Seven

"Would you like anything to drink?"

Catherine and I sat in the lounge on the first floor, the mezzanine above us like the great shadow of our emotions. The female bouncer stood in front of us, her eyes flickering between our silent profiles. When neither of us answered her, she pursed her lips and walked off.

I ran my fingers through Catherine's hair. Her head rested on my lap and a bouncer had offered her a jacket, which she used to cover her legs. Though her eyes were closed, she was not asleep. I did not know how she could close her eyes; whenever I blinked, I could see Maya's body sprawled out on the floor. Every clink of glasses from the bar sounded like ribs snapping with each compression.

"Did you message Tony?" Catherine asked. It was the first words she had spoken since the paramedics left. She tilted her head to look up at me and I nodded.

"I messaged Connor too."

"Thank you," she responded.

The bouncer returned with two glasses of water. Catherine sat up to drink. I turned the glass in my hand, looking at my fingers as they warped through the glass. When we first came down from the fourth floor, I was allowed into a bathroom to clean myself up. The club had a different atmosphere without the neon lights and buzzing energy. I had stood before the mirror and stared at myself, a completely different person than the one that had arrived.

Paint, barely noticeable without the ultraviolet light, covered my clothes and skin. My hair was tangled, and my makeup smudged. I was still adorned in glowsticks and the flower crown, somehow still in place despite the events of the night. I think I started crying then, or maybe I never stopped. I scrubbed at my hands until they were red and wiped away the salty tears then returned to Catherine's side and forced strength into my expression.

The sound of a door opening dragged my attention to the front of the room. Connor and a man I did not recognize walked into the club from the previously blue-lit hallway – now fluorescent white. Connor spotted us and walked over, reaching us in a dozen strides. Catherine stood as he approached and let herself be gathered in his arms.

They spoke in a low tone, Catherine's voice muffled in his shirt. He smoothed down the baby hairs that had curled around her face and I turned away, feeling like I was intruding on an intimate moment.

My attention fell on Connor's companion. Though he appeared taller from a distance, when I stood, I realized we were almost the same height – give an inch or two. His hair was close cropped on the edges and long on the top, tied up at the back of his head. A few strands hung loose in a windswept fashion around his face, as if he had just been running. He sported a black cashmere overcoat over a dark grey turtleneck sweater and tight-fitting trousers, everything meticulously ironed.

"Connor," the man began. "Take Catherine upstairs. She can stay the night if she wants but get her into a shower and some clean clothes."

Connor asked Catherine a question and she nodded in response. She turned away from him and gave me a brief hug. "Get home safe. I will message you when we can see Maya. We can go buy her a huge bouquet of flowers and yell at her."

"Get some rest," I responded and kissed her cheek. Connor tucked her beneath his arm and led her towards the elevator. I waited until the metal doors closed in front of them before I turned back towards the man.

He sat down across from me, stretching out his long legs before him. I tentatively returned to my seat, suddenly aware that I knew no one in the room and was far from the exit.

"I am sorry about your friend," he began, surprising me in his sincerity. "And I hate to ask this but, for the continued success of my business, I must ask that you don't tell anyone what happened here tonight."

I blinked, surprised at the request. "There were more witnesses than just Catherine and I."

"The difference is that everyone else will go home thinking some raver had a little too much than they could handle and took a quick trip to the hospital."

I snapped my gaze up to his face.

"Don't act surprised," he admonished then continued, "A death on the premises turns away customers. All you need to do is agree that she was alive when she left La Vue and passed away in hospital. Can you do that?"

Exhaustion suddenly weighed very heavily on my shoulders. I ran a hand over my face and fought back the tidal wave of emotions that threatened to overcome me.

"Your club will still be investigated," I said. "And how can you be sure that the hospital will agree to that?"

"The police are not interested in La Vue," he replied. "And I have it under good authority that the hospital will not release anything we do not wish them to. You are the only loose end."

I felt like I was going to be sick. "How did you know I knew?"

"Your conversation with Catherine," he started. "And Amber told me that you were on the girl's pulse when she arrived."

I swallowed. "I can't be sure I was even doing it right—"

"Then I can confirm it for you. Her heartbeat was almost non-existent when Amber arrived. She was six minutes dead when the paramedics arrived. There was nothing that could be done."

My heart clenched in my chest. The dam had collapsed, and I felt like I was drowning. I was not sure if I was getting enough breath into my lungs as my vision became fuzzy. Briefly, I was aware of movement in front of me and then my hands were captured in the warm pressure of another's.

"—hey, breathe. With me. Ready? Breathe in through your nose... hold... exhale through your mouth."

He squeezed my hand with each step, and with each cycle I became more aware of my surroundings. Bright, hazel eyes were focused on mine.

When the panic attack subsided, he said, in a gentle voice, "I didn't mean to be so blunt. Are you okay?"

I nodded wordlessly and removed my hands from his to brush away the tears on my cheeks. He passed me a tissue box and moved the glass of water closer to me. He did not return to his seat, instead hovering near me in a crouch.

"I do need you to understand where I am coming from, though," he continued. "There are a lot of people who rely on the money this club produces to keep their families safe. I have a duty to protect them and, if it requires a couple of lies, then I must do it. But I need you to promise me you will not speak to anyone about what really happened here."

"I understand," I muttered.

A breath of relief escaped him. I continued focusing on my breathing and crossed my arms around myself, suddenly cold with the absence of the numbness that had kept me standing.

The man noticed this and removed his overcoat, tucking it around my shoulders. I folded my legs beneath me and curled back into the couch, holding the coat tight around me.

"Are you waiting for someone to pick you up?" he asked, taking a seat beside me.

I laid my head against the top of the couch and answered, "Yeah. He will be here shortly."

He fidgeted with his hands, as if he did not know what to do with them now that I had his coat. "How do you know Connor?" he asked.

I glanced at him then to my chipped nails. He was trying to distract me from my own thoughts, and I could find myself being grateful for it.

"High school. Family. My aunt was close friends with Connor's mother, but Connor and I fell out before senior year. The only time I saw him afterwards was when he was with Cat. Do you own La Vue?"

"My father did, but it became mine when he passed. It has changed a lot since then."

I was stopped from asking further questions by the sound of the door opening. I rose from the couch as Antonio and his close friend Trevor walked into the room.

I turned back to return the coat, but he shook his head, "You can have it. Take is as my apology for making you cry."

"Thanks, I think," I muttered. There was a strange curiosity in his eyes and he seemed to reassess me. Turning away from his gaze, I walked away from the lounge and met the distance between myself and Antonio.

He kissed my head, cheek, and lips before saying, "I'm sorry I could not come sooner, Audrey. Are you okay? Were you hurt?"

I shook my head and let him tuck me beneath his arm. Antonio glanced over to where the owner of La Vue stood behind me. He removed a hand from his pocket and held it out to Antonio, who glared at the hand with disdain.

"Sorry about the bother tonight," the man said. "I can assure you it won't happen again."

"You can assure me I will not hear about anything happening," Antonio retorted with a mocking bark of laughter, ignoring the proffered hand. "Had I known you owned this hole, we never would have come here."

"Had anybody told me you were here, you never would have been allowed in," the man replied with matched venom. "Now kindly, get out. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Audrey."

Antonio stiffened and glared at the man. Humor danced in his hazel eyes.

"Goodbye," I replied and let Antonio lead me out of the club with Trevor at my other side.