Sidekick Returns

by Auralee Wallace

  He blinked, then met my eye. ‘But I need answers.’

  You and me both, I thought, suddenly remembering Pierce in my sister’s arms, of all things. ‘You know what?’ I said, slapping the shoulder of the big wooden man before me. ‘It’s time for the Muhammad to go to the Queenie.’ I put up a finger and stepped away from him. ‘I just need to make a call. Hang on.’

  I quickly tapped the number to Electric Sheep.

  After one ring, I was greeted with, ‘Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to get into strange cars?’

  ‘I need to talk to Queenie. Is she there?’

  ‘Yes, but—’

  ‘Put her on.’

  I heard Bart make an ugly sound at the back of his throat. A second later Queenie’s voice came on the line. ‘What?’

  ‘Hey,’ I said. ‘What are you doing right now?’

  ‘What am I doing right n—’

  ‘You want to go clubbing?’ I asked. It had been a last minute thought to bring Queenie. I mean, I could go alone, but the night had been too … too something, and I needed her to keep me grounded. Focused. Because I kind of felt like, at any moment, I just might float away. ‘I need a wingman … woman … whatever.’

  A moment of silence passed on the other end. ‘I guess.’

  ‘Good.’ I told her the name of the street corner to meet me on. ‘Now, put Bart back on.’

  I waited then heard, ‘Your highness, how may I help?’

  ‘Kevin’s coming over.’

  ‘What? Under no circumstances is—’

  ‘He needs to talk to Queenie, and we shouldn’t be long.’

  ‘Since when are you and Kevin friends?’

  ‘We’re not … exactly.’

  ‘Then why do you even care?’

  ‘Because we all just ditched him!’ I hissed under my breath. ‘He’s like a big, weird dog who’s been abandoned in an apartment for a couple of days. He needs to be walked, aired out, patted on the head.’

  Bart furrowed his brow. ‘What are you even going on about?’

  I really didn’t know why I felt such a kinship with Kevin. Maybe it was because I had such a lousy night, and he had too—and while I couldn’t make me feel any better, maybe, just maybe, I could him. Whatever the reason, suddenly his belonging to our group, or just anywhere, seemed really important.

  ‘I need you to do this,’ I said rubbing my forehead. ‘And I need you to be nice to him or—’

  ‘No way. I—’

  ‘—Or I won’t tell you about my father’s secret underground laboratory.’

  ‘What?’ Bart shouted, then a moment later, ‘I … I really hate you right now.’

  ‘Love you too. Later.’

  I looked over to Kevin. ‘I’m going to meet up with Queenie. We have something to do, but I’ll tell you where you can see her later.’

  His face brightened. ‘You know where she is?’

  ‘I do.’

  ‘Thank you, Strange Brenda.’

  I cocked my head and squinted my eyes. ‘Let’s try not let that one stick, okay?’ I linked my arm around his. ‘But you’re welcome. Now, let’s rock.’

  Chapter 47

  I couldn’t help but notice when I spotted Queenie under the streetlight—even though I was still wearing the dress she had made for me—her outfit was way cooler. She was dressed in an updated version of the costume that chick from Kill Bill wore, but instead of the full-length jumper, the fabric was cut into short shorts. She also had a pretty wicked pair of stilettos that made my feet scream in jealousy. ‘How did you have time to change?’ I shouted to her. ‘Where did you even get the clothes?’

  She didn’t answer.

  ‘What, do you just spin in a phone booth or something and awesome clothes appear on your body?’

  Her mouth twitched at that, but she still didn’t answer, just turned to walk in the direction of the entertainment district.

  After about ten minutes of walking, I saw the first line of club-goers snaked around the corner of a building. I was still trying to mesh the two maps of the city I had in my head. Back in the day, I used to be a regular at The Kobra Klub when I was in town. It was the most exclusive club in the city. But I always had a driver in those days, and I really only frequented a five-block radius. Now I had the walking map of the city, but this part wasn’t well filled in, so it took me a moment to figure out where we were.

  ‘Would you look at that line,’ I said, slowing my walk as we turned the corner. ‘But don’t worry. I can handle this. ‘I flashed Queenie a smile. ‘Celebrity card, you know.’ I was kind of excited to show Queenie the one superpower I did possess. It may be a superficial power, and one that was more often bestowed than earned, but it did hold real sway. I took long strides towards the thick bouncer in his three-piece suit, when Queenie suddenly pushed past me.

  ‘Queenie, I really think I should go first. I mean—’

  ‘Move!’ she shouted at the bouncer, making him jump, but also, surprisingly, move aside.

  I hurried after Queenie, but slowed just a little to say to the beefy man, ‘I’m sorry. My friend, she’s just a litt— Wah!’

  Queenie yanked me forward, and I stumbled into the thumping dark. I surveyed the masses of sweaty bodies pulsating to the thrashing techno beat, and my heart filled with longing. Not so long ago, I was one of them. My only concerns back then had been where I was going, who I was going with, and how crazy we were going to get. It all seemed so long ago.

  ‘Look,’ Queenie shouted with a point. ‘It’s raining.’

  My eyes followed her finger. Yup, there were the bills, lots of dollar bills, flying through the air for no apparent reason. In the thick of the storm stood Ricky.

  ‘Okay, well, let’s go get wet,’ I said, instantly regretting the sound of it. By the look on Queenie’s face, she wasn’t impressed either. ‘You know what I mean. Let’s go.’

  Queenie and I pushed our way through the dancing throngs of people. The crowd thickened as we approached Rickie and his entourage. He sure was one popular guy these days. You’d think somebody would call the police, but, I guess, nobody wanted them to take Ricky and his money away.

  ‘Okay, here’s the plan,’ I shouted at Queenie. ‘You shout Move again like you did with the bouncer and I’ll— Whoa!’

  Suddenly big hands wrapped around my waist and lifted me into the air. My first thought was, Oh no! Lee Lee and Daisy must have found me! But then more hands wrapped around my ankles while others supported my shoulders. It felt … familiar. I was crowd surfing! And that could only mean, ‘Brody!’ I shouted, craning my neck around. ‘Jason! Corey!’

  ‘BSJ! Where have you been!’ Brody shouted back up at me. ‘We’ve miss—opfh!’

  ‘Put the blonde down.’ Queenie ordered, having sucker punched him in the gut.

  ‘It’s okay! They’re friends!’ The guys lowered me to the floor anyway. I jumped to throw my arms around their necks. ‘It’s so good to see you!’

  I could feel Queenie staring black death at me, but I didn’t care. I wouldn’t call the guys good friends, but they were definitely party friends, and I didn’t realise how much I had missed them up until this very moment.

  Jason pulled back and shouted over the music, ‘Is it true ol’ Atticus sent you off to rehab?’

  ‘Um … sure,’ I said, shaking my head, trying to stomach the lie. ‘It didn’t take.’

  All three laughed.

  ‘Well, come on,’ Corey said. ‘We need to catch up. We’re just about to blow this place. We’re meeting a friend for shots. Instead of gold flakes he has ground emeralds in the drinks.’

  ‘That sounds … dangerous,’ I said, furiously trying to figure out the best way to handle this, ‘but I can’t. I … we’re …’ My help me eyes met Queenie’s.

  She growled, then said, ‘Frat boys One, Two, and Three. Go get drinks. We’re thirsty.’

  The boys looked mildly confused, not used to being ordered around.

  ‘Okay,’ Brody f
inally said. ‘But then we head.’

  I nodded.

  ‘Focus,’ Queenie said, turning me to face Ricky. ‘We don’t have time for this.’ She thrust me into the crowd. I fought my way through the many female bodies, but I wasn’t making much headway. ‘Ricky!’ I shouted, waving my hand in the air. ‘Ricky!’

  Moments later his face appeared in the crowd. A big smile appeared when he saw me. He waded through the bodies, then sauntered up close, whispering in my ear, ‘There you are. But remember, babe. There’s no Ricky here. Only Big Shot.’

  ‘Right. Whatever,’ I muttered. ‘We need to talk.’

  He pressed his body up to mine. ‘No, we need to dance.’

  ‘Stop it! This is serious,’ I said, catching his eyes with mine. ‘Did you find out what my father wants you to do next?’

  ‘Not all of it … just the location.’

  ‘Tell me.’

  ‘The big fashion show at the new aquarium. I’m supposed to crash.’

  ‘Good. Good,’ I said, slowly, then quickly added, ‘or bad. I don’t know yet, but, listen, Ricky, you’ve been really helpful, but if you know what’s good for you, well, it’s time for you to leave town. I’ve got some contacts in Nepal, and—’

  ‘No.’

  ‘—Well, contacts maybe isn’t right,’ I prattled on before grinding to a halt when my brain caught up to what he had said. ‘Wait. Did you say no?’

  He shrugged and nodded. ‘Brems. Listen. I have a plan. I just need to finish this thing at the fashion show then you and me—’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I said, cocking my head. ‘That’s not your line. Did you not get the script? The one where my father kills you in the end and keeps all the money? I know I didn’t explain things very well back at the penthouse, but you need to believe me, I’ve seen this movie before, and I guarantee you that’s how it ends.’

  He threw his hands in the air and smiled apologetically. ‘What can I say? Your father tells it differently.’

  ‘Once again,’ I said, blinking my eyelids rapidly, ‘I couldn’t have heard you correctly.’

  Ricky sighed. ‘He called me tonight. He said you would come to me with some crazy plan.’

  I folded my arms across my chest. ‘Oh, did he now?’

  ‘And he said I should stay the course. The money’s already in a bank account in the Caymans.’

  ‘Wow.’ I tried to say more, but it just wouldn’t come out. ‘I’m sorry, Brems,’ he said, moving in to brush some hair away from my face with his fingers. ‘I know you didn’t want me to talk to him, but I’m too close to having everything I’ve ever wanted to mess it up now.’

  ‘You … you … I know you don’t have any reason to trust me. We barely know each other,’ I said. ‘But you have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into.’

  ‘Don’t. Don’t do that,’ he said, suddenly serious. ‘We do know each other.’ He waved a hand back and forth between us. ‘This means something.’

  I couldn’t decide if I agreed with him or not. At one time he had meant a lot to me. But that was a long time ago. ‘Ricky, it’s not going to end the way you think it is. Take that day at the float. You looked surprised when everything started to go wrong. You—’

  ‘It was an accident. Your father said—’

  ‘Come on!’ I grabbed his arm. ‘You can’t be that naive. You know who my father is.’

  ‘Bremy, you can’t just expect me to walk away. Not when I’m this close to having everything.’

  ‘Ricky, it’s just—’

  ‘Don’t say money. Please don’t say it’s just money.’ Ricky’s eyes flashed with the club’s lights. ‘You don’t have any idea what it’s like to be poor, Bremy. Not really. You’re trying this life on like it’s a new fashion. That’s all. You don’t know.’

  ‘That’s not fair,’ I said tightly. ‘I gave up everything when I found out who my father really was. How he made his money. What he was willing to do to keep it.’

  He looked down at his feet and nodded. ‘Well, maybe I’ll try it out for twenty years and see if I come to the same conclusion.’

  I shook my head. ‘It’s wrong Ricky. You’re scaring people. It’s a miracle no one has been seriously hurt, worse yet killed.’

  We locked gazes for a moment.

  ‘You have no right to judge me. You haven’t lived my life.’

  I closed my eyes. ‘Maybe not. But I won’t stand by while you—’

  Ricky grabbed my arms. ‘This is going all wrong. Think about it, Bremy. Your father, he’s making me a rich man. We could go anywhere. Do anything. You can have your old life back! You never have to see him again. Just come with me.’

  ‘I don’t believe this.’ I pulled away, putting both hands over my face. ‘My father is not going to let me go anywhere with you! I’ll be lucky if I live through this damn fashion show!’ Had I just said damn fashion show? Again, who was I?

  ‘He told me he just wants to make things right with you.’

  I closed my eyes. ‘Ricky, in my father’s mind, that could mean anything from putting me in solitary confinement to killing me and bringing me back as a zombie that washes floors!’

  ‘Come on. You’re acting crazy,’ he said, again softly grabbing my arms. ‘But if it means this much to you … just let me do this one last job. I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you. Then we’re out of here.’

  ‘Oh Ricky.’ I pulled my arms away. I knew it was a lost cause. ‘I’m sorry. In a way—no, not in a way—this is my fault.’ It was. I had cared for him. That made him leverage.

  Suddenly, one of the Big Shot girls sidled up to Ricky, draping her arms over his shoulders. ‘Let’s dance, Baby.’

  I shook my head. ‘I gotta go.’

  Ricky shrugged the woman off. ‘Aw, Brems, don’t leave.’

  ‘Please think about what I said. No matter how badly I want to … I don’t think I can save you too.’ I turned away from him.

  ‘Wait!’ he pleaded. ‘Let’s talk about this.’

  I took another step away from him.

  ‘Bremy, seriously, don’t leave!’ He walked towards me, hand outstretched. ‘You don’t want to. I can see it in your eyes.’

  I felt the guys come to my back.

  ‘Ready to go, B?’ Jason asked.

  I nodded. My body suddenly rose into the air. I somehow managed to keep my eyes on Ricky. ‘Bremy, stop! Think about it. You, me, money, and sand,’ he yelled. ‘Why won’t you even think about it?’

  ‘Because I’m not the girl in the picture anymore, Ricky!’ I yelled over the music. ‘Maybe I never was.’ I tapped one of the guys on the shoulder. ‘Mush!’

  As I rode my caravan out of the club, I held on tight to my dignity, and did not look back again.

  ***

  The next morning there was pain. Lots and lots of pain. I groaned as I shifted positions on Bart’s musty sofa. Last night had been a complete bust. We didn’t get anything useful out of Ricky, and now we were out of time. To make matters worse, Queenie and I got back to the store pretty late. After the club we went for emerald shots on a yacht—which somehow turned into a bit of a drinking contest between Queenie and the guys. I think Queenie won, but she didn’t seem to be enjoying her hangover prize. In fact, the whole evening seemed a little out of character for her. But I had been thinking about it, and I thought I knew what was going on. ‘Queenie? You awake?’

  She didn’t answer, but her breathing changed, so I took that as permission to continue. ‘I gotta know,’ I whispered. ‘Why did you break up with Bart?’

  I waited for what felt like an eternity before I finally heard her mutter something back.

  ‘What? I couldn’t quite hear you.’

  ‘He held my hand!’ A second later, she sighed, and said, ‘In bed. Afterwards. He held my hand.’

  I nodded. ‘Must have freaked you out a bit.’ I waited another moment before I said, ‘Queenie?’

  Again, the figure curled up in the recliner didn’t answer. ‘
Can I offer you some advice?’

  ‘I’ve murdered you for less in my dreams.’

  ‘You need to break up with Kevin.’

  Silence.

  ‘Look. You’re obviously still hung up on Bart in your own way, and Kevin … well, he’s a sweet, strange giant.’

  Queenie’s chest filled with air, which she let out noisily. ‘I’m not dating Kevin. I never was dating Kevin. He doesn’t have any friends. He’s in one of my classes, and … and, he’s a stray, like you, clinging to me like a tic.’

  I couldn’t help but let out an, ‘Aww,’ while I stared at the stained tiling of Bart’s ceiling. ‘But, I think, he thinks you’re dating.’

  I looked over at Queenie as she sighed again. ‘I’ll take care of it. But while we’re on the topic,’ she said, eyes closed. ‘You need to talk to Pierce.’

  It was my turn to sigh. ‘I don’t even know if he wants to talk to me.’

  Queenie still didn’t open her eyes, but she jerked a thumb over to the far side of the room. ‘Why don’t you ask him?’

  I jerked up to a seated position. Whoa, I definitely had too much to drink last night because there was Pierce, asleep, precariously leaned back in a straight-backed chair, arms folded across his chest. I hadn’t even seen him last night.

  ‘He showed up yesterday when you were out. He told us his side of things.’ She opened her eyes to look at me. ‘Turns out he was working with your sister to get information to bring your father down.’

  I nodded. Thank God I was too dehydrated to make any tears.

  ‘He thinks maybe Jenny’s drinking the Kool-Aid though.’

  My breath caught. No … no. She just had him fooled too.

  ‘He knew about the fashion show. He thinks it’s a mistake for you to go. Apparently your father told Jenny this will be the thing that makes you come home for good.’

  ‘Nothing in this world is going to make that happen.’ But that was a lie. I’d do it for my sister. If I had to.

  ‘Go,’ Queenie prodded. ‘Talk to him.’

  ‘No.’ I crossed my arms over my chest. ‘I don’t want to.’

  ‘Why not?’

  Suddenly my throat tightened. ‘Because I don’t think I like what I’m going to say.’