The Blood Heiress

The Bartender

Adella

I was caught off-guard to see the bottom of my glass before long. I was feeling much more confident, and my anxiety had calmed. Verity on the other hand was swaying in her seat to the music and looking down at her phone giggling. The internal struggle of whether she was sober enough to process what I wanted to tell her about waged strongly for a moment. I finally concluded that my desire to have someone know outweighed whether they would remember it well. I cleared my throat a little and caught her attention.

“I really need to tell you something. And I promise what I am about to tell you really happened no matter how crazy it sounds. I am not sure how to really talk about it so it might come out a mess.”

Her phone was back in her purse in an instant, and she took my hands, “What happened, do I need to go after anyone. Did Benny boy do something?”

“Yes,” I answered, not understanding her tone. Her eyes became narrow slits. Whoops, rephrase, quickly.

“I meant yes he did but no, not to me. Let me explain.” I extricated my hands and put them around my glass. I took a deep breath and continued.

“Last night a man broke into the estate. He came into my room.” Verity hung on my every word “He was dressed in all black and wore a hooded cloak. I could only see his lower face. And just when I thought he was going to get to me I started screaming.” I paused for effect. Then poof, he disappeared in a cloud of dust.”

“A poof…a cloud of dust? He disappeared?” Doubt crept onto her face. “Where does Ben come in at?”

“He was behind the man when he disappeared.” I lowered my voice. “I saw him holding something.”

“Like a cloak? Oh, you mean like a weapon” She matched my lowered volume.

“I don’t know, I thought so at the time. But what if the cloaked guy was an insane magician?”

“Ben?!” Verity’s voice rose sharply.

“Shh….no not Ben” I giggled a little at her antics. “The man in black with the cloak. Who else disappears like that? No one I can think of. Don’t magicians use smoke? I touched it, it was real, it made my fingertips black.”

“You are right Addie; this does sound cray-cray. A crazy magician disappeared in your room. What kind of magician are we talking about? Full on mystical powers, one with the force?” She snorted and shook her head.

I gulped down my anxiety with a drink of water. "No, I...you know, like kid's birthday party, magic tricks. I mean, this one wasn't dressed exactly like one. Do you remember the one at Odessa's party in fifth grade?" The memory of the only birthday party I had been invited to outside of Verity's stood out vividly in my mind. There had been ponies, a swimming pool and...a magician pulling rabbits out of his hat. He too had disappeared in a poof a smoke. But that smoke had come from the stage, now that I think about it.

“Not really, but if you say there was one, I believe you. That is a little more believable. But I wonder why he would be so scary." Verity sat back and regarded me with a guarded expression. ". What did Ben do after the 'magician' disappeared?” She still wasn't certain I wasn't looking into the mystical for a way to explain this very odd and confusing encounter. She was teetering on the edge of accepting this ridiculous turn of events.

“He picked up something off the floor and made me go sleep in a guest room.” Verity's eyes lit up with that and she grew animated once more.

“You have guest rooms? Duh! obviously, you have guest rooms. I am so coming for a sleep over. Then I might just stay forever." Sighing and grinning at me excitedly, all thought of the prior conversation and its content vanished. Way to focus on the important part Ver.

"So, what do you think? Do you know about anyone that disappears into a cloud of dust?” I tried to steer the conversation. Verity looked to be at a loss.

As I waited to hear her thoughts, colored by her slightly tipsy state or not, I felt what I can only describe as a shift in the air. I can't explain what the feeling was exactly, but my skin started immediately crawling. My hands involuntarily gripped the edge of the table. I glanced at my friend. Verity didn’t look like she felt a thing.

I searched the faces around our booth and on the dance floor. Nobody else seemed to be suffering the same as I. A flush of heat bloomed through my body. I had to start regulating my breathing and squinting to keep the growing intensity of light out. Soon, the noise level had increased to an irritating level. All the happy sounds of people letting their workday stress out, chatting with friends rattling my brain.

“I don’t know Addie; I am not saying I don’t believe you, but I don’t think I can help you find any answers. To be honest, since I wasn’t there, it is really hard for me to understand.” She pulled some of my attention back to the conversation. I couldn’t shake the sensory overload bombarding me. “What’s wrong? I promise I believe you,” She pulled on my arm to get my attention.

When I still couldn't respond or pay attention to her, she said “I have got to go to the little girl’s room, let’s go together, safety in numbers.” She grabbed my entire arm now and pulled me out of the booth.

Suddenly exposed to the entirety of the space, I felt the energy of everything in the bar push in from every side. I let Verity lead me, tethering me while I tried to control me breathing and the situation going on in my head. It was slow going with her leading, but I was in no shape to move any faster. My head began throbbing in short time, I felt like I could hear every conversation at once in the bar at full volume. The thumping of the bass from the dance floor punctuated it all. Sweat started to bead and gather on my forehead and my hands grew clammy. I stumbled a few times which I am sure Verity took as me being inebriated and paid no mind.

As we passed by the bar the neon lights from the countertops and wall were extremely, impossibly, burningly bright. I winced and tried to duck my head. We made it to the dark hallway and into the restrooms and I thanked the powers that be for a more subdued lighting scheme and very few people around. I slumped into one of the provided chairs and waited for Verity to finish. I was not looking forward to going back out there.

“Oh my god, Adella what is wrong with you?” her shrill exclamation left me covering my ears.

“I don’t feel so great Verity. Will you keep your voice down?” I croaked out in a whisper that echoed in my head.

“Oh my god what if it was that drink! Come on we are going to get to the bottom of this!” She helped me to my feet supporting me by draping my arm over her shoulders. We went back out into the mayhem of what had been a very tame bar previously. She led me to the closest end of the bar and had me sit.

“Hey, Moretti!” she shouted down the bar. I lowered my head further to avoid her extraordinary loudness. “What did you put in her drink she didn’t ask for?”

“Woah hold up just a second.” Came the rich, husky voice of Mr. Moretti. “I didn’t put anything in that drink. There wasn’t even any alcohol in it.”

“No kidding that was the nastiest drink I ever tasted; did you prank her because she ordered water?”

“What? No! I made her something I thought she would like. Alcohol free since she seemed to be a little leery about it.”

“There are other things than alcohol that can do this! Don’t skirt the question. Is this what you meant? Is this how she knows that she is different? You drug her when your flirting doesn’t work?” Her voice was edging up again. I grabbed ahold of her weakly to get her to bring it down again.

“I think this is a major misunderstanding. I didn’t put anything in her drink but the drink mix. I am sorry that she didn’t care for it. I didn’t charge her it was on the house…”

“I did like it though…” I croaked out for who knows what reason. This guy may have drugged me, and I cared to let him know first and foremost that he made a drink I appreciated.

I could feel his gaze on me. He lowered his voice and leaned in so I could hear. “Did you want to go back to the staff room for a bit? It is quiet and empty right now.”

I looked up at him and his green eyes crinkled kindly, a reassuring smile reaching all the up to them. “Yes, please Mr. Moretti.”

“So polite even under duress. Call me Cass though, I didn’t think that through earlier. Mr. Moretti ages me a bit don’t you think?” I put my head down again and felt the sweat start to go through my t shirt. A table over by the dance floor start laughing loudly and it vibrated through my brain.

Cass moved quickly and had me scooped up before I could protest. “Grab your things from the table and meet me at the end of the hall. His tempo of his heartbeat was oddly soothing, so I pressed my ear closer to try and focus on it.

“You better not try anything. I will make your life miserable.” I silently thanked my friend as she turned to grab our things.

“Relax, no need to worry your pretty head. I do just fine without resorting to coercion or incapacitation.” His voice was light, but I felt him tense. He carried me effortlessly down the darkened hallway and blessedly away from the overwhelming noise. I couldn’t help but notice he smelt like cedar and leather. Verity joined us and we entered the darkened staff room. He put me down on the couch along the back wall and returned with some water.

“Give this a try Miss Smith. Does she have anyone she can call?”

“I think so.” Verity was glaring daggers at him.

“When she feels up to it have her give them a call to get her. Don’t leave her until she gets in the car.” Cass tried to ignore her.

“Where are you going? You can’t leave, you are a suspect here.” Verity pointed a wavering finger at him.

“If you haven’t noticed I am the bartender on duty right now I can’t very well leave it unattended. And you are quite tipsy why don't you sit down next to your friend.” He turned back to me and put my empty water glass on the table next to the couch.

With some water and away from the lights and excess noise my head stopped revolting, and my mind settled. “Thank you, Cass. I am sorry for the trouble.” Without the flush under my skin the room grew quite cold thanks to my damp clothing. My teeth began to chatter without permission. Cass got up and walked towards some lockers.

Verity sat next to me; worry was all over her face. “Adella, I am so so sorry.” She clung onto me in a very awkward but well-intentioned hug, tears began to spill down her face.

“Adella huh? Suits you, much better than Miss Smith. Here” He put a blanket in front of me “I will be back to check on you but if you need me, you know where to find me.” With a concerned look and another one of his winks, he left. Verity placed the blanket around me and pushed my purse into my hands.

“I bet it was the server.”

“The server? Maybe it wasn’t anyone. Maybe I was just having a bad reaction to something in the bar. I am fine now” I grabbed out my phone now that I was warming up.

“A bad reaction to what? The air? I guess you have been under a lot of stress. Especially with what happened last night. Maybe delayed stress response?”

“Maybe…I don’t think anyone put anything in my drink though.” I opened the Russo Estate App and showed it to Verity. “Hey look at this.”

“Are you kidding me? There is an app for your house, err estate?! What world do you get to live in now?” Her excitement was always quick to pop up and I was happy for the change. My plan to distract worked. “Take me with you please. Well, give me a week to get my affairs in order and then I can be reborn as your lost cousin.” She giggled a little and I joined.

“I don’t know what you would be walking into though, so in good conscience I couldn’t. I don’t even know what I have gotten myself into.” I finished requesting a car and driver and saw a 15-minute expected time.

“You have fallen down a rabbit hole. Just know you can take me with you.” She hugged me. “I mean it, I will go with you.”

“I got it Ver, thanks.” We leaned on eachother, propping each other up in a friendly silence until Cass came back.

“Hey ladies, there is a very well-dressed man waiting by the door glaring me down. Adella, by any chance would he be your ride?”

“Yes, thank you” I stood, folded the blanket, and left it behind. Verity roused herself and followed me out. My symptoms had disappeared entirely as we entered the main area. Sure enough, Ben in his reserved way waited for me at the doors. He was indeed glaring in Cass’s direction. I turned toward Cass embarrassed to have caused such a fuss for him, but he was back serving the customers. The seated ladies all vying for his flirtatious attention. In his uncanny way, he looked up and caught my gaze. He acknowledged my wave goodbye with a small one of his own. Some of the ladies seated around him turned to glare daggers at the brazen wench who would dare to catch his attention. If only they knew what kind of attention. I rolled my eyes at the pettiness and left the bar.

The fresh night air cut through my slightly damp clothing, so I hopped into the back seat of the warm car gratefully. Ben cleared his throat to catch my attention and gestured at Verity, who stood on the sidewalk still with her mouth wide open. “Did you need a ride?”

“I won’t say no to that.” She slid in next to me and Ben shut the door.

“Hey Ben”

“Yes Addie?”

“Can we take Verity home?”

“Seeing as she is already in the back seat, I think the answer is apparent. Where to Miss Verity?”

Verity rambled off her address and we both relaxed into the seats, snoozing through the ride home. The last memory I had before I fell into a dark dreamless sleep was of Ben helping me into my room. For a moment in the moonlight, I swear I saw his brown eyes turn a blood red.