Sons of Mayhem 3: The Full Force (8 page)

Before I could answer a new sound filled the room. Bang. Bang. Bang.

“Open up!”

Someone was rapping at the door and they did not sound happy.

“Cops?” asked Jase.

I shook my head. “Nope.”

I knew exactly who it was. I recognized the voice.

H
e would help
, I knew he would. After the night we'd spent together he was basically obliged to.

I hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. It was like no other night of my life. The heat, the anger, the worry -- all the emotions melding together had left me reeling. Then he'd taken me and made me feel like I didn't know it was possible to feel. What a night it had been.

And now I was back, and I needed his help.

L
ily
and I had arrived home while it was still early in the morning and both went to bed. She was still woozy from the drugs and I hadn’t got much sleep thanks to Lonnie. We barely spoke after leaving the hospital. She was pissed at me and I was pissed at her. I knew she wanted to say more to me but I wasn’t going to take anymore of her crap. Not after that night. I was going to be really tough on her from now on.

I got up in the early afternoon and the house was silent. When you’re alone in a house you can just tell; it feels somehow empty. Just the presence of another person in the building can be felt. At least
I
can feel it. So I knew she was gone, but I figured she’d gone to her community college.

But she hadn’t.

I was completely wrong.

About 6pm I called her to see what she wanted for dinner. She didn’t answer. I tried again. And again. Nothing.

My blood began to boil. What the hell did Lily think she was doing, especially after last night? I marched into her room looking for clues. That’s when I found the note.

D
ear Ava
,

Y
ou’re probably worried
. And pissed. Please, don’t be. Remember, I’m 19 now.

I
had to leave
. I know this may hurt to read, but I need my own space. I need to make my own decisions. What you said at the hospital… you were right. Or you would have been, five years ago. But I’m an adult now. A college student. I’m not a little girl anymore. You’ve got to let me go.

I think you know who I’m going to see, but, please, don’t follow me. He knows me better than anyone, and he’ll look after me. I’ve got some issues I need to deal with and so does he. We’re going to help each other.

L
et me go
, for now, please.

I
’ll be back
, I promise. Just give me some time.

L
ove
,

L
ily

I
read the note again
, my hand shaking angrily as I did so. What the hell had gotten into that girl, she was out of her mind. Unless I grossly misunderstood the letter she’d run off after the rockstar again. I know the appeal of fame can be like crack to some people, but I thought I knew Lily better than that. She met him less than a day ago!

I folded the letter angrily and shoved it into the too-small pocket of my jeans. Let her go? With some drug-addled whiskey fueled guitar plucker? Like hell I would.

After grabbing my car keys I headed out the door, then paused a moment. I didn’t know where I was going. The venue the band played at the night before was for one night only. Some secret tour bullcrap. I
could
go back to the hotel and wait for them. But no. I wanted to grab her at the show before that maniac could take her back to the hotel again.

I went back inside and angrily opened up my laptop. With a little help from Google I found myself at something called RockIt Girl’s Blog. I blinked in shock at the first thing I saw: A photo of Lonnie and the band being marched down the hallway of the hotel with four cops in tow. Underneath was a short piece about the band being kicked out of the hotel. Well, shit, I
had
to find out where tonight’s show was now.

Scrolling down I found what I was looking for. The announcement of that day’s show location. It was at a place called Club Vesuvius, and next to it was a note saying that the tickets had sold out in 1 minute and 30 seconds. A new record.

Ticket or no, I was going inside that club.

I grabbed the laptop and stood up. It was time to go get my sister and scream some sense into her. As I rose my head felt woozy and I almost fell back down again. I realized I hadn’t eaten anything in way too long.

I hurried into the kitchen and grabbed a can of Coke Zero from the refrigerator. I rummaged in the freezer and then stuck a couple of frozen beef burritos in the microwave. Only the best food in this household. When the microwave finally dinged I snatched everything up and headed back to the car.

Before starting I tapped out an angry message to Lily on my phone. Just before sending it I sighed and deleted it all. If I pissed her off maybe she'd disappear for good. I needed to say something that would get her to listen without angering her. I settled for
Lily, please, please call me. We have to talk!! Love you.

I wanted to strangle her. But I didn't want her to know that. Not yet.

I
found
myself at Vesuvius a scant hour later. It was 8:30pm. The show the day before hadn’t even started at that time, so I figured I’d have time to grab Lily before they even began. I headed toward the front door. As I approached it a shiver ran down my spine. There was no music.

"Are the band running late?" I asked the biker doorman.

He shook his head. "Nope."

I waited for him to continue. He didn't.

"Why aren't they playing?"

"Finished."

My blood ran cold. What the hell did he mean they’d finished. The day before they hadn’t even started at this time.

"Finished? Already? Can I go in?"

He slowly ran his eyes over me and nodded. A man of very few words indeed.

I
hurried
inside and saw the stage was empty. I scanned the room looking for Lily's red hair but I couldn't see it anywhere. Shit. What to do, what to do.

I hurried over to another biker/bouncer. He had the same patch on his jacket as Lonnie did,
Sons of Mayhem
.

"Where's Lonnie?"

The man grinned down at me. "Going to slap him around a bit more?"

I frowned at him. How'd he know about that?

"Just kidding. He's out there," he gestured vaguely toward a door between the stage and the bar, "be easy on him, he's already been whacked in the head today."

The last thing I heard was a muttered “charming,” as I hurried away. I guess I should have said thank you. But I didn't have time for that.

I
went
to the door and banged on it. Bang. Bang. Bang. Three times, nice and loud.

I raised my fist to smack it again, they probably couldn't hear me inside. I took a solid hit at the door and met flesh instead of wood when it swung open and Lonnie grabbed my hand.

"No more of that, Love."

"I wasn't trying to hit you!"

He laughed. "Well you would have if I hadn't been ready. I think I need to stay on my toes around you, don't I?"

There was no time for small talk.

"Where's my sister?"

He gave me a quizzical look and ushered me inside. I followed him as he spoke.

"Didn't you pick her up this morning?"

Shit, was that only this morning?

"Yeah. But she's gone. Again. To be with that dickhead who drugged her yesterday."

"I think you must have made a mistake. We haven't seen any sign of her. Are you sure she doesn't have another boyfriend or something?"

"She's got to be here! She left a note. Where's that guy from yesterday, the guitarist?"

"Firstly, that was a bass guitar. Totally different to your six string. Secondly, that guy from yesterday is on the tour bus taking a rest. He's knackered from yesterday."

God I loved that accent. Even when he was telling me things I didn’t want to hear.

"Let me speak to him. Please. I'm really worried about her."

Lonnie blew out a long stream of breath from between his lips, like he was exasperated with me or something. Maybe he was.

"If you insist. Don't be disappointed though. Isn't there somewhere else she might be?"

"Nowhere. Look, she wrote this note." I pulled it out of my pocket and gave it to him.

I watched his eyes scan quickly back and forth over the creased paper.

“It doesn’t say it’s about Si. Are you sure it’s him?”

“Well I don’t know who
else
it could be. There isn’t anyone else. Not that I know of.”

“Well I’ll show you the tour bus. All you’re going to find is Si taking a nap though.”

He was up and moving toward a door with a glowing green fire exit sign above it.

"No offense, but I think your sister might be a few sandwiches short of a picnic."

I followed him outside into the dark parking lot, the smell of trash greeting us. This is where their dumpsters were.

"My sister's not crazy. No more than most girls her age. I think it's because he's a big star - in her eyes anyway - she's overwhelmed by it."

"Si? A big star?" He laughed. "I really don't know what she sees in him."

"Well you're not a teenage girl."

"True, true."

We headed over to the dark tour bus. It was the size of a Greyhound but obviously differently configured. Lonnie reached behind a little hatch at the bottom of the door and a moment later the door hissed open.

"Oi! Si! You got that girl up in there?"

No answer.

"See? He must be having a kip."

I didn't answer but I pushed past him and went up the steps inside. I felt him following a moment later and a strong hand rested on my hip. To guide me? To stop me if I tried to steal something? To feel my ass?

"Lily!" I shouted.

"Si?" asked Lonnie again.

He flicked a switch by the driver's seat and lights came on. This was no Greyhound. There were sofas and a card table set up instead of the normal rows of pairs of seats.

It was also clearly deserted. There was no one on the bus.

"Huh. That's weird. I wonder where he went."

"I'm telling you, he's with Lily. Her note said they were going to be together."

"You really believe that? To be honest, it's sounding like your sister is being a bit of a stalker."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. They only met yesterday, and now she's talking about understanding each other, being together, all that shit? Don't you think that's a little nuts?"

He had a point. It
was
a little nuts. But shit, Lily was only a kid. It's normal to be a little nuts at that age isn't it?

"A little. But I guess your boy the guitarist is nuts too, right?"

"Bassist."

"Whatever."

"We don't even know they're together. We've got no proof of that except this note. Si's probably gone back inside to pick up another groupie or something."

"What do you mean another?" Was he calling my sister a skank?

He shifted backward a moment, his hand leaving my hip. Maybe he thought I was going to slap him again. A grin flashed across my lips.

"Sorry. Maybe that would make your sis lose a bit of interest anyway."

I hoped he was right. If this Si character
did
pick up a groupie Lily would hopefully get over him. Broken hearted for a week, a box or two of tissues and chocolate. Perfect.

"Hold on."

Lonnie reached into a pocket and pulled out a buzzing phone. He looked at the screen and frowned. An involuntary snort shot out when I saw the screen. The caller ID read
Twatface
.

"What do you want, Chad?" he asked into the phone.

Lonnie frowned as he listened. I couldn't make out the words but I could hear it was fast paced chatter coming out at a thousand words a minute.

"Motherfucker..." Lonnie said quietly into the phone, more a comment on what he was hearing than an insult to the person who was speaking to.

He hung up.

"What?" I asked him.

"It seems Si left a note too. Like your sister's."

"He
what
?"

"He left a note. Same shit. True love. Running away together. I guess you were right."

I felt vindicated. Annoyed, but vindicated. Of course I was right.

"Now what?" I asked him.

He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Usually, I'd say not my problem. But..."

I raised my eyebrows at him.

"We need Si. The band have got three more shows to do in the next three days." He looked at me. "And I know you're worried about your sister."

I nodded. Shit. Why'd she have to put me through all this?

"Do you think its drugs?" I asked him.

"Is what drugs?" he asked.

"
This
. Them acting all crazy and running off. It's so weird."

He let out a laugh. "Sorry, I don't know any drugs that make people act like this." After a pause, as if for consideration, he said, "except one."

"What?" I asked. Maybe we could get them an antidote or something.

"Love."

I smacked him on the arm.

"Sorry, but no, drugs don't make you run off with a new boyfriend or girlfriend."

"What are we going to do?" I asked.

"Let's get to the hotel. See this note, talk to Chad, see if we can find out where the hell they’ve gone."

Lonnie turned around and headed out of the bus. I followed, my eyes involuntarily admiring his ass as I stepped behind him until I caught myself. My eyes flicked outside, then I thought
screw it
, why not admire that fine English ass?