Depths of Depravity (15 page)

“
That’s a nice outfit,” Luther whispered into my ear.

“
Thank you,” I said.

“
Did you pick it out just for me?”

I turned and looked at him with a smile.

“If that’s what you want to believe, sure.”

I giggled at him and he shook his head, still unable to get through to me in the way he wanted to.

I sat among all three of them, trying to figure out a way to get some answers. I almost wanted to ask them directly. I wanted to tell them that I was a reporter and I wanted to know exactly what the appeal of this club was. I couldn’t think of any other way to get what I needed for an article. But there was nothing I could do.

Luther leaned in close to me. I felt him brush up against me. He reached his arm up
and wrapped it around me. I turned and looked at him, wondering if he knew what he was doing.

“
Luther, I—”

“
I’m enjoying the company of my favorite dancer. You work here at the club. This isn’t a date. If you want, I could pay you. But you already know that things won’t go any further. It’s not allowed.”

“
I…”

“
Do you not want my company, Harley?”

“
No… It’s fine. I… I don’t know what I was thinking.”

I smiled then leaned back against him. It felt strange sitting so close to him. Even underneath the lights, I
could see how attractive Luther was. But I couldn’t let him get to me. This wasn’t just business. This was a personal issue, too. I had a story to write. I needed space from any personal relationships. I couldn’t allow a man, even one like him, to distract me from what I wanted and what I needed.

Before I could over-analyze the situation any further, Sage arrived once again. She took a seat between Romeo and Landon. She looked just as sexy and seductive as she always did. She was wearing a ruffled top and
a matching pair of shorts that hugged her ass so perfectly that they looked like they were painted on.

I watched as she was sandwiched between the two billionaires. She played with Landon
’s ear, trailing her index finger along the side of his face while he did his best to avoid paying her any attention. Romeo leaned in close to her and began nuzzling her neck. She giggled at him, moving her face in the opposite direction which only made him try even harder. She raised both of her arms up and proceeded to play with each one of them. Landon was calm and emotionless. Romeo was more playful and enthusiastic. I turned to Luther to avoid staring back at them.

“
Now what?” I asked him.

“
What do you mean?”

“
Is this all you want? You just want to sit here and enjoy my company just like this.”

“
What else is there, Harley?”

“
Well, we can go to the back. There’s Paradise and Limbo—”

Luther began to chuckle and I stared at him in confusion.

“What’s so funny?”

“
It’s just a tease,” he said.

“
It’s more than just a tease.”

“
No, it’s a tease, Harley. I know what the rules are here. You can only go so far. It’s like you’re so close but you’re still so far away. You can never actually get what you want back there. Not in Paradise or Limbo.”

“
What was that all about last time? When you made me watch. Is that why you did it?”

“
That was just to satisfy a curiosity.”

“
What were you curious about?”

“
Not my curiosity. Yours.”

“
Mine?”

With his arm wrapped around me, Luther pulled me in close. I felt his lips trail upon my ear as he started to whisper.

“You wanted to see what I look like when I’m aroused.”

I swallowed anxiously as I felt the warmth of his breath against my skin. I didn
’t respond to him immediately. As he pulled away from me, I looked into his eyes. He was practically emotionless as he stared back at me. I couldn’t deny that there was some appeal in watching the tiny woman Jade grind against him. But I didn’t understand how Luther was able to make that determination before he even saw me back there.

“
Like I said, Harley. It’s just a tease. Right now, I’m not interested in pushing things any further.”

He winked at me. For a moment, I found myself struggling to remember what
I was doing here. I was trying to compose myself and remember who I was. Harley was what he called me. I was just a stripper to him. But deep down inside, I found myself growing more attracted to him and it becoming more and more of a struggle to push those feelings to the side.

I quickly jumped out of my seat and out of Luther
’s grasp. Everybody in the booth turned and looked at me.

“
I’m probably going to call it a night,” I said to all of them.

“
But you just started,” Sage said to me. “The night is still young.”

“
Yeah, Harley,” Romeo joined in. “There’s no need for you to go so soon.”

“
I know, it’s just… I think I made a lot of money from my tips and…”

I looked over at Luther. I was trying to read the expression on his face but couldn
’t.

“
Dancing on stage wore me out more than I thought it would. And I’m still getting adjusted to these new heels. I should probably get some rest.”

“
Will I be seeing you again?” Luther asked.

“
I… Yeah, of course. I’ll be back in tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll have something more to talk about.”

“
Okay, Harley. Have a good night.”

He didn
’t seem as upset as I thought he would be. Regardless, I left the booth as quickly as I could. I was becoming frustrated with myself for so many different reasons. Getting the answers I was looking for was taking me longer than I wanted it to. And it was all because I was letting Luther distract my focus from where it needed to be.

I sighed as I got back into the locker room. I sat on the bench near my locker and pulled the pla
tform heels off of my feet. I was reminded of just how short I actually was. Closer to the ground, I opened my locker and reached for my things. As I grabbed my bag, something fell down in front of me. It was a small envelope.

I looked around to see if any
body had noticed it then picked it up off of the ground. I turned the envelope around and read it.

Harley

The plain handwriting suggested that it could have been anybody. I looked around once again, making sure that nobody else was looking at me. I slowly opened the envelope and looked inside of it. It had a weight to it. It was like some sort of a chain. I reached into it cautiously and pulled it out. I held it in my hand and examined it for a moment. It looked like some sort of silver bracelet or necklace. I dropped it back into the envelope and looked for anything else inside of it. There was a small card that looked like a business card. I pulled it out and it was blank. I flipped it over and there I saw something written upon it.

103 Gerardi Blvd.

Sunday

9 PM

Is this a joke? What is this? Who…

I shoved everything back into the envelope and then into my bag. I changed my clothes quickly. Hoping that nobody noticed me, I made my way out of the locker room and back through the club. I glanced over at
the VIP booth I had just spent most of my time at and all of them seemed to be enjoying Sage’s company. I didn’t know what to think exactly but this was definitely something important.

When I got home, I tossed the envelope onto my desk. Before I could exa
mine it any further, I realized how exhausted I was. Dancing at the club made me expend more energy than I was used to. On top of that, my day of practice didn’t help matters. I sat on my couch, completely confused as to what was going on. The questions were spinning in my head but as soon as I began to consider them, I quickly fell asleep.

Chapter 15

I held the silver links up in my hand. It was one long chain with several shorter chains dangling down from each link. It was too large to go around a wrist and too small to go around a neck. I put it up in the light, examining it from every angle as if there was some secret message hidden inside of it. I was looking for some type of inscription or anything else that would tell me what it was.

“
What is this thing?”

I placed it back down on my desk in frustration. I slept more comfortably than I thought I would last night. I was so tired after such a long day that not even this major revelation was enough to keep me up. But as soon as I was up in the morning, I w
ent back to my desk. The envelope was still there. It had actually happened.

I considered that somebody had made a mistake. But the envelope was addressed to me. There wasn
’t another Harley at the club. I was sure of that. With the chain sitting there in the corner of my eye, I turned to the card that came with it. I looked the address up on the Internet. All of the maps I searched indicated that it was in a residential zone. Further investigation told me that it was in a gated community. There were photos of a large and exquisite mansion. There was something about the photos that seemed so familiar.

“
Why does it feel like I’ve seen that house before?”

I closed my eyes and thought about it, searching my memories.

“Did I drive by this place before? No… But I
have
seen it. In a movie or a picture… In a photo.”

Then it finally hit me. I opened my eyes and grabbed my phone. I dialed the number, hoping that he would be where he always was.

“Hello?”

“
Hey, Roy. This is Victoria. Are you busy?”

“
Yeah, I am actually. Was there—”

“
I only need you for a second. Do you still have those photos you took of Landon Schrader?”

“
Yeah, they’re around here somewhere. What about them?”

“
You said you followed him home. You took pictures of him at his house?”

“
Only a few. There was security all over the place. And the photos are kind of far—”

“
Never mind that. Roy, what was the address?”

“
Hold on, I’ll have to check it out. I don’t remember exactly…”

I was holding my breath as I waited for Roy
’s answer. I tapped my foot on the ground and listened to him sort through everything.

“
I don’t have the exact address. The numbers are too small. There aren’t many houses there though. Did you need his address? I could find—”

“
What street is it on, Roy?”

“
Uh… It looks like Gerardi Boulevard.”

“…
Thank you, Roy,” I sighed. “That’s exactly what I thought. I’ll let you get back to work.”

I hung the phone up after getting the answer I was looking for. This wasn
’t a coincidence. There was some connection. Landon Schrader lived at this address or at least in the same area. Now I was given an invitation, complete with a date and time. I wasn’t sure what else I was supposed to do but show up. I didn’t know exactly what laid ahead of me but this was where I needed to be.

I had to take precautions though. They could have been planning something devious. I didn
’t feel completely safe. I picked my phone back up and made another phone call.

* * *

The mansions were more secluded than I was expecting. There was nothing but open road in front of us. I looked down at the card to make sure that I had the address right.

“
Are you sure this is the right place?” I asked.

“
Yeah,” Roy said to me. “You don’t forget about a place like this.”

Gerardi Boulevard was located far away from
the city. I didn’t expect someone who lived a life of affluence to spend so much time out here when they could actually afford to live in the overpriced lofts in the city. When we finally arrived at the gated community, I understood why someone would want to spend their time out here. The tall brick walls lined the perimeter of the houses and were blocked off with equally tall black gates. Security guards lazily sat around in their booths to make sure that nobody got in without being noticed. Roy parked his car far away from the gate.

“
That’s it,” he said as he pointed up toward the hill. “Do you see that mansion at the top? That’s the one I saw Landon going into and leaving.”

“
What? But we’re so far away. You can’t get any closer?”

“
Victoria, any closer and we’ll be in plain view to security.”

“
I wasn’t aware your lens was that powerful.”

“
Hey, I’ve got a lens for every distance. I could see everything.”

“
Yeah. Remind me to keep my blinds closed from now on.”

I stared at the mansion in the distance as Roy
’s car sat underneath a small cluster of trees down the street. It was a long walk just to get to the gate and would be an even longer walk to get inside of the mansion.

“
So, now what?” he asked me.

“
Just pay attention. Take photos of every car, every person you see going inside.”

“
All right. What are you going to do?”

I wasn
’t sure how to prepare for this. I didn’t know if it were a party or a date or some elaborate trap. I knew that I would be in the presence of some very wealthy men but I didn’t want to overdo it. I ended up throwing on a skirt and a blouse. I had no idea what I was doing but I figured everything in the envelope would be enough.

“
What is this?” I asked Roy as I held the chain I received up to him. “Have you seen anything like this before?”

“
It looks like jewelry,” he shrugged as he examined it. “The links… Is it a necklace?”

“
I don’t think so. It doesn’t fit around my neck. Unless it’s for a child or something.”

“
What does that have to do with anything?”

“
Never mind. What time is it?”

“
It’s… a quarter to nine.”

“
Good. I’ve got some time. Listen, Roy…”

I took a deep breath before I told him what I was going to do. I didn
’t know what was waiting for me. But I couldn’t just ignore this invitation. For all I knew, somebody was in there planning to kill me. I couldn’t let this go though. I was finally going to get some answers, no matter what it took.

“
I’m going inside,” I said.

“
What? How?”

“
That’s not important. I need you to listen to me very carefully. I don’t know how long I’m going to be in there. But I’ll try to get back as soon as I can. If something happens though, my files aren’t encrypted. You can find everything I have in my apartment. Look up everything under Landon Schrader’s file. That should tell you everything up to that point.”

“
Victoria, I don’t like the sound of this…”

“
I don’t either. But I have to do this. It’s part of the job.”

I could see the concern on Roy
’s face. It was tough to put a burden on a man as young as he was. But I couldn’t tell everybody what I was doing until I got all of the facts. I knew that I could trust him to do the job.

“
How long do you want me to wait for you?” he asked.

“
I don’t know. Just go with your gut.”

“
My gut? I’ve already got a bad feeling about this.”

“
Fine… In the morning. Can you just wait here overnight? If the sun is up and I’m still not back, call me. If I don’t answer, then contact someone.”

“
Victoria—”

“
Just relax, Roy. I can take care of myself. I’ll… I’ll be back before you know it.”

I smiled at him
to try and ease my tension. I was trying to hide how worried I was from him. The last thing I needed was a young kid concerned for my safety when it wasn’t necessary.

“
Okay,” I exhaled a deep breath. “I’m going in.”

“
Good luck.”

He nodded to me then I got
out of his car. I made the long walk toward the gate. The night was colder than I had expected. I wrapped my arms around myself, my jacket doing little to protect me. I clutched my purse. Inside of it where the envelope and all of its contents. Sitting at the bottom was my recorder. Hopefully it would record something interesting tonight.

When I got to the security booth, the guard inside looked up at me from his newspaper.

“Can I help you, Miss?”

“
I’m here for the… the party tonight.”

“
What party?”

“
The party at 103 Gerardi. I do have the right address, right?”

“…
There’s no party here tonight.”

The guard eyeballed me then turned his attention back to his newspaper.

“Wait!” I exclaimed as I started digging into my purse. “I… I have this… Where is it? Here. I… I was invited.”

I pulled the card out from the envelope and showed it to him. He looked at it for a moment, squinting his eyes so that he could read it. He then grabbed a nearby telephone.

“There’s a woman here trying to get in,” he said. “She’s by herself… Brunette… Yes… Yes, she is… Yes, sir. Understood.”

He hung the phone up and walked out of the booth. I stood next to him as the gate started to open.

“Wait right here,” he said. “Someone is coming to pick you up… So you don’t have to walk up the hill.”

“
Thank you.”

It was easier to get in than I was expecting. At least now I knew that this wasn
’t a fluke. I was starting to get excited about finally getting to find out what was going on up here.

“
Can I ask whom you were speaking to?” I asked the security guard.

“
It’s the concierge,” he said. “They have a list of their guests. I just had to double-check to make sure. I don’t think I’ve ever had a walk-up guest before. You don’t own a car?”

“
I… I took a cab.”

“
Oh. I bet he was complaining about taking you out so far from the city.”

“
He was just happy to collect the fare.”

I chuckled along with the security guard as we waited for my ride. I turned around and saw Roy
’s car still parked in the distance. Then I looked back toward the mansion sitting on the hill. There was a car heading down the long road toward us. The limo pulled up right next to me and the driver exited to open the door for me.

I thanked him and then stepped inside. I looked out the window and watched as we headed back up the hill toward
the mansion. As we got closer, I could feel myself getting more and more anxious. My heart was beating so hard that my body was vibrating. I started taking deep breaths to try and calm myself down.

Just relax. You were invited. Nothing
’s going to happen. Just get enough information for a story and get out.

The limo pulled up to the front door of the mansion. The driver opened the door for me and when I stepped out, I was able to see just how massive and elaborate it was.

“Um, do I just let myself in?” I asked the driver. “I’ve never been here before.”

“
Just go in right through those doors, miss. They’ll take care of you from there.”

“
Right… Thank you.”

The driver nodded politely to me then got back into the limo. The limo drove away and I was alone again, st
aring at two ominous double doors. I walked up the short steps toward them. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to knock or ring a bell or just let myself in.

Now what?

I looked around and there still wasn’t a soul to be found. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I twisted the handle and slowly pushed it forward. I stepped inside of the mansion and the first thing I noticed was that it was significantly darker than it was outside. I found myself in the main foyer but wasn’t able to make much else out. A man dressed in a tuxedo slowly walked up to me.

“
Hello,” he greeted me. “I am the concierge for this evening.”

“
Hello. I’m—”

“
Ah! No names, miss. I’m not interested in knowing who you are.”

“
Oh… Right. Sorry.”

“
Do not apologize. If you will follow me, I can prepare you for tonight’s festivities.”