Party time?

Tori is speechless.

 After a quick glance at the chaos, and the three teens yelling at each other, he quickly leaves the basement, following suit of his new employer. 

'What did I get myself into?' He mumbles, dragging on the creaking steps up to the main floor. 

Mr. Brookes opens the upper door, with Auston at his heels and with a last creek of the door, Tori enters the dimly lit bar. 

The sun from outside shone through the dusty windows, with its beams of light shedding on the places before it was foreign. Shadows of cars interrupt the beams causing a dance of light to move across the floor.

 Mr. Brookes's steps echo in the open room as he walks across the tiles. The round tables have their respective chairs on top.

"Hello, Alfred," Mr. Brookes says, weaving through the round tables with a cheerful hop in his step as he meets with him.

 "I'm going out for the gathering, and I'm taking Auston and Tori with me. Dani is in charge, so please make sure the other two don't burn down my Pub or cause Dani to lose it and set it on fire without their help."

"Si, senior," Alfred nods. 

A snore disrupts the conversation, and Alfred's face falls faster than Mr. Brookes looks over to see the same man sleeping. 

Alfred side-eyes the man and snorts. "Stupid hooligan," he mutters under his breath.

"What is he doing here? I didn't know I bought a hotel, as well as a bar," asks Mr. Brookes.

"Well, Sir," Alfred puffs his chest out a bit, trying to remain dignified. "I tried to get him to leave, but he won't listen," 

As the old bartender was talking, Mr. Brookes reaches behind the bar and grabs an unopened bottle of whisky.

 Alfred has his head up, and eyes closed as he continues to complain about the man with Auston smiling to himself. 

"He keeps sneaking more beer from behind the bar, without me noticing."

Auston and Tori watch intently as Mr. Brookes walks over to the sleeping man, opens the whisky.

With smirking eyes and graceful movement, pours the whole bottle on the man's head, while humming quietly.

The man jerks awake.

"Hey! Mwhat's the big idea? hmm" The musty man grumbles, wiping his face as he sits up. "Masting mhisky like that, not good of you'' he starts, still half asleep. He looks down, and more whisky falls onto his lap from his hat.

"Now look what yo-" he starts again.

Mr. Brookes cuts him off, walking to the other side of the table.

"Well, I just wasted 15 whiskey bottles on you. So," He slams a rag on the table, making the man jump. "You can start working for the beer that you, so happily, drank, and also for all the others you will, most likely, inhale." Mr. Brookes smiles. 

The drunk man squints at him in response. 

Tori stares at his employer in disbelief. 

'Well isn't he a character?'

Turning back to Alfred, Mr. Brookes adds, "Make sure to give him a lot of work. Starting by cleaning the bathrooms. Those things are starting to smell like cat piss every time I walk by. Then have him wash the windows, Mop the floors, and clean the closet. After that, have him help you by taking that damn dance table out. Along with the poles, and couch. After all that, give him a bonus of …" 

Mr. Brookes looked at the man, who was very confused. 

"... 100 dollars, and if he does a good job, add another 50." 

The man jumps up, his eyes wide. Mr. Brooks smiles. 

"Your starting pay is $24 an hour, after you buy those whisky bottles, of course."

Mr. Brooks heads to the counter to place the empty bottle back. And he grabs his coat off the encounter.

Tori follows the man with his eyes, completely taken back by how he reacted. 

Auston leaves ahead of the other two, with Mr. Brookes slowly following behind. 

"Well sir, have a good trip," Alfred says, as he walks to a cupboard.

"Will do, Alfred." He waves over his shoulder. "Oh and another thing… Mr-?" Mr. Brookes pauses and gestures toward the man, who was dazed by the sudden job offer.

"It's John." He stammers, knocking his hat off.

"Yes, John. If I hear you drink anymore while you are working here." Mr. Brookes made a motion with his hands, and John gulps.

"Alrighty, Let's go Tori." says Mr. Brookes. He opens the front door and heads up the steps. Tori follows behind, leaving the man to Alfred's mercy.

Mr. Brookes and Tori stand outside the bar. 

Auston had walked down the sidewalk and turned the corner to get their ride. Mr. Brookes faces Tori and reaches into his coat pocket.

"Here you go, Tori, put this in your ear, and inside your coat." He says, handing him an earpiece, with a mini walkie-talkie. 

Tori takes it.

"So sir, what am I exactly doing?" Tori asks, buttoning up his overcoat, with the radio inside his inside pocket.

"Ha, yes. You and Auston will be my bodyguards for tonight." He checks his watch.

"And he's late, again. Most likely, looking for the oldest car they have." He chuckles and looks down the road.

Tori looks at Mr. Brookes. 

'Why am I even following him? I don't even know this man.' 

Instead of feeling a wave of darkness, and a heavy weight on his chest, he finds himself feeling relief. And surprisingly following this random man, and allowing himself to be dragged into a car with people he doesn't know. 

There was something that Tori couldn't put a finger on. Mr. Brookes doesn't give off a cold-hearted vibe. And Tori feels relaxed around this stranger. What's even weirder to him is that he feels that he has met this man before.

Just then a screeching of tires, and honking of horns, comes a Ferrari, screaming down the street.

 It slams to a halt in front of the two.

"He just had to get the nicest car." Mr. Brookes smirks, and walks around the front to the passenger side.

Tori opens the back door, and gets in. 

It was a Ferrari 40, with tan leather seats, and a black exterior. It had wine bottle holders.

"Well, Auston to the party." Auston switches to drive, and steps on the gas. He jumps into the line of traffic, passing the slower cars. He seemed fairly skilled at driving, with which he was able to slip into the smallest spaces.

But Tori didn't notice any of those skills. He was only worrying about the Mr. Brookes had said earlier. 

"Sir, d- did you say a party?" Tori stutters slightly.

"Oh, I forgot you didn't know. Pardon me, for forgetting about that." 

He pulls the front mirror down and combs his hair.

 "I have a gathering to go to, and I didn't want to go by myself. So you and Auston will be my bodyguards for tonight." 

He turns around in his seat and looks at Tori.

"All you have to do is just stick close to me, Auston will be doing most of the work, this is just field experience before you can go work for other people." Mr. Brookes smiles.

Tori glares at him, rubbing his brows from frustration.

Auston makes a sharp left, then races down the highway, passing cars easily. They slip through the evening traffic, making it through incredibly tight spaces with that old Ferrari.

"Oh and make sure your radio is set to channel 10 and 1/2." Mr. Brookes puts an earpiece in his ear.

Auston pulls the old car off the highway, and turns onto a rural road. They were the only ones on the road now, with a cotton candy sunset.

 There were a few clouds in the sky that had been dyed magnificent oranges, blues, pinks and purples. 

The sight was breathtaking as they started up a hill, which allowed all of Las Vegas brilliant light to be seen.

Mr. Brookes looks in the rearview mirror and at Tori, who was staring out the window. 

He wasn't really looking but more of thinking. 

Tori feels a crushing weight forming in his chest. 'I haven't been to a party in a very long time. And parties mean a lot of people. and a lot of people isn't the best.'

 He looks out the window, and watches them speed by trees, barns. 

'Actually I haven't been around these people in a long time.'

"We will be arriving in 5 minutes, Mr. Brookes." Auston states, interrupting Tori's painful memories. 

"Ok, thank you, Auston." 

Mr. Brookes turns in his seat. 

"Some rules before we get to our destination." He directs his conversation towards his newest recruit. 

He opens the middle console. 

"Rule number one; Don't talk to anyone, unless they talk to you first. But, if they ask you anything about me, reply with, 'I don't know what that damn fool does.'"

He digs around in the middle console, sidetracked from the bumps in the road. 

Tori nods once.

"Rule number two; Don't take any drinks or food unless I give it to you." 

Auston takes a sharp right causing Mr. Brookes fell slightly into him. The rocky road changes into a paved driveway up a hill.

Mr. Brookes glares at Auston slightly before continuing. 

"This is not your perfect little kid birthday party. So it's best just to accept what you get, then go dump your drink into a plant, or something-" 

He tails off, digging in the middle console. 

"Ah ha." he grabs a pistol. With a cock back, and checking the mag, and loads it into a concealed holster.

The Ferrari pulls into a driveway and parks next to a mansion. 

There are about 20 cars, and a water fountain in the front. Tori breathes deeply, mentally preparing himself for the hell he's about to go into. know the type of [p

Auston turns the car off, and gets out. The teen in the back feels queasy.

Tori stays in the back seat for a few seconds, wondering if he could just get away with staying in the car. 

Mr. Brookes looks at Tori, and sees his discomfort.

"Don't worry, Tori. Just stay next to me and you will be fine." Mr. Brookes smiles warmly.

Tori feels better, then to believe this man. but somehow he feels like he can trust him.

He knows, from what he's seen, is that he won't be alone this time around.

Mr. Brookes slides out of the Ferrari. Tori looks in a mirror Mr. Brookes left down, checking himself, adjusting the black cloth around his neck.

Then pushing his glasses up, he gets out of the car. As Tori heads to the front of the mansion, Mr. Brookes leans over, remembering the third rule.

"Rule number three; Watch out for the pretty ones." they reach the door.

'Pretty ones? what does he mean?'

Tori opens his mouth to ask, but Mr. Brookes knocks on the huge mansion door.