Gianni and Me

Chapter Sixteen

Thirty minutes of straight dancing is enough. My sweat has officially become a second skin, and my stomach muscles are starting to ache. Charlotte, on the other hand, looks like she just started dancing. Granted, she does have John to hold onto. As much as I don't want to admit, I lost interest the moment Liam disappeared. And my bladder is burning. 

"Hey, I'm going to find the bathroom!" I shout into Charlotte's ear. She nods and points in the direction I assume is the bathroom. Somewhere in the back. 

I shove through the bodies of vigorous dancers and take a deep breath when I make it to the scattered tall tables, surrounded by MIDAS agents, laughing and drinking. All seem alert, no matter how much they've had to drink. So different from normal human beings. 

I walk in the direction Charlotte pointed to, where two sets of bathrooms await. The only downside: the lines are incredibly long. I keep walking to the left, farther from the crowd of women, thinking that maybe there's another set, but instead, a door labeled "STAIRS" stands in front of me. I bite my lip and glance at the women chatting amongst themselves. There are most likely more bathrooms up there. Without chancing a second thought, I quickly open the door and slip through. 

A part of me was expecting loud and flashy alarms to go off, and a bunch of MIDAS agents to attack, but instead... nothing. I let out a breath and walk up the purple carpeted stairs. 

These stairs reach heaven, I swear. I'm huffing and puffing by the time I reach the top. And thank goodness I did this, because along with a few other doors, a set of bathroom doors shine in front of me. I immediately run in and do my business. I also freshen up a bit, the quiet encouraging me to stay in there a bit longer than necessary. 

I head back towards the stairs to the club, but a door snatches my attention. 

Rooftop. 

I don't pause, the only thing I can think about is a lit up city in the nighttime, a marvelous view of the stars, peace and quiet; I basically run up the last bit of stairs to go outside. 

The door opens in an easy swing and I'm met with darkness. The moon and stars light up the roof in a soft glow, and I can tell it's huge. I slowly walk to the edge of the building. Gorgeous. The city lights twinkle from far off, but it's the stars that catch my attention. I wrap my arms around myself and sit down, all while looking at the sky. Should've brought a sweater or cardigan. Tonight feels like the first time I've been outside in months. 

A soft shuffling noise catches my attention and I freeze. No one should be up here... or at least I think it's closed off to people.  A soft snapping noise sounds way off to my left and I quickly stand. I take off my shoes and slowly make my way over to where the noise is coming from, staying close to the wall as I approach. 

The sounds get louder and every piece of me screams to turn around and run away, that I don't want to see whatever is going on- but I also have this curiosity as pestering as an itch that I just need to scratch. 

Finally the noises seem to form into something human. I start to make out voices... words... sentences... I stop right before I round a corner, knowing that whoever is there would probably see me. A deep male tone I've never heard before sounds in a calm register. 

"I promise, the shipment will arrive by June. We just need to get LookMarks to sign off on it. I don't know why you needed to take us up here for this conversation." The Boston accent is thick and confident. 

"You said that last June." A voice I do recognize speaks up. Mr. Ricci. My heart jumps in my chest. So then... that would mean Liam is probably here too. I risk a tiny peek around the corner and there he is. Right behind four guys that I don't recognize, all big and scary... why does this look like a trap? This must be why Liam disappeared. Mr. Ricci and Stallon stand in front of the guys. "And the view is just so nice up here, don't you think, Gary?" He turns to Stallon, who nods with a hint of a smile.