Just as Lora had taken a huge drink order for a table of six, Sydney rang the cowbell behind the bar, generating a frenzy of cheers, whistling, and overall excitement for the entertainment about to begin. Strobe lights pulsed and flashed overhead, the music changed to a raucous song with a sexy beat, and employees abandoned their posts to give the customers what they'd come to expect at The Electric Blue.
Lora groaned. Exhaustion was settling in after working two shifts in one day, and she just didn't have the energy to put on another performance for the crowd. She decided to skip this round, and instead of letting orders pile up while Sydney, her backup bartender, and all the other waiters and waitresses strutted their stuff on the bar and stage, she'd mix her own drinks and at least she'd stay ahead of the crowd's demands. She was certain she wouldn't be missed, since the other staff were riling up the throng of customers just fine.
Lora navigated her way through the crush of bodies, and grinned when she caught sight of Sydney up on the main bar, dancing right in front of where Daniel was sitting. True to her word, Sydney was executing some of her best dirty dancing moves-gyrating her hips to the beat of the music, hands brazenly tracing her alluring curves, fingers stroking across the bare, flat expanse of her belly exposed by her tight, cropped T-shirt. As if that weren't enough to make a guy hard, she grabbed the brass pole at the end of the bar and spun around it, all long legs, voluptuous breasts, and smooth, provocative moves she'd perfected during her days as a stripper.
Dozens of guys crammed against the bar, whistling, cheering, and overall encouraging Sydney as she slid up and down the pole, but Lora knew that her tempting, teasing performance, and the hot promise in her eyes, was all for Daniel. But unlike the frat boys making fools of themselves, Daniel played it cool, refusing to outwardly react to Sydney's attempt at seducing him. Instead, he sat casually on the barstool, watching her with an appreciative male smile as she ran her hands through her long, wavy hair and swayed her hips in time to the music.
Lora had to give Daniel credit for maintaining his composure so well when every other guy in the place was clamoring to get her attention with the hopes of getting their own private performance. The fact that Daniel wasn't responding to Sydney's sexual overtures made Lora hopeful that he'd be the one guy who could get past Sydney's bold and brash personality to the softer, sweeter woman beneath all that bravado.
Once she finally stepped behind the bar, the disarray of liquor bottles, dirty glasses in the sink, and nearly overflowing garbage made Lora realize that she'd be far more helpful if she washed up the glasses and restored some order for Sydney and her backup bartender before they returned to fill drink orders again. In fact, she figured she could at least take the two bags of trash out to the Dumpster and be back before the song was done, which would give them more room to move around behind the bar.
Setting her tray down, Lora grabbed both bags of trash and made her way down the hallway that led to the men's and women's restrooms and the employee exit that connected to a back alley and the Dumpster they used. Like she'd done a dozen times before, she pushed the door open and twisted the bolt lock so that the metal bar kept the door from closing and locking behind her.
Cold, damp wind assaulted her as she stepped out under the small four-by-four awning protecting her from the rain that had begun to fall sometime during the past few hours. Unfortunately, the Dumpster was across the alley, and she cursed beneath her breath as she ducked her head against the rain and sprinted toward the garbage bin.
Of course, Mother Nature chose that moment to open up a thunder cloud and let it pour. Lora lifted the metal lid and quickly tossed the bags of trash inside, just as she heard the employee exit door open, then shut securely behind her with a solid click.
Panicked, she whirled around to find two big men pulling ski masks over their faces as they strode purposefully toward her from the door she'd just walked out of. She stood there, frozen to the spot, a foreboding chill racing up her spine that had nothing to do with the fact that she was nearly soaked to the skin by the ice cold rain and wind.
Before she had the chance to react to the imminent threat, and before she could draw the breath to scream for help, one of the men grabbed her, spinning her around, and clamped a strong hand over her mouth. He pulled her head back so it butted against his shoulder and he could hold her immobile. She caught the flash of something long and shiny right before she felt the sharp prick of a blade against her neck.
Oh God, oh God, oh God. Her heart slammed painfully against her chest and her legs went weak at the realization that nobody was going to come to her rescue. Not when no one knew where she'd gone. Eyes wide with terror, and fearing the absolute worst, an involuntary whimper escaped her throat.
The other masked man stepped in front of her, lifted an open cell phone, and snapped a few pictures of her in the midst of being attacked. The flash went off, and Lora blinked furiously to clear her vision and keep her wits about her.
"Got it," the accomplice said in a low, gruff voice, then snapped the phone shut.
The guy behind her pressed his mouth near her ear. "Maybe seeing these photos will remind your brother that we're serious about getting our money back. Dead serious. And next time, we'll stick around and let you provide a down payment." The hand at her neck slid down and gave her breast a hard, brutal squeeze, leaving no question in her mind exactly how they'd exact whatever payment they were after.
"Come on, let's get the hell out of here before someone comes looking for her," the other man said urgently.
"You scream, and it will be the last sound you make." The hand covering her mouth fell away, then the man behind her shoved hard between her shoulder blades. Lora tripped forward, lost her balance, and fell onto her hands and knees on the ground. Gritty asphalt scraped across her palms, and the torrent of rain pelted her back and soaked through her hair to her scalp. She remained in that position, waiting for the sound of running footsteps to fade away into the distance. Then, and only then, did she push to her feet.
A sob caught in her throat and tears stung her eyes as she stumbled back toward the employee exit and the promise of safety. She pulled on the handle, and let loose another hoarse sob when the slab of metal didn't so much as budge.
She could hear the loud music blasting from inside the bar, could feel it vibrating against the outer walls of the building, and knew the noise would drown out the sound of her knocking. She thought about going around to the front, but she was too terrified of running into the two men again.
So she pounded desperately on the door anyway, praying that someone, anyone, would hear her attempts and let her back inside.
ONE minute Joel was watching Lora work behind the bar, grateful that she wasn't up on the stage dancing for the customers like the rest of the employees, and in the next minute two big guys directly in front of where he was sitting jumped up from their seats and started yelling at one another in a heated, drunken argument. Joel automatically stood, too, just as the pushing and shoving match between the duo escalated into a fistfight.
And that's when all hell broke loose. Acquaintances of the two fighters surged forward to defend their friends and ended up a part of the hostile exchange and physical assault. Boozed-up patrons encouraged the brawl by rooting for their favorite team. Chairs crashed to the ground and a table tipped over, spilling drinks and bottles of beer across the floor. The obnoxious noise and the shuffle of bodies finally caught the attention of one of the dancers from atop a counter, and she quickly signaled to the bouncers that there was trouble that needed their attention.