SLEAZE: A Hollywood Comeback Story (Book #1)

Chapter 57

A far cry from the luxury apartments a few blocks over, the seedy warehouse that I eventually pulled in front of looked like the set of a real life horror movie. As I locked my car door, I listened to the reverberating bass blend with the hum of people chatting, the sounds of both echoing through the night air. Security guards at the door ushered in scantily clad women while patting down the men in the line. I'd always heard about the illegal warehouse raves in the city, but this was the first time I'd seen one in person. Considering how popular the mainstream clubs across town were, I'd actually come to think that the underground scene was an urban legend.

The music grew to a deafening level as I drew closer and eyed up the line. Realizing it would take at least an hour to get inside, I sidled next to a group of girls who looked like they weren't even old enough to drive. 

"Excuse me," I shouted over the song, and the girls turned to look at me. Wearing matching sports bras and not much else, they all were awkward and gangly in a way that suggested they'd be very pretty in a few years. Now, however, they seemed so young that my first instinct was to ask if their parents knew where they were. I made sure to keep my gaze trained solely on their face. 

"Yeah?" asked the redhead of the group, eyeing me suspiciously. "You know, there is a line."

"I know," I said, hoping the next line would work on high schoolers. "I'm really sorry but my girlfriend's inside and I need to go get her. She drank too much, so would you mind if I--"

"Why aren't you with her, then?" the redhead asked, placing her hands on her hips. 

"Well, I..."

The tallest girl in the group nudged her friend. "Come on, Maggie, don't be rude," she muttered, braces glinting in the dim light of a nearby streetlamp. Despite the bleached blonde hair that fell past her shoulders, I guessed that she might be Korean. 

"But, Kathy--"

"Just let it go," the tall girl said, sighing. "It's not like it even matters."

Maggie grumbled her dissatisfaction to the others while I thanked Kathy for vouching for me. She shrugged. "We're all going to get in, so who cares?" 

When we reached the front of the line, I watched the girls hand over their obviously fake I.D.s while a burly security guard told me to stand with my arms above my head. "Guns, drugs, knives?" he asked in a monotone as he frisked his way up and down my legs. 

I shook my head and passed the man my driver's license. He gave it back to me without looking at the details and nodded for me to head inside. Kathy stood waiting for her friends near the main door and I paused to tell her, "Be safe."

Two rows of turquoise bands stood out against her teeth as she grinned. "Good luck finding your girlfriend."

Once inside the converted warehouse, it took everything in me not to turn around and leave. Heat rolled off the hundreds of dancing bodies, filling the stagnant air with the pungent smell of sweat. Unblinking and unabashed, the crowd swayed back and forth with a lack of abandon that only people on ecstasy could achieve. I moved slowly through the throngs of dancers, careful not to trip over whatever might be on the ground. The only lighting inside came from the strobe lights firing from the stage - red, blue, green, then red again. For some reason, the rapidly changing pattern of colors made me feel dizzy and I began to worry that I'd have a seizure before I found Sophie.