"Maybe you should text him," I encourage Candice. I'm trying to get her to make contact with this prospect in the Death Dealers named Buzz.
"I don't want to bug him…" she replies worriedly, but she's got her phone in her hands.
"You're gorgeous. I'm sure you wouldn't be bugging him," I assure her.
"Alright…" she says with a giddy giggle, and shoots off a text. She puts the phone down, and it immediately vibrates. "It's him!"
"Told you."
"He says they're having a party tonight and asked if I want to go. You'll come with me right?" she asks.
"I don't know…" I reply, because I don't want to sound too eager. "They seemed pretty crazy at the bar the other night."
"That's part of the fun of it! It's like, hedonistic, you know? They don't have any rules!"
"Well, okay," I say. "If you really want me to."
"Yay! Come on, let's figure out what we're going to wear," she says, dragging me off the couch and into her bedroom.
Just after ten, we leave our apartment for the Death Dealers compound. I shot off a quick text to Drew telling him where I was going, and he reminded me to stay safe. On the drive over, I tug my dress down as it rides up to my crotch. I can't believe I'm wearing something so skimpy, but Candice is wearing a dress just like it and I'm sure that's what the other women at the party will be wearing, too.
Candice pulls through a gate in a barbed wire fence. A prospect glances inside our car and quickly waves us through. She parks on the brown grass, and I get my first close look at the Death Dealers' compound.
It's an imposing, ugly structure. All cement, with bars over the windows. As we get closer, I can see pock marks on the glass where bullets have struck it, so they must have sprung for bullet proof glass, and it seems like it was a wise investment.
"I'm so excited," Candice whispers. "This is only my third time here, and this party looks way bigger than the others."
I nod, looking around. People are flowing out into the huge yard, and the inside looks packed, too. There are two fire pits set up, and kegs everywhere. Music blasts across the entire place, and I'm already struggling to hear Candice. Well, at least it's chaotic. It'll make my job easier.
Candice takes my hand, and we head inside together. My eyes widen as we pass a couple near the door, openly having sex. The guy has the woman pressed up against the wall of the building, and the woman's head is thrown back in ecstasy.
"What'd I tell you?" Candice says with a grin. She guides me through the crowded, sweaty room, and toward a long bar. "Buzz!" she calls out, recognizing him behind the bar. He nods at her, grabs two beers, and heads over to us.
"Hey, gorgeous," he greets her, handing us the beers. "Who's your friend?"
"This is Beth. She's new in town," Candice says.
"Hey Beth," Buzz says with a smile. He's definitely cute – lanky and tall, someone I could picture as a lead guitarist in a band. "I gotta stick behind the bar," he tells Candice. "You think you could keep me company?"
"Okay," Candice says with a giggle, and slides onto a bar stool. I smile at her as they begin to chat, and let my gaze wander across the room. The crowd parts a little, and I see Ford sitting in the middle of a couch, his arms spread wide across the back of it, and women on either side of him. I subconsciously move my thighs together, and feel a moistness already seeping out into my panties. He looks even better than I remembered.
His long, dark brown hair is pulled into a careless knot at the base of his skull, and his face is half-covered by an inch-long beard. I can't see his eyes from here, but I remember how pale blue they were, and how they looked down at me from above his full, arrogant lips. His physical description was the one thing I could see from his military file, so I know he's six foot four, but with the amount of muscle he's carrying, he feels even taller in person.
I knew there was a good chance I'd see him tonight, and I guess if I were honest with myself, that's probably the reason I spent as much time on my hair and makeup as I did. A little ball of jealousy grows in my stomach as I see a girl lean over to whisper something in his ear, and he cocks his head down to listen to her. Maybe I was being a little over-confident in thinking that he could be my way in. He clearly has plenty of choices. From the way they're looking at him, I'm sure any of the five women gathered around him would sleep with him in a second. Or maybe they already have and they're coming back for another round.
Wow. It really didn't take long for me to be distracted from my mission by petty, unreasonable jealousy. I need to focus.
"I'm going to hit the bathroom," I yell into Candice's ear over the music.
"He likes me, right?" Candice replies, nodding to Buzz.
"Obviously!" I tell her, and squeeze her shoulder. I make my way around the room, sticking to the wall so no one notices me. I'm a little worried about running into Taz, but so far I haven't seen any sign of him.
I pass a short line for the bathroom and keep going. I begin to stumble a little, acting like I'm drunk, so that if someone catches me, I'll pretend to have no idea where I am. I saw security cameras outside the building, but not yet in here. That doesn't mean there aren't any, though, so I brush my hair in front of my face. There's a slightly open door on the wall about ten feet away from the bathroom, so I stumble through it.
I find myself in a dark hallway, and from the sounds of pleasure coming from behind several closed doors, I guess I'm near some bedrooms. I'm about to turn back around when I find a door marked "Private." I try the handle, but it's locked, so I pull a small piece of wire out of my bra.
I learned how to pick locks as a teenager, and this one's easy. I quickly duck inside as I hear noise from one of the bedrooms. I head down the set of steps into what I assume is the basement. At the bottom of the stairs, I turn right and enter a long, imposing room. In the middle sits a giant, wood table, and hanging on the wall behind it is the Death Dealers' symbol: a skull over a crossed scythe and sword.
I shiver, trying not to imagine what will happen to me if I get caught down here. I can still hear the music thumping through the floorboards from upstairs, but the walls here must be thick because it's not as loud as I would expect.
I shake off my fear and walk quickly and quietly around the room. I was hoping that there would be some filing cabinets or some kind of documentation of the Death Dealers' activities down here, but maybe I'm overestimating their administrative capabilities. There doesn't seem to be anything to find in here, so I make my way to the door in the corner.
It's also locked, so I take my pick back out. This lock's a little more complicated, and takes me almost a full minute to pick, though it feels like much longer. By the time I'm through, my palms are sweaty. I tuck the pick back into my bra and push the door open.
I recoil as I spot a man curled up at the bottom of what looks like a jail cell. I tiptoe closer, which is tough in heels. I peer over the man's body, unsure if he's alive or dead. He lets out a groan, and I almost jump. He seems to be unconscious, but maybe some part of him is aware of my presence.
From between the bars, I can see that he's been beaten, badly. His face is severely swollen, and from the smell, I think he's pissed himself. I frown, noticing the Death Dealers vest he's wearing. This is how they treat one of their own?
I open the door wide behind me to let as much light as possible into the room, then take my phone out of my clutch. I quickly snap a few photos, then turn to leave. I spot a bucket with water in it in the corner, out of his reach, and pause. I can't leave him like this.
I quickly pull the bucket over to the bars, then force myself to go. There's nothing more I can do for him without arousing suspicion, and I have to keep my eye on the bigger picture.
I shut the door behind me, making sure it locked, then hurry across the room with the table in it and turn up toward the stairwell.
I freeze. Ford is standing in the middle of the steps, staring down at me with a dangerous scowl on his face.
"What the hell are you doing down here?" he growls.