The Stand Off

by Z. Stefani

  “I’ll be very careful,” Pixie reassured her.

  “Did you get mom out of her room?” Lux changed the subject.

  “No, she refuses.”

  “Damn,” Lux felt the gloom rise up her spine to wrap around her brain.

  “And I think Dean Blake just got here,” Pixie said as Lux headed out of the room.

  “Damn…damn…ugh!” she cursed as the reality fully set in. Damn she hated that man; he was the epitome of all of her problems. Without him, her life would be back to normal.

  “Greedy, spoiled, home-wrecking asshole.” She shook her head.

  She didn’t have time to dwell on her hatred for Dean now. Now she had an even greater obstacle to get through, one that would be harder to achieve than any. She walked into her mother’s room and sat on the bed next to her.

  “Are you ready?” Lux asked in a soft voice.

  “No,” her mother whispered.

  “Mom, you know that you can’t stay in here.”

  “Don’t start; I can’t leave right now, I need a moment to regroup and collect my thoughts.” Pax kept her eyes closed, as if trying a new form of meditation.

  “There is a wrecking ball out front Mom; you don’t have time to collect your thoughts.”

  “Not yet.” Pax waived her hand.

  “Mom, please,” Lux pleaded.

  “Leave me alone, Lux. Let me do this at my own pace. Please.”

  “At your pace, half of this building will be demolished.”

  “You’re making it much worse, Lux. Please leave me to my thoughts.”

  “But mom.”

  “No, just go. The longer you hassle me, the longer it will take for me to regain my composure,” she barked.

  Seeing her mother’s anxiety grow, Lux took it down a notch despite her own growing anxieties. “I’m sorry, I’m just scared.”

  “I know. Try to stop them, use me as an excuse if you must, but I cannot leave right this moment.”

  “You know I can’t use you as an excuse.”

  “I know. I’m sorry I’ve put you in this position, Lux.”

  “It’s okay; it’s not your fault. I’ll be back soon,” Lux said; she had never been so frustrated before.

  Lux left her mother’s room and rushed back to her own bedroom. She locked the door behind her, walked over to her stereo, and turned it on. She turned it up as loud as it would go, covered her mouth with one hand, and yelled into the speaker while she pinched her leg with her other hand. She was overwhelmed and fearful her trick would not work.

  They are all depending on you! Your mother is depending on you; you cannot let her down, she reminded herself as she tried to get her anxiety under control. She stopped screaming, pinched herself harder, and clenched her jaw tightly. Once she felt the pain attack her anxiety like a shark, she stood tall and took a deep breath as she composed herself.

  Lux stormed out of her room and back downstairs. The pressure was getting thicker by the moment, and she was ready to run up stairs to her bedroom and hide under her covers until it was over.

  “Where’s mom?’ Pixie asked as she stuffed a piece of fudge into her mouth.

  “She’s not ready.”

  “Mom hasn’t left the house in years. I don’t know why we thought a wrecking ball might make her leave,” Pixie said through a mouthful of chocolate.

  “It’s not her fault,” Lux defended their mother.

  “I know.”

  “Do you have your things packed and ready… just in case?”

  “Yes,” Pixie answered in a sad tone.

  “Good.”

  “But I have full faith that you are going to fix this, so I don’t really need my stuff.” Pixie grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

  “You didn’t really pack a bag did you?” Lux raised a brow.

  “No. Why bother when we all know you’ll fix it. Besides, this new evidence is a sure thing. There’s no way he’ll keep fighting after this,” Pixie said confidently, and Lux frowned with the added pressure.

  Lux sighed and shook her head, “Let’s go.”

  “What about Mom?” Pixie shoved the last bit of chocolate into her mouth and raised her hands.

  “I don’t know; we’ll figure that obstacle out when we reach it.”

  “If we reach it,” Pixie corrected her.

  Lux grabbed her black, patent leather bag off of the table and walked out of the building. She saw the large group of people who had gathered to show their support. They were all standing in front of the building holding signs and chanting. They were blocking the wrecking ball from getting any closer, and Lux couldn’t be more proud.

  They were the people who worked and volunteered there; the children and adults that learned there. They were the musicians that sold their music there and the fans who bought music there. It seemed like everyone from the neighborhood had come to show support. Lux smiled, knowing that the music had brought them all together for a good cause. The Music Hall was an important part of their community. In a neighborhood where there was nothing constructive for the kids and crime was high, The Music Hall served a very good purpose.

  Pixie stood with their friends, and Lux smiled at everyone before she walked ahead of the group, for a more private setting with Dean Blake.

  Lux stood by herself with her head held high despite her anxiety. Just when her nerves were trying to get the best of her she saw her nemesis, and her anger sparked. She straightened her shoulders and squinted her eyes as she watched Dean Blake walk towards her. She would never get used to the sight of him. He was undeniably handsome and as intimidating as a shark. He wore a long, black trench coat and a dark suit underneath. He did not attempt to hide the irritation on his face as he stood before her.

  “What is this?” Dean nodded to the crowd of people.

  “What does it look like?” She shrugged her shoulders with an air of innocence.

  “It won’t help you.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “I own that section, and it’s coming down today.”

  “You’re not tearing it down,” she said with enough confidence to increase his irritation.

  “Move out of the way,” Dean demanded.

  “I will not move!” Lux crossed her arms over her chest and raised her chin, standing her ground.

  “Part of this building is coming down, Miss Hart.”

  “Over my dead body, Mr. Blake.”

  “You have to the count of 3 to get out of the way, or we will work around you.”

  “You can’t work around us.”

  Dean bent his head closer to hers. “Then I’ll go through you.”

  It was a well-known fact that Dean Blake was a tyrant and a shrewd businessman who always got his way. However, if he’d expected her to be intimidated, he was sorely mistaken. He had picked the wrong female for that.

  She grinned and pulled the folder out of her bag. “Maybe this will slow you down.”

  Dean shook his head and began in a patronizing tone, “Is this another desperate attempt to try to obtain something that I will never give to you?”

  “Never is a strong word.”

  “I give you an A for effort. You’ve fought harder than anyone I’ve known, but this is out of your league. Nothing will stop this building from coming down.”

  “Not even this?” She lowered her voice and opened the file to show him the first picture. She smiled as the shock splattered across his face. He quickly rectified his shocked expression, but she’d seen enough.

  “Where did you get that?” His eyes flashed with rage.

  “Where it came from is irrelevant; where it’s going is what you should be worried about. You know as well as I do that the press would eat this up.”

  “Give me that file.” He took a step towards her.

  “Gladly, I have copies distributed all over. Including a file ready to go to all of my social media spots should something happen to the rest. Or if something happens to me… or this building. And this is just the
tip of the iceberg. You have lots of secrets Mr. Blake, and you’ve been a sloppy boy. Finding them all will be a piece of cake; it will be fun watching you eat you words.”

  “Fun? If you want some fun, we can skip the pictures and go straight to your room. I’ll show you exactly how nasty I can get.”

  “I expect nothing less from someone with such whorish tendencies. Nevertheless, you should watch your mouth or I might leak something even worse than this,” she bluffed. She didn’t have anything worse, yet.

  “I underestimated you,” he said in a controlled voice. He was furious, but he was also in awe. No one had ever gotten one over on him; no one had ever dared.

  “Then you’re foolish as well as covetous; I told you I would do anything to keep this place. You own half of this city. You don’t need this property; you’re just being greedy.”

  “Record stores are a thing of the past. There is no use for them,” he quipped.

  “It’s not just a record store!” she snapped, angered by his words.

  “Oh yes, and the rundown nightclub.”

  “It would appear rundown to a rich, spoiled yuppie that wields his power against the less fortunate!” She knew she’d hit home when she watched his anger flash across his face.

  “You don’t know anything about me.”

  “I know a lot. I know you have that silver spoon shoved so far up your ass that it’s begun to affect your brain. I know you have no morals; I’ve been digging through one revolting affair after another. Really, how do you make time for all those women and all those dastardly deeds?” She shook her head in disgust.

  He took a step closer and lowered his voice, “Are you jealous? Do you need me to make a little time for you, too? I have about ten minutes I can spare for you; eleven if you smile.”

  “No thank you, I’m not into heavily used goods. They carry undiscovered diseases.” She raised her chin and despite the fact that he towered over her, she managed to look down her nose at him.

  “You can wipe that smile off your face, pretty girl, you haven’t won. You may have bought yourself a little time, but that’s it. This isn’t over, not by a long shot.” He turned to walk away from her.

  “I’ll be waiting… in my ‘record’ store,” she snorted condescendingly.

  Dean looked back at her for a moment; their eyes locking just long enough for their anger to increase.

  “I’ll see you soon, Lux… very soon.” He winked before he walked away.

  She scowled as she watched him walk away. He was just as cocky as he ever was, despite his defeat.

  The Music Hall crowd began to cheer when the bulldozer turned around and headed away from the building.

  Pixie, Kiki, Lolo, and Graves ran up to stand beside Lux.

  “I can’t believe it worked,” Pixie said in amazement.

  “I’m not sure that it did. We bought ourselves a little time; hopefully enough to come up with another plan,” Lux explained as she continued to watch Dean’s retreating form.

  “Dean has lots of skeletons in his closet,” Kiki said.

  “Rumors circulate around about him all the time,” Graves, Lux’s best friend added.

  “And I will give proof to each one of those rumors, until he gives up,” Lux said with determination.

  “I don’t know; he’s never been known to give up, Luxy,” Pixie interjected.

  “Most people are too afraid to go against him,” Lolo, Pixie’s best friend, admitted.

  “Few have tried and all have failed,” Graves said.

  “Except me. I will win this, one way or another; I will get our building back,” Lux vowed.

  Dirt on Lux

  Dean sat perfectly still in the back of his limo. Although he was looking out the window, he saw nothing. His mind was replaying the events that had just passed. He’d never been out smarted by anyone, let alone a female. He was enraged and ready for Lux Hart’s ass on a platter.

  And what better ass to have propped up before me.

  He remained locked in thought until the chauffer stopped in front of Dean’s office building.

  Dean quickly got out of the car, walked briskly into the building, got in the elevator, and headed straight up to his office. He stormed past his secretary and barked, “Find Johann.”

  “He’s already waiting for you, sir,” his secretary answered before he stormed into his office and slammed the door behind him.

  “How did it go?” Johann asked as he rose from the black leather sofa.

  “It didn’t go.” Dean headed to his desk.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The building is still standing; Lux Hart blindsided me.”

  “How the fuck did she blindside you?” Johann asked, as his amusement began to spread across his face.

  “She dug up some dirt,” he grumbled as he sat at his desk, tempted to grin. He still couldn’t believe what she had done. He would be impressed if he wasn’t so pissed. He could appreciate a bold move like that, if it wasn’t used against him.

  “Bad enough to make you reconsider?” Johann found it highly unlikely.

  “Temporarily. The timing is bad with this upcoming deal.”

  “Oh shit, she got pics of you with the governor’s wife, didn’t she?” his younger brother asked.

  “I should have paid a little more attention to Miss Hart… she’s a smart one. She’s sneaky as well as mouthy.” Dean thought back to the fierce look on Lux’s face, her determination had been blazing as brightly as the sun. He should have suspected that she would pull a rabbit out of a hat. She was bold, brave, and reckless. He’d never wanted to fuck a woman so badly in his life.

  What I would do to you, Miss Hart.

  “In your defense, you’ve never been blindsided before; especially not by a woman. Even I wouldn’t have guessed she’d be ballsy enough to fight with fire. Shit, I’m man enough to admit I was blindsided by how pretty she is,” Johann admitted.

  “Pretty is an understatement,” he said under his breath.

  “So is ballsy,” Johann grinned.

  “I need every one of her skeletons; I need to find something on her. I want everything… lovers, friends, teachers, and family. I want to know what she eats down to how she likes to fuck, and I want all the illegal deeds in between.”

  “You’re fighting fire with fire?” Johann raised his right brow.

  “No; I’m fighting fire with gasoline.”

  “I’ll get started on that immediately. It will be good to know the background of the only female who made Dean Blake flinch.”

  “Get out,” Dean growled at his younger brother.

  Johann smiled broadly and chuckled as he left Dean’s office.

  ***

  The next morning Lux woke up with a smile on her face. She stretched lazily before hopping off her bed and heading to the shower. It was a beautiful day, and she was in great spirits. She had won this little battle with Dean, but she was smart enough to know the war had just begun. Still, she wouldn’t let it affect her mood; she’d won for now.

  After a long, hot shower she got ready to start her day. She walked downstairs to the kitchen to find her family conversing over breakfast.

  “Good morning,” Lux said with a bright smile as she headed towards the coffee pot.

  “Good morning, my dear sister, the building saver,” Pixie smiled and clapped her hands.

  “Smells delicious,” Lux said as she looked at the feast Kiki had created.

  “I tried a new recipe: an eggless, bacon, cheddar-melt sandwich,” Kiki said as she began to fix Lux a plate.

  “You sure are in a good mood this morning,” Graves said, her eyebrows raised below her short, platinum blonde bangs. She was sitting in the chair with her back perfectly straight as she read the morning newspaper. Her long, board-straight, pale-blonde hair hung over the back of the chair. She was dressed in all black, as usual, maintaining her gloomy, porcelain doll look.

  “Of course she is; she annihilated the infamous Dean Blake’s
ass yesterday,” Kiki said with a smile. She was tickled with delight.

  “It was only a temporary fix… a bandage; he won’t stay down for long,” Lux said reasonably as she sat down at the table with her coffee.

  “But you’ll be there to knock him back down when he tries,” Graves reminded her.