I just knew it was going to be a bad night. Sometimes, I could smell it in the air, like an electrical storm building in the distance. Call it a gift. Of course, it never really helped me to avoid the trouble in the end, so maybe it was just one more source of unnecessary anxiety. More a curse than a gift. I tried not to dwell on it, wouldn’t change anything anyway. Better to focus on the things I could change, so I went back to people watching. There were plenty to watch at the moment. Friday nights were always crowded, and tonight was no exception. The sound system was cranked up as high as it could go, and I could feel the bass in my stomach and vibrating up my spine. A throbbing pulse that was frankly a bit unsettling. If I was standing any closer to the speakers, it would probably rattle out a filling. Young and attractive people at various stages of intoxication and undress moved together on the dance floor, gyrating under the lights, crammed together so tightly that you could hardly tell where one person ended, and another began. Sometimes that boundary didn’t exist at all, though the bouncers tried to discourage such behavior when they noticed it. After all, RaZor was, ostensibly, a reputable club. Tonight, people seemed to be keeping their sex acts appropriately simulated, walking the correct side of the fine line between dancing and outright public copulation. I couldn’t understand how they could dance so close and enthusiastically in this heat. The club was like a sauna, humid and sticky. I was sweating through my shirt just standing still, the flimsy material of my low-cut top was clinging to my back and chest, showing my bra all too clearly through the fabric. I regretted wearing white. I should probably know better by now, but it was too late to worry about it. I plucked at the fabric, in a vain attempt to generate a breeze, gave up and turned my attention back to the dance floor. I hadn’t spotted the man I was looking for yet, but the night was young. He could show up anytime, and I had to be ready if he did. I turned my gaze to the bar, looking over the people who were still working on imbibing enough liquor to make dancing seem like a good idea. He wasn’t there, either. I mimed taking a sip from the vodka martini in my hand. It was all for show, I didn’t drink when I was working, as a rule, but in a place like RaZor, I needed to at least pretend, to blend in.
“Hey, sweet thing,” A man, well a boy really, with gelled hair and pants two sizes too small, had sauntered up next to me, leaning a hand against the wall by my head. He moved in too close, aimed his eyes too low and his breath smelled like cheap bourbon. I sighed deeply. Getting hit on by drunks was an occupational hazard, but that didn’t mean that I had ever gotten used to it. I briefly considered ignoring him, but he was being aggressive and blocking my view of the room. I was going to have to get rid of him, before he caused problems.
“I just had to come over and say,” he continued, “that I really admire the courage it must take to come out with your hair like that. Not many women have the self-confidence.”
I stifled the urge to laugh out loud. It had been a while since I’d encountered someone who still thought negging was an effective pickup technique. I had sort of hoped that the trend had died out. Wishful thinking, apparently. I reached up and ran a hand through my short, dark, chestnut hair, mimicking self-consciousness.
“You really think so? I don’t do this very often and I…” I let my words trail off.
He blinked, taken aback. His lines probably didn’t work very often, especially this early in the evening. Closing time was another matter.
“You pull it off very well, for someone of your build,” he nodded, recovering his composure and doubling down on the backhanded compliments.
I turned away so he couldn’t see me roll my eyes,
“You really think so?”
“Definitely, baby. How about we grab a seat and get to know each other better?” he leered through my partially transparent top.
“Sure, how about you get me a fresh drink and then we will find a nice, quiet place to… talk?”
Skinny jeans agreed enthusiastically, probably shocked at how easy this was, and began to pick his way back through the crowd towards the bar. I waited until his back was turned, and then slipped away, disappearing into the crush of bodies. He would certainly find someone else to give the drink to, if only so they could throw it back in his face. I didn’t have time for him right now, not even to rebuff him properly. Weaving through the bodies, I worked my way closer to the dance floor, where the crowd was the thickest, around the raised platforms with couches and tables overlooking the dance floor. I picked out a spot, and as I leaned forward to set my glass down on a table, I finally saw them. The woman was short and slim, a bottle-blond with a tight mini skirt and spike heels. She was wrapped around a taller man with dark hair and eyes and a square jaw with a fashionable amount of stubble. He was model handsome, I noted, and everyone around him seemed to agree. He drew looks from plenty of women, and some men, but he only had eyes for the blonde. They moved seamlessly together, like one being, swaying to the music. The man had a hand on her thigh, barely below her hemline, she had her arms around his neck, pulling him to her. I didn’t like standing here, watching them like this, but it wouldn’t do to make a scene here in the crowd. I needed to wait until I could get them alone. Patience. By the looks of things, they would be going off to find some privacy very soon. Then I would have an opening. Until then, I just had to keep watching, and try not to grit my teeth too hard. That would only give me a tension headache. I sat down on the couch and tried to look nonchalant, relaxed. But in reality, every muscle in my body was humming with tension. The little shot of adrenaline made everything clearer, sharper. That wasn’t always a good thing, it amplified the music and the lights, making them even more jarring, even painful. I took a deep, calming breath. Adrenaline was a tool, but only if you harnessed it, didn’t let it control you. Focus on the goal. That goal was currently nibbling on someone’s ear, down on the dance floor. That didn’t help. The happy couple was all over each other. The blonde had undone his belt now, and they began making their way across the floor. I cast my eyes around, looking for the most obvious place for them to exit. I bet that they were moving towards the back wall, where there was an exit to the alley. It was time to go. Working my way to the opposite side of the club took longer than I would have liked. Too many people, too close together. By the time I pushed my way clear, the door had swung shut and they were out of sight. I needed to hurry. Pushing through the door into the warm spring air, I slid the Taser into my hand and glanced up the alley, hoping they were still in sight. I shouldn’t have worried; they hadn’t been planning to go far. The man had pushed the blonde up against the brick façade, tongue down her throat, hand up her skirt. Occupied as he was, he didn’t notice me walk up behind him until I tapped him on the shoulder. He spun to face me, and for just an instant, I saw his eyes in the moonlight, pure white, with an iridescent shimmer, like a pale opal. They changed almost immediately, he blinked and revealed a standard brown iris. But it was too late. I’d seen what I needed to. All the confirmation that I needed.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“I’m sorry, I am a little busy at the moment. Is there something that you want?” he tried to keep his tone light and charming, but he was pale and trembling like a leaf.
The woman didn’t even open her eyes, she just leaned against the wall, swaying slightly, waiting for him to return his attentions to her.
“I can see that. I would say that I hate to interrupt, but we both know how this was going to end for her, don’t we?”
I extended my wrist, revealing the pale tattoo in gold ink, it caught the yellow lamplight and shimmered slightly. An eye superimposed on the blade of a sword. The man’s eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing.
“You are accused of violating the Pact,” I continued, laying things out plainly now. No point dancing around it. “I am going to need you to come with me. A full investigation will be conducted once you are in custody.”
The man flashed his most winning smile, revealing a row of perfect, white teeth. He could have been in Crest commercials.
“Look, I don’t know who you think I am, but…”
“Save it,” I cut him off. They all tried this; if I let him get going, I’d be here all night. “I know exactly what you are. And you know what I am. You know the terms. Come with me willingly, or come with me in a body bag.”
He froze. It was starting to sink in now that I wasn’t going to be letting him walk away tonight. I could see the wheels turning in his head, considering his options.
“I can’t go with you,” he finally dropped the act. “They’ll kill me.”
“Only if you’re guilty.”
“They’ll kill me,” he repeated slowly. It was as close to an admission as I was likely to get.
Eyes wide with fear, he spun around, shoved me away and ran. The blonde sprung at me immediately, clawing at my face and neck, like a rabid animal. Cursing, I jabbed my Taser into her ribs and the girl spasmed and went limp. I shoved her aside and pulled the gun from my ankle holster. Fortunately, my quarry hadn’t yet cleared the alley. And it was very loud in the club. I lined up my sights and squeezed off two shots, one hit him in the thigh and the other in the hip, then he fell to the pavement. With a sigh, I grabbed the Bluetooth headset from my belt, popped it into my ear, and hit the speed dial.
“Hello Ray. You need a pickup?” the voice on the other end was cheerful.
“And a clean-up team.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. Idiot turned his victim on me and made a run for it. Had to shoot him.”
“He still alive?”
I had reached the fallen man by then, he was moaning faintly and clutching at his bleeding leg.
“Put firm pressure on it,” I instructed, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him from the mouth of the alley.
“I think he’ll make it, but we’ll need a medic team.”
“Victim?”
“Had to tase her. She’s unconscious, but should be fine. Medics should probably have a look at her too, though.”
“Alright, we’ll send a clean-up team. Stay with the target until extraction.”
“You know, Tom, I have done this a time or two before.”
“How could I forget? You singlehandedly keep the clean-up teams in business.”
“Someone has to. Just get them down here fast,” I dragged both bodies up against the wall in the alley, behind the dumpsters. If he kept moaning, I would need to knock him out before he drew too much attention. “If anyone notices the blood in the alley, I am going to have trouble talking my way out of this. I just hope the music is loud enough that no one heard the shots.”
“They’ll be there soon, already on the way. So, was this the guy, or just some fool who wouldn’t do what he was told?”
“It was him. He almost admitted it.”
“Almost?”
“Close as this type ever gets. We’ll check the fingerprints and DNA to confirm. But I’d say we have this incident contained. He was the one.”
“Good. The bosses will be pleased that you cleaned that up quickly. They have plenty of other jobs for you.”
“Don’t they always?” I sighed. Too much work these days.
“There just aren’t enough Partials to go around, Ray.”
“Right. One of these days I am going to take a week off and world is going to fall apart.”
“No doubt,” Tom laughed. “What would the rest of us schlubs do without you?”
“I really have no idea,” I chuckled.
Headlights poured into the alley, blinding me for a moment. I rose and cast a furtive glance at the bodies behind me.
“I need to go, Tom. Got company.”
“Hopefully it’s our people. See you back at the office, Ray.”
“Right.”
I hung up. A man got out of the car, letting it block the mouth of the alley, and walked towards me,
“We got a call,” he extended his hand, as if to shake, but turned his wrist up slightly at the last moment, exposing his tattoo. A golden eye and a sword. I returned the gesture, and he nodded.
“You the medic?”
“Yeah. You got patients for me?”
I led him around the dumpster. The medic checked the girl, nodded, and then turned his attention to the gunshot victim.
“The girl is fine. He’ll probably make it, too. But if he’s the one who’s been operating around these parts lately, it seems a waste to save him, just so they can finish the job later.”
“He’s the one. But see what you can do to keep him alive anyway. If I could question him, I would prefer it.”
“I always do,” the medic motioned his partner over. They bandaged the wounds and lifted him into the car.
“What should I do with her?” I motioned towards the girl.
“She should wake up soon. Take her back inside and leave her somewhere she will be found.”
“Right. I’ll handle it. Thanks.”
With no time to waste, the medics peeled out with the bleeding man left me alone in the dimly lit alley. I glanced down at the unconscious woman.
“Welp, I guess we’d better get you back inside.”
I paused to button up the woman’s shirt and pull down her skirt, then I draped my arm around her shoulder. The hallway back to the club connected to the restrooms. That would be as good place to leave her as any, until she woke.