“A package will be arriving here this week. It is rather large and will need to be stored indefinitely,” Drake said.
“I’m not storing drugs at my house,” Terri said firmly.
“Oh no, nothing like that. You see, you, Ms. Asher, will go to this address,” Drake pulled a piece of paper with a local address on it and placed it in front of me. “It is a self-storage establishment. You will rent a unit that meets those requirements,” Drake said, tapping the piece of paper.
I glanced down and then back to Drake. “That’s a large unit Drake, I don’t even know if they have them that large.”
“I assure you, they do. Now, you will rent this unit in your name. You will pay for a full year of storage using this money.” Drake pulled a small envelope from below the bar and placed it on the countertop.
I took it and looked inside. There was quite a bit of cash.
“I assure you there is enough in there to cover all costs associated with the unit. After you acquire the unit, please check to make sure the unit is empty and then place this lock on the door.” Drake produced a small padlock from beneath the bar and placed it next to the envelope. It was unlocked and a key was still in the keyhole.
“Once you lock the unit, text me at the number beneath the address and let me know the unit number. That’s it,” Drake said.
“That’s… all?” I asked.
“Yes,” Drake said.
“Go rent a locker for a year, in my name, check it, lock it, and text you?” I asked.
“That is correct,” Drake said.
“What should I do with the key?” I asked.
“It doesn’t matter, there is a spare key,” Drake said.
“What’s going into the storage unit?” Terri asked.
“It doesn’t concern you,” Drake said simply.
“It sure as hell does if it’s illegal and something goes wrong. Ash’s name is on it. She’s the one who will go to jail, not you!” Terri’s protective side was kicking in.
I put my hand on Terri’s arm to calm her.
Drake looked at her with a sympathetic smile.
“I do understand your concerns. Let me see if I can put this in a way that will help alleviate some of them,” Drake paused, looking off into space a moment as if collecting his thoughts.
“What is to be stored there is nothing illegal or hazardous, in case you were thinking this was some sort of terrorist plot. Nothing of the sort. The items in question have to be stored in a way that is untraceable from where they came from. This is why you were tasked with this. You have no connection to the item and thus are the perfect choice for this.
“Once you text me, your part is done. If, for some reason, the storage unit is still needed for more than a year, you will be contacted and given additional funds to make another annual payment. This will continue until the unit is no longer needed or your contract with my associate is terminated,” Drake said.
“You will not return to the unit after you text me. If you are contacted by the storage company for any reason, text me, and I will give you additional directions.”
Drake looked from Terri to me. “Simple enough?”
Terri didn’t look happy.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it either, but if all I had to do was rent a storage unit to appease my benefactor, I couldn’t complain. I came here thinking I was either going to become a drug mule or be passed around like a hooker at a bachelor party. While the second one gave me a dark thrill, I wasn’t happy with either.
“This sounds too easy, Drake; what’s the catch?” I finally asked.
“There is no catch. You rent the unit and forget about it for a year. Repeat as necessary,” Drake said.
“That’s it?” I still couldn’t believe it. It was too simple. They could get anyone to do this. They didn’t have to tap me for something so… mundane.
“Yes,” Drake said simply.
“Huh,” Terri smirked.
“Now, if–” Drake began.
“Here it comes!” Terri said with some excitement.
Drake frowned at Terri.
“All I was going to say was that if anything out of the ordinary happens, text my number. I’ll get back to you straight away,” Drake said.
“Out of the ordinary?” I asked. “Like what?”
“Oh, anything really. Normally, when you rent a unit, it gets forgotten. Unless payment isn’t made, the company forgets about it as well. If you suddenly start getting notices or phone calls about the unit, text me.” Drake shrugged, then paused.
“What?” Terri asked suspiciously.
“Uh… well,” Drake seemed to be annoyed at something.
“That’s what I thought. Spill it,” Terri said.
“You are quite unpleasant; do you know that?” Drake said to Terri.
“I have my moments, now spill,” she said.
“It’s best I show you,” Drake said, turning and leaving the central bar to head towards a back room. “This way.”
Terri and I looked at one another before following. I scooped up the money, slip of paper, and lock as I rose from my stool.
The back room was small and had several clothes racks. I guessed it was a coat room since several coats were hanging up.
Drake chose a strange suit coat that matched his pants and slipped it on. What was strange about it was that it had a hood attached to it–like a hoodie crossed with a suit jacket. Drake pulled the hood up and turned to us.
“Ok, now stick close and don’t talk to anybody, understand?” Drake ordered.
“No,” I said honestly.
“Please, just follow me,” Drake said. Then he went to the only other door in the room and touched the handle. A moment later, he opened the door, unleashing bright lights and deafening sound into the small room.
Through the door was some sort of techno nightclub. This part of the building was vastly different than the part we’d been in only a moment before. So different it seemed like a whole new building.
There were people everywhere dressed in strange clothes. The strange part was that each person’s clothes were all one color. For example, a group of people stood together, and every piece of clothing they had on was teal.
There was light coming from everywhere and loud music that I could feel thumping in my chest. It wasn’t bad music, just loud. I’d seen this type of place on movies and TV as well but I’d never been in a club like this.
Terri’s hand snaked into mine and held on tightly. I looked over at her, and she was just as awed by the place as I was. Her eyes tried to look everywhere at once.
I just tried to keep an eye on Drake as he started moving forward.
He led us deeper into the club and through several more rooms. The barrage of light and sound was soon joined by the smell of what I could only guess was some sort of cigar smoke. It wasn’t bad, just strong.
Each room we passed through also changed. Some had dance floors, others had additional bars, and still others had a theme. One room we passed through had some sort of sci-fi cosplay going on, as people were dressed up like aliens you’d see in a sci-fi show.
The only thing all the rooms had in common was the fact people were all dressed in a single color. Some were all yellow, some pink, some chartreuse! Some had even dyed their skin and hair to match their color. I’d never seen anything like it before.
Just when I was about to ask where we were now because there was no way we were still in the same building, Drake stopped and ushered us into a small alcove.
Drake made a small motion with his hand, and suddenly, the noise around us died to a muffled roar. Now, I could hear him clearly as he spoke.
“Do you see those two over there?” Drake pointed to a small table a ways off where two people sat having an animated conversation.
One was a man who looked to be in his mid to late thirties with a nearly shaved head and stubble on his chin. He was roughly attractive in that bad-boy kind of way.
The woman sitting with him was a knockout. Her slightly Asian features gave her an exotic look. With her lily-white skin and onyx-colored hair that she had pinned up, her posture was elegant and classy. I couldn’t help but admire her body, which was curved in all the right places.