Marked in Silver ๑ m.c. [The Bound: Book Two]

~Prologue~

~Prologue~

It was dark. Night had fallen hours ago. The city lights twinkled through the horizon and everything beyond it. The air smelt of liquor, cigarette smoke and sweat. Her presence was as strong as the scent. There was nothing subtle about her. She walked with confidence. Her washed-up pink colored hair was like a neon sign over her head, grabbing the attention from every curious set of eyes on the block.

As she approached "Mervin's Bar", she rearranged her expression into a serious business appropriate one. She glanced up briefly at the establishment, but there was nothing particularly eye-catching about it. The building looked old and not very tourist friendly, which made sense to her in a strange sort of way.

Without sparing any more precious time, she pushed the door open and walked in. The heavy scent from outside was even stronger inside, obviously. She refrained herself from cringing at the odor.

A quick look around the place revealed to her that there were only a few men drinking about, and one grumpy-looking waitress serving the customers. Not sure how to find who she was looking for, she walked up and unsmiling explained to the man behind the bar what she thought was very normal in this place.

"I was told by a good friend, that this is where I can find a man who sells good silver."

The man was drying out a beer glass with a dirty rag. The young woman made a mental note to not order anything while she was there.

"Ah," the bearded man who looked to be in his 40s said, "You're looking for some good silver. Well, miss, you're gonna want to talk to Clifford about that".

"Clifford? As in the big red dog?" she sounded both amused and annoyed at the same time.

The man smiled at the expression on her face.

"Yes, ma'am. You'll know why once you've met him. He's sitting all the way at the back, you won't miss him," and that's all the instructions she needed to walk off without even giving a simple thank you for the information. She was set on finding this guy and that's all she really cared about. Pleasantries were never her thing anyways.

She followed the array of tables to the back of Mervin's Bar and looked around to find this Clifford guy. She was vaguely surprised when she spotted a mane of bright red hair. She couldn't see who it belonged too because it was only the back of a head facing her, but she knew this was who she was looking for. Shaking her head at the situation, she walked up to him and sat on the chair across the table from him. She smiled a non-friendly smile at him. He looked up from his beer bottle and the dark, sad expression he was wearing disappeared almost instantly. He smiled a bright smile at her, his pair of green eyes filling with curiosity.

"Well, hello there beautiful. What brings you to this part of town?" there was something about his voice, maybe it was the accent or maybe the tone; whatever it was, made the fake smile on her face fade.

"I take it you're Clifford?" she asked.

The guy sat back on his chair with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh darling, what gave me away?" his voice was tinted with amused sarcasm.

"Might have possibly, probably been the red hair. I don't know though," she followed suit. He smiled again.

"Your observational skills are uncanny. I bet nothing gets past you," he remarked.

Her mouth twitched at the side, but she forced herself not to smile.

"So Clifford, huh? What's up with that?" she questioned.

He shrugged carelessly, "It's the family name. You can call me Michael if you'd like though".

She nodded slowly. It's not like she planned on seeing more of him anytime soon after their business was dealt with.

"Okay then, Michael, I'm here for business," she finally explained.

Michael didn't seem surprised, "No shit. Why else would a pretty girl like you be in a stink hole like this?" He took a swig from his beer, drinking its remaining contents as she watched him.

"Oh, right," she was unsettled by the compliment. Michael noticed the slight discomfort and smiled wider.

"So what are you looking for, babe?"

Feeling the sides of her face warming up, she let out a breath and told him. "A friend of mine heard about you. I've been trying to find .44 silver Magnum bullets and the word around is that you can get your hands on anything."

He nodded, "I can and I do. So .44 cartridges huh? What type of revolver?"

"Colt Anaconda," she replied.

"Oh, very nice. The Anaconda was introduced in 1990 by Colt's Manufacturing Company. It's a double action revolver with a six-round cylinder. It's got quite a kick, that one. Are you sure can handle that gun? Shouldn't you use something more... adequate, for your figure?" he asked.

"What? You don't think I can handle it?" she asked in return. He held her gaze, and she did the same, not backing down. Michael smiled again.

"I don't know you, but I've got a feeling that you can manage your own. So .44 silver bullets. When will you be needing these?"

"As soon as possible," she answered.

He nodded.

"Okay, I'll find those for you. It shouldn't take more than a few days."

"Good, then I'll be back soon," without wasting any more time, she stood up from her seat. Michael stood up too. Seating down she hadn't noticed, but now that he was standing, she could see how tall he actually was. He towered over her with a good couple of inches.

"Clifford suits you better than Michael," she said in amusement. He rolled his eyes at her and she chuckled.

"What suits you better?" he inquired.

"Clarabelle."

"That's your name?" he asked. She nodded in response.

"What do your friends call you? Clara?" She shook her head no. "Belle?" Again she shook her head.

"Clarabelle. Everyone calls me Clarabelle, because that's my name and that's what I tell everyone to call me,".

"What if I want to call you something else?" he asked.

"Then get over it. Why do you have to be different than everyone else?"

"Because I'm special," he was smiling as he said this.

Clarabelle rolled her eyes and pushed past him.

"I'll be back in a few days," she said without looking back.

"I'll see you soon, Clarabelle".

-

[The Bound: Book 2]