Evil Allure (5 page)

I didn’t know exactly what happened in that alley. I just knew that I was saved. But I couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness that had suddenly come over me.

Chapter 5

I managed to make it into work the next night. I stood in the shower for what felt like an hour, trying to wash away the filth from everything that had happened but I couldn’t shake the feeling. I didn’t think it was ever going go away. I figured I should count my blessings and just suck it up. Things could have gone worse. Much worse.

“What happened to your face?” May asked me.

I sat and leaned up against the bar at the beginning of another slow night. If I told May or anybody else what happened, they wouldn’t have believed me. A lot of strange things happened in this city but nobody here was ever singled out.

“It’s nothing,” I told her. “I accidentally hit myself with a pan when I was making breakfast.”

“Really? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, May. Don’t worry about me.”

“Listen, Ariel… I’m really sorry about what happened last night. You know how Chris is when he gets into his mood. I didn’t mean to blow you off like that.”

“Hey, it’s no problem. So I had to walk a few blocks by myself. If you can’t walk a few blocks in this city without something happening, then that’s a problem.”

“And nothing did happen, right? I mean, you made it home just fine, didn’t you?”

I looked at my friend and lied to her. It’s not that I didn’t trust her. It’s just that I didn’t think there was any point in telling her. There wouldn’t be a problem if I kept this a secret.

“Hey, I’m still here, aren’t I?” I said as I shrugged my shoulders. “It was just a walk home just like you said.”

“Good. Say… You wouldn’t happen to have that switchblade I let you borrow, would you? You know, since you probably won’t be needing it anymore.”

“Oh, right,” I said, suddenly remembering that I had left it on the sidewalk as I frantically ran home. “You know… I think I left it in my apartment. Sorry. I’ll bring it next time when I remember.”

“It’s no big deal, girl. I just don’t know if that’s right for you. You’ll probably end up hurting yourself first before anyone else.”

“Yeah…”

I shared a nervous chuckle with May as she got up to attend to some customers that had just walked in. I sighed and rested my head in my palm as I tried to stop my mind from thinking about last night. I was nearly raped. I didn’t even thank the person that had saved me. I couldn’t even see who it was.

I closed my eyes and I could see them. The yellow pupils glowing like neon in the darkness, staring back at me. It was an image I couldn’t get out of my head even though the alley was pitch black.

I opened my eyes and looked up at the television as a news report was coming in.

“The bodies of four men were discovered in an alley on 5th street. Earlier today, police responded to several calls of the bodies being reported. The bloody crime scene is too graphic for television but police officials described the scene as abominable and inhuman.

“The victims were all slashed across the throat and died most likely from significant blood loss. Police are being questioned about whether or not these victims fall in line with the string of recent macabre murders. The four men would bring the murder victim count to twelve dating back to just last month. As of now, investigations are still on-going and no suspects have been named yet.”

The sudden fear gripped my body. I was already distraught about nearly being raped. As I watched the report about the bodies being found in the alley, a sick feeling entered my stomach. Those four potential rapists had been brutally killed right in front of me and I didn’t even realize it. The blood splattered on my top was theirs.

I was that close to being killed myself but I was spared for some reason. Now I was beginning to wonder why my body wasn’t laying in the alley along with the rest of them. I shuddered with worry that they’ll realize I was there. My panties were torn and left there. I dropped May’s switchblade on the sidewalk. Their blood was on my clothes. I didn’t want those men to die. I just wanted them to leave me alone.

I closed my eyes and my chest was pounding. I was breathing so hard, that I couldn’t focus. Why did this all have to happen? Why did this have to happen to me?

“Ariel!”

Frank snapped his fingers and my eyes popped open.

“Get to work, would you?”

I started nodding my head profusely, looking around the surroundings of the bar. At least I felt safe here. At least here, I knew that nothing could happen.

The night wore on and the bar got more and more crowded. The whistles and hooting and hollering from all of the patrons wasn’t enough to take my mind off of last night. I didn’t want to think about it but I couldn’t help myself. Four men were killed right in front of me and I ran away.

“Hey! Watch it!”

I bumped into a man and spilled some of the beer I was holding onto him.

“I’m sorry! Sorry!”

I apologized profusely to him as he angrily stomped his way toward the bathroom. As I looked at him, I noticed Summer sitting at a table just outside of the bathroom. And there he was. Vaughn was sitting there with a glass of vodka in front of him while the beautiful blonde waitress spoke to him. She batted her eyes at him, the flirtatious smile on her face couldn’t be less obvious. He glanced over at me for a second and our eyes met. Something about the way he looked at me made me feel uneasy and when he did, I turned my head away to see where this beer I was holding belonged.

The Arrested Bar wasn’t as busy as it normally was tonight. The sudden rush of customers disappeared and I found myself watching the rest of the waitresses scoop up the remnants of what remained. I was sitting back at the bar again, waiting for the night to end while at the same time, dreading the walk back home.

“Is someone sitting here?”

I turned my head and Vaughn was standing there, an almost familiar smile on his face. He pointed to the seat next to me and for a second, I wondered if I should tell him to leave me be.

“N-no,” I told him. “It’s empty.”

“Good.”

He took a seat next to me and I was immediately overcome with a kind of nervous anxiety that I couldn’t describe exactly. Everything about Vaughn was intriguing but so mysterious. He was ruggedly good-looking but it was more than that. The way he looked at me. The way he smiled. Even the way he smelled had me captivated. It was like I couldn’t push him away even if I wanted to. I had no control over myself when he was this close.

“How is your vodka?” I asked him. “Did you drink more tonight?”

“Two sips,” he laughed. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. It feels like fire in my throat. It burns.”

“That’s what alcohol does. It’s flammable.”

“It certainly is.”

My eyes met his and it forced a chuckle on to my face. Even Vaughn wasn’t enough of a distraction to get my mind off of everything that had happened. He must have noticed it because he wasn’t giving me the space my body was unknowingly asking for.

“What’s wrong, Ariel?” he asked me.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m just bored, that’s all… It’s a slow night and there aren’t many customers to serve.”

“No,” he said as he shook his head. “There’s more to it than that.”

“Maybe. Maybe. But I’m not sure I can tell you.”

“Why not?”

“You’re… still a stranger to me. I don’t know who you are. I only know your name.”

“Isn’t that how everybody starts? You don’t know anybody’s name before you meet them. That doesn’t stop you from becoming more than strangers with them.”

He looked into my eyes but he was doing more than that. His gaze was hypnotizing. The way he spoke was so regal and refined. It was like he knew exactly what to say and told me what I wanted to hear. He seemed completely out of place.

“Why are you wasting your time in a place like this?” I asked him.

“I could ask you the same question, Ariel.”

“I don’t have a choice. I don’t really have anywhere else to go.”

“You always have a choice. There’s always somewhere else to go.”

“So why did you choose to come here then, Vaughn?”

“I have my reasons…”

I didn’t want to read his intentions the wrong way. I didn’t want to think that a man like him might actually be interested in me. I didn’t want to get my hopes up for no reason.

He stared at me and I couldn’t help but smile from the way he looked at me. I had to turn my head away to avoid getting lost in his gaze. I was beginning to lose control of myself and forget about all of the anxiety that had overcome me ever since last night.

“So, what are you going to do, Ariel?”

“What?”

“I just said you have a choice and that there’s somewhere else to go. If you could, would you?”

“What do you mean? I wasn’t talking about traveling around the world. I was just talking about the other bars down the street. I’m here because I work here.”

We stared at each other for a moment then started to laugh.

“It’s good to see you smile,” he said to me. “Your smile is infectious. It’s beautiful. You should do it more often.”

I started to blush at his sudden flattery and turned my head away. I looked out into the bar and searched for the other waitresses.

“It’s just a smile,” I said. “Summer… Look at her. Now that’s a beautiful woman. I wish I looked like her.”

“Why would you say something like that?”

“Like I said, look at her. Look at how all of the guys are flocking to her. Her face. Her body. Even her bubbly personality. She’s got every man in this bar wrapped around her finger.”

“...Not every man.”

I didn’t look back at him but I could feel his eyes upon me. I could feel my face turning red again as I looked down at the dirty bar room floor, sucking in my cheeks to hide the smile forming on my face. I shook my head in disbelief that this was happening. Vaughn was the most gorgeous man in the bar and here he was, keeping me company. It didn’t make any sense to me. I was talking to him and he still remained just as mysterious as he was when he first walked in here.

“So… Are you just going to sit there all night and stare at me?” I asked him, still not turning in his direction.

“Will the bouncers kick me out if I do?”

“Only if I tell them to.”

“Are you going to, Ariel?”

I slowly turned to him and the smile on his face was gone. There was a seriousness in his eyes. His focused gaze was even more hypnotizing than I remembered it. I swallowed, trying to clear my throat so that I could speak. Then I slowly started to shake my head.

The truth was that Vaughn’s company may have been the one thing I needed. The other waitresses were too busy working and sitting alone with my thoughts would only drive me crazy.

But I couldn’t think of anything to say. The silence between us became awkward when I realized Vaughn had an unwavering interest in me. I looked up at the television, trying to distract myself but I could always feel his presence right next to me as he looked at his half-full glass of vodka. Every now and then we would exchange glances and smiles but there was nothing else to talk about. I would have let him take me right there on the bar counter if the place was empty. I shook the thought of suddenly wanting to sleep with Vaughn out of my head and fought the grin from appearing on my face.

So we just sat there for the rest of the night, not exchanging a single word. For whatever reason, I started to grow more and more comfortable with him sitting right next to me. I felt free from my thoughts. I felt safe. I couldn’t admit it to him but there was something about having a tall, good-looking man with broad shoulders sitting right next to you.

The bar was beginning to close and all of the patrons started to exit. May took a seat next to me and leaned up against the bar.

“Say, Ariel, Chris and I were thinking and…”

I turned to my friend then at her boyfriend, who was waiting just outside the exit of the bar. That look of lust I had grown so familiar with was tattooed on his face. So much so that I had forgotten what he normally looked like when he wasn’t in the mood to have his way with May.

“I’m fine,” I said to her. “You don’t need to walk me home every night. I’m not a little girl anymore.”

“I know,” she said as she smiled and nodded her head. “I just know how uncomfortable you were the other night. I don’t want you to think that I don’t care about your safety or anything.”

“I’ll be okay,” I told her. “I know how to stay out of trouble.”

She gave me a hug and I got up out of my seat to help everybody else clean up the remains of a mediocre night at the bar. Vaughn didn’t say anything to me as he got up to leave. He simply gave me this half-reassuring smile then walked out.

“So, who’s your cute friend?” May said to me after he left.

“Him? He’s just a customer, that’s all.”

“Just a customer? You were sitting next to him the whole night.”

“So? That doesn’t mean anything.”

“I don’t know why you’re so embarrassed, Ariel. He’s hot.”

“I’m not embarrassed. I—”