A Dirty Bar, A Dirty Life.

2. A Date.

BRAAP. BRAAP. BRAA--.

Cadence rolled over, hitting the off button on her alarm. She stood, stretching and looking at the time. 9AM, her usual time to wake up. Flashbacks of last night ran through her head and filled her with a slight giddy-ness. Cadence, you know that's no good. He probably forgot about you, She thought. She shrugged. There was no harm in dressing up anyway. She moved to her closet, picking out her little black dress, red leather jacket, and matching red heels. If Rafael did show up today, he would be blown away. She fixed up her hair slightly and applied rather natural makeup. Didn't want to draw too much attention to herself, after all.

She stepped out into the bar, locking her door behind her. Cadence got to setting up shop; turning on the neon 'Open' sign, sweeping, turning on the lights. She busied herself for a bit, knowing fully well that this place wasn't really full until around 5-ish. The occasional tourist stopped by and Cadence either served them something small, or gave them directions. Tourists had always seem to flock to her, and that caused quite a good portion of people on Yelp to leave nice reviews. That, in turn, gave her more business, and so she was able to make a name for herself.

She was turned around, putting the change that the last couple of patrons had given her into the register. Cadence heard the jingling of the bell once again. Without looking up, Cadence started talking to the person. "If you're looking for Central Park, it's 11 blocks up, 3 blocks over." She never understood why the tourists couldn't understand the grid system.

"I'm actually interested in what's behind the counter," Said a familiar voice. Still counting the money, Cadence turned and began reciting the usual list of alcohols.

"We have lager, jaeger, wine, beer, whi...sky." Cadence finally looked up, smiling wide when she finally saw Rafael standing in front of her. "Hi." Rafael chuckled, shaking his head.

"Hi. You look surprised." He sat down, setting his jacket on the counter. "Did you think I wasn't coming?"

Cadence sheepishly looked down and chuckled. "You seemed pretty drunk last night. I wasn't sure if you'd remember or not."

"Of course i'd remember a pretty face like yours." Rafael laughed and shook his head. "Actually, I wrote on my hand the night before." He held up his hand, and Cadence chuckled at what she read.

'Date w/pretty lady at bar. nice butt.'

"Glad to see you enjoy my butt," Cadence teased, Rafael looking down at his hand again and blushing.

"Shit. I figured it was going to fade before I came back here."

Cadence couldn't help but laugh. She moved out from behind the counter and came up next to him. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug, and she couldn't help but get caught up in his scent. Soap, musk, a hint of scotch, and freshly printed paper. If Cadence could bottle up that scent, she would. Cadence pulled away and smiled. 

They walked to a small sushi restaurant, Rafael holding the door open so that Cadence could enter first. They found a seat near the window, a small booth. Cadence ordered the sesame balls and egg rolls. Rafael ordered some California rolls and calamari. They ate for a little bit before talking.

"Thank you for taking me out, Rafael."

"Oh, no problem. It's good to get a break from my job from time to time. Especially today."

Cadence quirked her brow. "Care to elaborate?"

Rafael sighed, shrugging. "We're working on an old pedophilia case. A while back we brought in a guy who had been keeping young boys and girls hostage and making them do sexual acts on camera. They called themselves the Chess-and-Checkers-club."

Cadence's left hand, which was under the table, clenched slightly. "Are you taking them down?"

Rafael nodded. "SVU has their best people working on this new lead they have. A man named Ramòne Escobar."

Cadence shivered, a small memory coming back to her. The chains. The screams. The pain, oh lord, the pain. Rafael sensed Cadence was uncomfortable, and moved on to a different subject.

"So, Cadence. Were your parents musical?"

Cadence laughed, and nodded. "My mother was a Stage actress. She loved music, and musicals so much. That's one of the reasons I wanted to be a Broadway star. I was raised on it." She smiled slightly. Rafael placed his hand on hers. He glanced at his watch. 11:30. Plenty of time for a walk.

Rafael paid the man for the food, under the protest of Cadence, and the two left the restaurant. Rafael offered an arm for Cadence to take, Cadence wrapping hers around his. They walked around for a little bit, chatting some more.

"Where do you live, anyway?" Asked Rafael. "I didn't see you leave the bar."

"Oh, my apartment is connected to the bar. I live there, basically. Care for a drink before you get back to work?"

Rafael took her up on that offer, and walked her back to the bar.

Before they entered, Cadence knew something was wrong. The entrance to the bar was ajar, and she remembered locking it. Rafael seemed scared as well, a panicked expression on his face.

Cadence took out her mace, quietly stepping inside, Rafael following behind her. Cadence gasped, seeing her entire bar trashed, broken. Glasses and bottles were shattered. The floor was sticky with dried booze. Cadence moved to her living area, finding the place messed up as well. Pieces of her playbills scattered everywhere, her mirror broken. Rafael entered the room to find Cadence sitting on the ground, crying softly. He sat next to her, holding her softly. He noticed something on the wall opposite them. Writing.

YOU LEFT.

YOU'LL DIE.

Written in back spray paint.

Rafael let go of Cadence, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You can't stay here, Cadence."

"Wh-where will I go?"

Rafael thought for a moment.

"With me. You can stay there till you're safe and settled."

Cadence looked up at Rafael wide eyed.

"I-I can't... What if I get you in danger?"

Rafael wasn't sure what it was, but he was compelled to help this girl.

"Then that is a risk I am willing to take. Now, you need to tell me who might have done this to you. What do they mean by 'you left'?"

Cadence stood, still shaky.

"The Chess-And-Checkers-Club."

Rafael's heart almost stopped beating.

"They took me. When I was young. I was supposed to be meeting my father for the first time. I was all alone. I got lost, stopped for directions in the wrong side of town. They took me and held me captive till I was 14. I escaped when a new member had left me out of their sight. I ran to this bar. The old man working there had helped me so much... I just told him that I was a run away. Never told him the truth."

Rafael brought Cadence close to him, wrapping his arms around her in a hug as she sobbed.

"I'm going to bring you down to where I work, okay? We are going to find who did this. We will make them pay."

Rafael pulled out of the hug and made a call.

"Yes, Alice? Hi. I need you to cancel all of my appointments today. And tell Sergeant Benson and another detective to meet me in my office. Quickly, please. Thank you."

Cadence calmed down to the point where she stopped crying. She was still shaking.

"I'm going to hail a cab, okay? You're going to be okay. I promise."