Tainted Rose (22 page)

She couldn’t say a word. She knew that she should say something, that she should offer him a drink, but she didn’t want that moment to end. It was too magical, almost like a spell, and she knew that as soon as she spoke the moment would be over and the spell would be broken.

She wanted to ask if she knew him, if their paths had crossed some time in the past, maybe back in Montreal, but she didn’t. She just asked him if he wanted a drink and he said he wanted a beer.

She went behind the bar and started pouring a pint a Canadian. It was the best beer they had in that place so that was what she was giving him.

“You must be tired,” she said, looking up at him shyly.

He smiled at her and it was too much. She had to look away. She didn’t want to blush.

“I’m fairly tired,” he said after a moment.

“I saw you walking earlier.”

“You passed me on the Harley.”

“We did.” She regretted saying “we” as soon as it escaped her lips. She didn’t want there to be a “we,” not between her and Serge Gauthier.

“Was that your boss you were riding with?”

Rose looked up at him again. Why was he asking her that? She looked around. No one was there. She’d taken the Ford to open up the bar that morning. Serge and Murdoch and Rust were all back at the house, sleeping off their hangovers. They could arrive at any minute though.

“It was,” she said.

“He go by the name of Serge Gauthier?”

In all the time that Rose had been working out at the Cat, no one had ever come around asking about Serge. The DRMC practically owned this part of the world and people didn’t mess with them. She didn’t know what it was that this man wanted with Serge but something told her it wasn’t good. It might get him killed.

“You don’t have any business with him, do you?”

“Matter of fact, I do,” the man said. “I have a score to settle with him and I aim to do it.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

The man nodded. “A man’s game charges a man’s price.”

Rose shook her head. “You can’t come in here and talk like that,” she said. There was a pleading in her voice. It wasn’t a threat, it wasn’t even a warning, she just didn’t want to see anything bad happen to him and she knew what Serge was capable of.

Josh shrugged. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I know all about the DRMC.”

“That’s exactly why I am worried. They kill people as soon as look at them. If you come in here saying you’ve got a score to settle with Serge, there’s only one way it can end. He’s the VP of the Val-d’Or chapter.”

“I know all that,” Josh said. “And I can’t change any of it. The fact is, I’ve got a score to settle with Serge Gauthier and even if he was the King of England himself, I’d still have to square up to the son of a bitch and settle that score.”

“You’re crazy.”

Josh nodded. “Maybe,” he said. “Is Serge going to be in here soon?”

“He should be here any minute, him and two other guys.”

“Good.”

Josh leaned back and finished his beer. He reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled something out. Rose tried to see what it was.

He looked up at her and cleared his throat.

“You want to have a seat?” he said to her.

“I’m fine where I am,” she said.

“It’s just, I’ve got something important to say to you.”

Rose looked at him. Something about him, about the way he was talking to her, told her that he really did have something important to say. She couldn’t imagine what it was but it was one of those moments in life that she knew to pay attention to. Such moments only came along once in a long while and when they did, she knew to take note.

She pulled up a stool next to him and prayed that Serge or one of the others didn’t walk in.

“Your name is Rose Meadows, isn’t it.”

It wasn’t a question, it was a statement, and as soon as she heard it Rose felt like fainting. The blood drained from her face and she paled like a ghost. She closed her eyes and her head spun. The man had to take a hold of her to stop her from falling off her stool.

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’ve seen you before. A long ways from here, a long time ago.”

“Where?”

And then, just as she said it, she knew that she didn’t need an answer. She remembered him. She realized what it was about him that reminded her so much of her father. He was the man who’d led her and the others out of the basement of the Sioux Rangers clubhouse.

It was too much. She’d been so scared that morning all those years ago, so terrified, that she often wondered if she hadn’t invented that memory in her mind. She wondered if she’d created that hero, that angel, to lead her through the tunnel and out to safety.

Here he was!

“Whoa,” he said as he steadied her on her seat.

She smiled at him. “It’s a good thing you told me to sit down.”

“I’ve got something for you,” he said.

He handed her the old photograph. It was a little faded, a little creased and worn from being carried around for so long, but the picture was still perfectly clear.

Rose had never seen the image of her mother before but when she saw that photograph she knew what she was looking at. It was almost like looking in the mirror.

This time, she really did faint, just for a second, and when she opened her eyes she was in his arms. He was holding her steady in those strong, firm arms and all she wanted in the whole world was for him to lean down, just a little bit, and kiss her.

*

“T
AKE ME WAY FROM HERE.”
Those were the words that were ringing through Rose’s mind as the man brought her over to the stage and laid her down. She felt foolish. He’d given her a photograph of her mother and she’d responded by fainting, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Are you alright?” he said.

She looked up at him. She was fine. As long as he was there, she was fine.

“You have to tell me your name,” she said.

“I’m Josh,” he said, “Josh Carter.”

“Well, Josh Carter,” she said, “take me the hell away from this place.”

Josh smiled. He seemed to like that.

“You got a ride?” he said.

“Not a bike, just an old Ford. I don’t even know if it will make it out of here.”

“That’s okay,” Josh said, “we’re not leaving till I settle my score with Serge.”

XXI

R
OSE WAS IN THE CHANGING
room, gathering together her few belongings and throwing them in a bag, when she heard the motorcycles pull up outside. Serge and the others had finally arrived. She’d pleaded with Josh not to stick around but he’d told her there was no way on God’s earth he was running away from that place without facing them. He said he’d rather die fighting than live as a coward.

Rose thought that was the bravest thing he could have said. She respected it. But she was so scared. She didn’t know how Josh could stand up to all three of them and she didn’t see how it could end in his favor. Now that Serge and Murdoch and Rust were here she was even less sure that it would end well. She prayed he wouldn’t get killed.

She tried to remain brave. She tried to have the same attitude Josh had. Maybe this wouldn’t work out. Maybe she and Josh would never get to leave that place. But they could at least be strong and dignified and fight the battle that had to be fought.

Thinking that way, the way Josh had said, gave her courage. She knew that she didn’t have to control the way things turned out with Serge. All she had to control was the way she faced up to him.

Serge’s was the first voice she heard from out in the bar.

“Well, well, well,” he said loudly as he came in from the lot. “If it aint the mysterious drifter, here in
my
bar, drinking
my
beer, no doubt looking to score with my
fucking
woman.”

Josh had told Rose to wait back in the dressing room if things got violent but she couldn’t. She hurried out to the bar as soon as she heard Serge’s voice.

Josh was sitting at the bar, his back to Serge and the other two, and they were standing behind him, still at the door. It seemed to annoy Serge that Josh hadn’t reacted to his taunt. Josh hadn’t even turned around to face him. That showed how little he was afraid.

“Hey,” Serge said, “I’m talking to you.”

Josh remained perfectly calm and took a sip of his beer as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

Serge looked at Rust and Rust went forward to the bar and put his hand on Josh’s shoulder.

“Hey,” Rust said, “the man’s talking to you.”

“I heard him,” Josh said and took another sip of his beer.

“Well, you going to answer him?”

Josh put down his drink and turned slowly to face Serge. Serge was still standing by the door with Murdoch. They looked like two idiots. They didn’t know how to take this strange drifter who’d arrived on foot and didn’t respond to their threats.

“Are you Serge Gauthier?” Josh said.

“Who the fuck is asking?”

Josh reached into his jacket and immediately Rust pulled a gun from his belt. Josh looked at him and pulled a packet of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket.

Rose was amazed. She’d never seen anyone act like this before. She had no idea what Josh was doing, what his plan was, how he imagined this was going to turn out in his favor, but for now she was just so amazed at the way he was acting that she didn’t think about any of those things. She looked at him, his deep, confident eyes, the way his hair fell in front of his face, and watched him light his cigarette as if he didn’t have a thing to be worried about.

“You better start talking straight,” Serge said to Josh, “or I’ll have my friend here rip you a new asshole.”

Josh got up from his seat. He was facing Serge.

“Well listen very carefully,” he said, “because I’m only going to say this once.”

Rust couldn’t believe the way Josh was speaking. No one spoke to Serge Gauthier like that. Even the people who didn’t know his reputation could tell from the look of him that he meant trouble.

Josh said, “I’m going to kick your sorry ass, and when I’m done I’m going to ride out of here on your bike, and your two friends here are going to watch me do it.”

When Josh said that, even Serge laughed.

“That’s some pretty big talk for a guy who
walked
here.”

“Oh, and one more thing. When I leave, I’m taking
her
with me.” Josh pointed at Rose.

That was about all that Serge could take. He made a motion to Rust and in a second, Rust’s fist was headed for Josh’s face. Josh ducked and grabbed Rust’s wrist and slammed it down against the bar. It made an awful cracking sound and Rose saw it bend backwards as it hit the solid wood of the bar. In the same motion, Josh had his pint glass in his hand and it came crashing down against the back of Rust’s head.

As Rust slumped to the ground, Serge and Murdoch rushed forward toward him. Josh leaned back on the bar and lifted his feet out in front of him. Murdoch, like the bumbling idiot that he was, ran straight into Josh’s raised boots with his chest and fell down on his back.

Rose couldn’t believe what was happening. It looked like Josh might actually pull this crazy stunt off. Rust and Murdoch were on the ground and didn’t look like they’d be getting back up any time soon. Serge was alone against Josh now, and despite his size and brawn, from what she’d seen, Josh could easily take him on.

Was this really possible? Could she actually be escaping form this hellish life? She watched in desperate hope as Josh got back down from the bar in time to dodge a crazed swing from Serge. Josh thrust a fist up into Serge’s stomach and then rose up in a fierce leap, hitting Serge on the chin with a powerful uppercut.

Serge stumbled back. Rose could hardly restrain herself. But then, in an instant, there was a handgun in Serge’s hand. She didn’t know where it had come from but he had it pointed directly at Josh’s face. The evil grin that Rose recognized so well reappeared on Serge’s face and she saw that all was lost. A single pull of the trigger and Josh would be dead. He would be gone from her life as suddenly and as inexplicably as he had appeared.

When Serge spoke there was such a sense of arrogance in his voice that it made Rose sick to her stomach.

“You think you can just walk in here and challenge me?” Serge said, the gun dangerously close to Josh’s face. Rose was painfully aware of how small of a motion would be needed for that trigger to click.

“You think it’s that easy? Well it’s not. You’re going to pay for this little exploit, you stupid fuck. But first, you’re girlfriend here is going to pay.”

Rose was watching everything from behind the bar and when Serge looked at her she felt as if her heart had stopped.

“Get over here, you little bitch,” Serge said to her. “Come here and let me hold you while I shoot this fucker.”

It was all over. There had been one chance to get away from Serge and it was gone. She looked desperately around the room. Murdoch and Rust were already beginning to recover from their injuries and she didn’t want to see what they would do to Josh when they got their filthy hands on him.

It was now or never. She knew it. She either had to take a stand right now and do something for herself, or everything she hoped for, the brief and sweet chance of a life with Josh that had flashed before her eyes, would be gone forever.

She thought back on what Josh had said to her earlier. He’d said that he would rather die facing these sons of bitches than live knowing he hadn’t. And at the same time she saw the ashtray on the bar. It was made of thick, heavy glass and she reached out and grabbed it and flung it with all her might at Serge.

The gun in Serge’s hand went off but the bullet flew between her and Josh and smashed the mirror behind the bar.

Next minute, Josh was on top of Serge. Serge lifted his hands in self-defense but Josh had him on the ground. The gun went flying across the floor. Serge tried to get back up but Josh kicked him.

Rose saw the gun and ran for it before Rust or Murdoch had a chance to get it. A minute later, without even fully realizing what had happened, she was holding Serge’s gun and Josh was standing next to her with guns of his own drawn and trained on Murdoch and Rust.