Highway Song: A Smokey's Roadhouse Novel (8 page)

‘
Cept that Jake and his crew. Rooster
’
s boy, or I woulda give him the boot from the club. He
’
s gonna be trouble one-a these days. She acted like she didn
’
t care, but I saw it in her eyes she did. Like she dreaded the day he pushed it, and she
’
d have to decide whether to accept it or fight. I kep
’
an eye on her, so those boys didn
’
t get to be trouble for her.

Then what does she do but go outside with that rocker, when the past few days she
’
d been actin
’
like he was the one she was runnin
’
from. When she didn
’
t come right back, I let
‘
em know I knew they was out there. Couldn
’
t wait for them assholes to clear out, tab or no tab.

Now she
’
s wantin
’
me to wipe out their tab if they
’
ll play here. If that
’
ll get rid of
‘
em, I
’
ll do it. Can
’
t tell
‘
em myself. Club gets wind of it, that shithead Jake
’
ll challenge me for sure. Waitin
’
like a jackal for me to get too weak to hold my own. Nope. She wants it that way, fine, but she
’
ll have to deal with it.

Been awhile since we had a band here. Hope to hell the customers don
’
t tear the place down when they get all liquored up. Which reminds me. For this to make a dent in their tab, we
’
ve gotta have more customers show up.

“
Hey, Sunshine. Amy. You
’
re in charge of publicity. Let
’
s get everyone around here to turn out.
”

“
Smokey, I don
’
t know how to do that,
”
she says.

“
Well, figure it out. We gotta sell enough extra booze and food to write off five hundred bucks. Either that or we gotta take it outta their hides.
”

SEVEN

Rex
 

A
my came over to the table with a round of drinks, and the guys just about fell all over themselves thanking her
–
except Ike, of course. He couldn
’
t let down that gruff persona if he tried. At least he thanked her almost politely. I lifted my beer to her, and she fixed me with a serious look.

“
Could I see you privately a moment, Rex?
”
she asked.

“
Any time, for as long as you like. Private or right here on the table, baby.
”

She flushed.
“
Listen, cut it out. I stuck my neck out for you guys. You want to hear it or not?
”

I got up, carrying my beer, and followed her to a quiet corner. This didn
’
t sound like it was about us, her and me. It sounded more like it was about the band.

“
What
’
s up, sugar?
”
I asked. She backed up against the wall, and I leaned over her with my hand on it. I knew the guys were watching
—
had to keep my image right.

“
How would you like to wipe out your band
’
s bar tab, and still be able to drink tonight and tomorrow night?
”
she asked. A tease of a smile lurked around her lips. I leaned a little closer.

“
We don
’
t believe we
’
ll be here tomorrow night.
”

“
You will if you want to leave without trouble from the club,
”
she said.
“
And I don
’
t see a new bus or a motor anywhere around.
”

She must have picked up on our problems from what she overheard as she went about her business. But what did she mean about trouble from the club? What club?

She read the doubt in my eyes.
“
You know the guys in biker colors that are usually in here this time of night?
”

I nodded.

“
Well, right now they
’
re in the back room, and Smokey
’
s giving them instructions. You aren
’
t leaving here with a bar tab that size owing. But I thought of something you could do, and Smokey
’
s agreed. All you have to do is play a gig here.
”

I looked around in disbelief. Our sound would blow the walls out of this little place. And besides, we didn
’
t have a drum kit. No kit, no drummer. No drummer, no beat. It was impossible. I said so.

“
Look, hotshot,
”
she said.
“
You have a choice. Try to fight your way out of here tomorrow, or figure out a plan to put on a show tomorrow night and leave peacefully after that.
”

When she put it that way, it gave me an incentive to figure it out. It didn
’
t stop me from trying to gain some leverage.
“
Tell you what, sugar. I
’
ll talk the guys into it for you, if you
’
ll do something for me.
”

Her eyes sparkled with mirth.
“
You
’
ll talk them into it for
me
? The way I look at it, I
’
m saving
your
ass. I
’
ve already done something for you.
”

I leaned even further toward her and whispered in her ear.
“
You haven
’
t done this.
”

She flushed, and I felt the heat from my face to my groin. Her scent deepened and got more complex as her blush warmed her perfume.  Her hand flashed up and pushed against my chest. I leaned even harder, forcing her arm to bend as I crowded her. My chest burned where her hand was trapped against it, like it was a red-hot poker instead of her little hand.

Amy lifted her chin and smiled like a wolf. Through her clenched teeth, she said,
“
Back off, or you won
’
t be able to do that for a month.
”
Her leg moved between mine, just enough to show me she could back that threat up.

I eased up a little, but planted a kiss on her nose.
“
I like a challenge.
”

Even as I said it, I knew I was being an asshole. I
’
d seen enough of how the bastards my mom always hooked up with operated to know I was out of line. But something about Amy drove me to it. I couldn
’
t forget what happened outside, especially that she
’
d been ready to yield before the owner interrupted us. A primitive need to dominate and subdue her overwhelmed any civil behavior I
’
d cultivated. I was as bad as any of my many stepdads, and I didn
’
t care. I had to have Amy, one way or another. Self-preservation kept me from taking her right here against the wall. It wouldn
’
t keep me from finding her after the bar closed.

I backed off.
“
You still want me. I know it. You know it. I
’
ll be around later, sugar.
”

Her eyes flashed.
“
Smokey might have something to say about that.
”

“
What, you
’
re going to tell your daddy on me?
”
I quipped.

Her reaction was puzzling. Fear flashed across her pretty features, and then she shut down every expression. Her face looked like a mask when I looked again.

“
He
’
s not my dad,
”
she said. With that, she ducked out from beneath my arm and strode back to the bar, the picture of confidence.

What the hell had just happened? I was kidding. I knew Smokey wasn
’
t her dad. Or I sort of knew. She wouldn
’
t call her dad Smokey, would she? What had scared her? It was one more mystery I
’
d clear up when I saw her later, in more
…
intimate
…
circumstances.

I returned to the table with a smirk on my face. The guys didn
’
t need to know she was still saying
‘
no
’
with her voice. Her body gave me all the
‘
yes
’
I needed.

“
So guys, we have a proposition on the table.
”

“
Thought you gave it to sweet-cheeks over there,
”
Axel quipped.

“
I
’
m serious. Fucking knock it off and listen. You heard Mark. We can
’
t pay the tab you guys ran up
…”

Cacophony erupted before I could get any further. I settled them down with a quick pass of my fingertips in front of my throat, as if I were saying
‘
cut
’
!
“
All right, I helped run it up. That
’
s not important. What
’
s important is we can
’
t pay it. I don
’
t suppose you guys have noticed the groups of men in here wearing motorcycle club vests?
”

Ike got it first.
“
Uh-oh. Smokey
’
s Roadhouse. It
’
s a biker bar.
”

I couldn
’
t believe it was the first time he
’
d noticed in all the hours we
’
d spent in here.
“
Yep. We can
’
t leave until we pay up, one way or another. But the girl has found a way for
‘
the other
’”—
I made air quotes with both hands
—“
not to be a beating. We need to do a gig here tomorrow night.
”

Another round of raised voices let me know I had an uphill battle. Ike, of course, was the loudest.
“
How the fuck are we going to do that, Rex? We don
’
t have a drum kit.
”

I shrugged.
“
We have to improvise somehow. Maybe someone around here does. Should be a school around somewhere, at least. Maybe they have one.
”

“
A school.
”
Ike
’
s voice was full of scorn as he repeated the words.

The others had the same objection I did.
“
But we need to get to Seattle.
”

“
I know. But to do that, we need to get out of here alive. If we miss Seattle, we miss Seattle. At least we have all of our fingers,
”
I added, looking pointedly at the guitarists and Cole. They paled. I had them.

“
I
’
m open to ideas about percussion. Let
’
s hear
‘
em.
”

They all sat back, looking at Ike. He shook his head.
“
I don
’
t fucking know, okay? I guess we ask about a school.
”

Glum silence met his statement.

EIGHT

Amy
 

“
C
o
me on, Rick, you
’
re always playing. Why won
’
t you play for us?
”

“
Why should I? You
’
re just a bunch of little girls. Go on, get out of my room. Get lost, kid.
”