Kray

by Brooklyn Jones

  We both took our place in line. “Hoping to see him again?” Fiona asked.

  “Who's him?” I tried to act aloof like he wasn't the sole reason I was there.

  “Don't bullshit me, Kelly. We might not of been that close during college but don't forget we grew up together.”

  Fiona could always see right through me. “Well it wouldn't be terrible if he showed up tonight.”

  Fiona poked me with her elbow. “Yeah I knew it. You wouldn't have dressed up like this unless it was for a boy.”

  “A boy? What are we freshmen in high school again?”

  “Remember Johnny Kingston?”

  A flood of memories hit me. Johnny Kingston. Quarterback of the football team. That red letterman's jacket. I was absolutely obsessed with him all through high school. I couldn't even get a word out whenever he entered the room.

  But I had grown a lot since then. Men didn't have that hold on me anymore.

  “Whatever happened to him?” I asked.

  “Designed some phone app that made him millions. I think he married a model and has a couple kids now.”

  “Shit. I thought small town quarterbacks were supposed to work at the supermarket for the rest of their lives.”

  “Yeah not this time.”

  We inched our way through the line. I kept my eyes on the lookout in case Michael was in line or maybe passing by. I didn't want to miss my chance.

  “Where are your friends?” I asked.

  “From last time?” Fiona replied.

  I nodded.

  “They weren't really my friends. Just a few girls I met earlier in the night.” Fiona looked at her feet. “To be honest, I haven't really met a good friend since you.”

  I couldn't believe the popular girl wasn't popular anymore. Nothing made sense anymore. “Well I never really had a friend in college either.”

  After what seemed like hours in line, we finally made it past the bouncer after we showed him our I.D.

  The club was packed to the seams with dancing bodies. There was barely any space to move about. There was no way I would get through the crowd to the bar. But it didn't matter because I was all out of cash.

  My head swiveled from side to side, searching for him. My eyes fell on each man and moved on when I realized he wasn't my target.

  There were too many people. My mission was seeming more and more hopeless.

  “Think he's here?” Fiona screamed over the music.”

  I shook my head. “I have no idea.”

  We slipped through the mass of people and made it to the middle of the dance floor. I didn't want the night to be ruined just because I couldn't find Michael.

  Fiona was lost in the music instantly. She danced with reckless abandon and didn't care how she looked. But I couldn't find my rhythm. I'd never been good at dancing but I could usually fake it.

  Tonight was a different story. There were too many people. Every movement I made bumped into another person. I spent the night apologizing to everyone including Fiona.

  After an hour of nonstop dancing, I needed a break. The club was so hot and I needed some air. Deep down I thought that if I went outside I might run into Michael.

  I told Fiona that I'd be back but she didn't hear me. I was amazed at her stamina. She was going to dance all night and nobody was going to stop her.

  I worked my way outside and took in a deep breath of fresh air. The night air was cold and it didn't take long for goosebumps to form on my bare arms. I wanted Michael to put a coat around me and warm me up.

  But he wasn't here.

  As the night grew on, I knew he wasn't going to show up. That one chance encounter with him was going to be my last.

  I went to the bathroom to wash my hands and check my makeup before going out on the dance floor again.

  Chapter Nine

  Michael

  I could sense her here. Even through the all the people. I could feel her presence pulsing through me.

  I needed to find her.

  A busy club was something I never liked. Too many eye witnesses. And I never went to the same club two times in a row. I was breaking a lot of rules for her.

  Kelly.

  She was imprinted in my mind. Days after our meeting, I couldn't stop thinking about her. I had to find her and my only lead was Club Titan. I had asked the bartenders if they knew who she was but they weren't very helpful.

  I'd find her even if it took the rest of my eternal life.

  I searched the dance floor but came up empty-handed. If only I had paid more attention to Kelly's friends. I might've been able to recognize them but Kelly was all consuming. I couldn't even tell you how many friends Kelly had with her last time.

  But I could describe every inch of her beautiful face. Those blue eyes that flooded over me. The way her lips parted ever so slightly when she smiled.

  She made me forget about my hunger.

  I was down to my last bag of blood and I'd either have to go back to my old ways or rob another blood bank.

  Robbing blood banks was an impossibility so close after I robbed the first one. All the other banks would be on high alert with a description of me. I always needed to wait for the heat to wear off before trying that again.

  The other way wasn't pretty. It was difficult and dangerous. Draining someone almost to the point of death was risky. But the rush you felt afterwards was undeniable.

  It wasn't sustainable though. Soon the clubs would close early because a predator was on the loose. I'd have to move to a new city and start all over again. It was a routine that I was all too familiar with. And I didn't want to do it anymore.

  Kelly was the key.

  The mass of bodies began to thin out as it grew later. I stood by the bar and watched the door. I could still feel Kelly somewhere in here but I couldn't pinpoint where.

  I took a sip of whiskey and scanned the remaining people in the club. She wasn't there.

  Then why could I feel her presence?

  The female bartender with a short plaid skirt yelled out, “Last call!”

  Something was wrong.

  A woman nudged next to me and called over the bartender. “Have you seen my friend? She's wearing a gold dress, curly long brown hair and blue eyes.

  The bartender shook her head and went back to cleaning glasses.

  “Are you looking for Kelly?”

  The woman spun around and I recognized her from the last time. It was one of Kelly's friends.

  “You're that guy,” she replied.

  I stood up and threw down a wad of cash to pay off my bar tab. “What happened to Kelly?”

  “We were dancing and I kind of lost track of her. I don't think it's anything to worry about. She probably just went home.”

  I knew that wasn't true. When I closed my eyes I could see the clearest image of her. She was close. “No, Kelly didn't go home. She's still here.”

  “How do you know?” the woman asked me.

  I ignored her and went straight to the women's bathroom. Something must've happened to Kelly. The worst-case scenarios ran through my head. I didn't want to picture all the possible bad things that could happen to her. My chest felt like it was going to explode.

  I kicked open the bathroom door and there she was. Kelly stood in front of the sink, leaning close to the mirror and applying mascara to her eyes. My heartbeat slowly returned to normal.

  She dropped her makeup when she noticed me. “Michael? What are you doing in here?”

  Kelly's friend rushed past me. “Where were you, Kelly? I was worried about you.”

  “No need to worry, Fiona. I just got stuck in a conversation with a girl in the bathroom. She was having a rough night and I needed to calm her down.”

  “Are you ready to go home now?” Fiona asked.

  Kelly looked over her shoulder at me. “I think I might stay a little while longer.”

  Fiona looked back at me and then her gaze returned to Kelly. “You better be safe. And call me the moment you get home!
”

  Kelly put her hands on Fiona's shoulders. “Don't worry, I'll be safe with him.”

  Fiona nodded and brushed against me. “You hurt her and I'll end you.”

  I put my hands up in surrender.

  We were all alone in the girl's bathroom now. The sound of water dripping from the faucet cut through the air.

  What was I supposed to do now?

  Chapter Ten

  Kelly

  It was getting late and I had resigned the fact that Michael wasn't going to show up. Or if he was at the club there were just too many people and he wouldn't be able to find me.

  I couldn't let it ruin the rest of my night. I wanted to dance until dawn.

  But first a bathroom break.

  The line for the women's bathroom was longer than a ride at Disneyland. I kept peeking over at the men's door and wondering if it would be taboo if I went in there instead. But nobody else was trying it and I was never good at doing things first. I was definitely more of a follower.

  Two people away from the bathroom door but my bladder wasn't going to make it much longer. I closed my eyes and tried to dance to the music to take my mind off it. A girl behind me nudged me in the back. My eyes opened and I realized it was my turn.

  I rushed through the door and found the first open stall. All of the sudden I got pee shy. There were too many people in the bathroom and all I could do was focus on the conversations they were having. I tried closing my eyes and humming to help but nothing worked.

  Muffled cries came from the stall next to me. They were more like full-on sobbing. “Are you all right?” I asked.

  “What?” the voice returned.

  “I was just asking if you were all right.”

  I could hear her wipe at her nose with toilet paper. “I'm crying in the bathroom of a club. I think this has got to be a new low point for me.”

  My bladder was put on hold. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  The woman hesitated. “With a stranger? Anyways I don't think you'll want to hear about my problems.”

  She was completely right. I had no idea why I was being so friendly. “It will keep my mind off my own problems. My name's Kelly.”

  Silence and then sniffles. “Nikki,” she replied.

  “So what's going on?”

  “Boyfriend troubles. We both came here tonight and he left without me.”

  I shifted on the toilet to keep my legs from falling asleep. “With another girl?”

  Nikki threw some crumpled up toilet paper on the ground and it rolled to my stall. “No nothing as terrible as that. We just fight constantly. And over stupid shit.”

  “What were you fighting about tonight?”

  “I don't even remember,” Nikki replied. “But it was bad enough for him to leave the club.”

  “Do you love him?” I asked

  “What?” She didn't know how to respond to my question.

  “Do you love him,” I repeated.

  “Well I'm not sure. We've been together for three months and neither one of us has said it yet.” There was a pause for a moment. “Yeah I guess I do love him.”

  “Then it's simple. Go after him and tell him how you feel. Everything else will fall into place.”

  Nikki stopped sobbing. The toilet next to me flushed. “You're right. I'm going to go tell him how I feel. Thank you, Kelly.”

  “No problem. Good luck out there.”

  Nikki left and I was able to finally go to the bathroom.

  I went to to sink and noticed my mascara was all over the place. I took out my makeup from my purse and started the repair work. The bathroom door burst open.

  Michael stood there.

  I didn't know how to react. Then Fiona came running at me. It took me awhile to calm her down but in the end she left me alone with Michael.

  Michael closed the door behind him. “I was looking for you tonight,” he said.

  “You found me.” There was nowhere to run now. Michael made a step towards me. My body moved backwards without me knowing until I hit the wall.

  Michael moved within a foot of me. I could smell his manly cologne oozing off his skin. He stared into my eyes and didn't say a word. He didn't need to. His hand pushed away the hair covering my face.

  “Words can't describe how beautiful you are.”

  My face flushed and I almost melted into a puddle right in front of him. Michael slipped an arm behind my back and pulled me to him.

  Our faces were inches away from each other. I closed my eyes and parted my lips. His mouth met mine and my body swelled with pleasure.

  Michael held me closer, his lips lightly touching mine. I didn't want the kiss to end. But he pulled away.

  I took in a sharp breath. Michael ran his index finger along my bottom lip. If he wanted to take me in the bathroom, I'd let him.

  He pulled his finger away. “Do you want to go back to my place?”

  I stood there on my tippy toes and I wasn't a willing participant anymore. I would obey his every word. All I could do was nod yes over and again.

  Chapter Eleven

  Michael

  She was mine. Kelly was under my spell now.

  We walked outside and the valet brought around my Dodge Charger. I opened the door for Kelly and helped her into the passenger side. I slipped a twenty dollar bill into the hands of the valet and took the keys.

  The beast roared to life and I pulled out of the parking lot. I hit the gas on the open road and Kelly was pushed against her seat.

  Kelly leaned over and looked at the dashboard. “Aren't you going a little too fast?”

  Her question was easy to ignore. I only returned a smile. I drifted easily through the traffic, weaving in and out of the lanes. The speedometer reached 85 mph. Red lights ahead made me slam on the breaks.

  I put my arm up in front of Kelly's chest to protect her. The seatbelt caught her before she could hit my arm. My car made it within inches of touching the Ford truck in front of me. My reflexes were usually better than that.

  Kelly was such a distraction.

  “You okay?” I asked, putting my arm back in its place.

  Kelly nodded. “You trying to kill us?”

  “I'm sorry. I'm just not used to such a stunning woman sitting next to me.” While it may have been true, it was a poor excuse for almost getting in a car crash.

  She rolled her eyes. “Let's just get to your place in one piece.”

  The atmosphere in the car changed. Things were going south quick and I needed to salvage it before it got worse.

  I drove at a safe speed through the city streets. The night lights zoomed by. “I need to make a quick stop first.”

  Kelly threw daggers at me. “If you have things to do maybe we should drop me off and I can catch a ride home.”

  I knew she wouldn't like it but she would change her mind when she saw where I was taking her.

  We stopped in an old business district with every shop already closed. I turned off the ignition and opened the car door. “We're here. Let's go.”

  Kelly didn't budge. “What do you mean?”

  “Just trust me,” I replied.

  Kelly slowly unbuckled her belt and exited my car. I could tell she was being overly cautious but there really wasn't any need. If hadn't gorged myself on blood the last couple days then she might've had a real reason for worry. But with Kelly around, I couldn't even feel the hunger.

  I led her around the buildings and to the back where there was an alleyway with dumpsters and back doors to each business. One of the doors was propped open with light spilling out into the alley.

  “What smells so good?” Kelly asked.

  I could only smile back as I brought her into the back of the donut shop. Trays of freshly made donuts were stacked to the ceiling.

  I took a long chocolate bar off a tray and handed it to Kelly. “Ever had a fresh donut?”

  She bit into it and her eyes lit up. “Oh my god. I've had plenty of donuts before...”

&n
bsp; “But not like this,” I interrupted.