Shadows in Light
Chapter 17

I diverted my path to end up at my home on the way back from Johns. I cleaned myself up and dressed up in something more comfortable than the suit I was wearing.

With Eli around, I kept my gun on me. I couldn’t bring myself to wander around without it anymore, and I wanted to make sure I was prepared for him now. I looked through my now impressively large amount of money and kept a large stack back for my plans today.

A bus ride later I was in Seattle. I didn’t go to the Pub first though, I wanted something else first. I wanted to spoil myself with all the money I’d earned. I knew it was stupid, and would likely backfire on me later, but I couldn’t resist.

I entered the store, and my nose was hit by that smell of leather. This shop was where I bought my last leather coat, expensive, but well worth it. There was just about every kind of leather clothing in this place, and thanks to my general size, it wasn’t hard to find a coat for me. The sales assistant flirted with me, looking wonderful in her leather skirt, while I browsed and tried on several of the coats.

At the end of it, we were both happy with the result, she had a sale and a decent tip for her service, while I had a leather jacket that covered me from shoulder to ankle, with a few pockets I could hide things in. It was a dull leather to stop light being reflected. It made me feel a bit more protected, even if it wouldn’t stop bullets or knives. I left the store, five hundred dollars or so lighter but I felt like me again, which I hadn’t since Eli had stabbed and shot me.

It’s the little things in life that matter.

Occidental Square was packed tonight with various people, all of which I ignored as I walked through, feeling happy to have that tug of my coat back from the wind blow. The bouncer was stood there again, barely giving me a glance before opening the door. Apparently, the new coat didn’t fool him, and he also didn’t notice or care about my gun.

I headed down the well-worn stairs, starting to feel comfortable. A few trips here and I was already starting to feel like this was a second home to me. Music was thumping at a medium level. Enough to give an appearance of a club, but not enough to kill conversation. I walked over to the bar and ordered a couple of beers and a couple of whiskeys from Bill, and then a BLT sandwich as food was still being served.

Collecting everything together and I turned to find a seat.

I looked over the club, and there were a few people I remembered from my last visit. They gave me a friendly glance and nod. Some of the booths were filled up with groups of people who were chatting and laughing to each other. Well except one group who was playing poker and ... another group playing Chess? This place takes all sorts, I guess.

I was about to head to an empty booth, and then I realized there was a flash of pink at another booth. I narrowed my eyes and focused on it, and sure enough. She was there. Caoimhe was sat in a lone booth, looking right at me with a sweet little look.

She raised an empty glass and batted her eyes lashes at me. I rolled my eyes turning to Bill in time to receive another glass of whiskey, served with a smug smirk on his face as he took my money and gave me change.

“No tip for that look.” I grumbled at him, making him smirk harder as I carried everything over to Caoimhe’s’ booth on a tray.

“Hello again” I said, putting her drink in front of her, getting a beam of delight off her as she reached over exchanging her empty one for it.

“Bless you. I was just considering how to get another one. Hello again to you too Ryan. You’re looking quite dashing today. Is that a new coat?”

I eyed her for a moment, before I took my coat off, folding it up and sticking it up against the wall with my bag under it. “Yes, thank you, I had to replace my last one.”

She cocked her head at me, the happy expression disappearing a little, “You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”

I took a drink of beer before a bite of sandwich, using that time to think about my response. Was I mad at her? She did something. But what did she do? Had it caused me harm? I wanted to believe no. I was feeling suspicious after everything, was I being too suspicious with her though?

“I feel that something happened that night. I don’t know what exactly, but I can’t help but feel played on some level Caoimhe”

The happy expression disappeared off her pretty face completely, leaving her looking sadly at her drink before she replied, “Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do. But I promise you, I don’t want to do anything to you that harms you. I like you; you were nice and friendly to me. That means something to me.”

She looked at me, blinking those big brown eyes twinkling as she blinked back tears. Well damn. I couldn’t stay mad at her. I felt she was telling me the truth.

“Okay, I believe you. But just no more of that stuff? Please?”

She fiddled with her drink for a moment then raised her head to look me right in the eyes as she said “I will do what I can Ryan. That’s all I can give you. Sometimes we’re not free to do what we might want to do. One day you’ll understand that.”

I considered her words. She was trying to tell me something there, but I was missing something. Story of my life really. I gave up and shrugged, picking up my whiskey we clinked glasses together, “I can accept that much, I guess. I guess our life is complicated compared to others.”

She giggled at that, her eyes sparkling in mischief as she sipped her drink, “Oh you have no idea yet Ryan.” She managed to get out as she giggled. I eyed her, getting more giggles from her until she had to put her drink on the table because she was risking spilling it.

“Stop that already.” I tried to be stern, but when a pretty woman is giggling at you, and looking so cute while doing it, you kind of end up smiling and laughing back yourself.

“Okay, sorry. Just funny.” She coughed and straightened her tightly fitting corset and made sure she was properly sat again. “So, what have you been up to then?”

“A whole lot of shit that I don’t understand. I get the feeling I’ve gotten myself into more than I should have.”

She gave me a sweet little smile “You seem like the type to do that to me.”

“How do you mean?”

She sipped her drink “The type to stand up to a bully and help others out.”

I might have gained pleased look on my face at that “Thank you, but it has made my life complicated.”

“Well. You could tell me about it? Maybe it’ll make sense when you talk to someone about it? I promise to keep it secret.”

I took a bite of my BLT. I was going to end up losing money more often after jobs by eating here. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to have someone to talk through all this with. Glancing around, I could tell no one was paying attention to us. The noise level was steadily increasing anyways, so I started to tell her. Meeting Sally, Bianca. I told her about Eli, the hospital, the club, going into the basement.

The only parts I left out was Dave. I made it sound like we escaped through a tunnel to the ground. I didn’t mention Malcolm’s help. And I left out was her Alice’s real name, keeping her as Sally in my story. She’d kept it from me, so she must have had a good reason.

I spent the next 2 beers and 2 whiskeys telling her it all.

Her face went surprised at Eli, upset at the hospital. But her face got dark as I told her about the club. It didn’t improve as I told her about the chase through the underground, nor as I went through meeting John at Bianca’s, and the leaving episode of Eli.

By the end of it, she didn’t look cute. She looked vicious and deadly. And utterly pissed. A surprising large amount. I’ve seen linebackers not manage to look so deadly and thoroughly pissed.

“Are you OK Caoimhe?” I asked her. I was a little confused as to WHY she was looking so angry.

She nodded, but the glass in her hand shattered into a thousand pieces without warning. She didn’t even seem to notice. I went to grab her hand, but she pulled it back before I could “I’m fine” she snapped, brushing her hand off on the floor. She wasn’t wrong either. She didn’t have a single cut on her hand. That was vaguely creepy. She reached into her corset and pulled out a 5 dollar note, passing it to me “Can you tell the bartender I did that please?”

“Can I get you another drink while I’m there?”

She shook her head, “I’m out of money.”

I snorted a little, “I didn’t ask that. I asked if I could get you a drink. I did well today. And I don’t want to drink alone, so I’ll buy you a coke or something if you don’t want an alcoholic drink.”

The dark expression left her face as she looked up at me, brown eyes blinking at me for a moment before she said softly “I’ll have a whiskey and coke then please Ryan?”

I nodded, picking up my stuff on the tray, and brushed down the table as best as I could, heading over to the bar. I was surprised by loud music when I left our booth. It was loud, yet when we were in our booth it wasn’t too loud.

In fact, now I thought about it, it had gotten quieter since we’d been taking. Huh. I got to the bar and Bill was in front of me a few moments after I’d decided my drink.

“Caoimhe broke her glass. She asked me to bring her money up here and pay you for it. Could I have someone to clean it up?” I passed him a ten instead of her five to cover the cleanup too. Bill raised an eyebrow and nodded, darting down the bar for a moment and returned.

“Getting sorted now. Thank you, anything else Ryan?”

I ordered a whiskey and coke for her, and another couple of beers and a whiskey for myself, heading back to the booth. The broken glass was gone when I got back. Caoimhe was waiting for me and looked pleased at my return. The music immediately went quieter as I settled into the booth.

“Did you do that to the music?” I asked her

She looked down a little and nodded “Makes it easier to talk. Just a little thing I was taught by ... Never mind, doesn’t matter.”

“So, what do you think?”

She plucked at the straw in her drink and swirled it around thinking, as her fingers ran through her hair, “It can’t be a coincidence Eli showed up so soon after Sally showed up can it?”

I shook my head, “Doesn’t that mean that Sally is a bad guy kind of thing? I mean if that’s true an,” I whispered the next word, “angel is hunting for me because of her.”

Caoimhe lips curved a little at me, “That’s for you to find out. Discover things for yourself. I’m not saying you’re wrong of course, but even God wants people to discover things for himself.”

“You believe in God?” I know you’re not supposed to judge people, but honestly. Something about her just made me think she wouldn’t believe.

She shrugged, “I haven’t decided yet. I remain neutral on the matter. Not the point though. Look for yourself, if you find out she is, then you can back off. Surely they would know that and stop right?” Her comment seemed logical, so I nodded, “If not, then maybe something else is going on here?”

She drummed her fingers for a moment, before murmuring softly “There’s also something else you missed by my reckoning.”

She was right. There was something I missed; I just couldn’t figure out what it was. It was on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn’t quite grasp it, so I looked to her in exasperation.

“What?”

“The Underground. You found the girls in what is the old Seattle Underground”

“Where did it come from? Do you know?”

“Long story short. The original buildings of Seattle burned down in 1889. When they rebuilt, they made it law all buildings had to be stone, and that all streets had to be at least one stories higher than they were originally. Something to do with water movement, I think. But they built the buildings, with lower levels that were used before the roads were built. Eventually they got sealed up and forgotten. Now they’re used by ... all sorts. With some work those areas have been expanded and fixed up to be more than what people believe, even with history books and the few places that make mention of it. You found the girls in one of the streets that’s under Seattle itself. If I wanted to find out, I’d maybe investigate seeing if someone down there could tell me about some streets? Perhaps those ones too?”

She might have a point there; I had seen things down there. Maybe people? I wasn’t entirely sure what at this point, “Is it safe down there?”

Caoimhe looked me in the eyes, going serious, “It’s a little rough down there, but I get the feeling you’ll be fine. Just be polite, and don’t stare too much at anything weird. That’s my advice.”

I downed the rest of my beer. Looking into things was a good idea though, maybe I could investigate who owned Essence too? Might give me a hint.

“Thanks, Caoimhe. I’ll keep that in mind. Course, I’ve no idea how to get down there.”

She pointed over to the bar, “That door there.”

I looked where she was pointed. There was an old looking wooden door, with various bars of metal sat ready to lock the door, should one ever have the need to stop an army getting in judging from the number of locks and protection was near it.

“That goes into the Underground?”

Caoimhe nodded, “After that just follow how the streets are. You can find your way around, although some have been blocked off by rebuilding and what not. Keep a mental map if you can.”

I was about to ask her more, when she gasped and her back arched, grabbing her throat for a moment before she shuddered her body relaxing, but her face was full of tension. “I have to go. Now.”

I raised an eyebrow at her, “Do you need me to walk you home?”

She shook her head “No. I’ve got a driver now. I’ll hopefully see you soon Ryan. Stay strong. You can figure this all out I’m sure of it. It’s all-in front of you. You can save Sally.” She gave me a coy look, as her hand stroked my hand lightly, then she was sliding along the booth and hopped onto the floor. She paused there for a moment, stretching, giving me a fine view of her hourglass figure, shapely legs and pert ass all magnified by her corset, heels and skirt combination. She flashed a grin back at me, knowing I was looking, and utterly happy with that before she sashayed her way out of the pub. I went red realizing she was fully aware of my staring, and drank my beer, trying to not watch her leave.

It wasn’t easy really. She really was quite lovely.

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