couldn't come fast enough for his liking.
****
"Rise and shine sleepy head," Lacey's chipper voice sang out as she came around to the front of the sofa where Terry-Ann was beginning to awaken from her sleep. To Lacey's relief Terry-Ann had slept peacefully last night; passing out on her sofa as soon as she had lain down.
With a groan, Terry-Ann pulled the yellow, floral print comforter up over her head in an attempt to block out any sound.
Chuckling softly, Lacey pulled the comforter down. "I ve brought you aspirin, and coffee."
Terry-Ann opened one eye slowly, then the other to peer at Lacey kneeling in front of her a steaming cup of coffee in hand. "Okay." Frowning, she finally gave in. "You win."
Slowly she sat up and accepted the beverage.
"We had one crazy night," Lacey commented passing her friend the aspirin.
"Yeah," Terry-Ann agreed popping the aspirin in her mouth then swallowing a mouthful of coffee. She sat silent for a moment and then her brow creased. She looked directly into Lacey's eyes. "Did we do something last night?"
Lacey slid onto the sofa next to Terry-Ann. "We went to Club Vampire."
"We did?"
Lacey frowned at her friend. Terry-Ann had been completely sober when they had left for the club. She must remember going to the club at least? "Come on now Terry, surely you remember going and standing in line outside the club? You must remember that much?"
Terry-Ann shook her head.
"You have to remember. You didn't even take a drink until we got into the club."
Again, she shook her head.
Reaching out, Lacey pressed the back of her hand to Terry-Ann's forehead. She didn't feel warm, so didn't have a fever. How could she not remember at least going there?
"What was the last thing you remember about last night?"
"I don't know. Yesterday I remember getting off work and driving here."
"And then?"
Terry-Ann shrugged. "I don't know."
She didn't know? What the hell kind of drug did she take for it to have wiped almost a day s worth of memories from her? Lacey's hopes sank. She had been certain her friend would be able to give her some answers, even if they were just the groggy images of an intoxicated person remembering the previous night's events. But nothing? A sweet load of fuck all was what she got.
"Well how about you lie back down and rest up. We have free passes to Club Vampire for tonight."
Terry-Ann shook her head. "I'm not going there."
"You don't feel up to it," Lacey shrugged, "I can understand I..."
"No, it s not that," Terry-Ann interrupted. "I can't go there. Something is telling me I can't. Never. I'll never go near that place."
Lacey crinkled her nose up bewildered. Terry-Ann was the one who had suggested it in the first place. She brushed a stray dark brown lock of hair out from over Terry-Ann's eye and tucked it behind her ear. "That s alright sweetie. If you don't want to go it's not a biggie."
Standing, she watched as Terry-Ann stretched out along the sofa once more and closed her eyes. Seconds later she was sound asleep again. Nigel had more than his fair share of secrets, she knew this now without a doubt. Tonight, she would find out what some of those secrets were, and perhaps she'd run into the man who had come out of the club that previous night.
****
Lacey passed the ticket Trinity had given her the previous night to the doorman of Club Vampire and waited to be allowed in. She glanced briefly at the long line of people waiting to gain admittance into the club. All seemed to be glaring at her.
Despite having tickets for herself and her five friends Lacey had decided to come back tonight alone. She'd never be able to live with herself if something happened to one of them because she wanted to get a story to fast-track her career. Andrea and Virginia had protested, claiming they should be there to offer their support, just in case. But Lacey declined. She had a feeling she'd be with Nigel throughout the majority of the evening, unless of course, he was called away
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