Chapter 21
Jeff pulled up to the Black Cuff, a nightclub in Phoenix, and sighed. The ambulance would be here shortly to take another drug overdose to the hospital. From what the 911 call said, at least this one was coherent.
The club had a reputation as the place to go to do drugs and get laid, and maybe dance if you could get past the drugs and sex.
As he walked in, loud techno-music assaulted his ears, the lights pulsating to the beat revealing walls covered in multi-colored paint splatters glowing under the black lights. He took in the scene in front of him and another officer stepped up next to him.
“Hey, Jeff.”
“Hi, Matt.”
Three large men all wearing sunglasses passed them and headed for the door.
“Did you see the size of those guys?” Matt asked.
Jeff nodded. “Hate to have to tangle with them.”
“No shit.”
“Let’s head to the back office,” Jeff said. “That’s where the OD is.”
The sea of bodies moved in sync to the music on the dance floor. With the lights flashing, it looked like one large beast with an upset stomach writhing around.
Scantily clad waitresses scurried around with full trays, hustling to get the drinks to the patrons. He’d been in the club three times before but had never seen drugs out in the open. There was a couple in the far corner that looked a little too cozy, but you could see that in any club.
As he approached the hallway that led to the back office, he did a double take and stopped in his tracks. He rubbed his eyes just to be certain of what he was seeing.
No, he wasn’t imagining anything.
Liam was sandwiched in a booth between two women—a brunette and a redhead—and it didn’t look like he was minding it at all. In fact, it looked like he was enjoying it.
Son of a bitch.
Jeff tried to cut him some slack. Maybe it was a sister and her friend? But when the brunette gave him a less-than-sisterly kiss and the redhead’s hand disappeared under the table, he was certain he was seeing Liam cheating on Adela.
Jeff’s anger boiled, his fists clenching at his sides.
“Come on, Jeff,” Matt yelled over the music. “Whatever you’re looking at isn’t as important as the OD in back.”
Jeff nodded and tried to focus. He had a job to do, and it really wasn’t any of his business if his neighbor cheated on his wife, was it?
But was Adela Liam’s wife? He distinctly remembered Liam saying they’d been together five years. This shit was just flat-out wrong. Was cheating on Adela something that Liam did on a frequent basis? Or maybe they had one of those open relationships?
Jeff was an old-fashioned type of guy. Once you were married, that was it. There wasn’t any straying from the relationship, and watching Liam suck the lipstick off the brunette wasn’t working for him at all. Of course, thoughts of Sara were never far away, and his own pain from being deceived lanced through him.
Fifteen minutes later, the ambulance arrived and hauled the OD guy away. As Jeff left, he scanned the area for Liam but didn’t see him. He said good-bye to the bouncer and manager, then went out into the night. The air held a bit of a chill, but summer was right around the corner and soon that chill would disappear.
As he slid into his car, he saw Liam and the brunette catching a cab across the street. He could make out their silhouettes in the backseat, their lips locked and arms entangled around each other. Jeff thought about following them and talking to Liam about what he was doing, but really, was it Jeff’s place to stop him? No, it wasn’t. It was Liam’s life, and if he wanted to fuck it up, then that was his prerogative. But Jeff didn’t need to stand around and watch it happen.
Anger surged through him. Liam had a perfectly wonderful woman at home, and here he was with his tongue halfway down some chick’s throat.
It was not cool.
He started the car and slammed it into gear. The darkness within him seemed to be getting worse, surging to the surface. He hoped he would find a drunk and disorderly that became Taser-worthy, because he really wanted to beat the shit out of someone.
As for Liam, he could make his own bed and get laid in it.