The news dubbed it a freak accident. According to their sources, the fire appeared to be caused by faulty wiring in one of the cars. I assumed Roberts suspected something more happened. The last guy expired after suffering for almost five days in the burn unit. It left me to attest to the truth or not.
Roberts tried to corner me a few more times afterward but I'd healed nicely from the beating, making eluding him much easier. He wouldn't be able to find me here, only a select handful of folks could. Those were the homeless people who discovered me beaten to a pulp in the park.
Thankfully they were close-lipped and clannish, not talking to many outsiders, let alone cops. Not that those folks were able to gain any more knowledge about me than I managed myself. The meager information I learned so far was through trial and error. We guessed my age to be between twenty to twenty-two years old, pulling off twenty-five in heels and makeup.
The intricate oriental red dragon tattoo that covered my entire back held as much of a mystery. The artwork started on my left shoulder blade, where its mouth appeared to bite into my flesh. It snaked itself down to my right foot with the tail's tip resting on my baby toe. All four paws gave the impression they dug their claws into my hips and rib cage. None of the local ink joints seen anything similar to it, some said the design reminded them of a form of Yakuza gang inking.
My skills in climbing and jumping suggested a form of Parkour. Discovering my ability to squeeze through some pretty tight areas had come in handy. Tumbling, flipping and twisting my body into a near contortionist manner being second nature. I learned a set of handcuffs slipped off with ease. Having proven that to the cops on more than one occasion, much to their displeasure.
My recall of events for the last six months was almost photographic, yet a blank slate prior to that. The fact I understood several different languages, along with my other skill sets made me think I was part of an international circus. The manifestation of the flames, well I couldn't explain that, or the fact my wounds healed extremely fast.
I was lucky, the park's vagrants who found me took a liking to me. One of the older men introduced me to a bag lady named Ruth. A former call girl back in the day, before age took a hold of her and her boss Frankie Lucchese passed on. The rumors were she had fallen hard for him and when he died she went off the deep end. His son still gave her a hot meal every day from his bar and that's how I met my repeat employer, Bruno Lucchese. In no time he had me running errands for him, the pay being all under the table made the work worthwhile.
I laid low in my hidey-hole for several days after the attack. My place might not have been much, but at least provided some safety. About five months back, I happened across the abandoned church on the other side of the Cypress Hill Cemetery when running from the Jokers. The dilapidated structure stood nestled in the densely wooded area of Highland Park. The twenty-foot climb up into the steeple to a small three-foot by three-foot entrance door made access next to impossible for someone other than me. I kept the space well stocked with blankets, spare clothes, things to read and my first aid kit.
Several plastic milk crates formed a makeshift cupboard along the left wall. Everything needed to be kept in the appropriate place; a disorganized mess drove me batty. The few valuables I managed to pick up, such as a can opener; a battery operated radio, a small laptop and the stash I could sell in a pinch, were kept neatly organized. The herb was what the four gang members wanted to steal that night in the alley.
Grubby lay curled up in a ball on my pile of neatly folded musty smelling blankets, purring away contently as I scratched behind her ear. The calico cat found me one night after being chased in here by a dog; we became fast friends. However, I think the cans of tuna I regularly got for her were the glue to our kinship. As she kneaded at my leg, I eyed the two remaining cans of fish and a jar of pasta sauce from the food bank. With a heavy sigh, my thoughts turned to acquiring adequate supplies for us.
My pay as you go cell phone vibrated against my butt. I pulled the device out of my back pocket to find out who messaged me. The text being short and simple, Parcel drop off to Speranza's at 8:30 Sunday night. I needed some good news, going any longer than that without cash meant no food to feed the cat or myself. Bruno would pay well for the job, he always did. I didn't know for sure if he took pity on me or if he might be sweet on me. Secretly I hoped for the latter of the two.
Several hours went by and boredom started to set in. Going through my favorites list on my phone I fired off a quick text to my buddy Jax.
Sup tonight.
Heading to the club, you?
Who's all going? I assumed, the regular crew of friends would be there.
Tabby, Amber, Rizzo, Shawn, and Bones. You in??
Hell yeah. Give me an hour. A night of fun was long overdue.
I stuffed some of my cleaner clothes and toiletries into a duffle bag before heading for Jax's. He was one of a few people I could truly call a friend and he didn't mind me taking a shower and such at his pad. It was my good fortune he didn't live far from the cemetery. This part of the city fell extremely short of being a safe area to travel alone.
The evening's breeze stirred stray strands of hair across my chilled cheeks as the sun dipped behind the tall buildings lining the street. Broken windows and boarded up entrances adorned the bankrupt and condemned businesses in this area. The shadows stretched out over the sidewalks and the alleyways grew darker, making for decent places for evil people to hide. Bums and bag ladies dominated the side streets, while most of the other tenements housed unsavory residents.
The lane to the back alley, which led to his apartment, appeared to be much worse. Old, worn brick walls stood here for decades. Bits and pieces crumbled away as entropy ate away at them. Graffiti scarred surfaces told a story of the countless gangs that came and went over the years. The motifs, layered one over the other, showed who ruled the place. The artwork appeared to be a timeline onto itself.
Although only having known each other for a few months, we became tight friends. He kind of had a thing for me and we flirted often, but in our line of work getting close got ugly quick. People could use a relationship as a weakness.
After pounding on his door for several minutes, he finally answered. He stood there dripping wet in a dark grey towel; white suds still clung to his hair. I lazily eyed him over with a lopsided grin before winking at him. "You got company in there?"
"You're early. I didn't think you would be here for at least another half hour," he said and moved out of the way for me to come in.
"Well, I kind of hoped I could take a shower here."
"Yeah sure, just let me finish," he muttered before quickly escaping back to the bathroom.
A pile of clothes on one of the hard plastic lawn chairs appeared to be brand new; several items still bore their price tags. A few cases of empty beer bottles sat stacked near the door. This could only be described as a serious bachelor pad, albeit a messy one.
An old blue striped bed sheet hung over the window and billowed delicately in the evening breeze which flowed in. The tiny kitchen opened to the living room area. The meager furniture in here was a small tattered green, felt topped card table and two stainless steel stools. Somewhere under the mountain of empty Chinese food containers, pizza boxes, and fast-food wrappers a countertop resided. I was positive the few real dishes that were in the place were beer glasses.
Walking into Jax's room I turned the music on, before tossing my bag onto his flawlessly made bed. Unlike the rest of the apartment, this room always appeared neat and clean. A huge flat screen TV sat on the dresser directly across from the queen-sized bed. It was the spoils from a dare by his friend Bones.
I sauntered back out to the living room knowing Jax would want to check out the stuff I managed to pickpocket on the way over. While waiting for him to finish in the shower, I set about emptying the contents of my jacket onto the table. My dextrous fingers managed four wallets, two watches and a cell phone. I tallied up all the cash and the grand total came to a meager fifty bucks, the rest Jax would sell for me at a percentage. When he finished his shower I showed him my pilfering and he quoted me a price. Afterward, I went to prepare for a night of fun.
The heavenly spray of hot water rained over me. Small trickles of suds raced down my body, carrying away the weeks' worth of grime. Jax greeted me as I walked out of the washroom clad in a towel, his face grew instantly red.
"Um…the rest of the gang is here," he said as his gaze darted from my face to the floor.
Staring up at his face made me smile; the once blond hair was dyed an electric blue. The sides of his head were shaved to bare skin. His mischievous smoky gray eyes some would regard as evil, but I kind of found them sexy. With piercings in his eyebrows, nose, lip and one-inch stretchers in his ears, one definitely wouldn't mistake him for a businessman. Tonight he wore a worn-out Sex Pistol Tee and tattered combat pants and boots.
Tabby and Amber came around the hall corner, both grinning wildly at us as if we were caught in the act. Neither girl slowed their pace as they snatched me by the hands and hauled me into Jax's room. Tabby immediately pulled shit out of my bag, excited to check out what I brought to wear. With every movement, her bangle covered wrist jingled and the clinking made me think of how easy it would be to follow her in the dark.
She kept her long jet black hair straight and loose, her icy green eyes reminded me of gems and she was thin like me. The white knitted dress she wore showed the black bra and panty set underneath. Tabby had a habit of being dangerously indiscreet.
Amber, was the polar opposite, with more curves than either of us, had shocking red hair, deep blue eyes, simple jewelry and a conservative green dress. Both of them had already applied their makeup and perfume, which left me being the only one who needed to finish getting ready.
Tabby held up the dress I brought to wear tonight and she eyed the garb than me.
"Looking to score tonight, or are you Worken," she chided as I pulled the flimsy fabric out of her hand and I grinned slyly at her.
"Depends what there is to find at 'The Hit' tonight. You never know, prince charming might be there."
"More like a frog or a toad," Amber stated with a laugh.
I shimmied the skin-tight material over myself, fixed the hemline and donned the boots Tabby loaned me. I slipped the gold hoop earrings on and did my long hair in a messy updo.
The deep red dress hung right below my butt cheeks in a dangerous clingy material, with the front plunging deep enough to reveal a little cleavage. The bare back revealed much of my beautiful tattoo. The black boots gave me an extra four inches, making my legs and butt look awesome. The girls did my face for me as they were much more seasoned at makeup than myself. I eyed my reflection in the mirror on Jax's closet door as both girls made catcalls at me. With the task completed, we took several selfies to post to our social media accounts.
Upon entering the living room the guys stopped talking to stare at us, giving us the once over. Jax's jaw became tight, and his eyes grew darker. His attention was not directed toward us, however, his glare was fixated on Amber's cousin Shawn. He was the oldest of us, and tried to be the more dominant and bossy one. Amber and Shawn shared many physical characteristics. Both had red hair, freckles, and huskier builds. But on him, the weight remained muscle, reminding me of a jock. He stared rather blatantly at me and I assumed that to be the reason for Jax's evil glares.
Rizzo, the youngest of our little group, had gotten his hands on fake id a few days back. He wanted to use his new card to sneak into the club. He sipped on a beer as he played on his cell, oblivious to the tension growing in the room. Bones leaned against the window sill; he glanced between Jax and Shawn. He turned to me and grinned. With his shaggy blue-colored hair, piercings, and a grunge style similar to Jax. But where Jax had a wiry muscled frame, Bones appeared to be skin and...well bones. They were both in their early twenties and best friends. So although he weirded us girls out, we didn't say anything.
We all crammed into Shawn's car. The cavalier had seen better days. Several springs poked out from the worn out fabric on the seats. Two of the four doors couldn't be opened and only the driver's side window worked. We made our way to the club at a snail's pace, I figured the trip would have been faster if we walked. It took another half hour to find a parking spot.
The lineup outside was nearly endless, with countless people still waiting to enter the chaos. The mix of partygoers varied as much as the neon lights in the club's sign. The seven of us stood waiting. The girls scoped out the competition as much as the guys did. The slow progression finally gathered some momentum.
When we got through the doors, the music hit us like a sledgehammer. Casting a careful peek around, the sheer number of people in here told of the joint's popularity. The dance floor ready to burst with a crowded sea of people. Their bodies glistened with sweat as the lights flickered over them. They bumped and ground in a pseudo-sexual way to the rhythm of the music.
The girls pulled me straight for the dance floor. The music pulsed out in a mix of energetic beats that pounded into my body. The floor was too crowded for my comfort, with hot sweaty bodies, cheap jewelry, rotating hips and grabby hands. Several times someone copped a handful of my ass as I danced within eyeshot of my friends. Tabby ground her hips against a tall beefy guy about my age and I caught Rizzo giving her dirty glares. The two weren't exactly a couple but we could all sense how much they had the hots for each other.
Amber was practically having sex with another woman as she let her hands trail over the beautiful girl's body. At least one of us would take someone home, not that I, in fact, had somewhere to take anyone. The two girls kissed and melted into one another on the dance floor and with that I decided to fend for myself.
As much as I enjoyed the dancing, the random straying hands got on my nerves, so I faded back towards my seat. The guys at our table all inspected me with a different glint in their eyes. I stole a moment to check myself over; ensuring my dress sat properly and I didn't suffer from a wardrobe malfunction.
The three guys and me hung out off and on over the last few weeks, so I found myself still a bit self-conscious around them. The girls and I had hung out frequently over the last few months. We got on as if we had known each other all our lives and we shared a lot of gossip about their conquests.
"Hey, you thirsty?" Shawn practically hollered as he handed over a glass of beer. I took a big drink and Shawn smiled deviously.
"Thanks, you guys need to get on the floor."
"No problem babe. I'll hit the floor as soon as my buzz kicks in," Shawn stated as a slow song came on.
Jax's smoky grey eyes grew stormy; his body became tense as he grasped me by the arm.
"Come on I'll dance with you."
The gruffness of his voice caught me off guard. He led me to the dance floor before my mouth could even open in protest. While we walked through the crowd, the sensation of eyes on us made me study the sea of people more closely. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled a little. No one stood out to me so I turned my focus to Jax.
He slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me tightly to him in an overprotective way. My head rested on his chest while his hand sat lightly on my lower back. With a deep inhale of breath, I caught the scent of cheap cologne, beer and smoke. Despite the smells, I enjoyed his warm embrace, however, it got cut short as a hand tapped him on the shoulder.
"My turn," Shawn said and his eyes narrowed when he refused to move. The tension mounted between the two and I gently slipped out of his arms, not wanting a fight to start.
"It's cool, we can dance later Jax."
He stormed away; the dejection clearly covered his face, guilt rose in me.
Shawn pulled me closer to him and picked up where Jax left off. "So you two an item now or something?"
"No, just friends." Wishing I lied instead when his hand planted firmly on my butt and pulled me to meet his groin.
"Cool 'cause I got something for you."
"Oh yeah, what's that?" I asked bemused at him thinking he was all that, while I forced his hand from my ass.
"A little treat just for you, come on I'll show you."
He pulled me off the dance floor before the song ended and we headed to the bar.
The unease grew more as we made our way to the counter; I took a scan around again for whoever might be watching me. The two girls were nowhere in sight and I assumed they split with their dance partners. The rest of our crew still hung out at our table. The three guys watched us like hawks and I relaxed more. The sensation I assumed had to be from them staring at us.
The lineup appeared long, so I took the opportunity to make a quick bathroom run while Shawn bought us beer. As soon as I returned, he handed me my drink.
"Thanks," I said and started to walk towards our table. He grabbed my arm and tugged me off to the side before we were halfway there.
"Come on, it's time for that treat, I scored primo green, let's go burn one. We can go out back without getting busted."
The idea of being alone with him didn't sit well with me at first, I scanned around trying to catch a glimpse of Jax. I couldn't find him in the crowd or at our table. Rizzo and Bones were sitting there with a couple of girls I didn't recognize. All of a sudden I was all alone in a swarm of people.
"Fuck it," I thought out loud.
We stood in the garbage-strewn alley in the back of the club; the music pulsated even out here. The temperature dropped and I shivered as Shawn lit up, he took a long drag before trying to hand me the pinner.
"No thanks, I don't smoke." While he stood there smoking, he rambled on about some stupid football team. I tried to hold a bit of my end of the conversation, but everything seemed somewhat unfocused.
Something was wrong; beer didn't make me woozy like this, especially only two of them. Trying to head back inside proved to be a mistake, everything spun wildly. A solid form stopped my plummeting fall; a set of muscle-bound arms entrapped me.
"Fuck no." my words slurred.
Shawn pinned me up against the side of the building and pressed his lips over mine. I tried to push him off, but couldn't and his hand reached down and he jacked my dress up over my hips.
"Get off me." I tried to scream at him as he pressed his body against mine. He placed a hand tightly over my mouth and the rage began to build inside me.
"If you didn't want to get laid bitch you wouldn't dress like you did, now stop being a fucking tease," he growled into my ear.
Abruptly his crushing weight disappeared and I slumped down to the filthy alley. My inner rage gave way to disbelief, as a blue-haired angel's fists connected with Shawn's face over and over. Watching Jax beat the shit out of him through a hazy intoxicated mind seemed so strange.
Every strike appeared to be in slow motion, blood flew from his broken face, with each punch echoing in my head. When Shawn mumbled out his defeat Jax stopped hitting him. He didn't walk away from it a hundred percent unscathed, but he didn't come across as roughed up as badly as Shawn.
Jax helped me to my feet, being still a little unsteady, he wrapped his arm around my waist and we walked away. Leaving a battered Shawn to hurl curses at us.