“You didn’t answer,” I demanded stubbornly, forgetting if I had already asked my one question. I glanced where he was peering. “Damn! That was good stuff, too.” It really had been. In his hilarity, he must have knocked the table, because the bottle was lying on its side, the liquor spilling over the far edge of the table.
I lifted the downed bottle.
We both stared at it closely.
He muttered, “Well, shit.”
I nudged his shoulder with mine. “You already said that.”
“Did I?”
“I think so.”
“Shit.”
“Is that that all you know of the English language, old man?”
“Shit if I know.”
We stared at the bottle more.
I asked, “How are we supposed to get answers now?”
His eyebrows came together. “We could order more here, but I’ve got something that’s even better than this.” His grin was crooked. “I call it Obsidian Liquor. It may be vodka, but after ingested, the resulting acts aren’t pure like the liquid. It will definitely open the path to further discussion between us. Still off the record, mind you.”
“No. There’s no way you have something better than this.” I shook the bottle. “This was fucking awesome.”
“I swear.” He placed a hand over his heart. “It’s ten times better than that.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” I slammed the empty down. “I want answers, and you’ve got the Obsidian…whatever.”
He chuckled and swayed as he stood. “I want the answers and I’ve got the liquor.” His eyebrows came together again. “That should mean something.”
I grabbed my bag and stumbled from the booth.
He caught my arm, mumbling, “You’re a klutz.”
As we made our way out of the bar, I pointed at the tip of his nose. “You’re the one that tipped the bottle.”
“Shit.”
“Maybe you should get a tutor.” I waved grandly in greeting to his bodyguards standing at the entrance of the bar. Daniil slurred to them we needed the liquor he had brought to the resort. They wore odd expressions on their faces as they stared at us. “Are all your bodyguards ugly?” I studied them, stumbling. We both hit the wall. Their weird expressions increased as we righted ourselves. “Or maybe they need an antacid? I think I have some in my purse.” I started to dig for them.
Swatting my hand away from my search, he whispered, “They’re just that ugly. I hire the ugliest, scariest men I can find. Keeps the idiots at bay.”
I grinned as we started walking again…but damn I forgot what I was going to say, so I asked instead, “Are you sure this stuff is better than that two hundred dollar bottle you spilled?”
We stepped into the elevator; the ugly bodyguards following inside and standing like a wall in front of us. The doors closed. Daniil answered, but I did not hear him because I was peering around the bodyguard of the right side to get a better look at them. I stumbled, but caught myself on the wall with a widespread hand, oddly, feeling things shift under it. I really did not care what I had just touched because three of the ugliest people I had ever seen before were staring at me.
I pushed away from the wall, yanking Daniil down by his suit jacket, whispering against his ear, “The one on the left is the worst.”
He pointed, and I nodded. Cocking his head, he glanced at all of them. We both forgot what I had said because the elevator dinged, and the doors opened. He and I started forward but we slammed against the wall of ugly.
Daniil barked, “Why aren’t you moving?”
Least Ugly replied, “It’s not our floor.”
The doors closed, but no one got on. It started moving again.
“Who pressed the wrong,” he waved his hand, slamming back against the wall, “thing?”
I yanked him upright. “It’s called a button. Maybe I’ll help find that tutor.”
I could have sworn the ugly wall started shaking as the elevator door opened again.
Once more, they did not move.
Daniil asked, “Who pressed the wrong damn buttons?”
I swayed this time when the door closed and the elevator started lifting.
Daniil caught me, but we both slammed against the back wall.
We stayed there. It was safer.
The wall of ugly was vibrating again, and it looked really cool. I stared, mesmerized, and suddenly remembered that Daniil had asked a question. I thought hard, and the doors opened again, but like normal, no one moved. It hit me what he had asked, and I put my lips to his ear, not wanting them to hear, whispering, “Maybe you shouldn’t have gone for ugly, but intelligence instead. Their memories aren’t so good if they have to see each floor to remember where they’re going.”
Daniil shrugged, stating gruffly, “They can shoot and fight like demons.”
I shook my head as we visited another floor. “I hate violence. Those that use it to better themselves are schmucks. Might does not make right. That point of view only creates cretin beasts.”
The wall of ugly was really pulsating.
Daniil replied, “You don’t really believe…” He stopped when the wall of ugly started moving out. “Ah, finally.”
I pointed covertly, whispering, “The one on the left! The one on the left! He looks like an exhibit I once saw in a wax museum of horrors.”
We stared, who would not, and the door started to close, but one of the guards stuck his massive paw out, making it open back up.
I whispered, “You think it’s contagious?”
Daniil stared open mouthed. “You know, I never thought of it that way.”
Ugly Duckling asked, “Sir? Are you getting out?”
“Yes,” Daniil stated, and we both lunged through the opening at the same time, bypassing Ugly Duckling, giving him a wide berth. The man seriously had to have some kind of disease for his face to look like that.
I blinked at my surroundings. “Where are we?” This did not look like my floor. Mine was green. This one was gold.
“Going to get the liquor,” Daniil stated, pointing down one hallway.
His bodyguards took off in the opposite direction.
I cracked up when he looked miffed. “Maybe you should fire them.”
He glanced left then right, calling out, “That’s not the way!”
Ugly Duckling turned around, and I think his poor face looked pained.
“I really think he needs medical attention.”