This is not a place for a nightclub, she thought to herself as she walked through the Glades. What is the logic in building a club in a place like this instead of in the centre of the city, she reasoned. Perhaps it is the danger people put themselves in when they are going to have a night out. Idiots, that's what they are. Why put yourself in danger if you don't have to? Ignorant rich people who have never been in real danger. If they ever faced something she had faced they would know better. This sort of nightclub was a place she could have pictured him in. An idiot young man, but was he was gone….
No, she did not want to think about it anymore. As she approached her destination, she heard shouts and laughter and loud music. Then a green light momentarily blinded her as the building, an old steel factory, came into view. Verdant, the supposedly 'hottest nightclub in town'. A long line of people stood in front of the building. Women in cocktail dresses wearing lots of jewelry stood in line chatting and laughing with their friends. Just that sight made her feel like a loner. How long has it been since she had girl-friends? Ever since she was a kid she has had a lot of guys around her but sometimes you just need a female friend. Yes, the two guys were nice to her but they were gone and it was her fault. She scolded herself, her mind wandered way too much. The woman before her said something to her friend in the purple dress. She only caught a few words: "the biggest partier opening his own nightclub!"and "I'd never think somebody like…would open a nightclub!" That was all she heard and something about this guy Tommy Merlyn being the manager.
She saw the burly man at the entrance giving her a look and after checking her ID he let her in. She checked her outfit: A long black dress with a split and black pumps. She checked her wig and tugged at a stray strand of fake brown hair that had come loose from the complicated updo she had made. She usually didn't do dresses but it was the best way to hide her Sig Sauer. Even though she preferred hand to hand combat, owning a gun was not such a bad idea. When she entered the club she looked immediately for the other exit. It was at the back to the left. Above her she saw a railing with behind it multiple doors. Those must be the manager's office and the owner's. Behind the bar and beside the stage she noticed a door with a security lock. Being who she was, she decided that she wanted to check it out and see what the owner was hiding. As she moved herself through the room she saw a couple of security guys standing in the shadows of the club. Who could afford eight security people while the club has just opened its doors? He must be a rich man. She walked to the bar and ordered a martini and pretended to take a sip. She moved closer to the door with the coded lock and studied it intently, trying to figure out how to open it. Without even looking behind her she could feel somebody coming closer to her and she heard a low voice asking her something. When she turned she saw a dark burly man in a suit with an earpiece. He asked her again: 'Will you come with me Miss?' She nodded and walked the way she was directed. To a staircase hidden in the back and to the upper floor with the railing. They walked to an office and the man opened the door en let her in. When they were both in the office, the man said to her: "So you think you can come here with a Sig Sauer strapped to your thigh". I must admit:" You've got guts". But I have to confiscate the weapon and send you home because my employer does not allow weapons inside his club. When he turned around to alert security to escort her out she grabbed his arm, twisted it and punched him in the gut. Taken by surprise, the man fell down but not before pushing some button on his phone. She kicked it away and stepped to the door. But just before she opened it, it flew open and a man in a grey suit with short cropped hair stepped inside. He closed the door carefully behind him and faced her.
"Why did you knock him out?" He asked. His voice triggered a memory of long ago but she did not want to think about him, not anymore. Her reply was also a question: "What do you have to hide?" He grinned but his eyes were like steel. When she whipped her Sig Sauer out he didn't look the least bit fazed. He grinned again and hooked his arm under hers and somehow grabbed the gun. When she processed what had happened she was facing the gun. But what amazed her was that move. Where did you learn that move? She asked. "In hell", he replied.
"What would a guy like you know about hell?" She raised her voice as she said it. "A lot, I've been there for five years". "Right", she said, "you were born with a platinum spoon in your mouth, what would you know about suffering?" His expression hardened after she said that.
He put the gun away and approached her. He kicked her and she had no idea how the guy had such skill. She punched him quite a few times but she ended up on the floor anyway. He blocked her windpipe and looked in her eyes. Then, a surprised look came over his face and he said just one word: Shado?