"Kitty in a keg," Adam muttered happily, sliding up against the bar with his arm wrapped
around Adrienne's waist, "And something sweet for my lady," he kissed her happily.
The bartender conceded immediately as Adam looked the club over.
They had agreed to go out, finally. It had been a week since they'd taken Black Eden.
Adam was finally admitting that she had gained as much trust as he. He wasn't quite ready to admit,
however, that she had a loyal following in the group. He hadn't ever admitted that taking those extra men
for the fluke attack had been bad.
"How about some Crystal Velvet," she muttered before the bartender started making her
drink. Melody and the other ladies had started her drinking with them two weeks after she'd arrived. She
was pleased that she now had a tolerance to liquor…though a poor one.
Adam made a purring noise of consent, then leaned over the counter and muttered
quietly. He was asking for Diamond Blue.
Adrienne let out a sigh of disgust. While she had known that Adam was fond of
recreational drugs, she could not approve. The single time she'd been exposed to any of the drugs that ran
rampant through the streets of the outer city was when Melody had brought something up that she called
"Salvation".
Adrienne had felt after effects for days.
Now, however, she was aware of the flashing lights and loud noises behind her, and
content to let Adam have his fun. He was the victorious conqueror. He'd taken Black Eden and the
surrounding lands. He'd set up a new empire.
Adrienne ignored the fact that Adam disappeared, and when he returned with a very
obvious high, she ignored the irritating behavior he portrayed. It didn't take him long to lose interest in
her, but he'd spotted a girl in the crowd. She was a pretty little thing, but Adrienne couldn't help but feel
this was out of her league.
When Nathan pulled her onto the dance floor to dance with him, Adam pretended he
hadn't noticed.
Adrienne's attention, however, continued to stray back to the newcomers, this girl. She
wasn't alone; she was with a taller man who hovered over her constantly. His attention was continually
darting around the room to various people; the same over and over.
"Would you like to try something new?" Adam asked the girl's friend, moving in close to
the pair as Adrienne moved back to his side. "I have something I really think you'd like…" he shook a
small vial of blue liquid in front of their faces.
The man with them tensed completely.
"Um…no thank you," the pretty one muttered, attempting to move back, glancing at the
man.
"Oh, come on, Sweetness, it'll be fun."
"I…I don't want to." the girl muttered, moving even closer to the man.
Adrienne wondered how angry the guy was as he stared hard at Adam. She moved
silently around the group. Adam was high, and had his back to her. She needed to be somewhere where
she could protect his face.
"Just one try, its only Diamond Blue…"
"They said no, are you deaf?" the man snapped suddenly.
Adrienne could see in his aire that he was the leader of his group. The way he acted was
confident enough, though she figured he wanted to leave.
Perdition was not a club for the weak of heart.
Adam focused on the guy as if he hadn't seen him previously. She could see his wheels
turning, very aware that he was now annoyed.
"I see," Adam muttered finally, tucking the vial away and standing straighter. He
grinned after a moment—an evil grin, "I'll give you twenty bucks for an hour with her." he indicated
the girl.
The man straightened completely, obviously too offended to act right away.
"An hour of what?" she asked, a naïveté showing that Adrienne didn't understand.
Adam laughed an evil sounding laugh, focusing on her face and studying it a long
moment before focusing on the man again, "Fifty bucks for the entire night…and fifty tomorrow when I
bring her home."
The man punched Adam.
The girls squealed in dismay, or something like, backing away a bit as Nathan and
Kristoph jumped to the pair of men that had seemed to come from nowhere.
Adrienne sighed, setting her drink down as the man shoved the little girls behind himself.
She moved forward instantly, shoving at Charlie, who'd moved in even though he had a hypodermic
needle full of Blue Diamond in one hand. He stumbled backwards, not expecting her move, windmilling
his arms slightly.
When the needle hit skin, Charlie grinned—high himself, he thought it would be
great fun to share his drug with someone attacking his leader. The woman blinked in amazement as the
blue chemical disappeared from the needle before throwing the man off and pulling the needle from her
arm, throwing it down and moving forward.
Adrienne stared as the Gelf pushed up near the man who had hit Adam. A well-trained
assassin about to strike her lover low…
She slid between the Gelf and Adam, eyeing her calmly. She would defend Adam if she
was needed to.
The Gelf slowed…and their eyes met.
8-71.
Adrienne's memory flashed images to her of the woman. They'd shared the same
barracks at the compound, they'd eaten at the same time…followed the exact same orders.
She shot an arm out in front of Adam before he could start a retaliatory attack, continuing
to hold eyes with the opposite. She was slightly bothered by the fact that the other had no
expression—no recognition. She tilted her head slightly so her own number was more obvious,
wondering if somehow this other had lost her memory.
They held eyes a long moment before Adrienne turned to focus on Kristoph, who was
tussling with one of the young men he'd stopped. She flicked her attention then to Nathan, who also
stopped his fighting.
Adrienne had not believed she would ever see another of her kind again, and this sudden
confrontation had sent her for a loop.
And she had power.
The realization made her heart skip a moment.
Finally, Adrienne shifted her attention to the male, who was standing at ready. He was
staring at 8-71 and she in amazement. When he finally did meet eyes with Adrienne, he nodded very
slightly, starting to push the girls away. Adrienne didn't relax her stance until the small gang had moved
well away from her and the others.
Adam shoved her hand forcefully away from himself, glaring at her with pure anger in
his eyes, "Never do that again!" he shouted—with the music as loud as it was, it hardly stirred a
hair.
Adrienne eyed him placidly.
"She looked at your tattoo," Nathan noted suddenly, "That last chick," he indicated the
tattoo on Adrienne's neck, "She was from your gang, wasn't she? She recognized it. Will she report and
tell someone? Will they come after you?"
Adrienne wanted to tell Nathan that it wasn't a gang. She knew better, however, and
simply shook her head, "She won't tell anyone. She was another person who escaped them."
"Those people she was with," Kristoph muttered, moving in closer to Adrienne's side,
"Why were they here? How in the hell did they find out about this club? They looked like small
timers."
"I assure you," Adrienne muttered, still studying Adam—he was eyeing her tattoo, "I
have no idea where she went, or what she's done since we broke. This was the first time I saw any person
from that place."
"She's like you?" Adam asked finally.
Adrienne met his eyes, studying them a long moment before nodding, "Exactly like
me."
He nodded slowly.
"What was her name?" Kristoph asked curiously, honestly interested in what she was
saying.
Adrienne looked to him in dismay, realizing suddenly that she could not just repeat the
number. She shrugged after a moment, meeting his eyes, "I have no idea what she calls herself."
"You didn't fight!" Melody protested, suddenly appearing at Nathan's side. She pouted at
her boyfriend a long moment, "I wanted you to fight."
"In this place," Adam muttered, looking around, "One fight would open a brawl."
"You shouldn't have stopped them, Ade," Melody pouted at her friend, "That could have
been amusing."
"Until someone knocked you out," Nathan countered.
Melody sniffed, turning her nose up a moment, then glanced at her watch, "Can we go
home yet?"
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