~ Austin, Black & White club ~
6:14 PM
Sarah and Aiden stopped in front of the heavy metal door.
Aiden knocked on it few times, and after two seconds the door opened.
"Second young master…", the bulky man greeted them and moved to make space for them to enter.
Faint noise came from inside as soon as the door opened and Sarah's hold on Aiden's hand intensified. She is NOT comfortable with this, but Aiden said that it's safe, and that he will not leave her side, and the way the man greeted them obviously shows that he is someone from White family. A bodyguard maybe.
As they made their way down the dark hallway, the noise got louder with every step. Music was overpowered by people's voices and cheers which mixed into a boisterous clamor and Sarah felt her heart thunder from anxiety when the second door opened revealing... the crowd. People squeezing and pushing… one of her biggest nightmares: the crowd.
Aiden looked at Sarah and part of him regretted not taking the main entrance. But they took the side door in order to avoid being seen, and they are already here. Aiden lifted his arm and two men in black suits showed up and started moving other people away, creating a path for them.
Aiden held Sarah tightly around her shoulders as they advanced through the lower floor of the club.
Sarah's anxiety lowered when she felt Aiden's protective hold. She wanted to look at Aiden or maybe close her eyes in order to ignore the people swarming around, and other part of her wanted to see where all those shouts are directed at.
Aiden told her that this is an underground club, which hosts freestyle fights so she can assume that there is some arena in the direction everyone is facing.
It didn't take long for them to reach an area where they needed to climb few steps and after the door closed behind them, the noise reduced significantly.
"How are you doing?", Aiden asked Sarah with a slight frown on his concerned face.
"I'm OK." Sarah did her best to show a reassuring smile.
She glanced around and saw that they are in some type of control area. There is are chairs and few microphones with a control board. Thick glass enclosure provides unexpectedly good soundproofing without obstructing the view of the chaos outside.
"Mr. A!", a man in his late thirties wearing a baseball hat cheerfully approached them.
His call made Sarah start paying attention to the people. There are people in there! Two young ladies and one man on the sofa of the right, and the baseball-hat-man who is walking toward them with a big smile on his face.
The man on the sofa was sitting between two women and he was not happy to see Aiden. He really hoped that his eyes are playing tricks on him, but when he heard Chad call: 'Mr. A' , his fears got confirmed. He thought how finally these two women by his side stopped talking about 'Mr. A' and how awesome he is… and now he is back. Why is he back? He was out for more than ten months! 'Who is the woman with him? Are they a couple?' If that is true, then maybe these two will not get carried away by Mr. A's charms again.
"Chad…", Aiden shook hands in greeting with the man. "This is Sarah."
Chad's eyes curiously darted from Aiden to Sarah few times before he extended his hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Sarah. I am Chad."
Chad had so many questions about Sarah, but he didn't dare ask any.
By then, the man and two women who were sitting on the sofa also approached them. All three of them addressed Aiden as 'Mr. A' and Sarah found out that out of two ladies the one in a red tank top and heavily ripped jeans is called Amber, while other one in a silver minidress is Jade. Man who came with them introduced himself as Shift and based on one large and few smaller scars on his face, Sarah can guess that this man participated in number of fights.
Amber looked at Aiden and Sarah, both dressed in black and reminded herself not to stare. If Jade catches her staring at Aiden, there will be trouble.
Jade was ecstatic to see that Aiden finally returned. But who is this woman by his side? Is this Sarah the reason why Aiden was not coming here for almost a year?
Four people were excited to see Aiden and they started with questions: Where he was so far? What was he up to? etc.
Sarah concluded that Aiden was a regular in this club at some time, and he stopped coming when two of them started dating.
She observed four people and didn't miss Jade's frown directed at the way Aiden is holding her.
Sarah felt uncomfortable at the thought how there is a big possibility that Jade is one of those numerous ex-es Aiden has lingering behind him like unpleasant shadows. She closed her eyes and chanted silently that past should be left where it belongs: in the past.
No matter how much she calmed down, every time she looked at Jade, or she heard her high-pitched voice, Sarah got riled up.
Sarah decided to look around. She trusts that Aiden will not let that woman get close to him and she has no desire to look at her or be close to her.
Aiden seems to be friendly with them, so Sarah didn't want to put him in a position where he needs to push them away because of her.
Four people were busy with Aiden, treating like he is some idol, and it didn't seem that anyone noticed that she is disconnected from their chatter… or that she is even there. They probably assumed that she is here to accompany him, like a useless vase. Sarah exhaled and reminded herself that she should not care what these people think of her.
Sarah wiggled out of Aiden's hold and stepped away, toward the glass, observing what is on the other side.
There is a number of rooms on the second and third level which are providing a good view of the lower level where they are. Those are private rooms, Aiden told her about them. In one of those rooms they will meet with their guests.
Sarah looked at the lower level and there is some seating on the sides while toward the middle people are standing and waving their arms excitedly, everyone is turned toward the center. Just how she suspected, there is a fighting arena, surrounded with bars and wire which don't obstruct the view, while keeping the fight inside and enthusiastic fans outside.
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