Chapter 9 ZiggyIggy
Ziggy or Iggy
Savannah
Under the circumstances, Lucy was wrong. Sleeping in my own bed wasn’t better than sleeping at the hospital. Without the constant interruptions from nurses checking up on me and the other random hospital sounds, my brain was free to serve up memories when I should have been dreaming.
Thankfully, I didn’t relive the attack itself, but those frightening moments leading up to it were vivid in my mind’s eye. Though not vivid enough because by the time I woke up in the morning, I kept tripping over a name Prime had mentioned when he talked to Ghost.
Was it Ziggy or Iggy?
Punc’s warning that the threat might not be random made me more apprehensive.
I’d trudged out of my bedroom at quarter to eight, hoping to find Punc still on the couch, but he wasn’t around.
The only sign he’d even slept on the couch was the expertly folded set of sheets stacked on the coffee table.
Why would he sneak out without saying goodbye? Every time I thought I could read what was going on with us, it seemed I was wrong.
I considered texting him about what I’d remembered, but maybe my mind was playing tricks on me.
Even though I didn’t trust my memory, and there was the chance I might be overreacting, my gut said I had to let someone know what I’d remembered.
My stomach pitched and I felt a wave of nausea at the thought of Prime.
He knew Ghost. He’d communicated with Ghost. I couldn’t recall exactly what he’d said, except that I wouldn’t be coming out until late.
On the way home yesterday, Punc didn’t act like he knew that. Then again, I hadn’t asked anyone about Prime.
My phone chimed with a text message from Desiree.
I’ll be at your place in fifteen minutes.
The walls of my room vibrated in time from the thudding bass beats of Catalina’s music. She’d had a rare half-day at school. I wandered to her room. Her door was open, and she was laying in bed reading Wuthering Heights.
She glanced up at me. “Need me to turn the music down?”
“No. I’ll be gone this afternoon—”
“You can’t drive yet.”
I dipped my chin. “I know. Desiree is picking me up so I can help her and the other dancers with their social media.”
“So they can get beaten up too?” Cat asked.
My lips set with my displeasure.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“I forgive you. They’re paying me for helping them - though I think it’s a ruse so I don’t feel like a charity case. Anyway, I should be back after a few hours. Another dancer is bringing me back.”
She twisted her lips. “But you won’t be going on stage, right?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m not cleared for any activities like that yet.”
She nodded. “How much time do we have before you have to pay Frank again?”
My sigh couldn’t be helped. “I have to make a payment at the end of the month. I’m using the money Rita gave me for that.”
Cat sat up and set her book aside. “What about our other bills?”
“There’s a slight cushion in the checking account for that. I still have the money I earned from Platinum’s, but I want to hang on to that so I can pay Frank next month. I hope to be cleared for dancing sooner than the doctor ordered - or maybe I can make up for that by doing lap dances.”
“Lap dances?” Cat cried.
I widened my eyes. “That’s how I made most of the money I paid him. Do you want creepy randos coming to the house? Or something worse?”
Her eyes slid to the side. “No.”
“Yeah, now how do I look? Do I need to put on more concealer?”
She arched a brow. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but no amount of concealer is going to hide what happened to you. Besides, I thought you weren’t going on stage.”
“I’m not, but I don’t want to remind everyone of what happened either.”
“Pretty sure that’s impossible.” Her eyes traveled down to my feet. “Are those my sandals?”
I tucked a foot behind my ankle, as if I could hide the shoes. “Yeah, you wore them once.”
She widened her eyes. “Because they went with my prom dress.”
I nodded. “That’s true, but they aren’t too over-the-top, and they go with my outfit.”
Her lips pressed together as she took in my beige linen pants and slouchy turquoise top. For prom Catalina had worn a turquoise sequined cocktail dress. The likelihood of her wearing these strappy sandals again were as slim as the heels themselves.
“You’re right. They do go with that outfit, but fair warning, I reserve the right to steal that outfit at any time in the future.”
“Fine. Be good and keep Nome in here with you.”
“Punc’s friend won’t be outside? From what I can see of him in his car, he’s hot.”
My eyes widened. “He’s got to be fifteen years older than you!”
She laughed, stood, and slid her feet into a pair of flip-flops. “I’m kidding… kind of. Let me go next door to get Nome from Mr. Hader before your ride gets here.”
My hands were balled into fists and I forced myself to hide my gasp. I didn’t know where Desiree learned to drive, but she drove like her car was invincible. Thankfully, Platinum’s wasn’t that far from the house.
After a deep breath, I asked, “Do you know if Prime has come back to work?”
Desiree shot me a quick glance, then floored it through a yellow light at Rampart Road. “Oh, I suppose you didn’t hear. They took him to a different hospital that night. Thought he was hit hard enough to have a concussion, but they let him out the next day.”
I did a slow nod. “Okay, but has he come back to work?”
“No. Why do you sound scared?”
I shrugged. “Wouldn’t you be scared after being attacked?”
She jammed on the brakes as we approached Blanding Boulevard. “True. But you sound scared of Prime.”
My non-committal sound filled the car and I wobbled my head. “I wouldn’t say that, but some memories are coming back to me, and I’m not sure if I can trust them.”
The look on her face mirrored her stern tone. “Whatever you’re remembering, you need to share with Yak and Turk. They may not have been at the hospital for you, but they’re torn up about what happened.”
I thought I’d be non-stop busy in the dressing room with the dancers, but an hour after we arrived, Desiree and Lucy were on stage at the same time. Monique was on the floor giving lap dances, and Heaven was backstage with me, but made it clear she didn’t need help with her social media.
I went to the office to talk to Yak or Turk since they were both here. I peeked inside the doorway and saw Yak sitting at his desk. After a light knock on the door, I wandered inside. “Hi, Yak. You got a minute?”
Surprise washed over his expression, and if I wasn’t mistaken it was followed by anger as his eyes zeroed in on my bruised face, then his lips pressed together. Then he flashed a sincere smile at me. “For you, I got twenty of them, but then you need to go home.”
I stepped further into the office and noticed Volt sitting on a sofa to the side. Since he was the president of the Riot MC, my eyes widened reflexively. Volt was at the auditions, but I had the impression he didn’t spend much time at Platinum’s. “Am I interrupting? I can come back.”
Yak shook his head. “Anything you got for me can be shared in front of Volt.”
I sat in a seat across from his desk. “Right. Just saying, I’m not going home after this, because I’m here to help Desiree with some stuff for her new routine. Anyway, I don’t know if I should tell you this because I’m not sure if my brain’s playing tricks on me.”
Yak straightened, and I doubted if this was a good idea. “What do you mean by playing tricks? Is this about the attack?”
I pressed my lips into a straight line and nodded. “I swear I came to before you guys found me, and I heard Prime talking to the attacker. That’s why I think it’s my mind messing with me.”
Yak’s expression stayed neutral, but the way he kept his body stock-still, I felt his tension invade the room. “What did he say to the attacker, Ava?”
“I heard the word Ghost multiple times, and he said something about how ‘Iggy’ would be proud –though it might have been ‘Ziggy’. Before I passed out again, he said something about how he didn’t have to hit him so hard.
” I hesitated. “That’s crazy, right? I mean, why would Prime talk to the asshole who attacked us like that?
And only musicians go by single names like Ziggy or Iggy, right? ”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Volt lean forward resting his elbows on his knees, concern creasing his features. “Did they see that you were awake?”
I shook my head. “No. That’s all I remember. It seems like so little, but with all the weird shit going on, Desiree told me I needed to share with you guys.”
Yak nodded. “That’s right, Ava. You did good.”
Volt stood. “Yeah. You need anything while you heal up, don’t hesitate to tell us.”
It felt like a charged current had entered the room. Both men were trying to hide it, probably for my benefit, but clearly they wanted to discuss this alone.
I left the office, and Volt closed the door behind me. Half-way down the stairs, I heard a harsh thud from the office. When I got to the main hallway, there was another thud and Turk stormed to the staircase.
Desiree came around the corner, a confused look on her face. “What got into Turk?”
I followed her to the dressing room. “I just told Yak and Volt what I recalled from the night of the attack.”
She sat down in front of her makeup station. “That’s strange. Neither Yak nor Volt overreacts to things.”
I shrugged and settled on the stool next to her. “Maybe it’s something else. I need to call the police officer when I get home. I didn’t get a chance to find his card before you swung by my place.”
Desiree turned her head sharply. “You’re gonna call the cops? Why?”
My brows furrowed as I gave a short headshake. “They should know that Prime knew the guy who hit me… and him.”
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean, he knew him?”
I told her what I recalled from that night.
Her mouth dropped open and closed a couple times. “You do what you’re gonna do, but I wouldn’t tell the cops.”
“Why?”