Color Me Grey: Book One of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles (5 page)

“
Here you go,” Sara said with a
concerned look on her face. “There’s a guy at the bar asking about
you. Is everything alright?” she asked.

I didn’t pick up either of the two shots
sitting in front of me yet. I just sat there looking at them. Sara
laid my change on the table and turned to leave.

I yelled over the noise, “Sara!” She turned
back to our table. “Everything’s fine. Maybe you could try finding
out who he is ‘cause I don’t know. Oh, and keep the change,” I said
laying it back on her tray with a genuine smile.

“
Thanks. I will,” she said and went
about her business of selling booze.

“
Colin, just ignore him. I’ll take care
of it later. I’m sure you didn’t come here tonight to baby-sit me,”
I said.

“
Not a bad band,” he replied. “If you
drink those other two shots, I’ll dance with you,” he said with a
big grin.

I was a pretty good dancer. Mom had made me
take dancing lessons along with the etiquette classes. I hated it
then but was grateful now. Colin wanted me to be drunk on the dance
floor because I was more fun that way. I was pretty reserved until
you chipped away at the inhibitions with whiskey.

I slammed down the second whiskey and caught
a gag in my throat. I sipped my Coke for a few minutes watching the
band, letting my stomach settle.

“
Hurry up with that last shot,” Colin
hollered at me. “I’m in the mood to dance.”

Peer pressure. I grabbed the whiskey and
brought it to my mouth then quickly moved it away. I could smell it
and that made my stomach turn. Just slam it and you’ll be over it.
You’re the stupid one who ordered it in the first place. I thought
to myself. I lifted it back to my mouth being careful to take a
deep breath before it got too close and then swallowed it down. I
was feeling the effects of the first drink but not the other two
yet.

Colin stood up and led me to the dance floor.
By the time we had waded through the tables and people I was
feeling the second shot and had forgotten all about Army Boy at the
bar.

After the first song I was feeling really
good and cockier than ever. I told Colin I was going to use the
restroom so he mouthed, “Be good,” at me then began to dance with
another girl that we knew from the club.

I walked a straight line to the bathrooms not
even glancing in the direction of Army Boy because I had totally
forgotten about him. I really had to pee. I made my way down the
hall to the women’s restroom. They were large enough that there was
rarely a line and I found no line as I got there this time either.
I washed my hands and entered the hallway to go back to the
fun.

There was a man in the hall just this side of
the swinging doors but the lighting was low and I’d had enough to
drink that I didn’t recognize the form. It looked familiar, muscles
on a sleek frame but it just didn’t register. He was facing me;
casually leaning on the wall with his arms folded in front of him
and had one leg crossing the other. I kept walking toward him. I
was on top of him before I recognized him.

“
Mr. White,” I said coolly by way of
greeting as I passed him going through the doors. My voice was even
and short, but my heart was racing. Mr. White! He gave me a small
nod with a small grin attached to it. Then he followed me through
the doors. I put a little more swing in my walk and calmly and
coolly nodded to Army Boy at the bar. He didn’t seem to like my
acknowledgement and pinched his lips together. The word
oops
and the
F word
both came to mind. I kept walking like I knew
where I was going. You wouldn’t have known it by watching me slowly
scan the room, but I was frantic, trying to locate Colin. I didn’t
see him anywhere so I made my way back to our booth.

I slid in the side facing the bar to keep an
eye on my pursuers. I should have been scared sober, but that
didn’t work with me very often. You really had to scare me. This
came close but not quite there. I saw Mr. White sitting next to
Army Boy at the bar and they were speaking. At least now I knew who
the hell had been following me. I still didn’t understand why
though.

I was concentrating on Mr. White’s lips. He
said something like, “Happen. I you her you.” Hell. I needed to
find Colin! I scanned the dance floor. He was there. I got up and
started for him. He saw me and came my direction, clearly able to
see that something had come up. We met on the edge of the dance
floor.

“
What’s up?” he asked with concern on
his face and in his voice.

“
Ok,” I said as way of calming myself
down. “Let’s go out on the dance floor, I’m wired and need to get
rid of this energy. I’ll tell you out there.”

The band was playing a fairly slow set so we
were able to blend in and still talk. I made sure Colin was facing
the bar. “Is Army Boy still sitting at the bar?” I asked.

“
Yeah, but there’s another guy sitting
and talking to him.”

“
That’s Mr. White,” I said.

“
No, I know him. I can’t remember his
name but it’s not White,” Colin said. “I recognize him from the
service. He was of a pretty high rank, Petty Officer 1
^st
class, I think.”

“
You know how bad I am at the ranks. I
can never remember what’s what,” I told him.

“
Well, Master Chief Slade is one rank
under being a commissioned officer.”

Commissioned officers took tests to become
commissioned, if I remembered right. What I did remember was
commissioned officers were on the top third of the rank ladder.

Colin went on, “Petty Officer 1
^st
class is only a few steps below Master Chief.” I was still a bit
confused, but I understood that Mr. White wasn’t Mr. White and had
some extensive military rank.

“
So what does that mean?” I asked
Colin. “Well, the guy you call Mr. White started the service about
the same time I did and has since gotten out. I think he did two
tours which is eight years and then he got out a higher rank than I
am right now,” Colin said.

“
Are they talking,” I asked.

“
Not since you told me they were
there.”

“
Would you please translate if they
start?” I asked.

“
Wouldn’t miss the chance.” A big grin
plastered to his face. I think Colin had a shot of whiskey or two
while I was in the restroom.

We danced a couple more songs and then the
band picked up the pace again. The effects of the alcohol were
getting to me. I began to forget about the two men at the bar again
and was really getting into the music. Of course I knew they were
there, how could I totally forget after seeing Mr. White waiting
for me in the hall? Music just had a strange effect on me and I
started to relax again and enjoy myself.

That’s not the whole truth either. I knew Mr.
White was watching and I was putting on the best show possible
without being obvious. I envisioned him coming up to me on the
dance floor and one thing leading to another and then it cut to me
waking up in his bed.

Colin and I were working up a sweat and I
asked him, “Have you been watching?”

“
Non-stop and neither one of them have
taken their eyes off you.”

“
I’m getting tired. Let’s go back to
the table,” I suggested.

“
Whatever my lady wants,” he said as he
bowed to me.

I bowed back and then he followed me off the
dance floor. We wormed our way back to the booth and sat watching
Army Boy and Mr. White at the bar.

Army Boy had a disgusted look on his face but
Mr. White was just sitting there with hardly any expression at all.
A hint of a question loomed in his eyes, but that was it. Neither
one of them took their eyes from our table.

Colin told me to move to my side of the booth
so we could get another drink. Might as well, I thought. I wasn’t
going anywhere until they did or I had enough courage to confront
them.

We sat for a while before Sara noticed we
were again on separate sides of the table. She sauntered over and
asked if we needed something.

Colin ordered a shot of tequila and a tap
beer. I knew he’d had a shot of something while I was gone. Tequila
was his choice of invincibility potions. I ordered another whiskey
with a Coke back and asked Sara, “Did you find anything out?”

“
Not really. I went over to him and
tried flirting, but he must have it bad for you because he didn’t
even notice I was there.”

“
Thanks,” I said and off she went to
fetch our drinks.

We sat there quietly, me staring at Colin and
him at the bar.

“
This is like a stare down,” he said as
Sara reappeared to drop the drinks off. Colin paid this time. It
was his turn. Sara was disappointed because I was a much better
tipper. I pulled another dollar out of my pocket and put it on her
tray at the same time Colin put his empty shot glass up there and
she walked away a bit happier.

“
Here we go,” Colin said starting to
sign and simultaneously repeating what they were saying. “How many
has she had?” “Four, including this one.”

“
Wow. They are really paying
attention,” I said. Colin didn’t hear me over the music.

“
What have you found out?”

“
Not much, I think she’s who she says
she is. She lives at the Stanton estate. She eats at Sal’s
Sandwiches. She IS a woman.”

“
No shit, I noticed that at the
office.” This brought a smile to Colin’s face and redness to mine.
“How and when did she find out your were tailing her?”

“
I don’t know. Her and her friend over
there were looking straight at me when I sat down at the
bar.”

“
Shit”

“
What?”

“
Can you see what he’s doing over
there?” Colin’s smiled broadened. He knew we were busted but hey,
we busted them first. “Sign language. She didn’t list that on her
app. Let’s go. Please tell Ms. Stanton thank you for her time and
that I will be in touch with her tomorrow.”

Colin motioned Sara over and bought us each
another shot. My last shot was still sitting in front of me and I
wasn’t sure I could handle that one not to mention the one on the
way. I was about to put my head down when Sara showed up with our
drinks. Great.

Colin chugged his down and I did the same
with one of them. I asked Sara to wait and drank the other one. For
a few seconds I was afraid that I might have to make a run for the
bathroom but my stomach settled down again. I was thoroughly
drunk.

Colin asked me if I would like to dance and I
told him to find someone else, I was going home.

“
That’s too bad. You were starting to
turn me on out there before.” he said with an impish grin. “Are you
going to be alright?” he asked.

“
Yeah,” I said. “I’ll call a cab and be
home in bed in no time.”

“
I’ll go call the cab, you stay here.
Then I’ll come get you when they get here.” He could tell I had
drank several too many. “By the way, I’m proud of you. No fights
tonight.” Then he smiled and walked away to make that
call.

I sat there watching the band and dancers
swim around the room for what seemed a long time. I seemed to have
trouble gauging the time today. It seemed like it had been at least
an hour before Colin came back and said, “I’ll walk you out.”

I had a reputation to uphold, so I said no
thanks to the offer of him pretty much carrying me out of the bar.
I thought I did fairly well walking through the crowd, down the
hall and out the door. I was aware of Colin right behind me to the
swinging doors and I suppose because I didn’t run into anyone or
the walls he allowed me to walk the hall alone. I stepped outside
into the fresh air and took a deep breath. I was beginning to feel
a bit better. The cab wasn’t at the front door like I had expected
though. I walked back inside and called the cab company and
arranged for another car.

Back outside I sat on the brick planter that
surrounded the building, trying to concentrate on what had happened
that day. A black Crown Victoria pulled into the parking lot
directly across from me. Army Boy stepped out with a nasty look on
his face.

“
Hey!” he said to get my
attention.

“
Leave me alone,” I said. “I’m pretty
drunk and not in the mood right now.”

He walked up to me and hovered above me. “You
made me look like a fool today. I want to know who told you that I
was following you.”

I sighed, “Man. Nobody told me! You and that
car were right outside my driveway when I was walking to Sal’s,” I
said. “I didn’t think anything of it until I saw you parked up the
street a couple blocks away after I had left you behind.”

“
Is it true that you were never in the
military?” he asked.

“
Yep,” I said trying to sound tired. It
was all in the attitude most of the time.

“
What the hell makes you think you
could become an associate in White and Associates?” he asked
rudely. “I’m in the running and you made me look
stupid.”

“
I don’t think I made you look stupid.
You did that all by yourself,” I said standing up. This guy was
beginning to annoy me. I stood up a little too fast and got a bit
woozy. I did a step forward and caught myself on his
chest.

“
Excuse me? Did you just put your hands
on me?” he said bobbing his head back and forth. All he needed to
do now was put his hands on his hips to complete the
look.