Treasured (Book Two)

Chapter 15: Dennis

I hear women's heels clicking on the tiles of the bathroom. They showed up out of the bathroom stalls in a calm collected state. The women politely washed and dried their hands, reached into their purses, and pulled out a bag of makeup.

Wanting to get out of here, I knelt down on the ground, opened the door then crawled out of the bathroom. "Did you hear something?" one of them asked. The other one shrugged then applied eyeliner.

As soon as I got out of the bathroom, I checked out the shiny tables, the green walls with old photos plastered on them, a booth with alcoholic beverages on the shelves, and in the middle of the room was a pool table.

I checked to see Dennis sitting on one of the tables on the top right hand corner of the room, along with his friends. They shuffled cards and sliding the mound of chips in front of them as if they were dubloons.

I crawled on the ground and hid under the table behind them. I expected them to pause their game and try to find out the noise, but they haven't noticed. They were so focused on their cards that distractions didn't mean anything to them.

I kept hearing my phone buzzing into my pocket. It was Luke or my mom, trying to know what was going on. I pulled out the phone, but instead of answering it, I turned it off.

Sooner or later, Dennis and his goons will be sure to end my life. I peeked under the tables and saw Dennis tossing colorful chips on the table as if he was a king.

All the commotion stopped abruptly when a deep voice overpowered their thoughts: "When are we going to take him out?" it asked. Probably out to dinner? I guessed.

"Later," Dennis replied, shuffling the cards. "Right now, I am busy." Suddenly, a sharp force kicked the chair, sending it to the wall.  "I am tired of waiting!" the voice bellowed. "Let's go catch the punk and ask him where our money is!"

"Later," Dennis repeated, slapping the card against the surface. "Right now-" "That is all you say, Denny!" the voice interrupted. "But I am not waiting or stalling any longer. I am starting to question your loyalty."

Dennis rose up from his seat and gestured his men. They nodded then took the guy outside. I didn't hear anything else after that.

Everyone stared at him. "Anyone else trying to judge me?" Dennis demanded. No one answered. "Good," he said, sitting back down. "Now, let's play."

Sounds of chips, cards, and talking resumed. Everything was back to normal, except there were a couple of dark looks staring at Dennis.

I couldn't stand hiding much longer, I need to get out of here. I placed my two hands on the floor and scurried underneath the table. Just when I was about to escape, Dennis' ears flickered like a dog's.

"Who's there?" Dennis demanded. I halted dead in my tracks. Sweat streaked onto my cheeks. "Probably nothing Dennis," someone answered.

Dennis ignored him and listened to the noise once more. "Dennis," another sighed. "It's your turn." I rubbed my knees against the carpet, praying that Dennis wouldn't notice.

"I heard that noise again," Dennis murmured. I scrambled to my feet and left the bar. Behind me, I heard footsteps thudding to the door. "Come back here!" Dennis shrieked.

I took a left turn to the muddy corridor and paused to hear Dennis. He was whopping and breathing air. "You think you can run from me?" Dennis shouted. "Do you?"

He pulled out a big pistol out of his waistband and began shooting randomly. I held my breath then crouched behind the trashcan bin. "Where are you?" he repeated again. No response.

He took sniffed the air then exhaled. Dennis took two steps forward. I almost screamed. He must have smelled my perfume. Just then, Luke's car zoomed and halted besides me.

Without thinking, I opened the door and slammed it behind me. Luke pressed on the gas and drove far away. I let out huge sigh. "Thanks Luke," I gasped. I didn't know what I could do without him.

"No problem," said a distinctive voice. I squinted in confusion. The driver turned around and smiled at me. It was Seth, driving the car.

"How's it going, Janet Jackson?" Seth purred. "Where is Luke?" I asked. "Still in the hospital," Seth sighed. "He called me to come pick you up near the alleyway."

I quickly buckled my seatbelt and sighed. "Don't worry," Seth reassured, facing the road. "We'll be fine." I expected his friend Josh to sit in the passenger seat right next to him, except he wasn't there.

"Josh is grounded for a week," Seth responded as if he was reading my thoughts.  "He keeps flunking in tests." "Oh," I said softly. "I'm sorry."

Seth shrugged. "Don't worry about it," he reassured. "Josh will be out of the house momentarily. So anyways, are you and Luke a thing?"

I glared at him. "No, we are not a thing. We are just friends." "Then why did I saw you kiss Luke during the whole fiasco?" I blushed fiercely.

"Someone dared me to," I lied. "That's not what Josh heard," Seth teased in a singsong voice. I changed the subject. "What is Luke still doing in the hospital?" I sighed. "I thought he gotten all of Ellen's files or something about Stacy's attacker."

Seth raised his eyebrow. "What are you guys are going to do with Ellen's files?" I instantly shut my mouth. I couldn't believe I said it out loud.

Just then, Seth laughed. "Kidding," he chuckled. "Luke told me everything." "He did?" I shrieked. "Don't worry, I can keep a couple of secrets for Luke," Seth replied. "After all, he is my big brother."

I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "You two were brothers?" I asked. Seth took a sharp turn to the left and continued straight. "Technically, he is my foster brother." he added.

"You two are both foster brothers?" I gasped.  Seth bit his lip then switched the radio to 90s Greatest Hits. "Oh baby, baby."  Brittney Spears sang.

"Seth?" I called out. He turned the volume a little bit louder. I groaned in frustration. "I know you can hear me through the music!" I cried. Seth continued to ignore me. "We should sing along!" he beamed.

Seth sang the entire song horribly. I had to cover my ears to drown out his voice. Angrily, I leaned for the dial and lowered it down.

"What?" Seth cried. "I know you are hiding something," I said. "I am not hiding anything," he protested. "You bit your lip before you turned on the radio," I reminded. "And, you don't even know the words!"

Seth sucked his cheeks. "Fine Nancy Drew," he said in annoyance. "We were raised in foster care." "I thought that-" I started to say. "Look at Luke's parents," Seth interrupted. "Did you honestly think those clowns are related to him?"

I fell silent.  Seth paused at a stoplight then sighed. "Luke and I were brothers," he began. "Mom and Dad are like the center of our worlds. They were both fascinated in crime and detective stuff, like Luke, until they died in a car accident. Luke was ten and I was nine years old."

"The social worker saw us in the streets and took us to different homes. All of them were bad and rough though. When it was Luke's birthday, I was chosen to live in a foster home with a really nice family while Luke didn't make it."

"He didn't let that bother him though, Luke packed his things, his books, and other junk, then left New York to go to San Francisco." "Didn't he go to London?" I asked. Because, that was what he told me on the day we first met.

Seth scoffed. "Nope, we were born and raised in New York.