Go to Hell (on hold)

SIXTEEN

We danced for a few songs before being interrupted by a boy who looked to be about my age. I wondered what he did to end up here. He tapped Kota on the shoulder. Kota tucked me behind himself and faced the boy.

"Excuse me, sir," the boy said. "There's a problem on the other side. We need your help."

"What kind of problem?" Kota asked.

"A fight."

Kota nodded. "I'll be there in a minute."

The boy left and Kota led me over to Victor.

"There's a fight on the other side," Kota told Victor.

Victor stood. "Need back up?"

"No. Stay with Sang." Kota ran a hand down my arm. "This should only take a minute."

"Be safe," I said. Kota's tone and Victor's response had panic slowly up my throat.

"Of course."

He left through a door that almost blended into the wall. On the other side I saw the brief flashing of green and blue lights, heard the scream of a crowd and fast music. Nothing like the quiet, smokey jazz club. I sunk down into a chair across from Victor.

"What's on the other side?" I asked.

"A different kind of club." I raised a brow, but he didn't offer more than that.

We sat in silence, waiting. And waiting. Victor asked if I wanted a drink. I declined. Meanwhile, he kept ordering bourbon after bourbon.

A crash, then a scream startled me. The door to the other club burst open and Gabriel ran toward Victor and me.

"We need you." Gabriel panted. "Now. These fuckers are about to get out of hand and Luke's gone AWOL."

Victor leapt to his feet and tipped his head at me. "What should we do about her?"

Gabriel grunted. "Bring her along. Kota would kill us if we left her out of sight."

"Yes, because he'll be thrilled we brought her into the middle of a fight."

"God-fucking-dammit, we don't have time for this! Sang, just stay close. Don't cause trouble."

I trailed them as we went through the door. It was too loud on the other side of the club. Bodies pressed together, dancing with their hips. Off to the side there was a group clustered in a circle, cheering. A shout, and the crowd parted. A body was thrown from the circle and Kota stood, heaving, in the center. But soon others were lunging at Kota. Gabriel and Victor changed towards the melee. I tried to keep up, but I wasn't quite as fast, nor as good at pushing my way past people much larger and stronger than I.

An arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me into the crowed. I cried out, but the noise was lost in the music. I twisted to see my kidnapper's face with a fleeting hope that it was Luke pulling a prank. The man was most certainly not Luke. His hair was short and shinny with grease. He had a goatee and reeked of cigarets mixed with sweat.

"Let me go!" I shouted, wiggling my body. He either didn't hear me or didn't care. He dragged me toward a less populated part of the room. Couples kissed and touched in the shadows. I adverted my eyes and struggled harder. Not all of them were clothed.

My kidnapper threw me to the ground. I nearly lost my balance but managed to stay on my feet.

"I'd heard rumors about their new pet," he said over the music, sneering. "You're not what I expected."

"Leave me alone," I said, trying to make my voice as threatening as possible. "Aren't you afraid of them?"

"They're busy." He came closer to me. I backed away until my back hit the brick wall.