It was the early hours of the next day when Castle parked the van, two blocks from the second location. He'd driven past the building twice, invisible amidst the many cars that flooded these streets. 'Welcome to the city that never sleeps,' Castle thought dryly. The policemen by the main entrance stood out like the skull on his shirt, and on the second run by, Frank noted the two by the alleyway that led to the side door. Both entrances were covered; getting in wouldn't be easy with the police waiting for him. But forewarned was forearmed. Frank was more concerned with locating the target in such a crowded building: 'Liquid,' a nightclub that catered to the young and the rich. The queue waiting to get in was full of designer suits, fake tans and daddy's money. Frank was confident that inside the building, was the last name on Lisa's list; hopefully still alive. Castle reached the block where the club was situated and found a fire escape. Frank climbed up, attracting a small cheer from a couple of drunk students wondering past.
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She walked right past the cops, gave them a friendly smile and stepped into the club. She ignored the admiring leer from the bouncer and walked through the foyer. She felt like her heart was going to burst through her ribcage, but she kept her composure. Calm; it was essential she remained calm. She'd come so far and was so close to her goal, she simply couldn't afford to mess up now. The dead lay behind her, all by her hand, grim memories of a past life, necessary steps along the route to escape. The end was in sight. She pushed her way through the writhing crowds and squeezed in against the bar. She raised her hand and caught the eye of one of the bartenders, a pale woman with short purple hair and an impressive collection of studs on her face, who sauntered over. "What can I get you?" she yelled over the noise.
"A vodka with coke, plenty of ice please."
The bartender nodded and turned to pour the drink. After a moment she turned and handed the woman her drink, whilst giving her a closer look. "Hey, do I know you from somewhere?"
The woman smiled. "I knew you'd remember me."
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Frank landed with a thud on the roof of the club. He paused, completely still, alert for any sign that he'd been discovered. After a few moments, Castle cautiously walked across to the roof access, and tried the handle.
The door slammed outwards and into Frank. Before Frank could react, a baseball bat struck him squarely in the face. His nose broke as a large spurt of blood escaped.
"Hello Franky." Joel smirked as he casually stepped out onto the rooftop. Castle lifted his face just in time for Joel to deliver another blow to Castles head, accompanied by a sickening crack.
"I'm sorry, am I in your way?"
Joel took another swing at Frank's face. Frank moved quickly and caught the bat, absorbing most of the attacks power, but Joel responded immediately with a strong kick to Frank's gut, knocking the breath out of him.
"It's time you learned you lesson Frank. You're not above the law. You've had a good run, killed a lot of people, gotten a lot of kicks, but that's over now."
Frank spat the blood out of his mouth and onto the floor. "You done talking yet?"
Joel smiled. "Yeah, I guess we're both done here." He raised the bat for a final blow. "Game over Castle. Game over."
Frank returned the smile. With an explosion of energy, he threw his foot out in a vicious kick, catching Joel just below the kneecap and causing him to stumble. Frank rolled away onto his feet and the baseball bat careened harmlessly into the concrete.
Joel snarled as he swung the bat again, low and fast. Frank stepped to the side and caught the bat as it flew past him and gave it a sharp tug, pulling Joel off balance and toward him. As the officer fell forward, Frank took a step toward him and dug his elbow into Joel's stomach. Gripping the bat firmly, Frank delivered a quick blow to Joel's ankles and the cop tumbled to the floor. Castle brought the bat back round and swung down hard at his fallen attacker. Joel attempted to catch the bat but took it awkwardly, and there was a sickening crack as his wrist bone broke. Joel yelped in agony as the pain and nausea filled him. Castle crouched beside him and without a further word struck him in the head, knocking him unconscious. Frank threw the bloodied bat away and stepped over the cop and through the doorway.
Frank made his way down the metal staircase and into the attic space of the club. The dull pounding bass of the music reverberated though the cracked plasterboard. A corridor ran the length of the club, with rooms on either side. Castle walked slowly along, methodically checking each room whilst looking and listening for anything out of the ordinary. The rooms were full of junk: disused chairs, old posters, dust covered boxes; nothing unusual.
The cry was shrill and short, almost lost amidst the heavy trance music thumping below. Frank turned his head to the sound and moved forward, trying to locate the source, kicking doors open as he homed in. The fourth door cracked open to reveal a shabby office, full of the stale odour of sweat and blood. A window at the far end offered a view of the club and its denizens, currently lost in an euphoric stupor. A cheap bookcase held large files of paperwork and accounts, whilst an elegant table and chair, entirely inappropriate in their shady surroundings, occupied the centre of the room. With her back to Castle, a smartly dressed woman leaned against the desk. Beyond her, another woman, with short purple hair lay bruised and bloodied in the chair. She was still breathing. Frank stepped forward slowly. "Lisa?"