Fallen (Chronicles Of The Fallen) (3 page)

Lisa turns to him, smiling. “Thank-you, Tad." She grabs a hold of Jill's hand, leading her away from the bar. "Maybe we'll see you around.”

Tad turns to watch them leave. "I didn't catch your name!" Tad yells back, smiling.

"That's because I didn't give it!" Lisa retorts with a grin. Shaking his head, Tad smiles to the ladies as they leave him sitting at the bar. The bartender chuckles and shakes his head, then goes to wait on someone else.

Pulling Jill across the dance floor, Lisa moves to the music. Dodging arms and dance moves, they make it to a tall tabletop that just opened up. Within a few minutes, a waitress stops to take their order. Lisa looks at Jill, catching her people watching. "Two dirty martinis, please." The waitress nods, turning back to the bar.

As Lisa is about to speak, the crowd begins to explode. She assumes that a celebrity must have walked
in because she can see somebody being escorted to a VIP booth upstairs. Jill turns to Lisa with a questioning glance. Leaning towards her, Lisa says, "Vertical Illumination told their PR rep that they were coming here tonight. Looks like they made it after all." She smiles, as Jill begins bouncing up and down in her shoes.

"
They are so hot!" Jill says, as the music is working its way up her body.

The waitress comes back with two martini's, setting them on the table, then points to the bar. “Compliments of the gentleman." They look over and Tad waves. Jill laughs, as she picks up her drink and salutes him.

Lisa smiles, watching her friend. "You should go talk to him."

Jill turns to look at Lisa with a confused look. “No, he came over to talk to you."

"No, the seat was just open next to me. Trust me, go."

Jill's eyes light up. “Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I need to go the bathroom anyway."

Taking a sip of her martini, Jill stands tall and turns to walk back toward the bar. As Lisa watches her friend walk away, she smiles and turns to make her way towards the bathroom. She hears a whisper next to her ear and her head whips around, her guard up. She looks around, but doesn't see anyone she knows, or anyone close enough to have whispered in her ear. Catching her attention in a dark corner, she looks in the direction of a table and sees a pair of glowing, red eyes looking at her. Gasping, Lisa blinks and tries to catch her breath. Looking towards the bathroom briefly, she looks back at the table and nobody is there. Curious, she wonders if anyone was actually ever there. Looking down at the glass in her hand, she secretly prays that something wasn't slipped into it. She looks over at Jill, who seems to be in a fun conversation with Tad.
Relaxing a little, she sets the half-empty martini on a table.

Walking towards the bathroom, she moves between people, the music continuing to beat against her body. She glances over to the dark corner again and sees a young couple slipping into the seats. Reaching the bathroom, she pulls the door open. As the door closes behind her, the music is muffled to a bare minimum. The bathroom is a bright contrast to the dark club. The lights are bright, the white walls trimmed in black with black floral-and-paisley shapes. The bright lights shows every imperfection, as the women stand before the mirrors adjusting their makeup and outfits.

All the stalls are occupied so, crossing her arms over her waist, she stands and waits her turn. A short, slender brunette turns to look at Lisa and smiles. “Nice dress."

Lisa smiles. “Thank-you."

The brunette makes her way out of the bathroom, pushing the bathroom door open, allowing the music to filter in just before it closes and cuts it off again. "Oh, this is my jam!" screams one of the girls. A few of them push their way out of the bathroom as the music comes in again, just before it's muffled once more.

One of the stalls opens up and Lisa ventures forward. “Finally.” Stepping inside and closing the door, she thinks of the red eyes she thought she saw. "Maybe I didn't see anything," she whispers to herself.

As she’s using the toilet, the girls inside the bathroom quickly begin to leave. The sound of the music fades in and out a few times before Lisa is left alone. Finishing up, she raises a foot to flush the toilet.

Then she smells something that makes her wrinkle her nose. It smells like…sulfur? It reminds her of the sulfur springs in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Hearing a growl, Lisa freezes and her heart skips a beat. The pungent sulfur smell grows stronger and she hears the growl again but, this time, it's deeper and closer.
Panicking, she stands there frozen, unsure of what to do.

Lisa peeks through the crack between the stall door and the lock. On the other side, something steps away from the wall. The image resembles a human-shaped bubble, but the clear substance begins to solidify. The figure starts to shift into a tall, hooded man. She gasps and holds her breath. She can feel her heart beating so hard, it’s flooding her ears. The hood is pulled down far enough to cover his features, providing a shadow over his face. He snarls as he stretches his arms out, cracking his neck.

Feeling a force like a wind blow through the bathroom, the first stall door slams open. His low voice growls, "Come out, come out, wherever you are. I know you are in here." He sniffs the air, then snarls, "I can smell you." Lisa gasps. His voice is dark, sadistic. Growls and struggled breathing fill the air. If fear were a language, he was the creator.

Lisa begins to shake. Not knowing what else to do, she pulls the pumps off of her feet, then steps on the toilet seat to hide herself. Looking up, she sees a vent in the next stall. That probably wouldn’t help her escape. Looking back down, her heart begins beating faster as panic rises in her chest.

She feels the force of wind again as the next stall slams open. Tears begin to form in her eyes. Swiping at them, Lisa dares to peek over the top of the stall to see a black hood covering the man's head. He's tall and carries a thick build. His skin is tan, and his toned chest is thick with muscles and dark chest hair. "Lisa…” he hisses, as a serpent's tongue slips through his lips, tasting her presence in the air. “I know you're in here. Come on out.” He chuckles darkly, the sound low and almost hypnotic. “Let’s play."

She places a hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming. Her stall is the next one in line. Her heart is beating so fast that she has no idea what she
can or will do. Suddenly, a warmth engulfs her. Another hand covers her mouth and muffles her scream. An arm wraps around her waist, pulling her against something hard. Her back pressing against a firm body, panic sets in and Lisa begins to flail.

"Shh," she hears whispered in her ear.

A white veil drops over her eyes, blinding her. Her heart is racing so fast that she feels a panic attack coming on. Fighting against her captor, she feels herself lifted into the air. Breeze whips around her body. A crash sounds as her head turns from side to side, trying to make out what is happening. Finally landing on something solid, her feet touch down on what feels like a windowsill. Shoes in hand, she grasps the man holding onto her, feeling hair on his forearms. Her breathing comes out in labored breaths, her fingernails dig into the man’s arm.

“Stop it. I’m trying to help you.” His voice is soft against her ear. Lisa fights against him more as he re-
adjusts himself, pulling her hands to her chest and holding her tight. Tears spill down her cheeks. She feels the man holding her push off of something and they jump, floating through the air.

"NO!" growls the dark voice. She feels something swipe at her feet, but it doesn't reach her. The sounds of the night fill her ears.

A warm voice speaks to her, his lips barely touching her ear. “I promise, I'm not going to hurt you." The voice is like velvet; strong, hypnotic, luring. His scent is like early morning dew in the forest. He's sunshine, rain, musk, and fresh air all in one. The air rushing around Lisa’s body forces her to hold her breath, afraid of what will happen if she speaks.

She has no perception of her surroundings. Not knowing where she is, other than against a man’s body that she doesn’t know, sickness begins to overtake her. Abruptly, she’s on the ground and his arms gently release her, allowing her to regain her balance. The
white veil over her eyes remains for a moment longer and her eyesight begins to return. Her hands reach out in front of her in hopes of touching something solid. As the white veil blinding her slowly removes itself, her eyes begin to let in hues of light. Blinking a few times, her eyesight fully returns. How did she get into the alley behind the club?

Turning quickly, trying to take in her surroundings, her back presses against the wall of the club, her breath pulling in quickly as panic takes over again. “Hello?" she says, trembling.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" Lisa’s head snaps to the right and she screams out. The guy who just came outside jumps back and glares at her. He's tall, with muscles rippling throughout his body. His white fitted t-shirt is in contrast to his dark skin. He stands over her as his light tan eyes look into her green ones. His brows turn up slightly in concern. "Are you okay? Did someone bring you out here?"

Lisa shakes her head. Everything that has just happened seems to vanish from her mind. Looking up at him, she stares for a moment. "Umm, I'm not sure what happened. I was in the bathroom; next thing I know, I'm here." Feeling a fog clouding her mind, she reaches up and brushes her fingers over her forehead.

"Do you want me to call you a cab?" Standing with Lisa, he watches her, thinking she probably had too much to drink. He shakes his head. "I can't leave you out here alone."

"What?" She looks up at him. "Oh, right. No, that's okay. I have a car outside. Thank-you, though."

Leaning against the wall, she dusts off her feet and slips her heels back on. She pushes herself off the wall and starts walking back towards the club entrance. Having no idea what has just happened or how she got out here, she’s definitely convinced that her drink was spiked with something. "I just need to get my friend.” He nods as he walks behind her.

The music grows louder the further they walk in. Lisa turns to face the bouncer. "What's your name?"

"Shawn." He looks down at Lisa.

"Hi Shawn, I'm Lisa. Would you mind, umm…" She bites her lip.

"Staying close?" He raises a brow.

"Yeah. Is that okay?” She pauses for a moment. “I really don't know how I got outside." Wrapping her arms around her waist, she looks up with confused eyes.

He nods. "Not a problem. Where's your friend?" Looking out towards the bar where she remembered Tad being earlier, she sees Jill sitting next to him, talking and laughing.

Sighing with relief, Lisa begins stepping further into the club. "Right there.” She looks up at Shawn. “Thank-you.”

"You're welcome.” He smirks at Lisa. “A fine young thing like you outside alone? Yeah, not while I'm on duty. Let's go, shorty." She smiles up at him.

When they walk up to Jill, Tad turns and looks at Shawn with a raised brow, then down at Lisa. Jill turns to see what Tad is looking at, then faces Lisa, standing up. "Are you okay? Did something happen?”

"I'm fine. I'm not quite sure, but I'm ready to go home." Lisa watches Jill's face fall slightly. Nodding, Jill turns to Tad.

He speaks up. "If it's all the same to you, I'll be happy to drive her home." Jill smiles, then turns back to Lisa.

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Call me."

Lisa turns to leave, Shawn following close behind her. Jill slips back up on the stool and back into Tad's company as Lisa walks out the door. The music fades behind them and the night air blows over her exposed skin. "Excuse me," she tells Shawn, reaching into her clutch and pulling out her valet tab, handing it to the valet. When she thinks that Shawn isn’t watching, causally, she adjusts her bra. He chuckles, keeping his
eyes straight ahead. "What?" Lisa smiles softly.

"Oh, nothing. Just curious about what you’re doing. Women tend to hide stuff in there. You know…money, ID, kitchen sink."

Lisa furrows her brows, then laughs. "There's no way I can get a kitchen sink in my small bra.” She grins as the valet runs off to fetch her car.

"I hate them huge. Yours are perfect. Don't make 'em bigger than what they are." Lisa looks up at him as Shawn winks at her. "Not every man out there likes huge cans."

Her eyes open up a little wider. “Cans?”

"Yeah. Cans, jugs, melons, tits, whatever." Shawn chuckles as Lisa's car is pulled around. "Damn girl! Nice ride!" He whistles, as he checks out her car.

She shakes her head at the conversation she is having about her breasts with a man she just met. "I'd offer you a ride, but you're working." She smiles up at Shawn, handing the driver a fifty dollar tip. He thanks Lisa as she nods to him.

Turning back to Shawn, she says, "Thank-you for helping me, Shawn. You're like a big teddy bear." She smiles and waves to him, slipping into the car. The valet shuts the door behind her and approaches Shawn's side.

"Teddy bear?" Shawn turns and glares at the valet.

"My bad," he says, holding up his hands and moving back to his valet station. Lisa revs her engine and takes off. Looking back as she passes through the parking lot, she waves again and he smiles, turning to head back into the club.

Arriving home, Lisa parks her car in the garage. Getting out, she locks it up and heads upstairs. Walking inside, she drops the keys in the crystal bowl on the table, then removes her heels. Welcoming the chill of the hardwood floor on her feet, she walks into her bedroom and turns the light on, ready to be done with tonight’s events.