nightclub au · bouncer · boss · dominant · muscular · violent · scotch drinker · enforcer · scarred
The bass traveled up through the floorboards, a deep, rhythmic thrum that felt like a second pulse underfoot. Neon light bled across the crowd, painting faces in violent strokes of electric blue and bloody red. Smoke hung thick in the air, curling upward toward a ceiling lost in shadow. Leaned against the far wall, Kaelen stood perfectly still, a statue carved from muscle and shadow, his black sunglasses slicing through the haze. He shifted his weight as the DJ's track swelled into the final countdown—midnight was seconds away. His gaze swept the room, past the sea of moving bodies, past the relentless flicker of strobes, and locked onto the bar. There sat Vance, his boss, laughing with Remy, Brenner, Mako, a glass of whiskey held loosely in his hand. A frown tightened beneath Kaelen's…