Cowboy Ending - Overdrive: Book One (49 page)

The other two
guards charged forward hoping to disable me, one of them shouting
into his walkie talkie.

I let a small
trickle of the sensation building at the back of my neck off its
leash, letting it join the thrumming in the air.

A violent
squealing sound pierced the night, driving the shouting guard to
his knees as he frantically tried to yank out his earpiece. Static
and multiple ringtones sang into the air from the lineup as cell
phones and other devices suddenly went haywire.

The other guard
stumbled slightly in surprise at the noise in the air before
charging headlong into my left fist which sent him the rest of the
way to the ground.

The rush that
followed was an incredible feeling. Power flowed down my limbs,
humming and jumping in time with my racing heartbeat. Making me
feel strong, fast and alert to all things and sounds.

But I knew that
it wouldn’t last forever. There was no magical Viagra pill to help
me keep this up for long. Eventually I would run out of juice and
then things would get very interesting.

All around me I
could my flesh vibrating with energy, almost like a second layer on
top of my skin. It felt that tangible to me.

The people in
line were creeping back and away from me, those that weren’t flat
out leaving the line to head to find another watering hole for
their night’s debauchery. Or staring at their cell phones in
dismay. I stared at them briefly, watching them go.

Something pawed
at my leg. Danny tried to roll onto his side, gasping for air and
reaching up at the pockets of my cargos.

I dropped to
one knee. “Stay down, kid.” I muttered, “If you follow me I’ll have
to hurt you.” Danny took the hint and leaned back against the
pavement again, trying to take a single controlled breath. I
scooped up his hat from where it lay not two feet away and was
about to hand it to him. Then I paused, staring at the big black
hat in my hands.

Not, Seagal.
Clint Eastwood.

What the
hell.

I stood up
tall, settled the wide brim hat on top of my head and strode up the
steps into the bar.

Inside the main
lobby I was getting a lot of wild looks from the staffers who knew
me. The coat check girls’ eyes looked ready to pop out of their
heads as I strolled past, tipping the brim politely as I did.
Patrons made room for me as I passed by as did other security
guards whom I didn’t recognize.

I barely
glanced up the marble staircase. There were several Korean
gentlemen in high end finery dangling women on their knees and
enjoying sparkling beverages. My blood boiled as I walked by, but
they could wait.

First things
first.

Passing down
the back hallway I slipped by patrons who assumed I was still
security and eventually made my way up onto my usual perch. Front
and centre stage above the dance floor, facing the main bar.

It was still
early. The scent of sweat and pheromones hadn’t quite reached its
zenith. The dance floor was only partially full at this point. Line
ups at bartenders were deep as patrons were still getting their
first and second drinks for the night.

Over at the
main bar I could see Aasif hustling as usual; rushing between
stations, checking on liquor counts and giving orders to the bar
backs and waitresses. It took me a moment to realize that I was
looking for Shelby, instinctively expecting her to be there. A pang
of guilt hit my stomach, knowing she’d quit a lucrative job because
of me.

At the VIP
section was the usual collection of over-dressed folks. David and
Big Mike were holding the fort over there, chatting amongst
themselves as people filed past them. Some of them Korean, the
others all female and finely dressed. The week’s meeting and
private parties were coming to a conclusion in night one of a two
night blowout apparently. I don’t remember ever seeing that many
finely dressed hotties piling into the VIP section and mingling
with guests before.

Miller was
staring a hole through me from across the room. Dressed once again
in that barely held together suit and leaning against the far wall
across from me in VIP. The scowl on his brutish face was lethal.
Next to him sat Mackie, his face drawn and even more disheveled
than before. Miller reached up one arm, nudging Mackie and pointed
towards the stage. Mackie traced the distance with his eyes. They
blinked when they focused on me.

Off to the
right Aaron and Parise were leading another group of ladies and
Korean businessmen into the main bar area. Either from the second
floor or up from the basement? Who cares? They were here now.
Parise froze in place when he registered my presence on the stage.
Aaron paused in his glittery silver suit as he too saw me.

Good. I wanted
everyone’s attention.

Right before I
closed my eyes I could see people starting to make their way
towards me. Several guards I didn’t know. Miller himself pushing
off from the back wall. Parise striding through the crowd.

When I’d
entered the club the sound had been overwhelming. That forty
thousand watt stereo system produced a literal wall of noise that
hammered at your ears and battered at your flesh. All of that power
surged through the lines that were laid along the walls of the
club, feeding the massive speakers on either side of the stage and
all of the lighting hanging from the ceiling.

At this
particular spot here in the club I was at the literal epicenter of
the electrical current that ran through the building.

It explained so
much. Why I was so much more alert in this location, able to see
and react to things more quickly than others when they assumed this
perch. How it helped to keep me awake and energized on those long
twenty-three hour days when I left my first job to come into the
club for more.

In this
position I felt more alive than I knew it was possible for me to
feel.

The thrumming
in the air pulsed in time to the frantic beat of the music which in
turn was mirrored by my heart and the tingling on my neck. The
sensation of energy that flowed through me was palpable now,
coursing along every vein and every fiber. Begging me to unleash
it.

I really didn’t
know what I expected to happen.

My eyes snapped
open. My hands instinctively rising from my sides reaching out to
the speaker systems on either side of me. The guards and cops were
closing in on me by the second.

So I opened
myself up fully to the feeling.

I don’t know
what it looked like to the people in attendance but for me it was
like light. Pure white hot light slammed through my being. Up from
the ground and through my feet. Pure electric light illuminating
every single cell and neutron in my frame.

All of that
energy, those sensations thrumming through the air warped in space.
No longer resonating out into the club, now it all twisted
direction focused on one point of attention. One central point of
contact.

Thunder boomed
impossibly loud, rocking the entire building on its foundation.
Sparks erupted from the back of the speakers, circuits overloaded
from the sensation and sent white noise squealing at an insane
decibel into the air. Off to the side more sparks and light blasted
from the deejay booth, sending the poor disc jockey running for
cover as electrical panels burst open behind him.

Fancy light
displays and speakers over in VIP erupted in more sparks and fire.
The fancy young ladies screamed in fear and ran for cover. The
Korean gentlemen leaped from their seats, drinks spilling
everywhere. Miller was thrown forward into Mackie as one of the
fancy light displays blew out behind him, sending them both
sprawling out of sight into the crowd.

Over my head
the stage lights all burst simultaneously in a cacophony of light
and sound. Glass shards rained down from the sky onto the stage and
into the very front of the crowd. In fact every light bulb in the
building erupted at once, showering the floor and walls with tiny
white hot shards of glass and fire. Thankfully most of the people
in front of me had turned as the eruption started.

Then it all
stopped.

No more music.
No more stage lighting. The overhead emergency lights hummed and
sputtered gamely, running on their own internal batteries.

People
everywhere were scattered and crouched down. Hiding in huddled
groups. People were crying and staring at me in abject terror.

Smoke began to
fill the air. Even in a marble and stone building there’s always
stuff to burn. Orange flames flickered up from the deejay booth.
More of it came from behind me where the remains of the speakers
and the stage carpeting were beginning to smolder.

And me?

It might have
been just my imagination that steam was curling up from my clenched
hands but it was hard to say for sure. I could tell without looking
that my hair was standing straight up on end, yet another excuse to
make a trip to the barber shop this week. Thankfully my newly
acquired cowboy hat was hiding the majority of the Einstein afro I
was likely rocking. I also felt absurdly warm underneath my
battered leather coat.

But alive.

I felt
gloriously alive.

The silence
began to get creepy.

I gave the
crowd staring up at me my fiercest glare.

“Party’s over.
Get out.”

Chapter
47

People began
trampling each other in their haste to get out of the building. No
sense of chivalry here, eh boys? Gonna run right over the same
girls you were trying to get naked with in the name of
self-preservation.

Sad.

Noise returned
to the bar. Lots of shouting. Lots of screaming. The crackle of
flames became louder as the fires behind me began to get serious.
Smoke started to fill the air, rising to the vaulted ceiling in
thick billows. Thankfully it was a very high ceiling so the risk of
choking was still a ways away.

Parise was
shouting something and pointing my way, a firm grip on Aaron’s arm
whose expression was one of pure terror.

Several men
advanced on me through the crush of people. Two hard faced Korean
gentlemen and two of the club’s bouncers. I eyeballed them absently
while trying to keep my awareness extended towards the innocent
people flowing out of the club. Already my little electro-maniacal
display had done more damage to these people than I’d intended.
Small cuts and abrasions on exposed flesh and the occasional face
from the overloaded lighting displays made my guts twist slightly
with guilt.

That same guilt
is what kept me from a proactive defense and charging through the
departing crowd towards my attackers. As a result, I found myself
waiting up on the now burning stage for people to come on down and
be the first contestants on the Price is Right.

My body was
abuzz and tingling from tip to tail. Fingers twitched in time with
my heart rate as I forced myself to stand still and be an unmoving
target for as long as possible.

You cannot
understand how difficult that was. You ever seen a downed power
line that was still live? How it would jump and flail every time it
touched the ground, trying to find a stable place to complete its
circuit? That’s what it felt like for me, like I had built up all
of this energy and needed a safe place to release it before
completely burning out.

Thankfully I
didn’t have long to wait. My first victims had decided to take part
in the Showcase Showdown.

I didn’t
recognize these bouncers so felt no guilt whatsoever about punting
the first one who leapt up onto the stage right in the chops. The
impact snapped in the air like a whip, unnaturally loud and echoing
in the cavernous old building even over the screaming people. Teeth
and blood spurted from his mouth as he torqued back and away, all
forward momentum halted as his body crashed heavily to the empty
dance floor.

A second
bouncer, this one stockier and more heavyset slid up onto the stage
behind me and charged. Trying to drive me off the stage in a big
football style tackle. Planting my feet wide I managed to absorb
the man’s momentum without being moved back more than a few inches.
We had a brief struggle for balance as he tried to get his feet
under him, but I still was surging with life and strength.

Wrapping my
long arms around his thick middle and locking my hands together I
heaved with my legs, upper back and shoulders. The back of my neck
pulsed with glee, shooting white lights of energy down my limbs.
The bouncer’s body left the stage with ease, flipping him up to
rest over my left shoulder. I stood tall for a moment looking for
all the world like Atlas perching the Earth overhead.

Below me on the
dance floor the Korean gentlemen paused in their advance. Big Mike
and David had joined the fray and skidded to a stop behind the
businessmen, eyes wide.

Looked like a
good target to me.

With a half
step forward I pitched the heavyset guard into the air, sending him
crashing mightily into the pile of people fifteen feet away. All
four of them hit the smooth dance floor in a sprawl, cursing and
crying out as the still hot glass shards beneath them pierced their
flesh on top of everything else.