Chapter 22
Elizabeth was sitting outside of Kelly’s taking her break.
“Hey,” Jason greeted, walking up to her table. “I thought you were working today?”
“Break,” she said, smiling at him as he sat down across from her. “So, what are you up to today?’
“I’ve been at the coffee warehouse all morning, but other than that, not much. I just came by to see if you wanted to go to Luke’s tomorrow night.”
She thought for a minute, then frowned. “Isn’t tomorrow Lucky’s show? Can’t we go somewhere else?”
“Trust me, I’d love to, but Michael really wants to go. He’s never been to a concert, and he’s all excited that we know Lucky.”
Liz chuckled at the thought of someone being excited to know him. “Okay, so I can see why you’re going, but what’s in it for me?” she teased.
“Oh, so spending time with Michael and me isn’t enough incentive?” Jason teased back.
She laughed. “Fine, I’ll go, but I’m not going to be happy about it. I try to avoid being in the same room as Lucky as much as possible these days. Plus, I hate to think how much he’s going to gloat when he sees me there.”
“Liz, I doubt he’ll even care. Don’t worry about it. I’ll pick you up at seven, okay?”
“Sure. See you tomorrow then.” She stood up and returned to the diner, her break over. Thankfully, Lucky had been spending the past week rehearsing for the show, so she didn’t have to worry about running into thim. The diner had actually been rather peaceful without him hanging around all the time.
~*~
For some reason, it took forever for Liz to get ready for Lucky’s show. Everything she’d put on would end up looking wrong. She changed about ten times before finally deciding on a light purple tank top that showed her stomach and a form-fitting pair of black jeans. She studied herself in the mirror, then sighed, figuring it would have to do.
As Liz was heading downstairs, the doorbell rang. She opened it and joined Jason outside, following him to the limo. “You owe me for this,” she said as they climbed inside.
“You really don’t like him, do you?” Jason asked. “What happened between you two that caused such hatred?”
Liz sighed as she sank back into the seat. “It was a long time ago, back in high school. Let’s just say he did something to make me come to my senses and realize what kind of person he really is.”
Jason shook his head. “I’m sorry, but that made no sense!”
“Look, we just don’t get along, that’s all. Never have, never will. Everything he says irritates me, and I have a feeling it’s mutual. I know that you and him are friends, and that’s fine, although I really don’t understand it. Sometimes you don’t need a reason to hate someone, it’s just something you feel.”
Figuring he wasn’t going to get anything more out of her on the subjet, Jason shrugged and fell silent. For the rest of the drive, Liz played with Michael, happy to be done talking about Lucky.
The car pulled to a stop in front of Luke’s and they climbed out. The place was bustling with activity, obviously Lucky was very popular. Jason headed to the tront door with Michael, then turned when he realized Liz wasn’t with him. “Are you coming?”
She smiled and nodded. “I’ll be in soon. I just want to get some fresh air first. It can get really stuffy and smoky in there sometimes, so I’d like to enjoy breathing for a few more minutes.”
Jason chuckled and turned to usher Michael into the club. Liz sighed and turned around to watch the other guests arrive. She hadn’t really lied to Jason, the club really did get stuffy, but the real reason she wasn’t going in was because she wanted to avoid running into Lucky for as long as possible.
~*~
“Charisma, stop fussing over me!” Lucky grumbled. “It’s just a little club. This isn’t some huge concert or anything.”
“I just want it to be perfect, that’s all,” she argued, messing with his hair. “These hometown shows are a big deal, whether you like it or not! Now, is the band all ready? I know there wasn’t a lot of time to rehearse.”
“Yeah, we’re fine. We can play this stuff in our sleep by now. You realize you owe me big for this!”
She chuckled and stepped back to admire her work. “Whatever. There, you’re all done. How is it again that you don’t have a girlfriend?” she teased. “Look at yourself, you’re hot!”
Lucky rolled his eyes and stood up to leave the dressing room. “Maybe I’m just holding out hope that you’ll fall in love with me someday,” he joked.
Charisma laughed and shook her head. “Sorry, Spence. Not going to happen. You know I don’t date musicians. Too moody.” She turned around and saw he was about to leave. “Where are you going?”
“I need some air. Don’t worry, I’ll be back before the show starts. I just wnat to check the place out.” He opened the door and walked out into the club. Everyone was too busy talking to one another to even notice him.
~*~
Outside, another limo pulled up, and Carly stepped out. Liz walked up to her and smiled. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” she said.
“Well, I figured since Lucky’s my cousin and Sonny’s half-owner of this place, I should be here, you know?” Carly answered, her voice somewhat distant. Ever since the bachelor auction, their friendship had been a little strained. Liz was still paranoid that Carly was going after Jason again, and Carly was jealous of Liz for having him.
“Where’s Sonny?” Liz asked, trying not to sound suspicious.
“He had some business to take care of tonight. I didn’t really ask what it was. I got the impression it wasn’t something he would tell me about anyway.”
“Oh,” Liz said, knowing that she meant it was probably something to do with the Organization.
“So what brings you here?” Carly asked. “I thought you hated my cousin.”
Liz chuckled. “I do, but Micheal wanted to come, so Jason convinced me to join them. They’re inside, I just wanted to enjoy the fresh air before going in. All that smoke bothers me sometimes.”
“Yeah, me too.” Carly looked around uncomfortably, then turned back to Liz. “Um, I don’t want to worry you or anything, but have you noticed whether or not Jason’s put more guards on you lately?’
Liz nodded. “Actually, I did notice that the other day. I thought it was kind of strange, since he’s not with the Organization anymore... or at least that’s what he claims.”
“According to Sonny, he isn’t, he’s staying clean for Michael, but he’s still linked because of their friendship. Anyway, I noticed that I had more guards a few days ago, and it kind of worried me. I hope nothing’s going down.”
Before Liz could answer, the air exploded around them as a hailstorm of bullets emerged from a passing car. Everyone screamed and dove to the ground. As suddenly as it began, the din was over, and the air outside the club grew deathly silent.
