by K. Aten
“Better go call your friend Jason, because the four of us now have front row seats.” Sarah leaned over and gave Keller a kiss in thanks. Jesse was a little more exuberant. With the hand not holding the length of wood, she punched the air. However, all three women’s attention was drawn to the sound of splintering wood and her other hand.
She looked down, chagrined at her loss of control. The younger woman groaned when she realized she had just made more work for them. She looked at the other larger board on the floor, and then glanced over at the circular saw that Keller had brought up. “Damn.”
Sarah looked at her humorously. “Do you even know how to use that?”
Jesse idly scratched her temple. “Um, no?”
Keller grabbed the tape measure and pencil off the floor. “Go call your friend; I’ll take care of this.”
Jesse beamed and ran down the hall. “Thanks, Keller!”
It took very little time to measure and cut a new slat to replace the broken one. It wouldn’t be painted but at least it was functional. Once everyone was cleaned up, they all piled into Sarah’s SUV for the trip down to The Merge. While standing in line to get in, Keller said they could just skip to the front. Sarah scolded her. “You’re not the manager tonight, so we’re going to stand here just like everyone else.”
Knowing Sarah was serious about not working tonight, Keller made a crossing motion over her chest. “I swear, no work tonight.”
When they got to the door, Teddy let the three of them in without paying cover. “Hey ladies, fancy seeing you here tonight. Just a heads up, we are busy as all get out tonight. Poor Annie has been running ragged trying to keep up.” He smiled showing his friendly gap-toothed grin.
Sarah returned the smile. “Thanks T. We’re actually here to surprise her, so don’t say anything if she comes by before we can catch up to her.”
“No problem, miss thang! Now go and try to stay out of trouble, I have a job to do and my boss is a real mean one.” He winked at Keller.
Once inside the three women went to get drinks first. Keller led them through to the Voodoo Pony, since it wasn’t as busy as the dance bar on Saturday nights. While Fridays they ran the Sip and Chug music spotlight, Saturdays alternated between special events. They had live bands, karaoke, talent contests, fundraisers, and even drag shows. Sure enough, they found Annie behind the bar, helping one of the new bartenders who seemed to be in over her head. A big smile came over her face when she saw her family walk up.
“Hey, this is a surprise!”
Keller walked behind the bar, despite the scowl Sarah threw at her. “I’ll get Angela caught up, go say high to your sister and girlfriend.”
Annie gave her a grateful look. “Thanks, boss!” She quickly made her way around the bar and threw herself into Jesse’s arms. “Oh my God, what are you guys doing here?” She turned to Sarah and gave her a big hug as well. “And I thought you banned Keller from the bar this weekend, to give you guys some bonding time?”
Sarah tugged the younger woman’s earlobe affectionately. “It’s all good, A. And we’re here because Jesse has a surprise for you.”
Annie held up a finger and waved them toward Keller’s office where they could talk and actually be heard. Once inside she shut the door and turned to her girlfriend. “What surprise?”
Jesse nervously ran a hand through the dark hair hanging slightly in her eyes. “Well, first I want to tell you that I’m an ass. I’m a totally inconsiderate jerk. And second, I remembered that Thursday was our one year anniversary.”
A look of surprise crossed Annie’s face. “Oh damn it was, wasn’t it? Are you guys here to celebrate then?”
“Actually, the band Resurrection is playing at the Newport Music Hall tomorrow night and I got us tickets.”
Annie squealed and threw herself into Jesse’s arms. “Oh my God, I love that band! You’re the best, J!”
Happily accepting the kiss she received, Jesse caught a glimpse of Sarah’s uncomfortable face and reluctantly pulled away. Annie pouted and the young werewolf tapped her on the bottom lip. “There’s more. When Keller found out how much both you and Sarah liked the band, she made a call to her friend and scored all four of us front row seats and backstage passes.”
Annie looked at Jesse in disbelief, then over at her sister. “Holy shit! I bet you’re on the moon right now, huh?”
Sarah laughed. “Oh yeah, definitely!”
The younger Colby sister looked back and forth between the two women. “So who’s this mystery friend of Keller’s that has such good connections?”
They were interrupted when Keller opened the door and came into the office. “My mystery friend is none other than Grace Cadence.”
“No shit?”
Keller smiled. “No shit.”
Sarah slapped her girlfriend’s arm. “Did you really hear us through the door, with all the noise going on out there?”
The bar manager winked at her. “Yup. And someday when you become a big bad grownup vampire, you will too!”
The friendly slap turned into a not as friendly pinch. “Ass!”
Everyone laughed and Annie looked at the clock on the wall. It read eleven-seventeen. “So are you guys staying ’til close?”
Sarah nodded. “Yup. I want to drink and sing some karaoke!”
Jesse looked confused. “But you’re a real musician; you can play all sorts of instruments. Isn’t karaoke, like, beneath you or something?”
The singer placed a limp hand over her heart and let her high school drama training come to the forefront. “What? Why I’ll have you know that karaoke is its own art form!”
They all laughed and Keller covered her face with her hand. “Crivvens!”
Sarah slapped her arm as they filed out of the office. “Just for that, you’re going to sing a duet with me.” The look on Keller’s face cracked them all up again.
Everyone had a blast on the Pony side of the club. Sarah even talked Annie into coming up and singing with her. They covered the song “My Immortal” by Evanescence. They didn’t just cover the song, they owned it. When they returned to their table, Jesse looked at her girlfriend in awe. “Babe, I had no idea you could sing like that!”
Sarah piped up. “She can play the guitar too.”
Jesse looked at Annie curiously. “But you don’t even have a guitar.”
The younger Colby sister threw the older one a look of annoyance. “I don’t have a guitar because I haven’t played in years. Our parents had us both take lessons when we were kids.”
The werewolf could practically feel the sadness rolling off her girlfriend. “What happened, A?”
Annie swallowed and felt Sarah’s hand squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. “I stopped playing after our parents died.”
Sarah smiled at her. “Maybe it’s time you started playing again. I know someone who gives lessons for cheap.” Her words had their intended effect and the four of them all laughed. Inside though, Sarah was remembering back to a time when it seemed like nothing would ever come between the sisters. Before all of Annie’s rebellious drama, before the death of their parents. Annie used to love playing guitar with her sister, and Sarah adored her younger sibling so she always made time for her. When their parents had died, it was one of many things that seemed to get lost between them. Years and family therapy had returned them to their previous closeness, but a few things remained missing. Annie’s interest in playing music was one of them.
The younger woman looked up at her sister. “Maybe.” After that, they covered a popular song by Resurrection called, “Bite Like You Mean It”, driving the crowd in the bar wild. And the last song they sang was a lesser known one called, “Anymore Pain” and it perfectly suited the sister’s alto and soprano voices. Their flushed faces were practically glowing each time they returned to their seats.
Sarah turned to her sister. “I forgot how much I love singing with you, you’re really quite good!” Annie merely blushed and shrugged.
As promi
sed, the trio of women stayed until the bar closed and even helped with cleanup to get Annie out of work faster. They were the last ones to leave, with Annie closing and locking the front door, and setting the alarm. Hugs were exchanged and the two couples went their separate ways. Sarah had gotten a lucky parking spot right across the street. When Annie and Jesse walked around the back of the building where employee parking was located, they stopped at the sight of Annie’s damaged car. All four tires had been slashed, the driver’s window was broken in, and claw marks gouged the metal of the doors and hood. There was also dark red writing on the driver’s door of the car. All it said was “MEAT.”
Jesse’s immediate reaction was disbelief. “Dude, what the hell?”
Annie immediately pulled out her cell and dialed Sarah’s number. The voice that answered was reassuring on a lot of levels. “What’s up, A? Did you lock yourself out of your car?”
Annie grimaced. “Oh, getting into my car is no problems. Unfortunately it’s not drivable right now, someone vandalized it.” She heard cursing over the phone, and then her sister’s voice came on again.
“I’m turning around; we’ll give you guys a ride home. And call the cops immediately! You need to report it.”
Jesse lifted her nose to the air and gave a sniff, then abruptly jogged over to the driver’s door. She reached down and ran a finger through the still wet paint, and then brought it to her nose for another smell. With a look of disgust, she bent down and wiped her finger on some crab grass growing from cracks in the pavement. She looked at Annie with worry. “It’s not paint, it’s blood!”
Annie could see her girlfriend’s face go pale even in the darkened parking lot. “Jesse Michelle Cooper, you will not vomit on the evidence! Come here please.”
Sarah’s worried voice came over the forgotten phone again. “What’s going on, A? We’re almost there; you should hang up and call the cops.”
“Jesse says the writing is in blood, Sarah. Please hurry, this is creeping me out! I’m going to hang up now and call the police.”
The headlights from Sarah’s SUV became visible around the building just as Annie connected to 911. She was explaining her situation when Sarah and Keller ran up to the younger couple, preternaturally fast. Keller walked around the car, making sure she didn’t accidentally step in anything. Once Annie hung up, Jesse and Sarah each flanked a side to console the upset woman. Annie dropped the cell phone into her jacket pocket and cleared her throat. “They said they’d be here in about ten minutes.” She glanced over at Sarah. “Can we go sit in your car until the police get here? I don’t want to look at this right now.”
The singer nodded. “Sure A.” She handed Jesse her keys. “Why don’t you two go chill for a few minutes while I talk to Keller.” After she watched the two younger women get in her car, Sarah turned to Keller. “This wasn’t random.”
Keller looked at the sign in front of the car that said MGR Parking, then at the door of the car. “No, it wasn’t.”
Sarah gave her lover a serious look. “Will Louve believe us if we warn her about Marie?”
“I don’t know.” Keller sighed. “Why don’t you get some pics with your phone and I’ll give Louve a call and see if she can come over to see the damage.”
Keller was speaking French into the phone when the police arrived. They took a statement and asked a few questions, then eventually called a tow company. They said it looked like some vandals that were out to have some fun. When Keller pointed out that she thought the writing on the door of the car was blood, they took a closer look. Eventually, they got some equipment out of the trunk and took a few samples and said their goodbyes. Annie was given a copy of the report and by the time the tow truck hauled her car away, it was just the four of them again. Sarah walked over to her sister and wrapped her in a hug. “Are you going to be okay?”
The younger woman closed her eyes and held on tight. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. It just seems so personal, you know?”
Sarah made eye contact with Keller, over her sister’s shoulder. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry about that, A. I’m sure the police will do everything they can to find out who did this. Until then, stay strong. Okay?”
When they all loaded into Sarah’s SUV, she turned so she could see into the back seat. “Do you guys want to stay in our spare room tonight? You’re more than welcome.”
Jesse turned to Annie, who was snuggled into her side. The brunette gave her a small shake of the head. “No, we’re good, Sarah. But thanks for the offer. And we’ll see you tomorrow anyway since we’re riding together to the show.”
With a promise that they would call Sarah and Keller if anything else strange happened, the younger couple was dropped off at Annie’s house. Once the car was empty, Sarah questioned her girlfriend about the conversation with Louve. “So? What did she say?”
“Well, you probably figured out that she was unable to leave the bar to look at Annie’s car, and she’s pretty skeptical about there being any connection to her people. She said she spoke with Marie and that she seemed a lot calmer. Marie even apologized for the way she’s been acting toward Jesse.”
Sarah made a face as she parked her car in the garage by their condo. “I still don’t trust her. But I suppose all we can continue to do is wait.” She could see Keller looking at her, despite the gloom of the garage. Pale face and pale eyes were the only things she could make out.
“Yeah, that’s about it, lass.” When they walked into their building a few minutes later, they missed the sound of squealing tires outside. The rumble of a three hundred horsepower engine was distinctive as it faded away into the night.
ANNIE AND JESSE were lying in bed and Jesse could tell her girlfriend wasn’t sleeping. Despite the fact that Annie had to be exhausted from working another twelve-hour shift, the younger Colby was breathing too fast for sleep, and every few seconds Jesse could hear her eyes blink. “You okay, babe?”
Annie swallowed the lump that was sitting in her throat. “No.”
“Alain says that it helps to talk things out, even if it’s not to another person. He says that talking things out helps purge whatever is upsetting you.” Jesse paused. “I know what’s upsetting you, but do you want to talk about it?”
Annie started to cry. “Why is this happening? I know it was her, but I don’t understand what I ever did to deserve this. I’m just…” She trailed off when the emotion of it all became overwhelming. Jesse could only hold her tight and murmur little reassurances. When the tears slowed again, they lay in silence for a few minutes. Annie’s voice was a broken whisper when she spoke. “I don’t want to live in fear, J.”
Jesse touched the other woman’s cheek and turned Annie’s face so she could look her in the eyes. “You don’t have to live in fear. I’m here for you, and I’d do anything to make sure you’re safe. And if that isn’t enough, we’ve got two very powerful vampires in the family that could turn Marie into shredded wolf meat. So no more tears, okay? Things are going to be all right.”
“Promise?”
The werewolf nodded unseen by her human girlfriend. “Nothing is going to take you from me. I promise.”
The person standing outside the bedroom window smiled at the easily overheard words. A block away, she laughed quietly. “We’ll just see about that.”
Chapter Five
AFTER DINNER AT Barley’s Brewing Company, the four women made their way to the Newport Music Hall. The hall itself was limited to a seventeen-hundred-person capacity, relatively small for a big name rock show, but it still seemed like feeding time at the zoo when it came to getting to their seats. The theater was set up much like any other, with the main floor seats directly in front of the stage. And the second floor balcony seats went along the sides and back of the space. The ceiling was covered in beautiful concentric circles and patterns, and the theme of the room was rounded openings and arches. Sarah could barely control her excitement, wondering what the band would sound like in such a location. The acoustics alone would
make any musician swoon.
Resurrection was one of the bands that she covered on a regular basis when she was playing gigs. Their songs had always spoken to her on a deeper level, from the very first song she had ever heard by them. When she and Annie had been dealing with their loss, Sarah frequently turned to music as an outlet for all the emotions she kept bottled up. She continued covering Resurrection’s songs years later because they fit really well with her own vibe and style. The band had a great sound and the crowd absolutely ate up the energy of their songs.
Annie was practically vibrating in her chair, seated between Sarah and Jesse. When Sarah looked at her sister, she got a big grin in return. “Excited?”
“Are you mental? Of course I’m excited!”
The singer threw her arm around the younger woman and gave her a quick hug. “I was just remembering how much I liked covering their songs when I’d play my shows. They have a crazy amount of talent. I’m surprised they haven’t gotten bigger than they are.”
Annie cocked her head. “You know, you’re right! They have their own independent label and they don’t tour much. It’s like promotions for them are purposely kept at a minimum. And just for the record, I used to love hearing you play their stuff.”
Sarah turned her lose and gave her arm a little shove. “Probably more than my own!”
Annie grinned and shrugged. “Eh, it’s about equal. Have you written anything new lately? I know you’ve been trying to get your album done but you always try your new stuff on me, and you haven’t played anything for me in a while.”
The singer frowned and Keller paid close attention to her answer. Sarah’s nightmares were increasing and when Keller finally asked her about them, Sarah simply shut down. Keller knew Sarah wasn’t writing anything new because of all people, Keller would hear it first. “No, I’ve been too busy with everything else that’s going on.” Her response was short and set off alarm bells for Annie.
