Chapter Three

The closed sign hanging in the window put a damper on her excitement. Her first impulse was to swear, she had been so hyped up on the idea of chasing down her first potential lead it completely slipped her mind to check for the club's opening hours.

"No...no...no!" she slammed her fist against the dashboard of her brand new car & took out the remainder of her frustration out on her lip.

It was her first case since Chase died. Hell, maybe Ainzley was right, maybe she wasnt as mentally prepared as she thought she was.

Screw this! Jess picked a spot, put the car in park & unfastened her seatbelt. getting out she was immedistely greeted by warm rays of sunshine & the quiet ambience of an empty lot. The gentle breeze flowed through her towhead blond tresses as she headed to the club's entrance.

The roaring sound of a bike whipped her head to side, speeding down the lane was a blacked out Ducati. As it came to a stop the flame of hope in her gut was rekindled, with renewed vigor she marched up to the front door and waited.

One black boot hit the pavement, then the helmet was off. A tumble of ebony hair shook loose, the biker was a striking attractive woman. She dropped the kickstand, unmounted the metal beast then gave Jess the once over before introductions were made.

She had the whole badass goth chick thing going, dozens of piercings, tatts & black nail polish which was either some kind a fashion statement or an identity flaw.

The mugshots taken prior to her arrest looked nothing like the woman standing before her. For starters she had a bob cut & wore glasses which clearly was not the case anymore.

If not for the confimed match Jess would've sworn she was mistaken.

"Whaddya want!"

"My name is Jessica Briggs. I'm with the Special Investigation Unit-"

"Unless youve got a warrant to go with that flashy badge on your hip you're not stepping another inch in those heels sweetheart." with a wink she added. "Sorry, company policy."

"Investigators also have their own policies Miss," Jess squinted at the name printed on the white parchment. "...Kyoko Wolf. What I have here is a court order which states that within a matter of days you'll be free of parole, if everything checks out."

Kyoka cocked a brow, "Are you threatening me!?"

"I'm merely giving you some incentive. It'd be a shame if you didnt cooperate with law enforcement seeing as youre so close to freedom."

"You're no cop lady. You're the fucking devil!"

Ky got busy with the passcode, then scanned her thumbprint & company badge into another gaget.

Standing gobsmacked by the entire process,Jess' mouth fell open. The club's security system exceeded her expectations, which went along the lines of a standard lock & key.

"You wanna tell me what this is all about?" Ky inquired as she pushed the doors open & locked them in together.

The eerie atmosphere of what seemed to be a very booming club come nightfall was pleasant. Jess had never been to a club. They were loud, noisy & crowded. As she stared at the spacious dancefloor, the imagery of sweaty bodies, gyrating to music under colorful whirling lights as music pumped from the speakers in the background, came to mind.

From her peripheral she saw Kyoka slip behind the counter at the center of the room. The bar was fully stocked; Gin, Whiskey, Bourbon, Vodka & the list went on. From what she could see there was no shortage of beers, wines or liquers either. You name it, they had it!

She'd bet that having a bartender with hazel eyes, olive complexion, & amazing bone structure would make any drink go down alot smother. She wasnt into women, but Kyoka could turn the straightest woman gay. She was simply that sexy.

Who knows, maybe the heat was finally catching up with her, she couldnt help but feel parched watching Kyoka stare intensely back at her.

God, she needed a drink & a strong one at that. With a slight shake of the head, Jess decided against it. Frankly speaking, it was barely noon & she was very much still on the clock.

Swallowing her nerves, Jess came over to the bar. "Have you ever seen this girl before." in her hand she held a recent photo of Ms. Daniels provided to the police by her roomate.

"Maybe I do, maybe I dont. It's impossible to keep track of every girl who walks through these doors." She replied with a shrug of the shoulders. "Is that girl in some kind of trouble?"

"Look this isn't a game."

"No it isnt! But everything comes at a price, right? That's how you people do business."

"Okay I'm game." The detective folded her arms & exhaled a long exasperated breath. "What do you want?"

"Dinner."

"Excuse me?" Jess raised a brow in Ky's direction.

"If you agree to go out with me on Saturday I'll agree to tell you everything you need to know & keep what happens here between us. What'dya say?"