“He’ll turn up soon,” Ezra assured me. “He’s not the kind to stray very far.”
Ezra said very little else on the car ride to V. Downtown was a madhouse. People were everywhere, dressed in all sorts of wacky garments. Most of the girls’ outfits could barely count as “clothing,” and it seemed like everyone was drunk or high or just certifiably insane.
I had to jog to keep up with Ezra, and I felt strange going to the clubs with him. He dressed more fashionably and appropriate for a club situation than I did, but it was weird thinking of him clubbing. Even as attractive and as young as he looked, he never seemed like the kind of person that would frequent a place like this.
In the block before the club, he had to fend off several very drunk girls. I mean he literally had to push them off of him, and by the looks of the last one, she wasn’t exactly drunk. The fading pink marks on her neck meant she was just leaving the club we were going to.
A couple guys made a pass at me, and I didn’t really care, except for the fact that I was starting to get hungry. I hadn’t even really felt it until we were in a crowd of people.
Ezra held the door open to V for me, and the two giant bouncers were still manning their post. They nodded at Ezra and exchanged some kind of look with him. It made me wonder if he was acquainted with him, but I didn’t really have time to ask. Jane was in trouble, and it didn’t really matter who Ezra did or didn’t know.
The dance floor was completely packed. Michael Jackson’s hit song “Thriller” blasted out over the stereo, and at least half of the floor was doing the dance that went along with it. It would’ve been a sight to behold, but Milo and Bobby waited by the doors for us, reminding me of the business at hand. One of Milo’s wings looked damaged, but with the floor being as crowded as it was, I was surprised that his costume had stayed as intact as it had.
“It’s crazy here tonight!” Milo shouted over the music.
“I don’t understand how they all know the moves,” Bobby said, watching the Thriller dancers with some fascination.
“Yeah, great. Where’s Jane?” I asked.
“In one of the backrooms.” Milo gestured across the dancehall to the vampire bar section of the club. Blue lights flashed over head. “I don’t know which one for sure, but I thought you could find her”
“As long as she’s still alive, I probably can,” I said.
Milo grabbed Bobby and made his way across the dance floor. I went into the crowd after him, but they were impossible to get through. Apparently, I wasn’t even as forceful as Milo.
Ezra came up behind him, and putting his arm around my waist, he started pushing our way through them. I was strong enough to do it, but I felt bad about pushing people out of the way. Not that any of them seemed to mind. Humans and vampires alike seemed to enjoy being touched by Ezra a little too much.
The dim lighting and muffled sound of the smaller bar came as a huge relief. Even in here, it was incredibly packed. Usually there were just a handful of couples, but tonight, every available surface was covered with vampires feeding on people or making out with each other. There were even two vampires lying on the bar in the corner, grinding in a very provocative fashion. Milo, Bobby, Ezra, and I stood out for the simple fact that we were not kissing or biting.
“Which hall did she go down?” I asked Milo quietly.
There were seven different hallways that went off the main bar, and I’m not even sure how many rooms were down each hall. I went down one before, and it seemed to go on forever.
“I think that one.” Milo pointed to one on the far side of the room.
“Are you sure?” Bobby squinted. The red lights in here weren’t the best for his eyesight. “I thought it was the one just to the left of that.”
“You’ve got be kidding me,” I groaned.
“Ezra Townsend!” Olivia squealed, and pushed an unconscious girl onto the floor. She moaned a little when she hit her head, but that was the only sign she gave that she was still alive.
Olivia’s tight leather uniform seemed much more appropriate with the Halloween crowd, and she was smiling widely at Ezra in her usual drugged out way. I expected him to look appalled by her, but instead, he smiled back at her, and when she reached him, they actually hugged.
“It’s so good to see you!”
“Likewise,” Ezra agreed when they stopped hugging. I glanced at Milo and Bobby to see them gaping at him too.
“It really has been too long.” Olivia touched his arm and laughed. “I didn’t even know you were still in the area! I thought you would’ve moved on years ago.”
“Well, I tried, but the wife has roots down here,” Ezra shrugged.
“She’s not-” Olivia looked at me distrustfully.
“No, no, Alice isn’t mine. She’s my brother Jack’s,” Ezra said, and Olivia nodded and smiled again at me.
“She’s a little tart, isn’t she?” Olivia was looking at me in a way that would’ve made me blush if I wasn’t busy trying to figure out how we’d find Jane.
“Perhaps,” Ezra looked at me, and I was pleased to see it was affectionate. I think I had been kind of expecting him to hate me after all the trouble I caused between Jack and Peter, but Ezra didn’t seem to be one to hold a grudge either.
“You should’ve told me you were with Ezra,” Olivia said and touched my arm. “I would’ve given you the special treatment.” I had a feeling she was already giving me special treatment, but I just smiled.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize you two knew each other,” I said. I didn’t want to talk to them anymore, but I wanted Ezra to help me, and I didn’t want to be rude to her. After all, she had helped me out a couple times.
“That’s just like Ezra,” she rolled her eyes. “He never talks about his past.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but we’ve got a missing friend,” Milo interjected, saving me from some long, semi-drunken conversation. Olivia might not be able to drink alcohol, but she drank more blood than a vampire needed too, leaving her to act and feel rather drunk.
“Same one as before?” Olivia raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, and we’ve got to find her. So, if you’ll excuse us.” Milo had Bobby’s hand in one hand and he took mine in the other. Olivia nodded at us as we started making our escape, but Ezra stayed with her. I wanted him to come with us, but I couldn’t force him.
Ezra said very little else on the car ride to V. Downtown was a madhouse. People were everywhere, dressed in all sorts of wacky garments. Most of the girls’ outfits could barely count as “clothing,” and it seemed like everyone was drunk or high or just certifiably insane.
I had to jog to keep up with Ezra, and I felt strange going to the clubs with him. He dressed more fashionably and appropriate for a club situation than I did, but it was weird thinking of him clubbing. Even as attractive and as young as he looked, he never seemed like the kind of person that would frequent a place like this.
In the block before the club, he had to fend off several very drunk girls. I mean he literally had to push them off of him, and by the looks of the last one, she wasn’t exactly drunk. The fading pink marks on her neck meant she was just leaving the club we were going to.
A couple guys made a pass at me, and I didn’t really care, except for the fact that I was starting to get hungry. I hadn’t even really felt it until we were in a crowd of people.
Ezra held the door open to V for me, and the two giant bouncers were still manning their post. They nodded at Ezra and exchanged some kind of look with him. It made me wonder if he was acquainted with him, but I didn’t really have time to ask. Jane was in trouble, and it didn’t really matter who Ezra did or didn’t know.
The dance floor was completely packed. Michael Jackson’s hit song “Thriller” blasted out over the stereo, and at least half of the floor was doing the dance that went along with it. It would’ve been a sight to behold, but Milo and Bobby waited by the doors for us, reminding me of the business at hand. One of Milo’s wings looked damaged, but with the floor being as crowded as it was, I was surprised that his costume had stayed as intact as it had.
“It’s crazy here tonight!” Milo shouted over the music.
“I don’t understand how they all know the moves,” Bobby said, watching the Thriller dancers with some fascination.
“Yeah, great. Where’s Jane?” I asked.
“In one of the backrooms.” Milo gestured across the dancehall to the vampire bar section of the club. Blue lights flashed over head. “I don’t know which one for sure, but I thought you could find her”
“As long as she’s still alive, I probably can,” I said.
Milo grabbed Bobby and made his way across the dance floor. I went into the crowd after him, but they were impossible to get through. Apparently, I wasn’t even as forceful as Milo.
Ezra came up behind him, and putting his arm around my waist, he started pushing our way through them. I was strong enough to do it, but I felt bad about pushing people out of the way. Not that any of them seemed to mind. Humans and vampires alike seemed to enjoy being touched by Ezra a little too much.
The dim lighting and muffled sound of the smaller bar came as a huge relief. Even in here, it was incredibly packed. Usually there were just a handful of couples, but tonight, every available surface was covered with vampires feeding on people or making out with each other. There were even two vampires lying on the bar in the corner, grinding in a very provocative fashion. Milo, Bobby, Ezra, and I stood out for the simple fact that we were not kissing or biting.
“Which hall did she go down?” I asked Milo quietly.
There were seven different hallways that went off the main bar, and I’m not even sure how many rooms were down each hall. I went down one before, and it seemed to go on forever.
“I think that one.” Milo pointed to one on the far side of the room.
“Are you sure?” Bobby squinted. The red lights in here weren’t the best for his eyesight. “I thought it was the one just to the left of that.”
“You’ve got be kidding me,” I groaned.
“Ezra Townsend!” Olivia squealed, and pushed an unconscious girl onto the floor. She moaned a little when she hit her head, but that was the only sign she gave that she was still alive.
Olivia’s tight leather uniform seemed much more appropriate with the Halloween crowd, and she was smiling widely at Ezra in her usual drugged out way. I expected him to look appalled by her, but instead, he smiled back at her, and when she reached him, they actually hugged.
“It’s so good to see you!”
“Likewise,” Ezra agreed when they stopped hugging. I glanced at Milo and Bobby to see them gaping at him too.
“It really has been too long.” Olivia touched his arm and laughed. “I didn’t even know you were still in the area! I thought you would’ve moved on years ago.”
“Well, I tried, but the wife has roots down here,” Ezra shrugged.
“She’s not-” Olivia looked at me distrustfully.
“No, no, Alice isn’t mine. She’s my brother Jack’s,” Ezra said, and Olivia nodded and smiled again at me.
“She’s a little tart, isn’t she?” Olivia was looking at me in a way that would’ve made me blush if I wasn’t busy trying to figure out how we’d find Jane.
“Perhaps,” Ezra looked at me, and I was pleased to see it was affectionate. I think I had been kind of expecting him to hate me after all the trouble I caused between Jack and Peter, but Ezra didn’t seem to be one to hold a grudge either.
“You should’ve told me you were with Ezra,” Olivia said and touched my arm. “I would’ve given you the special treatment.” I had a feeling she was already giving me special treatment, but I just smiled.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize you two knew each other,” I said. I didn’t want to talk to them anymore, but I wanted Ezra to help me, and I didn’t want to be rude to her. After all, she had helped me out a couple times.
“That’s just like Ezra,” she rolled her eyes. “He never talks about his past.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but we’ve got a missing friend,” Milo interjected, saving me from some long, semi-drunken conversation. Olivia might not be able to drink alcohol, but she drank more blood than a vampire needed too, leaving her to act and feel rather drunk.
“Same one as before?” Olivia raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, and we’ve got to find her. So, if you’ll excuse us.” Milo had Bobby’s hand in one hand and he took mine in the other. Olivia nodded at us as we started making our escape, but Ezra stayed with her. I wanted him to come with us, but I couldn’t force him.
