Running On Empty_Crows MC

by Cassandra Bloom

  He glanced back, curious. “Hmm?”

  “It’s just, I mean… you wouldn’t be disappointed if… you know, something didn’t happen tonight?” I asked, trying to word it in such a way that, if I decided I (needed!) wanted something to happen I wouldn’t wind up contradicting myself.

  Jace shook his head and smiled reassuringly. “I won’t say I don’t want something to happen, because I won’t lie to you. But, no, I won’t be disappointed at all. If we got to my place and fell asleep on the couch I’d still consider this one of the best nights of my life.”

  I bit my lip at that, feeling like the answer was too good to be true; certain he was just saying this to make me feel better. “So how long would you be willing to date me if I wasn’t putting out?”

  He paused then, hand hovering over the motorcycle’s ignition, and seemed to genuinely think about that situation. Finally he took a deep breath and said, “Way I see it, there’s two options for me in that case. I can either go out and buy a hooker when the mood strikes or I can become bestest buddies with my hand.”

  I blinked at that answer, strangely honored at the idea that he’d sooner pay a hooker to relieve his tensions than expect anything from me. Though I’d be lying to myself if I said that I wasn’t a (a lot) a little jealous at the idea. But there also seemed to be a missing third option…

  “Why not just pay me to be your whore if that’s what you need?” I asked.

  He awkwardly turned to face me at that, looking shocked and disgusted. “Because,” he said, his tone already telling me from that word alone that it should be the most obvious thing in the world, “I will never treat you like a whore.”

  I decided then that it was a good thing that I’d already put the helmet on, because the blush that took me then likely turned me the color of a boiled lobster.

  Jace finally started the engine, and, with his words still ringing in my head, I leaned into him and hugged him.

  That I’d been holding his waist all night seemed only to serve as a warm-up for this moment.

  Though it was my second time in the parking garage of Jace’s building, it was no less impressive. If nothing else, the addition of more expensive cars—those who’d come home since we’d last been there, I guessed—only made it seem that much more grand and luxurious. Then, following Jace into an elevator, I watched him punch the button for one of the highest floors.

  The elevator gave an angry, indignant whine at the command.

  Jace lifted his keys and inserted one into an available slot below the rows of buttons.

  The angry, indignant whine cut out with a pleasant, agreeable chime.

  And then we were ascending.

  “You need a key just to use the elevator?” I asked.

  “You do when you have your own private floor,” he answered with a smirk.

  “Wow. Ritzy,” I grinned.

  “It was my brother’s place,” he explained. “I was a bit skeptical about moving here, but I guess it has its perks.”

  “And the Crow Gang can afford all of this?” I asked.

  He nodded. “This and more,” he told me. “I’m sure you don’t get to see it, but from what I hear the Carrions are doing really well, too. Contrary to the old line, crime does pay, and usually pretty well.”

  I frowned at that, but decided not to tell him just how right he was in how little I saw of what was earned.

  The elevator dinged then, and as the doors slid open I was forced to blink. I’d been on my fair share of elevators, and I’d come to have a preconceived notion of what to expect when the doors opened. When Jace said that this floor was his and his alone, I’d been expecting a hallway leading to a single door, or maybe even a lobby that, on any other home, would function as a garage. I’d been expecting something that would then lead to his home. What the elevator doors opened up to, however, was his home.

  Ding.

  And I was standing in his living room.

  I looked back, confirming to myself that I was, in fact, still standing in an elevator. Based on what I saw before me I was certain that I’d suddenly lost a few seconds and maybe forgotten that I had already stepped out of the lift. As it was, it felt like a badly edited scene in a movie:

  Mia steps onto elevator, rides it several floors up, and then steps out into…

  INT: JACE’S LIVING ROOM.

  “Oh…” I murmured, feeling like my brain had just rebooted itself.

  “Yeah,” Jace said, sighing. “It’s weird, right? All chrome and then—BOOM! But you’ll get used to it.”

  “I will?” I asked.

  He looked back at me. “Provided you keep coming over, I guess.”

  I smiled and nodded, deciding I liked the idea of getting used to it.

  I followed after him into the living room where an HDTV nearly took up an entire wall surrounded by different pieces of technology. A huge sectional surrounded the living room with a large coffee table resting in front of the sofa.

  “This is definitely ritzy,” I blinked.

  He smirked. “Come on, relax; get comfortable. I’ve got a bunch of movies over there by the TV. Why don’t you see if there’s anything there you’d like to watch? I feel bad for getting my pick back at the theater.”

  I nodded, not bothering to point out that technically we’d both gotten to watch what we wanted at the theater, and began to inspect his movie collection. Almost instantly I spotted the 1931 Bela Lugosi Dracula film. I smiled, carefully pulling the disc free and placing it in the DVD player and bringing the rest of the entertainment system to life. As the menu title opened, Jace stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the TV. I frowned as I noticed that his face had gone pale and I moved towards him.

  “Jace? Are you okay?” I bit my lip.

  He nodded slowly and said, “Y-yeah… vampires. They just kind of freak me out.”

  “Really?” I bit my lip. “Then why do you have… nevermind. I can change it.” I started to move towards the DVD player to take out the disc when he caught me, holding me back.

  “No,” he shook his head, smiling. “Let’s watch it. It reminds me of my mother, actually. That’s why I own it—it and a bunch of other vampire stuff, actually.” He stared at the screen again, shivered, and then moved to sit down on the couch. “She loved anything vampire related. Had a room with all sorts of old posters and books and such. I guess you two would’ve gotten along.”

  “Oh,” I nodded and bit my lip. “Is she gone then?”

  He nodded and looked down. “I was really close with her… and after she died, it was just hard, I guess.”

  I nodded, “I understand. My dad died when I was in college; Mom didn’t take it well and decided to move, so I felt like I lost both of them at once.”

  “That must’ve been tough,” Jace said, sounding genuinely sympathetic.

  The one stirred another one of those shadowy thoughts—He actually cares about a whore’s story—but then I reminded myself who I was talking to.

  “I guess,” I said with a dismissive shrug, though it wasn’t such an easily dismissed subject. “We still talked on the phone, but distance has a way of eventually cutting back on the contact you keep with people.”

  “I suppose that’s true. Do you still keep in touch at all?” he asked.

  I looked down sadly and shook my head. “Probably for the better,” I added.

  “Any siblings—other than your deadbeat, jailbird brother—or…?” Jace tilted his head.

  “Nope,” I said with a sigh. “Mack’s all I got in that department, I’m afraid.”

  Jace reached out and took my hand, giving it a light squeeze. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  I only nodded.

  The movie played on in the background, but Jace and I continued to talk, telling each other about our family and past. Before we even realized it, the end credits were rolling.

  “I’m not crazy in thinking there’s something happening between us, right?” Jace asked as he retrieved the remote and turne
d off the TV.

  I blushed and shook my head. “No. Not unless I’m crazy, too; but then again, I guess our two crazies would still make us sane in this regard.”

  Jace smiled at that and nodded. “So I wouldn’t be out of line in saying I wanted to see you again? That I’d like to do this again?”

  I shook my head again. “Not at all.”

  He blushed, looking down—thinking—and then nodded. “I know that tonight was a special circumstance. I can’t expect you to get off… well, uh—I can’t expect you to be able to do this all the time, but, without sounding desperate, the sooner the better.”

  A bittersweet wave of emotions crashed over me and I nodded. “I’d like that, too. And… and if you give me a few days I think I might be able to take the night off again. I’ll… well, I’ll make it work.”

  “I’ll be counting the seconds,” he smiled.

  “Yeah right,” I forced a lame chuckle.

  “You’d be surprised,” he smirked, “but, in the meantime…” he trailed off then, leaning in and capturing my lips against his.

  I gasped, caught off guard by the kiss.

  My world was spiraling as Jace wrapped his arms around my waist, seeming to understand that I felt dizzy. Catching myself as well, I wrapped my arms around his neck, returning his kiss fervently. This was nothing like working with clients, this was real.

  Real desire.

  Real passion.

  Real feelings.

  I got lost in his kiss, holding him tighter as we both seemed to refuse to part. Eventually, however, the need for air overwhelmed us, and we finally pulled back. I fought to catch my breath and could see that it had impacted him in a similar way, as well. Then, as if to punctuate the act, he leaned forward again, kissing my forehead.

  Chapter 13

  ~Jace~

  It had already been a day since my date with Mia, and, as I headed towards Danny’s the shop, I caught myself playing through the events in my mind once again. I was smiling. My head was clear, the roads were ghost-free, my head wasn’t a throbbing, storming mess, and I was actually smiling. And when a Taurus ran the light and I was forced to hold back for some impatient asshole’s urgency, I didn’t even care. It occurred to me that, if this was what replaying the night with Mia did for me, then maybe there really was a medicine (of sorts) for my head.

  Everything had gone perfectly.

  And that kiss!

  I’d seen a chance, felt like it was right, and I’d taken it!

  And the rest, dear audience, was fireworks!

  The spark I’d felt. I could see that she had felt it too. Neither one of us had wanted to part—Heaven that I had them, Hell that it had to end; but they’d been mine for that instant, and, in it, I’d been hers—and hadn’t that just made it all the better? I drew in a deep breath, amazed at how just the memory of the kiss managed to steel my breath, and pulling the chopper into the shop’s parking lot. As much as I resented him for being right, I’d wanted to tell Danny about the date as soon as it was over, but, that late at night and me probably more tired than I felt, I knew it should wait for morning. That, and I figured he had more important things to deal with than me (assuming he wasn’t already asleep.)

  As I walked into the shop, a few of our crew offered me a nod. It was one of those almost-a-full-bow nods—the sort that soldiers throw out for high-rankers and presidents who they weren’t expecting to see—and, though I hated it, I smiled and nodded back. They paused, stunned at my response, and it occurred to me that I usually had an eye roll or a scowl reserved for those nods; what they’d done out of instinct likely just as much had an understanding of the response that instinct had earned. And I’d gone and turned their whole world around in an instant by not rolling my eyes or scowling. Curious, I looked around and quickly noticed that a good number of other crew members were stealing stunned glances at me, seeming surprised by my face.

  Because I was actually smiling…

  It was actually pretty funny; the sort of thing I’d usually laugh at.

  And so I did.

  This, too, was met with confusion, but a more positive, hopeful breed of confusion. I felt like everyone who saw it felt like maybe things were turning around.

  I was pretty sure they were right.

  Coming around a stack of crates, Danny all-but froze in the middle of hoisting one of them to the top of a stack. The wooden crate looked heavy, but Danny was slinging around the two-hundred pound cargo like it was an empty shoebox. The moment he saw me coming, however, the crate’s weight seemed to become an issue and he nearly toppled over with it. Managing to capture the blunder and slip it into its place atop the other crates, Danny regarded me with cautious, skeptical optimism.

  “What?” I asked, feigning concern, “Is there something on my face? Or…” I looked down and shook my head, “Nope, I didn’t forget to dress myself; not naked. Unless those invisible fibers that man used to make my outfit wasn’t really—”

  “Hot dicks an’ overweight chicks, Chase,” Danny almost sang, “Are ya actually fuckin’ smiling? Sweet hoppin’ holy shit, m’boy, ya get laid or somethin’?”

  I frowned at that, rolling my eyes at his question. The gesture actually felt wrong now. “You saw me the other day after I got laid, why you asking me now?” I pointed out.

  “Well… yeah, I guess yer right. But still… ya look… fuck! I don’t know! Ya look…” He furrowed his brow and shook his head, doubtful, “Ya look… happy.”

  I smirked and nodded. “Bingo!”

  Danny’s brow raised, intrigued. “Well don’t leave us all in suspense, boy!”

  “Alright, alright,” I nodded, leaning against a stack of crates and pausing when they didn’t topple. The moment passed, me still smiling, and I said, “So you know how I went off to that Carrion party or whatever the other night?”

  “Ya mean the suicide mission I begged ya not to go off on?” Danny scolded.

  “Yeah, whatever! I’m here and not dead, right? Obviously that ain’t how this story ends! Just…” I held my hands up defensively. “Just, please listen!”

  “Kay,” Danny said, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m listenin’.”

  I took a deep breath, preparing to break the news. “I actually ended up meeting someone.”

  Danny’s still-raised brow crinkled into something almost cartoony. “Someone?” he asked, “Ya mean like a girl?”

  I groaned. “No, Mercury, like a guy! I decided I’ve been gay all along. OF COURSE A GIRL!”

  Danny frowned at that and shook his head. “I thought ya just said this wasn’t about sex.”

  I smiled and nodded. “Because it’s not about sex, Danny,” I said, using his real name for emphasis. “Holy shit, man, she’s…”

  “Yes?” he pressed.

  “She’s just different,” I admitted and shook my head. “I don’t know how else to describe her, I just feel something for her that’s…well, it reminds me of how I felt with Anne. I feel right again; I feel like myself!” I blushed at that, realizing that I felt like a little boy confessing to his father that he’d finally had his first kiss. I felt nervous at what Danny’s thought towards the situation and I bit my lip at the realization that I actually cared a lot about his input on this matter.

  “So ya met her at the Carrion’s event?” he asked.

  I nodded, “She actually helped me get out of there—helped keep me from probably getting myself killed—and… and then last night we went on a date!”

  “Ya actually took a girl out on a date?” he asked, disbelieving. “Well, fancy that.”

  “I know, right? I couldn’t believe it either, but…” I moaned happily and clapped my hands together. “Mercury, I just had to tell you! What with all your ball-busting and ‘need a girl to be happy’-talk I just…” I sighed and shrugged, smirking at him. “I’m surrendering, Merc. You… you were right.”

  I hung my head in defeat as Danny began to cackle. The feeling of being a child came back, th
is time in an “I TOLD YOU SO”-sort of way, and while it was an embarrassing sort of reaction I was happy to take it based on everything that came with it. The darkness hadn’t returned since my time with Mia and I cherished how alive I’d felt since then.

  “Ya do look different, Chase, that’s fer sure,” Danny grinned widely and then I could see a look of warning grow on his face. “But… but ya say she was at that event, right? Any idea what she was doin’ there?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, it’s not what you’re probably worrying about though. I guess the Crew wanted hookers strolling around and selling at the event to ‘entertain’ the guests.”

  Danny paused and stared at me for a long time. “Wait, are ya sayin’ this girl yer goin’ on about is a whore?”

  I scowled at him. “She’s a prostitute, yes. So what? It’s just a job, Merc; Dad used to work with prostitutes all the time, remember? She’s still a person, Danny.”

  “I’m not sayin’ she ain’t a person, an’ I ain’t concerned about her bein’ a whore either, Jace,” he lectured. “What I’m worryin’ ‘bout is what ya should be worryin’ ‘bout, too!”

  “And what’s that?” I asked, crossing my own arms over my chest.

  “Ya just said she was workin’ the event, Chase—workin’ a Carrion event—which means she works for the Carrion crew.”

  I sighed and shrugged. “So?” I asked, “You telling me that two people can’t date just because one works at Wal-Mart and the other works at Target?”

  Danny scoffed, saying, “If Wal-Mart starts fuckin’ gunning down Target employees an’ sellin’ meth to kids in li’l baggies with smiley faces at discount prices then—fuck yes!—that’s what I’m sayin’!”

  “She fucking hates the Crew, Merc,” I pointed out. “It’s not like she’s going to try to hurt me. We have a real connection!”

  “Of-fucking-course she hates the fucking Crew, Jason,” Danny spat. “Ya think a whore workin’ the streets for them is living a high life? Fuck no, man; do ya know how they treat their sex workers, man?”