The music that was disgorged from the building plowed outward in an unseen maelstrom of sound. The bizarre thumps were off beat but still, somehow, found their own rhythm in the garbled mass of clashing instruments and synthesized wavelengths. The sound pulsed through him even though he was still across the street and somehow that made him very aware of just how good his hearing was and how poor everyone else’s may have been.
The mass of people was not as different as he had thought. For the most part the men were well dressed in slacks and shirts, some even wore ties. The women wore an array of cocktail dresses, skirts, or tight jeans, their shirts were of every cut and style he could imagine. But for the most part, the people wore the fashions of those who had money. This threw into stark relief the fact that he had none.
Ryan and Efraim continued toward the building without the slightest pause, and Pepromene was right behind them just as if she had as much right to be there as anybody walking around on two legs. William looked up at the three-story high building, braced himself against the thunderous “music” and quickly followed.
“Uh, yeah…you can’t bring a dog in here; it’s against the house rules.” Said a fairly attractive woman holding a clipboard and cell phone at the door.
Ryan simply lifted his head and looked around strangely. William arched an eyebrow at the display; what is he doing?
Efraim stepped up to the girl with the clipboard. “Look Miss, I uh…” Efraim spoke with a pronounced accent. His Israeli accent could be really thick, when he wanted it to be. “See, my friend, from here, he invited me all the way from Ashdod, my home, he said ‘come my friend you must see this amazing place my friends told me about. I want to take you out for a good time.”
“Yeah, I get that. The dog still can’t go in.”
“But you must understand, my friend Mr. Yamamoto, is now newly blinded. He got in a car accident and…he will never be able to see your fine night club…I…I wanted to keep my promise and be here with him tonight. He can’t go anywhere without his seeing eye dog, Carrie.” Efraim gave the woman a pleading look. “Please you mustn’t turn us away. Besides…isn’t there laws in your country against discrimination of people with…troubled uhhh…have the handy capped, yes?”
William saw just a glimmer of sympathy in her eyes and then he watched it turn to fear. “What do you mean discrimination? I haven’t discriminated against anybody! I’m just doing my job!”
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Efraim nodded. “Yes, I’m sure you are and I appreciate your position in all this but I am well versed in California state penal code 578 section 5c paragraph 2; ‘No business shall place undue stress or restriction on any individual for a naturally or artificially caused physical or emotional impediment. Under such restriction if found guilty in a court of law or mandated committee that place of business shall be closed down for a time not to exceed One hundred and eighty days, and pay out damages to party equal to the judges or committee discretion.”
The girl looked like a scared child trying to stand up to her parents after being disciplined. She licked her glossy lips. “Wait…, hey… I…I never tried to put any stress on your friend, look I’m just doing my job, I can’t go without being paid for six months. Please, I have bills…and…”
“I understand, please I just wish to see the club with my newly blinded friend. We will just sit in a dark corner in the back of the building and relax to good music and drinks, yes? We won’t bother anyone and no one will even know we are here.”
The girl looked sick. “Yes, ok fine, just please don’t say anything to anybody, ok? Go in have a great time. And if anybody asks, I didn’t let you in.” Efraim nodded in agreement and led Pepromene, Ryan, and William into the dark swelling tide of people.
William was blasted by the harmonics that flooded outward from the heart of the building. They were strong enough to knock him dizzy. The world seemed to rock underfoot, like a vessel out at sea. He was tossed, and brushed up against, and moved along a narrow eddy that was created in the tides by the two men and wolf in front of him.
The place had a super high ceiling. He craned his neck to look out and around over the crowd. There was a nice-looking metal staircase jutting out from the brick wall that led to two other levels up above the ground floor. The third floor was cut off by a velvet rope and two pretty big guys in black and white suits. He knew they weren’t there just for looks. There was something worth protecting up there. He wondered if he was going to find out.
“So,” William had to practically scream to be heard over the music, “EFRAIM, HOW DO YOU KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA STATE PENAL CODE?”
The Enforcer just looked over his shoulder at him and yelled into his ear, “I don’t know anything about the crazy laws of this state, but I do know what sounds good.” He smiled thinly at William and he turned around and continued to lead the small group into the dark back recesses of the club.
The four found a leather sofa in a smaller room off to the side of the main dance floor. Pepromene lay down between it and the wall. The music was somewhat muted here, and they were able to talk normally.
“That was easier than it should have been and now we have work to do.” Efraim looked at the other two men. “Did you two notice the stairs and the muscle at the third floor?” William and Ryan nodded. “You two will need to get up there when Pepromene and I start the show.”
William was well aware of what Efraim meant. He needed to get past those two guys in the monkey suits and take whatever they could find before whatever Efraim was planning destroyed the whole building.
“Where are you going to be?” asked Ryan.