When we finally pulled up infront of the club I couldn't help gaping at the huge 5 story building, I'd been here once before with Diego before he first started working here. He assured me it would be fun... It was alright at first, but then turned into a disaster... Security got involved, then the manager too... And that man was seriously intimidating.
Vicky had text Diego on the way, apparently she got his number the other day at the mall. He told her he was off today and excited to see us and sure enough after we parked and approached the entrance, Diego was waiting for us at the door, standing behind a red velvet rope, next to a big burly bouncer, dressed in a cliche all black outfit with a wire in his ear that ran down the side of his neck.
"Alex! Over here!" Diego shouted with a huge smile on his face and his arm in the air, waving us over like we weren't already on our way there. The bouncer gave me and Vicky each a once over with a smirk and a wanting chuckle, but quickly unhooked the velvet rope and Diego stepped forward wrapping me in a tight hug. "I'm so happy your here. I didn't think you'd come and give this place another chance." He said in my ear and I pat his back feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"Well you promised it would be different this time and Vicky really wanted to come and check it out." I said with small smile and a nervous laugh as I pulled away, he pat my shoulder giving me a sorrowful smile as he slightly squeezed my shoulder, with an unspoken reassurance in his eyes that this time it would be different.
"It's good to see you again, Vicky. Thanks for convincing her to come. I owe you one." He said as his wide toothy smile returned.
"Ow, it's my pleasure, but I'm sure I can come up with some way for you to repay me." Vicky smiled and batted her eyelashes flirtatiously, but he just nodded like he was oblivious to her advances.
"And who is this?" Diego asked.
"Ow this is Derek, he's... Uh... A friend from school." I said, lying pathetically.
"Ya, He heard we were going to a club and wanted to join in the fun." Vicky said, saving the day, as she threw her arm over my shoulder. "Now let's get this party started!" She laughed excitedly as she turned us toward the door.
"This way ladies." Diego said brushing off my awkward response and held the door open for us.
Instantly the music became so loud I could feel the bass vibrate threw my entire body, multi colored strobe's flashed over the crowd, making them blend together like a blurry sea of bodies. There was a long L shaped bar along the left and back walls, tables and booths along the back and right walls. It was a little different than last time, since now the bar and seats were separated from the dancefloor by rails, making it safer and easier to transport drinks back and forth without the risk of getting knocked into by dancing patrons. They also seemed to have far more security stationed around, easily identifiable by their glowing white shirts with bold black letters that said 'SECURITY'.
Vicky clapped her hands excitedly with a big smile as she looked around, Diego draped his arm around my shoulder and directed us to the right in the direction of the tables, but before we even got that far he stopped at a set of frosted glass double doors. He nodded in greeting at the two black clad security guards, standing like statues on either side of the door, nearly blending into the dark wall, then Diego scanned a key card to get threw the doors.
It led into a hallway that went straight back about 20 feet then turned to the left to a longer hallway with several doors to private rooms. We walked all the way to the end, passing by a staircase leading up on the left and stood infront of an elevator that Diego again used his key card to access. There were buttons for each of the four floors and another for the basement, he took us up to the third floor and into a massive VIP room with a solid glass wall that looked down on the sea of gyrating bodies. There was a large fluffy half circle black couch and several overstuffed armchairs, with small glass tables separating each piece of furniture, leaving a good section of floor space empty, for dancing or whatever.
"Wow!" Vicky squealed excitedly as she ran up to the window wall.
"Sooo.... What do you think? Better than last time, right?" Diego asked as he scratched the back of his neck nervously and I forced what I hope is a reassuring smile onto my face.
"Yes, much better." I said while trying to fight down the bubbling anxiety trying to push it's way to the surface, he must have noticed because he smiled back at me sympathetically and rubbed a circle on my upper back.
"And it'll stay that way, I promise."
"What's all this about last time? What happened?" Derek asked raising an accusing eyebrow as he glanced between Diego and myself suspiciously and I sighed with slight annoyance because I knew neither Derek or Vicky would let me off without an answer.
"Last time I was here..." I hesitated, looking down at the polished floor like it was the most interesting thing in the room, before whispering in a voice that was almost inaudible. "I got cornered by some guys and groped... But Diego came to my rescue and caused a big enough scene fighting with two of them that it drew the attention of the security staff... So nothing really bad happened."
"I never should have let you go to the bar alone... If I hadn't none of that would have happened... I'll never be able to forgive myself..." Diego said with a guilty expression.
"Don't say that, it could have been way worse if you hadn't come looking for me and It wasn't all bad, right? I mean you got a job here because of what happened." I said reassuringly as I pat his arm, trying to make him feel better, because it wasn't really his fault and he did save me after all.
"Ok I totally need more details on that. How did our little Mrs. Alex getting assaulted help you get your job?" Vicky said with a flirtatious smile, before she walked over to the bar table and began mixing drinks.
"Well..." Diego started with an uncomfortable chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little bad he profited form Alex's suffering. "After... What happened... I thought we'd just be thrown out of the club or something, but instead we were taken to see the manager, Mr. Greers. We told him what happened and he apologized for it happening in his club, then he offered me a job. Since then they've increased the number of security inside the club to ensure nothing like that ever happens again and it hasn't."
"Ow. So brave." Vicky said as she walked back across the room, her eyes narrowed flirtatiously. "My hero." She cooed and handed him a drink, letting her fingers brush against his, while she smiled at him seductively.
"Thanks." Diego chuckled with a friendly smile, apparently oblivious to her obvious flirting, then he downed his drink in one go, he smacked his lips and looked into his empty glass, like he tasted something funny, then turned to me with a rosy hue on his cheeks. "Why don't you like me anymore? We used to be sooo close... We did everything together.... Do... Do you hate me because I confessed to you? You know I really love you right?" Diego suddenly began to whine and slur his words like he had way to much to drink. He suddenly reached out and stepped forward like he was about to grab me, but I took a few quick steps back and he closed his arms around air. "You do hate me... hic... Don't you!" Tears formed in his eyes just before I watched his eyes roll back and he crumpled to the floor, I tried to cradle his head on the way down then looked up in shock.
"Damn it, Vicky! What did you put in his drink?" I snapped.
"Whoo... Temper temper. It was just a little something to super amplify the boos, usually only werewolf's use it since they have such a high alcohol tolerance." She shrugged with a sly smile. "He'll be fine in a few hours, but he'll have one wicked hangover." She giggled. Derek reluctantly helped me move him to one of the sofa's while Vicky worked on conjuring a cloaking spell, we each put a hand on her shoulder like she instructed us and explained we both had to remain touching her for the spell to remain active, if we lost contact for even a second the spell would lift. We took his ID card and snuck back out into the hallway and went to the elevator.
We easily made it down to the basement, but unlike what I expected it was just a basement for storage, filled with old tables and chairs, boxes of old table cloths and decorations, nothing was out of the ordinary but before I could say anything I watched Derek's nose twitch as he walked around the room then stopped in front of a stack of crates. He moved around to the side and clicked his teeth as a smirk settled on his face, he touched the wall and a small panel opened, then he slid the key card into the slot and the wall moved revealing a spiral staircase leading down.
We followed it down to a hallway lined with cells, inside the cells there where chains hanging from the walls, all were empty accept one, Gill hung limply by his wrists, beaten and battered, parts of his clothes shredded, his breathing labored and he appeared to be unconscious.
"Gill!" Vicky sobbed, but it sounded distant to my ears, my eyes focused on the blood littering the cell and coating Gill's body... It's everywhere... Coating everything... My chest tightened making it difficult to breathe... I covered my mouth to hold back the nausea that was burning its way up my throat. It took Vicky a little while to compose herself as well, before she used a spell to unlock the cell, as soon as it was open we rushed inside, I began checking over his numerous wounds while Vicky worked on removing his restraints.
Heavy bruising and multiple cuts covered his body, his shirt was shredded and barely clinging to his torso, he looks so fragile and broken. Shame and self blame weigh heavy in my heart, this is all my fault, if Gill hadn't tried to save me... If I hadn't run away... None of this would have happened. When the shackles snapped free I was barely able to slow his fall as Gill crumbled to the floor, he winced and groaned in pain.
"Gill, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." Tears pooled in my eyes as he strained to open his.
"A... Alex? Y... You're h... Here... Nn... No... You ca... Can't be..." Gill stuttered deliriously.
"Yes, we're here... We're here to rescue you. Your going to be ok." I tried to reassure him while choking back my tears, but Gill took me by surprise at the strength of his grip as he grabbed my wrist and stared at me with a panicked look in his one non-swollen eye.
"Nn... No... It... It's you... The.. They want y... You, Al... Alex." He stuttered taking us all by surprise... Though it sort of answered some questions but raised others and caused a fresh wave of guilt to twist at my guts.
"Gill, I... I'm so sorry. I swear I didn't know..."
