Like a Bird (26 page)

He continued to rifle through her purse and pulled out the set of keys on a pointed stick. “I guess you’re not gonna need this,” he said, tossing it behind him. The keys rattled against the wall and then hit the floor. Next he withdrew the cell phone. “Wow, this is a relic!” He flipped it open and put it to his ear. “Hello?” He looked at Sky. “Oh hey, it’s the nineties calling, they want their cell phone back.” He threw the phone aside and pulled out the can of mace. He stared at it for a moment and then pointed it at Sky, who recoiled further and squeezed her eyes shut. Jared tossed his head back and laughed.

“Geezus honey, what are you preparing for? The Armageddon? Is there a revolver in here, too?” He took the final item out of the bag and opened the wallet, plucking out the stack of bills. “Well, looks like daddy’s been good to you. But, it doesn’t even come close to what he owes me. Since I have you back, we’ll just consider it a loan.” He grabbed Sky’s face with one hand and locked on. He squeezed her cheeks and pulled her in for a wet, toothy kiss. As he backed off and left, she wiped her mouth and felt the cold metal cuff scrape against her cheek.

While Jared mingled, Sky looked through the crowd and spotted a dancer in a bikini and garters slowly swaying and turning in the confines of a cage like an exhausted circus animal. Jared had melted into the crowd so she tried to peer over the chair to see if she could locate her phone on the floor. It lay a few feet from the chair, just out of reach.

She looked around to see if anyone was watching but no one paid her any attention. Crouching low and sliding under the chair, feet first, she tried to reach the phone with her foot and kick it back in her direction. Unable to reach it, she slid further down until she was almost prone beneath the chair.

Bradley walked by and scooped up the phone, then shook it at her, berating her with his degrading gesture. He took the rest of her effects and tossed them back in her purse, which he moved to another part of the room. Sky watched Jared approach Bradley and shake his hand, mouth some words, and pat his friend on the back.

As Jared moved away Bradley glanced over at Sky and shrugged, so she gave him the finger.

A girl in ridiculous heels teetered over to Jared and handed him a drink. He spanked her on the ass, nearly knocking her over, then walked to the balcony, where he could observe the crowd below.

- -

Through the veil of smoke and flickering lights, one particular head stood out for him. A buxom, pink-haired girl glowed among the masses like a firefly on a moonless night. Jared grinned and took a shot of his drink. He turned to a security guard nearby and pointed her out. The guard nodded and went on his errand.

Kitty turned toward the tap on her shoulder. The guard pointed up at the VIP balcony. “Jared Sledge wants you to come up to the VIP room,” he shouted in her ear.

She smiled and relayed the message to Creep.

“I don’t want to hang out with that whiny asshole,” he said, wrinkling his face in disgust.

Kitty rolled her eyes and put her fists on her hips. She leaned back into Creep’s ear. “Well he’s a rich and famous asshole, so I’m gonna go up there,” she said and turned to follow the security guard.

When she entered the room a few people near the door stopped and stared as Kitty looked around for Jared. He quickly spotted her and strutted over.

“Kitty cat. Angel!” Jared exclaimed, his arms wide open as he leaned in for a kiss on each cheek and a bear hug.

Kitty was slightly stunned but played along.

“How are you gorgeous, long time no see. What are you up to?” he asked.

“A new swimsuit line,” Kitty offered and pulled a business card out of her bra.

His mouth turned up on one side when he saw the image of her in a bathing suit on the back of the card. He eyed her with approval and slid the card in his back pocket. Wrapping his arm around her, he directed Kitty to the back of the room, where he offered her a drink and a line of coke. Kitty declined the blow but took the drink, and together they walked back to the edge of the group so he could introduce her.

- -

Sky stared at the pink-haired girl with her eyes wide and her ears on fire. She clenched her fist and jaw, hoping her laser-like stare would slice Kitty in two. The pretty girl laughed and tossed her hair while Jared’s hand slid down her back toward her ass.

She watched Kitty bring the drink to her lips and let the liquid touch her lipstick without actually taking a sip. Sky turned her head as she recognized the technique and her muscles softened. Her purse still sat on the floor near the sofa on the other side of the room. She looked back at Kitty, who was only ten feet away from her vintage cell phone. Only ten feet away from Gareth.

- -

The limo driver turned over his wrist and checked his watch again. It was 9:20 p.m. He sent Gareth another message to let him know Sky had not yet arrived.

Gareth furrowed his brow and rested his chin in his hand as he scrutinized the spreadsheets in front of him. He reluctantly shifted his gaze to his phone to read the latest message “Fuck!” Gareth said under his breath, clenching his fist. He quickly sent a message to the helicopter pilot.

Code RED. Switch to Rescue Mode.

The pilot sent a confirmation and Gareth opened an application. Staring at a map of the city, he zoomed in on a little red dot and sent out another message with the coordinates to the driver. He looked up a name in his address book to make a call. The phone rang only once.

“Gareth?” a weary male voice answered.

“Hi Callum, sorry to disturb you so late,” Gareth spoke quickly.

“I haven’t heard from you in ages. What’s up?”

“I need a favor.”

Gareth turned his head as the sound of helicopter blades rolled over the tree line. He hurried to the foyer with the phone at his ear.

“Oh? What can I do for you?”

“Do any of your guys work at the Brixton Club?”

“Yeah, we supply all the security for them.”

“Perfect.” Gareth smiled for the first time that evening as he slipped on his shoes.

- -

Sky slid a few inches out of the corner and fixed her hard stare on Kitty, who was standing at an angle to her. She made subtle movements in the hopes Kitty might catch them out of the corner of her eye.

Jared put his arm around Kitty’s shoulder and pulled her in tight. She shifted her weight and stuck her hip out so there was a sliver of space between them.

Sky picked up her chained arm and let the metal links fall on the hard floor. Kitty tilted her ear toward the dark corner of the room, and Sky dropped the chain again.

A strange sound came from the back of the room and Kitty turned her head to see what it was. A girl with messy dark hair and streaks of eyeliner sat on the floor and perked up when Kitty looked over. The girl mouthed something a few times. Kitty looked down and saw a metal cuff and chain on one hand and quickly realized the girl was asking for help.

Jared looked at Kitty and turned to see what had stolen her attention. As soon as he moved, Kitty noticed the girl slither back into the dark corner beside a wingback chair.

“Excuse me,” Jared said to Kitty and he marched toward the helpless-looking creature.

Kitty felt like her head was full of air, and she looked
suspiciously at the drink in her hand. She scanned the room for a surface to abandon her glass on, while Jared was crouched over the girl in the corner. Kitty found an opening in the crowd and started to weave her way to the door.

A piercing bell brought the party to a halt. The music stopped, the lights flickered, and a few people shouted, “FIRE!”

The crowd swarmed the doorway, jamming it with panicked bodies. Kitty was elbowed in the stomach by a guy with a beard and another woman shoved her out of the way. The force made Kitty tumble backward and trip over her delicate heels.

“Geezus, calm down!” she shouted from the floor.

A few people at the rear of the swarm ran toward a back door on the other side of the room. Kitty pushed herself up and followed them, only to find the door locked, and no amount of kicking or banging could open it. One guy threw his shoulder against the door with such force that there was a loud crack before he crumpled to the ground in obvious pain.

Just then overhead sprinklers came on. People in the crowd screamed as the water rained down on their designer clothes and turned the floor into a skating rink. Screams from the lower level drifted to the upper level, amplifying the anxiety.

Kitty glanced back at the girl in the corner, who was desperately yanking on the chain and trying to slip her hand out of the solid metal cuff. Kitty flashed a forlorn expression in her direction just before she turned back to the crowd and began to elbow her way to the door.

- -

Standing with one foot braced against the wall, Sky tried to force herself out of the cuff. Her other foot slipped on the wet floor and she fell backward, landing hard on her ass. She lay still with her head resting on her prosthetic arm and let her body go limp.

A warm pair of hands slid under her and lifted her up to sit. She looked up and watched a man in black with a large hood over his head grip the chain and pull it clean out of the wall. Through the mist of water she could see he was missing two fingers on his left hand. Her body flooded with warmth.

Gareth pulled her up to her feet and grabbed her by the arm to lead her out the back way. Just before she stepped through the door, Sky glanced back to see Kitty’s pink head disappearing around the corner of the front entrance. Gareth tugged at her arm and the door slammed behind them as they fled down a metal staircase. A door at the bottom opened onto an alleyway, where an idling car with a driver waited. Sky recognized him as the driver who had brought her downtown earlier that night.

Gareth handed Sky a towel. She rubbed the water out of her hair and wrapped it around her. She slid closer to Gareth as he pulled back his hood and wiped some hair out of his face. Sky leaned and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“How did you find me?” she asked, looking up at him in confusion.

Gareth looked out the window with a crooked grin on his lips. Sky kept her inquisitive gaze locked on his profile.

“I will always find you,” he said and ran his thumb over the tiny lump near her scapula.

Acknowledgments

You might be tempted to skip this part. I don’t blame you; acknowledgements can be rather self-serving and dull. However, I believe there are a few people who deserve a moment of glory.

First, I want to thank you, the reader, for your time and attention. I also want to thank the brave individuals who slogged through the dreadful early editions of
Like a Bird
: Rachel, Mike, Gina, and Renia. You are all amazing, and your faith in my work kept me going at times.

A very special thanks to super-human Dave, who not only read the book but also provided almost as much feedback and insight as my editor did. Dave, you are a rare gem.

Finally, a warm, fuzzy hug of gratitude for my editor, Paula Sarson, whose meticulous work behind the scenes transformed this into a far more readable and professional endeavor. Her 18,000+ edits, though terrifying at first, tightened and refined this into something
I’
m truly proud to share.

About the Author

Laurie is a book lover, tea snob, and designer who has managed to survive many bitter Canadian winters. She is also a Scorpio, which explains a lot.
Like a Bird
is her debut novel.

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