by Olivia Myers
“Do I look okay?” Li inquired softly, just loudly enough for Jazz to hear.
Jazz tilted her head, nuzzling her nose beneath Li’s ear. “You look wonderful,” she whispered, nipping the other woman’s earlobe. She gasped, erupting into giggles as Jazz dragged her into her lap.
“Ah, get a room,” Cate grumbled, softening her voice as Elsie rested a hand on her shoulder. Cate hesitated before raising her own hand, carefully resting it atop the other woman’s. Elsie smiled broadly, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek.
“Speak for yourself,” Li retorted, nuzzling up against Jazz’s neck. Cate rolled her eyes but reddened in embarrassment.
“I think that humiliation concludes today’s meeting, ladies. Cate, I trust you can get Elsie up to speed. You guys have the rest of the day off. Have a good time,” Jazz announced, winking in her friend’s direction. Angel and Lupe were the first to head toward the back door, passing the half-empty bottle of wine between them. Mica watched them go, rubbed the back of her neck and sighed softly.
“I guess I’ll spend some quality time with my little bro. You never know, man. Gotta teach him to be a man since dad’s not in the picture,” she said, rising to her feet and slinking toward the door. Li watched her go, somewhat curious about the sudden melancholic feeling that permeated the room. Jazz gently nudged her out of her lap. She stepped toward Cate and murmuring softly before pulling a wad of cash out of her pocket and gesturing to Elsie. Li watched curiously, quirking a brow as she just made out the order to make it somewhere nice. Elsie seemed to sense her unease and rested a hand on Li’s shoulder.
“What’s going on?” Li inquired softly. Elsie shrugged a shoulder, not entirely certain, herself, but having a vague idea.
“You never know if something will happen, y’know. And you’ll never see your loved ones again. It just hits us sometimes, that ya gotta make every day count,” Elsie offered, smiling warmly at Cate as the short brunette approached her.
“You’ve been wanting to go to that Italian place downtown, right? The one that just opened?” Cate inquired, rubbing her arm awkwardly.
Elsie beamed, rushing the smaller woman and snatching her up in an almost unnatural show of strength. “I thought you had to have reservations,” she said, sounding elated.
Cate smiled sheepishly, kissing the taller woman on the nose. “I’m sure they’ll have room for us. Now put me down.—you’re so embarrassing,” Cate grumbled, smiling in spite of herself. Elsie obligingly set the smaller woman on the ground and took her by the hand, leading her to the back exit. “Seeya Jazz. You guys don’t do nothin’ I wouldn’t do,” Cate called back, holding Li’s gaze for a long moment before breaking away with a smile. Before Li could reply, the two were gone, leaving her alone with Jazz once more. She still couldn’t shake the sense of melancholy that had settled over her, and she glanced toward Jazz, catching the woman staring at her with a sad smile.
“Come on, ya big goof. You guys are acting like someone died. I just got my ass kicked a bit,” Li said and grinned, standing from her chair and taking several long strides toward Jazz. The larger woman wrapped her arms around Li, and Li buried her face in her lover’s neck.
All was silent for some time, but after a bit, Jazz pulled away slightly to look Li in the eyes. “Do you wanna be my girl?” she inquired abruptly, looking as if she immediately wanted to swallow the words back down.
Li laughed softly. “Jazz, you don’t have to try and weasel your way into my pants. If you want another round, just say so,” she joked, hesitating when she saw the intense look in the other woman’s eyes.
Jazz gently cupped her cheeks, leaning in to kiss her with a tenderness Li had never before experienced. “Be my girlfriend. Go out on a date with me. Do all that goofy shit I aint ever done with anyone,” Jazz said, and there was something in her pleading tone that broke Li’s heart. The Siamese shifter smiled, nuzzling against the other woman’s cheek.
“You don’t even have to ask, you big lug,” Li murmured. Jazz chuckled, sounding only faintly relieved. “You loooove me,” Li teased, tracing patterns across the larger woman’s bicep with her fingernails. Jazz remained silent, stroking a hand through Li’s hair. “Aw come on, you gotta at least put up a bit of a fight,” Li whined, meeting Jazz’s gaze.
“I’ve never been in love,” Jazz said softly.
Li blinked, eyes widening as she took in the gravity of the other woman’s words. She laughed with an awful, high-pitched sound. “Oh, come on Jazz. You can’t believe in that whole love at first sight junk,” she said awkwardly, trying to ignore the pounding of her own heart. She was certain anyone in a five-mile radius could hear her heartbeat judging by how it thumped in her ears.
“You don’t?” Jazz inquired softly, smiling crookedly. Something in her eyes told Li that the goddess of a woman saw right through her. It was as if Jazz could see into her soul.
“I believe in soulmates,” Li said quietly.
“Yeah. Me too.”
***
Li had been on her share of dates in her lifetime, but she was certain she’d never been on a date with someone as enthralling as Jazz. She was also fairly certain she’d never been taken to the city fair for a date. First times for everything, it seemed. The melancholic air that seemed to haunt Jazz back at the Hellcats hideout seemed to have dissipated, and the large woman was vibrant and abuzz with life.
“Do you want a funnel cake? I really want a funnel cake,” Jazz announced as soon as they bought their tickets and pointing toward a food stand some feet away.
“If I eat a funnel cake, I’m gonna puke on your shoes if we get on any rides,” Li retorted. Jazz looked briefly disheartened before brightening once more and grabbing her newly-dubbed girlfriend by the hand. Jazz dragged her to one of the game booths. It was a test-your-strength game, and men were gathered all around trying to impress their dates. “Oh come on, Jazz,” Li said, giggling. “You know those things are rigged.” Jazz simply smiled in response and offered her ticket to the man running the game. Jazz took her place in line, and Li stood a few feet away, fully prepared to nurse her lover’s soon-to-be-bruised ego. A man swung the hammer as hard as he could and swore loudly when he only reached the halfway point. He stormed over to the man running the game, continuing to swear loudly about the game being rigged. Li and Jazz locked eyes, and Li smirked as if her point had been proven. Jazz shrugged, grabbing the hammer and testing its weight in her hands. She gave a few test swings, while the man who had gone before her continued to swear loudly. Then, with all her might, she swung the hammer and hit the paddle at the bottom. Seconds later, the sound of a loud gong echoed through the park. Jazz stared up at the top of the game where the meter lingered for a moment before dropping back down to zero. She set the hammer down and approached the stunned men.
“Hey, Li. Come pick a prize,” Jazz called, and Li stared at her in disbelief for a long moment before erupting in laughter. She stepped up beside the other woman and pointed to a large, stuffed cat. It was bright orange and was nearly as tall as Li, herself. She took the stuffed feline into her arms, struggling to keep a grip on it. “Need a hand?” Jazz inquired, snorting when Li stuck out her tongue.
“Hands off, you’re not the only strong woman in this park,” Li said and grinned. She adjusted her grip on the cat and reached out to grab Jazz’s hand. “Let’s go on the Ferris wheel. I wanna see what all these lights look like from way up there,” Li said, taking the initiative to pull Jazz along this time. Jazz followed obligingly, laughing as they raced across the fairgrounds. Li occasionally fumbled with the prize Jazz had won for her, and finally, after a long struggle, handed it over to the much taller woman. “Don’t get cocky just because you got your hands on my…” Li paused as a couple of young children raced by, swallowing whatever crude comment she may have offered.
“I would never,” Jazz said, smiling and clearly having caught the innuendo. She gave the stuffed feline a gentle pat and tucked it under her arm as the two women
took their place in line for the Ferris wheel. The line was relatively slow-moving, but the two women were content to enjoy the relative silence of each other’s company.
Suddenly, a loud bang sounded in the distance. “Was that…?” Li trailed off, glancing in the direction the sound had come from. Before she could ask any more questions, Jazz snatched her up and placed her in the bottom Ferris wheel bench. Li’s eyes were wide as Jazz locked her in and sent her up. The taller woman’s eyes begged for forgiveness as she darted away from the ride and the wheel began to turn. People clambered off the ride, and Li could hear screams about gunshots and some sort of gang fight. Her heart sank into her stomach as she watched Jazz sprint across the fairgrounds, too far away to hear her shouts. The Ferris wheel ceased turning once she was at the top, and the figures on the ground beneath her looked like ants. They felt essentially as distant as the stars in the night sky. “Jazz!” Li screamed, tears spilling down her cheeks as the sounds of gunshots continued. They were followed shortly by the sounds of sirens.
***
Jazz had heard the whispers, the hushed murmurs about the leader of the Dogs of War having been spotted at the fair. The sounds of gunshots had only cemented her fears, and her heart sank as she sprinted towards the noises. She was certain that Li was at least somewhat safe at the top of the Ferris wheel and could only hope the other woman didn’t try anything dumb. Then again, she hardly felt herself in the place to call anything Li did dumb while she was sprinting toward a gunfight. The crowds at the fair had all but dispersed, leaving a few stragglers, Jazz, and the two rival gang members who were locked in the shootout. She dropped into a crouch as a stray bullet whizzed past her, and rolled forward, keeping low to the ground as she made out two feminine forms, one lying prone on the ground. Her heart stopped as recognition dawned, and she realized that Elsie and Cate had decided to come to the fair after their dinner date. She was so stupid. She should have been more careful. She shouldn’t have put the idea in Cate’s head.
“Cate!” she shouted, yanking the shorter woman to the ground just in time for her to dodge a bullet. Cate hissed, raking her claws against Jazz’s face as she fell. Jazz winced, but did not cry out, whispering urgently. “What the fuck happened?” she demanded, the flashing lights of the fair rides illuminating Elsie, and the blood pooling beneath her.
Jazz felt as if she would vomit, and Cate choked back sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks as she explained, “He saw us before we saw him. Apparently, he wasn’t willing to wait to find our hideout, decided to just fire at us out here in the open. Christ, look at what he did to Elsie.” Cate wept and fumbled for her gun. Another gunshot fired, and Jazz shoved Cate closer to the ground, grabbing the discarded pistol and examining Elsie for a short moment. In the distance, she could hear the sound of sirens. The police, in all likelihood, but there were also likely to be paramedics.
“Elsie. Elsie, can you hear me?” She hissed, gently slapping her fellow Hellcat’s cheek.
“Yeah, Jazz. Is…is Cate okay?” Elsie rasped, smiling weakly as the woman in question moved into her line of sight. “Thank god.” Elsie whispered.
“Yeah. You’re gonna be okay. You’re both gonna be okay. But listen, Elsie, listen to me,” Jazz murmured, making sure to grab Elsie’s abandoned gun as well. There were several rounds remaining in the barrels of each gun, and she cursed herself for not bringing her own. “I need you to go feline. And then, Cate, you grab her and find the paramedics. It doesn’t matter if they see her shifting, we’ll deal with that when we have to,” Jazz ordered, hesitating beside the two for a moment longer.
“What are you gonna do, J?” Cate inquired softly, gathering Elsie’s snow white cat form in her arms.
“I’m gonna cover you. After you get to the paramedics, send the cops to the Ferris wheel. That’s where Li is,” Jazz muttered.
“Come on, J. Just come with us. Live to fight another day, I always say,” Cate begged. Jazz smiled sadly, giving Cate a little nudge.
“Get Elsie and the girls out of here. I have to finish this,” she whispered. Then, the blonde woman stood, sprinting directly into the line of fire. She could hear Cate cursing her name but could also hear the other woman’s retreating footsteps, which was a good sign. She waited a moment, ducking away from a bullet and immediately spotting its origin. She dropped into a roll as several more rounds were fired, rising up and aiming quickly, firing off a few of her own shots. A pained shout was music to her ears, and she could see Rodney easing out from behind a booth, trying to get a better shot at her.
She lined up her shot, aiming for his head and pulling the trigger. The empty barreled gun clicked plaintively in response. “Aw shit,” Jazz swore, a scream tearing itself from her throat as she heard Rodney fire his weapon. She felt a solid thump against her side, and she was sent sprawling to the ground, landing in an awkward roll. She could feel the bullet whizzing by her head, could feel the spray of blood against her cheek. “Cate!” she screamed, pulling herself toward her fallen friend. Except, it wasn’t Cate. Li lay silently on the ground, face scrunched up in pain as she clutched her stomach. Blood spilled beneath her hand, and she coughed weakly, blood pooling in her mouth, as well. “No! No, no, no!” Jazz screamed, her voice ragged.
“Stop! This is the police! Put your hands up,” an authoritative voice called, and Rodney cackled almost maniacally, stepping out into the clearing and preparing to fire another shot at Jazz. “Stop! Put your hands up!” His finger danced on the trigger, and he locked eyes with Jazz as he lined a shot up towards her head. He smiled, and what must have been dozens of bullets riddled his body. As he fell, he pulled the trigger, receiving nothing but a loud click in response. He hit the ground hard, blood spilling from his gunshot wounds. Jazz mused that the irony might have been sweet, but a weak cough alerted her that her worst nightmare had come true. She loomed over Li who sputtering helplessly as Jazz pressed her hand atop the other woman’s and tried to stem the flow of blood. Paramedics rushed to them and whisked Li away. Others surrounded Rodney, one of them yelling something about dead on arrival. Jazz screamed and rushed toward the paramedics that had taken Li. Before she could cover much ground, a large police officer tackled her and pinning her arms behind her.
“Get off of me, you piece of shit,” she snarled, struggling to get out from under him.
“Jasmine LaShea, you’re under arrest for an assortment of gang-related charges. We’re going to have to book you,” he growled, shoving her face into the dirt. She struggled valiantly, striking back with an elbow. Sudden electric shocks shot through her, and her body jerked involuntarily. The sound of sirens began to fade, and everything went black.
***
When Li awoke, she was in a hospital bed with an IV trailing from her arm. A shooting pain seemed centralized in her stomach, and she reached down to feel for her familiar scar, only to feel gratuitous amounts of gauze covering the familiar mark. She groaned, and a nurse peeked into the room, smiling cheerfully before stepping inside.
“Oh, thank goodness, you’re awake,” she chirped. “You’re due for your pain medicine. Right now, we’re just giving you fluids so you don’t get dehydrated.” She paused as Li ripped the IV out of her own arm. She flung her legs over the side of the bed and doubled over in pain. The nurse cried out fretfully, pressing the emergency button on the wall before stepping toward the petite woman and attempting to guide her back into a more comfortable position. “Honey, I’m going to need you to calm down. If you fight us, we’ll have to restrain you, and god knows we’ve had to do that enough today,” the nurse murmured. She produced some bandages seemingly from nowhere and wrapped up the blown IV site.
Li growled but made no move to get away and rested her head heavily against a too-hard pillow. “Where’s Jazz?” she bit out, watching with disdain as the nurse busied herself with setting up a new IV. Li jerked her arm away when she received silence in response. “Answer me,” she said in a withering tone. The nurse sighed, looking over her char
t for a moment before tutting fretfully.
“By Jazz, I’m presuming you mean Jasmine LaShea, the woman you were found beside at the fair,” the nurse said, grabbing Li by the arm and searching for a new vein. “Be still, honey. You should be happy to know she was booked by the police on the scene and will face very serious charges for the harm that came to you,” the nurse announced cheerfully, shoving the needle into Li’s arm. Li screamed in anguish. “Oh, honey, it couldn’t have been that bad,” the nurse tutted, rising to her feet and looking up as a nurse’s aide slipped into the room and turned off the emergency panel.
“She’s going to jail? What do you mean, for the harm that came to me? She’s not the one that fuckin’ shot me!” Li shouted, gesturing wildly.
“Please help me restrain her. I swear, our patients are just in such a tizzy tonight,” the nurse murmured, strapping Li’s arms to the bed before she could react. Li kicked out against the nurse’s aide, who grabbed her blanketed feet and stretched a long strap across her legs. She struggled, hissing and spitting angrily. “Honey, please calm down. We’re just going to give you a mild sedative,” the nurse offered, putting some liquid Li couldn’t identify into her IV drip.
“Where’s Jazz? Please. She can’t go to jail,” Li whimpered, and a haze clouded over her mind. She couldn’t quite make out the nurse’s parting words as she left the room. Li fought the sedative as long as she could before giving in to a fitful sleep. She swore as she drifted off that she could hear a soft and familiar mew.
***
“Hey, baby. Can you hear me?” a husky and familiar voice whispered against her ear. Li’s eyes fluttered before blinking open to stare at Jazz for a long moment. Tears began to pool in her eyes, and Li sniffled, struggling weakly against the restraints. “Aw, hell. Hold on a sec,” Jazz said, moving to undo the straps holding Li to the bed.
