Chapter 44: Among The Guilty
Heavy bass thundered through the air and colored lights swept across the crowded dance floor.
Inside the VIP lounge, the loud music was muffled to a low, rhythmic thud. In this private, dimly lit room, a young man with double-colored hair of green and red sat in a black jacket.
His neck chain dangled as he did a money spread with a confident smirk.
Two girls were beside him wearing clothes that covered almost nothing.
They whispered promises of what the night entailed for him as he played with the cash in his hand.
Bottles of wine, champagne and beer sat between three of them.
The door of the lounge opened. Jayden and Zach walk in.
Leon lifted his glass as they drew close. "Yo! Whass upp amigos!"
Both of them stood in front of him. Leon turned to the girls and whispered something to them which made them giggle.
They left, leaving the three of them alone. Leon extended a hand to shake but both of them refused to take it.
He looked between both of them. "Oh come on, I haven’t done anything to them yet. They’re clean."
"I don’t care," Jayden said and sat down.
Zach took a moment before sitting, his eyes darted around. He was clearly not used to being in places like these.
Leon made a call for a fresh bottle of champagne and a moment later, the lounge door opened.
A tall man in a valet suit, wearing a face mask and a hat walked in. He brought a champagne bottle and Leon instructed him to pour it into their glasses.
The man did as ordered but as he got to Leon’s glass, his hands jerked and he accidentally spilled it on his jacket.
Leon’s eyes flared in anger. "You imbecile. Can’t you watch what you’re doing."
"My apologies sir," the man replied in a raspy voice, setting the bottle and bringing out a cloth to clean Leon’s jacket.
"You better be, asshole," he replied, snatching the bottle and the cloth. "Fuck off."
The man left.
Once he had settled down, Jayden spoke up. "So why did you call us here?"
Leon grinned as he wiped his jacket. "To celebrate."
"Did you win the lottery?" Zach asked.
Leon smirked. "No. I got a call from my father. Raymond Specter told him Nathan is..."
He made a neck cutting gesture.
Zach’s mouth opened in shock while Jayden held an indifferent expression.
"I knew he wouldn’t last a week," Jayden said.
How?" Zach asked. "How did it happen?"
Leon laughed. "Don’t know, Don’t care. What matters is that he’s gone and we don’t have to worry."
Jayden grinned. "Well in that case, this might be a cause for celebration." He raised his glass.
"To Nathan."
Leon raised his but Zach hesitated.
Leon noticed. "What?"
Zach looked at the glass. "I don’t know. This just feels wrong."
Jayden sighed. "Don’t be a wimp , Zach."
"I’m not."
’Then why are you acting strange? Own up to it man."
Zach looked between them. "I don’t know. I just..." He shook his head. "I thought we’d feel more relieved."
Leon laughed. "Speak for yourself. I am relived." He leaned back against the booth with a satisfied smile across his face.
"That bastard deserved what he got."
Jayden took a sip. "He actually threatened to turn us in." heooked at Zach. "Or did you forget?"
"I know but now it feels like he’s dead because of us," Zach muttered.
Jayden rolled his eyes. "Technically, we don’t even know how he died."
"Who cares?" Leon said and poured another glass.
"He’s dead. That’s all that matters," he added then turned to Zach who was quiet. "You still feel sorry for him?"
"No... I mean, yes. He was our friend."
"Was he?" Leon shook his head. "I don’t remember why a friend would want to expose us."
Jayden narrowed his eyes. "Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts now Zach."
"After all, you were there that night with us. I mean sure, you didn’t pull the trigger but unlike Nathan, you were an accomplice."
Zach fidgeted with his drink. "But I don’t want any problem."
Jayden looked at him with pity. "Who does? But you knew the moment Nathan found out. He’d keep pestering us to go to the cops or would have done it himself."
Leon rolled his eyes. "To be honest, I don’t know why you’re bitching about this whole thing. Did you forget why things ended with your girl?"
Zach’s fingers tightened on the wine glass.
Jayden frowned, trying to remember something. "Ah yes that’s true. Your girl was always comparing you to Nathan. How she kept saying you should be more like him. You should be more confident."
"That’s the guy you’re feeling pity for?"
Zach frowned then reluctantly raised his glass. "You’re right
The three glasses touched.
"To Nathan," Leon said.
"To Nathan," Jayden echoed.
Zach quietly muttered the same.
They drank then set their glasses down and for a moment, the conversation moved elsewhere. The music, women across the club, money, plans for the future.
Jayden decided to switch topics. "Oh yeah, what’s the plan with Catherine?"
Leon’s ears perked up. "That bitch blocked me. She didn’t even waste any time."
Jayden frowned. "I wonder why that is."
"Its probably because of Sir Platinum," Zach spoke up which made both of them look at him.
"Sir Platinum? Who’s that," Jayden asked.
"I’ve heard of him on WeTube. some rich guy giving money to broke streamers, Leon said.
A frown settled on his face. "Just how much did he give her to make her so bold?"
"Around a million dollars worth of gifts when I saw the stream," Zach replied which left the other two with surprised expressions.
Jayden grinned. "She suddenly got more attractive to me."
"Back off, I called dibs," Leon said.
"How about the two of you just leave her alone?" Zach said which made them look at him.
"Aww, aren’t you cute. Catherine’s hero," Leon laughed.
"She won’t fuck you bro," Jayden replied.
"I don’t care. Her brother, our friend, just died and you too are talking like she’s some commodity."
Jayden rolled his eyes. "Okay chill, we hear you."
Leon raised a bottle. "Now have some drinks, you’re too uptight man."
Zach watched them laughing and drinking. He opened his mouth, then closed it. He wanted to argue but what was the point.
He wished everything could go back to how things were, but it was too late.
He grabbed a bottle of vodka and drank away, letting the buzz of the club fill his senses as his friends cheered him on.
—
Inside the men’s bathroom, the waiter had slipped into an empty stall and locked the door behind him.
He removed his hat first, then he pulled off the mask. His messy blond hair fell across his forehead.
Nathan leaned against the stall wall and let out a quiet breath. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny recording device.
The red indicator light was still blinking.
He had gotten exactly what he came for.
He recalled how he had slipped a mic a listening device as he tried to wipe the stain he had caused, while pretending to be a server.
The plan had been simple: plant the listening device, record their conversation, and leave. But the longer he listened, the more rage built inside him.
Nathan’s jaw tightened. They had spent the last few minutes celebrating his death.
He could tolerate that.
They had betrayed him. He already knew what kind of people they were.
But Catherine?
That was different. The moment they started talking about her, something inside Nathan went cold.
"Those bastards," he muttered.
One thing was certain. He couldn’t leave her unprotected.
Leon probably still had the murder weapon stashed somewhere. It was simply a matter of finding it.
But he would also have to keep in touch with Catherine. Not as himself but as Sir Platinum.
He put on the hat and mask then left the stall.
As he moved through the club, he caught a glimpse of the girl who had approached him at the supermarket.
She was standing near a man wearing glasses, moving her hands over him while he fumbled for words.
Nathan didn’t spare the sight another thought and left the club.
Moments later he was back in the hotel and locked the door behind him.