Page 54 of Absinthe Dreams
“Pleasure to meet you,” I murmured, and smiled, though it felt a bit brittle. I could feel the hurricane of feelings squatting like a toad just off my horizon and waiting for its chance to move in and smash into me. But I wasn’t going to let it until I was home alone, or just with Chainsaw, to let it go.
Everything is fine, just fine. Everything is normal. Everything is good. No need to feel jumpy, no need to feel scared. He’s gone, he’s dead. He’s. Dead,I kept telling myself. While I knew that to be true – I’d fuckingbeen there– I didn’t know why, and I couldn’t tell you why,I didn’t feel any different.
I still felt like I needed to be on high alert, and I still felt like I needed to look over my shoulder, which is why I appreciated so very much that the guys had sat me with my back to a wall and put themselves between me and the rest of the crowded eatery.
I sat in silence, and the three of them looked at me, and I just kind of… stared back, at a loss, not sure what to say at all.
“Ain’t yah gonna ask?” Cypress broke the silence, a big grin on his face.
I shook my head, and Axeman grinned and gave a nod of approval to Chainsaw. “I like her,” he said.
“Told you boys that you would,” Chainsaw said, but he wasn’t looking at any of us. He was looking at the menu.
I opened my mouth and closed it, thinking, but it felt like not a single one of my thoughts, which were tumbling and cascading over one another at lightning speed, wanted to gain any traction.
“Thank you?” I said finally, meekly. It felt really weird, thanking them for having murdered a man on my behalf – but seriously. I didn’t know what else to say, and “thank you” was definitely the appropriate response here.
“It was no problem,” Chainsaw said.
Axeman smirked and followed it up with, “It was our pleasure, actually.”
I blinked and could see that Axe wasn’t lying. Whatever they’d done that day, he’d enjoyed every minute of it.
I honestly didn’t know how to feel about that.
“All good, baby,” Chainsaw said. “Axe has… a field day with this kind of a thing.”
I sat in troubled silence and told the truth. “I don’t know how to feel about that,” I said.
“Fair, that’s fair,” Axeman said, leaning back in his chair.
“Look at the menu, baby, find something to eat. You’ll feel better after you put something on your stomach.” Chainsaw’s words were gentle and sort of snapped me out of whatever disassociation I was in. I picked up the menu, but it took a time or two for the reading comprehension to actually kick in, versus the words just kind of sliding past my eyes.
The waitress came and took our drink order, but I needed another minute to decide what I wanted.
Drinks came, food order placed, I took a sip or two of the half-sweet, half-unsweet tea in my glass, and with that hint of sugar hitting my bloodstream, I felt a touch better. I couldn’t remember when I’d had lunch, but it’d been earlier than usual. There’d been a lull and time enough for me to actually sit and eat it today.
“So, um, what happened?” I asked finally. “It feels like you’re actually giving me some kind of permission to ask… so I’m asking. Or am I wrong about that?”
Axe and Cypress chuckled, and Chainsaw’s blue eyes lit up.
“Axe tracked him down, called me up. Cy and I went and met up with him, and we took care of the problem,” Chainsaw said.
“The EMTs said there were witnesses,” I told them in a hushed tone. “That those eyewitnesses said a man on a bike went by, called him out by name, and when he looked up, he got clocked by a heavy chain.”
Cypress nodded. “Sounds about right now, don’t it, boys?” he asked.
“Yup, pretty much exactly how that happened,” Axe declared.
“Aren’t you worried about being caught?” I asked, frightened. I stared at Chainsaw wide-eyed and looked around us to make sure nobody was eavesdropping.
“Nope,” they all said in unison.
“Slick-backed, non-descript on a scrap bike. Witnesses have us at work or at the club. Phones put us where we belonged. It’s all good, baby. I promise you, everything’s cool and was thought of.”
“Besides that, he’s got how many family members gunnin’ fo’ his ass?” Cypress sniffed and shrugged.
“The thing about the cops in this city is they’re a little too easily bought and paid for. That end’s been handled too,” Axe said, and his gaze was something cold and predatory.
