by Wooden, E M
“Now Brian, here at the station we received word that an important figure in the Giacamelli family was among those found deceased. Have you been able to confirm this rumor?"
“No Wendy, I have not. The major case squad issued a statement that until further investigation, no names would be released to the public, but you can believe that we will keep an eye on this.”
“Thanks Brian. Ladies and gentlemen that was Brian Richards reporting live from the scene of a brutal murder outside the James Street business district, truly a chilling event. And in other news…”
I let out a soft sigh. I had immediately recognized the warehouse as the one I had always passed on my way back to High Grove. What struck me wasn’t the brutality of the action. I had experienced way more than my fair share back in the war. What struck me was just how close it was again. I guess I really couldn’t leave it all behind.
I got up from my papasan walking towards the TV. I had had enough of the world around me. Just as flipped the off switch she spoke.
“The world really seems like it’s going to hell, doesn’t it?”
I turned around so fast I nearly fell over. My mouth immediately dropped open. After a few minutes of staring I was finally able to mutter a word.
“Eve…”
She was standing near the door and appeared to have been standing there for a while. Just as I did every time I saw her, I admired every feature. She stood about two inches shorter than me with long, silky black hair. Her reddish brown eyes were fixed on me. I continued my appraisal, my appreciation of the woman that stood before me, caused by the fear of not knowing when I would get to see her again. The longer I stared the more I wanted to be close to her. Sensing my anxiety she finally broke the silence.
“So, are you just going stare or come over here and give me a hug?”
I dashed over to her quicker than I even thought possible and scooped her up into my arms. Though she was smaller than me in build and height, her body was strong and firm, not frail like her size might suggest. I twirled her in a circle almost hitting everything in my apartment in the process.
“William…”
Her voice brought me back to reality. I guess I hadn’t realized just how much I missed her. I set her back down and took a step back. My mind raced and I became guarded. I knew there was a reason she came back and anymore was folly to think that she would be around for very long. I still couldn’t help my elation at actually seeing her.
“Before you say anything else, you look amazing, as usual,” I said with genuine enthusiasm.
“And it looks like you need to work on that pudge a little bit. You’re getting soft in your old age,” she replied with a wry grin.
“I haven’t seen you in weeks and that is the first thing you say to me?” I let a flash of hurt show across my face before I was able to hide it. I may be able to steel myself up, but something about her made it harder for me to do.
“You know you could always come down to the club. And besides it’s not like you sleep at night anyway. The night life has always been your crowd,” she tried to say convincingly.
“Yeah I’m a night owl alright, but I don’t know about THAT crowd. Eve, you know how I feel about the club. It’s your scene. You love it and I respect that. It’s just not mine. Lord knows I have thought about it on more than one occasion to drive down there and see you. If I could make it passed all of your fans…” I trailed off to try and hide the last part. It never worked. She always heard what I said, but it never kept me from trying. And truth be known what usually kept me from going down to see her was seeing her with other people, with other guys. I understood that most of it was her great personality, but there have been a few times I happened to catch her being her wonderful self around everyone. I thought it was something that was reserved for me, I was wrong.
“William…” Apparently my thoughts were showing. “You are doing it again.”
“Doing what?” I asked.
“You are thinking about something, something far off.”
“Huh, oh, John was asking about you today. I thought it was kind of ironic. I am beginning to think you two go and kick it on the weekends.”
“How is he?”
“He is good,” I replied, “still your biggest fan.”
“He always did have good taste.”
She said the last part with a little more sarcasm than normal, just to get a rise out of me. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction, though I am sure she could sense that it had worked.
“So you’re here. What brings you to my humble man cave?” I asked to try and change gears.
“I told you I was thinking about you. So, I wanted to see how you were doing. I kind of miss you from time to time. Not too much though,” she said again sarcastically.
She still had her guard up. She always had her guard up.
“Right, well is there anything I can offer you? You know I can’t cook, but there is still plenty of food in the fridge that I can butcher. Perhaps you would like a beer, some Chardonnay, a shot or two?”
“Will, we both know that you don’t have Chardonnay…”
“Hey, you never know, I could be trying to spice it up a little,” I said with a pseudo hurt look on my face.
“Right,” was all she needed to say for a real look of hurt to cross my face. Suddenly, I really wished that I had a bottle of Chardonnay chilling in the fridge. Her eyes met mine and a genuine look of sympathy broke threw her shield for a brief moment. That was her cue.
“So, I am going to go now…I have to get back down to the club…” she said a little uneasily. No sooner than the words had left her mouth she wistfully closed the gap between us and blessed me with a soft kiss. She was a little cold, but I was used to that. And it was over just as quick as it began. She turned for the door. I didn’t want her to go. I knew my next tactic was not gentlemanly at all, but I had to try something. Just as she reached for the door handle I spoke.
“So I saw Syndel today…”
She froze and turned around slowly. When my eyes saw hers, my stomach turned in knots. I saw pain, only for a second, and then they hardened. They hardened more than they were earlier. Then she turned and left. My strategy failed and I would be paying for it later, hell I was paying for it now.
I waited for a few seconds in the hope that she would come back in and continue the fight I tried to start, but she didn’t. My anger rose.
“William you’re a dumb-ass!” I rebuked myself.
I suddenly felt the urge to hit something, so I walked over to the countertop and let it subside. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I often found myself contemplating what it was about her that made me act so stupid sometimes. This was one of those times. She still didn’t come back. I know what I should have done. I should have went after her, I should have apologized, but I didn’t; I couldn’t. Whether it was pride or my own pain brought on by not understanding, I just stood there in silence. After a short time, a feeling of exhaustion came over me, warranting a logical excuse to go to bed and this is just what I decided to do. I wearily made it over to my bed and collapsed. A few minutes later, I passed out hoping my dreams would keep away the nightmares…
I sat straight up, jolted completely awake. I surveyed the loft; nothing. My heart rate was slightly elevated. The light on my phone was blinking indicating I had a message waiting, probably more than one. Flipping it open I saw I had one from Kellan, only one, that was strange for him. There weren’t any others. I closed my phone, placing it back on the nightstand and laid back down. I stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. Eve entered my mind and I couldn’t shake the compulsion to go and see her.
Chapter 6
A horn honked, demonstrating disapproval. I seemed to get that a lot. I was weaving in and out of traffic. I was feeling a strong sense of anxiety. I wasn’t worried, just anxious, and I didn’t know why. The club was deeper into the city than I usually traveled, and it was a little off the beaten path, which didn�
�t help explain its popularity. Eve had been a DJ there for a few years now. It seemed to be her passion and yet I rarely ever went to see her there. Ironic when you consider that was where we met.
I pulled off onto one of the side roads that led to the main parking lot and pulled into one of the smaller spots designed for motorcycles, making me appreciate mine even more. Finally getting my helmet situated in a spot where it wouldn’t fall off, I stood facing the club. The front was sparsely lit, which gave it even more of a classic look. The club was an old theatre that had been renovated. The front was mainly marble with columns that gave it a look of Rome. I would assume that is why the owner didn’t keep the original name, but changed it to the Colosseum. There was a short line waiting to get in. I hated waiting. My impatience proved somewhat successful. There was a rather large man standing in front of one of the other entrances. I cautiously walked up to him with a plan. He looked at me and before I could speak told me I needed to wait in the other line.
“I’m here to see Eve,” I quickly responded. He sized me up.
“Right this way, William,” he replied as he turned and opened the door behind him. I stood there a second surprised that it had actually worked and even more surprised that he knew who I was. He walked in ahead of me talking over his shoulder.
“Eve says you are a nice guy,” he stopped and turned around, “but if you hurt her I will break your legs.” He turned back around and kept walking. I followed. I was really confused at how much this guy knew, and just how much she had told him, and pretty much just who the hell he was. After walking down a short corridor music could be heard, slowly getting louder. Finally, we came to the opening of the main dance floor. It was huge. I have to wager that it didn’t look anything like this when it was a theatre. They kept the two U shaped balconies and added two more at the far end to complete the ellipsis. The DJ booth was in the back left corner of the main floor. This is where the Colosseum earned its nickname. The club was designed to be like the one in Rome. There were bars on each of the levels so patrons could drink and look down onto the dance floor. No one ever really called it the Colosseum. They called it the Arena. If people had trouble with each other they would go to the center and have dance offs. As a matter of fact, there were quite a few dance competitions held here. If the dancers were the gladiators, then Eve was the empress. They would dance and move at her command. She could make them move faster or slower, almost by her will alone. Apparently, she was taking a break as I didn’t see her over at the booth.
Apparently the rather large fellow didn’t realize I was still standing there and startled a bit when he turned around. He clapped me on the shoulder and offered a few kind words.
“Wow, I am kinda shocked. Most people don’t follow me down the hall when I threaten to break their legs. The name's Josh, but everyone calls me Tiny. I know, I know, completely cliché, but I didn’t ask for it. I tell you what, you need anything let me know. As I said Eve said you were a nice guy.” I visibly inflated for a second.
“Thanks..uh Tiny. Would you prefer I call you Josh?”
“Nah, it's all good. I find it kind of funny myself.”
“Right uhh, well do you know where Eve is? I really do need to talk to her,” I reasoned.
“Well, she said you might stop by so I would assume she is close,” he answered. I was a little surprised again. How did she know me so well?
“I would try over by the booth,” he added. Of course, that should have been the first place I thought of.
“Thanks again Josh. I’ll mosey on over.”
“Right on brother, good luck,” he offered.
I turned and started to edge my way down one of the open corridors that surrounded the dance floor, making an attempt to avoid the dance floor like it was the plague. I wasn’t a dancer. Scanning above the crowd I noticed a rather tall fellow who happened to stand out. Now as a guy, I can openly admit that he was handsome, the way marble statues are handsome. His features were hard, yet he was gazing intently downward, which gave him an almost compassionate look. A hand caressed his left cheek. Then a beautiful woman lifted up and kissed his other. A look of deep passion set upon her face. A look that I thought was reserved for me. My blood turned to ice. I was frozen in place, like watching a scene in a movie. It was if she sensed my presence. She turned, our eyes met. That moment seemed to last for an eternity, the knot in my stomach ever growing unbearable to the point that I turned and went back to the entrance I had just come from. Anger and pain were welling up deep within me. I slammed open the door. I was in no condition to ride, so I went around the side of the building to calm down for a minute. As I reached the corner, I heard the door open and close behind me. I didn’t look back. I assumed it was Eve. I leaned my forehead against the wall and started to take deep breaths. A figure was making their way closer. It wasn’t Eve.
“Hey buddy, you ok?” The figure asked.
“Yeah, just blowing off some steam,” I replied.
The figure kept advancing.
“I said I was fine!” I shouted.
The figure was almost on top of me. I turned to face him. Anger rising. By this point, I was furious, I didn’t know why. I saw the blood in my eyes. They created a reddish aura around the figure.
“I said…” I was cut off as the figure lunged. My muscles tightened, my mind focused. It was almost as if I could tell where and when he would strike. He swung first. I easily moved out of the way grabbing his arm and punched hard at his elbow almost on instinct. There was a sickening crunch as his elbow bent over backwards. The figure let out a howl in pain and swung with his other fist. I let go of his now useless arm and spun into his body, dodging the blow and landing an elbow into his nose. There was another sickening crunch as his nose exploded blood everywhere. Then his body went limp. I was breathing heavy, just staring down at the now unmoving body. I thought I had killed him, but he stirred. Just another thug trying to prey on an innocent. His mistake. I looked up to the corner of the building. Eve was there, staring wide eyed. She didn’t say anything. I walked passed her, not saying anything either. She just kept looking from me to the now prone figure. I made a direct line for my bike. About halfway there I thought I heard a soft “Will”. I didn’t stop. I had so much adrenaline pumping I just wanted to ride. I pulled out my phone. It was 12:30, I doubted John would be up. I needed to talk to him, to someone. There was no answer, I called the only person that I knew would be up, he didn’t answer either. I left a voicemail.
“Kellan, some crazy shit went down. I am heading out to the Grove. See if your uncle would be willing to keep the bar open late tonight. Meet me there…”
Chapter 7
When I rolled up to McCormick’s, Kellan’s Denali was already there. The bar seemed a little busier than I had anticipated. Probably because of Kellan. I parked my bike by the main door, just in view of the camera. I know I was from High Grove, but that didn’t mean I trusted everyone. Walking in, the bar was right in front of me. With the wall to my immediate left, the bar extended down a ways and then wrapped around until it met the back wall. Just passed that was another door leading out to the patio, where if it were the weekend, would be packed. There was another bar out there as well. Various tables were scattered around the rest of the place. These were occupied by various customers. Kellan was at his usually spot just at the bend, and accompanied by three blondes, a brunette and a redhead; typical Kellan. Walking towards him I greeted his uncle.
“Hey Sean,” I greeted.
“William, it’s about time you showed up. What’s this nonsense about keeping the bar open late tonight,” he joked.
“It was one of those days,” I replied.
“I understand. You’re lucky I like you,” he joked again. In all reality, I don’t think he was joking. I think he liked me more than his nephew.
“Make it tequila and give me three shots to start off with. He hesitated a second then replied.
“Yes sir!”
Kellan was too
busy with his throng of women to even notice I had entered, let alone even ordered. When I sat down beside him, he startled slightly. Something was different about him tonight. He seemed preoccupied. I would never have gotten this close without him noticing me.
“Will! Brother, glad you finally got here. Clearly I got your message. So what’s going...Oh wait I’m sorry. Ladies, this is my best friend, William, the guy I have been telling you about. He is the reason we had to leave that other lovely bar and come here. Sorry uncle, no sarcasm intended.” Sean rolled his eyes.
“Uhh, hi ladies,” I said with a slight wave. You could always count on Kellan to find some way to take your mind off of things. But this time it wasn’t really helping too much.
“So ladies, talk amongst yourselves for a minute, we have man things to discuss,” he dismissed them with a shooing motion. One of the blondes seemed disgusted for a second but when Sean brought them a round of shots, she quickly lost focus on what she was disgusted at. Turning to me, he began our in depth conversation.
“So talk to me, what has the great William in an uproar? Oh wait…let me guess, it is either your parents or that Snuffleupagus of a girl you proclaim to love.” He seemed more confident than usual. He often took more care when mentioning Eve.
“No on the first and right on the second,” I replied just as my tequila shots arrived. He stared wide eyed for a moment.
“It was that bad?” he asked. I slammed the first shot before pulling my wallet out. I grabbed a twenty and laid it on the counter. Sean eyed it and made a step closer before Kellan froze him in place with a stare. Still staring, he said.
“It’s on the house tonight, right Uncle Sean?” His uncle took a step back and fumbled his words.