I'm not judging you. But this isn't the sort of place you should be wandering into. Never alone or at all. It reeks of bad decisions and trouble waiting to happen. I'm sure Elyas would disapprove." He relayed seriously. "Don't you realise there's awful, unspeakable things happening every other day in this town?"
"In case you haven't noticed, my brother got up and left almost ten years ago." I scowled. "I don't keep up with the news either."
"Even if he isn't here, surely there are other's who would be worried if anything were to happen to you?" Blaze turned his body towards me.
"Like you?" I couldn't help but scoff.
"Alba." He frowned.
"Is a dick." I shrugged.
"How immature." Blaze muttered, sliding my drink back to me.
"You know nothing about uncle Alba." I said through clenched teeth.
"Tell me about him." He piped up.
"He brought us over here, that's the reality. But he also controlled the way we behaved. Reputation was more important than anything. Alba only ever cared about what everyone would say about us, if we weren't successful." I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
"Is that a bad thing?" Blaze prompted.
"No. But for him it was never enough. He always made it seem like we had to be indebted to him." I finished bitterly. "He's busy these days with his political duties. I can't imagine he's scrambling around scared over which club I might end up in."
"I'm sorry to hear that." He breathed out calmly. "I didn't realise you felt that way about him. I can only assume he meant well, in a fucked up way."
"Nothing for you to be sorry about." I looked at him oddly, wondering why he was staring at me so intently, with words unspoken in his emotionless yet evasive eyes. My stomach was in knots just staring at him and having this conversation alone. "I guess in a way, I do feel indebted to him and what he did for our family."
"Let me take you home. It's getting late." He said after a long pause. "It's not safe around here."
"I wasn't planning on going home anytime soon." I stated defensively. "I just want a minute alone."
"How did you get here?" Blaze pressed. "Adam?"
"A friend dropped me off." I said dismissively.
"Which friend?" He then queried seriously.
"That's none of your business." I glared at him.
"Where's your boyfriend?" Blaze questioned.
"I don't know." I all but snapped. "Drop it!"
"You come here a lot, Audrey?" He shot out.
"Does that bother you?" I deflected angrily.
"You're an annoying little girl." He scowled.
"Wow, that was real mature." I almost laughed.
"I'm not going to argue with you." He exhaled.
"That's great, just leave me alone!" I yelled.
"You eat yet?" He burst out impatiently.
"Yes." I lied through my teeth. "I have."
"I've not. Get up, we're leaving."
Air whooshed out as I released an incredulous whistle. Incredibly stubborn and eager to get his way, he was apparently like myself in this regard. I didn't get up from the chair and remained there, twisting my head to look around and keeping an eye out for Marnie. She was no longer in my line of vision, somewhere behind the rail two levels up, drinking something alcoholic no doubt, out of a plastic cup.
I grimaced since all I wanted to do was abandon my brother's friend and go up the staircase to dig for concealed secrets in this property's crevices. It was just my misfortune that every time I got a little bit closer to learning anything, something obstructed my path.
Thayer wouldn't budge if I insisted on staying, and I couldn't take the chance that Pedro might approach me and see me, of all people, with him. I was sure it would impair my chances of obtaining his acquaintance at all.
Mumbling in resignation, I got up and Blaze acknowledged me with a nod. While leading the way out of the building and seemingly taken up a lot of space due to his height and size, he fished for his phone in the pocket of his supposedly tight slacks and sent a text to whoever.
"Where are we going?" I prompted, trying not to trip over my own feet, to keep up with his pace. "I refuse to go anywhere with you!"
"Wait and see." He responded easily, as we made our way out of Nine Lo Street and headed towards streets lined with parked cars under bright lamps.
"Just take me home." I folded my arms across my chest defiantly, coming to a stop in front of his car, which I unapologetically admired.
"Get in." He narrowed his eyes at me, not argumentative, but very authoritative in tone as he stood by the open passenger door, running a hand over his jaw.
"No." I tried to disagree, staying strong to my feelings of distaste towards him. "I'm staying here."
"Now." He said through clenched teeth, not changing his stern and cold tone. "Or I'll drag you."
"Then what? You'll just dump me in the trunk of your car and leave me?" I huffed out harshly.
"Or I'll strap you to the seat and think about gagging you with my tie." He surprisingly sneered.
My jaw dropped at the sheer image of that and the fact my brother's best friend of all people had made such a wild statement.
He merely stared at me hard, as if daring me to say no to him again. Whether I liked it or not, I was going with him it seemed.
"Fine." I gave in. "But wherever we're going better have fish burgers with extra tartar sauce. Pickles too."
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
Them bickering over everything >>>