nipples were pierced and a chain extended from one to the other. A red crystal heart dangled in the middle.
“He’s Michael C’s friend, Zach. He’s doing an investigation,” Ivy said.
“I’m just trying to find out what happened to Michael,” Danny said, and tried to judge Zach’s reaction. There wasn’t one.
“Michael was a strange dude. He didn’t like to participate. He liked to watch. Is that your scene too? We have some private observation rooms. That’s extra.”
Danny felt a tiny jolt of unease, though he knew Michael always stood on the sidelines with his camera. Watching.
“Do you have a lot of watchers?” he said to Zach and looked around. His flesh felt cold and exposed.
Zach shrugged. “To each his own.”
“Did Michael ever bring anyone here?”
“You mean like a date?” Zach laughed. “Michael came by himself to forget his problems. Besides, he was seriously twisted about someone.”
“He ever say who?”
Zach shook his head. “No. Might not have even been human. He was always talkin’ bout demons and shit. Creeped me out.”
That wasn’t what Danny wanted to hear. Who knew what was going on in Michael’s messed-up head? He wanted to tell you . Danny shut off the voice in his own head.
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“A week or so back.”
“Did he seem upset? Worried?”
“Nope. Just went to his observation room like always. He did leave early though. That was unusual.”
Danny pulled the black-and-white card out of his pocket. “You ever see one of these before?”
Zach took a step back, and his face twisted into a scowl. “Where the fuck you get that?”
“I guess that answers my question.” Danny slid the card back into his pocket. “What kind of card is it?”
“Reporter Man, that’s the kind of card you want to leave home without.” Zach pushed the drink toward him. “Have this instead.”
“I don’t want a drink. I want to know what that card is. It’s got to be a membership of some kind. Ivy used it to get us in here. Is it just for here, or does it work at other places? You don’t have to take me there.”
“Anyone can get in here if they got the green, and I couldn’t take you there if I wanted—which I don’t.” Zach rested his elbows on the bar and leaned close. “Listen. There’s special clubs. Then there’s special clubs. The Inferno ain’t like this club here.”
“Are you saying this is a membership to the Inferno?”
Zach looked around the room. “Low level, but yeah.”
Danny’s heart jolted. “The Inferno is real.”
“It’s real enough, but it ain’t a club—not like this. It’s like management. It operates clubs, and depending on your level of membership, you get access.”
“Access to what?”
“Access.” Zach licked his lips as if the memory gave him both pleasure and pain. “To services. The higher your membership, the more access you get.”
“What kind of services?”
“Look, sweet ass.” Zach straightened and put his hands on his hips. “You may be the hottest thing walked in tonight, but I’m working, and you ain’t buyin’. Get my drift?”
Danny thought he got Zach’s drift pretty well. He knew he wasn’t interested in stripping down to frolic with the rest of the patrons. He slid a twenty to Zach. “What do you know about the Inferno?”
Zach eyed him with disdain. “Twenty? What’s it really worth to you?”
Danny shrugged as if he didn’t care. “I don’t usually pay sources.”
“I bet you got a hard-on right now for this.”
“And I bet you owe at least two months’ rent or you wouldn’t be serving up drinks in a G-string.”
Zach shrugged and shifted his weight back and forth. “Look, man, I can’t talk about it now. I get off at four. There’s a diner down on Spring Garden. You meet me there at four thirty. Buy me breakfast, and we’ll negotiate proper. Deal?”
Danny tossed another twenty on the bar. Ivy’s hand caressed his ass. “Don’t
“He’s Michael C’s friend, Zach. He’s doing an investigation,” Ivy said.
“I’m just trying to find out what happened to Michael,” Danny said, and tried to judge Zach’s reaction. There wasn’t one.
“Michael was a strange dude. He didn’t like to participate. He liked to watch. Is that your scene too? We have some private observation rooms. That’s extra.”
Danny felt a tiny jolt of unease, though he knew Michael always stood on the sidelines with his camera. Watching.
“Do you have a lot of watchers?” he said to Zach and looked around. His flesh felt cold and exposed.
Zach shrugged. “To each his own.”
“Did Michael ever bring anyone here?”
“You mean like a date?” Zach laughed. “Michael came by himself to forget his problems. Besides, he was seriously twisted about someone.”
“He ever say who?”
Zach shook his head. “No. Might not have even been human. He was always talkin’ bout demons and shit. Creeped me out.”
That wasn’t what Danny wanted to hear. Who knew what was going on in Michael’s messed-up head? He wanted to tell you . Danny shut off the voice in his own head.
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“A week or so back.”
“Did he seem upset? Worried?”
“Nope. Just went to his observation room like always. He did leave early though. That was unusual.”
Danny pulled the black-and-white card out of his pocket. “You ever see one of these before?”
Zach took a step back, and his face twisted into a scowl. “Where the fuck you get that?”
“I guess that answers my question.” Danny slid the card back into his pocket. “What kind of card is it?”
“Reporter Man, that’s the kind of card you want to leave home without.” Zach pushed the drink toward him. “Have this instead.”
“I don’t want a drink. I want to know what that card is. It’s got to be a membership of some kind. Ivy used it to get us in here. Is it just for here, or does it work at other places? You don’t have to take me there.”
“Anyone can get in here if they got the green, and I couldn’t take you there if I wanted—which I don’t.” Zach rested his elbows on the bar and leaned close. “Listen. There’s special clubs. Then there’s special clubs. The Inferno ain’t like this club here.”
“Are you saying this is a membership to the Inferno?”
Zach looked around the room. “Low level, but yeah.”
Danny’s heart jolted. “The Inferno is real.”
“It’s real enough, but it ain’t a club—not like this. It’s like management. It operates clubs, and depending on your level of membership, you get access.”
“Access to what?”
“Access.” Zach licked his lips as if the memory gave him both pleasure and pain. “To services. The higher your membership, the more access you get.”
“What kind of services?”
“Look, sweet ass.” Zach straightened and put his hands on his hips. “You may be the hottest thing walked in tonight, but I’m working, and you ain’t buyin’. Get my drift?”
Danny thought he got Zach’s drift pretty well. He knew he wasn’t interested in stripping down to frolic with the rest of the patrons. He slid a twenty to Zach. “What do you know about the Inferno?”
Zach eyed him with disdain. “Twenty? What’s it really worth to you?”
Danny shrugged as if he didn’t care. “I don’t usually pay sources.”
“I bet you got a hard-on right now for this.”
“And I bet you owe at least two months’ rent or you wouldn’t be serving up drinks in a G-string.”
Zach shrugged and shifted his weight back and forth. “Look, man, I can’t talk about it now. I get off at four. There’s a diner down on Spring Garden. You meet me there at four thirty. Buy me breakfast, and we’ll negotiate proper. Deal?”
Danny tossed another twenty on the bar. Ivy’s hand caressed his ass. “Don’t
Similar Books
