by Kara Hart
“It’s over, Jack. If the business is done with me, then I’m done with the business. But I swear on my life, I’m going to rise up and build a new and better fan base. This time, without any of your help. I’m gonna do this right this time.”
“Well, whatever you do, don’t bring me into it. I have enough people barking up my tree right now. No thanks to you. I missed a meeting this morning with 50 Cent. 50 fucking Cent!” That was all he cared about. There was no loyalty or friendship with Jack. He was just another man in a suit. Good riddance.
“Don’t let me get in your way, Jack. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.” I said, staring out the window.
“Like what? What are you cooking up, Hope?” he smiled, intrigued by my plight.
“It’s just…you know that Rust guy my sister kept talking about?” I asked him.
“Yeah, some junkie? What about him?”
“He’s not some junkie. Notice how she said he took her drugs? He wants to get her better.”
“That’s what they all say. Then they take your stash and use it for themselves. Come on, Hope. Don’t be so naïve. Your sister, and I don’t mean any offence by this, is involved in a dark world. It’s like living in the jungle or something.”
“Yeah I get that. It’s just that Avery was talking to some guy named Rust the other day. Said he was going to help me out. You know, get my house back and make a few calls to the label. I assumed that meant he would rough some people up. What did I know?”
“Okay, so? That’s purely coincidence.”
“Let me finish, Jack. Can I fucking finish?” God, he was so annoying sometimes.
“Well, he wanted my social security number. I thought it was going to help with the house. But now I’m thinking, they’re keeping tabs on me. Like, this Rust guy has been seeing my sister for only a week. He rented an apartment for her! What’s that about?” I seriously couldn’t wrap my head around it. I couldn’t believe Avery would stoop to such lows. He was hot, sure. But not hot enough to keep going back to him.
“You’re just paranoid, Hope. They’re low level thugs. They don’t run things. You want to know who runs things? Look at the people above me. That’s who’s really in charge. Check out their bank statements sometime. It’ll blow your god damn mind.” He laughed condescendingly.
Well, if I was paranoid, he was delusional. It wasn’t unreasonable for me to think there was something shady going on between Avery, Rust, and myself. They had already been using me for just about everything else they needed. Why wouldn’t they be keeping tabs?
“Jack, do you know what this means?”
“Here we go.” Jack sighed.
“It means there’s nowhere to run to. They’ll find me no matter what. I’m fucking stuck with him. Stuck with these gangsters. Oh God.” I hit the dashboard of his car.
Jack was practically cackling. “Yeah, you should have just married the guy. At least then you could have divorced him for all his money.” Such sarcasm. I realized why I had cut off contact from him in the first place. Even as a manager, he was subpar. I couldn’t wait to see him fail on his next project. 50 Cent? Ha.
“Yeah, well maybe I will.” I muttered.
Jack laughed even harder at this. “Come on, Hope. It’s time for you to come home. You’re staying with me for a while. Just long enough to get on your feet. Sound good?”
“Sure thing.” I said.
In the meantime, we had gone quite some distance. As we drove into more familiar surroundings, I saw a corner store, nearby Avery’s place. I didn’t like or trust the guy, but if I was going to figure out more, I would have to continue pretending that I did.
“Hey, stop here real quick. I want to get a drink.” I said.
“That can’t wait?” Jack looked at me funny.
“Oh, come on! I’ll buy you something.” I said, smiling and looking as happy as can be.
“Okay. I guess I have to use the restroom anyway.” he willingly acquiesced. We got out of the car and walked into the store. That little bell above rang and Jack walked into the bathroom. And as soon as he did, I ran out the store in the direction of Avery’s house. “Goodbye, Jack.” I whispered. “It was fun while it lasted.”
It was time to get what I needed, to find out all the answers. Screw being a pop star. This was all too important now. I was consumed.
17
Avery
I was woken up by a loud pounding on my door. “Who is it?” I called out. The knocking, of course, persisted. Pound, pound, pound. I felt like it would never stop. After a minute or so, I pulled myself out of bed. I had the worst hangover imaginable. What did I do to myself last night? That’s when it hit me. Luke, Bobby, and Bruce. The past few days had been insane for me. And now Hope had left me too. I was technically a lone ranger at this point. “Yeah, what is it?” I yelled, walking towards the front door. I looked at the security TV and saw what seemed to be an angel.
“Hope?” I asked myself. Could it really be her?
I quickly threw open the door to see. There she was.
“Oh, Avery!” she cried out.
I smiled and picked her up into my arms. “Miss me, huh?”
“Don't try and act cocky with me, Avery. Now is not the time.” she scowled. She was clearly mad at me. I tried my best to smooth things over.
“I won't, I won't. Damn did I miss those freckles though. Where'd you run off to?” There it was, the real question on my mind. Damn though, looking at her now, made me realize just how much I really missed her. She looked incredible. All natural, thick, and confident -- just the way I liked ‘em. A real American woman.
“I spent some quality time with Jack.” she said. Then after some silence, she stepped inside and asked, “Well, do you blame me for running away?”
We sat on the couch and I couldn’t help but stare at her full tits and ass. Her legs were smooth and pure, her skin had youth and vitality. I hadn't gotten laid in almost a week, and I wanted to flip her around and take her with all that I had.
“Yeah Unfortunately, I do blame you. Why the fuck are you running around with him?” But how could I really, when she looked that good? “I didn't anticipate Luke being there. He went crazy. That isn't even the half of it either.” I said.
She ignored my anger, seemingly frustrated with me. “What happened? I heard a loud noise as soon as I left. Did you rough him up?” She laid back against the fabric and slowly spread her legs.
My hand caressed her smooth ankle, running all the way up to her core. She grabbed my hand, waiting for my response. “He tried to kill me, the bastard. But I got out of the way right in time. Would've taken my left eye if he got lucky. The weirdest thing was, Bobby Farole came by. Asked me to stop by his gang’s bar…”
Her hand was around my growing flesh, over my clothes. Her fingers wrapped tightly around my shaft. I was moaning, above her, as my hands controlled her tight waist and ass. Fuck, this felt so good. I needed her every single day.
But all of a sudden, as she heard my words, her legs closed together and she pulled herself out of my grasp. “Whoa, hold on one second. Are you serious? Bobby Farole?”
I sighed loudly. Couldn't we just talk about this later? “Yeah, Bobby Farole came in. Big deal. Luke's the one who shot at my face.” I said, feeling my libido slip away.
“Avery, do you really think you can just grope me and everything will be alright? That’s not how it’s going to work. Look, I left for a reason, so you’re going to respect me and answer my questions.”
Wow, she was being a real hard ass. “Fine.” I said. “We can talk.”
She ran her hands across her legs and took a deep breath. “So came by the place already? What're you gonna do?” she asked me. I stood up and walked into the kitchen to pour myself a stiff drink.
“Hell if I know. I doubt you still wanna help me at this point. This life is probably too wild for you anyway.” I said, taunting her. I needed her still. I needed her to do this for me, despite the risks. I'd be there to
protect her. I wouldn't let her down. She meant more to me now, oddly enough. The whole thing kinda made me sick.
“I'll help you.” she simply said.
“Wait, what? You'll do it? Since when were you so okay with it?”
“I agreed to do it a couple of days ago, right? Well, I'm in. I'm not afraid anymore.” She had a certain confidence in her today that I hadn't seen before. I guess after the incident with The Sapo Boys, she had changed a lot. I wasn't used to change, but I was learning to roll with it.
“Well alright then, baby. Let's come up with a plan.” I said, clapping my hands. There was nothing I liked more than sex, but I did love coming up with a good plan.
“Okay. But not here.” she said.
“It's safe here. What's the matter?” I asked her, feeling confused and a little let down from the lack of sex.
She kissed my cheek and smiled. “Because, silly. I want to go out with you. Maybe after we come up with something, you can have some dessert.” she said, rubbing up against me.
“With whip cream? And cherries on top?” I winked. She licked across my lips. Fuck. She was trying to kill me, I swear.
“With whatever toppings you can handle…” She whispered, kissing the back of my neck.
“Let's go.” I said, picking her up and running out the door. It was almost morning, and there was a lot to be done already.
* * *
“So what's the plan?” she asked me, sliding her backside into the darkened booth of the Mexican restaurant. “What were you thinking?” her voice was hushed and low so no one could hear.
I laughed, looking at her funny. “You speak like a criminal now.”
She blushed and took off her pair of sunglasses. “Do you have to ruin everything?” she asked me.
“Of course I do. I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn’t ruined a ton of shit in my life.”
“So you don't have a plan. Is that what you're telling me?” She looked around the room for our server. “Whatever. Just tell me what you wanted me to do.” She said, crossing her arms and looking away.
“It ain't that simple. Plus, I'm starting to think that Luke and Bobby are in this together.” I admitted. It was a cold truth that I had to face sooner than later. Sure, Luke hated Bobby with a fiery passion. But now they had a mutual, or at least a similar, goal. They wanted to take over the whole damn region.
“I'll seduce them.” She laughed. “Like we said. Both of them.”
“Well, that ain't gonna work. They've got some rules they follow and they ain't gonna touch anybody else’s girl.” I sighed. This was going to be difficult to figure out. “Look, we gotta think about things one at a time. Bobby is first and foremost. I know we got that whole thing with The Sapo Boys and Luke, but Bobby legitimately scares me.”
“But Luke shot a gun at your face, Avery.” Well…she did have a point.
“You're right. But it's not a bullet I'm scared of. Luke’s harmless if he has no backup. There's no way in hell he could take down Bruce and the gang. But Bobby? Hell, he's a truly evil guy, Hope. I don't think you understand. I wouldn't put it past him to change all the pipes to flow out lead filled water. He’d kill us slow and painful. He's a god damn sadist.” I shook my head, realizing the gravity of the situation.
“And you want me to fuck this guy?” She asked, real pissed and cute looking. I could feel all eyes in the restaurant turn toward us.
“Settle down.” I whispered, leaning over the table. “Not fuck him. It wouldn't be a good time for you, honey. Plus, I never want to say I fucked the same girl as Bobby Farole. I want you to seduce him. Big difference. You use everything you got: sex appeal, cute outfits, cocaine -- which he loves by the way -- and huge meals fit for ten. Let's face it, the man's not thin by any means.” I laughed and ran my hands through my hair. “Any questions?”
“So you don't want me to sleep with him?” She asked. Was this girl deaf? I guess I did want her to in the beginning. But that was before I knew her. She was just some girl then. Now she was…oh, I don't know, she seemed special, okay? I truly hated admitting it, ‘cause ain't no woman that special. But this one in front of me … God, damn she was something.
“Hell no! Are you even listening to me? I said no sex. Just make him think he’ll get it if he keeps trying hard. Lead him on. You're a celebrity, it shouldn't be that hard for you.” I said.
“I resent that. But you're right. All men are easy. I'll get him going. I'll work him up real nice and hot. I'll—”
I stood up waving my hands at her. “Just spare me the details. That image in my head is disgusting.” Hope and Bobby was an absolute nightmare, a true layer of hell. Shit, this was a terrible plan, but it's not like it couldn't work. Most of our plans weren't too hot, and somehow Bruce has been hard at it all his life. So why not? It was our best shot.
“And what, I just report back to you every night?” The server came by with chips and we both dove in, chewing loudly.
“Yeah, why not?” I asked her honestly. I wasn't asking her to date the guy. “You're just going out, like to clubs or bars, or wherever it is they go. Collect all the info you can on them and Luke and when you get home, give me all you can.”
“I can definitely give you all I can…” she licked her lips, inserting two fingers right in her pretty little mouth. Jesus Christ. Did I tell you she was something?
18
Hope
I held the picture in my hand, shaking my head while almost gagging with disgust. “That's Bobby Farole?” I asked. Avery laughed awkwardly and nodded. “Why don't you just kill me now?”
“What, baby? You’re not into a little greasy groin action?” Avery grabbed at the almost empty whisky bottle and took another sip. Things got a little heavy last night. Let's just say, my ass cheeks felt a little raw at this point.
“I could care less about a man's weight, but couldn't the guy take a shower at least?” I threw the photo back onto the table and shielded my eyes.
Avery turned serious. “That's not even the worst of it. He's killed men, sure. You've heard all that. But, uh…” he took another sip and sighed as the burn traveled down his throat. “he killed his own parents, Hope. Stabbed them to death. Kept their teeth as a necklace. I'm tellin’ you, the man's a barbarian.”
I put my head on the table and felt the pressure inside my body begin to rise. “He’ll kill me, Avery.”
“I'll have two men with me right outside, waiting to react if things go south. If it gets a little crazy in there, you use this.” He pulled out a tiny cylindrical box with one button in the center. It looked like a can of mace.
“Pepper spray? Really?” If I had heard right, a little spray of mace wasn't going to take down a madman like Bobby.
“It's not pepper spray.” Avery gave me a wild look.
“What is it then? Some kind of wire?” I asked, concerned by the whole thing. “He’ll find it, Avery. And when he does, he’ll take my teeth!”
“It ain't no wire, dammit. It's just an alert beacon for you. No wires, no microphones, just a button for us to know if you’re safe or not. We had a friend up north make this for us and it sure as hell cost a pretty penny. All you do is press this button and it alerts the whole gang. You'll be safe. Trust me, Hope.” He sighed, putting his hand on my shoulder.
It was a hell of a lot to ask. Was I doing it for my house? Or was I doing it for my failing career? No. I was doing it for Avery. He had done nothing for me. That I knew. He had even sent Rust, a man I had yet to meet, to spy on my sister. But I knew there was something good deep down inside of him. I just knew it.
“Just tell me one thing, Avery. ‘Cause I desperately need to know the answer.” I said, feeling unusually vulnerable at this moment.
“Go ahead. Ask any question.” He said.
“Why? Why'd you do it, Avery? Why'd you send Rust to spy on my sister? Why are you collecting tabs on my life?” I practically screamed the words at him.
Avery looked shocked. “I guess I under
estimated you.” He said, standing up and beginning to pace around the room.
“Yeah. You did. That’s what me and Jack were doing the other day. I went to find my sister.”
“But why? What made you think of that? From what I’ve gathered, you haven’t seen your sister in ages. Why go to her now?”
I pulled at my hair. How could I even begin to explain this to him? “There wasn’t a real reason. That night with The Sapo Boys, it changed me. I had weird hallucinations, Avery. I saw my family. I relived my whole entire life. And I saw my sister. She was crying in the corner of the room. It was horrible. I felt guilty for abandoning her like I did. I had to see her. I had to see what I did to her.” I started to cry and Avery came up behind me and massaged my shoulders, holding me close. It felt good, despite my anger towards him.
“There, there. It ain’t your fault. Life just happens sometimes. It’s a ride. You have to sit tight and let the show happen. And I ain’t spying on you neither. I gave Rust your info because I knew there was something else going on. A pop star doesn’t just lose her career and home to fall into nothing. Where were your parents or siblings? Why didn’t they help you? I knew there was something that wasn’t right about it all. So when Rust told me about your sister, I had to help. I told him to get her an apartment and keep an eye on her. You know, to stop in sometimes and see how she was doing. I told him if she had drugs, he was to take it from her. I’m not as bad as you think, Hope.”
Did he really do all that just for me? It seemed like a lot for not even really knowing who I was. Still, I was grateful. No one had ever gone above and beyond for me like that. Not even Jack. I wiped the tears from my eyes and said, “Well, thanks. Then tell me, who is Rust anyway?”
“He’s just another cog in the Courage MC. He knows his shit and has some good connections high up. He can get anyone’s information within a day. He’s a powerful resource for us.” Avery said.
