Chapter 27 – Bam
Chapter Twenty-Seven
BAM
The rave is everything I don’t like: flashing lights, lots of noise, crowds of people, and dancing.
Next to me, Niki wears the same irritated expression I know I’m sporting.
I glance over my shoulder. The girls, on the other hand, look like they’re having a ball.
They are giggling and laughing despite being in a dark corner.
Niki and I almost got into three fights making sure no one put hands on them while the two were dancing.
After the third confrontation, the two girls took their short shorts into this small space at the edge of the dance floor and let Niki and me stand guard.
Niki’s palm suddenly meets the side of my head, and not in a friendly manner.
I glare at him. “What was that for?”
“Just because you’re my friend doesn’t mean you can look at Andy like that.” He glares back.
“Why would I be looking at Andy when Josie’s right there? Andy could be a box for all I know.”
“Don’t talk about my girlfriend like that. She’s hot.” Niki’s eyes grow narrow, a sign that he’s spoiling for a fight.
My own hands ball at my sides. “You just told me not to look at her, which I’m not. I hope you know how dumb you sound right now.”
Niki’s eyes fall to my fists, and he backs off, looking a little embarrassed. We’re both on edge.
“Did you see the guy yet?” he asks.
“Not the guy, but there’s a Pipefitter on the second floor.
” I tip my head slightly toward the balcony railing across from us.
When the strobe light passes by, Niki catches a glimpse of the Pipefitter tattoo of some tank top-wearing meathead with a drink in his hand. “We might as well go check it out.”
“The girls though?” Niki casts an anxious look toward Andy and Josie. Josie looks edible, and I hate that everyone else can see her like this—sweaty, happy, half-dressed.
“We can’t leave them here.” Our pregame thinking was that they would be safe together, but instead, they’re tasty prey for all the wolves in this joint.
“They’re going to have to come with us.” Niki motions for the girls to come over.
Josie stops dancing immediately, drops her arms, and hurries over. “Are we ready to go interrogate the gang member? I’m so tired of dancing.”
“You were supposed to stay safely away from them while Niki and I did the questioning.”
“Boo. Thumbs down.” Josie and Andy both make the motion with their hands.
“Josie’s the investigative reporter. She should be the one doing the questioning,” Andy adds.
“I think it was a mistake to introduce them,” I say.
“Introduce us? We were friends before we even knew the two of you existed.” Andy threads her arm through Josie’s, and the two take off toward the stairs. Josie looks back and gestures for us to catch up.
Niki and I hurry over to join them. “How’d you know where to go?”
“The guy with the tattoo was practically begging for attention,” Josie answers.
“I didn’t realize you noticed.” Thankfully, Josie moves on instead of commenting on my stupidity.
Josie’s got one foot on the stairs when there’s a commotion at the top. People start screaming as our Pipefitter mark runs down the stairs, pushing people out of the way. I swing Josie behind me while Niki curls over Andy’s body. The Pipefitter speeds past us without a glance.
“Stick together,” I shout at Josie, pushing her toward Andy. Niki and I take off after the Pipefitter, dodging cups of booze and other partiers. The Pipefitter speeds out of the warehouse and down the street. No one but the two of us are after him, which means he got an SOS from a brother.
We catch him at the end of the block and drag him down into an alley away from the street.
“The fuck?” he spits at us. Niki pushes him toward the concrete wall.
“We want to know about this guy. He was placing bets with the Pipes, and now he’s gone missing.” I shove the phone screen in front of the guy’s face.
He stares blankly at it and then spits again, this time on the ground. “Fuck if I know. I don’t handle any money.”
An enforcer, then, like me and Niki. We collect the debts. “You ever have to chase this guy down?”
He shrugs. “Maybe I have. Don’t remember any of my assignments unless they’re pretty.” He licks his lips. “Then I give them a little souvenir.”
Niki and I share a look. “I’ve never liked any of the Pipefitters,” Niki says.
“Me either.”
There are footsteps pounding down the sidewalk. More Pipefitters, I’d guess.
“What’s the hurry?” I ask.
“Just taking out the trash.” The guy pushes away from the wall. Out of the periphery of my eye, I see four guys advancing down the alley. Oh fuck, this guy set us up. “Coming into our territory unannounced? Without permission? We don’t like that.”
The guy cracks his knuckles. Niki and I spread out, drawing the guys apart and giving ourselves space to fight.
“Didn’t know it was your territory,” I say. And it’s true. The rave warehouse is located along the river, just outside of the Pipefitters’ area of control.
“It is if we say it is. And I’m saying it is.” He swings.
“Not in the face,” Niki shouts a reminder.
I duck as his previous words of caution spin through my head.
Hard to hide a fist to the face. A hard, round object strikes me in the middle of my spine.
I fall to one knee and twist around, sliding my hand down the pipe of the attacker and then jerking hard.
He stumbles. I keep pulling on the pipe until his face is close to mine.
I bring my knee up into his chest and then drive the guy backward until his back is on the cement and my knee is on his neck.
At the same time, I swing out the pipe and feel it connect.
A cry of pain echoes a second later. I swing again without looking toward that sound and a second shriek confirms another hit.
I keep pressing on the windpipe of the Pipefitter under my knee until the guy’s body grows lax.
Then I spring to my feet, swinging the pole around.
It catches one in his gut, but a second guy meets my pole with his own pipe.
The reverberation sends a shockwave up to my teeth.
I grind them together and give my head a shake.
The two converge on me. I drop to my knees again and swing out a leg, catching the pipe holder in the shins.
He swings wildly as he goes to the ground.
I spring backward, just out of reach of the pipe, only to be struck in the back again.
I spin around and see Niki take my attacker down. I turn back to the last of the gang members, who is just starting to rise.
I swipe an abandoned pipe off the ground and start toward him, slapping the metal against my palm. “You know about this kid?” I take my phone, surprisingly undamaged, out of my front pocket.
The guy nods, wiping blood away from his. mouth. “Cole Patton. Plays ball at Central Academy. Owes the Pipefitters about five hundred.”
“He’s missing.”
“Probably trying to avoid us.”
“You have anything to do with his disappearance?”
“No. Why would we?”
That’s the eternal question. More footsteps, this time light ones, come to a stop a few yards away. Josie and Andy have arrived. They take one look at the scene of littered bodies and shake their heads.
“The cops are coming. We better get going.” Josie gestures for us to hurry.
The one word has even the wounded Pipefitters springing to their feet, and in a blur, they’re gone.
The sirens are getting closer. Niki and I boost Josie and Andy over the back wall and climb after them, ending with no more answers tonight than when we started.