John entered the club at precisely 11:43. Considering that Aalders knew John was with Delphi, he had figured that once seeing John, Aalders would begin searching for her.
By that time, she would be at his throat.
John sat down at the bar and ordered a scotch.
Delphi spoke to her friend Phillip. Friend was a term used loosely in this scenario. She asked him to take a smoke break. He did. She entered the back of the club with no delay.
The throbbing beat of the loud music helped John to focus. His eyes grazed over the crowd.
Delphi took down three security guards with her knife. The basement was clear.
Considering John had partaken in a very similar outing just a few years ago, he had Delphi prepare for the worst.
But she didn't need the worst. She was the one of the best.
Five men later and she had cleared the first floor. All of their earpieces were flushed down a toilet. Delphi was a firm believer that at least part of her strength came from her practice of body dragging.
John was a more "where they fall they lie" sort of guy.
They had discussed that she would proceed as stealthily as possible, and once John heard the first gunshot he would know that she had located Aalders. But John found him first. And he was not in his usual box, nor where they had inferred he would move when he heard of Wick's presence. He looked like he was leaving.
John thought a moment, finished his drink, and left the bar.
The Dutchmen's security followed.
John noticed.
He walked into the bathroom.
The men followed.
John was hidden behind the door. One man entered the bathroom, another held the door halfway so that John could neither reach him or see the scene unfolding.
The first walked through the dirty room, checking under stalls. He stopped at one and opened the door. Three bodies tumbled out. "Kane is here! Repeat Kane is here!" The man shouted through his earpiece. John stepped from behind the door. He broke the closest man's neck and threw his knife through the other's right eye.
John stepped back out into the club. People danced and drank innocently. John knew Delphi had to be close.
He looked for Aalders. He had lost sight of him.
John continued his scan for Delphi. He heard a shot. Then three more. He began to run.
Delphi did not believe in wasting bullets. One, headshot. Two, through the heart. She ducked behind a chair. As did the man shooting at her. Three, he shot at her. Four, she ended him.
Aalders was not leaving the club. He was looking for her. Something she knew would happen, but had purposefully forgotten to tell John.
Abraham Aalders was a man of medium build, but tall and broad. He stayed in shape, he handled most of the dirty work. He wore his dirty blonde hair in a fashionable way, and dressed for a man his age. He was not particularly handsome, but he was powerful, which drew women to him like flies to light. He carried no decorations, no jewelry or tattoos. Only a scar through his right eyebrow made him the least bit interesting to look at.
What made Abraham Aalders stand out was his ability to get what he wanted.
And tonight, he wanted Delphi Kane.
John Wick, though a formidable opponent, was not the focus of the Aalders brothers. He made sure his security was briefed on Wick's abilities and then told them to not disturb him with anything to do with Wick. Aalders and Delphi had worked together before, a few times actually, though only with the more recent being mutually requested.
Delphi had just killed four of their men. Abraham took a step into the room. He scanned it for any sign of her.
"Cleo, Phoebe, and Iris say hi." Aalders said, it sounded like a jest. Delphi stood and aimed her gun. She probably would have shot him too, if not for a security guard that threw his knife at her, aiming through her ear.
John was intercepted before locating her. He shot one man on the dance floor. Another two on the stairwell. A fourth stood at the landing. John put one round in the fourth's shoulder, another in the head. He took down three more in close quarter combat. He threw the eighth over the stair railing. Number nine ended up with a broken leg and a bullet in the lung.
Delphi had told herself that to get what she wanted, she would have to take some punches. She had just not expected so many. Abraham knew she was to be killed by hand. More accurately, Abraham's brother wanted to kill her by hand. Aldrich wanted Delphi's death to be slow and painful. He only worried that he did not have the time. If he did not move quickly, she would have it moved.
Abraham knew that drawing her closer to him was the first step. She knew how he fought, just as he knew her style. He watched as she took down his security. Though she had dodged the knife, she had lost her gun in the process.
She held the initially blade thrown at her in her right hand. With a simple flick she launched it at Abraham's forehead.
He dodged the first dagger, but did not expect the second. It slid into his shoulder. She advanced. He caught her arm as she threw a punch, but did not anticipate her kick. Just as she did not anticipate his head butt. He was much stronger than her, she knew that, her best bet was to shoot him. But she needed to get her hands on a gun first.
Abraham did as he was told. He was told to get Delphi Kane. He need to capture her. He could only do that in close quarters.
They persisted. She ended up with split brow and he had a broken rib. Her arms were tired but she continued to use his weight against him. He caught up with her more quickly each time. He took the knife she had thrown and slashed her across the stomach.
John heard Delphi shout.
He moved faster. He reached the room. Aalders had her by the throat. John aimed at Abraham's head. He squeezed the trigger just as he was punched in the kidneys. He turned to see Kloska, an old acquaintance.
The bullet missed, but did distract Aalders enough to let Delphi break from his grip.
Kloska hit John again, knocking his gun out of his hand. John blocked another hit and retaliated with his own.
Delphi was thrown to the ground after striking Aalders in the nose. She landed hard. Her breaths were ragged.
Her fingers slid over cool metal. His gun.
Kloska was much more skilled than John had remembered. The fight ended with John shoving Kloska's own gun into the man's chest.
Delphi had no intention to kill Abraham Aalders. She just needed him out of commission.
She thought a moment.
Then she shot Abraham Aalders five times in the chest for good measure.