The Lone Knight (Under The Cowl Book #1)

CHAPTER 16

Hoping to catch her breath, Stephanie could smell the stain of alcohol spilled on the floor and splashed on the walls.

If it wasn't for the alcohol smell in the elevator, she knew it would've been the musk of post-teenage angst liberated from the supervision of their parent's watchful eye coating the walls, ceiling, and floor.

The further she made her ascend up the penthouse apartment Rachel gave her directions to, the more nerve-racking she felt. The climb up the dark and empty elevator shaft of GothCorp was easier to handle. Here, the anticipation to put on the mask of normalcy while hiding the mask of her true self was far more more daunting.

The doors opened and Stephanie found herself able to breathe a sigh of relief.

No one lurked the halls by sitting on the floor disguising the arbitrary with a drink in their hand and a smoke in the other like she expected.

The sound of the music coming from down the hall shook the floor and rattled the walls and doors. Looked liked the only kind of people who decided to come to Rachel's party was the party animals.

Stephanie sort of hoped no one would be able to hear the doorbell or the knock at the door. But the note on the floor said, "Come on in, the door's open" didn't give her such an opportunity to walk away even if she had a choice.

Pushing the door open Stephanie immediately switched on the persona she didn't feel like wearing tonight. Bad enough she had to pretend to be the Stephanie Brown she's force to be in the company of the public eye, coming here at this time of night felt like overtime.

"Stef, you made it!" Rachel shouted, overjoyed to see Stephanie at the front door like she was waiting for her.

Rachel pulled away from the slew of men she surrounded herself with. They grabbed her arm and begged her to stay a little bit longer with smiles and puppy dog frowns.

And right away Stephanie knew why. Rachel was just ripe for those who wanted to take advantage. And those came in half a dozen wearing tight pants squeezing more then their thighs.

Rachel reeked of alcohol. Like a brewery, Stephanie hadn't smelled another person carry the stench of hard liquor this bad since her mother. It was surprising Rachel was still standing.

It instantly brought Stephanie back to her childhood. Her mother spent almost every night binging on alcohol and prescription pain pills depending on her mood. Her mother was like a completely different person when it came to whichever poison she wanted to fill her body with. Almost like she was trying to run away from the life she was living, or whatever burden she was carrying. Crystal Brown surrounded herself with men at parties too. Most of the time they were her dealers or men her husband owed money and allowed the exchange of sexual favors for them to look the other way.

Stephanie was seeing some of the same traits in Rachel.

"Come in, come in." Rachel pulled in with her arm tugging on Stephanie's as she reeled her inside. "You want a drink?"

"I'm ok. You seem to be having fun?"

"Me? I'm having a blast. Did you have any trouble finding the place?"

"No."

"Getting in?"

"No, the doorman seemed to know what was going on."

"Yeah, a few people were a little rowdy on the way up here. So he decided to help me out. Are you curious about whose place this is?"

"Your name is not on the list of residence when I asked for you."