by Lincoln Cole
To make matters worse, it gave a constant reminder of what he’d done. Each time someone brought it up, it made him feel ashamed. When he went on that raid, he had been in a bad headspace and had killed a lot of people who probably didn’t deserve it. If he could take it back, he would.
When he weighed his reputation against that reality, then the street cred it garnered him proved not worth the price.
“No other options,” Arthur said. “I need some information, and Elgin is my only resource to get it.”
“You think he wants to talk to you after the shit you pulled the last time you came here?”
“I had a job. Elgin harbored a fugitive we thought was a demon, and he told me I couldn’t come in.”
“The guy wasn’t a demon.”
“I didn’t know that, and I sure as hell couldn’t take Elgin’s word for it. He only had to let me in for a couple of minutes, let me splash some salt and holy water, and I would have gone on my way. He’s lucky it didn’t get worse.”
“You shot Elgin in the shoulder.”
Arthur shrugged. “He’s still alive, isn’t he?”
She narrowed her eyes. “You shot me, too, if you don’t remember.”
“I said sorry. When will you let that go?”
“What do you need? Maybe I can help you, because I sure as hell won’t let you inside.”
“I need to get in there, Carmen. I can’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
‘That won’t happen.”
“Maybe not easily,” he said. “But it will happen. How’s your other leg doing?”
Tony grew visibly unsettled at the way the conversation went. He didn’t like conflict and shifted half-a-step back from Arthur and glanced at Carmen, unsure what to do next.
“Maybe we should just let him—”
Carmen held up her hand, cutting the big man off, and kept her eyes focused on Arthur. “You think you can just come here anytime you want and waltz inside?”
“I’m not asking. I’d love to stay here and bicker with you, but—”
“Frieda called,” Carmen said. “We know this visit is off the books. We made our deal with the Council, not with you, and we don’t have to let you in.”
He took a breath. Though he had expected that, it still hurt to hear. “Look, let me explain—”
“Nah, I don’t think I will. You should just scurry on back to your mommy’s dress and beg her forgiveness. You aren’t getting inside, and if you try anything stupid, I’ll shoot you.”
She shifted her coat to the side, letting him see the grip of the gun she wore tucked into her pants. Arthur struggled to keep his face calm, but he had become annoyed and frustrated.
“If Frieda called, then you also know why I’ve come here and who I want. I need to talk to Emily. Do you know where I can find her?”
“No.”
“Does your boss?”
“No.”
She didn’t even try to pretend like she hadn’t just lied, but Arthur didn’t expect anything less. She still wore a slight look of fear on her face, but the normal cockiness that he’d come to expect out of Carmen replaced it gradually. The woman had built Arthur up in her mind after the news of the raid, but now she saw him as just a man once more, and the edge slipped away.
“All right, Carmen, I’m just being honest here. I will walk through that door, head up the stairs, and speak with Elgin about Emily Glasser,” Arthur said, speaking slowly and clearly. “If Elgin helps me, I’ll go on my way. If he doesn’t, then I’ll shoot him again, and this time it won’t hit his shoulder. The question comes down to whether you will let me in peacefully, or if this needs to get messy first.”
The words gave her pause, and she mulled them over.
“I’ll have to go and check with him first,” she said, finally. “Elgin has a meeting with some clients tonight and won’t have an opening, but I reckon he’ll see you tomorrow night if you come back.”
Arthur frowned. “Emily is up there with Elgin right now, isn’t she?”
Carmen winced.
“I only want to talk,” Arthur said, trying one last time to get in civilly.
“You said that the last time you came here, too, and I still got shot.”
“This time, I mean it.”
Carmen frowned. “You said that, too.”
“Look. I don’t have any issues with either of you, and you remember what happened here. Back then, I was a man with a family just doing my job. I had something to lose, and I still didn’t feel afraid to throw down. This time around, I consider myself significantly less encumbered. You told it right; I didn’t come here on behalf of the Council. I came here on behalf of my family. My murdered family. What do you think will happen if you don’t let me in?”
Carmen hesitated, and Tony looked downright scared. Finally, she rubbed her temple. “Damn it, Arthur.”
“If Emily comes with me quietly, then I’ll get out of your hair in a couple of minutes. If not …”
Carmen stood there for a long while, thinking.
“I think we should let him in,” Tony said.
Carmen flashed him a look that silenced him, and he gulped.
“We don’t have any beef with you, Arthur,” she said. “But it looks like you’ve got some beef with Emily, and she’s a friend. You know we can’t let you in if you plan to hurt her.”
“I know,” he said. “These don’t make for normal circumstances, though. If it helps, I give you my word that I won’t kill her. One time offer. So, how do you want to play things from here?”
Carmen stepped aside. “Don’t make me regret this.”
She waved her hand, shooing Tony out of the way so that Arthur could pass. Tony pulled the door open, and the music tripled in intensity and volume.
“You won’t.”
“You’ll find them in the VIP,” Carmen said.
“Thanks.” Arthur nodded.
“Two of your own are up there as well. Hunters. They came in a couple of hours ago, but Emily wouldn’t tell us why. We figured to protect her against you.”
She sized Arthur up for a second. “I figure we don’t have to guess anymore.”
“I guess not.”
He made to walk through the open doorway, but Carmen grabbed his arm as he went, stopping him.
“So help me, Arthur, if I find so much as a scratch on Elgin, I’ll pay you back for it in full.”
“I have no issue with Elgin,” Arthur said. “If he leaves me be, I won’t touch him. You have my word.”
She nodded, released his arm, and then beckoned for him to go inside. Arthur slipped past the two bouncers and headed into the nightclub.
◆◆◆
Inside the nightclub, it looked smoky and dim. The ground floor of the establishment, comprised of a large dance hall with a raised DJ station along the right-hand side, had a bar on the left. No one tended the bar right now, and the dance floor stood empty, but in a few hours, the whole place would fill with scantily-clad bodies grinding against one another.
A balcony hung above, looking down over the dancers with a solid metal railing for people who liked to watch. Tables lined it. The VIP section sat on that level, enclosed with windows looking outward. It had the best view of the entire place.
Arthur had been up there before, and the last time, after shooting Elgin and Carmen in the VIP room, he’d barely made it out with his life.
Hopefully, this time would go a little smoother.
Strobe lights ran across the ceiling, casting the entire place in a spasmodic glow and giving it the constant sensation of movement. It disoriented Arthur, and he couldn’t understand why people would come to a place like this for entertainment. Too much happened all at once for him to enjoy himself, keeping him constantly on edge.
Arthur headed to the stairs that led to the balcony, climbing quickly and going for the VIP section. By now, Carmen would have warned her boss, which meant he couldn’t dilly dally. He considered drawing his gun just in case but then c
hanged his mind. It wouldn’t do to come across as threatening, and he still hoped they could end this conversation amicably.
He weaved around the empty second-floor tables before finally reaching the entrance to the private rooms. Another bouncer stood guarding the VIP, but this one, Arthur didn’t recognize. Short and stocky, he wore a suit that looked made for a much taller man. He had drenched himself in enough cologne to make Arthur gag.
“Who’re you?”
Arthur ignored the guy and kept walking, heading for the open doorway next to him that led into the VIP rooms. This time, he wouldn’t try and talk his way through. He didn’t have the minutes to spare.
The bouncer moved to block the doorway, holding up his hand to Arthur’s chest. Arthur caught the man’s hand, bent the wrist back at a painful angle, and then twisted the man around to face the opposite direction. The guy let out a cry of pain, staggering forward, and Arthur shoved him through the open door into the VIP section. Arthur followed him inside, tapping his leg where his gun rested for courage.
Four people sat in the room, including Emily, Elgin, and two Hunters that Arthur recognized: Jim Fronson and Michael Epplinger. Two of his least favorite allies, and it came as something of a relief to come across them and not one of his close friends. The fact that he didn’t like either of them would make things a lot easier if it came to a confrontation.
Of course, they didn’t like him either, so the odds of a confrontation just went up.
Jim, a short guy, had rough features and ruddy cheeks. Mike stood tall and ugly.
Emily leaned back in her blue padded chair, sipping on a cocktail and smiling smugly at Arthur. She seemed under the impression that the two bodyguards Frieda had sent to keep her safe would make for more than enough to keep Arthur at bay.
He couldn’t wait to prove her wrong.
Emily looked pretty with almond-colored eyes and black hair, though a little overweight. In her mid-forties, she had the dignified air of someone born into wealth. If he looked at her hands, he wouldn’t find the signs of even a single day’s labor.
Elgin sat in one of the plush chairs opposite Emily. He looked particularly greasy and unkempt tonight, steepling his hands in front of his face and frowning. The man appeared considerably less assured about the situation than Emily, which probably came from both past experience and Arthur’s reputation. He leaned forward when Arthur entered.
“What’s the meaning of this? You think you can just barge in whenever you want?”
“Hello, Elgin.”
“Why have you come here?”
“I didn’t come here for you,” Arthur said. “I came for Emily.”
“I am his guest,” Emily said, smiling pleasantly at Arthur. “And a well-paying one at that. I am here with my friends and don’t appreciate this intrusion, especially by one of our own.”
Arthur glanced over and saw that Jim and Michael had both stood. Jim had dialed into his phone and held a whispered conversation with someone on the other end. Michael had a hand rested on his hip, no doubt inches from his concealed weapon.
“I just need to talk with her,” Arthur said, looking directly at Elgin and ignoring Emily. “Let us walk out of here, and this doesn’t have to get messy.”
“About what?” Elgin asked, rubbing his chin.
Emily shot him a look. “About nothing,” she said. “I’ll not go anywhere with you, Arthur.”
“I don’t expect you to refuse, Elgin. This doesn’t concern you. Think it through. You do remember what happened before, don’t you?”
“Last time you stormed in here with your goons and used your position with the Council to browbeat me. This time, you’ve come all alone and outnumbered, and the Council doesn’t have your back. You should think it through.”
“I won’t leave here without Emily.”
“And you won’t leave here with her. You can ask a couple of questions, but she’s staying right here.”
Emily scowled. “That wasn’t the deal—”
Elgin held a hand in front of her face. To Arthur, he said, “Ask away.”
“The kinds of questions I need to ask … trust me; you’ll prefer I don’t do it here.”
“Those are my terms.”
“That won’t work for me.”
“Tough shit.”
Arthur took a step further into the room, releasing his grip on the bouncer and pushing him toward Elgin.
“I promised Carmen I wouldn’t provoke a conflict, but if you start something, that lets me off the hook. Are you sure this is how you want things to go?”
Elgin turned to face Emily. “Do you want to go with him?”
“No,” she said, sipping her drink. “I’d rather stab my eyes out with a hot poker than go anywhere with Arthur Vangeest.”
Elgin turned back to Arthur. “There you have it. She doesn’t plan to go with you, and I have no intention of letting you take her anywhere outside this club.”
Jim stopped his whispered conversation and held the phone toward Arthur.
“Here. Frieda wants to speak with you.”
“See?” Elgin said, all smug and leaning back in his chair in relief. “We all know you didn’t come here on behalf of the Council, who are my allies, and when these two showed up earlier, it became clear you would stop by at some point. Now, talk to Frieda, take your punishment, and get the hell out of my club.”
Arthur hesitated, trying to decide how best to proceed. He had hoped to get to Afterlife before any other Hunters arrived, but these two must have been in the area. The worst possible situation for getting out of here cleanly.
He couldn’t afford just to let this go. If he abandoned this now, then Emily would get away, and he wouldn’t get the answers he needed, and the next time he did anything, she would have much better protection.
“I’ll even forget this little transgression ever happened,” Elgin said. “After I get a little something from Frieda for my troubles.”
Arthur stared at Elgin, furious. Though confident he could handle the bouncer, and maybe one of the two Hunters if it came to blows, having all three of them would make things considerably riskier. Both of the well-trained Hunters knew better than to underestimate Arthur. He would have few advantages.
If they had gotten sent here on behalf of the Council, then probably, they also had orders to use deadly force if necessary to keep Emily safe. It would become their first recourse rather than a last resort.
He’d wanted to get Emily out of here without a conflict, but it didn’t look like that factored in his options. Now, Frieda wanted to talk to him, too, and no doubt, she wanted to talk him out of doing anything stupid.
Too little, too late.
With an internal sigh, he walked over and accepted the phone from Jim. Everyone else in the room stared at him, smug expressions on their faces.
“Yeah?”
“Arthur, you really should start taking my calls.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“I know. So have I.”
“You sent Jim and Mike here to stop me? I thought we were friends?”
“I had no choice. You’ve put me in an impossible situation.”
“At least now I know where you stand.”
“You don’t know anything. Next time, answer your damn phone.”
“Why? So you can talk me out of doing this?”
“No,” she said. “I had to send Jim and Michael so that Emily wouldn’t just disappear. The reason I tried to call you … I needed to tell you that Jim has a bum right knee from a recent surgery, and Michael has seen a doctor twice in the last month about lost vision in his left eye. He’s practically blind right now.”
Arthur hesitated. “Oh.”
“Next time I call, answer your damn phone.”
Then Frieda hung up. Arthur held the phone to his ear for a few seconds. Finally, he offered the phone to Jim.
“She said she wants to talk to you.”
Jim reached for the phone, still smiling, but d
idn’t quite reach it before Arthur let go. It fell.
Jim acted on impulse, diving forward to catch it before it smashed against the ground. He never even got close.
Arthur stepped toward Jim, caught his wrist as he leaned in, and yanked him off-balance. Jim fell sideways, stumbling and exposing his bad knee.
Jim tried to react and jerk back, but Arthur moved faster. With his steel-toed boots, he kicked Jim in the side of his bad knee. Even if the joint had been perfect, the placement and power behind Arthur’s attack would have done serious damage. Against Jim’s bad knee, it proved devastating.
The short man staggered, letting out a half-scream-half-groan and falling into the side of the couch beside him. He tried to catch himself and stop his fall, but with the pain, he couldn’t and fell to the ground and clutched his knee.
Arthur didn’t hesitate but rushed at Michael, shifting sideways into the man’s blind spot. The Hunter tried to adjust to follow him, but Arthur could tell that Frieda had given him a true assessment. Michael had only limited vision out of his left eye, and almost no depth perception.
Arthur waded in and punched the lanky man with a series of rapid hits on his ribcage. Michael could barely defend himself while he tried to turn to face him. Arthur followed the flurry by a sucker punch to his jaw.
With the advantage of knowing Michael and Jim’s weaknesses, it turned out all too easy. To his credit, Michael kept his feet and tried to fight back, but Arthur didn’t give him a chance to regain his ground. He kicked Michael in the stomach, grabbed his arm, and threw him face-first into the wall. He hit hard, and then slid to the door, dazed.
Arthur turned and drew his gun just as the bouncer freed his nine-millimeter pistol from his shoulder holster. They aimed at each other. Arthur’s hand stayed steady while the bouncer’s gun shook up and down in his fear.
“Wait, wait!” Elgin shouted, climbing awkwardly from his plush seat. “No shooting!”
“I’d prefer not to,” Arthur said. “Have your man lower his weapon, and we can still end this amicably.”
“Guns down,” Elgin said, grabbing the bouncer’s arm and pulling it toward the ground. “Fine, Arthur, I get it. I get it. Just lower your gun, please.”
