Shadow Of The Past Trilogy ∞ THE DISPLACED

41 ∞ wild side

Note: PG-15 scene in last quarter of chapter.

Day Ten ∞ Sunday night

LORA STARTED SOAKING-IN THE ATMOSPHERE as soon as she stepped into the club hand in hand with Jagg. The pounding music, the subdued lighting with multicolored strobes dancing along with the reflections from the disco ball, were some of the few things that could obliterate the sadness she carried within. At least for a while.

Toni caught up with them and pulled Lora to her just as Jagg was going to order from the bar. "My sister's hanging with me tonight!" she said over the music as TJ came up behind her.

Jagg raised his brow at her and looked questioningly to TJ who shrugged and said, "Girls' night, I guess!"

The two girls found a table near the bar. Jagg and TJ brought them their drinks after taking two shots of vodka and sauntered further in with their glasses. Toni pointed at Lora's tall glass. "You sure you want that again after what happened last time?"

Lora looked at her Harvey Wallbanger; she knew what she was getting into this time. "I like. I had two—this is only one." She pulled the paper off the straw and took a sip; her plan was to finish the cocktail and then get on the floor.

Toni grinned and looked up as Sleek approached. He leaned over the table and said, "I'll be at the bar if you need me."

The girls nodded to the beat of Good times, and Toni patted his arm. "We'll be fine, Sleeky!" Then she leaned closer to Lora. "You going to show it off tonight?"

Lora smiled with a glint in her eye and continued nodding. "And leave my cares behind."

Jagg could see the girls enjoying their drinks and the rhythm from where he was sitting. So far, all was well. And he was feeling more relaxed than he'd been since the handover yesterday. He turned to TJ. "So what d'you think of her?" he said over Chic's music, pointing with his head.

"Who, Lora?" TJ threw a glance in that direction. "I don't trust her."

"Why?"

"She's not like us. And today she had the fucking nerve to threaten to hypnotize me!"

Jagg was amused. "Why? What did you do?"

"I tried to stop her from leaving before you—"

"You don't need to do that with her." Jagg shook his head and glanced at the girls. "If she wants to leave, let her leave. She's got nowhere to go."

"But..." TJ frowned.

"It's cool, man." He looked toward them again, turning his Greyhound cocktail between his fingers.

"I don't get what you guys see in her. Apart from the hypno-trick she's got up her sleeve..."

"Potential."

"Maybe. But that's not all you see in her. From the day she turned up, you haven't looked at another girl. I've never seen that happen before."

Jagg's gaze snapped back to TJ's. She intrigues me. But he wasn't going to tell him that. "You got a problem with that?"