Chapter 10: The Place Where Lonely Hearts Gather

Unknown Location, Baltiney, New York...

The moment she left the warm diner, Misty Davers had dreaded doing so as a good deal of rain began to beat down upon her as she strolled along the sidewalk now dressed in her new outfit, which consisted of a black skirt and a long sleeve white shirt and flat dress shoes, a practical thing to wear due to the weather. It had not been her first choice, but it was all they had when she arrived at the store that fit her size. It was an interesting thing to walk down the street looking a bit more professional than she had beforehand and have people look at her as if she'd been one of them, an unfortunate soul caught out in the storm as opposed to the usual measure of scum at the bottom of their shoes. Misty moved along briskly trying to see through the drops that had continued to pour in rapid succession as she made it toward an abandoned store door and stood out of the direct path of the rain.

She had not been sure of her path due to the rain being so hard and making it difficult to see, but the cold and weather did little to deter her from what she set out to do. The near on freezing young woman turned down a blind alley, finding herself lost and far from her usual route as she moved through the darkness and out on the other side, ending up in a parking lot to an instead packed establishment.

Slowly, she passed an assortment of cars on the way to where the bright lights and loud music made for a better means of waiting out the storm's fury until she could get another client for the night. She walked passed a grey sedan glancing at it briefly before making her way toward the door of the establishment where many people had filed in.

She hesitated at first, never really one to like being around large crowds or people in general if she could help it. Many years of having to watch her back and read the motives of anyone in her presence had made it near on impossible to want to get close to people. In addition to the bastards who had taken it upon themselves to treat her as horribly as possible.

Misty continued her stroll amid the pouring rain, finding it hard to see before reaching the handle on the outside door of what happened to have been a bar. The moment she entered it the music grew louder and the lights brighter in addition to the relative warmth from everyone being huddled inside. She slowly made her way in passing a few patrons as all eyes fell upon her.

Her blue eyes were intently focused on one individual in particular despite never having laid eyes on him before. His saddened dark brown eyes met hers almost instantly, as she made her way further into the establishment and toward one of the two remaining empty bar stools during an ongoing drinking game.

They had not broken eye contact for several minutes before he turned his attention to another round of the drinking game before approaching the bar. She gathered from the way everyone seemed to know him, that his name had been Richard.

He seemed to be as charming as he was handsome when in comparison to the men that usually came to require her services. His semi-darkened complexion had given her the indication that he might have had some old-world European descent. He wore a fancy suit with shiny dress shoes and seemed to be quite casual in attitude when he approached her.

"You new around here?" he asked, his deep baritone drawl getting her attention amid the music and the surrounding noise.

Misty nodded treating him to a small smile.

Richard returned her smile in kind and turned his attention to the bartender.

"Put whatever the beautiful lady orders on my tab," he said before downing the drink that was put before him and turning back toward the crowd that had gathered around him for another round of the drinking game.

"Still the reigning champ aren't you Richy?" asked the bartender with a smile in his direction as he went back to serving the drinks.

"What can I say, I'm in a room full of lightweights," replied Richard with a grin.

Misty seemed to like that this Richard had a sense of humor and charm to boot. He didn't express any interest in wanting company this evening but she knew it couldn't have hurt to try as she turned her attention to the drinking game where the handsome older man winked at her as he participated winning a second time much to her dismay of those who had been wishing to win their money back.

Good and rightly plied with alcohol, Richard approached Misty again this time sitting on the bar stool beside her with a wide grin on his face.

"You know I know just about everyone here," he said his dark eyes seemingly fixated upon her. "I come here every day and I've never seen you before."

"I was just passing through when I notice the place was packed," replied Misty evenly.

"Packed?" asked Richard indicating that he had been quite drunk. "Most definitely."

He got up again and tried his hand at another round and Misty found herself more than a bit disappointed that he had spent the rest of the evening drinking with his friends before finally passing out and being carried back to his car via the bartender Rocco and some sympathetic patrons.

Misty thought it a right crying shame as she had begun to like Richard who seemed to have an interest in her as well ever since she first walked in. She sat sipping a few coolers for a moment or two before she was approached by another man who had been of the mind to seek out the company for the evening and she was all too happy to oblige him despite most of the patrons not being any of the wiser.

They headed out back and toward his car, as they walked out of the bar, Misty glanced back at the grey sedan she passed where a slumbering Richard had remained. She sighed at what might have been as she was quite interested in the charismatic handsome stranger but she had money to make and he wasn't even conscious.

She turned and followed the other man to his vehicle and the next location without a word.