The Heist (19 page)

Sasha looked back curiously.

“You see danger, or something that doesn’t look right, you run. You get the hell out or I’m coming in after you!” He reached under his seat and showed her his gun. Sasha could tell by the way his hand shook when he held it he wasn’t used to carrying one. It was sweet that he wanted to protect her. But she was confused and angered that Lee didn’t send her with someone more capable of handling an emergency.

“Just meet me where you said you will be. I got some diamonds to grab!”

Sasha exited before he could say anything more. The leather cheerleading mini-skirt barely covered her overly round ass. She wore leather panties underneath. The top was cut into a leather corset-jacket-bra with mink cuffs for sleeves. The sexiest piece of the getup was a thirty-five inch, three-carat diamond single-strand choker that dropped between her breasts and connected as a belt around her waist.

She looked fierce by her standards. Having followed Lee’s instructions to a tee, she had even dyed her hair raven black and was wearing the heavy black liner and lipstick.

I am ready
.

Strutting in her kick-ass, pointed-toe boots, she walked out into the alley toward the crowd of darkly clad Rawhead worshipers. The punk rock scene was mostly white folks, but she spotted another sister in the mix.

Dark-ringed eyes and ghostly white faces followed her as she passed. Several of the women sneered. With the platinum VIP card in her hand, she had a sense of entitlement that added an additional sway to her hips.
I can do this
. And if she did this one by herself, she would earn her own reputation going forward.

“Get your ass to the back of the line!” a seven-foot tall giant with a shaved head and large nose ring snarled at her.

Sasha put a hand to her hip then flashed the platinum card. The guard dropped the rope and let her pass.

“I’m in…. Can you hear me?” she whispered under her breath, as she stopped to allow her tits and ass to be squeezed in an overzealous body search.

“I can hear you, I wish I could see you though,” Kumar echoed back.

Sasha was more at ease just from hearing his voice. And she needed that, because after emerging from a black curtain, her breath caught at the sight before her. She had stepped into the belly of darkness. The techno drum beat instantly made her deaf. The entire club was illuminated by neon blue and red lights, with flashing white lights to make movement of the partygoers seem robotic and repetitive. The walls were painted black, as were the floors. To join the party she had to descend a gated staircase that seemed to be hundreds of steps spiraling downward. Others brushed past her walking down and she held back. Again, her confidence wavered from the sea of head-bangers shoving each other around. What was she doing there again?

“VIP is over there, sexy,” a tall lean man with a shaved tattooed head yelled in her ear. “Maybe you can get me in, too?”

Obviously, he had taken note of the special privilege she was granted. Sasha’s gaze followed where he was pointing. On the opposite side of the dance floor was a room made of glass. Casper had kicked back in the middle of a black velvet sofa with women and men flanked on both sides. She had no desire to get that close to those people.

“Thanks, sweetie, but I roll solo,” Sasha tossed to the punker with the wolfish grin. With a flip of her dark extensions, she descended the long stairs into the partying crowd. She had to turn sideways to squeeze through the dancers, taking blows and shoves to her chest and back as she trudged forward.

“Hey, you okay?” She heard Kumar in her ear.

“Trying to get to VIP!” she shouted back.

“I can hear you fine, no need to yell it.” He laughed.

“Ooops, sorry. Man, you should see this place. Freak central!” Sasha eyes lifted to the ceiling of the warehouse and froze. “Holy crap!”

“What! What?”

“Rawhead!”

“What? He’s there?”

“No, these fools painted him on the ceiling! How the hell did they do that?” she whispered back, shoving others to clear a walkway through the crowd.

“They’re vampires right, don’t vampires fly?”

“That’s not funny. I’m really getting spooked.”

“Well, turn around and leave! It’s not too late.

“Nice try.” Sasha pushed free of the crowd. She arrived at the guarded steps to the VIP Room. “Now, it is too late.”

“Hi, sugar!” she sang, flashing the platinum card. The bouncer nodded his shaven head; it and his neck were covered in tattoos. Sasha made the climb up the stairs.

“You in there, yet?”

“Shh…don’t say anything else. I’m going inside.”

There was another man guarding the door. She smiled and he pulled it open, giving her a sly smile in return. Sasha walked inside. Only a few of the partiers lifted their hooded eyes upon her arrival. One in particular was Casper’s girlfriend, Trixie. She was the most shocking of the clan. Topless, both her nipples were pierced with silver tiny barbells connected by a thin chain. She also had piercings down her back. She wore leather hip huggers that sculpted her shapely legs. This was the same woman she’d seen earlier with the large blond Mohawk shaven low on both sides. She headed straight for Sasha.

“Fresh meat, Casper,” Trixie said, striking a pose and flicking her tongue out like a serpent.

Blondish white hair crowned a head that was bowed. Slowly the one Trixie called Casper raised it in response to her taunting voice. He was the leader. He had to be. He was the freakiest looking one in the bunch. Sasha was compelled to meet his gaze dead on. His irises were white, making his tiny pupils a dark pinpoint, and the only evidence of sight under a ring of dark lashes.
He must be wearing contacts. Oh sweet Jesus, his eyes are creepy!
The malevolence in his stare chilled her to the bone. His lips were blood red and lined in kohl that seemed to extend his grin grotesquely when he smirked. She stood still while he took his time appraising her with a sweeping look. She saw his hand move to his groin. He squeezed his cock and balls then gave them a tug and his smile deepened.

“Sure, I got an invite, so I decided to party.”

“You got an invite, huh?”

“Who’s your friend, Trixie?” Casper asked.

“Don’t know yet, sire. She says she got an invite.”

Sasha tried to speak. “My name is Sssarla.”

“Ssssarla?” Trixie laughed, and Sasha felt herself blush.

“You’re doing fine,” Kumar whispered in her ear.

“Sarla. My name is Sarla.”

How could she come up with such a lame name, Sasha thought. Why hadn’t she rehearsed this part? Trixie flicked her double pierced tongue at Sasha and growled, making hissing sounds and clawing strikes with her hands at her. It was bizarre and scary. The bitch was crazy. Trixie then whistled, rolling her neck as she backed off. “Her name’s Ssssarla!” she mocked.

Casper sneered, his hand leaving his cock as two other freaks leaned in, wanting to stroke him. “Welcome, Sarla, have a drink.” He gestured to the bar.

“Don’t drink anything they got in there!” Kumar snapped in her ear.

“Thanks!” she called, going over to the bar. The girl behind the bar looked semi-normal. “Hi, can I have a wine spritzer?”

The dark-haired barkeep rolled her eyes before turning to pick out a wine glass. Sasha let go of a sigh and told herself to calm down. She stepped back to find Casper right behind her and nearly choked on her own spit, he scared her so badly.

“Boo!” he teased, grinning. His painted lips stretched from ear to ear in a ghoulish smile.

“You scared me.” Sasha gave a girlish giggle.

“That’s why they call me Casper. You never see me coming.”

“That’s for sure.”

His hand went under her skirt. He palmed her ass. Sasha stepped back. “Hey, keep your hands off me, man!” she snapped.

“Just wanted to say hello.”

“Well, you can do that without touching me, right?”

“Here’s your spritzer,” the bartender said in a dry tone. Sasha had forgotten to watch the woman fix the drink. There was no way she would drink it now.

“So who gave you the invite?”

“Huh?” Sasha asked, accepting the wine glass.

“The VIP pass. Who gave it to you?” Casper asked.

“Tell him it was given to you by Darth Vader,” Kumar advised her.

“Darth Vader.”

Casper’s bleached brow rose. “Ah yes, you look like D’s type. He loves to bring in brown strays. He’s not here, and neither is Rawhead, so I guess that means you’re mine.” Casper flicked his tongue at her. Sasha forced a smile.

She batted her long lashes at him. “Yes, guess so.”

Casper took her hand and led her across the black carpet to the large sofa sectionals. Several others got up so they could sit next to each other comfortably. She had no idea where this would lead, but she was in too deep to turn back now.

***

Kumar listened from his van. He hated everything about the assignment. Sasha was inexperienced, for starters. They had no cover. Nothing.

A tapping against the window nearly caused him to piss his pants. A man from that ghostly scene stared directly at him. Kumar reached to his right and got his hand on the gun. The man hit the window again. Rolling it down, Kumar prepared himself to do what he normally would consider unthinkable for him.

“You Kumar, right?” the other asked.

Kumar blinked. “Ah…yah.”

“I’m CJ. We got three of our people in there now. Lee said she’s wired, is that true?”

“Yes, yes. So Lee has somebody to protect her?”

CJ frowned. “You think he’d send her in there with no cover?”

“Well…I didn’t know.”

“You know what you need to know. Look, there’s been a change in plans. I just got word that Casper has her. So we’re going to get her free. That means it moves up the timetable. Now get moving. She gets one shot at it.”

Kumar nodded. “I got it.”

He started up the van and pulled away, listening to Casper whisper the things he wanted to do to Sasha. The sooner she was away from that asshole, the better.

***

Casper had his hand on her thigh again, his touch unnaturally cold and soft. Her instincts told her to play along. The attention was supposed to be a compliment, though it made her nauseous. Sure she’d enticed Lee but she was a flirt, nothing more. This man gave her the creeps. He licked her cheek and then went for her neck. She thought she would scream as his hand went farther up her skirt. Her eyes darted around to see the makings of an orgy in full swing. Paired people began to lick, suck, and bite on each other. When Casper touched between her legs, she tensed.

“Open them for me; I want to eat your pussy. Right here. Right now,” he commanded.

Before she could speak, a shrill voice cut through the silence like nails on a chalkboard. “Get your hands off her!” one woman screeched at another. Casper sat up and so did several others.

“She’s your mate? Somebody should tell her that!” the other hissed. Then with lightning-quick agility, the first woman jumped on the other and body slammed her onto the floor. It was pure pandemonium. Casper leapt to his feet and screamed like a girl, shocking Sasha so badly she scooted away from him on the sofa. Trixie, over in the corner, laughed and jumped up and down like some wild, crazed hyena. Others hissed then attacked each other with feral-like movements. That quickly turned into pockets of fights everywhere. Someone grabbed Sasha’s arm. She was snatched to her feet and dragged backward. Sasha fought her attacker, but his arm snaked around her neck, choking her. She gagged and went limp. Then she was forced through a door she didn’t know existed, before finally being released. She dropped to her hands and knees.

Looking back, she coughed, trying to fill her lungs with air. “What the hell!” She scrambled to her feet and attacked her kidnapper before he could attack her again. He swatted away her hands and threw her up against the wall.

“Chill, bitch!” the stranger yelled in her face.

She grew still.

“Who are you?” she gasped. When she tried to rise, searing pain rippled up from her knees through her thighs.

“Lee sent me! You got half an hour before Casper misses you. Now go!”

“What? Where?”

“Go!” he shouted and shoved her down the narrow black hall. Sasha stumbled forward nearly dropping again to her knees. The person who helped her disappeared back into the wall. Taking the advice to heart, she ran.

***

“Sasha! Where are you?” Kumar asked. He swerved on two wheels around the building, headed to the next street.

“Running! I’m running!” she panted through the earpiece.

“Stop running!”

“No!”

“Sasha, listen, you have to calm down!”

“To hell with that! I have to get out of here! I have to get out of here!” she wheezed. Kumar nearly lost it with worry. Sasha was too spooked to hear reason.

“Where are you?”

“Lost! Lost, running around one corner and the next, I can’t find my way. This place seriously looks like hell. Oh God, what do I do?”

“Sasha, baby, listen, stop running and listen!” Kumar threw the van in park. Now two blocks away from the club, he was certain she would emerge from the pipe system that emptied into the muddy waters that flowed through the river. “Are you running? Stop running.”

“Okay.” She panted and wheezed, “Oh God, I can’t believe this. Why am I here? What am I doing?”

“I want to help you, but I can’t if you don’t calm down and listen to me. Tell me what you see. Sasha?”

“You didn’t see that freak, Kumar. You didn’t have him touching you.”

“Sasha, it’s over now right….”

“That motherfucker had his hands and tongue all over me. I feel like I need a baptism to get him off me!”

“Where are you? Look around!”

“A hall.”

***

“What do you see? Give me something more.”

“It’s a hall…just a hall.” She panted, shaking all over.

“Look! The walls, the ceiling, anything I can use?”

Sasha did as he asked. The only light was the wall-mounted candelabrum. She sighed, but stepped forward, terrified of the shadows, feeling as if Satan himself was in them waiting to leap out and teach her a lesson for being such a thankless soul. At the end of the hall, she had the option to go left or right. But remarkably, she also found some stairs.