Disclaimer: See chapter 1. Nope still not mine. Waiting on the JB.
Notes: You guys rock! All the love and reviews made my week, Thank you! –– I love them...they keep me going.
Thank you to my awesome Beta jadenanne7 who is an amazing writer herself. You should definitely check out her stories if you haven't already and a special thanks to DK1993 (Divine) and Lizzingtoness for helping me out.
I listen to music whenever I read FF – so I made a mini playlist that accommodates the scenes – It can be found on my YouTube account under Ch3. Part 1. The same goes for the graphics – those can be found on my Tumblr account under the Tab FanFiction.
If you ladies/gents like this – I will do it for every chapter.
XOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Previously
All of a sudden, Red broke the silence. The spell was ruined, the music no longer heard by either. "Looks like we've arrived at the castle. You can leave your purse and jacket in the car. You won't need them. Ready, Lucile?" Before she could reply, Red had grabbed his stingy brim fedora and left the car. Liz took a deep breath and stepped out as well when Dembe opened her door. The fresh air felt pleasant against her heated skin. Let's get this over with. Just breath in and breath out.
Her brain finally caught up with her body after a minute or two as a thought struck her. Who the hell is Lucile…?
CH. 3 – Red is the color of Danger. (Part 1)
Red stood right by her side as she stepped out and offered his left arm in a chivalrous gesture. She gladly accepted and tucked her fingers into the crook of his elbow. Arms linked, they strode towards the obscene looking club with Dembe walking roughly a foot behind them.
A castle it was not. A four-story high, black, boxed structured building with a ten-foot tall tinted window at the front. The huge black 1OAK shield that adorned the double-doored entrance was illuminated by pepper red neon lights.
There was a long, burgundy red carpet rolled out towards the right side of the entryway, and a line of people on the other, barracked by a 60-foot long row of silver rope barriers.
Liz nudged Red in the side with her right elbow to get his attention as they strolled towards the ridiculously long line that awaited their admittance.
"Red, who is Lucile?" Liz muttered curiously and slightly annoyed as she leaned over. Once again she was in the dark. It was her own fault for getting sidetracked in the car.
Red didn't even glance at Liz when he answered briskly, "That is your alias for tonight Lizzie." He flashed her a ghost of a smile before it disappeared.
The trepidation returned, that nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. Liz let it go for now, he had made it clear by the tone of his voice that there was no point to solicit for more information. She did not want to cause a scene.
Red sidestepped the young adults, dressed in their glitter and glamour...short dresses and sharp suits. Some ladies sized Red up as they passed by on the shiny plush red carpet, lit by white spotlights.
Liz scowled at them. 'Have they no shame? Most are young enough to be his daughter.' She straightened her back and tightened her grip on his forearm, where her fingers pressed in the cool feel of his soft linen suit, irreversibly pulling his triceps against the side of her breast. If he noticed, he didn't let on.
Moving towards what Liz presumed was the V.I.P. entrance; Liz pondered how he could have made reservations on such short notice. He probably knew someone. This was what Red did after all. He had a lot of 'friends' that aided him when in need.
They had lost their lead this morning when she was stuck in court. A highly trained crew had ambushed their FBI issued car on the way over to the Post Office. According to Agent Navabi, they were not dissimilar to the Pavlovich brothers.
Liz snorted at the memory when Cooper called to explain the situation at hand and rolled her eyes. Yeah right, she had never met the brothers and wouldn't be alive if she did. Navabi probably said that to cover her embarrassment. She had only been in the task force for a short while, not really the best time to lose face or the faith of your superiors. Or, more importantly, lose the confidence of Red. She was highly aware of the fact that Samar still worked for the Mossad as well as for Red. The FBI was just a means to an end for her.
Liz glanced sideways towards the man that had recruited the woman and haunted her dreams. Her piercing blues roamed over every inch of Red's appearance. He looked good, and he undoubtedly was cognizant of this. Judging by the envious looks most girls were throwing at her, they shared the sentiment.
Her feelings for this man were befuddling. She comprehended why she found him attractive, even at his age. He was quite handsome and alluring. Not just because of his distinguished facial features or snappy suits, but also mainly because of his bravado, his buoyancy, aptitude, wit, and his most attractive feature to her was his vulnerability...when Reddington the persona morphed into Raymond the man. His mask fallen. Irresistible.
She could live without the arrogance and his overprotective nature. Nonetheless, it was the whole package that enthralled her. The GQ look came second. Red filled out a well-tailored suit to a T, but she had no doubt he would look good in a paper bag.
Liz could not pinpoint when she stopped seeing him as a monster. A criminal. A killer. An asset. He was human. A broken man, formed by preceding events, and very dangerous. 'We become who we are.' What an odd pair they made. Hannibal and Clarice. Bonnie and Clyde. It was serendipitous. Fate.
She let her eyes drift up over his face, tracing the salt and pepper hair of his sideburns, studying the lines of his wrinkles, his dimples as the sides of his mouth turned up, rosy lips, straight nose, his soft, kind eyebrows, butterfly winged golden eyelashes and deep, ocean blue-green eyes that changed color depending on his mood or environment. His hat completed the depiction of the Concierge of Crime. She had grown quite fond of them. They served a purpose, and they were very becoming. Dapper. Her gentleman.
Liz flushed at her possessiveness. He was not hers, she had no claim on him and neither had he on her, yet, she couldn't help herself. She had admitted it to Samar, even though she had an alterative motive for doing so. Her thoughts and emotions were quite real.
When they stopped at the front of the line, Liz released his arm to give him some space to talk to the bouncer. He was exotic looking...clean-shaven with dark, piercing eyes, full lips, a slightly wide crooked nose, heavy eyebrows and short, dark, spiky hair. The man was well over 6 foot 3, muscular with a sharp, smoky black suit and tie that was a size too small. His hands clasped over each other in front of him and his legs parted, shoulders squared and feet planted firmly on the ground, his posture evoking intimidation and hostility.
He could have passed for Aram's younger brother if he was not build like a house. A squeaky, high-pitched voice irritated her eardrums as he requested their names, a tone that reminded her of Pee Wee Herman.
Liz was astounded and tried to hide her amusement as much as Red did. The corners of his lips trembled and his nose crinkled. Now was not the time to piss this man off. Dembe was the only adult in this equation who remained cool and quiet. His dark suit and bodyguard front would fit right in.
Red's voice was quite the opposite a low smooth vibration and very pleasant. "Good evening. I made a reservation under Ricardo, Lucile, and Steve Hudson" He responded calmly with a straight face.
The bodyguard pensively observed the anomalous looking trio before him, glancing at their ring fingers and back at Dembe, who did not blink or bat an eye as he stared the man down.
"He is our eldest," Red intervened with a sly smile, the muscle under his left eye twitched as his left arm wound around her waist, pulling her close to him, their hips touching. His dexterous fingers grazed her lower ribs and rested there.
She tried to hide her surprise at his proximity as his warmth radiated through her sheer, airy blouse and almost branded her side. Liz put on a brave face and flashed her most surreal, awkward smile ever at Red's outrageousness.
Dembe could have been his, just not hers. They were close in age...at least that is what she assumed. She knew little of his confidant; maybe it was time to change that after this whole ordeal.
To their relief, the bodyguard flashed a knowing smile, a row of small pearly whites visible, and nodded his head approvingly.
She could only imagine what was going through the young man's mind.
'A pompous, older rich man and a younger, attractive woman accompanied by a bodyguard. One plus one equals three.'
Liz felt offended and wrinkled her nose in disgust, her eyes cross, her jaw set, teeth clenched and her smile fake. She was no one's concubine, and had the compulsion to smack him upside the head; instead held her balled fist planted firmly at her thigh.
Red felt her body tense and brushed his sturdy fingers over her flank, trying to calm her down as the bouncer crossed their names off and opened the door, motioning for them to enter.
Red, ever the gentleman, let Liz go first as his hand shifted to the small of her back, lightly pushing her forward.
Liz shot a questionable, stern look back at Red. One eyebrow lifted and her lips set in a thin line, and as if they were telepathically linked she asked a silent question. "Ricardo, Lucile & Steve Hudson? Really!" The same look she gave him before entering Wujing's elevator that went all the way down to middle earth.
Red responded with a shrug and a shifty smile, his eyes iridescently green. He ignored her abrasive nature and silently guided them through the dim hallway.
The nightclub's music was muffled by heavy black curtains that obstructed their view of what she assumed was the dance floor of the main area. Sadistic paintings of vamp-clothed women decorated the whole right side of the wall, an adaptation of women that were bound, gagged, and whipped by men. Soft purple incandescent light bulbs placed above the paintings illuminated their path.
Liz's brows scrunched together in confusion. This was not the 1OAK she had read about at all.
She did not have much time to contemplate or ask Red as they approached a very fetching doorman, dressed in a black uniform, white gloves, and oxfords. He opened the door and courtly bowed his head as he gestured with his right hand for them to pass through. "Gentlemen...Ma'am. Enjoy your evening."
She could make out the word 'dungeon' in small red letters above the entry before blaring music assaulted her ears. It sounded like a remixed cover of a song she had heard before. The drum of the song was on the brink of being painful and the beat pressed heavily on her chest.
She glanced back at Red, who appeared unaffected as he bobbed his head in time with the chorus.
* Tainted love Tainted love, Now I know I've got to, Run away, I've got to Get away….
Liz scanned the room as they stood with their backs towards the door, which closed as soon as they entered. The VIP area was larger than she had expected. Five bulky round tables were placed near each other, surrounded by 15 to 20 low powder white leather half-moon seats and separated by diaphanous string drapes, lit by candles, and rapidly moving strobe lights of white and purple reflective colors which led to a private light blue fluorescent round dance floor at the center of the room.
A half naked go-go dancer in silver body paint and metallic lingerie swirled around in a life-sized champagne glass provided entertainment. Picturesque. Spellbinding.
Snow white heavy curtains on the left side of the room blocked their view of the main dancehall, and apart from a few emergency exit doors, the VIP area was pretty much secluded from any outside influence.
An off-white sleek crescent shaped bar covered the whole back wall with a couple of sharply dressed male and female bartenders behind the counter. The ladies wore short, low cut, black-leathered heart shaped cocktail dresses and high heels as they made their way through the room, serving exotic looking cocktails and amber colored drinks, while, the gents were dressed in tight white dress shirts, bowties, black suit trousers, and polished dress shoes. Every one of them was as bit attractive as the next, as if they had been plucked out of a magazine and put to work for one night.
'We certainly do not look that out of place,' she thought while observing the guests. Well, maybe she did. She stood out like a sore thumb and felt startlingly old.
Beautiful women in scanty clothing surrounded ostentatiously dressed, seasoned men with golden watches. Courting. One with money, promises and illusions, the other with youth, obedience and fake attributes. A perfect match. Most had pale marks on their fingers from marriages long forgotten…grasping for something they no longer had a hold on. Control. Power. Love. Slightly perspiring bodies brushed each other. The heavy smell of lavender and mistakes overwhelmingly present in the smoky air that the smog machines provided.
'This surely is something else and definitely not my scene.' She was glad she had not missed out on anything in her youth.
"Let's find the creep and be done with it," Liz mumbled to herself as she made her way around the crowd, towards the far end of the bar. They needed a quieter place to think and talk. To breathe.
A new song played through the speakers in the far corners of the room, yet she felt like they were placed right next to her ears. Screeching and unpleasant. The thumping of her heart beat in synchronicity with the rising beat of the music's climax.
*I am addicted to you hooked on your love, like a powerful drug I can't get enough of…*
Liz glanced back to see if Red and Dembe were still following her. No trace of their plus one, probably standing close yet far away. Blending in the background was Dembe's forte, no doubt taught by Red at some point in the past. 'Where is Red anyway?'
She spotted Red's crisp white shirt that had lightened to an icy blue color under the fluorescent lights, ostensibly engrossed in a conversation with two blond women. They had their dirty hands all over his hat and all over him. One of them laughed at something he said, twirling her curly hair strands, trying to look innocent while obviously flirting.
Liz eyes began to blaze over, nose flared up, and heartbeat racing while her lips firmly pressed together as she marched her way over to him.
'Prettiest girl…Ha!' She couldn't believe that she had bought his crap even though it sounded sincere in the moment. 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.'
Red turned around just as she stood a few inches next to him, arms crossed. Unsurprisingly livid. He felt her approaching before he even saw her. His spidey senses always on high alert when she was near.
A heat coursed through her veins as red spots began to appear at the sides of her neck. His eyebrows rose and his smile dropped from his face before flashing a wary one as a sort of apology for his impious conduct.
His hand had made its way to her left shoulder and ushered her forward towards the two young women in front of them. Barely in their twenties, with long blond wavy hair past their shoulders, low cut black and rosy silken red dresses that hugged them in all the right places, paired of with 6-inch Aurora Boreale Christian Louboutin Daffodile pumps, they were a vision all right...Sinful angels.
His right hand opened in a form of introduction. "Lucile, I would like you to meet Hallie and Annie James Parker. Identical twins. Can you believe it?" He chuckled, flashing his lopsided trademark unctuous smile and tilted his head.
Red was openly flirting with them in front of her. Hallie took the hat off of his head and frolicked with the brim. Annie quickly snatched it from her sister and placed it on top of her own head.
Liz rolled her eyes as Red glanced back at her red-rimmed eyes and the sisters. "Apparently they..." He never got time to finish his sentence as Liz grabbed his forearm roughly, took the fedora from the girl, and shoved it hard on the middle his chest, damaging the gutter dent as it bent inwards.
She dragged him towards the bar, deliberately ignoring his loud protests and then mumbled something about blending in, intelligence, and women. The only sound heard was the lurid music and blood rushing in her ears.
'The audacity of this man...aren't I supposed to be his girlfriend or at least his mistress…?'
She told herself that she was exasperated because they did not have the time for yakking, and that Red couldn't be serious about anything, not even spying on one of the most elusive blacklister yet. However, she couldn't disregard the twinge of jealousy she felt and quickly shook her head to get rid of the flashes of images that destroyed her chastity of mind and perpetrated her heart...Red in various compromising positions with those Ingénue girls.
They settled at the dark corners of the bar and the wall, a perfect spot to go unnoticed without looking suspicious. She released her vice grip on of his forearm, flexing her digits. 'Is everything a joke to him?'
Red eyed her particularly as the rest of his expression remained unreadable...only a small right upturn of his lip gave him away. He rubbed his forearm to get the circulation and feeling back in his right hand as he ordered them some drinks.
'Good. I hope I left a bruise. It would serve him right.' She scoffed at him and pinned him with a glare that read 'Do not say a word or else...' turned around to settle between two high barstools, and casually leaned back with her elbows against the cool aluminum edge of the bar to observe their surroundings.
Her vigilant, stormy blues had turned to a dark night sky color as the lights flashed over them. They had a direct view of the VIP lounges where different men and women sat, their vision slightly obscured by the diaphanous string drapes.
Red leaned over in her personal space. "Lizzie," he whispered loudly in her ear, his lips almost brushing the outer shell as he tried to get her attention.
"You see that man over there?" His warm, damp breath vibrated and fanned her ear with every spoken word. It was extremely distracting, and her body involuntarily reacted to the proximity of his lips.
Liz tried to withhold the tremble that ran down her spine and hoped that he didn't notice his effect on her as she followed his gaze towards a fair complexioned man, who sat quietly and alone at the second table in front of them.
He was a lanky, semi-attractive guy in his forties of average height, no more than 5'11 with over-gelled bleached hair, sharply parted to the left, with high cheekbones, quirky well fitted harry potter thin-wired glasses perched high on his small sharp nose, a squared jaw, and a pristine, wrinkle free oval shaped face. He looked unnatural, almost cosmetically perfect.
He wore an opened, milky white tailored double-breasted linen suit and dress shirt with a broad faded rose tie, paired with an equally pink pocket square and socks. His bone white shiny patent dress shoes gleamed in the semi-darkness of the room every time a fluorescent light spot ghosted over them. He looked like one of those menacing 1950's mob villains straight out of a B movie.
With a malevolent glare out of his cold, almost black eyes, set under thin almost translucent eyebrows, he surveyed the scenery around him. He crossed his legs, brought his thick cigar to his thinned lips and took a long drag of his cigar before releasing them in perfect 'O' shaped rings of smoke. He had an eerie calm air to his persona.
If Liz could describe him, it would be ominous and creepy. Not someone she would want to deal with.
"Is that the doc?" she asked in shushed tones close to Red's ear, so only he could hear. The scent of his musky cologne mixed with her Chanel perfume gave her a flashback to the previous tension in the car, heightened her senses and made her aware of every nerve ending, even of the gush of air his jacket generated as he shifted closer. It was surprisingly cool in the nightclub.
Red turned his head, lips forming a lazy kiss with roughly three inches of space between their faces and leaned on his left hand that was placed on the seat beside her. His fingers spread widely and almost touched her left hip.
"Yes, I believe so. He introduced himself as Doctor Copperfield. How perfectly on the nose. According to the twins, he had already propositioned them. They refused. Called him a sleaze ball that smelled like mothballs," he responded gravely, smiling and glanced back at the twins as he tipped his fedora before he took it off and placed it on the counter.
Liz took notice of their interaction. Something seemed off. Her brows furrowed and her lips pursed as she tilted her head towards Red to observe the two young women. The twins had no interest in any man, blowing off every one that came their way.
"They work for you...?" Liz huffed out in relief and annoyance, her eyebrows set in a straight line, suddenly feeling very injudicious.
"Yes," was his short reply as their drinks were placed in front of them. He could have told her more, but after the stunt she pulled in front of the twins, he just didn't feel like making a bigger deal out of it. They had some history and he didn't want to poke the bear more than necessary. Liz was already on edge ever since they left Harold's office.
Red handed her a bright yellow cocktail with a sugared rim and orange wedge perched on top. " A Don.Q Screamer. Reminded me of you." His voice was coy and his eyes glinted.
She glared at him and snatched the glass from his hand, accidently brushing her fingers over his. A surge of electricity flowed through her extremities. Static discharge.
Red clutched his glass and sipped his scotch to hide his wry smile; purposefully ignoring her death glares and faintly flushed cheeks. 'This is going to be a gas,' he thought as he scanned the room.
Liz followed suit. Her mixture tasted sour, sweet, and somewhat spicy. The ice-cold liquor tingled her tongue and tickled the back of her palate before the liquid made his way down her throat, warming her from the inside out. It was delicious. An orgasmic experience for her taste buds. Titillating. Liz nearly moaned as she closed her eyes and rolled the back of her neck. God knows she needed this tonight.
She reopened her eyes and saw a heavy short man no more than 5' ft. tall with a crooked hawks nose, deep sunken small black eyes, nearly invisible lips and long dark greasy balding hair approach the doctor out of the corner of her left eye. He resembled the penguin from Tim burton's Batman movie. Even dressed similar minus the top hat. He looked oddly familiar. She wracked her brain as to where she could have seen him before, when an unpleasant tremor crawled down her spine, followed by an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes widened, her mouth somewhat agape and eyebrows idle.
Red was also observing the doctor and what seemed to be his associate, whom appeared to peek in their direction while he spoke to Eisenkamp. Red glanced back to say something to Liz, when he saw her face was ashen.
"Lizzie, are you alright?" he called out worriedly as she remained unresponsive.
He placed his glass on the bar, straightened and turned his body to stand in front of her as he touched her right shoulder. Her empty eyes settled on his before the color returned. She grasped the back of his neck and drew him closer until her mouth was near his left ear.
Her perfume, flowery shampoo, and cocktailed miscellaneous scents filled his nostrils. Heavenly. He involuntarily closed his eyes for a mere second to enjoy this moment before opening them again. 'Focus.'
"Red, I think that guy was at the crime scene yesterday," she whispered harshly, her breath warm as her lips almost touched his auricle. His body evoked the same involuntary pilomotor reflex to her as she had to him.
Red bent his face so that his own lips were lined with hers and softly ghosted his hands up and down her chilled upper arms. "You sure? If you feel uncomfortable, Lizzie, Dembe could get you back to the car …" he calmly suggested, his eyes soft and warm as they settled on her frightened ones.
Liz lightly shook her head as an uncomfortable tightlipped smile graced her face, betraying her trepidation "No. I mean, I might be wrong…besides, I look somewhat different right?" she questioned, voiced in a higher pitch than usual. She didn't know whom she was trying to reassure, her own mind or Red's, who eyed her disbelievingly, one eyebrow perched high on his forehead.
He tilted his head to examine her further, the cogs in his mind turning, and squeezed her shoulders before dropping them to settle on the outside of her thighs, placed firmly on the white leather cushioned barstools, effectively boxing her in...Challenging her in a silent duel.
Liz broke the intense eye contact and quickly snuck a glance over Red's right shoulder towards Eisenkamp's table. He was alone again; his friend had disappeared and did not seem to have noticed them at all. She let out a nervous breath.
The doctor's raven black eyes bore holes into the backs of the twins, who danced provocatively to a mixed version of Dirty Diana.
Her nose wrinkled in mild repulsion, which Red had caught before he followed her gaze over his shoulder and smirked. It was a sight all right, two women grinding on each other's bodies. Arousing for most men, just not for him. Not anymore.
He preferred one. The woman standing right in front of him, to be exact. His eyes snapped back to her and roamed her face, uninhibited, from her clavicles all the way down to the edge of her lace bra and back up again. There was something adorably sexy about the way she used his body as a shield even though she could take care of herself. He would gladly protect her from the world. Eradicate all evil. Including himself, if necessary.
He was brought out of his trance when Lizzie pressed her short nails into his forearms and tugged at his sleeves. "Red! He is looking our way again." She spoke louder this time. Her harsh tone screeched his ears as he looked back over his shoulder and saw the Danny DeVito look-a-like squint his eyes in their direction, a tall, blond go-go dancer in white lacquered fabric lingerie on his arm as he made his way back to the doctor's table.
Red searched for Dembe, who stood at the entrance of the hallway leading to the exit, but couldn't signal him through the crowd. He whipped his head back to Liz and took her face tenderly between his warm, dry palms, his thumbs brushing over the soft planes of her cheekbones.
"Maybe you should leave," he suggested poignantly with a penetrating gaze that nearly bore a hole in her soul. He didn't want to endanger her. The doctor was not someone he wanted near Lizzie, if he figured out who she was. 'What was I thinking, bringing her to a place like this?"
Liz shook her head and scanned the whole room for possible exits; there were none, only the way they came in. It would look stranger if she up and left via the emergency exit. She took hold of Red's wrists and pulled them away from her face. Her hands wandered towards his hands and held them in front of her in a firm grip. The curly, coarse hairs of the back of his hand tickled against her thumb pads as she brushed over them.
"No, Red! If I am wrong, I won't…I won't be able to forgive myself," she said, more determined than she felt. 'I can do this.'
His green orbs worriedly scanned her face as she took a deep breath. "I am okay, I promise." Her lip corners were tight and turned up. She released his hands and rubbed her scar in a nervous gesture. Anticipation. Apprehension.
He did not believe a word she had just said. He squared his shoulders and remained quiet, his face ploy and stoic.
Her eyes turned cold and her face set in a scowl as she regarded him. "This could be the only chance we get to arrest this scumbag. I am not letting him get away." Her tone was resolute. Bullish. There was no way he could talk her out of this.
Leaning in, she pressed her lips against his cheek, his 5-hour stubble scratched her lips as she moved them up. "Listen, I have plan," she whispered in his ear and leaned back so there was some space between them.
XOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
My apologies for the 2 Parts – I really thought about it and based on some good advice decided to cut it again – the next chapter will be shorter I promise and will posted a.s.a.p.
Please leave comments – It's highly appreciated…
I know it was Lizzie pov heavy – Red will get his turn.
Music: Hestia Prytaneum YouTube account under CH 3. part 1
Graphics: Hestia Prytaneum Tumblr under Fanfiction or fb.
Part 1
Music Club:
White Cell - Tainted Love (House Mix)
Avicii - Addicted To You
Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana (DJ Pantelis Private Mix)
Twins: Keri Hilson-Pretty Girl Rock
End scene: [Project X Movie Music] Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)
The 1OAK (1 Of A Kind) Club in NY is real, just took creative license to change it to fit the story
Ricardo & Lucile: was for my friends over at the FB group ;-) If you don't know of them – no worries I will explain them in a later chapter.
Steve: is a nod to the awesome cracklist (part3) videos of MissSavy.
Hallie and Annie James Parker: The Parent Trap (1998)
All the fun tidbits and hints will be posted at the very end of the story – It will all lead up to…around 18 chapters by the looks of it.