9

Rush had a long line that wrapped almost around the block. It was only eight o’clock, still early for the club scene to be as busy as it was. We parked a block away and set off toward the red neon sign that seemed to be beckoning us to approach. It sounded strange to get the heebie-jeebies from a sign, but everything about the club set me on high alert.

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, it was finally our turn for admittance. The bouncer, who I suspected had been a bodybuilder before being turned vampire, inspected me and Fiona’s I.Ds. carefully. Micah and Aiden were ushered inside with a nod of his shaved head. In the few otherworldly communities that existed in the United States, it was law that our species be listed on our driver’s licenses. Mr. big, bald, bouncer guy seemed overly excited that two witches were willingly walking into Rush. I figured there would only be one reason they’d be excited about witches, and it had everything to do with brew.

The meathead stamped both of our hands with an ink I couldn’t see; maybe it showed up under a black light? With a sly grin, Fiona and I were also given the head nod to enter. The fact that the bouncer’s fangs had peeked out ever so slightly, should have been a warning that this night wasn’t going to go as smoothly as I had hoped.

The inside of Rush was dark. Green and blue laser lights pulsated in sync with the loud techno music while the entire floor was alive with gyrating bodies. Only their shadows were visible, lending a sort of eerie feeling. I could tell there was a balcony that surrounded the entire floor, but I couldn’t see who or what was up there.

During the car ride, we agreed that Micah and I would pretend to be a couple, while Aiden and Fiona would do the same. Aiden had not been happy about it, but since they would be left at the club while Micah and I went to interview Anthony, it was the logical thing to do.

Micah wrapped a protective arm around my waist and I felt the tiniest bit safer with it there. Aiden caught the motion and his fangs descended as he stared bullets at Micah. I gave him a look that said he’d better knock it off. It wouldn’t be helpful if our covers were blown within the first couple of minutes. Reluctantly, he pulled his attention away from Micah and wrapped his arm around Fiona.

Pretending to be normal club goers, we went to the bar and ordered drinks. The bartender, a woman in her early twenties, seemed to be experimenting with her look. Her hair was jet black with hot pink streaks throughout and cut so asymmetrical, it looked like a child had taken scissors to it. I noticed she eyed my hand when I grabbed my mojito and cast a glance up toward the balcony. Weird, I thought.

Once everyone had their drinks, we made our way to the dance floor. I could feel bodies pressing up against me while we pushed through the congested crowd. I noticed glowing blue eyes in my peripheral view, so I swiveled my head to get a better look but they were gone. The bar was so dark, I shouldn’t have been able to see anyone’s eyes, let alone eyes that electric blue.

Finally finding a spot big enough for the four of us, we stopped and started to dance. It was really uncomfortable dancing with Micah, but I focused my mind on the task at hand, instead of the way his hands felt on my body. Within five minutes, the blue eyes appeared in the darkness again, six feet in front of me but I still couldn’t make out who it was or why they were watching me so intently.

I leaned into Micah, wrapping an arm around his neck so that I could press my lips close to his ear. The music was loud but weres have terrific hearing.

“Someone is watching me,” I told him in a whisper. I knew he’d be able to hear me but if I spoke above a whisper, any vampires surrounding us would hear also, and I didn’t want that.

Pressing his cheek against mine, his lips hovered right next to my earlobe.

“Who is it? Interested guy or bad guy?” His voice was a little louder because witches don’t have supersonic hearing like vamps and weres. I hoped his words hadn’t triggered any one. I also caught Aiden eyeing us with disgust. His hands were fisted at his sides while he danced, but when he caught my gaze, he slipped an arm around Fiona’s waist and pulled her so close to his body that you couldn’t tell where he began and she ended. Trying to make me jealous?

It took me a moment to answer Micah because I was too busy glaring at Aiden. His hips were slowly grinding into Fiona’s while his hands roamed down her sides suggestively. Fiona wasn’t as uncomfortable as she should have been, considering she was practically dry humping my so-called boyfriend right in front of me. And because Aiden was a cocky shit, his eyes were on me the entire time with an arrogant smile on his lips.

Deciding to ignore his show, I turned my attention back to Micah.

“I think bad guy. I don’t have any proof except the inner voice in my head telling me something isn’t right.” No one’s eyes should be able to break through the darkness of the club. A nagging thought tugged at my memory and then recollection set in; I had seen those eyes before. When Fiona had the website pulled up, there had been a pair of electric blue eyes at the top of the website. I’d never seen vampires’ eyes turn that color. It left me confused as to what it meant.

Micah spared a glance at his watch and then leaned closer to speak in my ear again. “We’ve got to meet Anthony.” I nodded and once we told Aiden and Fiona that we’d only be about an hour, we headed for the door. I quickly drank the rest of my mojito and threw the cup away. I spared one more look toward my best friend and Aiden but was distracted when I saw multiple sets of blue eyes. They seemed to be in various spots all around the club and my heart jackhammered against my ribcage.

Micah was holding my hand, pulling me towards the front door and I desperately hoped that whatever was going on in Rush, Aiden would be strong enough to resist it.

Once we were outside, the bouncer dude gave me an incredulous look. I was guessing that the witches that went into Rush, didn’t come out.

Micah had called almost every Anthony he could find that lived in Hemlock. It wasn’t until the tenth one that he found the Anthony from Amy Harper’s thoughts. We were meeting him at a restaurant called Fannie’s Flapjacks. Hemlock was mainly all otherworldly residents but some humans were allowed to call it home after undergoing a lengthy interview process. Mainly, they were families of witches or donors for vampires. It turned out that Anthony was human and also Amy Harper’s brother.

Micah turned down a side street and then took another couple of turns before we saw a big sign announcing Fannie’s Flapjacks was just ahead. The parking lot had a few cars. That was good; we would have some privacy to speak with Anthony. Micah had been unusually quiet on the short drive and I didn’t see any reason to start up a conversation. What could I say? It was awkward being around a guy who dumped me just as I was beginning to fall in love with him. Everything about him was a painful reminder to the time my heart was shattered. When Micah had broken up with me it had crushed me. There weren’t any meds I could take for the pain I felt. Time was the only thing that eventually healed me.

I heard the click of a door opening and noticed Micah was getting out of the car. Tucking my thoughts back into that dark corner of my mind, I followed suit. The air felt thick and opaque like someone was breathing down my neck. For a Friday night, this part of town wasn’t very active. Only the sound of our feet on the worn parking lot broke the silence.

Micah held the door open for me and I stepped inside Fannie’s Flapjacks. It looked like any normal mom and pop restaurant. Horrid white paneling, fake wood laminate tables, red vinyl chairs, and black and white tile floor. It looked like whatever money Fannie made from her fabulous flapjacks wasn’t being reinvested in upgrading her restaurant.

A guy in his mid-twenties waved at us from across the room. Assuming he was Anthony, we walked over to his table. There were evident similarities between Amy and the guy, but nothing that would warrant the conclusion that they were as close as brother and sister.

“Anthony Sindle?” Micah asked. I looked at the man curiously, not expecting him to have a different last name. Micah saw my confusion and said, “Different fathers.” I gave Anthony a small smile and nodded my head.

“Yes,” Anthony said with a nervous look, motioning for us to take the seats in front of him. His hair was strawberry blonde and neatly styled. His features were ordinary, as was his clothing.

“Mr. Sindle, I’m Micah; we talked on the phone. This is Gwen Sparks or Hudson, she works as a consultant with the FPD.”

Anthony gave both of us a head nod and then shifted his eyes around the room. There were only three other people in the restaurant, not enough to trigger anxiety, but he was nervous about something.

“What can you tell us about your sister’s attacker?” Micah asked and Anthony brought his eyes back to the table. I could tell that the magic hadn’t chosen him like it had his sister. He was one hundred percent human. He began to speak just as the waitress came over and told us about the specials. We politely declined and she sauntered over to the next table.

Anthony gave her one last look before turning to us and speaking. “I think it was Ben who killed her but I don’t have any proof,” he said in a voice low enough that I had to strain to listen.

“What’s the last name?” Micah asked.

“Crowly.”

“And what makes you think this Ben Crowly had something to do with Amy’s death?”

Anthony took a drink of his iced tea.

“He was her boyfriend and also a vampire. The police said her body had been…drained,” He took a moment to regain his composure. “Ben’s a roughneck that Amy met a couple months ago. He constantly drank too much from her and left her almost passed out. It had to have been him.”

I could tell that Anthony was getting angry so I reached my hand across the table and put it on his. His eyes stared at it for a couple seconds before looking up at me.

“We know this isn’t easy for you but whatever you tell us could lead to catching the person responsible for Amy’s death,” I gave him a small smile and pulled my hand away. He released a heavy sigh and seemed to calm down.