by Jade Kuzma
“Busy as always. That’s what I always liked about you. Hard-working. You put your responsibilities in front of your hobbies. That’s the right idea. You’ll never make any money painting pictures. Art is all about luck and tricking some connoisseur into thinking there’s some meaning in it.”
Blade turned back to me, smiling as he laughed softly to himself.
“You’ve seen the paintings in my office,” he said. “The truth is I can’t tell if they’re any better than something I’d find on the street. The only reason I have them is because of their value. Maybe I could put something of yours in my office and trick everybody into thinking it’s worth something.”
“Yeah, that’s an idea.”
I laughed nervously as Blade made his way back toward me. He put his hands on my shoulders and narrowed his eyes at me.
“You’re not wearing any makeup,” he said.
“I just got out of the shower.”
“Do you plan on working tonight?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “I’ll go out there and make some money.”
“It’s been a few days since I’ve received a payment from you. Has that Lawrence fellow not been paying you?”
“I have the money he gave me. I can give it to you now if you want—”
“There’s no hurry. I know you’re good for it. Please. Sit.”
He led me over to my couch. He sat down across from me, sitting up straight like he always did. He stared at me but I didn’t look at him, trying my best not to show how anxious I was at the moment.
Blade had come here for a reason but I wasn’t about to ask him why.
“How long have we known each other?” he asked.
“About five years now.”
“Five years… You were just 18. Now you’re almost 24. Your birthday is coming up soon.”
“It is.”
“Maybe I could get you something nice.”
“You… You don’t have to get me anything.”
“But I should. You’re my favorite girl, Asia. Just because I don’t fuck you anymore doesn’t mean I don’t still care about you.”
He kept staring at me. I didn’t say anything. All I did was sit there, counting the seconds until he finally left.
“I trust you,” he said.
“What?”
“I trust you. That’s why I tell you everything. I tell you about the operation I’m setting up. I tell you about the other women I sleep with. I tell you about the people I deal with.”
Blade always had a cocky smile on his face. A man in his position had every right to be confident. I suppose he had to so he could get the respect from everybody around him.
But he wasn’t smiling now. He was just staring at me like he was trying to look right through me.
“I dealt with Walsh,” he said. “I had a good businessman killed for you.”
“I know. I remember what you said—”
“What is Lawrence still doing here?”
“I… I don’t know,” I said. “I haven’t asked him.”
“You’re not getting too attached to him now, are you? You shouldn’t be giving away something for free when there are others who are more than willing to pay for it.”
“He paid me. I have your money. I told you, I can get it for you right now—”
“I know, I know.”
It was a bit of a relief to see him smile again. He stood up and moved over to me. He put a hand on my arm. For some reason, his touch sent a chill down my spine.
“It’s all right,” he said. “Lawrence is from out of town. It’s not hard to imagine he’s infatuated with you. There’s no other woman in the world quite like you, Asia.”
I had trouble looking back at him.
“Once Lawrence is gone, you can go back to business as usual. There are a lot of men anxious to get a taste of you.”
“Is that what you came here for?”
“Yes. I wanted to let you know that even though I dealt with Walsh, there are still others I want you to spend the weekend with.”
“I remember.”
“I want you to show them a good time the only way you can. Let them know why you were my favorite fuck for so many years.”
Blade released me from his grip. He turned around and started walking to the exit. I sighed a soft breath of relief through my nose.
He put his hand on the door handle but stopped before he turned it.
“Oh, Asia. There’s just one other thing.”
“Yes?”
He pulled his hand away from the handle. He slowly started walking back toward me.
I stood there, my jaw clenched as he moved closer.
Blade’s eyes shifted up and down my body, his brow furrowed in slight confusion.
“You’re not really going to wear that, are you?”
I looked down and examined the dress I wore.
“What’s wrong with it?” I asked.
“Nothing wrong with that dress for a whore, I suppose. But do you have to dress like one when you’re meeting a federal agent?”
What?
I thought I’d misheard him.
But the look in his eyes told me I didn’t. He wasn’t confused. He wasn’t smiling. All he had was a growing anger in his eyes I didn’t want to believe I was looking at.
“Tell me it’s not true,” he said. “Tell me you’re not meeting with the federal agent and giving her information about me.”
I swallowed anxiously, trying my best to keep a straight face. I coughed softly to clear my throat.
“It’s not true,” I whispered.
He gave me a half-smile.
“I’ve known you for five years now,” he said. “Five years and you’re still lying to me.”
We stood there in the middle of my apartment, staring hard at one another.
I didn’t know what to do. But I had to do something.
I immediately rushed for the door but it was futile. He grabbed me by the arms and tossed me to the ground. I gasped as I fell with a thud.
“Oh, Asia, you broke my heart.”
I looked up at him and was met with a hard slap against my cheek. I collapsed back to the ground, a stinging pain reverberating through my head.
“Get up.”
He grabbed me by my hair and forced me back to my feet. I struggled to break free from him while he looked into my eyes.
“After everything I did for you. After I took you in and looked after you. This is how you repay me?”
“Please… I—”
He slapped me across the face again, sending me back down to the ground. The pain was unbearable. Another stinging slap across my face made the tears roll down my cheeks. I groaned in pain on the floor.
“I should have left you where I found you. But I just had to fall in love with you.”
I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t believe what was happening.
My mind was scattered when he picked me back up from the ground. He held me in his arms before dropping me back down on my coffee table. I fell back onto it with a hard thud. The pain was a shockwave through my entire body.
I writhed in pain while he stood over me.
“Look at you… You’re so beautiful… Why would you make me do this to you?”
I had to do something. I had to do something now or he was gonna kill me right here.
He reached his hands down and picked me up by my hair. When I got back to my feet, I threw my hand as hard as I could. I slammed my fist into his nose. He stumbled back and stared at me angrily, blood trickling from one of his nostrils.
He rushed back at me. I reached my hands out and clawed at his face. He screamed in pain as I dug my nails into him, trying to press my thumbs into his eyes.
“Fuck you!”
I shouted at him as I struggled with him, trying to get him to let go of my hair. I’d never used so much strength in my life.
“Get off me!”
He wrapped his arms around me and tossed me to the side of
my living room.
Stay focused… Stay focused…
Blade stumbled to his feet while he wiped the blood away from his face. I searched the scattered remains of my coffee table and snatched my phone up as quickly as I could before he could do anything.
I rushed out of my apartment with Blade chasing after me. I dialed on my phone the first number that came up as I ran through the complex.
“Gibson! What did I tell you about calling me—”
“Blade! He’s trying to kill me!”
“What?”
“Help!”
“I’m coming! I’m on my way right now!”
I turned around to look for Blade but there was no sign of him.
The throbbing pain in my head and the rest of my body was finally getting to me. I collapsed to the ground just as I heard a voice next to me.
“Hey, miss? Are you all right?”
I turned my head up and saw a stranger looking down at me.
“Hey! Somebody call an ambulance!”
I stared up at the sky over the stranger’s shoulder. It was so blue. The sun was out without a cloud in the sky. It was such a beautiful day in Ivory.
Chapter 17
CHARLES
I didn’t drink as much as everybody thought I did. People saw the leather and the bike and the boots and the beard and whatever shit that made them make assumptions about me. Just from my demeanor, they probably figured I chugged a 12-pack every day and crushed the cans on my forehead. I didn’t give a shit what people thought about me one way or the other. But I never drank enough to get drunk off my ass.
Now, I was starting to think about it.
It was the middle of the fucking afternoon and I was sitting in a bar with just a few other people enjoying their drinks. I stared at the full mug in front of me. A quick gulp and the glass was empty.
I couldn’t hold back a sigh, my thoughts swirling around in my fucking head.
“This shit must be serious.”
I turned my head and saw Garnet walking toward me. The president of the Black Reapers held his hands out, a mild look of concern on his face. I never met a club president who didn’t care about his patches.
“It’s serious, all right,” I said. “More serious than I thought it would be.”
“You want me to call a meeting?”
“Nah. No need for that. I only gotta talk to you. Then you can decide what to tell the rest of the troops.”
“Fair enough…”
Garnet hopped on the seat next to me, listening intently.
“…What’s on your mind, nomad?”
“There’s a lot of shit going on in this town. More than I realized. And I’m right in the middle of it.”
“Are you now?”
“I didn’t realize it until last night.”
Garnet raised his eyebrows at me as he waited to hear what I had to say.
“How long has Lieberman been in town?” I asked.
“It’s been almost a year now. It was right about the time Needle got that Cobra broad pregnant. I remember it well.”
“She’s been here that long and you still don’t know what she’s up to?”
“I got a hunch but that’s all it is. I can’t act on a hunch. Why you asking? You got some dirt on Lieberman?”
“Dirt on feds doesn’t come around very often. But I got something.”
“Really…”
Garnet leaned in closer to me. I had his full attention.
“Do you know who Jacob Holmes is?” I said.
“I heard the name. Small-time dealer, I think. He’s up to some other shit, too. Prostitution rings. Illegal fights. Stolen goods. But nothing I care too much about. What about him?”
“Lieberman is going after him. She’s been setting up an operation to collect evidence on him. Once she has enough to get a conviction, she’s gonna try to take him down.”
“That’s interesting.”
Garnet leaned back in his seat and sighed.
“She wouldn’t be targeting Holmes if he’s small fish. That must mean he’s up to something.”
“He’s up to something. When the Triads pulled the plug on your deal, that meant there was an empty spot for drugs to be moved through this town. Holmes is trying to take their place.”
“Holmes is a small-time dealer and now he’s trying to be some drug kingpin. He’s got a lot of balls. I admire that.”
“I wouldn’t admire him too much. Agent Lieberman is a hard-nosed bitch. I wouldn’t bet against her when it comes to that. Now that I know what she’s capable of…”
“What is it?”
Garnet raised his eyebrows at me. I thought about Lenora for a moment and regretted that I wasn’t there with her now. I almost hesitated telling Garnet but he had to know the truth. For the good of the club and for the good of Ivory.
“I was with a girl,” I said. “You seen her before?”
“I think I might’ve. The one in the tight dress. Hair always put up. Nice legs.”
“Lenora.”
“Yeah… Lenora… I seen her around… Wait? Are you telling me she’s working for Lieberman?”
I sighed a deep breath before I said it.
“Lieberman is setting her up. She’s blackmailing her into staying close to Holmes so she can get the inside info she needs.”
“If Lenora is working for Lieberman—”
“I know.”
I didn’t have to say it but seeing as how I had Garnet’s ear, I had to make it clear to him and see if he agreed.
“There’s no telling what Lieberman’s up to,” I said. “But she didn’t come here for Holmes. He was a nobody when she got here. If I’m around Lenora, she could be feeding information to Lieberman about the club.”
“Shit…”
Garnet nearly reeled back in his seat. He ran a hand through his hair and slicked it back. He shook his head at me, a half-smirk on his face.
“Being around her is a danger to your club,” I said. “Just any little bit of information about what you’re doing could shut you down and get you and all of your boys locked up.”
“I’m sorry, brother. It’s a shame when we fall for the ones we can never have.”
“That’s how it is. Heartbreak is just a part of living.”
“You break up with the gal?”
“I don’t know if we were even together.”
I managed to laugh at the thought of it. Garnet patted me on the back.
“What are you planning on doing?” he said.
“I need a favor.”
“Name it.”
“I still owe Lenora some cash. She’s a hooker. I told her I needed her when I was still trying to take down Walsh. I haven’t paid for her services yet.”
“A hooker on layaway. That’s the first time I ever heard of that.”
“I need to borrow some cash. I’m good for it. I can get you back—”
“How much do you need?”
“Fifty-grand.”
“Whoa… She must have one tight pussy.”
“The tightest,” I scoffed.
Garnet chuckled to himself. Most guys would have been upset over that kind of money but he still had a smile on his face.
“I know you’re good for it,” he said. “You can pay me back by working at the bar.”
“I’m not sticking around,” I said.
“Is that right?”
“Ivory just isn’t for me. There’s too much shit going on. I figure me being around you is nothing but trouble. I brought all my shit here and all it’s doing is amplifying the spotlight Lieberman is trying to shine on you.”
“Where you gonna go?”
“Somewhere else. Anywhere else. Don’t worry about me. I’ll get the money back to you. I promise you that.”
Garnet turned around to look at the rest of the club. They were all gathered around the poker table like they always were.
“The boys would think I was crazy for lending that kind of cash to a nomad,”
he said.
“I wouldn’t blame ‘em. I’m not a part of your club—”
“You’re a Reaper. You got patched in for a reason. Nomad or not, I know I can trust you. Wear that shit on your chest. Be proud of it.”
Garnet dug his index finger into the patch on my chest.
The Black Reaper logo was just a skull with the club name on it. But Garnet and I both knew that there was more to it than what it looked like. It was something special. And we both treated it with the same amount of respect, even though we’d only just met a few days ago.
“When are you leaving?” he asked.
“The sooner I get outta here, the better off everybody will be.”
“You say all your goodbyes?”
I thought about Lenora. She was the only person I needed to say goodbye to.
“You can tell the boys that you sent me on my way. I’ll say goodbye to her. After I give her the cash…”
“…Gimme a sec, Char. I’ll be right back.”
Garnet excused himself and left me alone at the bar. The bartender poured me another beer and I gulped it down to forget about all the shit on my mind for just a second.
Even though I was sitting by myself in The Grindhouse, my thoughts still kept fucking wandering. I was determined to see this shit through. Nothing was gonna stop me from doing what was right.
It only took a few moments before Garnet came up to me with a small carrying bag. He opened it up for me so I could peek inside.
“You wanna count it?”
“I know it’s good.”
I took the bag from him and threw the strap over my shoulder. Garnet looked me in the eye and put his hands on my arms. He stared at me like a proud father, a grin on his lips.
“Be well, Reaper.”
I gave him a nod and turned around to leave. There was no fanfare or emotions or any of that other crap. I planned on leaving Ivory as unceremoniously as I came.
I hopped on my ride and rode down the streets. The sun was out. The traffic was nonexistent. With the wind flowing through my hair and blowing against my face, I enjoyed the feeling of my last ride through Ivory.
I closed my eyes for just a second, knowing that I would eventually get back to Lenora’s place to say my last goodbye. I didn’t answer any of her messages, so I could only hope that she was still there.