Rock Chick 07 Regret (15 page)

Oh blooming
heck
.

* * * * *

There were some good things about the evening.

One, Tex positioned me in a chair at the end of the tables by him that was slightly away from the table (for better viewing of the stage) and thus not easily reached by the Rock Chicks.

Two, Ralphie was having a blast, it was clear he was becoming one with the Rock Chicks and I liked it that he was having a good time.

Three, although they all smiled at me when given the chance, none of the Rock Chicks engaged me in conversation. They couldn’t, I was too far away, not to mention, within five minutes of sitting and after Buddy and Eddie delivered the lemon drops, the show started.

Four, Daisy was at the opposite end of the table from me and even though I caught her watching me once, she looked away the minute I saw her (this wasn’t good, exactly, it made my heart hurt a little, but it was safe).

Five, drag shows were
great
. I
loved
them. All the glitz, glamour, makeup, fancy dresses with feathers and beads, accessories and big hair. It was fantastic. The minute the first Drag Queen came out (her name was Burgundy Rose and she was also the hilarious, sharp-tongued MC) and lip-synced Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” with more diva gravitas than even Queen Diva Dion could, I was transfixed.

* * * * *

But there were also some bad things about the evening too.

First, Tex leaned into me when the second song began and boomed into my ear, “If there’s a shootout or somethin’, you stick with me.”

After he said this, I blinked at him not certain sure whether I should laugh and then I realized he wasn’t kidding. I didn’t laugh but I did surreptitiously scoot my chair closer to his.

Second, Hector showed up during the third Drag Queen who was singing “I Will Survive’.

Like a sixth sense, I looked to the door and caught him walking in.

He looked good, wearing a close-fitting, burgundy, long-sleeved t-shirt, jeans and boots. He still needed a haircut but somewhere along the line he had shaved and, if possible, he looked better than ever.

I looked away before he saw me but with quick glances I watched him go to the bar, get a beer and then station himself next to Lee and Eddie at the wall.

“Work it, woman!” Tex boomed at the Drag Queen and I jumped, looked away from Hector, luckily before he caught me watching him and, I couldn’t help myself, I smiled at Tex. His big head was bouncing to Gloria Gaynor and, well, this big, crazy guy getting into a Drag Queen lip syncing to Gloria Gaynor was just plain old funny.

I suspected Eddie had called his brother but I could deal with that too. I’d watch the show, drink my lemon drops and when it was over get Buddy and Ralphie to get me
the heck
out of there.

Simple.

* * * * *

At lemon drop number five, I realized it was high time I bought a round.

The Sadie-I-Wanted-to-Be would buy a round. Wouldn’t she?

I leaned into Tex. “I’m going to go get a round,” I told him to gauge his reaction to my friendly gesture.

“Budweiser,” he boomed in response without taking his eyes off the stage and the Queen who was singing Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)”.

My eyes scanned the table and there were different-sized glasses with different-colored liquid scattered around. How was I to know what everyone wanted unless I asked them?

Impossible!

Then I had an idea and I leaned back into Tex. “What about everyone else?”

He tore his eyes from the stage, spared a glance at the table, looked back at the stage and boomed, “Shots.”

I looked at the Rock Chicks. They were all singing out loud (and it was a
very loud
out loud) and dancing in their chairs with their arms over their heads (except Ally and Ava who were both standing by the stage, singing, dancing and waving dollar bills at the Queen).

Obviously, they didn’t mind anymore what they drank. Shots it was.

I got up and went to the bar and when the bartender asked for my order, I turned to the table and counted then back to the bartender and said, “Eleven shots and a bottle of Budweiser.”

“What kind of shots?” the bartender asked.

Oh no.

What kind of shots? I didn’t know what kind of shots. I’d never been out with girls who drank shots. What kinds were there?

“Shots of liquor,” I answered.

The bartender blinked at me then said impatiently, “I didn’t think you wanted shots of orange juice.”

Well, he didn’t have to be mean about it.

This New Sadie thing was hard. The Ice Princess would have had him in
cryo
-freeze by now.

I shook off my desire to zap him with The Ice.

“What are my choices?” I asked.

He blinked again then started listing them off fast, “Tequila,
sambuca
,
Kahlua
,
Jägermeister
, anything like that. Then there are the mixed shots, B-52, fuzzy navel, sex on the beach, blowjob, screaming orgasm, quick fuck –”

“Stop!” I yelled, putting a hand up to emphasize my need for him to stop talking just in case he missed it from my yell. Then I pointed to our table. “It’s for them.”

The bartender’s eyes went beyond me to the Rock Chicks and he said, “Eleven screaming orgasms, comin’ right up.”

Phew.

All right, fine. That wasn’t so hard.

I could do this. I could buy shots for the girls. Maybe, when I got back to the table, I might talk to one of them, even introduce myself to the black-haired lady.

It was then, another bartender came up to me and handed me a piece of paper.

“This came from that lady down at the end of the bar.” He pointed to the end of the bar. I looked in that direction but I didn’t see any lady. There were just a bunch of gay guys hanging around.

When I looked back, the new bartender was gone and my old one, Impatient Snappy Bartender, put Tex’s Budweiser in front of me and started to line up empty shot glasses.

I opened the paper and nearly fainted at what I read.

Sadie,

I’ve been looking all over for you, baby, then once I found you, waited to get close.

It’s your mother.

Don’t make a scene, go to the back like you’re heading toward the bathroom and then leave out the backdoor.

It isn’t safe for me to approach you. It isn’t safe for anyone to see me.

But I can’t wait to hold you.

Come alone and make sure you aren’t followed. -Mama

After I finished
reading the note, my heart beating a mile a minute, I scanned the bar, looking for anyone that might be my Mom.

My Mom!

In a gay bar!

I didn’t care where I saw her; I just wanted to see her.

There were women here and there but most of them were sitting at the Rock Chick table.

Then, I thought, why on earth was I hanging around?

I dropped the note and, without delay, I headed toward the bathroom. But I didn’t even bother acting like I was going to use the facilities. I walked straight to the end of the hall, pushed open the back exit door and I was outside.

The door closed behind me and I looked around. There was a muted streetlamp that illuminated the dank back alley. There were several dumpsters, some stacked boxes, some old kegs but no Mom.

I stepped out further away from the door. “Mom?” I called.

Then I felt movement behind me, I started to turn but he had me.

I began to scream but a hand went over my mouth and I was yanked into his body, hand at my mouth, other arm rough around my waist.

“Sweet, sweet Sadie.” I heard crooned in my ear and, at his words, I started to tremble.

I knew that voice. It wasn’t Ricky Balducci. It was his brother, Harvey.

He was walking forward, taking me with him, talking in his Crazy Balducci Croon the whole time. “Sweet Sadie, bein’ stupid, bein’ very stupid.”

I tried to pull free, twist my head away and I made noises under his hand as loud as I could.

“Got herself protection, got herself some boys who think they can fuck with the Balduccis. Didn’t Ricky teach you nothin’?” Harvey said in my ear, still walking, pushing me forward.

My heart was beating so hard it hurt. I was twisting my head sharply at the same time struggling against his other arm.

I was no match; he had six inches and at least a hundred pounds on me.

Someone, please tell me this was not happening. Not again.

“I won’t make the same mistake as Ricky. When I’m through with you, you’re still alive, you’ll call off the boys and you’ll keep your fuckin’ mouth shut about Ricky.”

No, it seemed like it was going to happen again. Unless I could stop it.

I opened my mouth and bit into the flesh of his hand so hard I felt his blood fill my mouth. At the same time I lifted a Jimmy
Choo
boot and slammed the spiked heel down on his foot and immediately made a mammoth effort to twist free.

Harvey yelled out in pain, released me and I took off, spitting his blood out to the side as I did.

“You fuckin’
bitch!
” he screamed in rage and in a flash he caught up with me, arm around my waist, he swung me up and around and then planted me on my feet all the while I tore at his arm with my fingernails.

I no sooner was set on the ground when something strong wrapped around my wrist.

Before I could lift my head, I was pulled free from Harvey with such force I went sailing and only stopped when I collided with something else.

I looked up to see what I collided with, ready to flee, and saw Eddie.

I didn’t flee mainly because it was Eddie but also because his arm went around my waist, not in a Harvey way, in a hold-her-before-she-falls way and he pulled me back a few steps then stopped. When he stopped, his other arm came around me and he pulled me close to his body.

I kept looking at him partially still panicked, partially so relieved I could cry that this episode with a Balducci had a different ending than the last one. Then I saw Eddie’s face was scary stony and his eyes were locked on something beyond us.

I looked at that something.

Hector had Harvey Balducci pinned against the brick wall with nothing but his hand at Harvey’s throat. Lee was standing two feet behind and beside him. Harvey was gagging and trying to tear at Hector’s hand, kicking out uselessly with his feet. It was not just gagging; it was eyes bugging out, face getting purple, life flashing before your eyes gagging.

I stood, my heart thundering, and tried to get my thoughts in order.

Then my thoughts came into order and I realized that Hector was strangling Harvey. Not only that but Eddie and Lee weren’t doing a thing to stop him. Not one thing.

Visions of Hector wearing prison blues filled my head and he didn’t look half as good in prison blues as he did in those jeans and that skintight t-shirt.

The visions spurred me into action and I pulled against Eddie’s arms but they went solid.

“Stop!” I shouted.

Neither Hector nor Lee looked at me. I struggled against Eddie’s hold but he held on tight.

“Stop! Stop it!
Stop!
” I screeched.

Then I heard more people arrive, female exclamations and gasps then running feet.

“Lee, do something!” Indy was beside me and she was shouting at Lee.

Lee didn’t move; he just watched Hector like it was some kind of weird, new-fangled, in the alley behind a gay bar outdoor play.

I tell you,
bizarre
.

Then I saw a whirl of motion and Daisy was there. She charged Hector full on, head down moving with such velocity she knocked him to the side.