CHAPTER 20: Theo
I guess she took the bad news better than I expected. I swear, after everything this girl’s had to deal with over the past few years, it was like her spirit was just indomitable. Those past few days had been the worst, yet there we were. We couldn’t stop smiling at each other, laughing with each other, couldn’t keep our hands off each other. It felt like we’d been together forever and I was so in love with her, happy and totally confident in the knowledge that she feels the same way about me.
It was tempting to just go live in a cabin in the woods together. No distractions, no worries, nothing to do except fuck all day and every day. We’d probably be okay for a month or two.
Eventually, we were both hungry enough to eat the slightly doubtful breakfast Piper had made with Frost’s survival rations and, by that time, we just needed to replenish some lost calories. However, all too soon it came time to get dressed and get back on the bike for the ride back to LA. The thing was, I’d never seen Piper smile when anyone talked about heading back to Madam X’s. I really hoped my idea worked. Despite how strong she seemed to me, I had the feeling that if just one more incident cropped up that forced her back in Vinnie’s direction, she’d lose it, maybe even doing something stupid. I retrieved my little Smith & Wesson when she wasn’t looking and slid it back into my boot.
We rode carefully back down the dusty track to Handle’s Bar. When we got there, there were still a few bikes parked up, but very little sign of life. That meant it was still pretty early. Not a lot happened in the clubhouse before about twelve and even less before nine, seeing as the last guys standing were probably still drinking at six in the morning. There was a shadow of movement from inside the stage tent. I saw a figure waved at us as we passed. I waved back and, seconds later, we were rounding the switchback bend and heading downhill to the freeway.
Heading back into The Valley, I felt a cold, unsettling feeling rising in my chest. I wasn’t scared. I was pretty sure I could handle almost anything. I was apprehensive, concerned that I’d made this deal making scheme sound too easy and I was going to let Piper down. There was nothing I could do but try and make things work out, I just felt uneasy about it.
***
There was very little going on at the club either at this time of day either but, after a couple of minutes banging on the door, Miguel eventually appeared to let us in. Lazy fucker must have been asleep on the job. That’s what Anna gets for employing someone from outside the Steel Angels for security. He mumbled that Anna was up in her penthouse and she’d see us if we went straight up.
I thought there was something funny about that, plus he didn’t come up with us. I didn’t work there anymore and Piper was now a runaway. Why were we getting in so easy? Piper was all smiles as we made our way up the stairs, not a care in the world. Maybe she was right and Miguel had just gone back to his nap, but my senses had snapped into danger mode, regardless.
Anna buzzed us straight in as soon as we announced ourselves and, as I held the door open for Piper, I was able to see Anna reclining on her chaise longue again, dressed in the same silk robe as last time, only she wasn’t smiling in that predatory way, and her posture wasn’t set with that relaxed, master-of-all-she-surveys attitude.
As I walked in I spotted a couple of shards of broken glass on the floor near the kitchen island that someone had missed sweeping up. I saw that the large four-poster against the wall had its sheets messed up. There was no drink or TV remote on the small table beside Anna and, in the split second it took me to meet her eyes, she widened them and they darted to something that was occupying what should have been clear, empty space behind me.
If I’d hesitated for even half a second, he’d have had time to shoot me before I could have turned but, thanks to the heads up from Anna, I was able to react as soon as I felt the gun barrel prod me in the back. I spun around and grabbed the middle of the shotgun with both hands. I pushed it towards him, the alternative being to pull it my way which was a bad idea with his finger on the trigger. His natural reaction was to tense up and push against me, which helped amazingly well when I sidestepped him and added to his off balance forward momentum. I was able to bring the gun down a little, putting his chin in the perfect place for me to floor him with one punch.
I heard Piper scream behind me and whipped around in her direction, drawing my SIG as I moved. I stopped, holding my gun out at arm’s length, sighting right along it. The other guy was quick too, though, and held Piper between us like a shield. He was managing to hide most of himself behind her and holding a Glock to her head. I was less than ten feet from him, I knew I could tag him with no danger to her if he just stuck his head out an inch further. And the fact that he was pointing a loaded pistol at Piper meant I was about to do just that.
“Oh Theo,” came Vinnie’s weary voice from somewhere over near the bed, “just fucking stop it, will you?”