Chapter Ten

At the club

The rest of the day was a mixture of emotions. I arrived at the meeting place a little late because I had a hard time deciding what to wear. I couldn't contain my smile when I spotted Ari leaning up against the wall of the clothing store in a pair of jeans and a light jacket.

"You came," I said.

"I won't lie and say I am not nervous."

"Well, I am glad you're here." I slid my arm around his and led him down the alley on the side of the store. Our bodies were so close. My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest. "Now, Peacekeepers don't usually come here."

"What kind of a place is this? Is it illegal?"

"No, of course not. It's only popular with the people around here. I just figured I would let you know ahead of time, the crowd to expect."

"What did you do today?"

"Got a little bit of shopping done. Gifts for the kids."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. There's only more thing I need. Another Nova system."

"You're talking about the virtual reality game system? My roommates have one. Cool system."

"Both Frankie and Blake want one. But I only had enough for one. Hopefully, I can get the second in a couple days."

"I'll get it for you."

I was flabbergasted. "You don't need to. They are expensive. It'll take all of your money."

"Don't worry about it. I want to do it. If it's for them, it's worth it."

I could have kissed him right there. "Alright. Everything is kept in the basement. Fran will have to open it for you."

We arrived at the end of the alley and the bouncer pushed the door open. I did not recognize the man and woman behind the counter to the left. Club employees changed frequently. I started toward the doorway at the opposite side of the lobby.

A shriek filled the air.

"Oh my God, Lily! I cannot believe you're here!"

A dark skinned petite man ran through the doorway before we got there. He stopped for a second, and then hugged me. "Oh, and you brought a man with you! Handsome." He nudged my ribs. I could not help but laugh lightly at the look of disbelief on Ari's face.

"Hey, Danny," I said. "This is Ari."

He grabbed Ari's hand and bounced it up and down. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Ari replied. He jerked his hand back. Danny was quirky. I did not know what to think of him I first met him either.

"Did you brrrring me something?" he purred.

I smirked and pulled a small disk from my sweatshirt pocket.

He snatched it and jumped up and down. "Oooh, thank you dear! Oh! Kira's here tonight." He embraced me again and raced back through the doorway.

"What did you give him?" Ari asked.

"Music. Keeping them up to date with the rest of the world."

His mouth opened as if to say something, but he didn't.

The door opened into a large room, lined with couches and booths. Several tables and chairs covered the floor. At the end of the room was a large bar. A stairway was immediate to the right. Deep bass resounded through from the top.

I took Ari's arm again and led him to a large circular booth next to the bar. Our feet stuck to the sticky floor.

"Kira owns this place. She's one of the few women I have ever gotten along with," I said.

A mop of black and red hair hopped up as we approached. Ari's jaw dropped again when he saw the myriad of piercings and tattoos on her arms. Not many people had the courage to dress as she did.

Kira threw her arms around me and squeezed. "Girl! I'm glad you came! And you brought a date this time."

"Kira, this is Ari. He is new to the city. Ari, Kira. The club's proprietor."

Kira's younger brother, Brian, popped up behind her with a furrowed brow. "Why did you bring a piece of Peacekeeper trash in here?"

Kira spun around. "Brian, go sit down and keep your mouth shut."

He advanced. "No, Lily you always turn me down and you bring this guy here?"

"There is a reason why I always turn you down. I don't like you," I said matter-of-factly.

Brian stepped around Kira and moved to put his arm around me.

"Don't touch me," I said and slunk backward; however, he did not get the hint. He kept moving toward me, so Ari blocked his path. "She said don't touch her."

"Your kind isn't welcome here, Peacekeeper. Why don't you leave?" Brian was in his face.

"Brian, back off. Don't pick a fight you cannot win," Kira said.

"Are you kidding? You're taking his side?" he objected.

"I don't want a fight breaking out. Period."

Brian did not listen. He bumped Ari's chest with his own. Ari retaliated with a shove which drove Brian backward, and then stepped in and jabbed Brian in the mouth. Brian fell back onto the nearby couch. I froze. Did that really happen? My pulse quickened. Normally I didn't' like fights, but I felt drawn to Ari.

Brian scrambled off the couch, but Kira grabbed his arm and put him in a standing arm lock. Ari’s head snapped to me. I knew he had seen me use the same move in training. Brian yelled at his sister to let him go.

"No, go home. I don't want you here if you're going to cause trouble." She let go. He stormed off in a huff, shaking his arm. "Come sit down. Want a drink?"

"Sure, water is fine," I answered.

She grasped Ari's hand and led him toward where they sat before.

"I am sorry about my brother, Ari. He is a hot head, but he's not a bad guy," Kira said, as she walked over to the bar. "Lily, story time - what in the world has been going on? Kevin came back for the holidays today, saying leadership is infuriated with you."

"You already heard about that? It was only this morning."

"You bet. Now spill."

I told the story about the city leadership meeting. Ari was visibly upset that I did not tell him before. I hoped he would understand why I did not bring it up yet.

Kira slammed her hand on the bar. "I cannot believe you. How could you do something so stupid?"

"I know. The damage is done. I'll find out the consequences tomorrow. Will Kevin be here?"

"Nah, he's going through withdrawal. He's upstairs if you want to go say hi."

"That is OK. I'll wait a couple days until he feels like himself again."

Kira returned with two glasses of water, each with a lemon wedge floating.

Ari scratched his head. "Lemon?"

"You've never seen the lemon trick?" Kira said.

"Lemon trick, no. What does that mean?"

"You can use lemon to make sure your water is OK to drink. Limes work too. They are hard to come by around here, so I always stock up."

Ari stared at her with wide eyes. I slunk down on the bench and wanted to put my head in my hands. Why did she bring that up?

"I can show you the difference," Kira continued.

"We don't need to do that tonight," I interjected.

"Now is fine. Show me what you are talking about," Ari snapped, without looking in my direction.

I shifted in my seat.

Kira left and came back with a bottle of water, two bottles of beer, three glasses, a lemon, and a towel. She placed them on the table. "Do you recognize these?"

"Well, two of them. I've seen the water bottle in the mess hall and this beer around town."

"Right. The other beer is imported. Go ahead and pour all three in separate glasses."

Ari opened each bottle and poured them.

Kira handed him the lemon with a knife. "Go ahead and cut a piece off and put it in each of the three glasses."

Ari shrugged and put a piece in the glass of water first. The lemon slice fizzed, increasingly worse until the bubbles overflowed on the table.

"Keep going," Kira said.

He put a piece in the imported beer and nothing happened. It simply floated at the top of the glass. Lastly was the local beer. He dropped the lemon in and witnessed the same reaction as the water.

His brow furrowed. "What exactly does that mean?"

"There is something in the water and the beer. We are not certain what it is, but we think it is some kind of drug. If I had some Church wine, I could show you the same thing happens."

His face remained calm the entire time. "Can I talk to you in private?" he asked me.

"Of course."

We got up and walked to the other side of the room, where no one was around. We sat a table, across from one another.

"Tell me, why you did not want me to see that?" he inquired.

"That is not why I invited you here tonight." A lump grew in my throat. I swallowed hard, reached across the table, and placed my hands over his. "I wanted to be the one to show you when you trusted me. So you would not think I was trying to trick you or that I was just being paranoid."

"How do you know these people?"

My heart sunk. "Kira has an older brother as well. He is a member of the Thorns and the one who taught me how to fight. Kira, Brian, and Kevin are the only ones beside you and Alex who know the truth. Kira also works as a housekeeper for the Church and many of its prominent members, so that is why she knows about the water.

"Kevin is a SIS agent, but his family forbade his marriage to Kira because she is from the North side. His father had him transferred to Philadelphia permanently and only gets to come back twice a year for holidays. He goes through withdrawal symptoms because he drinks so heavily when he's there. "

"Why don't they leave?"

"Her mother is still here and would have a hard time on the trip. I think once she passes on, they will go. Do you remember the woman we helped with the firewood? She is Kira's mother. They are a little eccentric, but they're not bad people."

Ari nodded his head and turned his gaze toward the table. "Well, some things are starting to make more sense. Why did not you tell me about the trouble you were in?"

I let go of his heads and sat back in the chair. "It's not that I don't trust you. I was going to tell you. I just wanted us to have some fun tonight. Please believe it was not my intention to drop all of this in your lap."

He nodded his head again. I was sure the night was over.

"I understand if you want to leave," I said.

He stared in the direction of the stairs. After a large sigh, he rose to his feet and removed his jacket. He had a Then he held his hand out. "Let's go check it out."

I could not move at first. My stomach leaped to my throat. Did I really hear him right? He wanted to stay. I hopped up and took off my sweatshirt, revealing a low cut tank top which was open in the back, one of the few shirts I still had from out west. Then I took his hand and we started towards the stairs.

"That shirt looks amazing on you," he said.

Heat rose up my neck and across my face. "Thank you. You look rather dashing yourself."

His eyes sparkled when he smiled at me. It quickly dissipated. "I don't think I can dance to this music."

"You'll see that doesn't matter. Everyone dances from the heart. There is no set way." I reassured with a smile.

As we ascended, the music thundered through walls. The bass resonated in my chest, boosting the tingling of anxiety. The stairs opened to a balcony which encircled the warehouse. Another set of stairs was nearby, to get to the dance floor. Strobe lights covered the entire crowd. A laser light show projected on the ceiling. He pulled his face to my ear.

"What kind of music is this?" he questioned.

"Electronica, from out west."

We continued around and down the stairs. Danny was in the DJ booth. He jumped up and down as he waved to us.

Ari stuck out like a turkey in a hen house. I had never danced with someone to that music, but I wanted to with him. I pushed my body up against his and moved my hips back and forth. Slowly his movement matched mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he leaned his head down close to mine. We danced like that for the remainder the night.

Suddenly the music stopped and Danny's voice came over the system. "Sorry folks, that is all for the night. Got to get you home before curfew!"

Everyone filed out of the club. Ari kept his arm around me on the way out.

"What did you think?" I piped up eventually.

"I had fun. You were right; it was nothing like I have ever experienced before."

A few minutes later, we came upon the junction where we had to split up. I stood on my toes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for coming and for staying. Again, I am sorry for what happened and not saying something sooner."

"You don't have to apologize. It was not quite what I expected, but I am glad I came."

I did not want the night to end. He stared into my eyes. It made me a little uncomfortable, so I turned my eyes away. His hand reached out and brushed my cheek. The contact caused my heart to race.

Before I knew it, he pulled me close. He put his hand on my face and pressed his lips against mine. Surprised, I pulled away at first, and then gave in and wrapped my arms around his neck. The kiss deepened and silky his tongue slid into my mouth. His hands moved down my back. A warmth grew in between my legs and spread throughout my body as his breathing became heavier, his desire fiercer.

The warning bell rang, ten minutes until curfew.

He pulled away and looked at me straight in the eyes. "When will I see you again?"

"Once you get a phone, I will give you my number. I'll see you for Christmas, right?"

His shoulders slumped. "Yes, I look forward to it." He leaned back into me and landed a quick peck on my lips. "Good night." Then he turned and trotted off towards his barracks. Despite how it started, it ended up being a good night, but Christmas Eve couldn't come fast enough.