Thundering though the streets, Kane ignored every stop sign, every red light. He could see nothing but Angeline as she must have looked when Noel poured the cruelest lie into her ears. Devastated, broken, trembling when he forced her to submit to his strange whim. He remembered the times when Noel had looked her up and down, his eyes lingering too long of her small, soft breasts. Had he been a smarter man, he would have raised his fists then, friend or not. But it was Noel, his savior, and Angeline was beautiful. So men would always look at her. But Kane had her, body and soul. Nothing would ever change that.

 

Nothing but Noel.

 

Screeching to a halt before the familiar graffiti, Kane’s feet barely hit the ground when he burst through the doors. He saw Waldo and Ben enjoying lap dances from some of the local talent that moonlighted when the neon lights bearing their stage names went cold. All eyes turned to him, and Kane wiped his frothing mouth with the back of his hand as he barreled forward.

 

“Yo, man!” Ben said, standing to stop him. “Thought you was with your brother tonight. Want to party?”

 

Ben’s girl of the hour, blonde and smiling with one gold tooth under bright pink lips, beckoned him close with a curling finger.

 

“I’m game,” she said. The blonde placed her hands on his tight shoulders.

 

“So tense!” she said. “Bet I can help you out with—”

 

Moving past the girl, she stumbled in her clear heels and cried out. The sound of her tiny scream turned Kane’s head, and even as his stomach was churning in fury, he was relieved to see Ben catch her before she fell.

 

“What the hell?” the girl asked.

 

“Yeah, man,” Ben said. “What you got against Sandi?”

 

Seeing that Sandi was fine as she lit a cigarette and paced the room, Kane returned all of his attention to the task at hand and started to move through walls of tape.

 

“K Man! Hold up!”

 

Ben was at his heels when Kane found Noel, on his ass as another girl sucked him off. For a split second, Kane saw his face fixed in a satisfied mask. In another life, Kane would have backed away. Or if he was in a joking mood, he would have whistled and pumped his fist at the sight of Noel getting his rocks off. But now, the only thing that he could see was Angeline’s violation. Had Noel worn that same face when he took her with a lie?

 

“Noel!”

 

Kane slammed his fist into the wall, and Noel’s eyes focused on him with a smile.

 

“Not the best time, Kid,” Noel said as he tried to catch his breath. He pushed the kneeling girl’s mouth closer to his cock and lazily stroked her hair. Angeline hadn’t given him every detail; he didn’t stop to listen. But had he done this to her, too? Had he used her like a common whore? The girl’s red hair morphed into Angeline’s brown curls, and Kane felt as if he travelled back in time, that he was actually seeing his Angel forced into acts that she would never have agreed to were it not for the lie. Angeline had never used the word. Maybe she was too scared to speak it, think it. But there was no other term for what Noel had done.

 

Rape.

 

“Party’s over!” Kane bellowed. His harsh voice and harsher hands eased the girl away from Noel. Somehow still thinking that it was actually Angeline, Kane was stunned to see the sunken cheeks and dark eyes of a stranger. Twisting his head back to the present moment, Kane started to speak when Noel’s girl slapped his face.

 

“You owe me fifty bucks!” she hissed.

 

Furious and confused, Kane started to reach into his pocket when Noel’s laughter pierced his brain.

 

“And someone owes me a hummer,” Noel smirked as he stood and hitched up his jeans. Waving a bill in the air, he nearly handed it to the redhead when he offered the bill to Kane.

 

“Or did all that time in the joint turn you into some kind of a fag?” Noel asked.

 

Seeing only Angeline, Kane formed a fist and smashed it into Noel’s smug face.

 

“Yo! What the fuck?”

 

As Noel fell back against his desk amidst the red head’s shrieks, Kane heard nothing, saw nothing as he rained blow after blow on Noel’s face. On the third strike, Noel’s lip split open, and Kane felt his former friend’s blood trickling though his fingers. Fighting past the slick warmth, Kane tried to land another punch when Noel sprang to sudden life.

 

“Garbage eating piece of shit!” Noel screamed.

 

Before Kane could spit out a comeback, Noel drove him through the filmy door, and Kane was on the ground.

 

“Knock it off, Noel,” Ben said. “He’s just blowing off steam and—”

 

“Is that right?” Noel asked. “Is that why you’re making like a bitch?”

 

Kane struggled to catch his breath as Noel hovered over him. Lowering his eyes, Kane’s eyes went cold, ready for the kill.

 

“I saw Angeline tonight,” Kane muttered.

 

Through a narrow gaze, Kane watched the words sink in. Almost thinking that he saw worry on his mentor’s face, Kane lifted his body on his elbows and waited for Noel’s side of the story. Maybe Noel was right all along. Could he really trust her?

 

“Yeah?” Noel challenged. “Well I saw her earlier. She came sniffing around here. For me.”

 

Noel took his denim clad cock in his hands and laughed.

 

“What kind of shit she spilling into your brain?”

 

Noel held out his hand. Trembling, wishing that he wasn’t, Kane accepted the gesture and found himself back on his feet.

 

“Well?” Noel asked.

 

“Did you… Did you tell her that I was like dead?”

 

Noel appeared to consider the question before shaking his head.

 

“Kid,” he started. “Sure.”

 

That was all Kane needed to hear.

 

“You fucking asshole!”

 

Sweeping his leg, Kane watched Noel fall to the ground. Again he was on top of him, pounding his fists into his sides. Kane spat in his face as he struck him.

 

“Why would you do that—?”

 

“Kane!”

 

Ben was at his back, trying to pry Kane from Noel’s side. The redhead took off, and Kane wrapped his hands around Noel’s neck.

 

“Why did you lie—?”

 

Kane thought that he nearly had the air from his lungs when Noel surprised him with a swift knee to the groin. Doubling back, Ben trying to catch him. Kane was barely back on his feet when Noel grabbed his hair and dragged Kane towards his desk.

 

“Don’t be fucking mad at me, Kid!”

 

Kane tried to respond when Noel brought his head down. Spinning, Kane tasted stale ash. He started to go limp when Noel slammed him once more before bringing his mouth close to Kane’s ringing ear.

 

“I’m not the one who sent you up North,” Noel said. “You’re little lady did that.”

 

Moaning through the blood bubbling around his lip, Kane tried to tell him that it was his choice, his alone, when Noel grabbed his collar. Standing him up with a throbbing head, Noel’s eyes were unreadable as he spoke softly.

 

“This was to show you that she’s a user,” Noel said. “Used you to get out of a jam. Used me when she was lonely. Now you gotta leave this girl alone and get your head back in the game.”

 

As Noel pushed away, Ben took hold of his arms before he fell back to the ground. Noel was already lighting a fresh cigarette, and he seemed assured of his victory. Kane turned his eyes to Ben and spoke softly.

 

“Did she come here looking for him?” Kane whispered.

 

The man slightly shook his dreads, so Kane asked his question again. Noel was out of the room, probably in search of his aborted blow job when Ben lowered his voice.

 

“Look, man,” Ben started. “She came here with some other chick. Real big girl.”

 

Kane’s mind flashed to the pregnant lady.

 

“Who was she looking for?” Kane asked again.

 

A roar of laughter peeled through the tape, and Kane could see Noel confident that anything had happened was about to be forgotten. Just because he said so. Kane was a soldier, meant to fall in line and never second guess. But Angeline would have paused at his invitation. He had to have said something—

 

“You, man,” Ben said. “But why would you want her now? She’s like, untrue, or whatever.”

 

Ben offered him a smoke as Noel kept laughing from the other room.

 

“K Man,” Ben said as he took a drag and offered him a puff. “Just let her go. Better for you. Probably better for her that all of us it never happened.”

 

Kane let Ben’s words sink him. The guy had a point. Kane wanted nothing more than to forget the endless nights in the dark, dotted with other men’s screams. And as for Angeline?

 

“Give me a drag,” Kane said.

 

Drawing smoke into his lungs, Kane wondered if it as best to stay scarce.