New Story - written exclusively on Steemit - WiP - Bouncer Part 41

This is turning out to be quite a tale (I know, my opinion...) and I think it'll make a novel-sized story.

I'm listening to the feedback and if something resonates, I've decided that I'll go with it (thanks @kiwideb).

Feel free to give feedback on characters, storylines etc - even if you think it's harsh.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30 Part 31 Part 32 Part 34 Part 35 Part 36 Part 37 Part 38 Part 39 Part 40

Pictures from Google free to use search

Please note: This is the FIRST DRAFT, no editing, written straight onto paper. I don't know how to highlight that any more than it is. I'll NOT be making any alterations to what's already been written. As a good friend and excellent author has said, First draft is a race to get the story down before it decides to stop telling itself to you. Thanks Glenn. @alienbutt

91 pages, 35,853 words so far.

What do you think of this for a cover?

---

The guy looked up at Zack and he nodded. “Yeah, I was just giving it back, but she couldn’t hear me,” he said.

“That’s right, you’re the good guy in all this. We’ve over-reacted and we made a mistake,” Joe said, his face turning to just ‘annoyed’ once more.

The guy nodded and moved toward the door.

“Jeans, drop ‘em,” Joe growled.

They found a stash of things in the guy’s secret pockets that had been sewn into the inside of his baggy jeans and though there was nothing in his shoes, Joe didn’t give them back.

Joe took the guy out of the rear fire escape and Zack took the stolen property to the cloakroom.

Zack passed the fire escape door. He heard a loud slap as Joe wrapped his hand across the pick-pocket’s face. Zack winced, he knew how hard Joe would have hit that thief and the thief would go home with a black eye developing, but he’d say nothing because if he went to the police, he’d have to explain why the doorman took matters into his own hands.

The other benefit of that slap was that word would soon get around that justice was meted fast and efficiently at The Cobalt and hopefully, it would keep the bad elements out – for a while at least.

Zack didn’t hold with vigilante doormen, but sometimes a good, hard slap served better than a night in the cells. Joe’s growled warning of, “If I ever see you in here again…” would resonate with a smart thief and Zack hoped the thief was smart because it could get messy – and dangerous – for him if not.

As he passed Nyx taking more photos of the dancers, Zack slipped the battery into her pocket. She didn’t look up so he patted her shoulder so she’d know it was him.

She glanced around and nodded. She’d find the battery and ask about it later – right at that moment, she was immersed in a world of her own making, gyrating bodies, lights, colours and sounds – all through the lens of her camera.

Zack got to the cloakroom and heard someone asking if anyone had handed in a purse.

The young woman described the purse, down to a couple of scuffs on the surface. She then described what was in the purse and Zack tapped her on the shoulder.

“Is this it?” he said. “It was handed to me, so I don’t know where it was found, sorry.”

“It wasn’t lost, it was taken,” the young woman said. She looked inside the purse to see if her money was still there. If it had already been lifted, there was nothing Zack could do about it.

The girl looked up at Zack, her eyes shining. “It’s all there!” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “I thought it would be gone, for sure!”

She took out a large wad of notes and Zack shook his head in astonishment. “What the bloody hell are you thinking?” he said, admonishing the young woman. “There must be a grand there, at least!

She nodded, her eyes cast down as though she was ashamed of herself for being so stupid. “A thousand and fifty pounds, to be exact,” she said. “I took it out of the bank on the way home, but then I was invited to this pre-opening party and I just had to be here.”

“Look, love,” Zack said in a kindlier tone. “Take this as a lesson learned and don’t bring that kind of money out with you again. Unless, of course, you’re taking me out with it?”

She looked at him, trying to process his words. When they finally arrived at a part of her brain that understood the joke, she grinned and put away the money. “Yeah, you’re right,” she said. “I think I’d better get off home and put this away safe. I’m buying myself a new car tomorrow. I’d have been gutted if I couldn’t have it because I’d lost the money.”

“I’ll come with you, make sure you get a taxi and don’t decide to walk home,” her friend said.

“I’m not that daft,” she said.

Zack shook his head as the two young women linked arms and went toward the stairs.

They were the first to leave – apart from the pick-pocket. The women chatted away and were happy with their first experience at The Cobalt, and as far as Zack was concerned, that meant his team was doing something right.

Zack told the girl in the cloakroom that he’d deposit the ‘lost property’ with Anthony and if anyone reported anything lost or stolen, she was to ring the office and ask Anthony about it. People were not to be sent to the office and all items had been ‘found and handed in’ not ‘stolen but retrieved’.