He just smiled and moved off to the other end of the bar. Nikki sipped the drink for a while, the alcohol working its way through her body, first making her warm and a little fuzzy around the edges, and then slightly unsteady. She finished the drink and headed back to dress for her next set.
She changed back into her leopard print outfit and didn’t care if someone had already seen her wearing it tonight. And she didn’t care if her hair was messy or her make-up was fading. At that point, she was feeling sorry for herself and somewhat used by men, Mack at the top of her list, Jax a close second.
It didn’t hit her until she started her routine that she was far drunker than she realized. She stumbled once, caught herself on the pole and then stumbled again. And then she decided she’d be better off on all fours, working her way to the end of the stage.
And for all the difference it made. There were just a handful of guys left, clustered around the bar, not even looking at the stage. Nikki frowned, her eyes drifting over the rest of the empty club, out of habit searching for Jax. But he still wasn’t there.
As soon as the music ended, she was up, wobbling slightly as she collected the pieces of her costume. She was angry and hurt, at Jax and at Mack, and at pretty much all men.
Lori was still in the dressing room, in street clothes. She slammed her locker as Nikki came in.
“Hey, I’m sorry about this. I didn’t know Mack was going to make you stay.”
Nikki waved her hand. “It’s alright. I need the money. Besides, what the hell else do I have to do?” She dropped down on the couch, clutching her costume in her hands.
Lori watched Nikki for a minute and then opened her locker, pulling out a robe and holding it out to Nikki. “Here, put this on. You’re a pathetic drunk and even more pathetic when you’re nak*d.”
Nikki caught the teasing tone and smiled, slipping the robe on and pulling it around her body.
“Yeah, I know. I’m just feeling sorry for myself is all.” She played with the sash of the robe, eyes down cast, the sudden sting of tears suddenly taking her by surprise. She never cried, hadn’t cried in ages. But tonight, it all seemed too much.
Lori perched on the edge of the make-up table. “He wasn’t here, was he?”
Nikki looked up. Lori’s voice was low, a small smile on her lips.
“No.” Nikki shook her head as a tear slid down her cheek. She quickly brushed it away.
Lori swept across the room, sitting down beside Nikki on the couch. “You really are smitten with him, aren’t you?”
Nikki sniffled, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “Smitten. That’s such an old-fashioned word.” She drew a deep breath.
“But you were right. He’s just like all the others. We…he…it was good. Really good.” She turned to Lori, tears running down her face.
“It was perfect, everything he did and said was the right thing. But then, in the morning…he was completely different. Like he wanted me gone, lost all interest and couldn’t get rid of me fast enough. I don’t know…and then his brother was there…”
“Whoa, wait. You had a threesome? You?” Lori shook her head. “Never would I have thought that.”
“No, not like that. We were…he’d come back to bed and we’d…or I thought we were going to, maybe he wanted to…anyway, his brother just walked in.”
“And then what?” Lori pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and settling back on the couch.
“Nothing. I mean, they got into an argument about something, and I just got dressed and left. I wasn’t interested in sticking around and watching them fight. It was completely awkward.”
“So you think… what? He just wanted a one-night stand?”
Nikki nodded. “Yeah. I think so. Pretty much. I think the morning sex was more like he thought he had to…not that he wanted to. Like he owed it to me or something.”
“Did he say that?” Lori blew a stream of smoke toward the ceiling.
“No, of course not. He said he wanted me…wanted me to stay. But at first…he didn’t look like he did. Like it wasn’t the first thing on his mind.” Nikki stood, weaving slightly. “It’s all confusing. All I know is he’s not here and I feel like I got used.” She shrugged off Lori’s robe, pulling on her jeans and t-shirt.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Nikki. I know I give you shit about him, but I’m sorry anyway.”
Nikki turned. “I thought you had a date or something. Mack said…”
“Yeah, well, I got stood up. The a**hole just called, said he didn’t feel like going out.”
“Mark?” Nikki grabbed her purse, shutting her locker.
“No, um…this was Steve. Mark is…well, over, I guess.” She leaned forward, stubbing out her cigarette.
“Listen, let’s get the hell out of here. Come over to my apartment. We haven’t had any girl time in ages. We can make popcorn and stay up all night.”
Nikki smiled. “Night’s almost over with already. But yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I miss you, Lori. I miss hanging out.”
Lori stood up, stuffing her cigarettes into her purse. “You ready? Then let’s hit it.”
Nikki pushed open the door to the alley, Lori right behind her. As soon as she saw the yellow tape, she stopped, Lori bumping into her from behind. The last place she wanted to be was in the alley. Her body went cold, the image of the man with the knife rising up in her mind, followed by one of Neon and China.
“Oh, shit. I don’t want to go this way. Go back inside…” Both girls turned and reached for the door handle at the same time, but it slammed shut, apparently locked from the inside.
“Crap. Mack’s already locked it for the night. Bastard.” Lori slammed her hand against the door. “Fine. We’ll just go, heads down, and get out of the alley. There’s nothing here that can hurt us, right? No killer hangs around waiting in an alley two nights in a row. That would just be stupid.”
Nikki took a step forward, peering into the darkness. “Lori, wait. There’s something moving by that dumpster.”
A shadow had detached itself, moving across the alley toward them. Nikki grabbed Lori’s arm, clutching her tightly. Lori pulled them back against the door.
“What the hell?”
And then Nikki laughed, her grip on Lori’s arm loosening.
“It’s just a dog, Lori. A big one, but just a dog.”
In the next instant, all hell broke loose.
*
Jax heard Nikki’s voice on the other side of the door, the one that Nikki had emerged from last night. He melted back into the shadows between two dumpsters, watching and waiting. There was another woman’s voice, indistinct, of no consequence to Jax. His entire being was focused on Nikki, every sense attuned to her.
There was movement at his side and Bec was there. Jax growled low and Bec sank down on his haunches, whining softly. Whatever had spooked him still bothered him, but he’d mastered enough of his fear to stand by Jax. At least Jax hoped he had.
After what seemed like an interminable wait, the door from the club opened and Nikki emerged, a tall blonde woman close behind her. He watched as they hesitated and then tried to go back into the club. But the door closed and was apparently locked and they were left standing in the dark alley.
Jax could smell the fear rolling off of Nikki in waves. She must have known about the murders and combined with what happened the night before, Jax knew she was terrified. He whined softly, aching to go to her, helpless in this form to do anything but watch.
Something else caught his attention. The scent from last night, the strange scent that had been on Nikki. The tiniest whiff reached his nose and then it was gone.
He crouched, waiting for them to move, willing them to leave the alley, but they stayed by the door, talking in low voices, now tinged with fear.
And then, from his right, a shape broke from between two dumpsters, something larger than him or Bec, but still low to the ground, wolf-like in shape. And with its movement came a rush of its scent, the same scent that blanketed the alley, but stronger, more pungent. Whatever it was had camouflaged itself with the overwhelming confusion of smells, scents from the murders, from the crush of people who had been in the alley. And with its own scent. Jax realized whatever it was must have been there the night before, after he and Nikki had left.
The creature finally came into view beneath the feeble light from the single bulb above the club door and Jax got his first good look.
The fur was gray, long and matted, blood-soaked around the neck and shoulders. As it advanced toward the women, Jax saw the low, long body of a wolf, tail held low. Its lips were pulled back, yellowing teeth visible. But there was something wrong about the proportions, something misaligned about the whole creature.
As he watched, the creature crouched, its hindquarters tensing, preparing to lunge. The hackles went up across Jax’s shoulders, a low growl rippling from his throat. He took a stiff-legged step into the alley, Bec shifting around to his left, closing off the entrance to the alley.
The creature lunged at the women, jaws snapping and Jax was immediately in motion, aiming low, going for the belly. He saw a blur of tawny fur as Bec leapt in front of the creature, his body between the women and the snarling mouth full of teeth.
Jax heard Bec’s snarl and then a yelp of pain as the two connected, Bec falling with a thud to the ground, but the creature’s momentum was deflected away from the women. Jax hit it hard then, knocking it to the ground. He immediately dove for the soft underside, teeth tearing at the thick fur. The stench filled his nostrils and now the taste of the animal was in his mouth, rank and fetid.
But the thing was incredibly powerful, twisting beneath Jax, kicking at him with its back legs. Jax lost his grip and sprang back as the creature quickly gained its feet.
It turned, snarling, yellow eyes darting between Jax and Bec, who now stood in front of the women. Bec stood with his front feet spread wide, white teeth bared, but Jax could see blood welling from a gash on Bec’s shoulder, a spreading stain darkening the blonde fur.
Jax glanced at Nikki and the other woman. They were huddled together in the doorway, apparently unhurt, but clearly terrified. He met Nikki’s eyes and wished for all the world he could tell her who he was, that he was here for her. That he’d kill for her.
Jax looked back at the animal, watching it carefully as it started slowly circling, moving away from Bec and the women, toward the dumpsters to Jax’s right, and a possible escape down the alley to the street. Jax advanced, intending to cut off it off, take it to ground and tear out its throat.
But in a flash of gray fur and yellow teeth, the wolf-thing sprang to the top of the nearest dumpster and from there to the low roof of the building across from the club entrance. Jax’s head snapped up and he watched in amazement as the creature turned, yellow eyes glowing briefly in the moon light. It gave Jax a murderous look and then turned, silently disappearing into the night.
Bec was whining softly and Jax turned back toward the group. Nikki was sitting on the ground, shaking, Lori crouched next to her, arms around Nikki’s shoulders. For a moment, Jax was struck by the protective stance of the blonde woman, the feral grimace on her face as she watched them.