Chasing Luck (18 page)

“
S
he looked
like sex in a foil candy wrapper. Once I had a taste I had to have her.”~ Jelly Bean Queen

“
D
on’t
you have a dress that covers more?” Ace’s wide eyes take in my red mini-dress, and I worry he doesn’t like it. “Like one that falls to the ankle?”

“No.” I’m laughing at him, but I can’t help it. He’s all kinds of cute in the role of possessive boyfriend.

He narrows his eyes. “There has to be something else in that steam trunk you call a suitcase. This one,” he says, waving a hand up and down my body, “doesn’t leave much to the imagination.”

The purchase of the dress was more of an indulgence in fantasy than a plan to actually wear it. It fits a little tighter than I remember from the day it arrived via mailman. But I feel good in the dress and good because I gave my love to Ace. My world is right at the moment.

Knowing Ace’s touch is the third but unwritten item from my list of last wishes. Maybe the prophecy is wrong and nothing will happen.

“Quit worrying about what I’m wearing. Get ready.” I give him a playful shove toward the bathroom as he attempts to kiss my neck.

While he’s in the shower, I remove the Chinese box from my suitcase, take it apart once again, and stare at the UNIX timestamp. Two hours until the time on the box. I trace my finger over the numbers. I need to be far away from Ace when the time comes. The people I love always end up dead, and I can’t take that chance.

It would be selfish to let him get caught in the crossfire of my life.

Ace comes out of the bathroom in dark jeans, a black T-shirt that molds to his chest, and boots. His blond hair is damp and tousled and sexy. He oozes hot guy pheromones without effort.

I shake my head. “Maybe we can stay in this room.”

His eyebrows come together. “That works for me.” His heated gaze runs down my body.

“No. I was kidding.” I stroll over to him, enjoy the way he never breaks eye contact, and pull his hand into mine. Then I remember we can’t stay here because I want to meet Collin and cross that off my bucket list. I play with the brown leather bracelet across one of Ace’s wrists and avoid his gaze.

I imagine I can hear the ticking of the UNIX timestamp on the box and I lean in to place my head on his shoulder, smell his warm scent, enjoy his strength.

“Let’s get this over with,” he says like a man sentenced to hard labor.

I grab a beaded purse, and we head out to the address Collin has given me.

The cab ride is silent except for the radio playing 80s hair band music converted to some kind of instrumental crap. Ace doesn’t let go of my hand the entire time, and he periodically squeezes it and stares out my window.

The night lights are amazing. I text Collin that we’re on our way. The cab pulls to the curb and Ace pays him. I don’t want to argue, but it’s silly for him to pay when I have more money than I can use. He also pays at the door and we get our hands stamped since we can’t buy alcohol.

When the bouncer smiles broadly at me, Ace tucks me to his side. We go through the heavy black doors, and Ace leans to talk in my ear. The music pounds a beat that vibrates all around us.

“Crowded. You’ll be all right?”

I nod. I have to be okay. There’s no choice.

The club is dark except for the strobe of colorful lights. A silver ball hangs over the dance floor at the far end, sending shafts of light across the dancers. Ace’s hand tightens on mine as I lead him toward the bar where Collin said he’d be.

I check my text and it says to use my flashlight app as a signal that it’s me. Collin’s seen me before on my webcam, but this huge room is dim and filled with people. There’s a moment of panic that rises in my stomach like a bad meal, but I look at Ace and he smiles. The panic settles and disappears.

I hold my cell phone above my head, so Collin can see the light.

Suddenly, there’s a familiar face in front of me. He’s a handsome guy, tall with dark hair and a bulky build. I’ve only seen him over the web.

“Hi,” Collin yells.

“Hey,” I answer.

He smiles at me with a flash of white teeth, gives Ace a friendly nod, and holds out his hand. “Collin,” he says loudly while leaning in to be heard.

“Ace.” They shake, and we stand awkwardly for a beat.

I can feel the tension in Ace’s arm. I grip his hand harder to shift his focus.

Collin raises his hand to point at some tables near the back. Then he pulls a girl from behind him, and I realize he has a date. She gives us a friendly ‘hi’ wave and lets him pull her through the crowd to lead us.

I check my cell phone for the time before putting it back in my purse. Thirty minutes.

We scoot in to the table. It is barely any quieter, but enough I don’t have to scream to be heard. Collin introduces his date, Trina, and we all smile at each other and look at the dance floor. I’m unreasonably shy in spite of the fact that I’ve talked to Collin for what seems forever, and we’ve had the podcast show for two years. It’s unreal to finally meet him in person.

“How do you like Chicago?” Collin asks.

Ace puts an arm around my back and pulls me as close as possible in the separate chairs. I get the feeling he’d put me in his lap if I’d go for that. “I used to live here when I was a kid, but I haven’t been back,” he says.

His statement surprises me because it’s oddly coincidental. He’s never told me this and it’s silly that I wish I’d known. Known we both lived here as kids. That somehow this little bit of information matters because I see an intertwining of our lives.

Trina grins at me. “Let’s dance. Come with.”

She tries to grab my hand, and Ace shakes his head at her. “I get the first dance.”

I’ve danced in my room alone, crazy uninhibited dancing. Of course, I also sang into hairbrushes while alone. The dance floor is daunting.

“Dance?” Ace whispers against my ear.

I raise an eyebrow. “You like to dance?”

I’m not sure if he hears me until he looks at the dance floor and back. “You’re not going anywhere without me.” He nods to the beat and a slight, cocky smile lifts one corner of his mouth.

His confidence is contagious.

He takes my hand and pulls me through the throng of people to an even more packed piece of floor meant for dancing. As if by some miracle, the DJ’s next song begins and it’s Jelly Bean Queen.

Ace rolls his eyes, something I don’t believe I’ve ever seen from him, and smirks. He puts his mouth against my ear and a tremor rocks through me to match the beat of the song. “Shake it, baby.”

His hips and shoulders begin to move and his rhythm makes my reticence turn to uninhibited joy. I don’t care what I look like. I can’t stop my body as I let myself go and enjoy the song. It’s Jelly Bean Queen’s breakout song and the dancers love it.

Ace gives a nod to something above my head and I look up to see the DJ in a glass room suspended above us.

There’s a lot of bump and grind going on. Someone moves close to my back and I feel the heat of another body. I glance over my shoulder to see a guy’s back.

Ace moves behind me briefly, puts his hands on my hips and his lips to my hair. “I’ve got you.” His hands move up to caress my waist and back down to pull my hips closer to his. A tingling heat pools in my belly and shortens my breath.

He puts his mouth to the back of my neck. “You’re the hottest girl in this place. And you’re all mine.”

I gasp at the way my heartbeat accelerates, pounding louder than the beat of the music. He dances around to face me, encircles my waist with his embrace, hypnotizes me with the way he moves.

“You’re dangerous,” I say because I can only visualize one thing when he moves his hips. I see him moving above me and into me, giving me that intense stare that tells me we’re bonded.

I remember the fine sheen of sweat on his lean body. The male scent of him. The way he leaned down in the final moments and kissed me hard and deep.

He places his lips against my ear. “Only to you.”

The song ends and he takes my hand to lead me away. I’m breathing harder than he is, maybe from my own little sexual fantasy at the end of the song.

“Pop or something else to drink?” he asks.

I nod, so we go to the bar and grab two drinks. Collin and Trina are still at the table, laughing with their heads close together. They stop when we sit down and Ace bends forward.

“Mal says you have tickets to Jelly Bean Queen. Can I pay you for them?” Ace asks. He’s relaxed and friendlier than when we came in. I’m pretty certain Trina’s appearance helped with that.

“Tickets are yours, brother. No need. Complimentary. It’s a backstage pass. You can have them. I’ve seen them before,” Collin says. “JBQ gave them to us because of the podcast. They loved it.”

“You’re not going?”

Collin shakes his head, a broad grin on his face. “Take your girlfriend,” he says to Ace and winks at me.

It’s evident Collin is giving away his pass, but Ace nods. “Thanks. Much appreciated. I owe you.”

Collin waves him off with a hand. “JBQ said to pick the passes up at the concert window.”

I realize I’ve had so much fun that I haven’t paid attention to the time. I unsnap the top of the small purse strapped across my body and check my cell. My breath catches in my throat and a chill envelopes me like I’m flash frozen.

I have fifteen minutes. Death follows me around and kills the people I love.

“Restroom,” I say to Ace. I rise from the chair and Trina scoots hers out, too.

“I’ll walk you,” Ace says.

“That’s silly.” My chest aches and regret pinches my mouth into a forced smile.

“Want me to come with?” Trina yells across the table. She’s already standing and grabbing her purse.

I shrug, my breaths coming faster as I try to think of a way to get outside alone and as far away from this place as possible before my time is up. If the prophecy is wrong, I’ll come back inside. If the timestamp does mean something, I can’t be with Ace.

Mother held my hand minutes before she died. JT and I were together when he was shot.

I take one look at Ace’s beautiful face and make my decision. I grab Trina’s hand. “Yes.”

Trina and I move through the people, sometimes a body bumps into mine and I flinch, but I’m focused for the most part. It’s taking too long to make our way across the club to the restrooms. I’d intended to lose her in the restroom, but I feel her grasp loosen for one second and our hold is broken. Losing her here is better.

I don’t look back.

Mom? Mom? Where are you Mommy?
My own childlike voice echoes inside my head from long ago.

I think you were made just for me.
When I die, I want Ace’s words to hold close and comfort me, give me the peace I need. I’ll do anything to protect him. If I’m alone when death comes, he won’t get hurt.

The door stands at the end of a long trek and I make my way outside to the sidewalk. The bouncer gives me an appraising look and says, “You shouldn't walk too far alone.”

“I’m getting a cab,” I answer.

He nods and looks at the couple in front of him.

I check my cell and the countdown app shows I have four minutes. I force myself to stay calm and walk as rapidly as possible in the high heels I should’ve considered when dressing tonight. I make it a block away when I hear the first scream behind me.

I twirl, trying to determine the source. Someone yells, and it’s back in the direction I came from. I hesitate before jogging back, retracing my steps.

There’s something going on in the club. People are pouring out of the entrance, shoving and screaming like a scene from a horror flick.

No, no, no.

I run toward the sounds, losing one high heeled shoe before I sling off the other.

People are everywhere. Bile rises in my throat, a partner to the adrenaline rushing through my body.

I shove my way through, and it’s like a salmon swimming upstream. Someone grabs my arm to stop me, and I look. It’s not Ace. I’m feet away from the door and another hand grabs my shoulder. I try to get away from the grip. Then I look up to see the person’s face.

Collin stands with his outstretched arm attempting to hang on to me. Trina’s by his side, looking scared and confused.

“Stay here,” he yells.

“Where’s Ace?” I demand. I take a deep breath and try to keep upright, but a girl runs into me. Collin’s hand pinches into my upper arm.

“In there. He’s looking for you.” Collin’s fingertips scrabble as he’s being pushed farther away from me. He grabs my hair but he’s losing me. “Stay,” he yells.

I jerk hard and there’s a moment of pain as my hair is released. I’m a step away from the door. It’s difficult to squeeze through, and bodies batter my limbs in the process. Everyone wants out.

As soon as I am through the door, the heat slaps against my skin. Perspiration pops onto my face and arms and legs. At the opposite end of the club, the dance floor is lit like a funeral pyre with flames licking up heavy velvet curtains on a stage I hadn’t noticed earlier. I search the faces in front of me. A crowd surges toward another exit, and people stand bottlenecked, maybe stunned, maybe drunk. The chaos in the scene before me is a slow-motion mosh pit of a fiery hell.

The panic makes it impossible to breathe or think. I have to find Ace and get out. I’m short in my bare feet, so I jump to see better. My eyes burn like I’ve doused them in gasoline.

The image from the third box was a phoenix rising from the ashes.
I need to throw up.

I point at the exit and several girls move that direction without question. I don’t see Ace’s blond head. My lungs scream for fresh air. There’s no time to feel sorry for myself. I have to find him. I look up at the DJ box and the guy holds a chair that he smashes again and again against the front glass.

The DJ can’t get out. We make eye contact. He looks to a door and back to me, yelling something I can’t hear.

A loud pop shatters some glass to my right. Bottles in the mirrored shelves of the bar are bursting and flames run along the top of the bar. I shield my face and eyes with my hand.