Inside the club was absolutely packed. Music playing. Lights flashing. People dancing. The loud music blocked his senses. Karma could no longer hear if someone was trying to sneak up on him. The constant flow of people moving from one area to another only added to this confusion. It was a spy's worst nightmare. He looked through the crowd trying to find Jynx. The neon flashing lights made it difficult to identify anyone. Every girl that he thought was Jynx actually wasn't. She was gone. If her goal was to blend in, then she succeeded even to Karma. After a few minutes he gave up and made his way to the bar. He sat on the barstool and ordered a beer.
The bartender handed him the Bavarian beer. Thick, rich, German beer. One beer was like drinking a full meal. Karma drank it anyway. It had been a long time since he drank alcohol in a bar. 6 months maybe. After only a few minutes he was starting to feel the effect. He looked out over the crowd again trying to identify his partner. But as it turned out someone had already identified him. A woman wearing a skintight black outfit came over and started dancing in front of Karma. She turned around to show him her features. Then she turned back and put a hand on his shoulder. The music was loud, so she leaned in and said in German, "Hey there, handsome. I haven't seen you around here before."
Karma smiled and replied, "Of course not. I only come around here to pick up trashy women. Can I buy you a drink?"
The woman was shocked. She didn't say anything at all. She just gave him a disgusted look and walked away. Karma thought to himself, Mission accomplished. He wasn't here to pick up random girls and acquire strange unknown sexually transmitted diseases. He was here to talk to Tobias.
Another woman was on her way over to talk to him. Luckily it was Jynx. She was on the dance floor moving his way. Within a few seconds she closed the gap and shouted, "Hey stranger. Come dance with me."
The music was so loud, Karma had to shout back at her, "We should really focus right now. Maybe we can get something accomplished."
Jynx came closer and said, "This is not the place for words. Come on, think of it as blending in. Let's dance." She pulled on his hand.
Karma resisted and said, "Sorry, I don't dance."
"Is that so?" Jynx pulled his hand even harder and said, "I knew it would happen. I finally found something you can't do. The master of all things can't dance?" She pulled him out onto the dance floor. He resisted but only a little bit. She pulled him in and whispered in his ear, "Follow my lead, recruit." She pulled his hands up in the air and made him wave them around. She did the same. After a few minutes of trying Karma loosened up a bit. The music was difficult to dance to. Very fast. Jynx danced in front of him to keep his confidence up. Despite being out of his comfort zone, Karma continued. Jynx was all smiles. She was clearly having a great time. He didn't want to ruin that. The student had become the teacher.
Karma focused on Jynx. She would do a different dance move. Then Karma did his best to copy it. Then another. And another. She did a lot of hip movement. He had male hips. Therefore, he had a hard time copying it. Karma started to wonder how this happen? He was supposed to be teaching her how to be a spy and now she is teaching him how to dance? It's not about the dancing," he reminded himself. It's about fitting in. Karma asked, "How am I doing?"
Jynx said something but she was too far away to hear it. She came over and danced much closer to him. Less than a foot or two away. Karma almost stopped but continued to dance. She looked into his eyes. He just stared right back. Then Jynx smiled and said, "Good job. It looks like you are ready for level two." Karma suddenly remembered this was not why they were here. He started to look around the club. A roped-off area. The VIP area. If he owned the place, that is where Tobias would be. He turned his head far to the right trying to see the VIP area. There it was. For a few seconds, he saw Tobias sitting there with a personal guard standing over him. Bingo. Karma's dancing speed slowed down. Jynx said, "You are losing your focus. Look at me." She reached up to his face and turned his head to return his gaze to her. But when she did there was nothing but fire in his eyes. She said, "What's wrong?"
"The party is over," Karma put an arm around her and whispered, "I hate to do this to you. But as you said, it is your chance to shine." Karma led Jynx over to a bar stool and sat her down. He turned her around so she was facing him. Then he leaned in close to her and said, "Look behind me. See the roped-off area and the guy in the gray suit?" Jynx nodded. Karma continued, "That is a bodyguard. The guy sitting down on the orange sofa is Tobias. Do you see him?"
Jynx turned to look at Karma, but he was too close. His face was literally up next to hers. She just said, "Yes. You want me to go talk to him?"
"Yes, before you get to him the bodyguard will probably stop you. Tell him you think Tobias is handsome and you just want to talk with him. Don't mention me or any business. That will only end badly. If Tobias takes the bait, ask him if he comes here often. If he tells you that this is HIS club, ask him how he can afford such a nice place. If things start going south tell him that you wanted to introduce him to a friend. I will be there." Karma backed up so she could look at her. He could see the uncertainty in her face. Then he said, "If it's too much for you, just say the word. We can try something else."
"No, not at all." Jynx stepped off the barstool and adjusted her outfit. Then she asked, "How's my lipstick?"
"You look amazing." Karma reassured her. He sat down on the barstool and waited for her to move. She could back out at any time. There was no reason to take this kind of risk. But Karma wanted her to make the decision on her own. She was still facing the VIP area. Karma grabbed her hand to turn her around.
Jynx looked at him again and said, "You, okay?"
"Yes," she took a breath and said, "I can do this." Karma wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or herself. She seemed confident enough. She turned and walked out onto the dance floor. Karma watched as she worked her way through the crowd over to the VIP section. Karma thought about Jynx as he watched her. She had wild confidence in her. Despite not having any training, she was going to give it a try even if she failed. That was admirable. Karma wished he had that when he first started in this business.
Karma was too far away to hear the conversation, but he could tell by their body language what was going down. As expected, the bodyguard stopped her before she made it to Tobias. He asked her a question. Jynx answered him. The bodyguard asked Tobias if he wanted to speak with her. Tobias stood up leaving the other girl alone on the couch. That was unexpected. Karma figured he would call her over to sit with him. Tobias was smiling. Jynx must have said something that he liked. The bodyguard backed off as Tobias put his arm around her. Aggressively. Almost too aggressively.
Karma stood up from the barstool. If things were going to go badly, he needed to be close by. He made his way across the dance floor while keeping an eye on the VIP area. Tobias was still smiling. Jynx was still working her magic on him. Tobias reached down and grabbed her ass. Karma thought this escalated quickly. The other girl that was sitting on the orange couch saw what was happening too. With a disgusted face she got up and left the VIP area. Tobias didn't even notice or care. Instead, he put his other hand on Jynx. Karma moved quicker to close the gap. He finally made it to the stairs leading up to the VIP area. The only thing between him and Jynx was four steps and the bodyguard.
Karma realized the terrible situation he had put her in. Jynx wasn't trained for this kind of thing. He could hear Jynx pleading with Tobias. She said, "Hey, not so rough." Karma leaned to the right looking around the bodyguard. At that moment, Jynx made a quick glance to the dance floor. Her eyes locked with Karma's eyes. She was smiling but the look in her eyes screamed pure terror. Karma stepped up the stairs and toward the bodyguard.
The bodyguard put one hand up and said in broken English, "Hey pal, VIP only."
Then Karma heard the magic words, "I just came up here to introduce you to my friend…" That was the signal.
Karma leaned around the bodyguard again and shouted, "Tobias! How have you been my friend?" Tobias's face sunk. He was clearly not happy to see him.
The bodyguard put one hand on Karma's chest, keeping him away from his boss. Tobias looked at Jynx, then to Karma. He put the piece together and shouted, "You fucking asshole! You brought your bitch in here to play me?! I should fucking kill you both!" Tobias pushed Jynx toward the wall. She wasn't expecting that as she hit the wall and let out a small whimper. Seeing Jynx get tossed, Karma was ready to fight. However, he made attempts to salvage the situation, "Relax man. I just want to talk. We are old friends. Friends talk." Karma looked at Jynx and luckily, she seemed okay. But she was still in danger. Despite the friendly words, Tobias did not respond favorably. He reached out to grab Jynx again.
Wrong move. With one swift action Karma grabbed the bodyguard's thumb and twisted it. Not a little tug either, he wrenched that poor guy's thumb like it was the steering wheel in a sports car. The bodyguard released the arm's length to hold on to Karma and let out a painful groan. With his other hand, Karma unzipped his bomber jacket, exposing his pistol. Then he said, "Touch her again and your life is over Tobias. No witnesses, and I won't even leave a mark on your body. Every cop in this shitty town will swear you committed suicide."
Tobias could see Karma's gun. He stopped but turned his frustration away from Jynx and toward Karma. He shouted, "You think you can come into my club and threaten me?!" He straightened himself up and waved to get another guard's attention.
"It didn't have to be this way, Tobias." Karma looked at Jynx and said, "Darling, come over here. I feel safer when you are nearby." Jynx didn't miss her chance. She stepped away from Tobias and around the bodyguard. She stood behind Karma but put one hand on his back. Once she was out of harm's way, Karma released the bodyguard's thumb. Then he refocused on his conversation. He said, "See we can have a civil conversation without anyone getting hurt. No need for physical violence."
Several more guards were approaching the VIP area. Tobias pointed at Karma and said, "You think you are hot shit, but you are not welcome here. Take your bitch out of my club!"
At one point Karma weighed his options. This fight wasn't worth the trouble. Then he said, "That is very disappointing." He zipped up his bomber jacket. Backing away from the bodyguard and Tobias. Karma reached out and put his arm around Jynx's shoulders and said, "Come on darling, we will go find a more generous host."
Karma and Jynx walked to the exit together. Several of the guards followed them to make sure they made it out without incident. Once outside the main door Karma waved to the doorman and turned to Jynx. He looked over her back and asked, "Are you hurt?"
"No, he just caught me off guard." Jynx brushed off her clothes even though they weren't dirty. Then she said, "I might need to burn these clothes and take an acid shower to get the smell of that slime ball off of me."
Making it back to the car unscathed, Karma opened the car door for her and said, "I'm just glad I didn't have to shoot all of those bodyguards. That would have been ugly." Jynx got in the car as Karma closed the door. He walked around and got on the driver side and continued, "Don't worry Tobias, we will get back to HQ and find information from another source."
Jynx didn't say anything. She smiled at him then checked to see if anyone was watching. Then she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a brown leather wallet.
Karma took the wallet from her and said, "Oh, you little minx. When did you swipe this?"
She explained, "Well you see, Tobias was really distracted by trying to rip my clothes off. When you bump up against someone it draws their attention away from the items you are taking. He didn't even notice." Jynx clasped her hands behind her back and said, "Are you proud of me?"
"Proud?!" Karma said in shock, "I am downright impressed. And I'm a little scared at how smoothly you pulled that off. Let's go."
Jynx hopped in and asked, "Where are we going?"
"Well for one, we need to move the car. Tobias might be watching us. Secondly, with your newfound skill, I need to go buy a chain for my wallet." Karma handed Tobias's wallet to her as he started the car.
Jynx laughed a bit at the comment, then started looking through the wallet. "Wow, a whole twenty dollars. Such a rich man."
Karma pulled the car away from the club. "I wonder who has been funding his rise to power. You saw his parent's house. Tobias had a poor upbringing. I honestly don't believe he has made any of his money… honestly." Karma drove by the entrance and turned left to the main road.
Jynx pulled out a paper with a long number on it. "Here is a phone number from a girl named Maria. Poor girl, I am doing her a favor right now." Jynx tore the number in half and tossed it out the window. Jynx pulled another piece and studied it for a second. Then she asked, "What country uses nine digits phone numbers?"
Karma thought about it while he stopped the car at the next intersection. He said, "Umm, France or Belgium. Why do you ask?"
Jynx showed the paper to him. The paper had multiple sets of numbers on it. The first two sets were crossed out. The last one was not. Karma looked it over and said, "It's not a phone number. Possibly a combination door lock. Or maybe a digital safe? Do you think our boy Tobias has a safe in his club?"
Karma nodded, "Probably, I can tell you that he definitely isn't going to keep it at his parent's house."
Jynx smiled and said, sheepishly, "No secrets, no security needed. Right?"
Karma shot her a look then said, "That's right." They were only a block or two away from the club. Karma immediately turned the car around and started heading back toward the club.
Jynx questioned him, "Okay, now where are we going? We are going back to the club. Right now?"
Karma nodded, "Yeah, the first time you lose your wallet you panic. You just lost your money. Your ID. Safe combinations. Important stuff. Knowing what was in his wallet, you know what Tobias will do first?"
Jynx sarcastically said, "Call Maria and ask her on a date?"
Karma was not amused by her witty comment. He replied, "NO, he will change that combination. We need to get there before he finds out his wallet is gone. Luckily, he is in his own club, so I am sure all his drinks are on the house."
Returning to the club, Karma parked down the road near the back alley. He climbed out of the car and got into his personal bag. He grabbed his second lockpicking kit and then reached out to Jynx for the paper. "I'll make this quick. Give me the combination. You wait here."
Jynx pulled the paper away from Karma and said, "Oh no. How am I supposed to learn anything while waiting in the car?" She climbed out of the car and happily skipped around the front to join Karma. "Let's go partner."
Karma turned to walk toward the building. He still gave her an ear full, "Listen partner, we are NOT partners. This is a student teacher relationship. You watch. You learn."
"Yes, I totally agree." Jynx put her arm around Karma's arm and said, "Like the way I taught you to dance. We have a lot to learn from each other."
Karma pulled his arm away from her, "I am serious, the last thing I need is you getting yourself killed on my watch. Theft, breaking and entering, this is serious stuff."
Jynx pulled away from him as she said, "Oh please, you think I can't handle serious stuff? I think I have done pretty well so far. What's the deal? Do you think I can't handle it because I am a woman or something?"
"Actually, women make better agents than men." Karma slowed down as he approached the club. He looked to Jynx and said, "Women have more access and the power of persuasion. Like how you got past the bodyguard tonight. Stuff like that makes me envious. Sometimes."
Jynx didn't get a response to that. If it hadn't been so dark Karma might have seen her blush. Karma put one finger over his lips, signaling her to keep quiet. They walked in silence for a minute. As they neared the back of the club there was a solid looking door illuminated by a single light. Karma walked over to the door while Jynx hung back a few feet. Karma pulled out his lockpicking kit and checked the doorknob. Oddly enough, it was unlocked. With one hand he reached up and unscrewed the light bulb leaving the alley in the dark.
He put his kit back in his pocket and made a quick comment to Jynx, "Act like we belong, and no one will question it." He pushed the door open to see two employees smoking in the storage room. The two employees looked stunned. Maybe they were scared that they had been caught. Karma walked in and waved the smoke out of the air and said in German, "Shouldn't you two be working? Do I need to call Tobias?" The two employees quickly walked away. Karma looked for Jynx. She was still following him. He was impressed, she had some nerves in her.
Checking the next room, the exits to the storage room, Karma noticed a small narrow set of stairs. He climbed the stairs with right hand on his chest. Just in case he needed to draw his pistol. Once upon the second-floor walkway he could clearly see across the first-floor dance area. Wall to wall dancers. The place was still hopping. Karma pays them little mind. He made his way along the walkway to the first door. He checked the handle. Unlocked. Opening the door, he saw some kind of storage room. There was no safe.
Returning to the walkway, Jynx was hugging the wall. She looked a bit nervous, Karma put a hand on her shoulder and said, "You, okay?" She nodded but did not shake her nervous look.
Karma continued down the walkway. Next door was locked. Excellent. Karma pulled out his lockpicking kit and made quick work of the door. Seconds later, the lock was picked, the door was open, and he was inside. This was the main office. Tobias had absolutely zero organizational skills. Piles of paperwork filled every flat surface. It was dark but Karma could still see a little bit. Looking around the room, Karma noticed that Jynx did not follow him in. He returned to the walkway to see her waiting. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the room. After shutting the door, he said, "Are you getting cold feet now?"
Jynx nodded and said, "No, no, I just didn't want to get in the way. If anyone had been in here, I figured you wouldn't want me in the way."
"You seem a bit nervous." Karma returned to scouting the room.
Jynx looked around too as she said, "Yeah, well I am not used to the breaking and entering part of this job. Plus, it's dark and anyone could be in there."
"I understand." Karma checked under the tables and around the bookshelves. Once again, there was no safe. While still looking, he said, "If it makes you feel better, just remember that the darkness is our ally. Not theirs."
Jynx did not respond to his words. Maybe it was not very comforting, or she thought it was too corny. Jynx checked the large piles of paperwork for helpful information. She tried to read the papers, but most of it was in German. She said, "Do you have a flashlight? I can't read this." The room didn't have any windows, so it was extremely dark. Karma walked over to the door and cracked it open a bit. Lights from the club floor flooded in. Jynx looked over the papers then put them down. She walked over to the desk and sat down in the chair. Jynx said, "Well if the safe is not at his parent's house and it is not here, maybe it's in his car?"
Karma did not give up. After searching for a few more minutes, he returned to the desk. Jynx stood up to get out of the way and backed into a wall painting. The painting made a small clicking noise. She turned and pulled the painting away from the wall. The painting was on hinges. Behind it there was the safe. Jynx smiled at Karma and said, "I win." With those words she pulled the paper out of her pocket and typed in the numbers on the keypad. With a loud digital beep and a thump, the lock was released.
Karma watched as she opened the safe door. Jynx reached into the safe and pulled out a wad of cash, a bag of white powder, and a little black book. She placed the cash and drugs on the desk while Karma took the black book and started thumbing through it. "This looks handy. Good job."
Jynx smiled and said, "Look at me all spy like. What do you think now, Teach?" Her excitement was cut short by a startled look that washed over her face. While Karma was facing away from the door, Jynx was the only one to see the guard open the door and look inside. Karma spun around as the guard stood in the doorway. The bright lights of the dance floor had blinded him. His eyes had not adjusted to the darkness of the room. He was completely unaware that Karma and Jynx were literally standing 10 ft in front of him. The guard fumbled as he reached for the light switch.
Karma dropped the black book and pulled his Model 59 as he quickly ran toward the guard. Three big steps and he closed the gap. The guard heard the rush of footsteps in his direction. He lifted his radio to his face and pushed the button. He shouted, "Eindringling!!!" as Karma fell upon him. With a furious right-handed swing, Karma slammed the butt of his pistol into the top of the guard's head. The guard started to fall backwards but Karma grabbed his shirt and pulled him into the room. The guard and his radio fell to the floor with a loud thud.
Karma waited to see the reaction from the open door. The dance floor didn't change. People were still dancing. However, all the guards from the front door were now moving. The game was over. Karma turned to Jynx. In the commotion she had fallen to the floor. He shouted to her, "Times up. Get the book, let's go!"
Jynx grabbed the black book off the floor and scrambled to her feet. She raced to the exit. Karma ran to the stairs with Jynx right behind him. As he reached the corner, he peeked down to see two guards on their way up. As they reached the top few steps, Karma turned the corner and kicked the first one in the chest. The top guard fell onto the next like a domino effect. Karma turned back to Jynx, but she was already gone. She had run all the way to the last door in the walkway. Karma ran down to her position as she wrestled with the door. She looked up at him defeated and said, "It's locked!"
Karma looked to the stairs. They only had a few seconds. He backed away to the walkway railing and kicked the door with all his might. The door heaved but did not give. Karma tried again. With his second kick the door gave way. They both entered the room. It was empty with another desk in the middle of the room. Karma looked back at the stairs. This time three large guards were running down the walkway to their position. Karma closed the door and ran over to the desk. Before he could ask for assistance, Jynx joined in and helped him push the desk toward the door. Just as they pushed the desk to block the door, the guard pushed on it from the other side. The desk held the door, but would only work for a few minutes.
Karma looked around, "Not much to work with here." The room was a little more than 12 ft by 8 ft wide. There was a small window way up high. Karma locked his fingers together and said, "You're lighter than I am." Jynx stepped on his hand and Karma boosted her up to the window. While holding the frame with one hand, she unlocked the window and pried it open with the other.
Jynx said, "Okay, I got it. Let me down."
Karma didn't let her down. Instead, he said, "No, I insist. Ladies first."
Jynx pulled herself up. With a few solid grunts she was through the window. As the guards attempted to break in, the desk was moving further and further away from the door. Karma backed up and did a running jump as he kicked off the wall and grabbed the window. With a bit more effort he was outside on the roof.
They both ran down the roof to the edge. They were on the second-floor roof. It was high up. They circled the edge of the roof until they spotted a large van parked against the back of the club. Good enough. Karma jumped off the building to the top of the van. He crushed the roof of the van a bit, but he landed mostly unharmed. He motioned with his arm for Jynx to follow him. He even said, "Come on. It's a small jump."
Jynx was hesitant. She said, "Umm, I have a thing with heights."
Karma's brain imploded as he said, "Seriously! This is not the time for phobias! Come on, jump I will catch you!"
Jynx didn't question him. She jumped and landed right next to Karma on the van roof. A bit too close. She landed on Karma's foot as he was trying to catch her. It was rather painful, but he shook it off. They made their way from the roof to the hood of the van. With another small jump they were safely on the ground. They ran out of the alley and turned right toward the car. Jynx took off running for the car, but Karma grabbed the back of her shirt and quietly shouted, "Stop stop. We belong here. Remember." Jynx quickly slowed to a walk.
They passed a few pedestrians on the way to the car. Karma could tell Jynx was twitchy from the whole ordeal. It was a first-time life-threatening experience. The nerves. He put his arm around her and whispered, "Calm down. It's okay. You are out of danger. Slow your heart rate." She calmed down a bit as Karma reached down and stole the black book out of her pocket. When they reached the car, Karma opened the door for her.
"Such a gentleman." Jynx said with a smile. Karma walked around the car and got in the driver's side. He started the engine and started looking through the black book. Jynx swiped the book out of his hand and said, "You little thief! You just can't keep your hand to yourself, can you?"
Karma smiled, "Rule number three, remember?" He pulled the vehicle out of the parking spot and down the road. He nodded in her direction and said, "I hope that book was worth the trouble."
Jynx reached down to her legs and held it. She commented, "I really scratched the shit out of my leg going through that window."
Karma looked at her leg but quickly returned his eyes to the road. Then he said, "Are you bleeding?" Jynx did not respond. Karma turned the car down another street and said, "We will take care of it when we get to the safe house."