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“You know what I can do?” Just for fun, I allow the black to take over my eyes. My presence expands in the room. I hear grunts from Kerian and River. They aren’t used to my power. I’m sure they're feeling pressure in their chests and heads.

“P..please,” he tears up. His body shakes, causing the chains to rattle.

“See, I don’t respond to begging. It's weak and pathetic. If you want to play with the big and bad, you need to be brave enough to deal with the consequences,” I slide out the blade and clean under my nails.

“I swear, I don’t know who that woman was,” he says weakly. I smell the stench of shit.

“Holy shit! He pooped himself,” River says in disbelief. “I’ve never been able to do that. You have to teach me. Also, how does it work, withstanding the effects of your power?” His voice loses some of the cockiness it usually holds.

“Right, I’m going to tell you that,” I scoff.

“Shit, I thought we were becoming friends?” River says, hurt.

“We are. This is me being your friend.” I grin.

“I don’t know anything. Please, let me go. I’ll leave. You’ll never see me again.” John looks at all of us.

I give my attention back to him. “I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. If I let you go, I show weakness. I don’t like to be considered weak, and it sets a bad example. Plus, I know you're lying.”

“Let me have a turn,” Kerian asks. He’s the only one that hasn’t yet. “I have some aggression to work out.”

“Go for it. I’m with River. It’s not as fun when they don’t put up a fight,” I glare at John. “Now it’s just sad.”

“Ryker,” Brian calls down. “You have a visitor.”

“Coming,” I responded. “Do what you have to. Clean up the mess after.”

Brian left the man in a small room next to my office we use for just this purpose. I don’t know who he is, and he didn’t give his name to Brian. The club is getting busy, the noise traveling up here. I make sure to clean the blood off my hands and change my shirt. No use scaring someone that came to sell me something.

The man's back is to me. He has dirty blonde hair. He’s very tall and thin, almost too thin. Nothing about him stands out. He’s wearing jeans and a simple t-shirt. He turns at the sound of the door shutting, and his hands play nervously with the hat he holds.

“Are you Ryker?” he asks, his voice soft and shaky.

“I am. You came to see me and don’t know who I am?” I ask, surprised.

“I had only heard your name when I asked my wife why it was written down on her desk.” He shifts, uncomfortable.

“Ah, you must be Serenity’s father,” I sigh. I am not impressed.

“My name is Bill.” He nods but doesn’t offer his hand.

“Well, Bill, why are you here?” I watch him carefully. I don’t like him on principle. He’s been a shitty father.

“I wanted to check on Serenity.”

“That’s surprising,” I say.

“I can see she told you about me,” he says. “I don’t blame you. I haven’t been the dad she needed. But when I saw the notes on my wife's desk, I grew concerned.”

“What kind of notes?” I ask, my eyes narrowed.

“She had a list of names. Beside them, she wrote different types of animals. Your name was on the list. At first, I thought she was nuts. She had a vampire written beside yours.” He scoffs and shakes his head. “I confronted her about it. The things she told me were unbelievable.”

“You believe now?” I move around the room with my hands behind my back, keeping my eyes on him.

“I do. I saw proof,” he says, his eyes on mine. He moves as I do, keeping me in his sight.

“What proof?” I stop in front of him, close but not close enough to make him run.