Page 51 of Silent Comrade
Al.
Her breath caught.
He lifted his chin toward the other guy thenbroke eye contact with her, pausing to ostensibly study the stationmap.
The Black man in dark jeans and a tailoredt-shirt glanced her way with a quick grin, then brushed a hand overhis hip. A blink-and-you-miss-it movement, but Britt had a prettygood idea that he stashed a weapon under that trim waistband. So,Al had help tonight.
The guys lingered behind as Britt and Tachiexited the platform and headed up the escalator to streetlevel.
A ten-minute walk brought them to Midtownnightclub Amethyst, laser-light patterns illuminating a brickfaçade. A deep-purple door and cordoned line of patrons marked theentrance, just in case people couldn’t find the place by thethrobbing electronica bass spilling out into the street.
Once in line, Britt glanced around. No signof Al or his partner.
A prickle snaked across her skin. She peeredover at the busy, lit Midtown street. Groups of what looked likecollege-aged and early career businesspeople laughed and chatted atseveral restaurants’ outdoor seating areas nearby. Two bars furtherdown the street drew patrons in and had them lingering outside,laughing and smoking. No suspicious people.
A shudder hit her. No one resembled the menfrom the mall, as best she could tell with what little she had seenof their appearance. No one on the busy street this Friday nightgave her any sketchy vibes.
No fear. No self-doubt. Britt wanted thisevening out. She would trust that Al could do his job. She wasgoing to enjoy herself tonight, bodyguard or not.
The bouncer paid zero attention to Britt andfocused his attention on her roommate in her amazing bustier topand leather pants. With two fingers, he motioned Tachi to the frontof the line, and Tachi grabbed Britt’s wrist to tug her through theline.
At the front door, in those heels, herroommate towered over Britt and the bouncer.
Perfect height for him to check out her …ID.
Tachi did a smile/hair toss combo thatworked like magic. With a half-hearted glance at Britt’s ID, thebouncer sent them into the club.
The pounding bass and electric beats hitBritt full blast, vibrating her ribs, exactly how she liked it. Shesped up her steps to the rhythm as she and Tachi wove throughstanding and dancing customers. At the bar, they returned thesmiles of some well-dressed people around them and ordered drinksbefore finding an open couch near the VIP area. A clink of theirglasses toasted the evening out.
The first few sips of an alcohol and fruitcombo gave Britt that nice warm limb-loosening feeling that startedin her neck and settled in her hips. Even seated, she swayed to themusic.
“It’s good?” Tachi asked with an arm thrownaround Britt’s shoulders, so they could talk over the soaringmelodies.
Britt neck-hugged her roommate back.“Perfect end to a crazy week.”
“I’ll drink to that!” They tapped glassesagain, sipped their drinks, and relaxed for a few minutes. The DJ’scuts were tight and people responded, packing the dance floor aboutthirty feet away from where Tachi and Britt sat.
Peering through the ever-moving crowd ofhappy club patrons, Britt didn’t see anything—or anyone—out of place.Whoever tracked her wouldn’t dare make a grab in a public venuelike Amethyst. From the busy bar to the hopping dance floor infront of a renovated theater stage that housed the DJ andequipment, to the elevated clear spheres where dancers gyratedabove the crowd, to balconies teeming with even more patrons, thereweren’t a lot of places to hide.
Speaking of. She scanned again. No sign ofAl or the guy he was with. A chill worked its way down her spine.Fear? Or hope that she would see him here?
Whatever the mixed emotion, she wantednothing to do with it. “Ready?” She finished her drink and wavedher free hand toward the floor.
“You bet, darling!” Tachi shouted nearBritt’s ear, linking their hands together.
Weaving through dancers, they made their wayto the middle of the dance floor. As hoped, the pulsing beat soontransported Britt far away from her worries. For a precious fewminutes, her life boiled down to the blissed-out feeling of bassthumping through her chest. She let the music take her someplaceelse, where she didn’t have projects due or bills to pay or strangedudes coming after her. A place where she didn’t carry the weightof her mother’s last wishes and her own anxiety. She moved her armsand hips in time with the rise and fall of the rhythms.
Even next to Tachi’s flawless dancing, Brittfelt sexy and free. She fed off the energy of the dancers and themusic all around her.
Free. She skimmed her hands over thetight-fit open-back halter top. She spun around, enjoying thelittle swirl and flounce of her skirt. Even her shiny booties madeher feel strong and confident. A few appreciative nods of dancersnearby in button-down Izod shirts boosted her self-esteem evenmore.
The strobes of light illuminated a group ofmen drifting over to dance around Tachi and Britt. Thehigh-and-tight haircuts gave them away, and the set of theirmuscled frames reminded her of Al. Those guys were probably fromDobbins. Marietta, Georgia, where the Air Force base was located,was not too far from downtown. The too-cocky swagger as ajeans-clad thigh brushed against her leg? Maybe another time. Brittjust wanted to move in her own little bubble tonight.
She swayed close to Tachi, touched herfriend’s arm to get her attention, and tilted her head. At a nodfrom Tachi, they wove through the shifting crowd to another area ofthe dance floor. This area was not as tightly packed with people.She needed a little extra breathing room. They carved out space tomove.
The back of Britt’s neck prickled.
At the dark edges of the dance floor shecaught a glint of hair, broad shoulders in denim, and thedetermined set of a wide mouth. Her heartbeat sped up to match thedance tempo. Al’s shadowed stare slid off the other dancers to reston her.
