pocket and pulled out his keys. He took one individual key off his keyring and tossed it to Laz. “There you go. Look in the shed out back.”
“Appreciate it,” Lazarus said. He made his way out back behind the building and slid open the door to the old dilapidated wooden shed. His eyebrows rose and he smiled wide. Sitting there, not even covered, was a 2001 Ducati Monster 600. This was a dream bike. Loud as hell, though. He’d have to leave it a few blocks from Candy’s place, or wherever he followed her to, and come back for it once he was done. He’d be announcing his arrival if he drove it right up to the house.
Straddling the bike, he turned the key and was pleasantly surprised when it purred quietly to life. “I’ll be damned,” Laz said, leaning over to take a look at the exhaust pipes. Obviously Patch had had them custom installed to reduce the noise. “Maybe I won’t have to leave it so far away,” Lazarus said to himself as he smiled at the feeling of the bike beneath him. He sent a quick text to Lucas, then slipped his phone back in his pocket. He pulled on the black helmet with the black face shield. “Here goes nothing,” he said to himself, then released the clutch, gave it some gas and pulled out of the shed.
~~~
Candy whipped her little falling apart Corolla into her driveway and smiled when she saw the lights on in her house. She rented a small two bedroom place across town from the bar, and she hated it. It was small, dirty, and run down. She knew she was meant for better things and resented the place she was forced to live in more and more every time she drove up to it. But it was almost okay tonight. The lights meant that Frederick was inside waiting for her, and that made it better.
She scowled at the peeling paint above the doorjamb as she reached for the doorknob. “Won’t be long and he’ll get me the hell out of here,” she mumbled to herself. She opened the door and stepped into the living room and a cloud of smoke, empty beer cans, dirty plates stacked around her coffee table and floor, and Frederick with two of his friends with their muddy boots propped up on her coffee table while they played video games.
“The hell is this?” she asked. “Look at this god-awful mess!” she yelled.
Frederick’s brows came down over his eyes and his eyes turned cold and deadly. “I know you aren’t talking to me like that.”
“I know you didn’t make this fucking mess and expect me to clean it up!” she countered.
Frederick jumped to his feet and advanced on her.
Candy stood her ground, her bravado placing her in a very bad situation.
Frederick wrapped his hand around her neck and forced her backwards, shoving until her back was pressed against the wall. “DO NOT embarrass me in front of my friends!” he shouted right in her face.
“Let go of me!” she screamed, clawing at his hand.
“Shut the fuck up!” he yelled. “You will respect me or I will beat your ass every fucking day!” he threatened, tightening his grip on her neck.
Candy brought her knee up, slamming it into his balls as forcefully as she could.
Frederick whimpered and let go of her neck before cupping himself and panting with the pain.
“Don’t make the mistake of putting your hands on me, you sonofabitch!” she screamed, shoving him as she went to move past. “Get the fuck out of my house, all of you!” she ordered as she stalked away. She’d almost cleared the living room when she was grabbed from behind and yanked backward.
Frederick gritted his teeth as he forced himself to take the few steps to catch up with Candy, then reached out with both hands, wrapped one in her hair, and the other reached in front of her and squeezed her throat again, before he yanked her back to him. “Fucking whore,” he spat, as she fell back into him.
Frederick kept his left hand wrapped in her hair as he released her throat to punch the side of her head. “I’ll fucking kill you, bitch!” he screamed in a rage, as spittle flew and he began to kick her as she hit the floor.
Candy curled herself into a ball and sobbed in fear and pain until suddenly, the assault stopped. She didn’t uncover her head, she didn’t uncurl her