Page 20 of Ignite

Mark only gasped as his throat closed and the blackness took over.

* * *

The manin the hoodie tucked his longboard under his arm and left quickly as the other patrons gathered around the choking student. No one noticed or stopped him as he went out to the sidewalk, dropped the flat piece of wood onto the ground, and mounted its surface. Three pumps of his long leg had him sailing down the smooth concrete away from the college spot. The people out and about on campus paid no mind at all to the common sight of a student on a skateboard between classes.

He arrived at the main student center and popped the board up with his toes before entering the building. Two girls were on their way out, and he held the door open for them, giving them a big smile and a nod.

One of the girls giggled. “Thanks. I haven’t seen you around before.”

He shrugged. “It’s a big campus.”

“There’s a party over in the C dorms tonight. Wanna come?”

He smiled at her and fingered the scar by his left ear. “I have plans tonight, but maybe next time.”

11

The club wasat full capacity. You’d think a holy weekend like Easter would keep some people at home. Nope. The dancers and waitresses sported bunny ears and tails this Saturday night. Wolf wondered how many of them went to midnight mass before they came to work.

He stifled a yawn and shifted on the stool under him. This was his station, close to the stage to watch for any men getting a little too excited about tits and ass. The crowd seemed more riled up than normal tonight. Candie was up there working the pole and sliding her hands over her glistening body. Silvery glitter drifted to the stage floor. Wolf’s only thought was the bitching from the cleaners when they had to deal with that stuff. He gave up trying to hide his fatigue and let his mouth stretch wide.

“Bored or tired?” Camshaft walked up with a hefty cup of coffee in his hand. “Here. Baghouse wanted some, so I made a pot.”

“Thanks. Pulling double duty here and at the coffee shop is getting tough.” He took a healthy swig of the dark brew. “I used to go all night and all day on just a few hours of sleep no problem. Not so much anymore.”

“How much longer you think you’ll be needed there?” Camshaft asked as he tilted back a bottle of Iron City Beer.

“Don’t know. Madge comes in the afternoons to help bake for the next day, but Jazz and I are the ones who keep the doors open right now. Six to six every fucking day, and then she goes to do another job. I don’t see how she does it.”

“You’re doing it too.”

“Yeah, but I’m used to it.” He drained the rest of the mug with a frown.

Cheers suddenly erupted, and Wolf didn’t have to look up to figure out Candie’s top was now off and her breasts out. He really didn’t care.

Camshaft raised the bottle again. “The Slaggers are still buggin’ the vape shop guy. He said they’re makin’ real threats now about burnin’ him out if he doesn’t play their way.”

Wolf frowned. “As in setting the place on fire? It would spread to the other shops on that row. Bad idea.”

“I’m thinkin’ the Slaggers aren’t known for their intelligence. If that store suddenly bursts into flame, I expect we’ll already have the number one suspects in mind.”

Wolf regarded his empty mug. The coffee was strong, but not as good as what Jazz made him. One corner of his mouth lifted as he recalled her expression when he asked her to be his pretend girlfriend. So fucking cute.

“We’ll keep an eye out for trouble. Scrap will want us to keep it all in-house, so to speak.” He sighed. “Not feeling this shit. I’d rather not go to war with the Slaggers, but we may have to if something goes down.”

Camshaft shifted his feet and leaned back with his eyes on the stage. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Wolf grunted, not needing to voice his agreement. War between the clubs was likely to go very bad quickly, and someone always got killed or at least hurt. Very often that someone was a civilian or bystander with no club affiliation. Wolf had seen enough blood and had no desire to go down that road if it could be avoided. His former career left a bad taste in his mouth, and he made himself get out before the darkness consumed him. Very few people knew about his past, and he preferred to keep it that way.

Another cheer from the crowd, and Wolf glanced to the stage to see Candie wearing nothing but a thin G-string and stilettos. How the hell she danced in those things was beyond him.

“You good to finish up tonight? I need to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.”

Camshaft drained his beer and set the empty bottle aside. “What? You going to mass or something?”

Wolf grinned. “Nah. I got a family dinner date.”

12

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