Page 54 of Jump on Three
“I’m not feeling like letting you out of this car is the wisest idea. From the looks of this place, it’s some kind of nightclub. You need to know something more specific than that, kiddo?”
I put my hand on the door, working up my nerve to open it. “I’m not going to go in. I’ll simply check things out then we can leave. Will you wait for me?”
Her laugh was brittle and led to a coughing fit. I truly worried for her lungs.
She waved me off and, in between coughs, said, “I’m not going anywhere, but be careful. There’re all kinds of monsters on these streets.”
I climbed out of Sal’s car on shaky legs and strode down the sidewalk like I belonged. Though, in my leggings and hoodie, when the women in line were in skimpy dresses and high heels, I wasn’t exactly selling it.
Something pinched deep inside my chest. Were these kinds of women, with their sleek hair and easy, sexy confidence, whom Ivan hung out with on a regular basis?
I bet he fucked women like this. They matched him in beauty and confidence. Ivan belonged with a woman who looked like they did.
Another deep, unabating twinge made me rub my chest as I approached the very large men blocking the entry Ivan had gone through.
There were three of them, a spectrum of sizes, but all big. Their hair ranged from buzzed to fully bald and all wore earpieces.
Three sets of steely eyes landed on me when I stopped in front of them. People waiting in line were watching too, probably making sure I didn’t try to charm my way out of waiting.
“Hello.” I waved at the giant men.
I received one grunt in return. The man with the cue ball head looked me up and down, his frown deepening if that was even possible. The lines around his mouth might as well have been the Grand Canyon.
“Line’s over there.” The largest one pointed to his left with a pen. “Need to get in the back of it.”
Cue Ball had finished assessing me. Now, his gaze bore into me. “No sense in getting in line. Not gonna get in dressed like she is.”
The other one, who had a clipboard in his baseball mitt hand, inhaled sharply. “There is no way you’re over twenty-one either. Get gone.”
“I only have a question. I don’t really want to go inside,” I stated, even though every time the door opened, a flood of Nghtmre poured out, making me bounce on my toes, tempting me to get closer so I could listen to more.
Cue Ball jerked his chin. “Ask it, then get outta here. You’re bringing down the vibe.”
My mouth fell open. “That isn’t very nice.”
His tree trunk arms managed to cross over the vastness of his barrel chest. “Do I look like I give a shit about being nice?”
“No, but you should. Sometimes, I’m not in the mood to be nice either, but then I have flashbacks of the nuns slapping my hands with a ruler when I didn’t remember my manners. It’s easier to say please and thank you than fight it, and I find people like you more when you subscribe to societal norms.”
I shrugged, pretending these men and all the people watching weren’t terrifying. “But perhaps you don’t care if people like you.”
Silence loomed, only broken by what sounded distinctly like a snort. Clipboard slapped a hand over his mouth, and Buzz Cut turned around, his shoulders shaking. Only Cue Ball stared at me without expression.
“Nuns slapped your hands?” he intoned.
“They were mean nuns, and I was an especially rude child,” I explained.
“They get in trouble for doing that to you?” This was from Clipboard, who’d managed to control his laughter.
“I doubt it. When we told our parents, they transferred us to a different boarding school. I don’t know what happened to the nuns.”
Buzz Cut turned around, leaning an arm on Clipboard’s shoulder. “‘We’?”
“My twin sister and me. We’ve been in boarding school since we were six.”
Cue Ball sniffed. “Sucks your parents sent you away when you weren’t even knee-high.”
“I’m a twin too,” Buzz Cut said. “Fraternal, sister.”