I pushed off the wall and flew out of the stall. Latro stood in front of the sink, or at least what of her that wasn't being dragged into the running water of the turned-on faucet. Her left arm up to her elbow disappeared into the clear, moving water, but didn't come out the other end. A bright light emanated from the top of the faucet to the point of contact. She grasped the end of the faucet with her other hand and her heels were dug into the small, slick tiles. I leapt at her and grabbed what I could see of her left arm. We both pulled and little by little her arm appeared.
So did a pair of tiny human hands. They were wrapped around her wrist and the bracelet.
The door to the bathroom flew open and David lunged inside. He wasn't transformed but for his bright yellow eyes. His abrupt entrance and Latro's slippery skin meant I lost my grip. Her feet flew out from beneath her and she dove head-first into the running water. Her body warped like a reflection in water and shrank to fit into the small flowing stream that dropped from the faucet.
David rushed to my side just as the last bit of her disappeared. He grasped my upper arms and we both stared for a long moment at the running water.
I creakily glanced up into David's wide eyes. My words came out in a hushed, choked tone. "Did what I saw happen really happen?"
He nodded his head without shifting his eyes away from the water. "Yeah."
I swallowed and jerked my head towards the faucet. "Any idea what that was?"
He shook his head. His eyes were still glued to the faucet. "No." I frowned and stomped my foot on his. He yelped and glared at me. "What'd you do that for?"
"Stop speaking in single syllable words and start giving me some answers," I growled.
He shrugged. "I can't. I can't even give me some answers because I honestly don't know what happened."
I glanced back at the faucet. "You know anything about plumbing?"
"Only how to take it apart, but if you want it back together you might want to hire someone," he replied.
I nodded at the faucet head. "There was some sort of a light from the head of that faucet. Let's see if there's something in there that might've taken her."
He stepped past me and up to the sink. "It's going to get really wet," he warned me.
I stepped back and grabbed some towels from the dispenser. "I'm ready."
David shrugged and tore off the head of the faucet. Water shot out of the cold and hot taps that ran beneath the counter and rained down on us. He held the faucet away from the counter and I saw something drop to the floor with a nice tinkle sound of metal on tile. I knelt down and spotted my prey beneath the counter.
That's when the door opened and a woman stepped inside. David and I stared at her. She blinked at us. We blinked at her. She threw up her arms and screamed. David used his hand to angle the spouting water at her. The woman was drenched in a second. She gargled instead of screamed, but that didn't stop her from running out of the room.
David threw down the faucet and grabbed my hand. "Time to go."
I snatched up the object on the floor and he pulled me to my feet. We raced out of the room, but skidded to a wet stop a yard from the door. The club was almost empty. I saw the last few patrons ushered out the front door by the giant.
The 'almost' part of that was because of two people who stood in front of us. One of them was a tall, pale man. His complexion resembled that of Basileus, but his blood-red eyes bespoke of a little more hostility.
Beside him stood a woman of thirty with long red hair. She wore a long red dress with a slit that reached to her waist. The clothes hugged all the right curves and suited her smooth, beautiful white face. Her green eyes swept over us and a sly smile graced her rose-colored lips. She folded her arms over her ample chest as her gaze fell on David.
"Mr. Dives, what a pleasant surprise."
David smiled and swept his arm in front of him to give her a majestic bow. What sprayed across the floor in front of him. "Good evening, Miss Lilith."
She glanced past us at the bathroom. Water flowed from beneath the door. She arched an eyebrow. "What exactly have you done this time?"
My eyes flickered to him and I pursed my lips. "This time?"
He chuckled. "Nothing serious. Just tore out a sink." He slipped behind me and grasped my arms. "But if you'll excuse us."
David pulled me towards the door, but the pale man stepped into our path, blocking our way. Lilith wagged a finger at us and clucked her tongue. "I know you better than that, Mr. Dives. You were here for a reason, now tell me it."
He whipped his head towards our left and pointed at something. "Goblins!"
Lilith didn't flinch, but she did laugh. "Do you really think I'm that-ah!" Her speech about her intellect was interrupted when a little green goblin leapt onto her back and pulled at the rear strap of her dress. The posh outfit slid up and revealed a lack of underwear.
About a dozen of them poured from the door marked for the janitor and sprang at the pair. Lilith's pale companion spun around and knocked them from the air. They slammed into the floor and left body impressions. A few managed to get past them and spring at us. David pulled me behind him and grabbed the lead one by the collar. He threw the green creature into its companions, then returned his attention to me.
"Run!"
I sprinted for the door with David close behind me. We reached the entrance and the giant stepped inside. He curled his lips and snarled at us. David pushed me out of the way and swung his fist at the monstrosity. It connected, but David came out the worse for wear. He yelped and pulled back his crinkled fingers.
The giant chuckled and grabbed him about the neck. He lifted David off the floor and squeezed. David grasped the giant's hands, but he couldn't loosen the strong hold. I looked around for something, anything to help. My eyes fell on a nearby table with its cloth.
I grabbed the cover and pulled the cloth off without disturbing anything on the top. I had to pause to admire my work before I turned to David and Goliath. I tossed the cloth over the giant's head, grabbed the four corners, and pulled. The giant dropped David and tugged on the cloth. He tore it from my hands and spun around to snarl at me.
David swept between us and swept me into his arms. He dodged a grab by the giant and slammed his shoulder into the front doors. They broke apart and we tumbled into the crowded streets. People gawked at us as we stood and brushed ourselves off.
David grabbed my hand and pulled me into his car. We sped off down the road. I glanced over my shoulder and watched the giant stumble from the club. Close behind him were our two other new acquaintances, and none of them looked happy.
David's voice brought me back to the car. "Looks like I won't be going to that place for a while."
I turned in my seat and frowned at him. "At least wait until those marks are off your neck."
David reached up and rubbed his palm over the hand prints left by the giant. He winced. "I feel what you mean. You still got what we found?"
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the coin. "Yeah, but I don't know what it means."
David turned us onto a new road and towards the older district. "Let's see if Cotio knows anything about this."