Page 40 of Our Little Dove

I excuse myself from Joel and make my way through the throngs of dancing patrons. Molly meets me halfway, her gaze unwavering as she leans in close.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, unable to hide my surprise. She giggles, her eyes sparkling with affection. “I’ve missed you too,” she says, squeezing me tight. “Joel told me he was meeting you here tonight.“A rare Alex sightingindeed!” she laughs over the loud music.

I scoff and hook my arm into hers as we walk back to Joel. They nearly devour each other next to the bar while I order more shots on his tab.

Fuck, I am not paying for this overpriced green shit. Hmm, guess I was worried about nothing. They seem good. Althoughit is kind of gross to witness Joel slobbering all over my best friend right next to me.

In the midst of our laughter, the hairs on the nape of my neck suddenly stand on end. Instinctively, I spin around and scan the large crowd of drunk bodies moving to the beats.

My nerves burn away the intoxicating feeling of the alcohol swimming through me and I feel sobered and anxious. Thankfully, Molly and Joel don’t seem to notice my demeanor shift.

Like ghosts emerging from the shadows, I see them. Fintan and Kieran, weaving their way through the crowded dance floor, their laughter carrying over the drunken chaos of the club.

I have been watching and tracking them for weeks. They have never set foot in Hell’s Playground. I thought this would be the one place I could go to take a break and relax my racing thoughts.

My breath catches in my throat as I watch them approach the bar on the far left and it has my heart pounding in anticipation.

“Hey, uh—I’m gonna call it a night. I have to work in the morning.” I lean in and tell Joel and Molly. The unmistakable look of disappointment flashes in Molly’s eyes.

“Oh no! Please stay a little while longer. We missed hanging out with you,” she pleads over the noise.

Joel flashes me a tight smile and snakes his arm around Molly’s waist. “We’ll make another plan soon, right?” he asks.

“Of course!”

“We’ll be fine, beautiful,” Joel says, placing a kiss on Molly’s cheek before she steps out of his hold and gives me a tight hug.

“Text us when you get home, I need to know you got there safely,” Molly demands next to my ear.

I give Joel a hug before waving them goodbye with a genuine smile.

The pulsating music blares in my ears as I glide through the crowd like a kindred shadow in the darkness. I look in their direction momentarily as I head to the door, making sure they don’t notice me.

Fintan and Kieran seem oblivious to my presence, their laughter blending in with the chaotic sounds surrounding us.

“Shit, sorry!” I blurt out as I bump into a beautiful brunette dancing near the large doors. “All good, girl!” she slurs, and I make a beeline through the doors before I get another whiff of whatever jet fuel this poor girl has been drinking.

I hope she doesn’t smoke. With potent alcoholic fumes clinging to her like that, she’ll surely set herself on fire.

The pulsating lights of the club cast an enchanting spell over the night, each flicker a mesmerizing dance of shadows and hues.

Fintan and I weave through the crowd, our laughter mingling with the thumping bass as we make our way to the bar, whiskey beckoning like an old friend.

I have been drinking since noon. This is our last stop for the night on Fintan’s insane tour of every bar and club in the city. It’s sick, I’ve never been inside Hell’s Playground, but I do get what all the hype is about now. This place opened up around the same time we got the buildings and started Clover Ink.

This place is aptly named. Everyone in here moves as one with the music. Grinding. Writhing.

The atmosphere is intoxicating, and it feels like sin is being pumped through the vents and smoke machines like an airborne aphrodisiac. This place would make the perfect hunting ground for new targets to make content.

We’ve received new requests from our viewers after the kidnapping fantasy we acted out with Alex Peterson, but Fintan and I are on shaky ground after that night, so we haven’t made any new videos forHush.

As we approach, I catch a glimpse of her, Alex, laughing and conversing with two people at the bar. My heart quickens its pace at the sight of her, a rush of surprise and longing flooding my veins like wildfire.

She’s radiant, a beacon of light amidst the darkness, and I find myself drawn to her with an irresistible pull.

Fintan orders the whiskey, his voice a distant echo against the backdrop of my thoughts. I tear my gaze away from Alex, focusing instead on the amber liquid swirling in my glass, a poor substitute for the intoxicating allure of her presence.

But when I look up again, she’s gone, vanished into the throng of dancing bodies. A strange feeling grips my chest, a suffocating weight that threatens to consume me whole. I push through the crowd, desperate to catch another glimpse of her.

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