“Shut up, Bunny.” Fanatic frowned, and I laughed.
“Which is the best lightsaber?” Calamity asked.
“The darksaber,” I replied, and Fanatic and Calamity glared at me.
“Get real; it’s Luke’s,” Calamity denied.
“Luke’s only had one blade, Darth Maul had two blades,” Fanatic shot back. I shook my head in total disbelief. We were arguing about Star Wars as I left to renew my tattoos.
“Before this gets out of hand, Fanatic, keep your eyes on the road; let’s agree to disagree. Who was the most annoying character?” I asked. Calamity and Fanatic both spoke together.
“Jar Jar Binks.”
“Jar Jar needed shooting in the head in the first five minutes,” Fanatic added. On that, I could wholeheartedly agree.
“Damn, I hate the preludes; they were shockingly awful. Almost ruined the franchise. Rouge One was out of this world, especially how it linked straight into Star Wars episode four. That was freaking brilliant,” Calamity quipped.
“The last three weren’t so terrible. They at least tried to stay loyal to the theme. But they moved away from the books and destroyed the Star Wars universe. That just sucked. I mean Ben Solo? That was Jacen, Jania and Anakin Solo and Ben Skywalker. They ripped off parts of the books and twisted them. Luke Skywalker rebuilt the Jedi, and he didn’t try to kill his nephew. Talk about making Luke the bad guy. The storyline differed so much it ruined it for me,” I said, and a stunned silence entered the truck.
“Are you a fan?” Calamity asked.
“Umm… yeah, huge fan,” I replied, a little shamefaced.
“That’s so cool.” Calamity grinned. “Fanatic, I need to find me a Star Wars geek too. Pyro’s a lucky bastard.” I laughed as Fanatic turned into the parking lot behind the tattoo shop. We climbed out, still arguing, as we walked down the alley and entered the salon.
“Hey Bunny,” a voice said, and I peered up with a smile. I was surprised when Sly didn’t meet my eyes and gazed at a point over my head.
“Hi Sly, I’m here for my appointment.” I smiled. Sly glanced towards the room where the tattooist artist Sorrow usually worked. A bead of sweat trailed down his forehead, and Sly wiped it away.
“Go on through. Sorrow’s waiting,” Sly said, and I moved but stopped.
“Everything okay, Sly? You seem antsy,” I asked. Sly’s eyes darted to Sorrow’s door and then to me.
“Nah, nah, go on, Bunny,” Sly insisted, but I didn’t. Something was seriously wrong, and I took two steps toward Calamity and Fanatic. Warily I glanced between the door, which remained shut, and Sly. Sly offered a nervous grin, and by then, Calamity and Fanatic were picking up on the vibes.
“Think I’ll come back another day. Here, take payment for wasting your time.” I held out a wad of cash, and Sly shook his head.
“Nah, Bunny, everything’s fine. Sorrow’s just setting up, ready for ya, you know,” Sly insisted. But his eyes darted to the door.
“No, something’s wrong, and I’m not comfortable. We’re leaving,” I said and turned on my heel. Fanatic took my left while Calamity covered my right. I’d reached the entrance when a red mist erupted over my face, accompanied by a loud bang.
“Don’t fuckin’ move, or I’ll put a bullet in both their heads, Janet Revers,” a deep voice warned. Terrified, I froze on the spot as Calamity moved behind me. “One more step, and I kill her. Turn around.”
“Look, my name’s Bunny, not Janet Revers,” I said, turning with my hands in the air. I flinched when I saw Sly crumpled in his chair with a bullet in his head. “Sly!” I shrieked.
“Lady, don’t bother; he’s dead. Warned the asshole not to fuck this up and don’t bullshit me. I know who you are. Tested your DNA in the bar against some I took from your home. Gotta say you look better like this,” Tanner replied.
“Tanner, she’s under the protection of Hellfire, you’ll start a war,” Fanatic threatened.
“Janet’s pussy. I’ll pay the blood price,” Tanner shot back. I studied him carefully. Tanner was tall and tanned, his head shaved, and he had a spider tattoo on his neck. He wasn’t bulky, but he was fit. Tanner’s eyes were hidden behind sunglasses.
“Bunny’s an old lady; Pyro has claimed her. Won’t be a blood price,” Fanatic snapped.
“Bitch is pussy, lots more in the sea. Pyro can claim another,” Tanner said and waved the gun. “Move, cunt, or I’ll kill these two. Don’t even think of going for your weapon,” Tanner snarled, and his gun moved to cover Calamity. Calamity froze, and his hand stopped near his waistband.
“You shoot either of them, and Chance and Drake won’t stop until they find you and bury you,” I snapped.
“Drake and Chance understand this is business. If one of theirs gets injured for interfering, they won’t do shit. This isn’t their business; it’s mine. Move Janet,” Tanner said.