Page 14 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

“Off of what?” I urged her gently.

“My ex. He broke up with me. Well,Ibroke up withhim, after I walked in on him and some bimbo named Lacey.” The disgust and anger lacing her every word cut through me like a knife. I knew that pain all too well. I couldn’t help but feel for the girl.

None of us uttered a word, allowing her to compose herself for a moment before she continued.

“Anyway, we danced for a while, and it took my mind off of things until someone bumped into me from behind,” she continued after a moment. I sat up straighter, intrigued by what happened next. This part was not in her police report.

“I turned around to see none other than Bryce, the bitch-boy himself. And of course, Lacey, dripping off of him like a fucking slut, and smelling of cheap perfume.” She spoke through clenched teeth, almost as a hiss as she spoke. I knew very well that she wasn’t able to smell the girl’s perfume, especially in a nightclub like Desire, but it didn’t matter. The point remained.

“What happened when you turned and saw them?” Deacon’s voice surprised me, even more so the way he had stayed in the room. Deacon was one of the most incredible men I’d ever met, but he wasn’t one for thispart of the process. He wasn’t exactly personable at the best of times, and after all he’d been through, his patience was something he safeguarded at all costs. His temper was not one to be reckoned with.

“He tried to talk to me, tried to explain, I guess. But I didn’t want to hear a word he said. Jess pulled me away from him before I did something stupid, and we all headed back to the bar, and…” she trailed off once more. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and pushed through. “I got emotional about it and made an excuse to my friends about needing to find the restroom. Jess offered to go with me, but I honestly just needed a moment alone. I asked the bartender where the restroom was, and I headed towards the back of the club.”

I watched out of the corner of my eye as Deacon finally slipped out of the room. I figured that would happen at some point.

“The bathroom was down the back stairs and in a hallway. I don’t really know what happened, but it was dark as fuck, and my emotions got the best of me.” She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. “I felt like the walls were closing in and I found an exit — a door — and pushed my way through it. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I was outside. In an alley by the club. I lost it. Screaming, crying. I don’t even remember it all.”

“In the alley, do you remember what you saw?” I asked, leaning forward in my seat.

“Nothing much. A big dumpster, brick and concrete walls, clutter on the ground. It was hard to see through the fog, honestly.”

“What about signs? Lights?”

“Nothing comes to mind. Though… I remember seeing purple.” Her brow furrowed as she struggled to remember.

“Purple?” I asked, utterly confused at this point.

“Yeah. Like a purplish color. From a neon sign or something.” It must have been from one of the club signs at the end of the alleyway. I’d been down that way once or twice when visiting a local club I frequented a few times after we first moved here. It wasn’t for me, but I remember the area decently well still.

“What happened once you were there in the alley?” I prodded, pulling the pad of paper to my lap. Notes would be necessary from this point on. I was certain of it.

“I cried for a bit, judge me if you will.” Her bristly attitude was understandable, and I paid it no heed. “After a few minutes, I decided I wasn’t going to let Bryce get the better of me. He couldn’t force me out of the club. So I searched for the door back into the club and pushed it open.”

“Was the door the same door as before?” I asked her, my brow furrowing as I followed her story.

“I mean, I knownowthat it wasn’t. But at the time, I didn’t realize it. Come to think of it, the door I left out of the club was one of those with the push bars across the middle. You know?”

I simply nodded my understanding.

“Yeah, well, the door I went back through was a pull door. Like, it had a big handle. I didn’t think of it at the time. When I walked through it, the entire place looked different.”

“Why didn’t you turn around and go the other way?” Jax asked calmly.

“I wasn’t thinking clearly, after everything that had happened. I was still pretty worked up, if I’m being honest. All I could think about was getting to the bathroom, cleaning my face up, and getting back to the dance floor where I could show Bryce that he didn’t affect me whatsoever.” Her shoulders squared, her posture straightening as she spoke. The defiance was written on her body as clear as day. I had to admit, I felt proud of her for it. Even if I barely knew the girl.

“So I made my way down the hallway. It was eerily quiet, now that I think back on it. Too quiet. I remember trying to figure out which door was the bathroom. There were no signs or anything. That should have been my red flag, but, again, I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly. About halfway down the hall, I decided it was better to just try to find it. At that point, I also needed tousesaid restroom.”

She visibly changed at that point, her body pulling into itself, her arms wrapping around her once more. She even tucked her legs up under her, making herself as small as possible.

Guarding herself.

I felt the urge to protect her rise within me. It was something I valued about myself — the desire to protect others, to keep them safe. It was one of the first ways I had discovered… well, more truths about myself, many years ago.

“Take your time.” My words came out softly, reachingout to touch her arm in comfort, but she only pulled further away.

“I heard…” she began with a shuddering breath, her words seemingly half caught in her throat. “I heard voices.”

Voices?That was new. There wasn’t a mention of voices anywhere in the report.

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