Breaking Away (The Man in the Shadows) Read Free

arm.
    “No,” he exclaimed, curtly. He composed himself and smiled. “Don’t go in yet. Not without me. I know the password.”
    She couldn’t control a single chuckle from escaping her lips at his last remark. “Ha! A password! What is this hot spot run by, the mafia?”
    He didn’t respond to her, only lead her to the double doors, his hand still on her arm. She could feel his fingers grasping through her light, corduroy jacket. She became uneasy with his silence. “Ethan... Is this shady business, because if so, we should probably get going...”
    Maika looked up at him, which, when he was that close to her was a feat, as he was very close to a foot taller than her, and his serious expression turned into a smile. Only teasing, as she should have expected. She brought her arm closer into her body, and then thrust it outward with all of her might, right into his ribs. “You’re scaring me on purpose, aren’t you?”
    “What gave you that idea?” He snapped his fingers, and pointed to her, accompanied by a cheesy grin, just like a gambler out of a big 1950s Hollywood movie. He then opened both wooden doors at the same time. They were greeted by darkness. Now she could hear a distant thumping of bass. Then it hit her: Whatever this place was, it was located in the basement. It was, quite literally, underground.
    They walked through the darkness, and she clung to Ethan’s arm as one would cling to a life preserver, as she could not see a thing. The way Ethan confidently strode through the place, it appeared he had been there before, and knew where everything was located, because they did not bump into anything. Not one piece of furniture, not one wall, not one door frame. Blind leading the blind Maika thought comedically as they kept making their way forward.
    He stopped abruptly, the echoes of their footsteps carrying on a second further. Out of nowhere, he said in a loud voice, “Infinity!”
    Nothing immediately happened. Maika gripped his arm harder, starting to think this was all a cruel joke. Her mind began to spin. It couldn’t be a surprise party, not in the middle of the week, her mind explained to her. And of course he’s not leading you into the hands of an axe murderer... You watch too many horror movies, girl, her thoughts jokingly comforted her. Maybe he’s just putting on a sho...
    Before her thought could finish processing, camouflaged doors flung open directly in front of them with such speed that a gale of wind blew her hair back. She wanted to gasp and scream at the same time, yet the resulting sound was a pathetic little, “Eep!” A blindingly bright light came rushing towards them, and she ducked, as if the rays of light could push her down. All the while, Ethan stood there like a statue, tall and steady, a look of awe on his face. This part never ceased to amaze him.
    As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw a bouncer standing to the side of the doors. Ethan said again, more quietly, composed, “Infinity.” Although this time he added, “I’m with the Père.”
    Maika stood up straight again, as she realized foolishly that the rays of light could not hurt her. She was given a fright at the sound of that last word. Père. The father. This really is the mafia.
    “Enter, Sir Ethan,” the other worldly bouncer answered at once. He was a dark shade of mocha, with no shirt on, revealing an impossible amount of muscles. Although his skin was dark, he was covered in tattoos and piercings, making him look like a step above human. More like a cyborg, or maybe a hologram. Something sculpted and perfected by the hands of humans.
    “Sir Ethan?” she hissed leaning in to him, unbelieving, as they walked further into the building, past the bouncer. Ethan just silently laughed, winked at her confidently, and brushed a hair out of her face, as if to tell her, You ain’t seen nothing yet.
    As they walked along, dark again, they reached a set of winding, twisting, wrought iron stairs. Each step