Luthecker

by Domingue, Keith

  Earlier that day, Alex had gone to see Winn about the message to New York mentioned to him by Joey Nguyen the night previous. He was somewhat surprised to find Yaw, Camila, and Chris there as well.

  Much like his dojo, Master Winn’s residence was also constantly on the move, and he currently lived in a small barely furnished single apartment adjacent to the 105 Freeway in Lynwood.

  “This delivery requires all four of you.” Winn announced to them, as they stood cramped together in Master Winn’s apartment.

  “As you know, a deal has been brokered to allow safe haven in Watts. You need to go to New York, and bring back the first new placements. Three male, four female. Vietnamese. They range in age from thirteen, to twenty-three.”

  “Anyone…claiming ownership..?” Yaw asked.

  “Yes. That is why I’m sending the four of you.” Winn answered.

  “Gotcha.” Yaw responded. His jaw tightened, a look of determination growing on his face, the thought of human trafficking making him visibly angry.

  “They are currently in hiding.” Winn continued.

  He handed a small piece of paper to Alex.

  “There is a man at this address. He goes by the name of “Sam.” He will tell you where they are being hidden. You are to bring them here safely.”

  Alex took the paper, and scanned its contents. He passed it around, Yaw being the last to see the address before the paper was to be burned.

  “Done, and done.” Camila chimed in.

  “When do we leave?” Chris asked.

  “First thing in the morning.” Winn had told him. And then he had added, “Because tonight, we train.”

  • • •

  Alex watched as Chris grabbed the large coil of ropes that sat on the corner of the sixty-third floor platform. He carefully tied one end to a steel beam, and let the other drop to the top of the elevator three stories below. He looked at the others.

  “So what’s the story for this evening’s activities?” He asked.

  Yaw looked at Camila, then at Alex.

  “Friend a’ mine’s workin’ the door at Club Sutra tonight. We all thought it’d be good to have a drink together, ya know, as a team, before we all roll on out tomorrow.”

  “And by all he means all. And that means you have to come.” Camila added, looking right at Alex.

  “I don’t do well with crowds.” He replied.

  “You’re not with crowds, you’re with us.” She fired back.

  She picked up a small backpack, and threw it to Alex. He caught it, looked at her.

  “What’s this?” He asked, beginning to have a good idea what it was already.

  “Clothes. “Cause I know you ain’t got any.”

  “But…”

  “No “buts”. You’re going. It’ll be a good time, I promise. You can trust me, ‘cause I’m a shitty liar, remember?”

  “Lets go, ladies. It’s already twelve-thirty.” Chris added, before grabbing the rope, and disappearing off the edge of the platform.

  “Okay, fine, I’ll go…” Alex finally relented, to no one in particular as he watched Yaw, then Camila disappear down the rope after Chris.

  • • •

  “You look good, my man.” Joey Nguyen said, as he gave Alex the once over.

  The two young men stood in Alex’ 10x8 abandoned tool shed home, and Alex looked visibly uncomfortable in the new dress jeans and white dress shirt that Camila had given him.

  “Everything is tight.” Alex commented, on the fit of the clothing.

  “It’s supposed to fit that way.”

  He started to tuck in his shirt.

  “No no, you keep it un-tucked. “ Nguyen corrected.

  “Oh.”

  You really don’t get out much, do you?”

  “No. I don’t.”

  “That’s okay. You look fine. Now hurry up, if I’m gonna drop you off at the club in the next half hour, we gotta roll.”

  You’re going to look after this, right?” Alex asked, pointing to the Magnavox and milk crate of old records.

  Nguyen looked at Alex and could see that he was dead serious. Despite his reputation as a top-level courier and martial artist, there was an occasional naivety and innocence to Alex that surprised even the younger Nguyen.

  “Of course I am. I mean, you’re doing some really important shit. Your stuff is definitely safe with me.”

  “Thank you.” Alex replied with relief. Then he took a deep breath for courage, and looked at Nguyen. “Okay. Let’s get this over with.”

  TEN

  COLLISION COURSE

  “I am not waiting in line.” Nikki defiantly announced, as she eyed the long string of people waiting outside the club.

  The cab driver pulled the car to the curb, and Ben handed him a pair of twenties.

  “Don’t worry, I got us on the guest list. I wouldn’t make my Wall Street titan big sister wait in line.” Ben told her, as he checked a text message on his phone.

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “I’m just kidding. C’mon, Let’s go.”

  They exited the cab and Nikki pulled her tight-fitting dress back into place. All eyes both male and female locked on her, a few whistles rang out as she and her brother approached the black velvet rope that held back the line of eager patrons from the entrance to Club Sutra.

  “Ben and Nikki Ellis.” Ben announced to the nearly three hundred pound doorman in the muscle tight black dress T-shirt who served as entrance guard.

  He looked at his clipboard, scanned the list for their names, found them, and checked them off. He pulled aside the velvet rope, allowing Nikki and her brother by.

  The two of them approached the oversized and hyper-stylized ten foot tall and six-inch thick diamond-plate metal designed double doors, the deep base sound and rhythm of house music coming from behind them growing louder and louder as they got closer to the entrance. Ben used both hands to pull the Mount Olympus-sized metal handle of the door open, and they were immediately hit with an enormous tidal wave of sound.

  “Should have brought earplugs.” Nikki whispered to herself, before taking a deep breath for courage, and entering Club Sutra.

  Club Sutra was a converted warehouse, the space itself a simple albeit enormous square, with a matching square shaped bar located dead center. The dance floor formed an angular U shape around three sides of the bar, with tables and seating on the fourth. A large mezzanine circumvented and overlooked the space above the floor, the railing dotted with counter-height tables and bar stools along three sides for easy viewing of the moving bodies below. A DJ booth took up the fourth wall of the second floor, a speaker barricaded fortress directly opposite the tables of the first floor.

  It was absolutely packed with sexed up twenty-somethings, each with a drink in hand, smiling, flirting, and writhing to the music. Ben took his sister’s hand and led her through swarms of people towards the bar. She took note of the cages in two of the far corners of the club’s first floor, each with a three-quarters-naked female dancer doing her best stripper impression. For the first time since she came out to Los Angeles, she thought of moving back to New York.

  “This is my sister Nikki.” Ben said to a young man whose eyes went wide at the site of her.

  “Nikki, this is Scott.” He in turn said to his sister.

  “Nice to meet you.” They both said to one another as they shook hands. Six foot tall and blonde, Scott was a twenty-three year old version of Brad Pitt. At least that was the way he saw it.

  “What are you drinking?” Scott yelled to Nikki, above the cacophony of the crowds and music.

  “I mean, you do drink, right?” He quickly added, in deference to Ben’s abstinence.

  “I definitely do tonight.” She said, not loud enough for him to hear.

  “What?” Scott yelled.

  “Yes. I do. Grey Goose and Soda.” She replied, as loud as she could, knowing that at this decibel rate, she would have no voice left by the end of the evening.


  Scott nodded, gave her a thumbs-up, and turned towards the bar.

  Nikki looked at Ben. He responded before she could say a word.

  “Just relax. Scott’s a nice guy.”

  “What?” Nikki yelled in reply, frustrated that the heavy back beat and roar of conversation nearly drowned out any attempt at civil conversation.

  Ben leaned close to her ear and yelled, “I said, just relax. Scott’s a nice guy.”

  “He’s like twenty-three.” She yelled back.

  “I’m twenty-three.”

  “He looks like a trust fund baby.”

  “He is. His father owns a hedge fund. I thought you two could relate.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Look, it doesn’t make him a bad guy.”

  “What?”

  “I said it doesn’t make him a bad guy.”

  “It’s really loud in here.”

  “Look, just have some fun. Please?”

  Scott turned from the bar, drinks in hand. He offered one to Nikki, and she forced a smile as she took it.

  “Thank you.” She yelled at nearly the top of her lungs.

  “I knew Ben’s big sister was hot, but I had no idea how hot. Wow. You’re so amazing. We really have to hit the dance floor.”

  Nikki didn’t answer, not believing she had heard what she just heard. She realized how much she missed the nice quiet dinners at Daniel’s. She smiled at Scott, and sipped hard on the straw of her drink, swearing to herself that although she loved her brother, she would never let him bring her to a place like this again.

  • • •

  Marcus Stern stood in the corner of the Club, drink in hand, gyrating slightly to the music, enjoying the view.

  Club Sutra was the fourth place he had “canvassed” this evening, and the girls here were by far the hottest. This place was incredible he thought to himself, and the five drinks he’d already had this evening certainly didn’t stand in the way of that perception.

  “Hey baby, wanna dance?” He asked some random California supermodel-looking blonde as she walked by. Her eyes briefly looked him up and down, the operative word being down, and she kept moving, no break in stride.

  “That’s okay, baby, maybe later.” Stern yelled out as he watched her walk off and become absorbed into the crowd.

  He felt the cell phone in his pocket buzz, and he pulled it free to check it. A text from Wolfe: Wrap it up playboy. I want to go home.

  “Fuckin’ granny…” Stern whispered to himself.

  He texted back: Go home.

  He flipped his phone shut, stuffed it back in his pocket. He eyed the bar in the center of the room, and the human sea he would have to swim through to get to it. He took a deep breath, smiled, and, like a shark, began making his way in its direction.

  • • •

  Joey Nguyen drove his 442 past the countless hopefuls waiting outside the entrance of Club Sutra, and then turned left into the side alley. He saw Yaw standing at a service exit, and pulled up next to him.

  He turned to a visibly anxious Alex.

  “Have fun, man. Looks like it’s rockin’. And good luck tomorrow.”

  “Thank you.” Alex replied softly, and the men shook hands before Alex climbed out of the car.

  “My man.” Yaw said to Alex as he approached and gave him a hug.

  Alex had never seen Yaw dressed up before, with razor sharp style, his long dreadlocks pulled back neatly in a pony-tail, a small diamond stud in his ear.

  “C- Ram and Aldrich are already inside.” Yaw told him.

  He gave Alex the once over.

  “You look good, Doctor Alex. You clean up all right. Let’s go.”

  Yaw led Alex through the back entrance and into the kitchen area, past the grills, the hanging pots and pans and walls of alcohol bottles before blasting through a set of double doors and into the hedonistic abyss of Club Sutra.

  “Alex!” Camila screamed as they approached the table where she and Chris Aldrich sat.

  She stood up from her chair, revealing a shredded yet feminine muscularity, a mixture of angles and curves visible through tight jeans and a dress tank top that highlighted her well-toned and muscular arms.

  Alex approached and she wrapped those arms around him, nearly crushing the wind from his frame with a big hug.

  “Sit down, have a beer.” She added, as Alex leaned over the table and shook Chris Aldrich’s hand as well.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you out before.” Camila said.

  “That’s because I’ve never been out before.”

  “We have to dance, my man!”

  “That won’t end well for me.” Alex said, his serious tone making it appear that much more a joke to Camila.

  “Hahah, Aww, you just gotta loosin’ up.”

  “We should probably discuss tomorrow’s travel plans.”

  “No shop talk.” Yaw interrupted.

  “Amen. Plenty of time for that tomorrow. Tonight, we chill.” Chris added, taking a long pull from his clear bottled Corona Lite.

  Alex took a long look over the room. It dawned on him that never in his life had he been surrounded by this many people all at once, in such close quarters. The unexpected stillness it created in his head took him completely by surprise. There were so many patterns, of so many lives, all of them in one place, all in the moment, and the fact that all of them moved to the same rhythm and were thinking similar things made it impossible for him to see any one individual clearly. Simply put, they were too interlaced with one another to read individually. In a way, they cancelled each other out. For Alex it was almost peaceful, something he had never experienced before, and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

  “I’m going to take a look around.” He announced to his friends, as he got up from the table.

  “Good luck out there.” Yaw said to him with a smile.

  “Bring back a cute girl.” Camila added, but Alex was already fast disappearing into the crowd.

  • • •

  “C’mon! Let’s dance!” Nikki yelled out, half-hoarse, as she waved her hands in the air above her head, cocktail not so carefully held aloft in her left. Three Grey Goose and sodas into the evening, and she had joined the multi-bodied single rhythm organism swaying to the music on the dance floor.

  “All right…” Scott replied in approval, bumping and grinding his way to the rhythm, using his dance moves as a tactic to get closer to her. But Nikki easily read it, and only let him get so close before pin-balling between other bodies and using them as interference, one man seeing her and trying to get closer than the next, an informal competition for her attention, a game that she knew how to play, and play well.

  Ben grabbed a water bottle from the bartender, thanked him, and turned back towards the dance floor. He searched the crowds for his sister, and spotted her hands waving above her head, not too far into the multitudes.

  Nikki’s relationship with alcohol was very different than his, and after a couple she was prone to become the life of the party. He knew that she had boundaries, ones that even alcohol could not break, so it was unlikely she would end up doing something out of character like going home with a stranger. If anything, it was good for her to let her hair down a bit, have some fun, and if it took a couple drinks to help her get there, so be it. It was a rare occurrence, and as long as someone looked out for her, she would be fine, and looking after her was exactly what he intended to do.

  He stopped in the middle of all the bodies, stood on his toes and looked again for his sister. She had moved further onto the dance floor, and he saw her strobed between all the moving bodies, dancing, flirting, a big smile on her face. Good, he thought. She was finally having fun. He shoehorned his way between a small cluster of young ladies, and forged ahead in her direction.

  • • •

  Marcus Stern felt a wave of dizziness sweep over him, the teeth rattling base blasting from the speakers suddenly disorienting. Dancing in the middle of the floor with no one
in particular, he stopped for a moment, the inevitable realization that he was quite drunk abruptly overwhelming him. For a second, he thought he might throw up. Wolfe had been texting him, telling him to call it a night and get out of the damn club, and maybe he was right. He knew that tomorrow, he would have one hell of a hangover. Still, it had been a blast. He shook it off and started to push his way towards the exit, when an insanely hot looking girl in a black dress caught his eye.

  • • •

  Alex stood with fascination as he watched the crowds, all the bodies moving together like a single organism. He was completely captivated by it. As long as he kept his focus away from anyone in particular and just listened to the music, he saw nothing. His mind was at peace, and he actually felt part of it all. He was instinctively giddy, and a wide grin broke out on his face. This is what normal must feel like, he thought to himself.

  He stayed on the perimeter of the dance floor, casually glancing over the multi-limbed creature that circumscribed the bar, seeing an arm, a leg, a breast, a face, none of them connected, but all part of the same entity. Excited that none of it lead to any individual in particular, he intended to make a full circle around the bar, and end up back at the table with his friends, happy with his discovery. When their mission was over, he would have to do this again. And although he didn’t drink, maybe, for the first time, he would have one.

  Something caught the corner of his eye, and he turned back. Before he knew it, his eyes had locked on a woman, absolutely stunning, wrapped in a tight black dress. She was dancing, laughing, and having a good time, but stood out from the intermingled mass of bodies. And despite her presence here, to Alex, she did not appear to be part of the larger nightclub organism.

  He knew right away that it was her first time at this club. And although she clearly showed signs of alcohol intoxication, she was keenly aware of her surroundings and keeping all of the predators at bay. His eyes instinctively and with rapid movement scanned over her. He couldn’t stop himself. And then the smile on his face quickly disappeared, his heart sinking with dread.

  He hadn’t seen something like this, something so certain and immediate, since that fateful day in Los Angeles, three years ago, the one that collapsed the momentum on him, and had set him on the run. He swore then that he would never make the same mistake again. He told himself to walk away. Right now. He shook off what he had just seen, and started back towards the table area.