The twins pulled off and headed to the rendezvous point. Being an expensive car, it attracted a good deal of attention. People were gawking and marveling at such an exquisite model of vehicle. Man, I hope they’ll be okay. They better not scratch it or Vantz is gonna kill me, Caiden thought. He made his way toward the strip club via the route he drew up as planned. There was a sweet lingering scent of baked goods; presumably from a pastry shop somewhere close. As he crossed the street he came across just that, a small hole-in-the-wall pastry shop named ‘Southandro Sugar n’ Spice’. The scent alone was enticing enough to draw a diverse crowd.
As he got closer he noticed that it was packed with people waiting in line to get their hands on the weekly special, advertised on the outside of the shop. In the middle of the line, he noticed a stunning woman. She had almond shaped eyes that tilted downward toward the bridge of her nose; they were light hazel. She had long shimmering black hair that extended to the middle of her back, with well-trimmed bangs. She stood somewhere between five-foot-eight and five-foot-nine. She had a wheatish complexion. Caiden could see that she had a tattoo of an angel on the right side of her neck. He couldn’t help but stare. Her beauty was such, that he lost concentration.
He received a text from the twins. We’re here at the spot. Keep us posted. Be Safe, the message said. “Shit. The hell am I doing?” Caiden said as he snapped back to reality and continued to the Red Rabbit.
The small streets behind the main buildings were perfect for many things, none of them reputable. As he walked, he noticed a glowing light down an alley to his left, which turned out to be a fire lit in a barrel. It was surrounded by a few vagabonds and junkies attempting to keep themselves warm.
“Hey there, handsome. You looking to get something good tonight?” A seductive voice called out to him. He turned and saw a disheveled prostitute slithering her way to him in an attempt to seduce him.
“I’m all set,” he flatly replied.
“Whatever, motherfucker! I would’a been money well spent for you,” she replied angrily.
She was clearly high on something. Caiden ignored her. Turning the corner, he saw the glowing red sign for the Red Rabbit Strip Club. There was a long line outside; most of the clientele was male, of course. Many of them were in business suits, most likely looking to blow off steam after work by getting high and chomping at the bit to score some solicited sex with a willing dancer.
Just as I figured; it’s too obvious for me to go through the front. I’m gonna have to find my way through the back entrance, he thought to himself.
He made his way further down the street, past the series of buildings attached to the strip club and circled around the back. A black limo with dark tinted windows sat atop a small back street away from the main strip. Behind the limo stood two large guards, with dark shades and security earpieces. Behind them was a strange man with greyish black hair and a lean slender face who slowly emerged from the shadows of the alleyway. He had on a white lab coat and some compu-glasses.
Caiden was quick to notice a small amount of blood that was splattered on the left pocket of the coat, but decided to keep moving and mind his own business. As the strange man slowly walked to the car, he examined Caiden, who was several feet away.
“Excuse me young sir,” he called out with an odd inflection in his voice. Caiden stopped in his tracks and turned around, subtly readying reaching for his pistol in case the occasion called for it.
“I’m sorry young sir, I didn’t mean to bother you, it’s just that you look very familiar,” the man politely rambled on as he walked out from behind the limo.
“Well I don’t know you for shit,” Caiden snapped.
There was an eeriness about this man that was difficult to put into words. He sensed a hidden depth of madness; an intense amount of evil fiercely emanated from this strange old man. He was dangerous; Caiden knew this for sure.
“Dr. Stein, we must leave at once,” one of the guards urged.
“Yes, yes, I know that. You, young sir, look awfully familiar. Very much like a protege of mine in the past” Dr. Stein stated pointing at Caiden, now fully focused on him.
Caiden took a look at his surroundings, as well as the three men near the limo in front of him; he was watching for any sudden movements. His hand was close to his gun and he was ready to strike at any second. In an effort to manipulate the flow of this confrontation, he decided to engage in the conversation as a way to end it without incident.
“What happened to this protege of yours?” Caiden asked.
“Hmm, yes. I guess you could say we had a bit of a, well, a bit falling out you could say. It’s a shame, really. She was quite brilliant. More brilliant than any other student I’ve ever known,” Stein said as he thoroughly examined Caiden from a distance.
After some more uncomfortable silence, Caiden spoke. “Okay, so this has nothing to do with me and this is getting really weird so I’m gonna leave now,” he stated as he began to back away.
Dr. Stein did not reply. Instead, he elected to observe Caiden as he walked away, studying him down to the molecule. As soon as Caiden was out of sight, Dr. Stein strolled back to his limo with a sadistic sneer that stretched from ear to ear.
“Michael?” Dr. Stein called out. A silhouette appeared out of thin air near the far end of the alley. It was difficult to make out who or what it was, but it began to walk toward Dr. Stein.
“Yes, Sir?”
