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  Hidden Powers

  Hidden World Series: Book 1

  Ben Swallow

  Copyright © 2018 Ben Swallow

  All rights reserved.

  Chapter 1

  The loud music is deafening, the air heavy with the stench of cigarettes and sweat, beams of light in all colors are piercing the smoky air, and my feet hurt. Just another day at work.

  I got ear tips after my first two nights, but there’s nothing I can do about the rest. Working in a nightclub isn’t the most relaxing job, however fun it may have sounded at first. The only thing keeping me here are the tips.

  We all have to wear the same branded shirt here, but some just wear it better than others. I usually wear a tight, black tank top underneath it and keep the first few buttons of the shirt open. Add some tight leather pants or a short skirt, some high-heels, and my charming smile, and the guys keep drooling all over me. It’s disgusting, really. But my mother depends on me, so I do what I have to.

  Every now and then, there’s something that makes work fun. Or someone, usually. Tonight, it’s this hot guy standing near the wall. Dark blue shirt, tight enough to show some muscles underneath, beige chinos, well-trimmed hair and a handsome face. He probably has more class than the rest of the room combined.

  The downside of the job? I can’t leave with him until after we close at around 6 am, and he’ll be long gone by then.

  „Alice. Alice!”

  I only hear her voice the second time as Evelynn almost yells into my ear. I like her, but her voice is simply too high and weak to be heard in a place like this.

  „What, Eve?”

  „Just go talk to Mr. Handsome over there. Get him a drink and your number before he leaves with someone else.”

  I laugh at her playful grin. „Is it that obvious?”

  „Yeah. Now go!”

  I shake my head and laugh again, but walk over to him. I quickly fix my shirt, pull my tank top down a little and put a strand of hair out of my face.

  Let’s get him.

  Keeping my voice down, I go up to him and ask, „Hey handsome, can I get you anything?”

  „What?”

  I suppress a smile. This trick always works. I lean in close to him, my face right next to his, maybe an inch away.

  „I asked if I can get you anything, handsome?”

  His lips curl into a slight smile as I lean back again. „Whiskey, please.”

  „What?”

  His turn.

  He laughs, leaning in close to whisper in my ear. „A whiskey, please.”

  „Got it,” I wink.

  I briefly touch his shoulder before I turn around and walk back. I glance back and smile as I catch him staring after me.

  I work six nights a week and sleep through most of the day, so combining work and fun is only efficient. And how could I pass up someone like that?

  Eve looks over to me as I pour the drink and grins as I only wink back mischievously. I quickly write down my number on the back of a business card of the club and then walk back to him. But to my surprise, I can’t see him anywhere. Did he really just leave with someone else in this one minute I was gone?

  Angrily, I stride back to the bar, putting down the drink again and sigh.

  „What happened?”

  I turn my head to her as Eve appears next to me. „He’s already gone. No surprise for a guy like that in here.”

  „Oh. Sorry. But if you want to take a break, can you bring the trash out back?”

  „Sure.”

  With another sigh, I grab the big black trash bag and push my way towards the back exit. It seems like I’ll spend this night in my own crappy apartment again. He probably had a penthouse downtown or something. Now that would have been a night! Doing it while looking down on the whole city.

  I step out of the club into the cool, fresh air of the night, close my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath.

  Air!

  It has been raining a few hours ago and that wonderful smell still hangs in the air. The soft breeze caressing my face cools me down a little, the quietness out here like balm for my ears.

  But as I open my eyes again, I freeze.

  Mr. Handsome is standing right there in our back alley. With a gun pointed at him.

  There are two thugs standing about three yards across from him, one holding a gun. They’re both clad in leather jackets with spikes, tattoos on their neck.

  „What the hell?”

  The words escape from my mouth before I can hold them back. As the thugs turn their attention, and the gun, towards me, I drop the trash in panic.

  Damn you, Alice, why can’t you keep your mouth shut.

  I want to turn to the door and sprint back into the club, but before I can move, the man with the gun shouts at me.

  „You! Come here!”

  Hesitantly, I come closer. The thugs certainly don’t look happy. Mr. Handsome glances over his shoulder at me, a mix of happy surprise and fear on his face.

  Shit. They are going to kill us, aren’t they?

  I stare at the man with the gun. I live close to the Pit, the worst district in town. I know men like him, I see them like every other day.

  „Wrong time, wrong place, girl.”

  I see it in his face. His nostrils flaring up, his eyes squinting a little. This is it.

  The gunshot echoes through the dark alley, the muzzle flash forcing my eyes to blink.

  My stomach turns cold, fear gripping my heart.

  But as I look down on me, I see no blood.

  What the…?

  Looking back to the men, I can see the same surprise on their faces. The gunner’s face turns red with anger as he pulls the trigger again.

  This time, I keep my eyes open and see a translucent, light blue barrier flare up between Mr. Handsome and the men, deflecting the bullet into the wall behind them. His hand is raised, his face a mask of concentration.

  I swallow hard as I realize what this means.

  I’m not alone! There are others with abilities!

  My fear turns into determination, anger flaring up in me. I’ve had a pretty shitty day, and those guys just got on the wrong side of me.

  I haven’t used my abilities in a long time, but with all the anger running hot through my veins, it’s not hard to channel them again.

  With an angry shout, I send a shockwave towards them.

  I’ve been careful not to hit Mr. Handsome, too, but I don’t have much control over it. With relief, I see him unaffected as the two thugs are thrown back against the wall behind them.

  Mr. Handsome is staring at me in surprise, a hint of respect in his eyes. I bet he did not expect to get his ass saved by me. I walk over to him, back straightened with confidence.

  „First you ditch me, then you make a mess in our back alley? You have a lot to make up for, mister.”

  „Oh, I have an idea or two,” he smirks mischievously.

  I wink in response, but then my eyes widen in surprise as the two thugs disappear with an audible plop. They were there one moment, lying in a pile of trash bags next to the container, and the next moment, they were gone.

  Mr. Handsome follows my surprised look and frowns. „Uh…”

  But before he can say anything, a sharp pain flares up in my left hand. In the same moment, Mr. Handsome hisses next to me.

  I pull my hand away from whatever stung it and see something dark in my veins. It doesn’t seem to spread but looks disgusting and painful.

  Only as I hear the voice do I notice the two thugs standing behind us. The other guy, not the gunner, looks at us with completely black eyes. Black veins spread from them, turning his face into a horrific grimace.

  „Bryan Hunter. You have one week to pay your brother’s debt. If you can’t
come up with the entire fifty thousand until then, you will both die a slow, agonizing death.”

  The gunner puts his hand on the creepy guy's shoulder, grins at us, and then they disappear with another plop.

  Chapter 2

  I stare at Mr. Handsome. Bryan.

  What the hell is going on?

  He looks at me and sighs. „I did not mean to pull you into this. Sorry.“

  „Sorry? Sorry!? We are going to die in a week, and all you can say is sorry?“

  „We will find a way out of this, I promise.“

  „We? Those guys were clearly after you, so how about you clean up your own mess?“

  I can't believe this. I thought the day was shit before, but this takes it to a whole new level.

  „I don't have $50,000 lying around. And I assume you don't, either.“

  „So you're saying we are going to die?“

  „No, I'm saying that we will have to work together to get out of this mess. I think I know someone who can help. An old friend of mine. We can go to him right now.“

  I take a deep breath, trying to calm down a little.

  „I can't just run off with you, I have a job.“

  „I'm sorry, but unless your job pays you $50,000 this week, I think you are stuck with me.“

  I'll admit, I may have dreamed of being taken on an adventure by a hot guy. Like, every week probably. Something to get me out of my boring and unfulfilling life. But this is not what I imagined.

  But as I consider my options, I realize that I don't really have any. Either I just trust that he will find a way to pay and heal this craziness in my hand, or I take care of this myself. And I'm not particularly big on trusting some stranger, even if he looks like a decent guy.

  „All right, Bryan. I don't trust you to, so you’re stuck with me. Here's what we're going to do: we will go to your friend, get the money, pay those thugs and we're done.”

  He smiles at me and starts walking towards the street. He glances back over his shoulder as I don’t immediately move. „Are you coming or what?“

  I follow him angrily to his car, not saying another word to him.

  I somehow expected to get into some expensive sports car, maybe a Porsche, probably in red or black. But apparently, he's driving a pretty old Mercedes. Not the rich, downtown-penthouse kind of guy I expected apparently.

  „So, what do you do exactly? And why do you owe those people money?“

  He looks over to me as he starts the motor. „I was a personal bodyguard until I… Well, it was complicated, but essentially, I was fired. And it's my brother who owes money.“

  „So why aren't they after your brother? Why are you paying his debt?“

  „Because family always takes care of each other.“

  I have no answer to that. If my brother was still alive, I would protect him at all cost, too. Just like I'm protecting my mother now.

  We are driving for about fifteen minutes until I recognize where we are.

  „Hey, we are driving into the Pit! What kind of friends do you have again?“

  The Pit used to be just another residential area, one block after the other. But over time, it has become a cesspool of crime and violence where even the police wouldn't go once the sun sets.

  „They kind that can provide two dying powered people with $50,000.“

  „Powered people?“

  „Yeah.“ He looks over at me and frowns at my confused face. „People with abilities, like us.“

  „Wait, how many are there? I thought me and my brother were the only ones.”

  „No, not by a long shot,” he laughs. „Most of them simply stay hidden in the underworld to survive and make use of their abilities.“

  „Like you? I can imagine this shield thing is a useful ability as a bodyguard.“

  „Yeah,“ he nods. „But enough questions for now, we're here. Let me do the talking, I know those people.“

  We get out of the car after he parks it on the side of the street. I wonder if it’s still here when we get back, or if someone takes off with it. I wouldn’t be surprised in this part of town.

  I turn my attention back to Bryan as he knocks on the door. Seconds later, a small slit is opened and a man looks through.

  „Yeah?”

  „We’re here to speak to the Banker.”

  The man inside looks at us with mistrust, but then opens the door. I watch Bryan closely as we walk in, wondering how many more surprises await me. If that’s the kind of people he knows, I should probably be careful.

  As if he felt my staring, he turns around to me and whispers, „I’ll have to warn you, Dover is a little… well, he’s paranoid. Always assuming everyone is just here to steal from him. That’s why I’ve been assigned to protect him once. I may have saved him from getting riddled with bullets, but when it comes to money, he’s… well, you’ll see.”

  We are led into a surprisingly mighty room by the guard, the kind of room you would not expect to find here in the Pit. A big, beautiful wooden desk stands mightily in the center, immediately drawing your attention. A beautiful fountain pen with an intricate design of Chinese or Japanese symbols lies neatly centered in front of a stack of papers. Behind it, the ‘Banker’ sits in a big, leather chair, reclined with his arms crossed.

  The man himself wears an expensive-looking dark-grey suit, a white shirt and a blue tie. Together with his short, well-groomed hair and his clean-shaven face, he looks like he really could be working in a bank.

  If you ignore the two bodyguards holding machine guns that stand behind him, that is.

  „Bryan! How nice to see you, what can I do for you?” He briefly glances at me but doesn’t seem to pay me any more attention after that.

  „Good, but not as good as you apparently – I heard you’ve been expanding.”

  He and Bryan catch up to each other for only a few moments until the Banker gets impatient.

  „So why are you here? You know I don’t have time to waste, and it’s late.”

  „Remember when I saved your life? Good times, eh? Now I need you to return the favor.”

  „Don’t say you need money again.”

  „I’m sorry. But it’s not as much as last time, only fifty grand. And you’ll get it back, I promise.”

  „What is it this time, your brother again?”

  „Actually, it’s me. If I can’t pay his remaining debt within the week, I’ll be dead.”

  „WE will be dead!” I shoot Bryan an angry stare as I raise my left hand, showing the Banker the black mark.

  He looks at it for a moment, his eyebrows shooting up. „Oh, Bryan. You really are in trouble.”

  „Yes, I… we are.” He quickly glances over at me as he corrected himself. „So can you help us, like I helped you?”

  The man stands up, putting his hands on the desk. „I wish I could, but we both know you won’t be able to pay it back. I wouldn’t be much of a businessman if I just gave away my money.”

  I quickly follow Bryan’s lead as he stands up to face the banker. I don’t mimic his pleading look, though. We may need this guy’s money, but I still have some sense of pride.

  „Come on, Dover! You know I have connections, I’m sure I can come up with the money. With interest, of course.”

  „Sorry, I can’t help you. But I know someone who might. He’s looking for someone to do a simple job and is willing to pay well.” As he sees Bryan’s clenched jaw, he quickly adds, „Don’t worry, no one needs to get hurt, I know how feeble you are.”

  Bryan seems to be holding back an angry response as he takes a deep breath. He has been so guarded since I met him, I wonder what he’s like when he loses his cool. But I’m glad I don’t get to see it here, with two armed men watching us.

  „Thank you, Dover. I knew I could count on you.”

  „Ask for the ‘one-armed’ in the Black Moon. He will tell you more. I’ll let him know you are coming, so you better hurry up.”

  He gestures us to leave, already turning his a
ttention back towards the stack of papers in front of him. Bryan nods respectfully, then opens the door for me.

  At least I was right about him having some class.

  „You have some great friends, I have to admit,” I say as we get in the car again, which miraculously hasn’t been stolen in the few minutes we were in there.

  „I wouldn’t exactly call him a friend.”

  „You literally did.”

  „Okay, I might have,” he chuckles. „But only so you would stop worrying.”

  „So I stop worrying? About that I’m going to die?” I laugh drily, this whole situation slowly starting to be too ridiculous to take it seriously. „An hour ago I was waiting tables in a nightclub, now I’ve been poisoned by who exactly? And have to do a job for someone called the ‘one-armed’ who we are meeting in the bar notorious for its criminals?”

  „Clayton Cross. That’s who had us poisoned.”

  „Cross!?” I stare at Bryan in disbelief. „The head of the Syndicate? The biggest crime lord in Galmont?”

  „Yup, that one.”

  Chapter 3

  After getting out of the nightclub early, going into yet another bar was not on the top of my to-do list. Especially not one in the Pit, a bar as dangerous as they come.

  I sent Eve a quick text on the way here, letting her know that I had to leave for personal reasons. She’s in good standing with the boss, who’d probably fire me on the spot if I called her directly. Let’s hope I can take a day off or two to fix all of this.

  As we enter the Black Moon, I wonder once again how the hell I ended up here. Adding up the criminal record of everyone in this room would probably take a week.

  I follow Bryan to the bar, where he asks for the ‘one-armed’. The barkeep looks back and forth between us for a moment, one eyebrow raised, but then gestures towards a guy sitting alone at a table. Bryan nods respectfully and then turns toward the guy.

  „That’s pretty neat, simply gesturing instead of trying to out-shout the music. I should try that sometime.”

  „What, Eredor over here?” Bryan looks at me confused for a second. „He’s actually mute. Lost his voice in a bar fight. I heard he now has a shotgun behind the counter if anyone ever tries to start a fight in here again.”