Chapter 12

After a call from Warren and an argument from me over why I had to go at all, I found myself sitting in Leo’s sports car in front of a dark building. Except for the purple light of the sign and the light emanating from the open door, the whole building was a simple black block against the lights of the city.

I was uncomfortable and fidgeting in the tight red tube of fabric Leo told me to wear. I didn’t see the point of it. Especially not in the front of the line of people chittering among themselves while they waited. This whole parade for the people was stupid.

Still, I steeled myself against what was to come while Leo came around the car to let me out. I was, once more, Raven the Fierce and she wasn’t happy with the parade either.

“Ready?” Leo wondered as he offered me his hand to get me out of the car.

“I’m not handicapped,” I hissed, hitting his hand away and getting out myself.

I wanted to keep a good amount of space between us because he was pushing all the wrong buttons, but I still needed him to keep my secrets safe. So instead of punching him, which might have felt good, I took his arm and forced a smile.

“I get that you don’t like me right now but can you channel your anger somewhere else until this is over?” Leo begged softly.

“Can you just tell him that you tricked me into doing a training thing where I thought you might die?” I snapped back.

“Fair enough,” he sighed.

The burly lumberjack of a bouncer at the door carefully stepped aside to avoid us. He made sure to have Leo between us and when I looked him over he tensed as if I might pounce on him.

“Hey Kyle!” Leo greeted him cheerfully.

He returned with a curt nod and we didn’t stop to talk. Leo knew where he was going and didn’t hesitate to get us there.

Music blared, stinging my ears and pounding in my chest so hard I thought it might crack my ribs. The lights were equally blinding, moving in every conceivable direction at once, with strobes illuminating everything on every fifth second. It was obnoxious and I had to look away from the crowd who stayed out of our path near the wall. Leo on the other hand, moved as though none of the lights and sounds touched him. I clung to him as if the crowd might suddenly jump up and drag me in until we began climbing the stairs to the VIP section.

“I take it we won’t be dancing tonight,” Leo teased.

“Shut up so we can get this over with,” I growled.

The hallway was dimly lit by domed overhead lights, the walls painted black enveloping us in the illusion of privacy. Other than the red numbers on doorways, leading to what I surmised from the noise were private balconies, the hall was empty and quiet. It was like a dungeon without the damp stone walls.

At the end of the hall there was a left turn that I wouldn’t have seen coming in the dim light. I didn’t see the door either until Leo opened it without missing a stride.
Inside, the music stopped.

“Finally, Raven! Come sit next to Councilman Davis,” Warren chimed.

I took one look at the mound of blubber taking up half of a couch that four people could have sat on and wanted to leave. Obviously, Warren wanted something from the smelly pile of fat, but I wasn’t in the mood to give Warren what he needed from me to seal the deal. Instead, I turned on my heel to head toward the smell of alcohol at the bar behind Leo and me.

“Sorry Warren, we’ve put her in a mood tonight,” Leo explained.

I ignored them and met eyes with the girl behind the bar. She nodded recognition of something I wasn’t thinking and began making a drink. I didn’t ask what it was, I just took it.

“Raven darling, the Councilman has been waiting for you to get here. It’s very late for him and I’d hate for him to leave disappointed,” Warren pressed, trying to keep his cool.

I turned back to them only to find the Councilman rubbing himself. He didn’t even try to hide it. In one hand he had a tumbler of whiskey or scotch and the other was down his pants.

I didn’t move except to lean against the bar and run my fingers through my hair as I watched the pleasure he was taking in himself manifest beads of sweat on his pudgy red face.

“I don’t think he needs my help, Warren,” I commented, sipping my drink.

Warren shot me an angry glare from behind the Councilman.

“It’s… okay… I just… ahh…” the Councilman grunted just as he finished his wet day dream.

“Throw me a rag you can burn later,” I mumbled to the bartender.

She rolled her eyes but obliged my request. I took the off-white rag with me as I crossed the space and dropped it on the Councilman’s bulging lumps of stomach fat. Without stopping, I sat on the arm of the chair Leo was in, next to Warren. I might be mad at him, but at least I wasn’t his prostitute.

I could tell by Warren’s face that he didn’t know what to say. I was tempted to laugh at his speechlessness but held it back and left the silence hanging in the air while the Councilman wiped off his hand and let the rag fall to the floor.

“Thank you Warren,” he began. “I will be sure that our issue is resolved on Monday and I’m sure that we will see more of each other soon.”

“Please give my congratulations to your wife for her garden. It was truly magnificent,” Warren spoke, acting as if nothing had happened.

The Councilman grunted and slowly hefted himself and his extra folds from the poor creaking couch. Without another word from anyone, he waddled slowly to the door, handed the bartender his empty glass, then waddled down the hall.

As soon as the door was closed, Warren dismissed the bartender and glared at me. “If you cost me this deal, I swear you’ll be out on your own,” he threatened.

“Is that supposed to scare her?” Leo returned defensively.

“Don’t start with me Leo.”

“What? Did you want me to fuck that pile of shit in front of you? Or would you have preferred that I take him back to the mansion where you could dispose of the body after he had a heart attack from climbing the damn stairs?” I shouted, my glass shattering in my hand.

Did I squeeze it too hard or did it just explode?

“Damn it Raven, you know I wouldn’t have done that to you. How was I supposed to know that the sick bastard would jerk off here in front of us?” Warren tried.

“But you didn’t do anything about it, did you?” I returned.

“She’s not your prostitute to sell whenever you want some new toy,” Leo growled.

Warren sighed, relaxing back into his chair. “When I’m finished with him next week, you can kill him. They’ve been wanting a reason to try out their new police gear so we can give them some gang violence murders or whatever. It’ll be good for the press.”

“Kill him yourself,” I hissed darkly. “Now that the parade is done, you won’t mind me leaving. I’ve had enough shit for one night.”

Neither man protested so I stood, looking at Leo to say that I’d meet him at his car, then left without another word.