The Queen had made an appearance, greeting each group she went by, including us. Debbie was Beast's old lady, but it wasn't hard to see why everyone referred to her as the Queen, or Mum. She commanded an air of authority where ever she went, and everyone loved and worshipped her.
"We need to talk," she said to Beast, in a low voice not meant for us to hear.
She brushed her hand over my head in that motherly way of hers and smiled, but I saw the concern in her eyes and frowned.
"Alright, woman," Beast grunted, climbing to his feet and clapped me on the shoulder. Then, they disappeared into the meeting room.
Club business, I figured. Figures, liabilities, nothing to do with me.
I turned back to my friends and tuned into the conversation once more.
The three of us spent the next hour mingling with everyone, talking shit, as usual. I told Clyde about Beast wanting some work done, which he agreed to enthusiastically, and Bonnie was doing some sketches of the design Kelly was hoping to have done.
I was watching the precise strokes of her pencil, when she stopped, dropping it onto the page, and I looked up to see what had caught her attention. I followed her gaze across the room, in the opposite direction Beast and Debbie had disappeared, toward the doorway which lead to the small club rooms.
"Is that..."
It took me a moment to figure out who she was referring to, but then, I recognised the wavy blonde hair and sad green eyes as they stared at the ground, avoiding looking at anyone and everyone.
"Ooh, yeah, it is."
Jenna was following Boomer, one of the Specters, from one of the rooms, her clothes rumpled and her hair a tousled mess. She had her arms folded around her skinny body, eyes focused on the ground just like last night.
Boomer slipped her a fifty dollar note, barely sparing her a glance as she quickly took it without taking her eyes from the floor, then she hurried outside.
"Fucking bitch," Bonnie growled and jumped up from the stool, shoving it back with so much force that it nearly toppled over. Then, she stormed after Jenna.
I exchanged a glance with Clyde, who sighed dramatically, resting his chin on his fist.
"Should I go and stop her?" He wondered, staring after Bonnie.
"Probably should, if you don't want her to go to jail for strangling that chick to death," I pointed out.
"Good point," he agreed, and the two of us got up to go and break up the fight I was sure was about to take place.
We had to push our way through the crowd that had gathered out the front, egging on an enraged Bonnie, who had the other girl pinned beneath her, already beating the shit out of her.
Jenna was screaming and begging, trying to fend off the blows, but other than that, she did nothing to defend herself. It took both me and Clyde to drag Bonnie off her.
"Alright, darlin', she's had enough," I told her, catching her around the waist as she broke away from us again.
"Babe, calm the fuck down," Clyde laughed as he effortlessly tossed her over his shoulder, glancing at me. "I fucking love this woman."
He took her, kicking and screaming, back inside again, away from Jenna who was curled up on the ground still, crying as she tried to wipe the blood from her face.
Everyone had moved away once Debbie emerged, dragging Jenna up from the ground, ushering her inside as well, down the back, into one of the other rooms and away from Bonnie's glares. I followed them inside, too.
"You okay, Bon?" I asked her, joining them in their corner of the clubhouse.
"You should have left it," she glared at Clyde, who shot her a mischievous smile.
"You can get it out of your system when we get home, sweetheart," he promised her. "If you want, you take it out on my-"
"And I'm out," I interrupted, backing away quickly.
***
The door was open, but I knocked anyway, nodding at Katy as she looked up from the table she was sitting around with two other girls I recognised from the club.
"Hey, Ace," she greeted me, holding out a rolled up five dollar note. "You want a line?"
"I'm good, thanks," I replied, and she shrugged, handing it back to one of the other girls she was with, wiping at her nose.
"What's up, sweetie pie?" She wondered, climbing to her feet, and came to lean in the doorway. She always called me that, because she knew I hated it it.
Katy was eccentric as fuck. We'd been good friends for years, growing up together as she went though her piercing phase, all the way to her tattoo addiction. We'd nearly been a thing at one point, she was the first girl I'd ever been with, but then we both decided we didn't want to make it weird between us, and went back to being just friends. We'd been close ever since, which I was grateful for.
She ran her fingers through her short, shaggy hair. This week, it was dyed bright red, matching her lipstick
"Have you seen Jenna, that blonde girl?" I asked her.
She nodded, pointing down the hallway.
"She's in there, with the Queen." She tilted her head questionably. "Our girl really fucked her up."
I grimaced.
"Yeah, well, you don't steal nine hundred dollars from the dynamic duo and expect to get away with it."
Katy's heavily made up eyes widened in surprise.
"She stole a grand from Bon Bon?" She made a noise halfway between a gasp and a squeek, bouncing on the balls of her feet, punching my arm lightly, switching to a sing song voice. "Blondie's got a death wish!"
"No kidding," I muttered. "I was gonna go talk to her, see if I could convince her to give the money back to her."
I shrugged.
"Bonnie's a sweetheart, I'm sure she'll forget all about it if she does, without any drama."
"No wockers," Katy shrugged, turning back to her friends, taking the rolled up note that they offered. "Let me know if I can help."
"Will do, darlin'."
I just about walked into Debbie as she reemerged from the room Katy had indicated, a bloody towel in her left hand.
"Ace, jesus, baby," she gasped, holding a hand over her heart. "Are you trying to give an old woman a heart attack?"
I smiled appologetically.
"You're hardly an old woman," I teased. "You're as stunning as any of the chickie babes around here."
Debbie chuckled, swatting at my arm.
"Get out of it," she scolded, crossing her arms, then grew stern. "What do you want?"
"I was checking to see if Jenna is alright."
"She's fine," Debbie said sternly. "Busted lip and a bloody nose, but nothing broken."
I nodded, rubbing at the back of my neck as she fixed me with one of her looks that could make even the bravest dude shake in his boots.
"You tell Bonnie, if she's going to beat up my girls, that she isn't welcome here," Debbie told me. "I love that little doll, but she's bred better than that."
"She had her reasons," I said with a shrug.
"Oh?" Debbie implored.
I explained to her how we found Jenna last night and saved her from those guys, and how Bonnie took her home and gave her a place to stay, only to wake up the next day and find that Jenna had taken off with the money. Debbie's expression softened as I explained, and she raised her eyebrows when I was done talking.
"Can I go talk to her?" I asked.
Debbie nodded.
"She doesn't want to see anyone," she explained. "But I think she owes you three an explanation."
"Thanks, Mum."
"You make sure to tell Bonnie that, if, in future, she has business with someone, to take it outside."
"She did take it outside," I joked.
"Watch it," she said, pursing her lips.
"Sorry, ma'me." I ducked my head, trying to hide my grin.
"Go on, baby," she told me. "Make it quick."