by Long, Marie
“I’m just leaving my life science final, my last one of the day. On my way home.”
The pounding in my chest still doesn’t let up. “Everything okay with Lauren? You left early this morning.”
“Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry. Lauren had a severe migraine and needed me to get some more painkillers.”
“Damn, what were she and Larry doing last night?”
She chuckles softly. “Nothing that I know of. Sometimes she gets these really bad migraines during her monthly.”
It takes a moment for me to process that. “Oh.”
“Hey, can you come over today? I got three unknown missed calls on my phone. I have this weird feeling. I’d rather stay with you, but I should stay with Lauren in case she needs me.”
My skin prickles. “Okay. I’ll be over there after work.”
“Thanks, Dominick. I love you.”
* * *
Quittin’ time. Thank God. I clock out not a minute later.
“Hey,” Larry calls as I’m mounting my bike. He looks at me with concern. “I called Lauren, but she didn’t pick up.”
“She’s probably asleep, man,” I say. “All drugged up on painkillers.”
Larry blinks. “What?”
“Eh, female problems, according to Denise. Might wanna stay away from her today.”
“Damn. We had a date tonight. Guess it’s another night of overtime at the shop for me.”
I gear up and start the bike. “Take it easy, man.” I ride cautiously through the streets, anticipating seeing that car again. Rather than going my usual route to Denise’s place, I take a lot of side streets. It takes longer, but if someone really is watching me, hopefully I’ll throw them off.
I ride through the winding streets of Denise’s neighborhood. It’s still rush hour, and many of the neighbors haven’t gotten home yet, so the neighborhood seems pretty quiet. When Denise’s white house comes into view, I speed up. I have no stop signs on this road, so it’s a straight shot. That eerie feeling in my gut returns, and I grip the handlebars tighter. I see Denise’s car parked out front, but that doesn’t make me any more relaxed.
Only a block away from her house, as I cross an intersection, a large blue object pulls out in front of me. A car, perhaps, or maybe a truck. It’s there and gone, so I have no idea. I try to stop—at least I think I do. My ears ring and patches of blue sky spin in my vision. My heart drops into my gut like I’m on a rollercoaster, falling, falling. I slam into something solid, the inner cushions of the helmet yielding to the back of my head. Sliding to a stop across the hard surface, I let out a groan. My body goes numb, and the sky darkens until all I see is black.
Chapter 27
The darkness slowly lifts, and my vision blurs and clears as I regain consciousness. How long have I been out? I can feel my body being pulled somewhere. Who the fuck’s touching me? I try opening my mouth to yell, but no sound comes out.
I glimpse my motorcycle helmet on the ground nearby, scuffed and the plastic face shield cracked. My jacket lays next to it in a heap of torn material.
“Jesus, Nick, hurry up before someone sees us!” says a male voice. It’s distant, but my mind is too jumbled to try and recognize it.
“He’s fine,” Nick says, his voice much closer.
Nick. Oh, hell.
My mind starts to piece things together. But before I can think any more, I feel soft cushions beneath me. The scent of pine trees hit my nose, further rousing me. I’m in the backseat of a car. A Christmas tree air freshener hangs from the rearview mirror, and the tops of two heads are visible over the two front seats.
Fuck, no.
Grunting, I will the rest of my body awake. “Let me out,” I say through a loud groan.
“Shit, he’s coming to,” the guy in the passenger seat says. “Hurry up and get us outta here.”
The engine starts, and adrenaline pumps through me. I’m still winded, but I’m strong enough to push myself up. “No,” I groan. I get a good look at the two guys. William’s in the passenger seat, and Nick’s driving. “You,” I say, eyeing William. My mind is fuzzy. “The cops arrested you.”
“He’s got friends in high places. Unlike you, man,” Nick says, putting the car in gear. “Now shut the fuck up.”
I lurch for the driver’s seat and grab Nick in a headlock as his foot hits the gas. He gasps and lets go of the wheel, and the car jolts forward out of control. His foot desperately searches for the brake.
“Shit!” William reaches for the wheel with one hand and under the front seat with the other. I catch a glimpse of a shiny object.
No! No, No, No, No. I thought that shit only happens in the movies.
“Let him go, or I’ll blow your fucking head off!” William growls, pressing the gun into my temple.
For a moment, I can’t breathe. The cold steel of the gun barrel sends shivers through me. The smell of gunpowder is strong. So this is what it’s like to have a gun pulled on you. But I’ll be damned if I let these motherfuckers drive me off to hell knows where.
And Denise is so close.
I slowly unwrap my arms from Nick’s neck and lower myself into the backseat. Nick quickly stops the car then goes into a coughing fit before gathering himself. Out of one of the back windows, I see a woman, half a block away, jogging along the sidewalk in our direction with a small dog on a leash. She stops short of the intersection and notices my motorcycle laying in the street. Then she looks in our direction.
I need to keep them here as long as I can. I turn to William, who’s more focused on Nick. I notice a missing tooth on the side of William’s mouth, and a few scars on his face from where I’d pummeled him that night. “What the fuck, man?” I say. “Why are you kidnapping me?”
William points the gun at me. “Shut up. Just shut. The fuck. Up. You ruined me, you know that? Ruined my fucking life!”
“Why? Because I saved a girl from getting raped by you?”
“It was not rape. She wanted it.”
“Yeah, once you got her all drugged up.” I watch the woman in my peripheral vision. She starts jogging a little faster in our direction, and the little dog barks crazily.
Ignoring me, William shoves Nick. “Hurry the fuck up and get us out of here!” He peers out the driver-side window. “Shit! Someone’s coming!”
While William’s distracted, I lunge between the two front seats for the gun. Grabbing William’s wrist, I twist it and the gun toward the passenger-side window. Bones break in his wrist, and William screams. A loud bang drowns out the sound of window glass shattering, and then my right ear rings like a motherfucker. The smell of gunpowder assaults my nose.
Nick reaches for me, and I slam my left elbow into the side of his head. He grunts, his head snapping to the side and smashing into the driver-side door.
I deactivate the locks and scramble out of the backseat. As soon as my feet hit the asphalt, my knees buckle and I collapse. Crawling away from the car, I see William lumber out of the passenger side, aiming the gun at me with his uninjured hand.
“Get the fuck back here!” I hear him yell through the ringing that still lingers in my ears.
The lady runs across the street, away from the danger, her phone to her ear. Her tiny dog is barking madly, tugging on the leash in our direction.
A car turns down our street and stops. A man gets out and looks in our direction, phone in hand.
“Shit, man,” Nick says nervously. “You’re on your own. I’m not gonna get arrested over this shit.”
William locks and loads the gun with a single click. “Don’t you leave me, man,” he says, not looking at Nick. “You promised you wouldn’t.” His hand shakes dangerously.
More cars stop in the street, people coming home from work and school. All of them are on their phones. Nick runs away, and some people yell and point.
“It’s over, William,” I say. “You gonna kill me? Then do it, man. Get it over with. But Denise still won’t love you.”
His gaze tears into me like he’
s looking into my very soul. And I stare back, ready and waiting for him to pull that trigger. This is not the way I thought I’d die, but at least I’ll die knowing that he’ll never have Denise’s heart.
He sneers. I wish he’d just shoot me already and get it over with.
His shaky hand lowers the gun. He sinks to his knees and shudders. “You stole her from me.”
Sirens echo down the street, and I exhale. Thank God.
Two houses down, the front door to Denise’s house swings open, and there she is, standing on the stoop, looking in my direction.
I want to yell for her to stay away, but I know she wouldn’t hear me, and it’s too late to stop her. I watch her run toward me, her jean shorts showing off those sexy legs.
Two police cars pull up before us. Officers jump out and move in on William, disarming him, then hefting him up in handcuffs. A third police car zooms past, in the general direction Nick had run.
Denise stops short of the scene, her face pale as she watches William being escorted into one of the cruisers.
Another officer kneels down before me, his radio blaring with voices and static. “You okay, buddy?”
I manage to nod and then look in Denise’s direction. She bites her nails as she watches.
“There’s an ambulance on the way,” the officer says. Then he stands and talks into his radio.
Ugh, no hospitals!
The adrenaline has subsided and weariness overtakes me. Drawing my eyes back to Denise, I stare until my eyelids grow heavy and all I see is darkness.
* * *
We leave the hospital a few hours later. Thankfully, the doctors said I only have some minor bruises. Denise drives me to her place, and the neighborhood’s quiet once again. Larry’s truck is parked along the curb as we pull into the driveway.
Denise shuts off the engine and traces her finger along the steering wheel.
I reach over and caress her cheek. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
She looks at me sadly and then shakes her head. “I just can’t believe it. Everything. I mean—”
“The motherfucker must’ve gotten bailed out or something. I doubt he’ll get out so easily this time.”
“He was in my neighborhood, Dominick!” Denise says, her voice cracking. Her eyes become glassy. “If you weren’t here, he might have—” She covers her mouth with her hand and shudders. Tears begin to fall.
I exhale through my nose and pull her toward me. “Well, he didn’t, and he won’t. I told you I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you again, understand?” I kiss the top of her head.
She pulls back and manages to smile beneath those tears.
We get out of the car and make our way up the walkway, but Larry answers the door before we reach the stoop. His eyes full of concern, he lets go of the doorknob.
“Shit, Dominick, are you okay?” Larry asks. “I heard there was a shooting around here.”
I nod. “I’m fine, man. Had another run-in with William.”
His gaze hardens, and he steps aside to let us in.
“How is Lauren?” Denise asks.
“She’s all right. We were just having coffee.”
Denise’s face brightens. “So she’s finally up? That’s great!”
Denise leaves, and I plop on the couch with a sigh. “Man, what a day. What time is it, anyway?”
“Ten thirty,” Larry says, sitting next to me. “You sure you’re all right, son?”
I freeze. Son. He called me “son.” My eyes sting. Maybe he doesn’t realize what he said, but I know exactly what I heard. “Y—yeah, man, I’m good. Never thought something like that would ever happen to me.”
“Scary shit, ain’t it? I worked as a bouncer when I was your age, and I saw my share of scary shit.”
“The docs said I shouldn’t have survived that motorcycle accident the way I impacted. I don’t even know what happened, but apparently it was pretty bad.”
“You’re one lucky kid. Don’t blow that luck on something shitty.” He grins.
I almost laugh at that. Man, this “guardian angel” business is some tough shit.
Chapter 28
It’s Friday night, and the semester is over. Kevin’s back from Portland, and he’s spinning tonight at Club Wildfire downtown.
The doors to the club are just opening by the time Denise and I arrive. I’d gotten my bike repaired and returned as good as new. As I park in a lot across the street, I spot Larry’s truck nearby. Larry’s clubbing tonight, too? This I have to see.
We head across the street and stand on the long line that’s practically out the door. It’s moving fairly quickly, but I drape my arm around Denise’s bare shoulders, holding her close and admiring her sparkly, silver-sequined strappy dress and matching heels.
The sound of Kevin’s music begins to filter outside. I smile. It’ll be good to see my brother again.
We’re nearing the front of the line when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I jerk and turn around. “Larry? I thought I saw your truck. What are you doing here?”
Larry nods, grinning slightly. Lauren is next to him, her arm hooked with his. “What? You think this old man don’t know how to dance?” he says.
I clear my throat. “Well, I didn’t say that.”
Denise snickers.
Lauren smirks. “I’m sure he’s got more rhythm than you.”
I roll my eyes at her, then turn back to Larry, getting a good look at him. He’s dressed sharp, looking a good ten years younger in his white blazer over a blue button-down shirt and black pants. “Damn, Larry, you’ve really outdone yourself this time.”
“Didn’t he?” Lauren beams, nestling herself closer to Larry.
Denise nudges me in the arm. “And you don’t look half bad yourself, Dominick.” She leans up and kisses my cheek, and I grin stupidly.
At the front of the line, we show our IDs to the bouncer and head inside. Strobe lights and fog surround us, and Kevin’s house music vibrates the floor as we walk. People are everywhere dancing and drinking. Neon spotlights rain down on the stage over Kevin, who’s hard at work on the mixer. Dressed in one of his many colorful button-down shirts and a black backwards baseball cap, Kevin’s body bobs, as if he’s caught up in his own music. Sometimes he can get really deep into his own little world like that. I guess that’s why his music always sounds so amazing. Girls surround the foot of the stage, swooning and moving to the beat.
Larry and Lauren separate from us, and they head toward the bar, where the two of them get lost in the sea of dancing bodies. Denise holds my hand, and I snake through the tight crowd, leading her as close to the stage as I can get. She lets go of my hand and breaks out in a sexy dance, every movement graceful and smooth like the natural dancer that she is. I move in time with her, then reach out and pull her against me. Our bodies together, her back to my chest, we rock and grind to the bass beat. The crowd all around us roars and screams at the stage in their rowdy, drunken fashion, moving, dancing, getting possessed by the music. Colorful sparkling lights from the mirror balls and neon strobe lights above engulf us, and I feel like I’ve entered a fantasy world with the most wonderful girl in my arms. Her body is so hot, her pear scent mixed with her sweat, it arouses all of my senses. I close my eyes for a moment and savor the intoxicating bliss of our dance, the music, the atmosphere. Pure freedom.
Then I feel her lips touch mine, and I open my eyes. It’s like waking up from a dream.
The music’s still going, though the melody and drumbeat has shifted. People around us are still dancing, but Denise has stopped and is breathing hard. She leans her face close to mine. “I need a drink.”
I nod, huffing, my heart pounding. We squeeze our way through the throng of sweaty bodies toward the bar, and I flag down a scantily clad bartender.
When we get our drinks, I pull Denise off to the side, away from the oncoming bar traffic. “Looks like we won’t be seeing Lauren and Larry any more tonight,” I say as I scan the crowd.
Denise winks. “And
they won’t be seeing us tonight, either.”
I raise my eyebrows at her. “Huh?”
She places the cup to her lips, tips her head back, and downs her entire drink in a few gulps.
Damn! Never seen her drink like that before.
She grabs my arm and pulls me across the main room toward another, smaller, black-lit room full of couches, padded benches, and beanbag chairs. A few couples occupy the neon-glowing couches, while others lounge around in the other seats. I manage to finish my drink before Denise swipes the ice-filled cup from my hands and tosses it in the garbage. She pushes me backwards onto an oversized beanbag chair and plops on top of me. She plants her lips onto mine and kisses me hard. My hands fall to her hips as I welcome her forcefulness. Her dress gives off neon sparkles under the overhead black light. The music shifts again and the thumping, possessive beat returns, making the room vibrate. She cups my face with her hands, kissing me deeper, and I feel her tongue prod my lips.
Oh, fuck yes.
I touch my tongue to hers, tasting her sweet, natural taste infused with Long Island iced tea. My hands move around to her middle, caressing those firm abs. Moaning, she kisses over my cheek, down to my neck. Her amazing pear scent drives me insane. Holy shit, she’s horny. I want to take her right here in this comfortable chair. She moves back up to my lips, and we share an intimate kiss. I pull out my phone and glance at the time. Almost one o’clock. As much as I want to see Kevin tonight, I feel more inclined to tend to this wonderful girl in my arms. I reluctantly break the kiss and sit her up in my lap.
“Let’s get out of here,” I mutter in her ear.
She grins and dismounts me, taking my hand. We leave the club and return to the bike. She climbs on behind me and wraps her arms around my waist. My diaphragm contracts as her hands are dangerously close to my groin. God, I have a serious hard-on right now. I bet she’s doing that on purpose, damn it. I fumble with the key and eventually start up the bike. I take every shortcut I know to get home quick. Entering through the kitchen, I hear Chris and Adrienne’s voices coming from the living room. Hard breathing and moaning.
