Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“What do you think?” My words seemed to carry and echo over the parking lot as if I’d used a microphone.
Devon unfolded the paper Alec had given me. “Stanley’s. That’s what the bar is called. Do you see a sign anywhere?”
I shook my head. The front of the building didn’t have any windows and the only sign that you could actually enter it was a steel door that looked like it wouldn’t open unless you pulled very hard. I fingered the gun in my back pocket, regretting once again that I didn’t have a holster. It was much easier for the weapon to be detected this way, and just as easy for it to slip out of my pocket.
“Maybe we should just check.”
Slowly we made our way toward the building. My ballet flats scratched over the pavement. It sounded as if I was grinding hundreds of tiny grains of sand into dust. Devon’s body was coiled with tension and the closer we got to the building, the more aware I became of the reassuring pressure of the gun wedged against my butt. I didn’t have many bullets left and I didn’t know where I could get more without a fake ID.
The façade of the building was gray concrete, matching the unadorned steel of the door. I pressed my ear against it but if someone was inside, not a sound traveled through.
I took a step back. My eyes once again scanned the windowless front. The steel door seemed to be the only way in or out. I didn’t like the odds of that.
“Let’s go around the building. Maybe there’s more to see,” I said.
Suddenly the door swung open and I had to stumble back or it would have nailed me in the forehead. Devon gripped my arm protectively, and his other hand flew to the knife under his jacket. My own hand was already on the gun. But the average-looking guy who stumbled out of the building didn’t even look at us. He staggered toward his car. The stench of alcohol and sweat wafted after him. It took him several tries to get the key into the lock. I didn’t think he was in a state to drive. But right now, that wasn’t my problem.
Devon nudged my arm and I finally noticed that we weren’t alone. Another guy was holding the door open and eyeing us. His eyes were entirely white except for the black dots of his pupils. Variant. So maybe this was Stanley’s bar after all. I dropped my gaze from his eyes when they narrowed. He was scanning my face but lingering on my eyes for much longer than was appropriate. The turquoise of my irises was probably the reason why he opened the door a bit wider.
“You wanna come in?” His voice was thin and high.
Devon shrugged and walked in, glancing over his shoulder to check that I was following. With a pang of unease, I did. But this wasn’t a bar. It was a narrow, claustrophobia-inducing hallway with a low ceiling. The hallways lead to a second door behind which I could hear laughter and music. If I’d extended my arms, my fingertips would have brushed the black-painted walls. My unease grew. I could feel the man who’d invited us in keeping close behind me. His breath pressed against my neck, wet and hot. He was only an inch taller than me and even thinner, and yet he seemed to be the bouncer in charge of guarding the place. I guessed that when it came to Variants, appearances didn’t necessarily reflect how dangerous someone could be. His eyes alone made me unwilling to cross him. My ignorance about his Variation only added to my fears.
The only light source was a torch-like lamp at the wall, which gave off a bluish glow. It was right at eye level and messed with my vision. I moved closer to Devon to get some distance between me and the creepy bouncer. That’s when I noticed that the bouncer wasn’t the only person in the hallway with us. Tucked into an alcove, a woman sat on a high bar stool, her pale legs curled under her body on the round red leather seat. She was bowed forward in a deep hip bend, her eyes closed. It was a miracle that she hadn’t toppled over yet.
“I haven’t seen you before. How did you find us?” Bouncer-guy asked sharply.
I jumped at how close beside my ear his voice was. He must have closed the distance to my back again as I’d been busy watching the woman. “Umm, a friend gave me your address,” I said quietly. Somehow it felt wrong to raise my voice in this place. Devon’s hands were curled into fists at his side; he looked ready to wrestle the guy to the ground.