by Zara Teleg
“Is everyone having a good time?” he yelled, throwing his hands up to fire up the already cheering crowd. Spotlights flicked on and off quickly through the room, highlighting different areas.
“I hope so. You all know we are here tonight to celebrate my brother and best friend.” More cheers ensued. “On behalf of all the brothers that missed you like hell these last few years,” he turned up the mic’s volume, “we thought we’d do something extraordinary to entertain everyone. So, instead of a lap dance, which we’ll be getting many times tonight, we opted for what we’ve heard is called a sky dance.” A low murmur of “what the fuck” rumbled through the crowd. “Now keep it down and enjoy the show.”
The room became dark again. A loud hum of music began to vibrate as fairy lights turned on the ceiling and glitter burst from the floor, making the entire stage sparkle. The music thundered, rattling the decorations that hung around the room. It sounded familiar.
My MMA entrance music? Sick Puppies’ You’re Going Down? A slower version.
As the first verse started, two long, thin curtains tumbled from the ceiling until they almost touched the ground. The light show focused on the body twirling from the top of the curtain. It was the most sensual movement I had ever seen. My mouth gaped open. The woman at the top looked like a star shining in the darkness. The glitter coating her body bounced off the lights. It took me a few moments to realize who I was watching.
Juliet, an angel, spinning from a curtain high above me.
Everyone was silent, their eyes glued to every sensual movement going to the slow pace of the song. When the chorus started, the tempo changed to the original song version. It was fast, hard, and loud. Juliet’s body rolled down the curtains, free falling in a beautiful motion. The crowd went wild. The music boomed as her body swung, flipped, and spun to the beat.
She wowed them with each flip and bend. A swing made of the same shiny fabric appeared between the other fabrics. She contorted her body to reach the swing where she hung upside down, posing her feet on her head. Each pose was perfection. When she dropped and held herself just by one foot, the sounds of cheering and the terror of her falling were heard even over the music, which echoed around the barn.
She was still as a statue for a moment, allowing the audience to catch their breath. For just a split second, she zoomed in on me and our eyes connected. The fleeting moment left me feeling struck by lightning.
The lights changed, violently flashing to the beat of the music. I was captivated, her body moved like…magic. She looked like magic.
Colt slapped my shoulder. “Ain’t that something? That girl can move!”
Words would not come to my lips. I was mesmerized by the fluid movement. She was…amazing. My heartbeat quickened, catcall and whistles rung in my ears. Another pump of glitter exploded, the shiny pieces rained down as Juliet rolled her body closer to the floor and settled into the final move where she stilled. She contorted into a pose that looked impossible. Juliet was in a vertical split with her hands holding one foot behind her head, the other aimed to the floor, and the only thing holding her up was the silk she tucked under the back of her neck. A single light focused on her as the music came to an end.
The room was cloaked with darkness again as she descended the rest of the way to the floor. The stage brightened, the crowd roared, and she was gone. She vanished, like magic. I felt my own body wanting to run to the stage.
“More! More!” the crowd cheered. I pushed my way through the crowd, my head moving left and right to find her. But there was no sign of her, just piles of glitter on the floor and the silk fabric hanging from the ceiling.
A tattooed hand grabbed my arm, preventing me from going backstage. “Well, did you like the show?” Hawk’s smile reached his ears, his tongue rolled his lip ring. “She was terrific, wasn’t she?”
“Brother, I have to admit, I’ve never seen anything like it.” I placed a hand on each of his shoulders. “Now, where can I find her?”
He pointed to a makeshift dressing area off to the side. I squeezed through a group of women who had rushed the space.
What the…? I couldn’t even get to her with the gaggle of women all begging to learn how to do what she just did. Ivy stood next to her, passing out cards as Juliet kindly told them all that they can come for sky yoga classes at Fluid.
I wanted to wait for her to finish, but I was swept away by a group of brothers hoisting me on their shoulders, chanting my name and putting me into a large chair and onto the stage. A sexy stripper climbed onto my lap and began giving me a lap dance. The immense amount of alcohol coursing through my veins made it impossible to stand up. I leaned back and let myself enjoy the moment.
With just a red thong on, she ground her hips on my crotch, and my hands nearly touched around her small waist. I looked again to Juliet’s direction, wanting to find her. The crowd around her had thinned…and there she was. Our eyes briefly locked, and I met Juliet’s disappointed gaze before she quickly turned away. Juliet spun, her bag slung over her shoulder, and forced herself through the people on the dance floor. I lifted the stripper off of my lap, jumped from the stage, and tried to chase after her.
Shit! I went out the side of the barn doors just in time to see her Jeep flying out of the lot, kicking up gravel.
Chapter Seven
Rage
I locked my room and exited the clubhouse in a rush. I had to escape the chaos—men who were in all states of fucked up, the smell of piss, weed, beer, and sex that permeated the inside and outside of our compound—I had to get away from there. The guys from other clubs wandering around our place showed no respect for our property. The floors were strewn with trash. Beer cans and red cups littered our ordinarily clean courtyard. I watched a prospect filling up some bags, but he was no match for these pigs. Colt stressed the importance of hosting this meet, so I didn’t complain. But when the chance to escape the madness and fill in for Hack at Stained Skyn came, I took it. The Devil’s Damned was the worst; the less I have to be around those assholes, the better.
The corner where I stood leaning against the wall gave me a view of Main Street and Hawk’s station. Hawk held a long needle in his hand; he examined his marks for the last time before he inserted it. My arms crossed over my chest, almost protectively, and I winced as I watched Hawk about to impale the man’s nipple. Ouch.
“It’ll only hurt for a second, honey,” the bright blue-haired girl said as she bounced up and down, watching intently. Her frilly skirt showed the thigh-high fishnets held by garters as she leaned over to kiss his cheek.
I looked out the window—no one was around this late, just neon lights shining out of storefront windows. Fluid sat in darkness, apart from the lit wall with the mural on its side. Visions of Juliet’s routine and the first time I saw her through the window made me smile. Then a high-pitched scream came from the big guy in Hawk’s chair. I squeezed my lips together to suppress a laugh.
“You want me to keep the place open ‘til two while you guys head out?” Joel, one of Hawk’s artists, asked as he cleaned his station. He swept his purple and black hair to the side as he wiped down the adjacent counter. “I don’t mind,” he added, as the smell of bleach burned my nose.
“Nah, we want to keep it quiet in town with the brothers all at the club. We’ll close at eleven as planned.” Hawk kept his eyes focused on the nipple ring he was sliding into the freshly pierced skin. Tough Guy was on the verge of tears as Hawk tugged the long needle the rest of the way through and replaced it with the jewelry. His very tatted and pierced girlfriend clapped her hands in excitement. She had a thick bull-style ring in her septum that looked too big for her face.
Ten minutes later, after some strict instructions on caring for his new piercing, the couple left arm in arm. We all pitched in to close the place for the night. Stained Skyn could get busy late on Saturday nights, usually with a rowdy bar crowd wandering to the train station to take them back to Black Rock.
Ledger had just
shut down the computer and Hawk had closed his station when the doors chimed. Standing in the lobby was a very drunk Joker, the sergeant-at-arms of Devil’s Damned and one particularly nasty asshole. Vicious fights left a map of scars covering his body.
“We’re closed,” Hawk said, not looking up from his laptop.
“And you’re not supposed to be here,” I added in a deadly tone.
He ignored us as he tugged his patch-covered cut. The alcohol permeated from him. He tossed the dirty shirt he wore next to his cut on the glass counter, his Jester medallion swinging from his neck on a long chain.
Joel rolled his eyes. “I just cleaned that counter,” he said under his breath, pushing the dirty clothes to the edge and squirting more cleaner over the area.
Joker ignored Joel. He pointed to the only ink-free spot of skin on his ribs. He looked around as if he had just noticed us. “Hey, shitheads. Nice fuckin’ shop.” His smile exposed his rotten teeth.
“I hear Hawk gives a fuckin’ one-of-a-kind type of ink. I want this right here,” he slurred, pushing a paper with an image of a confederate flag and a Nazi cross over it.
“Sorry, you’re too late. We’re closed,” Ledge said. “Hawk had already cleaned his station, and we don’t tat racist shit like that.” He pushed the paper back at him. “Besides, you are too drunk to get ink right now, anyway.” Ledge straightened to his full 6’3” height, meeting Joker’s eyes. “Your club and all the others agreed to stay out of town and at our clubhouse. I’m sure there is more than enough going on there to keep you busy.” Ledge took off his glasses, setting them on the counter as he leveled his gaze at Joker. His nose wrinkled at the stench that permeated from the man.
Joker let out a sinister laugh. He pounded his fist again, and the glass rattled at the force. “You girls need to lighten up. I’ve gotten ink while passed-out drunk.” He tilted his chin up like he was proud of the fact.
Joel snorted. “Yeah, well, that’s obvious,” he said while appraising the man’s hideous ink.
Wrong thing to say.
Joker reached across the counter and grabbed Joel’s shirt. Joel was about half Joker’s weight and six inches shorter. He looked like a boy compared with Joker, who was about to reach for his knife.
“Let go of the kid. Right now,” I spoke low and clear. I moved closer toward him, my mouth seething. “You do not disrespect our employees, our businesses, or our rules. Go back to the fucking clubhouse before I drag you back there myself.”
He must have realized that I had a good twenty-five pounds of lean muscle and three inches on him. Plus, Hawk and Ledge were behind me, each with baseball bats. He let go of Joel and grabbed his cut and shirt.
“Fuck you guys. My boys will be here soon, then we’ll see how bad you are.”
“Get the fuck back to the club and out of town.” It took all my self-control not to beat the asshole and kick him to the curb.
He left the shop, but not before spitting in our direction. I went to lock the door and turn the sign to CLOSED.
I walked over to where Ledge was sitting with Joel, who seemed a little shaken. “Would he have really cut me?”
“Yes,” Ledge said, “Joker is a special kind of asshole you don’t want to mess with.”
Juliet
It was a humid June night, warm enough to keep the top off and enjoy the glittering stars, which stood out against the black sky. Typically, I would have been curled up with Lord and a book on my porch, enjoying a glass of wine and listening to music. However, tonight I was driving into town because I stupidly forgot my bag at Fluid. It was better to pick it up now than wait ‘til morning. It could ruin my early plans if I had to detour in the opposite direction and drive to Fluid before meeting Ivy at the shelter. We often spent Sunday mornings taking the shelter dogs on runs—it was a win-win, they got out in the fresh air, and we both got exercise.
It should only take a minute, I just needed to run in and grab my stuff, and I’d be back to my relaxing evening in no time. I sang along to the music thumping through my Jeep speakers. The vibration made the stars look like they were dancing to the beat.
I pulled up around the corner from Fluid. It was pretty dead around here on Saturday nights, except for Stained Skyn. Nothing else was open on this block. The bars were all a good few blocks down. There were a few bikes lined up in front of Stained Skyn, but I only recognized two. I parked in the alley and leaped out of my doorless Jeep. Bobbing my head and still singing AC/DC’s You Shook Me, I had the keys in my hand ready to unlock the door. I pushed my hand against the door to give it pressure while I tried turning the key. The damn lock was sticking again; the humidity made the old doors swell. Finally, with a little more wiggling, I tugged hard, and it opened.
I glanced again at the bikes that sat in front of the shop before stepping inside the studio. The sign on the door read CLOSED. They shut down early for a Saturday night.
Inside the dark studio, I jogged to the beeping alarm pad, tapped in the code, and turned it off. Catching my reflection in the large studio mirrors, I became suddenly aware of how little I was wearing. Shit, I probably should have changed out of my pj’s before leaving the cabin. It was too hot to wear much more than the short cut-off sweat shorts and braless cropped tank I had on. Flip-flops kept my freshly painted toes from smudging. I looked down at my sparkling toes, admiring the job I had done. I had been enjoying a glass of wine and pampering myself, I had no intention of going out, and then I remembered the damn bag.
My hair was twisted high in a messy bun, with a few colorful strands that fell out on the windy drive over. I tucked the stray pieces behind my ears. I pulled my bag and sneakers out of my cubby, shoved the sneakers into the duffle, and tossed the duffle on my back before turning the alarm back on and walking out the door.
Now I could get back to my quiet evening at home. I continued to sing off key, which I did quite frequently. I pulled on the door, inserted the key into the lock, and heard it click; I was relieved it didn’t stick this time.
I took a few steps toward the side alley when I felt an arm grab my wrist and pull me in. My eyes widened as I crashed into a body. I met the drunken gaze of a scary-looking biker who did not look at all familiar. His long, grimy blond faux hawk fell to the side of his face, touching the scruffy beard that framed his scarred face. His mouth showed a wicked grin of missing teeth and silver caps. His eyes were crazed as he spat out, “Where do you think you’re going, pretty lady.”
Fuck. I forgot to watch my surroundings like I usually did. How could I have let this happen? How could I have slipped up like this? I was frozen. I couldn’t move. His grip was too tight. My stomach clenched. It was happening again.
My legs felt weak as bile rose in my throat. A callused hand now scratched at my bare stomach while the other went around my neck, pulling me back against his sweaty foul-smelling body. He began to assault me, keeping my back against his chest. His grip on me got tighter. “You smell good…and feel even better.” The heavy scent of beer, stale smoke, and rotting teeth invaded my nostrils. My heart pounded so heavily, I was sure he could feel it against him.
Juliet, get it together, this is why you train. I took in a deep breath and summoned all the courage and training I had. No one will make me a victim again, no one. Especially not some disgusting man who had no respect for women.
“GET THE FUCK OFF!” I screamed as loud as I could. Finally! Adrenaline was coursing through me. Bending my head forward, I forcefully reared it back as fast and as hard as I could. His nose crunched on impact. Then I pushed my arms forward, and using all my force, I sent a hard elbow into his gut. I broke free! His hands went to his nose, which was pouring blood all down his chin and chest.
“Fucking bitch!” he cried.
Pain radiated through my head. Dizzy from the impact, I didn’t see the hand coming straight at my face, connecting with my cheek.
“Bitch!” he yelled as he lurched toward me again. My fighter instinct kicked in as I bent down and fli
pped him over my small body onto the sidewalk, his head bouncing off the hard ground. I then delivered a devastating kick to his balls. But before I could run, I had more company.
Rage
“Damn, that guy’s such an asshole,” Hawk said as he locked the cash in the safe. “Let’s hope he and his boys get back to the farm before they start anything with a townie, or the police will be on our asses.”
I fiddled with the stereo until I got it to turn off. Stone Sour’s Bother faded into silence. That’s when I heard the screams and yells from outside and ran for the door. I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I saw Juliet being manhandled by that no-good piece of shit, Joker.
My body couldn’t move fast enough to unlock the door and get across the street. Hawk followed, and our boots thundered across the road as we witnessed tiny Juliet go from being held to flipping a bleeding Joker over her small frame in a matter of seconds. I got to her as she gave Joker an awesome kick to the balls. He grunted and yelled obscenities at Juliet, with his face gushing blood and his hand holding his crotch.
I kicked the fucker before turning to Juliet. “What the fuck is wrong with you, motherfucker?”
“Juliet,” I grabbed her and pulled her to my side. “Are you okay?” Her eyes were wide, staring down at the asshole bleeding on the ground. Her hand was covering her already bruising cheek. I pulled her into the light, inspecting the damage; she was shaken and bruised, but she was going to be okay. What the fuck was she doing here? And half dressed? She didn’t even have on a bra—I could barely tear my eyes away.
“I’m going to kill your skinny ass! You’re dead! I won’t leave town until you’re dead, you little whore,” he huffed out, his hands still between his legs when Hawk and Joel got to him.
“Fuck you, asshole!” she screamed back.
I could feel the darkness coming. My temper was going to explode on the asshole, and I wanted to leave him lying in a bloody pool. I turned to Joker, who was now being held by Hawk and Joel. I sent a punch to his gut and another to his face.
