Chapter 4: Clubbing

Ginger POV

Ginger was going through Ylana’s closet, trying to find an outfit for her sister-in-law to wear at the club. It was the opening night for the place, so they had to look breathtaking. Unfortunately, Ylana’s wardrobe was not proving up for the task.

“Where are all your sexy clothes?” she asked Ylana with exasperation.

Ylana laughed from the purple couch that was in her and Rowan’s room. “I’ve never really owned many sexy clothes.”

Ginger huffed and put her hands on her hips. “Well, we need to fix that.”

“Why do we need to be sexy anyway?” Ylana gestured to the outfit Ginger had on. It was a green dress that was tight, short, and low cut. It also sparkled. She wore a long, layered necklace that brought attention to her breasts and the highest-heeled shoes she could find. The heels made her legs look fantastic.

“Why would you ask such a question?” Ginger asked while she walked out of the closet with Ylana’s shortest black dress that featured a side slit.

Ylana caught the dress after Ginger threw it to her. “I mean, we’re not going out to pick up men, are we?”

“Of course not.” Ginger didn’t have the energy to hit on men after attending a birthday party for a pair of three-year-olds. However, us looking sexy makes us feel good about ourselves. Plus, hot women like us sometimes get special treatment at clubs. Being sexy ups our chances of that happening.”

Ylana stood and stepped into the closet to change. “I guess you have a point. But you’re not stopping me from wearing flats.”

Ginger gasped at the blasphemy Ylana just spewed. “How dare you say that to me?”

Ylana stepped out of the closet wearing the dress and holding a pair of red, pointed-toe flats. “I haven’t worn heels since, like, I was five months pregnant.”

“And I’ve hated every moment of it,” Ginger admitted.

Ylana shook her head. “I’m not wearing heels.”

“Fine,” Ginger groaned. “Can I at least pick out your jewelry?”

Ylana waved a hand. “Go crazy.”

After settling on a string of pearls and a black choker, they were ready to go. That is – after they said goodnight to the twins.

“Pretty,” Poppy said about Ylana’s pearls as Ylana laid her down. Ginger knew what to get the little girl for Christmas now.

Crimson looked at Ylana hopefully while Rowan tucked him in. “Story?”

“No story from Mommy tonight,” Ylana told him. Before both twins could commit to crying, though, she told them, “I have a surprise person to read a story tonight.”

Right on cue – they literally practiced in the hall – Indigo hopped into the room. “Storytime with Uncle Indigo!”

As the twins cheered and scrambled toward Indigo, Ginger, and Ylana snuck out of the room.

“I think they’ll need to be tucked in all over again,” Ginger said when they reached the front door.

Ylana shrugged. “That’s all on Rowan and Indigo now.”

They both laughed as they stepped outside and made their way to the family town car. The Garnets’ driver, Fred, held a door open for them.

“It’s been a while since there have been any nighttime excursions,” Fred commented, sounding pleased.

Ylana responded to him once he was behind the wheel. “The babies make it a little difficult.”

“Well, I’m glad you found the time,” Fred said with a smile. “You girls are too young to not have fun on occasion.”

Ginger couldn’t agree more. She had trouble remembering the last time she went into the city. The thought brought some adrenaline to her system. She was ready to let loose and forget all her problems for a time.

In their excitement, it felt like no time before they pulled up in front of the club. The sign stating the name of the club, Blue Bloods, glowed bright enough to light up the street. The “Blue” had blue lights while the “Blood” was red. Ginger appreciated that little touch.

Fred let them out of the car and informed them he would be waiting in a nearby parking garage. All they had to do was call or text him when they were ready to leave.

As Fred drove away, Ylana whistled. “Look at that line.”

Ginger did so. It appeared as if the line went all the way around the block. She had a feeling this place was going to become a new hot spot. It annoyed Ginger a little, though. They would be waiting in line forever.

“Ladies.”

Ginger and Ylana turned toward the voice. It was the bouncer at the entrance of the club; he was tall and buff. Clearly, he was there to be intimidating.

“Yeah?” Ginger asked, batting her eyelashes. It couldn’t hurt to flirt with the bouncer a bit.

He grinned at them. Something about the smile felt predatory to Ginger, but she brushed it off. A large, strange man could make any woman a little weary – even if she was a shifter.

“You two can skip the line,” he told them.

Ginger and Ylana shared a smile before waltzing in. Ginger could hear a few groans and curses coming from the line as the door shut behind them.

“Ok. You made a good call with the dressing sexy thing,” Ylana told Ginger over the booming music.

“I am always right,” Ginger told her. She grabbed Ylana’s wrist and started to guide her across the room. “Let’s do some shots.”

Blue Bloods created an interesting atmosphere in Ginger’s opinion. The whole place was black. Flashes of red and blue came from the stage where a DJ was playing, but the many chandeliers flickered as if they were lit by candles.

The two bars were easy to find thanks to the ambient blue lights that lined them. Ginger chose the one that was straight toward the back of the room.

After doing their shots and getting their drinks, Ginger and Ylana wiggled over to the dance floor. Ginger was pleased to see it was both blue and sparkling.

The more drunk the two became, the freer they got with their dancing. Ginger truly felt like she was releasing her stress.

At one point, Ginger slapped a guy for grabbing her butt. He limped away frowning while Ylana laughed hysterically. Somehow, the moment made Ginger feel powerful, and she realized how stagnant she’d been feeling lately. She needed to get out in the world more. She had secluded herself after the Carmine debacle, and that dulled her shine.

The thought of it all was sort of depressing, so Ginger decided she needed another drink.

She and Ylana had just received their drinks when it happened.

A smell reached Ginger that made her feel suddenly calm. It smelled like the first snowfall of winter. It conjured up memories of Ginger playing in the snow with her family as a kid.

Accompanied by the smell was a thumping that took a moment for Ginger to catch onto. The slumps were both slow and far apart. It stood out from the music and was almost hypnotizing.

Ylana waved her hand in Ginger’s face. “What’s wrong? You look lost.”

Ginger grabbed Ylana’s hand and rushed toward the bathroom, their new drinks spilling slightly.

The bathroom had a line, but the hallway outside of it was a good enough place for the conversation. It was quieter than the main club area, yet still loud enough that no one would hear them if they spoke in low tones.

Ylana’s eyes were wide. “Did someone touch you again? What happened? Tell me.”

Ginger stepped closer to Ylana, invading her personal space. “I think my mate is somewhere in this building.”

Somehow, Ylana’s eyes got wider. “What?”

“I don’t know how to explain it.” Ginger felt like she couldn’t keep still. The desire to run off and follow the smell was so strong.

Ylana pulled her hand out of Ginger’s. “You’re so wiggly. It’s concerning.”

“I need to look for this person,” Ginger wheezed out.

Ylana nodded. “Ok. Just don’t run off, I’ll help you. What can I do?”

Ginger mulled that over. “I think I just need the emotional support right now.”

Ylana chugged about half her drink. “Right. Do you think you can find him? There’s a lot of people out there.”

Ginger was confident she could. “I’ll follow the scent and the weird thumping until they get stronger. Both stand out from the other smells and noises in here.”

“Thumping?” Ylana asked as they walked back into the main club space.

Ginger paused her walking to catch the scent again. “I don’t know what it is.”

They started walking again.

Ylana followed Ginger with a frown. “Rowan says he could pick my heartbeat out in a crowd.”

Ginger bit her lip. “It can’t be a heartbeat, though. The thumping is way too slow.”

“Interesting,” Ylana murmured.

They did a few laps around the club. Ginger was sniffing the whole time, not caring if she looked like a weirdo. She stopped at the midpoint between the two bars, feeling pretty frustrated.

“The scent is strong here, but not strong enough,” she huffed.

“Maybe he’s up there,” Ylana suggested and pointed.

“Up where?” Ginger looked up. There was a balcony area she hadn’t noticed that faced the dance floor and the stage.

In the glowing red light, Ginger saw a muscular guy leaning on the balcony’s railing. Unlike the bouncer who let them in, this guy didn’t give off a creepy vibe. His eyes met hers for a few moments before he looked over his shoulder and walked away.

“I have to get up there,” Ginger decided.

Ylana pointed again. “There are some stairs over there. That may be the way up.”

Ginger made a beeline for the stairs, wondering when Ylana became more observant than her.

On the way, Ylana finished her drink, placed the cup on a nearby table, and took Ginger’s untouched drink from out of her hand. As she sipped, Ginger felt a little annoyed that Ylana didn’t share her sense of urgency.

Yet another burly bouncer stood in front of the blocked-off entrance to the stairs. A sign announced it as the VIP section.

All Ginger’s hopes fell. It could be hard to sneak into a VIP section. It was the grand opening as well, so security was probably tight.

A man appeared in front of Ginger. He looked a little like the guy she saw on the balcony.

“You two ladies look lovely,” the man purred.

“Thanks.” Ginger didn’t care about the man. She was trying to formulate a plan to get upstairs. Her shifter speed could get her past the bouncer, but that would leave Ylana alone.

“Come join me in the VIP area,” the man said in a strange, monotone voice. He looked deeply into both of their eyes.

Ylana shrugged. “Sure.”

The man’s eyes lit up joyfully. “Follow me.”

“Lucky us, I guess,” Ginger softly said to Ylana.

“Yeah.” Ylana stared intensely at the man’s back as they walked up the stairs. “I think we should try to ditch him when we get up there, though. He’s giving off some kind of energy I can’t place.”

“Fine with me.” Ginger only needed the dark-haired man with a buzz cut to get her where she needed to be.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, the man turned around to look into their eyes again. He used that same monotone voice when he spoke, “You will not notice anything out of the ordinary.”

Ginger and Ylana shared a confused look.

Ginger’s stomach turned. She suspected things were about to get weird.