Page 8 of Proposition 1

5. Cadence

Ifrowned down at the phone. It was bad enough that I gave in and called him, but now he wanted me to meet him somewhere downtown.

The way he acted only solidified my suspicions that I wasn’t going to like whatever he had in mind, but I had exhausted all other avenues. I’d finally had to tell my brother the truth the night before, and the terrified look in his eyes when he heard how much that backpack had been worth tore me apart. I’d seen the sheen of tears he fought not to shed, and I’d promised him I was taking care of it.

Momma distracted us before he could ask me how, but I knew he would try to get it out of me as soon as he caught me alone, and I needed an answer to give him. He already knew we were on the verge of the bank foreclosing on the house, and no one would give Momma another loan. I couldn’t get one either, and we didn’t have anything left to sell.

Letting out a deep sigh, I put the phone in my pocket and walked into the diner feeling like my neck was stuck in a guillotine. I tried not to let the stress affect my work, but it was a constant cloud that descended every time it got the chance.

The one night I wasn’t wishing my shift was over, I blinked and the boss was locking the doors. The haze of worry and exhaustion cleared, and suddenly I only had thirty minutes to get downtown to meet Leo.

Grabbing my purse, I headed out to the old Toyota my brother and I shared. I would take the bus to the office in the morning while my brother took the car to school, but I usually drove to the diner since I got off so late. There’s no way I could have made it to the address Leo gave me trying to take the bus and I’m glad I didn’t have to worry about not being able to leave whenever I wanted.

I got behind the wheel and turned on my GPS. My heart was pounding out of my chest as I got closer to the destination, and I was surprised when the GPS told me I’d reached it.

The building I’d pulled up to looked like an old warehouse, one of the relics from when the city was smaller. Cars lined the streets, and the only parking lot I could see was packed, yet there wasn’t any apartments or businesses that I could see nearby.

I was idling in the middle of the road, unsure where to go, when I saw a group of people head across the street in front of me. The girls were dressed in skimpy outfits, made up like they were going to a club, and they disappeared along the other side of the building.

Curious, I rolled the car forward until I could see around the corner. I was just in time to watch the last girl in the group disappear through an open doorway. The entire building seemed abandoned, yet as I watched, two more girls dressed just as scantily came along and passed through into the darkness inside the opening.

Sucking in a deep breath, I decided the building must be more than what it seemed, and I knew it was the correct address, so I searched for a place to park. It was five minutes to eleven already, and I was going to be late.

I circled the block and searched the parking lot with no luck. Spotting a small alley between two buildings a couple blocks down, I risked parking along the wall by the dumpster. I knew I shouldn’t, but I wouldn’t be there long and would hopefully be gone before anyone noticed.

By the time I got back to the door I saw the others go through, it was already ten after and I was out of breath. Pausing, I peered into the dim interior and noticed the door opened into a hallway. The flickering yellow lights didn’t do much to illuminate it, but they kept me from stumbling into the walls as I walked inside.

Moving farther along, I began to hear a low thumping, but I didn’t realize it was music until I reached another set of doors and pushed them open. The room in front of me was just as dim as the hallway, and there was another set of doors on the opposite end. Two men dressed in black suits stood by the open doors, checking people’s IDs as they pass.

There were about fifteen people between me and them, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I wasn’t twenty-one yet, and this didn’t seem like the type of club that allowed eighteen and up. I didn’t know why Leo wanted to meet me here, but he may not have realized I wouldn’t be able to get in.

I was still debating turning around and calling him from outside when I realized I was standing right in front of one of the guards. Fumbling my ID from my purse, I handed it over.

“I’m supposed to be meeting someone here. Leo…”

I trailed off as he looked down at my ID. The man grunted and glanced at his watch before handing my ID back to me.

“Mr. Galleon is waiting for you. Follow me.”

He said something to the other guard, then he turned and walked into the club. Worried I would lose him in the crush of people, I rushed to keep up, staying right behind him as he wove his way around the edge of the room.

Halfway down the side wall, we went up a set of stairs to a balcony that circled two-thirds of the room. There were couches lining the edge for people to sit and have a drink while being out of the way of the dance floor below.

Once we turned the corner to the back wall, the seating area gave way to pool tables. The bass still thumped through my body, but it wasn’t as loud on the balcony as it was below, and when we passed through another set of doors in the middle of the back wall, it was muted to almost nothing.

We walked across a short hallway before the guard pushed open another door. The room we walked into looked like a theater, except the chairs were leather with small tables between them. The walls were black, as were the curtains on each side of a stage that was painted a deep red. It was fairly small, but it was well-lit, and it was easy to see who was standing in the middle of it.

The guard stopped inside the door, giving a nod toward the stage when I glanced at him. Leo watched me as I made my way between the seats until I stood on the floor in front of him.

His hands were in his pants pockets, his face expressionless as he looked down at me in silence. I couldn’t help fidgeting, debating on apologizing for being late, when he finally spoke up.

“Join me onstage.”

I jerked my eyes around until I saw the stairs to my right. Even though the seats behind me were empty, it still made me nervous to climb the steps and walk to where Leo stood. My chest was heaving from the strain of all the stress, and I watched his eyes dip to wander over my body once again. I was still in my waitressing uniform, and a flush of embarrassment raced through me.

“Turn and look around.”

My eyebrows pulled together at his odd request, but I did as he said. The theater looked larger from the stage than it had as I passed through it, and I was glad we were the only people in the room. The guard must have considered his job done and left once he’d brought me to the theater.

---