Chapter 7

A few hours later I was sat in the suite of rooms that Kiera was staying in. Jonas's house really was amazing. He'd managed to maintain most of the original features of a house from that period yet integrated a lot of modern features. Kiera's rooms were on the first floor at one end of the house and consisted of a bedroom, bathroom and living area that contained basic cooking facilities. I had a bag with some makeup in and hair products so was sat on the couch waiting for Kiera to emerge from the bedroom, my makeup complete.

"Tada"

I looked up to see Kiera wearing a deep red dress, blood red, which made her look like a totally different person. Her matching FMP shoes made her look taller, and the dress emphasized her figure. Sheesh, I hadn't even noticed that about her before.

"Okay, sit down at the dining table so I can apply some makeup"

Kiera did as I asked while I opened my bag and took out what makeup products that I had. Not what I used to have because I decided to clear a lot of it out. What use would I have had for half of it anyway. Most of the products were what I would use when I did a distraction job for Ranger, so yeah, those went into the trash.

"Okay, first step is to prep your skin with moisturizer"

I stood behind Kiera as I used the moisturizer ensuring both her face and neck were treated. Next came primer before I added some foundation. Kiera had amazing skin, so I forgo using concealer and went straight to foundation powder. Stepping in front her I was ready with the bronzer, blush and highlighter. I stepped back to admire my work before thinking about what eye makeup to apply. I'd tended to go for a natural look recently so I was sure that would be good on Kiera, with the addition of liner and mascara of course.

I left Kiera styling her hair while I went and changed. I'd only kept one dress that was suitable. A dress that I'd bought and then never worn. I'd been with Lula, of course, scanning through the sale racks at Macys. We'd actually gone there for Lula to get some outfits for her new job. Much as the colored spandex suited her personality even Lula had admitted that the sequins, short skirts and low cut tops wouldn't be acceptable if she was trying to convince people to buy her products. I digress. The dress that I just couldn't resist was midnight blue and made from a soft shimmering material. Sleeveless with a cowl neck and back, it literally hugged my body before flaring slightly mid thigh. Stood still and it hit my knee but twirling and dancing gave a voyeur an image of how long my legs were.

Usually, I would style my hair into lose curls but for some reason I wasn't in the mood for doing that. Instead, I pulled it tightly away from my face and neck into a smooth sophisticated roll.

"Wow Annie. You're looking chic again"

I wasn't sure what word to use to describe Kiera other than very sexy with her black spiked hair.

"I got it. You look bewitching"

I had some other words come to mind but wasn't sure if Kiera would appreciate my sense of humor. We were both laughing as we made our way down the stairs. I wasn't sure how I was feeling as I stepped through the door. Some excitement to be going out for the night but also some trepidation for going to an unknown place.

"Ladies, you sure clean up nice"

Oscar was stood leaning against his truck as we came out, but his comment did have us smiling as we walked the last few steps. Oscar opening the back door for us meant that we were both sat together making it feel as though we had our own chauffer, which I suppose we did.

"Where is this place, Kiera?"

"6 Billings St, Randolph. I'm not sure what name it used to have but it's called The Cat's Whiskers now"

I saw the look that Oscar gave me through the rear view mirror and let me tell you that it was making me nervous.

"Do you know the place, Oscar?"

I asked hoping that I'd misread his look.

"No, only that it's very up market. Be careful there. Drinks can get spiked and if you use a card don't let it out of your sight"

Shit, the things that Oscar was saying was making me nervous now. Nah, I could cope with what he was saying. Hell things like that happened in Trenton and I'd survived. I had a prepaid credit card that would only allow access to the balance on it. Thank you Connie, because she was the one who put me onto using one.

"Okay Kiera, some rules to follow. We have one drink from the bar. When it's finished, we go to the restroom and fill the glass with water. That way we stay hydrated, and we don't get drunk"

Sheesh I sounded like an older sister or mother as I said that, but I wasn't sure just how sensible Kiera would be. I shut up after that because I was sure from how Kiera was looking out of the window that my words had fallen on deaf ears. She was just too excited. I hadn't realized how quickly it would take for us to reach the place nor had I envisaged it to be so big. There was an enormous parking lot in front of the white building. A building that had a large round glass section at one end and columns that must have been the entrance. There were already a lot of cars parked along with a row of taxis, I suppose waiting for the revelers to want to go home. Then there was the queue of people that seemed to disappear around to the side. Women on hen parties, men on stag parties, couples and groups all in their finery swarmed the place.

Oscar pulled up to a space as close to the front door as he could before he was quickly opening the back door. I think that Kiera was as speechless as me.

"I'll be right here girls"

Came from Oscar which had me stopping and turning back to him. What did he mean by that?

"Aren't we calling you when we need to get back home?"

That to me would be the most logical thing to do. I looked at the taxis parked up. Or we could get a taxi instead of Oscar having to wait up.

"No, Annie. I'll be right here"

"But"

I almost took a step back from the look that Oscar gave me. Seems that he took our safety very seriously or Jonas had given him very strict instructions. Turning, I caught up with Kiera as we waited in the short queue for ticket holders. Once through the door I rubbed my arm where the stupid bouncer had punched me with their damn stamp. That had me noticing just how many bouncers there were as we walked into a large open area. My eyes immediately looked toward the edge where the ceiling met the walls not surprised to see security cameras. At least they didn't have the Rangeman logo on them, that was a relief.

We were in an area that was the width of the building with lots of double doors leading from it. The ladies rest rooms were to the right along with a cloakroom, where I assumed coats could be left. There were couches and chairs against the outside walls, arranged around coffee tables, which I suppose gave somewhere to escape to from the bedlam that would be the dancing area. The lighting was subdued but not dark. Two large openings gave a view into where I assume most of the action was and I was soon being pulled by Kiera to join the throng of people crowding through and down into the main heart of the club.

I stopped for a moment at the top of some steps to get my bearings. There were two bar areas on either side of this level with groups of standing tables in front of them. Lower seating was set against a rail and looked down onto the dance floor. The music was loud enough for me to feel the vibrations through my feet and here the lighting consisted of beams of colored light that danced over the whole area. A glass box stood tall at the far end of the room where a man was stood bobbing his head up and down. The DJ had an excellent view over the dance floor, but I was curious what delights were in store seeing most of the women vying for a space just in front of him.

Talking and being heard, well that was definitely out, which had me realizing the purpose of the quiet area that we'd just walked through. I took a grip on Kiera's arm and aimed us for the bar on my left, hoping we would be able to push through the crowd in order to get us a drink. I had to admit that the place was well staffed, and it wasn't long before we each had a drink in our hands. Oscar was right, they cost an absolute fortune. Now to find somewhere to sit down.

Twenty minutes later I was guarding our glasses as I sat and watched Kiera dance. It hadn't taken long for some guys to invade our space. To be honest I wasn't in the mood for dancing. Maybe I was too concerned looking out for Kiera. That she seemed to disappear from my sight had me suddenly worried as to where she'd gone. That she suddenly reappeared next to me holding a fresh drink out to me had me sighing.

"Bathroom"

I said loudly enough to get her attention. I saw the look that she gave me but at least she followed me. By the time we'd navigated through a number of doors I was close to sighing when I approached the sinks and poured out the full glass. Turning to Kiera I was dismayed to see that her glass was empty.

"You drank it all?"

Her answer was to raise the glass and shake it. Hell, she was going to be legless if she kept this up. I refilled each of our glasses with water before handing one to Kiera.

"No more. Drink the water"

"Gees, you sound like my mother. Lighten up Annie. I'll see you back inside"

With that comment hanging in the air, I decided to make the most of being here so went further into the area to find the toilets. Weird, as I pulled my dress up and sat down. I could swear that I could hear a male voice. Surely men wouldn't dare come into the ladies rest rooms, would they? Finishing I opened the door and realized that there was no one near to me. I'd used the last cubicle that was free at the end of the row but listening more closely I could swear that the voice was still there.

There was another door set at right angles, so being the curious creature that I am, I opened it slowly, surprised that it wasn't locked. I'd expected to find a toilet, but it seemed that I was looking into a cleaning cupboard. The voice was louder now so stepping carefully past the buckets and mops I edged my way inside. It was a long room with rows of shelves containing large plastic bottles that I assumed were cleaning detergents. What surprised me was that there was another door, and it was from behind there where the voice was coming from.

"Is everything in place?"

"Good. The clients have very high expectations so make sure that nothing interferes with the procedures"

Okay, only one voice and that fact had me assuming that the man was speaking on the phone.

"The merchandise has to be in pristine condition and there has to be total confidentiality"

I didn't like what I was hearing. What merchandise were they talking about? This place was a nightclub it didn't sell anything, well not that I knew of.

"The bidding starts in 45 minutes. Ensure that the systems are operational at precisely the right time. No glitches this time, do you understand"

I bent down low to the door to try and hear better, then realized that there was a hole for where a key must go. Looking through with one eye I could make out the furniture for an office and the back of a man wearing a suit. Blonde, almost white hair in long lengths to his collar but I was willing for him to turn around so that I could get a look at his face. What the hell was going on here? It sure didn't sound like it was legal. At last, he turned slightly giving me a view of the left side of his face. The first thing that I noticed was a scar that ran down from the corner of his eye toward his ear. The second thing that I realized was that he looked familiar. Why was that?

That thought disappeared as quickly as it came as he disappeared from my sight. I knew that I needed to get back to Kiera because she'd probably managed to buy and drink at least one more drink. Making my way in the darkness I turned the handle to get back to the toilet cubicles and came to the realization that it was now locked.

Shit, had it self locked when it had closed to? Damn it. How the hell was I going to get out of here? Why had this have to happen to me? I considered how else I might be able to get back to the dance area but came to the conclusion that there was really only one choice. Through that office, not that I wanted to go that way. I was pretty sure that me being seen would piss someone off, but what choice did I have? If that other door was locked as well, then I had no idea how to get out. That was when I hit my head with my hand. Stupid, stupid. I opened the small clutch bag that was attached to my wrist and pulled out my phone. No signal? How was that even possible? But there was no denying that I wasn't going to be able to ask Kiera to open up that door.

Office it was then, hoping that the man wasn't there anymore. That door opened but I was literally peeking through the small gap just to be sure that I was on my own. Silence greeted me and since I couldn't see anyone, I inched the door further open. It was a very smart office with an expensive looking desk, filing cabinets and a couple of chairs. As I made my way toward the exit I detoured via the desk. Don't ask me why and as I expected the screen was blank. Okay, time to get out. Opening the office door showed a long corridor with other doors leading from it. Some were open which concerned me but I didn't have much choice if I was to get out of here so turned to my right and headed to the door at the end. Hopefully, if my sense of direction was right, then I should be somewhere close to that entrance room at the front of the club. Even as I reached the door, I heard shouting behind me. Turning as I made a grab for the handle showed two men coming out of another room.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing here?"

Yeah right. As if I was going to politely answer them. The door was locked with a red light on the handle. Great, now I was trapped. Maybe I could explain how I'd got lost and was trying to find my way back inside the club.

"Don't just stand there. Stop her"

And if that wasn't enough incentive then the sound of a magazine sliding into the holder of a gun was. I grabbed at the handle of a door on my left, so relieved when it opened, then slammed it shut behind me. That the green light turned red had me hoping that it was locked now but where to go next was a dilemma. Another hallway but with fewer doors, all of them locked. Run, which was what I did, hearing banging and shouting behind me.

I ran, so afraid now of what would happen if I was caught. Then I heard the click of a door opening. I was trapped, but not defeated. I had to get away. As the door opened, I lowered my head and shoulders careering through the opening door. I had a moment of hysteria as I thanked the gods that my dress even allowed me to run. I felt the impact on my left shoulder, but it seemed that it hadn't been enough to remove the obstacle from my way. A hand grabbed onto my arm and turned me until I was looking at a very tall, very heavily built man wearing the uniform that the bouncers were wearing. I was so close to him I could smell his breath as he wheezed and see the dark thick hairs at the end of his nose.

Even as he began to smile and to open his mouth I just acted out of reflex. My knee connected with a resounding crack that had a whining sound come from his mouth. At least he let me go in order to hold and comfort his balls. I was running away as fast as I could, but my breath hitched when I saw the red light on the door handle in front of me. When it turned green, I just knew that others would come through the door. A sound had me turning to look back the way that I'd come, the two men had followed me and were getting closer. They didn't even stop to console the bouncer on the floor, instead one of them raised his gun as though he was about to fire at me.

In desperation I opened the door expecting to be confronted, so imagine my surprise when I found myself in the crowded lounge area. Some eyes turned and watched me but were soon turning back to their companions and surprisingly the door was emitting a red light. Huh, how about that for luck. Now to find Kiera and get the hell out of here.

Even as I walked over to the entrance of the dance area, I was aware of seeing men stood outside. They knew what I looked like, so would they let me walk out of here? Surely they wouldn't stop me now. It wasn't as if I'd gone into those areas on purpose. Keeping to the edge of the room I knew that somewhere someone was watching my progress through those damn cameras. What the hell to do now? That was when I had a brainwave. Okay, not a brilliant one for everyone else but at least it would get me out of here. I found what I wanted and after balling my fingers into a fist I hit the glass cover. You guessed. The shrill scream of the fire alarm pierced above any other noise. That people moved so quickly surprised me, weren't half of them drunk? Standing between the two openings for the dance area I scanned the sea of bodies for Kiera. Where the hell was she? Bright red staggered past me, which had me moving quickly to her side and throwing my arm around her waist.

"Make the noise stop"

Was all that she said as I steered us amongst the crowd toward the exit. There were just too many people and even though the bouncers were on the lookout for me their attention was caught by annoyed customers.

"What the hell happened?"

I was so relieved to see Oscar in front of me and at least he had the sense to see that Kiera was more than just drunk. He scooped her up and carried her, with me grabbing onto his sleeve to make sure that I didn't lose him. Once Kiera was loaded into the back of the car I sat next to Oscar as he wove the truck around people and cars. Me, I sunk low in my seat because at the snail's pace that we were moving at I was almost afraid of the door opening and me being pulled from the truck. Sat in the dark with the lights from the street passing us had everything that happened flash through my mind. Why the hell had I been so stupid. Why hadn't I ignored that voice and just gone back to join Kiera?

By the time that Oscar pulled into the space in front of my apartment I was close to tears and absolutely drained of energy. I didn't wait for Oscar to open my door. I had to get inside because no way was I prepared to tell anyone what had happened tonight. It was definitely all my fault. I thought that I'd left those impulsive desires behind me. Seems not.

"Thanks Oscar. I'll see you in the morning. Kiera is probably worse the wear from drinking"

I added knowing that was another area that I'd failed in. At least Oscar didn't ask me anything before he was moving the truck away. Up in my apartment I made sure that all of the doors and windows were locked before heading into the bathroom. My hair had come lose and was hanging around my face, so I lifted my hand to loosen the clips. That was when I saw the blood. My knuckles were a mess from hitting the fire alarm. Could I be prosecuted for doing that? I was sure that the cameras would have picked me up doing it. I really was a disaster, and I really couldn't keep myself out of trouble. Once showered with shorts and a T-shirt on I slid into bed. I felt miserable.

I must have fallen asleep, though how I wasn't sure. I woke suddenly, every muscle in my body feeling tense. What was it that had woken me? I stayed absolutely still as I tried to listen to any sounds in the apartment. Nothing, so why did I feel so anxious? The room was still dark, so I knew that it wasn't morning, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to move. What if someone had worked out who I was and where I lived? What if there was someone here in the apartment?