Suddenly, the shouting stopped and she heard Charlene giggle. Lacey sunk down in bed and sighed. The walls were thin and she heard the dull beat of music drifting through the ceiling, followed by what sounded like moaning. Lacey sat back up and listened carefully…
Is that what I think it is? she thought.
Charlene’s giggles turned to moans of pleasure and directly above her Lacey could hear the sound of the headboard smacking against the wall.
“Well, I guess she found another way to pay this time,” Lacey smirked.
She climbed back into bed and began to wish for the fighting to return. Listening to Charlene have sex with someone was just more of a reminder of how lonely she was. Her love life was pretty much non-existent, and she couldn’t remember the last time she met someone who made her heart race. She felt the emotion welling up inside of her and a tear rolled down her cheek. What she wouldn’t give for the touch of a good man. But unfortunately, she didn’t think one of those existed in Clay Springs…and if they did, she certainly was yet to find them.
2.
She woke up at nine am with a start and jumped out of bed. She was supposed to be at work at ten and she didn’t have her car. She was going to have to make the twenty-minute walk in the blistering heat.
Shit, she thought as she ran through to the bathroom and turned on the shower. She pulled her nightdress over her head and climbed in. She tried to turn up the heat, but it seemed stuck on the lukewarm temperature.
“I am so sick of this place,” she sighed, washing quickly. It wasn’t the first time that she had had problems with the heating and water. It seemed like the building was crumbling around her. Her landlord wasn’t interested. He was probably the reason for the problem. Clay Springs had a distinct lack of accommodation for people like Lacey--young, single girls who needed somewhere cheap. The majority of properties were family houses and this was one of only two apartment blocks in town. She’d been lucky to get it and although rent was cheap, it really was pretty grim. The owner was another corrupt asshole who benefited from taking advantage of those who were less fortunate than him, and Lacey knew she couldn’t argue with him or force him into making repairs. She just wanted out.
She turned the shower off, hopped out onto the bathmat and wrapped herself up in a big towel. She was shivering even though the sun was shining through the window and heating up the place by the second. She towel-dried her hair and got dressed into her work “uniform” which basically consisted of anything short or revealing. She had chosen a pair of cut-off denim shorts and a little white t-shirt that was split down the front to show off her huge breasts. When she was feeling down, Lacey regularly joked that they were the only thing she had going for her and she had to show them off to make herself feel better. She loved the way men stared at her and her impressive cleavage, especially when she was working and they helped her pass the time behind the bar by flirting with her and buying her drinks.
Just past nine-thirty, she made her way to the front door. She stopped and listened for a moment to see if she could hear any noises coming from Charlene’s place, but it all seemed quiet.
Not surprised, she thought, they were up most of the night screwing.
She stuck her middle finger up at the ceiling and laughed to herself. Even though they couldn’t see it and would never know, it had made her feel just a little bit better.
***
As she walked down the street, she clutched her purse to her side and made her way quickly to her usual coffee stop. She had never been the type of person who would wake up early and have plenty of time to prepare for the day, making herself a pot of coffee and warming croissants while she read the morning paper. Lacey was a get-up-and-go girl and she grabbed what she could on the run. There wasn’t a lot of choice on her route to work, but she had found a nice little coffee house that was fast and friendly.
She stepped inside and smiled at the barista, who was new and slower than the other guys in there but Lacey couldn’t be bothered to make a fuss. She ordered a double espresso and twiddled her thumbs as she waited for it. When the girl passed it to her, she smiled and wished her a good day before heading back outside into the sun. Coffee and the heat were a bad mix, but she needed the caffeine. She knocked it back fast and threw the cup in the trash.
She felt revived and picked up her pace. She looked down at her watch. 9:52. She had eight minutes before she was officially late and potentially facing unemployment again. Since she had been a working adult, she had been fired no less than ten times. But that had been when she was traveling and not taking the world seriously. Now she had an apartment and bills, and she was the only person who could look after her. She felt the pang again… the longing for someone else to care and tell her that everything would be all right. When she was growing up, she had never thought of herself as one of those women who needed a man to support her, but as she had matured and experienced more, she realized that maybe she actually did.
As she walked, she daydreamed. One of her favorite fantasies was that she was married to a business man in a big city. They would have a nice house and a golden retriever and the bar and her crumby apartment would be a distant memory. She thought back to the previous evening and how she had to listen to Charlene screwing some guy and how depressed she had felt. The thought of moving on and not being lonely was becoming ever more desirable. She didn’t want to admit it to herself fully, but she did want a man. She wanted to be cared for, loved and cherished.
Her mind wandered back to the big house with the picket fence and the city boy husband. She wasn’t even sure if someone like that would be her type, but it was the fantasy of the day and it kept her from depression as she rounded the corner and saw the bar across the street. A homeless man was asleep in the doorway, and she was the only one who was going to be there to move him on. Her boss wasn’t technically going to be in until twelve, and even if he got there early, there was no chance he would do it himself.
“Great,” she whispered. “Here we go…”
3.
The bar opened at noon. Lacey had been busy all morning cleaning up the place and stacking the shelves. She restocked the refrigerators and was sitting behind the bar reading a magazine when the first customer came in. It was one of the old boys who never said a word. She poured him his usual and watched him take it over to a table in the very corner where he could sit in silence.
Her boss had come and gone. He had checked in with her first thing and then left for the day, saying he would be back in the evening sometime. Lacey poured herself a glass of water and went back to her magazine. The air conditioning was on, but it was still sweltering in there, so she fanned herself with a stack of unopened letters that had been piling up for weeks.
The door opened and Lacey looked up. She froze as she realized it was Charlene. She looked drunk already and like she was wearing the previous night’s clothes and make-up.
“Hey, Lace,” she drawled, “How are ya?”
“Fine,” she smiled. “Apart from being deliriously tired…”
“Oh?” Charlene smirked but pretended not to know what she was talking about.
“Last night Charlene,” she shook her head. “It was ridiculous.”
“What was?”
“The noise… the shouting and then the…” she trailed off, embarrassed.
Charlene stared at her and burst out laughing.
“Shit, sorry Lace,” she shrugged, “Didn’t mean to keep you up.”
Lacey shook her head and brushed it off. She picked up a glass and started to clean it to make it look like she was busy and didn’t have time for conversation.
“So,” she said, “How can I help you?”
“I’d love a drink,” Charlene grinned. “Whiskey.”
“Seriously?” Lacey asked putting the glass down. “This is a bit far for you to come for just a drink, isn’t it?”
Charlene smiled and shrugged. “Is it?”
“Well, yeah, I’d say so.” Lace
y looked at her suspiciously. “I mean you hardly ever come in here.”
“Just catching up with my friend is all,” Charlene said, pinching Lacey playfully on the arm and smiling.
“Okay,” Lacey said, “What’s going on?”
“Get me that drink, will ya?” Charlene scratched the back of her neck. “I feel a bit jittery.”
Sighing, Lacey poured her the whiskey and slid it across to her.
“That’ll be three ninety-five,” Lacey said as she held out her hand.
Charlene’s mouth dropped open slightly before she smiled and said, “Oh, just put it on my tab.”
She swigged the whiskey down and then slammed the glass down on the counter before saying, “And I’ll take another.”
“Charlene, you don’t have a tab… You know we don’t do that here,” Lacey said sternly.
“Oh come on,” she pleaded, “Help a sister out.”
Lacey bit her tongue and scrunched up her fists. She and Charlene had never been close friends and it always seemed like she only came to Lacey when she wanted something. Lacey was tired and pissed off and that was all Charlene’s fault… and now she had the audacity to walk into her place of work and ask for free drinks and favors. She dreaded to think what was coming next.
“So what’s going on, Charlene? What do I owe the pleasure?”
Charlene nudged the glass towards her again and smiled with wide eyes. Lacey shook her head, and Charlene crossed her arms defensively over her chest and pouted.
“I’m in trouble,” she said reluctantly, “I need your help.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Lacey said.
She turned back to the bar and opened the refrigerator before pulling herself out a beer.
“Looks like I’m going to need a drink too, huh?” Lacey said as she took a swig. “Go on then, what’s happened now?”
Charlene shifted on the spot and ran her hands through her hair.
“I owe someone money,” she said quietly, “And they won’t wait for it.”
“Sounds like they were prepared to wait last night,” Lacey said angrily.
“No,” Charlene shook her head. “That wasn’t them… Last night it was my old boyfriend. He came around causing trouble and we had a fight but then we, well… We made up…” she smiled shyly.
“Yeah, I heard,” Lacey took another swig of her beer.
“I am really sorry about that,” Charlene said genuinely as she reached across the bar and grasped Lacey’s hand. “I need your help, Lacey… Please?”
Lacey looked at her and knew there was no way she could turn her down. Even though she was angry and broke… she knew when someone was really in need.
“Okay, how much?” Lacey sighed.
Charlene bit her bottom lip and covered her eyes before exhaling deeply and peeking out from underneath her hands.
“Four thousand dollars,” she whispered.
Lacey almost dropped her beer.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Lacey said as she sat back down on the stool and took hold of the beer. “Jesus, I’m going to need something much stronger than this.”
4.
She and Charlene went out front and Charlene lit a cigarette. Lacey hadn’t smoked since she was at high school, but she took it from her and had a drag. She coughed and waved the smoke away.
“Who do you owe?” Lacey asked angrily.
“I know I’m an idiot…” Charlene said, “Things just got really out of hand and now this new guy has come into town and taken over all the old debts and he isn’t letting people off anymore… Says he wants everything paid up or he’s going to fucking kill people, Lacey.”
“So this debt has been building up for a while?”
“Yes, years,” Charlene took a drag on her cigarette.
“So what about all the other money I’ve given you?”
“It paid some of it off,” she said, “But it never fully cleared it.”
Lacey rubbed her eyes and sat down on the curb.
“I don’t have that kind of money Charlene,” she shook her head, “I just don’t…”
“Oh, God, please, you’ve got to help me,” she started to cry. “I know I’ve been stupid, but this is what I need to turn my life around. I haven’t got any family Lacey. You’re the only person I can turn to.”
Lacey’s head felt like it was going to explode. She didn’t have a solution this time.
“Who is it? Who do you owe?” she asked again.
“The bikers,” Charlene said as she looked nervously around. “Satan’s Riders.”
“And what did you say about someone new?” Lacey looked up at the sun and closed her eyes. The warmth on her skin was the only thing keeping her calm.
“The old boss has gone,” Charlene began, “And now this new guy has come in to take over and he’s really dangerous. He’s scary… He’s been imposing all these new rules and trying to turn the town around. He doesn’t want any debts or any authority involvement. He’s cutting all ties with the cops and he’s trying to go as legit as they possibly can in their line of work. No tabs, no borrowing anything. Payment up front and if you owe anything, then he’s coming after you to get it back.”
Lacey swallowed hard and looked up at Charlene. She was shaking and tears were streaming down her face.
“I only have a thousand,” she said finally. “There’s nothing else.”
Charlene sat down next to her and put her head in her hands.
“I can’t take it to him,” Charlene said. “If I go in there, they’ll kill me…”
“And what will happen to me if I go!?” Lacey shouted angrily. “This isn’t even my goddam mess!”
“Please!” Charlene begged holding onto Lacey’s arm. “Please just take him the thousand and beg him… It’s not your debt and he’ll know that… please help me.”
Lacey rubbed her temples and just wanted the ground to open and swallow her up. Her good nature was her Achilles heel. This was the last thing she needed, and she wanted to shoot herself for being such an easy target and a sucker for feeling so bad for Charlene.
But instead, she said, “Okay, I’ll take the money.”
Charlene threw her arms around Lacey’s neck and hugged her tightly.
“Thank you so much, Lace,” she sobbed, “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Lacey couldn’t bring herself to speak. The last of her money was about to be swallowed up by Charlene’s debt… and she was going to have to go into a bike gang’s clubhouse to settle the score.
After she had finished work at the bar that evening, she stood outside and drank the rest of the vodka she had taken out of her tips. She was so nervous, she had been drinking all afternoon, and when her boss, Ray, had come in, she pretended that she had been accepting drinks from the customers to get them to spend more money. On her lunch break she decided to go home and collect the cash. She wanted to get the whole thing over as soon as possible and leaving it even one day could potentially make her lose her nerve.
She swayed on the spot and reached into her bag and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper that Charlene had scrawled the address on. It was across town and she would have to walk. Even though it was dark and late at night, the air was still dense with heat and she wiped her brow with the back of her hand.
“I’m not walking,” she said aloud before she reaching for her cell phone and dialing the number of a cab company.
***
The cab driver pulled up outside the club house and turned to look at her slouching down in the back seat. She paid him and opened the door before stepping out and slamming it behind her. The reality of the situation soon sobered her up when she saw the lines of motorcycles outside and big burly men covered in tattoos who sat astride them. She suddenly wanted to turn and run. She reached down to her purse and checked that the envelope of cash was still there and squeezed it in her palm.
“Come on, Lacey,” she whispered to herself. “You can do this.”
&n
bsp; She began to walk towards the main door and tried not to shake or react to the catcalls that followed her. She could feel the men’s eyes all over her huge breasts and curvy waist. She pushed the door open to the clubhouse and stepped inside. It could have been any other bar, except there were no women in there and all of the men were huge, dressed head to toe in leather and looked mean. They looked as bad as they come, and as Lacey stood there in the doorway with no clue what to do next, she realized that her hands were indeed shaking.
“Can we help you, sweetheart?” One of the men got to his feet and took a step towards her.
Lacey instinctively took a step back and clutched onto her purse for dear life.
“I’m here to see whoever is in charge,” she said, trying to sound confident and then cleared her throat. “The new boss.”
She knew she must have sounded like a fool, but she couldn’t think of what else to say.
The man was chewing gum and he spat it out onto the floor and held out his hand.
“Who’s asking?” he eyed her angrily.
“My name is Lacey… I’m here for a friend, Charlene… I have some of the money she owes you.”
His eyebrows raised and his face softened.
“Well, all right then,” he said as if he was mocking her, “You better come this way, Ma’am.”
[Runes of Argyl 01.0] The Runes of Argyl Trilogy Page 21