by Jade Kuzma
“Sometimes a girl just wants to have a beer by herself,” he said.
“Right. Do you know a place?”
“I’ve only just gotten to Ivory. I hear there are a lot of fun places in town.”
“I’m not interested in any fun right now, so you’re talking to the wrong girl.”
“Maybe I’m not looking for any fun either.”
“Is that right? And just what are you looking for?”
He wasn’t the ugliest guy in the world. If anything, he was kinda handsome. I figured I would play his game to keep myself occupied. It’s not like the beer was going anywhere.”
“What am I looking for?” he said. “If I knew the answer to that, I’m sure I’d have already found it. Sometimes you just gotta go out there and see what the world has to offer.”
“I can tell you this much. Ivory is not the place you’re looking for. Unless you’re looking for heartbreak and misery, that is.”
“I see…”
He kept staring at me even though I wasn’t looking at him.
“Rough day?” he asked.
“More like rough life.”
“Ouch. It can’t be that bad, can it?”
“Let’s see… My father died in an accident. My mother died because she couldn’t get over my father. And I just found out my brother died. Probably because he couldn’t deal with being without my mother and father.”
I turned to him and widened my eyes at him, waiting to see how he could respond. The stranger frowned at me and shook his head.
“Ivory,” he said. “How did I end up in a place like this?”
“I’d say this is the place where poor souls end up before they end up in Hell but it feels like I’m already there.”
“Ivory isn’t that bad. I know it isn’t.”
“And what makes you say that?”
“They let underage girls drink.”
I shifted my eyes to the bartender to see if he caught it but he wasn’t listening thankfully. I turned back to the stranger and shook my head.
“What are you doing here?” I said. “Are you a cop?”
He burst into laughter and nearly fell out of his seat.
“I can assure you that I’m anything but a cop.”
“That’s not very assuring. Guys out here are always up to no good. They’re always up to something.”
“In your experience.”
“Yes, in my experience.”
“Well…”
He straightened up in his seat and sighed.
“…I can tell you that I am up to something but I’m willing to share all of the details with you.”
I shrugged and took another sip of beer.
“I’m all ears.”
“Ivory is a small town. The people out here are just looking for a good time. Well, everybody except the young adult women who are trying to have a beer by themselves.”
“Thanks for your consideration…”
“But for everybody else, they don’t have much of an escape. I’m here to provide them that escape.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“That sounds like a lot of trouble,” I said.
“Trouble and fun are always synonymous. It’s funny how it works that way. But you said it yourself. You’re just a poor soul stuck in Ivory, waiting until it’s time for you to go to Hell. You might as well enjoy yourself while you’re still here.”
The grin on his face grew even wider. It was probably the alcohol talking to me, but there was something appealing about him. I should have just told him to leave me alone but I was intrigued.
I decided to keep playing along.
“What are you up to?” I said.
“It all starts with making a little money,” he said.
“Of course. You can’t have any fun if you don’t have any money. And just what is it you do, stranger?”
“I have some businesses on the side. I make a few bucks. It’s nothing big. Not yet, anyway. But it’s only a matter of time.”
He kept grinning at me. Despite the news I just got about my brother, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. This guy had me playing along and I couldn’t stop.
“Only a matter of time,” I said. “Pretty soon you’re gonna have all the money in the world. A dozen cars. A big mansion. Your own yacht.”
“That’s the life, isn’t it? I admit, all of that would be nice. But it wouldn’t mean anything without that one important ingredient.”
“And what’s that?”
“You.”
A cheesy line like that wouldn’t make me blush but here I was, trying to hide my embarrassment. That’s how I knew I was definitely drunk.
He knew I was playing along with him, so he didn’t stop.
“I’m not asking for your company tonight,” he said. “I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m not even asking you to sleep with me.”
“Then what are you asking?”
“I’m new in town. I don’t really know anybody. And from what you told me, you don’t really know anybody either.”
He leaned in closer to me.
“Have dinner with me. Tomorrow night. I think it would be a great opportunity to discuss how much we have in common.”
I looked away from him and took another sip of beer. I contemplated his offer, trying and failing to find a reason to turn him down.
“It’s just dinner,” he said. “You don’t like what you hear. You don’t like my attitude. You don’t like the way I smell. Just walk away. I can’t force something that was never meant to be.”
I sighed a deep breath through my nose and nodded to him.
“Okay. I’ll have dinner with you. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“I really wanna forget about today. Buy me another drink?”
“Another drink. Sure. That sounds like the right kind of fun.”
The stranger ordered a couple of beers from the bartender. I grabbed my mug but just before I took a sip, the stranger stopped me.
“Hold on,” he said. “We should toast.”
“Toast?”
“Yes. This is a celebration. For me, anyway. It’s not often you meet the woman of your dreams.”
“All right,” I said, giggling. “A toast.”
“Let’s see… If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?”
I squinted as I thought about it for a second.
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “Somewhere in Asia sounds nice.”
“To Asia.”
“To Asia.”
I clinked my glass with his and took a huge gulp.
“What’s your name?” I asked as I watched him drink.
“My friends call me Jacob.”
“Then Jacob it is.”
“It’s a pleasure…”
“Lenora.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lenora. I think you and I are gonna have a lot of fun together.”
Chapter 20
LENORA
I’ll never forget the way Blade looked at me. The intensity in his unblinking eyes. That smirk on his lips that seemed to be growing even wider. The way he could say so much without speaking a single word.
It was easy for me to fall for someone like him. Even if I walked away from him, I would never be able to get him out of my mind. He intrigued me like no man I’d ever met before.
He always had his eyes on me. He was always watching me, staring at me intently like he was waiting for me to do something.
But there was something else. Something else that made him angry. I didn’t know what it was.
“I’m sorry… Blade, please…”
I pleaded with him. I begged him not to be angry with me. I wanted him to look at me like he did when he first met me. But he didn’t budge. It was like looking at a different person.
The man I fell for was gone. All he had for me now was pure disdain.
“Blade…”
He rushed his hands to
ward me and wrapped them around my neck.
I gasped a deep breath and my eyes shot open.
I kept breathing hard as I took in my surroundings. A white ceiling stared back at me.
“Everything is all right… You’re okay, Miss Gibson.”
I turned my head toward the man smiling down at me. I breathed another sigh of relief when I realized that the doctor was the only person in the room with me.
Just a dream…
I closed my eyes and tried to regain my composure. But even though I’d awoken from my nightmare, the pain of my reality lingered through my body.
“What happened?” I said.
“What’s the last thing you remember, Miss Gibson?”
“I…”
I didn’t have to think long for the memories to come back to me.
Blade put his hands on me. He put his hands on me like nobody ever had before. I didn’t want to think about it but the memories were so clear in my thoughts, I could relive them over and over just by closing my eyes.
“What’s wrong with me?” I said.
“You’ve sustained quite a number of injuries. Multiple contusions. Some abrasions. But nothing is broken and you don’t have any internal injuries. You’re very fortunate, considering what happened to you.”
“Yeah…”
The doctor kept making notes on his clipboard and smiled at me.
“I’d like to keep you here a couple of nights,” he said. “Just to make sure we didn’t miss anything. In your condition, it’s probably best if you stay in bed for a few days.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“If there’s anything you need, you just let me know.”
“Actually—”
“There are a couple of people posted outside. I can assure you that you don’t have to worry about anybody trying to do anything. Just a few hours ago there was a man in a leather vest, some biker trying to get in here.”
“A biker?”
My eyes lit-up.
“Did he have a thick beard? A Black Reaper patch on his vest?”
“I believe that’s the guy,” the doctor said. “He’s still waiting outside but the police are making sure he won’t come near you—”
“I need to see him.”
“Miss Gibson, I think it would be best if—”
“You told me if I needed anything to let you know. I’m letting you know now that I need to see him.”
The doctor still looked reluctant.
“Please…”
He eventually gave in.
“Not for too long,” he said. “You really should be getting some rest.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
He gave me a polite smile before excusing himself from the room. I was so exhausted that I felt like I could barely move. I laid there with my eyes closed until I heard the door open.
When I peeked my eyes open, I saw the one person I needed to see more than anybody else standing there.
“Hey… How are you feeling?”
It was strange to see such a tender smile on Charles’s face. He was always so intense, I didn’t think he would be able to look so calm.
“I’m doing okay,” I said. “The doctor said I’ll be out of here in just a couple of days.”
“That’s good. You should take all of the rest you need.”
Charles took a seat next to me. He leaned forward but he wasn’t looking at me. He just kept looking my body up and down. I only just now noticed some of the bruises on my arms.
“I could really use a drink right now,” I said.
“Oh yeah? Maybe I could sneak in a six-pack for you.”
“I need more than a beer. Something a little stronger than that.”
“Whiskey? Vodka? Tequila?”
“Nothing like that either,” I said with a laugh. “I was thinking something nice. A mixed-drink. Something fruity like a daiquiri or a pina colada. That sounds good right about now.”
“I never took you for a girl who’d be into such fruity drinks.”
“I’m a girl, Charles. Alcohol doesn’t always have to be something bitter that stings when you drink it.”
“Sure but what’s the fun in something that doesn’t sting when you drink it?”
It was a bit of a relief to see the smile on his face but I knew he wasn’t smiling on the inside.
“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. If I’d have been there—”
“No. You don’t have anything to be sorry about. It’s… It’s not your fault.”
I sighed thinking about the situation we were both in. I knew that we both wanted the same thing but we couldn’t have it.
“It’s too much of a risk,” I said. “Lieberman knows everything about me. She’s gonna keep holding it over my head. You’re right. Even if she locks up Blade, that won’t stop her. She’ll keep pushing me until she gets your club, too.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that I should have stopped him. I never should have left your side. I would have ripped my patch off if that’s what it took.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
Charles just stared at me. He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t angry or sad either. But I knew there was something on his mind.
“He’s gonna pay for what he did,” I said. “He should have never put his hands on you.”
“I know. I’ve told Lieberman everything. It’s only a matter of time—”
“I’m not talking about Lieberman.”
“What do you mean?”
I looked into Charles’s eyes. I waited for his response but he didn’t say anything.
Then I realized that there was no reason for him to speak. I already knew what he was thinking.
I pushed my hands into the mattress and sat up straight.
“Charles, I can’t ask you—”
“You’re not asking me anything. I’m doing this. I’m doing it for me.”
“You’re not doing it for you. I know you’re doing this because you care about me.”
“What difference does it make?”
Charles jumped up out of his seat and began pacing back and forth, frustration growing on his face.
“Lieberman is telling me to wait,” he said. “She wants to wait for the DA to have enough charges to lock him up for good. And then what? Even if the charges stick, the motherfucker is gonna get locked up in a jail cell where he’ll live comfortably until he gets out on parole. No, fuck that. There’s no way I’m gonna let that happen.”
“You’re gonna have to. There’s no other way—”
“There is.”
Charles took a seat back next to me and took my hand in his. Just having him there with me was enough to make me feel safe.
“I’m not afraid of Holmes,” he said. “I’m gonna teach him the lesson he deserves. And I’m gonna make sure all of Ivory hears it.”
“And what about you? What happens to you after?”
“I’m a nomad,” he said with a smirk. “I’ve been on the run all my life. I don’t give a shit about who Lieberman is. She could get as many agents after me as she wants. She’ll never catch me.”
“Charles…”
I freed my hand from his and put it against his cheek. He closed his eyes while I caressed his skin.
“…You mean everything to me, Lenora. The thought of that asshole putting his hands on you… It’s worse than any thought I could ever have.”
“I…”
He opened his eyes when I stuttered to respond. I didn’t want to admit what I was thinking.
“…I had a dream about him,” I said. “Just now. I thought about him putting his hands around my throat. I’ll never be able to forget the way he looked at me. If I hadn’t gotten out of my apartment, he would have killed me.”
“That’s why Holmes has to pay. You’ll have to live with that for the rest of your life and it kills me inside. I’d sacrifice everything so you could be at peace.”
I scoffe
d at the thought of it.
“Ivory… I’ve lived here my entire life and it’s been nothing but misery. No…”
I shook my head softly.
“I’ve had it with Ivory,” I said. “I’ve had it with the guys trying to sleep with me. I’ve had it with the cops. I’ve had it with Lieberman. I’ve had it with Blade.”
I took Charles’s hand in mine and looked into his eyes.
“Let’s just go,” I said. “Go for a ride and take me with you. It doesn’t matter where we go. Just as long as we leave this place behind.”
“Lenora, I can’t ask you—”
“You’re not asking me anything. I’m telling you. This is what I want. I’ve been in Ivory all my life looking for a reason to leave. You’re my reason, Charles.”
My eyes started to glaze over. I couldn’t hold back my emotions any longer. Everything building in the pit of my stomach finally came out. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes as I squeezed Charles’s hand in mine.
“Take me away,” I said. “Take me somewhere far away from here. Anywhere.”
“You really mean it?”
“I do.”
Charles leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead.
“I want you to know that I won’t ever let anything happen to you,” he whispered. “As long as you’re by my side, I’ll keep you safe.”
It was like a dam burst inside of me when he said it. More tears streaked down my cheeks, forcing me to wipe them away. Charles pulled away from me and smiled, both of his hands wrapped around one of mine.
“I’ll talk to Garnet,” he said. “I’ll figure out a way out of this for the both of us.”
“It doesn’t matter where we go or how you do it. Just as long as we’re away from Ivory and everybody else here.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes, Lenora. I promise you.”
Chapter 21
CHARLES
Garnet called a meeting in the chapel. Even though I wasn’t a part of their chapter, he still invited me in and treated me like I was a full-fledged member.
I sat near the head of the table next to Garnet. The rest of the club had their eyes on me.
Ghost.
Sully.
Needle.
Petey.
Brawn.
I knew I was about to ask them a lot but there was no other way around it.