Jekyll & Hyde Inc.

The cavernous interior was almost painfully bright and shiny, with flashing lights, revolving patterns on the dance floor, cascading fountains of champagne, and music so loud Daniel couldn’t even tell what kind it was. Not that he gave a damn. For dancing, all you really needed was a beat.

The club was packed with people immersed in the music and the dance. Security guards hovered on the fringes, keeping an eye on things. Daniel couldn’t help noticing the way they all fixed their attention on Tina the moment she stepped out onto the dance floor. And then he felt a little better when some of them decided he needed watching too. Tina found an open space and started to dance; Daniel did his best to keep up with her.

Tina moved like a dream, all elegant grace and animal power, stamping her feet and snapping her head back and forth, so that her great mane of long red hair danced almost as wildly as she did. Daniel had never considered himself much of a dancer, but since he was sure no one would be watching him when they could be looking at Tina, he felt free to do whatever he wanted and just enjoy himself. The beat from the music got into his blood, and without really trying his movements began to echo Tina’s, until it became one dance being performed by two people—a wild and sensuous thing, maddening and exhilarating. Daniel and Tina grinned at each other, lost in the moment and loving it.

They danced for hour after hour without ever pausing, and neither of them ever felt tired. They didn’t even raise a sweat. Everyone else gave them plenty of room. Some applauded, some cheered, and some even tried to copy their movements, but no one could match Daniel and Tina’s incredible grace and energy. People came and went as the evening progressed, but the Hydes danced on. Until one man burst out of the surrounding crowd to confront Tina, his face full of surprise and shock. He ignored Daniel, raising his voice to make himself heard over the din of the music.

“Val? That is you, isn’t it? It’s me—Erik!”

Daniel expected Tina to drive the man away with a look or a harsh word, but she just kept on dancing. Erik moved in closer and Daniel got ready to do something, but the concerned look on the man’s face stopped him. It was obvious he knew Tina, from somewhen in the past. She suddenly stopped dancing, and Daniel stopped too. Erik tried to smile at Tina, but it faltered and fell away in the face of her refusal to acknowledge him.

“What happened to you, Val?” said Erik. He started to reach out a hand to her, and then pulled it back, not sure what to do. He swallowed hard, and tried again. “It’s been such a long time since any of us saw you here. And look at you! You look amazing! What have you done to yourself?”

“I’m not Val,” said Tina. Her voice was flat and empty, but something in it cut through the general din. “I’m someone else.”

“Oh come on, I’d know you anywhere, Val! We were all so worried when you just disappeared . . . ”

“I’m not Val. Now go away, Erik. I don’t want to have to hurt you.”

All the color dropped out of his face, as though he’d just been told someone he knew had died. He tried one last smile, but there was nothing in Tina’s face to encourage it. So the man from her past had no choice but to turn away and disappear back into the crowd. Tina watched him go, and didn’t say anything.

Daniel decided Tina needed a moment to herself. He asked her if she’d like a drink, and she nodded, not looking at him. Daniel made his way through the crush of bodies to the bar. A lot of people smiled at him, complimenting him on his dancing and his choice of partner, but none of them got in his way. They seemed to sense that might be dangerous. He asked the bartender for a bottle of brandy and two glasses, and got served immediately, which was a new experience for Daniel. He didn’t offer to pay, and after a glance at security, the bartender didn’t ask.

Daniel took his time getting back to Tina, so she could recover herself. He glanced at his watch, and was astonished at how long they’d been in the Constantine. It shouldn’t be possible for anyone to dance for hours on end without a break. He wasn’t the least bit tired; he felt like he could dance forever. Perhaps Hydes weren’t just about the violence, after all. But when he finally caught up with Tina again, another man was talking to her. Or rather, talking at her.

This was no leftover from her past, just an overweight man in fashionable clothes that didn’t suit him, trying to get Tina to go somewhere private with him. She wouldn’t even look at him, but he was too rich and entitled to take no for an answer. He stopped talking and started shouting, until finally she looked him in the eye and said something that made him flush bright red.

“You can’t speak to me like that!” the man yelled. “This is my party, and everyone here has to do what I say!”