by Naomi West
“Try asking again without the pressure,” I said.
“It’s fine,” said Hazel. “I want to stay.”
I didn’t like this one bit. But unless I wanted to drag her out of here, there was nothing I could do. Besides, she was an adult—old enough to make her own decisions.
“See?” said Bonnie. “She’s ready for more fun. Now let’s go!”
Bonnie grabbed Hazel’s hand and led her out of the kitchen. I followed close behind. As I made my way out of the house with the two of them, I realized that I didn’t need to stay so close—not like I was their babysitter or anything. And Bonnie was pretty reckless, but I’d seen her around enough to know that she could handle herself.
But Hazel … There was something about the girl, something that made me want to look after her, to keep her safe. So I decided I’d stick around the girls for a little while longer and make sure they didn’t get into any trouble.
Bonnie had other ideas in mind, however. As soon as we stepped out into the huge backyard and onto the edge of the crowd of what had to be over a hundred partiers, Bonnie flashed me a sly look before pulling Hazel into the crowd.
“Shit!” I hissed as they disappeared.
I did my best to follow them, but a six-three, two-hundred-pound guy like me couldn’t move through the throngs as easily as a couple of skinny girls. They were soon lost in the mix and gone.
But through the crowd, I spotted a familiar face, and knew right away where the girls were headed. Standing head and shoulders above the crowd was Suntree himself, a beatific smile on his face.
7
Hazel
“There he is!”
Bonnie led me by the hand through the crowd, her face so excited that she looked like a cartoon character. I still felt overwhelmed from the confrontation and really just wanted a few minutes to myself to collect my thoughts.
And Dakota … he was another matter.
I couldn’t believe how handsome he was. Dakota was tall and slender, but with a frame of hard, ropy muscle, like a swimmer’s body. He was dressed simply, in nothing more than a white V-neck shirt and jeans with a pair of combat boots. Unlike plenty of the other guys, he wasn’t decked out in leather or tattoos—only a simple emblem, the same one that was on Thorne’s neck, adorned his skin.
He had gorgeous chocolate brown eyes and thick, dark hair tucked behind his ears. His face was gorgeous, with high cheekbones, a slender nose set above full, sensual lips. And there was something to his eyes, like a glimmer of intelligence. Just a look was enough to let me know there was more going on behind them than most of the men here.
Unlike how I’d felt around Thorne and Diesel, Dakota instilled in me a feeling of protection and comfort. I didn’t want to leave his side, and didn’t care for how Bonnie had pulled me away from him and into the crowd without asking.
Anyway, he was gone now, back somewhere behind me. Bonnie was more interested in meeting whoever it was up ahead.
“There who is?” I asked.
“Suntree!” she shouted out.
I didn’t know what to make of a guy who went by a name like that. It seemed like nicknames were pretty common here, but “Suntree” seemed so … gentle—not tough-sounding like “Thorne” or “Diesel.”
Bonnie continued to pull me along until we reached a clearing in the crowd. And right in the middle of it was a man I knew right away had to be the guy she was looking for.
Suntree was tall; that struck me right away. He towered over the rest of the crowd gathered around him, and I wondered if that was how he got his name. His hair was long and brown, parted in the middle, and hanging evenly down both sides of his face. His features were strikingly handsome with a slender, well-formed jaw, a regal nose, and a mouth formed into warm smile. And in the same way Dakota’s eyes shone with intelligence, his sparkled with something else, something more intense.
There was something about him that I couldn’t help but stare at. And judging by the looks on the faces of the people around me, I wasn’t alone in feeling this way. They all seemed transfixed, waiting for him to speak.
Then, finally, when he seemed satisfied that he had the attention of everyone nearby, he did. The music died down, and the air was heavy with silence.
“Look at you all,” he said, his voice deep and melodic. “So happy to see so many of you were able to make it out to my little party. I’ve always known how important these get-togethers are for us, and I’m so pleased to be the force that brought us all together today.”
“Isn’t he amazing?” said Bonnie, her eyes locked ahead.
There was something about the way he spoke that invited attention, sure, but he also struck me as something like a cult leader. His eyes flicked from person to person, giving them each a moment of special attention.
“It’s been an amazing year for the Infernal Names. Recruitment is up, morale is high, and we’ve been making more money than we know what to do with, right?”
Cheers sounded out. When Suntree apparently decided they’d gone on for long enough, he raised his hand; the silence returned instantly.
“But things are going to be changing for the Names,” he said. “And we all know what that means. But it’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be thrilling, and all of you are going to be there to see it.”
“What’s he talking about?” I asked, curious.
Bonnie responded with a sharp “Shush” before turning her attention back to Suntree.
“Especially for you new faces I see in the crowd tonight,” he said.
Then his eyes fell on me. A charge ran through me, like I’d stuck my finger into an electrical socket. I felt transfixed, like there was nothing else in the world other than me and Suntree. And as soon as his gaze fell away, the feeling left. And I wanted it again.
“I hope you all can find your place here in the Names, and maybe if I’m lucky, I can be the one to guide you to it.”
Then he shook his head.
“But tonight isn’t about me,” he said. “It’s about all of you. I want you to enjoy yourselves tonight, to throw off your cares and have some fucking fun!”
More cheers.
“So get drunk, get laid, and get ready!”
Now the cheers were deafening.
And that was it. The crowd began to swarm around Suntree, and it took all I had not to get swept up in it like I was in the middle of a tsunami wave.
Bonnie vanished, and fear took hold. I was alone again—the last thing I wanted. Minutes passed, and I began to scan the crowd. To my surprise, I realized that I wasn’t looking for Bonnie, but instead for Dakota. Despite only talking to him for a few minutes, he’d made me feel safer than I had been since I first stepped foot in this place.
Before I could find him, however, Bonnie’s face appeared in front of me.
“He wants to talk to us!” she shouted. “Come on!”
She took my hand again and pulled me back into the crowd before I had a chance to react. We pushed through the masses, soon arriving at a side door at the house. She threw it open and led me up a flight of stairs and down a narrow hallway. A door at the end was opened just a crack, a tall beam of light shining through. Once we were in front of it, she rapped gently.
“It’s me!” she said.
“Come in, please,” spoke a familiar voice.
Bonnie carefully pushed open the door, as if it was made of glass, and stepped inside the room, and I followed her close behind.
The room was a large space. Suntree was seated like a statue on a large chair against the back middle wall. All around him were beautiful women, each with the same adoring look on her face. Soft, mellow rock music played, and the room was filled with eastern art and green plants. It was a sharp contrast to the noise outside, making me feel calmer instantly.
“Come in, Bonnie,” said Suntree, setting down his beer and gesturing to the two of us. “And I see you brought a friend.”
His eyes latched onto me again, that same charge running
through my body.
“This is Hazel,” she said. “One of my best friends.”
“Then that makes her one of my best friends, too,” he said. “Come on and sit a spell.”
The girls all watched me carefully as I stepped into the room. Like the other women in the party, they seemed to be sizing me up for competition. But in this case they appeared to want to know if I was going to be a thief of Suntree’s attention.
We both sat on the edge of the bed, a joint finding its way into Bonnie’s hand almost instantly.
“First time here?” asked Suntree.
“Yeah,” I said, still feeling a little on-edge. “First time.”
“Well, you’re more than welcome to stay for as long as you want,” he said. “Some of my girls have been here for years.”
I looked over the women again. They were all gorgeous, seeming to range from their upper-teens to their mid-twenties, that same adoring look on all of their faces.
“That’s so amazing,” said Bonnie. “They’re really lucky.”
I’d only been in the room for a few short minutes, and I was already feeling on edge. Suntree seemed friendly, sure, but there was something else about him, something I couldn’t put my finger on.
“So, Hazel,” he said. “What’re your impressions of this place?”
Before I could respond, he held up a finger.
“But please keep in mind that this is a no-bullshit zone,” he said. “We only tell the truth inside these walls.”
“Um,” I said. “It’s nice.”
I didn’t know what else to say.
Suntree chuckled.
“I think you can do better than that,” he said.
The joint found its way over to me, and I held it in my hand cautiously. I glanced around and saw all of the girls looking at me, as if wanting to make sure I had some. I wasn’t much of a drug user, and barely a drinker, but the peer pressure was getting to me.
So, I did. I took a quick, full puff, the smoke bursting from my lungs in hard coughs almost insanely. I handed the joint off before I dropped it, one of the girls taking it out of my hand.
“Wow,” I said, my eyes wide and my lungs raw. “That’s … something else.”
“Only the best for my friends,” he said. “Now, what were you saying?”
The pot, or whatever it was, hit me almost instantly. I felt looser, more relaxed.
“It’s … scary. But exciting.”
Suntree raised his eyebrows.
“And what’s scary and exciting about it?”
I chewed my lip as I thought it over.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Everything. It’s dangerous, but the danger is interesting. It’s so different from everything I know.”
He smiled and nodded.
“It’s always good to get out of our comfort zones,” he said. “Getting stuck in them is a good way to stay stagnant.”
I blinked hard and shook my head, now feeling like I was floating. I felt like I was losing control by the moment.
“And … the guys are … cool …” I said, realizing how immature my words sounded.
But Suntree only laughed warmly.
“Yeah, they’re cool guys,” he said. “That’s why I like to have them around.”
I glanced to my side and noticed that Bonnie was no longer sitting next to me. Another glance up revealed that she’d moved and was now sitting at Suntree’s side, his hand on her thigh.
“You look worried,” he said. “No need for that. Get comfortable, Hazel. We’re all friends here.”
“Yeah,” said Bonnie. “Just relax.”
A thought struck me—was this some kind of harem? Were all of these girls Suntree’s personal toys? And had Bonnie just become one of them?
“I … I think I need to go,” I said.
Suntree titled his head.
“So soon?” he asked. “But you just got here.”
“Yeah,” I said, feeling woozier by the second. “And, um, thanks. But I need to go.”
“Hey, Hazel!” said Bonnie, her expression hardening. “Don’t be rude!”
But Suntree simply held up his hand.
“If she wants to leave, then she wants to leave,” he said. “No one’s going to make her stay.”
I could tell by her expression that Bonnie wasn’t happy about this. But she didn’t appear to have any desire to move from Suntree’s side.
With a push off the bed, I got up and made my way to the door. The gaze of every set of eyes in the room was almost palatable, like a burning on my skin. I quickly turned the doorknob and rushed out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind me.
Once I was alone in the hall, I felt unsteady on my feet and used the wall to balance myself.
“What the hell is wrong with me?” I said out loud, my voice sounding strange to my ears.
There’s no way I could be drunk—I’d only had, at most, half of a single beer. There could’ve been something in the pot, but I’d only taken a single hit. And none of the other girls seemed to have been affected in the same way.
The commotion and music grew louder as I made my way to the stairs. I needed to get out of here, but as soon as I began to make my way down, I realized that Bonnie was my ride. If she wasn’t leaving, then neither was I.
Panic began to course through me at the idea of passing out here alone, surrounded by strange men. My heart thudded in my chest, the beating ringing in my ears and making me feel as though I was underwater.
At the base of the stairs, my eyes flicked from person to person as I hoped that none of them saw how out of it I was.
Dakota.
The name echoed in my head. I knew it was stupid, and I knew that I barely knew the guy, but I had to find him. Something told me he was going to be the only person who could keep me safe.
But right as I began to stumble my way through the crowd, a loud commotion broke out in front of the house. Bike after bike revved and pulled onto the lawn, shouting and hollering breaking out amidst the noise. Bright streaks of light from the headlamps cut into the dark, dingy air of the house, and I squinted my eyes to adjust to it.
“What the hell is going on here?” a gruff voice shouted.
I stumbled toward the front windows of the house and leaned my body against the cool glass. Through bleary eyes, I watched as man after man, all middle-aged, bearded, and rough-looking, hopped off his bike and rushed into the crowd, breaking it up.
Older guys, I thought. What the hell are they doing here?
I tried to focus my eyes on the men, watching as they grabbed the younger guys by the shoulders and jabbed accusing fingers in their faces. They looked like angry parents scolding their kids, the younger guys’ postures slumping as the men yelled at them.
And I kept looking for Dakota. I knew he had to be here—I just knew it. But by this point my eyes were too bleary to scan the crowd. Instead, I rested my head on the cool glass and closed my eyes, the chaos around me melting into oblivion.
8
Hazel
When I woke up, I felt as though I’d only closed my eyes for a second. My vision was still bleary, and my limbs felt disconnected from my body. I rolled around on the hard surface where I lay, trying to get my senses to return.
My head pounded and my body ached—it was like I’d been hit by a train. I let out a moan as the pain flowed through my body.
And then panic gripped me—I’d fallen asleep, or passed out, and I had no idea where I was. The shock of realizing this was enough to make me ignore the pain and sit up and look around with frantic eyes.
I was in a bedroom, and not an especially nice one. But it wasn’t dirty—mostly just cluttered, like the bedroom of a student who spent more time in his or her books than paying attention to the surroundings. The walls were covered with posters for metal bands and black-and-white stills from old movies I didn’t recognize. An acoustic guitar was propped next to an electronic keyboard in the corner, and oriental rugs covered the floor.
And there were books—stacks and stacks of books piled in neat stacks. I glanced at the stack near me and read a few colorful spines, noting titles like Late 19th Century Continental Philosophy and Advanced Comparative Literature mixed in with books about motorcycle maintenance.
Where the hell was I? And had I been …
I didn’t even want to form the word in my mind—the idea was too terrible to even think about. My eyes shot down to my outfit, and I realized, to my relief, that I was still in the clothes that I’d worn last night. That was a good sign.
To my right, I spotted a glass of water with a note next to it, two pills resting upon it. The note read “water and aspirin—take when you wake up.” I considered it for a moment, my head pounding, but then I decided I wasn’t about to take any strange pills in a place that I didn’t recognize.
Then a knock sounded from the door. I gasped and scooted to the back corner of the bed, my heart racing. I had no idea who was on the other side, but I didn’t want to find out. The adrenaline pushed the pain and exhaustion out of my body, and thoughts of how to escape filled my mind.
There was the door, but someone was on the other side. A window with a thick, dark sheet covering it was just to my right, and I quickly grabbed the makeshift curtain and yanked it down, bright midday light filling the room. Through wincing eyes, I glanced out of the window and saw that I was in an apartment building, several stories up.
No escape that way, either.
“Hey, you up?”
It was a man’s voice, and one that sounded familiar. But who could it be?
A knock followed the words. I had no idea what to say. For all I knew, it could be a hulking biker, ready to do whatever horrible things he had in mind for me. Maybe he wanted to take advantage of me but preferred his victims to be wide awake.
“It’s Dakota.”
Dakota.
Memories from last night popped into my mind, and I began to remember the conversation that I’d had with him. His handsome face appeared in my thoughts, clear as day. Calm flowed through me, and I watched as my fists unclenched.