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“You’re an asshole!” Jude hissed, just as Luca reached the
table.

“Jude, my friend!” Luca laughed. “You’re exactly the person
I wanted to talk to.”

Jude swallowed hard, his eyes taking in the sight of the
mobster, beaming down at him. His teeth were a little too white, like fangs.

“Why’s that?” Jude asked warily.

Luca pushed into the booth next to him, putting his elbows
on the table, and penning Jude in.

“Mr. Fischer is very impressed with your progress so far,”
he said. “Told me he might have another project for you.”

“Look, I don’t think I’ll be able to—”

“King wants a full report on what you’ve found. Start making
a list of details,” Luca continued. “And when you give that, I’ll explain what
else King is looking for.”

“I… I’m not even done with this one,” Jude stammered. “I
can’t take on anything else!”

“Ah, but you must be getting close,” Luca said, waving
Jude’s words away.

“I still need time. I’m trying to get it done, but it’s not
an easy thing to do!”

Luca put a heavy hand on Jude’s shoulder, leaving it there.
It was a weight, holding him down. Jude could barely breathe, let alone talk.

“Get your report ready, Jude,” Luca said darkly. “I’ll be
coming to talk to you soon.”

Jude nodded, and Luca let go, standing to go to the other
side of the booth.

“Marq, my friend! I
knew
I could count on you to get
everyone out tonight!”

Jude felt the blood drain from his face. This wasn’t just a
‘get together’ for friends, this was Marq following orders. In his mind, the
maze grew smaller, his exits disappearing. Nausea rising, Jude staggered to his
feet. Halfway to the exit, he saw Abhishek. Jude put his head down and walked
faster. Jude needed an escape, but even more than that, he needed to see
Indigo.

She was the only thing in his life that made sense anymore.

: : :
: : : : : : :

Indigo had been dancing for what felt like hours, alcohol
and music, and the hot press of bodies, wrapping her in a haze of motion. She
and Shireese moved together, arms half-wrapped around one another. Indigo
twirled, her eyes moving to the stage where Tanis sang, her voice a throaty
growl. The sound was another layer, buffering her from the world. She should be
upset, Indigo knew, but the whiskey had pushed away the fear, leaving numbness
instead.

She liked that.

Ten years ago, this would have been the time to go into the
back room of the club and shoot up with some of the other girls, but Indigo had
learned that lesson hard, the first time someone had passed out, and never
woken up. Nowadays, alcohol or pot were her drugs of choice. Something strong
enough to muffle the pain, but not so strong as to kill her.
‘Don’t need any
help with that…’
she thought in dark humour. She twirled around, losing
Shireese and bumping into a dark-haired man in a too-tight shirt. He laughed,
reaching out, but she shimmied away, eyes on the crowd. She couldn’t see
Shireese anymore. Moving in larger circles, Indigo danced, waiting out one
song, and then a second, Tanis’ voice growing hoarse as the set continued.

Finally reaching the edge of the dancers, Indigo paused,
panting, her eyes on the exit door. It was propped open with a sand-filled
bucket full of cigarette butts. The scent of cannabis wafted forward, and
Indigo laughed at her good fortune.
‘Yes,’
she thought happily, ‘
tonight
is the perfect night for that.’
She wove her way unsteadily to the door,
heading outside, surprised to see Shireese and a man near the end of the alley.
Backlit by the streetlight, she couldn’t see either of their faces, but
Shireese’s voice, raised in anger, echoed forward.

“And you stay
away
from her!” she bellowed. “Indigo’s
done! Don’t you get that?!”

Indigo put a hand on the brick wall, staggering forward.

“Look, Shireese,” the man answered, his voice strangely
familiar, “I saw the posters and I figured if you were here, she’d be here
and—”

“You’re
not
welcome!” Shireese roared. “Do you know
what you did to her? Indigo’s strong, but
everyone
can be broken!”

The alley was cold, winter air chilling through the sweat on
her back. Indigo took shallow breaths, her legs weak and shaking. She stumbled,
catching herself on the wall, and the man turned at the sound. In the light,
she could see his face. The terror of Luca folded back in on itself, replaced
by excitement.

“Cal?”

Indigo expected Shireese to say something, but she didn’t.
She just walked away, disappearing around the front of the building by the time
Indigo made it to Cal’s side.

“Why are you here?” she asked thickly. Nothing made sense
tonight.

“I had to see you.”

He held his hands at his side, not touching her. Indigo knew
how hard that was for him. She was every bit the drug to him that he was to
her, and she liked the feeling of it tonight. Emboldened by the alcohol in her
veins, she stepped closer, watching as his eyebrows pulled together as if in
pain.

“Well, you’ve seen me now,” she purred. “So go.”

He took a sharp breath.

“I can’t! I thought I could, but then I saw you the other
night, and all those feelings were back.”

Indigo watched him, every word burned into her mind. Drunk,
she was in no state to argue. All she knew is that she wanted to forget.

“I’ve moved on,” she taunted. “You waited too fucking long
to figure it out.”

He reached out, grabbing her upper arm. He wasn’t squeezing
hard yet, but he
would
be. That was Cal too. She hated and loved him for
it.

“It’s that kid, isn’t it?” he sneered.

“He’s not a kid,” she said coolly. “He’s older than me.”

Cal’s lips turned down at the edges, and he leaned forward,
looming.

“Might be,” he ground out. “But does he make you feel like I
do?”

His hands on her arm tightened until they hurt. Indigo’s
heart was pounding, the rush of fear and lust riding one another.

“Don’t!” she hissed.

Cal leaned in and kissed her.

: : :
: : : : : : :

When Jude arrived at O’Reilly’s the place was standing room only,
the music so loud the front windows were vibrating in time to the bass. The
band was onstage, surrounded by dancers and drinkers. Jude caught sight of
Shireese standing next to one of the large speakers, but she was too far away
to shout to, so he moved on, searching the crowd for Indigo. He did two tours
of the bar, without success. There were simply too many people to be able to
see, everyone jostling for position. Fighting the urge to start shoving, Jude
pulled his cell phone from his pocket, walking out the front doors to the
street to call her.

Ears ringing, Jude wandered away from the entrance, hoping
to get far enough away he could hear. Nearing the alley, his eyes were drawn to
a couple standing up against a wall, wrapped around one another, kissing. The
woman’s long leg was hitched around the man’s hip. He had one hand in the
woman’s hair, the other under her skirt, exposing a wide swath of skin between
boot and hip.

Jude lurched to a stop as the realization hit him full in
the chest.

“What the fuck!
Indigo?!?”

The man lifted his face, though he didn’t release her.
‘Callum
Woodrow,
’ Jude’s mind announced. Shock flickered in Woodrow’s eyes,
followed by rage.

“Jude Alden,” he growled.

Indigo squeaked, pushing against the man’s chest, but he had
her pinned against the wall and it appeared he had no intention of letting go.
Her leg dropped to the ground and her skirt pulled up higher, revealing the
lace edge of her panties.

“Jude, wait!” she cried. “Wait! I can explain!”

Jude turned, stumbling away from the alley and out onto the
sidewalk, sick with grief.

He was done.
They
were done.

Officer Brodie started the trace the moment the call began.
There were only a handful of hardwired payphones in greater New York City. By
the time the kid on the other end began describing the hacking job and gave the
names of Marq Lopez and Jude Alden, Brodie had already tracked the call to a
single payphone in the industrial area of Jersey City. He thanked the informant
for his information, assuring him that an officer would investigate his
concerns, and hung up.

In minutes, Brodie was surfing the internet for the
businesses nearby. There was a Mazda dealership half a block away, a UPS store
on the other side. His lips curled into a knowing grin as the last business
appeared on his screen: an army surplus store by the name of “Now or Never”. A
place like that was assured to have at least two separate closed-circuit
cameras from which to choose.

Information noted, Officer Brodie took several minutes to
file a second, unrelated report about a bogus mugging downtown, and to delete
the phone message from the system. He then turned to the computer history,
removing his search, and adding the new, falsified information to the
computer’s database. Done, he folded the hand-written report in half, tucking
it into his inside pocket before returning to the phone lines.

He’d be off shift in four hours. Time enough to deal with
the informant then.

: : :
: : : : : : :

Indigo was furious in the aftermath of Jude’s discovery. She
pulled away from Cal, her upper arms throbbing where he’d had her pinned
against the wall.

“Let me go!” she shouted.

Jude was already at the end of the alley, shoulders hunched.
She took two stumbling steps forward as Jude disappeared around the edge of the
building.

“Jude!” she screamed. “Jude! WAIT!”

Cal moved in front of her.

“I want to get back together, Indigo,” he said calmly. “I’m
ready this time. I don’t care about—”

“It’s too late!” she cried, stepping to the side, only to be
blocked again. “Jude,” she called. “Just hold ON!”

Cal put a hand on her shoulder and she tore away.

“It’s not going to last with him,” Cal said. “Jude Alden’s a
fuck up. Plain and simple. I taught him. I know!”

“You think
everyone’s
a fuck up!” she shrieked. “But
the truth is, the fuck up is
you
!”

Cal laughed away her words.

“Think about what you want from life, sweetheart!” he
scoffed. “Jude won’t be around for the long run. I will.”

“You’re the only one who
ever
ran away!” she cried.
“You’re the one who ended things, but you don’t get to decide if they start
again!” She shoved against his chest, pushing him aside and storming down the
alley.

“You’ll come back when you see what he is!” Cal shouted.
“You just wait! He’s a screw up who thinks you’re just an easy lay!”

Indigo didn’t stop.

Two hours later, she was no longer drunk. Instead, she was
panicked. Jude wasn’t answering his cell phone, and when she called the other
number he had given her for the apartment, his roommate answered.

“Jude doesn’t live here anymore,” he said groggily, then
hung up.

As O’Reilly’s closed, Indigo helped Shireese and Tanis break
down the stage, returning the equipment to Tanis’s van. Shireese was in a sulk,
ignoring her attempts at conversation. Indigo knew she deserved it, but it left
her fuming.

“I’ve called Jude ten times,” she complained as Tanis and
Shireese strapped down the speakers. “Texted him at least twice that many
times. He’s not answering.”

Shireese glared at her.

“Would you answer if that’s what
you
walked in on?”

“It’s not that simple,” Indigo argued.

 “Never is with you,” she retorted, then climbed into
the passenger side of the van, slamming the door.

Tanis gave her an anxious smile.

“Do you need a ride home or anything?”

Indigo shook her head. The bars were closing, but she
couldn’t go back to the apartment. Not yet. Shireese’s words cut deep, and her
fears about Jude were a bitter poultice.

“I’m fine,” she mumbled. “Gonna walk around a bit.”

Tanis took a step toward the van, then stopped, glancing
back over her shoulder.

“You got money for a cab?” she asked. “’Cause I can give you
a ride somewhere, no problem.”

“I’m good for cash,” Indigo said with a nod, wrapping her
arms around herself. “Thanks though.”

With no destination in mind, Indigo wandered, letting her
anxiety work its way out through action, bits and pieces of years past filling
her mind. Every darkened alley contained memories of her teen years, every
faceless figure filled with the nightmare she’d spent years trying to escape.

Shireese had been working on the morning crew at The
Vault when Indigo had first met her. Shireese cleaned the club in its empty,
morning state, whereas Indigo was one of the evening staff, their roles
defining their lives.

“You ever think about doing somethin’ else?” Shireese had
asked her as she washed mirrors in the dressing room. “Just getting out of
here, and doing… I dunno. Somethin’ better?”

“Better’n this money?” Indigo had drawled. “Don’t think
so.”

“You could,” Shireese had insisted. “You’re smart, hon.
You could go back to school, if you wanted.”

“A girl like me’s only got so many options,” Indigo had
said with an angry laugh. “This place’s a hell of a lot better than the other
places I’ve been.”

Indigo hadn’t known it then, but she’d been wrong. She
just hadn’t met Luca Brin yet.

Indigo’s phone buzzed and she jerked in surprise, pulling it
out of her pocket. Her fingers tightened as she caught sight of Jude’s name on
the text message.

You still up?

She typed an answer, heart pounding.