Page 17 of Thorned Vengeance

This is the third bar I’ve been to in as many hours. It’s getting late, and I need to determine if I’m staying or moving on soon. I haven’t noticed anything suspicious, but the bastard waited until last call before he ambushed my sister. Unfortunately, there is only one of me and a shit ton of nightclubs here.

The victims always disappear from populated areas. According to the news, it’s always places like bars, malls, and big venues. I’m not an expert, but I’m guessing he likes to blend in so as not to draw suspicion, which makes my job of finding him harder.

It could literally be anyone.

“Coke, please,” I order.

“Anything else?”

I shake my head and toss a five on the bar when she pushes a glass toward me. “Keep the change.”

I swivel around on the stool and listen to the live band playing while my eyes sweep the room for anything or anyone out of place.

“I can’t believe you scored tickets,” a woman next to me yells over the music. She’s talking to a man, who I assume is her boyfriend based on the way she’s rubbing all over him.

“Friday night, baby,” he yells back. “You and me, tenth row.”

They grab their drinks and head to the dance floor before I can ask them which concert they’re talking about. I flag the server down again to get some information.

“Something big going on this weekend, or is it always this busy?” I ask.

She smiles. “Not from here, are you?”

“Passing through. Never been to Nashville and thought I’d stop for a couple of days.”

“It’s always busy around here on weekends. But Apple Caldwell also has a sold-out show this Friday.”

My lips curve. “No fucking way! I absolutely love her music.”

Hearing Apple is performing gives me renewed hope that I’m in the right city. My gut swirls with anticipation knowing without a shadow of a doubt that this is where the Phantom will strike: Apple’s concert. It’ll be extremely crowded which means there’ll be a lot of victims for him to choose from. Casing out Nashville’s nightlife is no longer at the top of my list.

First things first, I need to find a place to stay. With a show that size, it’ll be hard to find accommodations this late. I pull my phone out of my pocket and tap on my hotel app, praying for a miracle. Normally, I book my room in advance, but how the hell was I supposed to know for sure if this is where I should be or if I should go to another location from the map? After an hour, I finally find a king-bed suite a few blocks away from the stadium.

“Do you know if anyone is selling their tickets to the concert?” I ask the bartender.

She smirks. “Actually, they’re giving awa?—”

“Hey, sexy. Wanna dance?” a huge man says as he stands next to me.

I shake my head. “Not interested.”

“Oh, c’mon, sweetheart,” he slurs and grabs my wrist. “Don’t be like that. I’m Adam.”

“Well, Adam,” I counter. “You have two seconds to let me go before I drop your ass to the floor.”

“I just want to dance, bitch,” he growls, his drunken state seeming to diminish.

“Adam, let her go before I call security and have your ass thrown out again,” the bartender bites out.

“Stay out of this, Abby.”

If Abby knows him, he’s a regular and definitely not who I’m looking for. Still, I can have a little fun. Fucker needs to learn that no means no.

I glance up at Abby. “It’s okay, Abby. Adam here is going to let me go right now, aren’t ya?”

Adam tugs me off the stool, and I stumble slightly before finding my balance. “I said I wanted to dance.”

“Security!”

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