Band Aid Only Covers the Bullet Hole
Chapter Nine
So there was that load of drama with Lazzara at the motel bar. Which was almost scary to be watching, because although Juliette and I weren’t exactly innocent little school girls, we hadn’t expected that fight to break out so quickly. I don’t think anyone had, to be honest…
Anyway, skip ahead a few weeks, and Frank, Juliette and I had moved onto a new motel. It wasn’t far from the old one, but Frank said that from ‘experience’, he thought it would be best for us to avoid Lazzara for a while. Not that it mattered much; the three of us were drug-dealers and pick-pockets – we were naturally pretty good at being stealthy in our work, and didn’t really ever bother to worry about what would happen in the case that we did stumble across Lazzara.
“So, new motel, new bar,” Frank muttered through his ever-present cigarette, as he held it between his teeth. “You two girls wanna go check it out?”
The new motel was, if possible, even worse than the old one. It was just as grimy and dirty, only this time the stains on the walls looked far more like blood, and the air that consumed the building was so thick with smoke, I was surprised I could see three feet in front of me. So in answer to Frank’s question, no, I didn’t want to go check out the bar. But judging by the fact that Frank had already begun to lead the way, it didn’t seem like I had much choice.
So, I followed Frank, and Juliette followed me. The two of them had come to a point where they didn’t talk unless they had to, because otherwise it just ended up in them bickering. I still have no idea why they hated each other so much; Juliette said she thought she annoyed Frank, which did seem kind of likely, but I wasn’t sure. I never bothered to ask Frank why he didn’t like Juliette, actually – he probably would have told me, but it just never really occurred for me to bring the topic up in conversation.
As Frank led us through into the small, dingy bar, I was instantly hit with a wave of a mixed smell, consisting most strongly of cigarettes, alcohol, and weed. The cigarettes and alcohol was only to really be expected, and the weed just meant that Frank was pretty likely to make more business, so it didn’t really surprise me when Frank breathed the horrible smell down into his lungs with almost satisfaction. His face broke into a small smirk too, and he once again gestured for me and Juliette to follow him across the shitty little room. We headed over to the bar, just as we always did, only right as I was about to take my place on a bar stool, Frank stuck out an arm, halting me instantly.
“Oh sure, just stop us whenever you feel like – we’re like your fucking slaves, aren’t we?!” Juliette snapped unnecessarily from behind me, but Frank’s smirk didn’t falter. In fact, I doubt he even heard Juliette, because his eyes were fixed on someone else just across the room. And this ‘someone else’ was particularly tall, skinny, and pretty easily recognisable. They sat in a booth with worn out leather seats, hunched over slightly as if trying to hide themselves. The man clearly hadn’t noticed the appearance of Frank, Juliette and I, but his expression displayed his obvious discomfort that must have come from cramping his tall and lanky self into such a small table-space.
“I spy Bill Beckett,” Frank barely whispered, coughing up a dry laugh. “Come on girls, let’s go say hi.”
I didn’t object; I never did, but I thought Juliette might. So it came to me as a surprise when she nodded along with Frank’s suggestion, even more so when she picked up her pace to go and sit next to Bill. I mean, obviously I knew that Juliette thought Bill was a better guy than Frank, but I’d never realised that she’d actually liked him.
“Hey Bill,” Juliette beamed brightly at the skinny man, making him jump out of his skin as he finally registered our presence. His dark eyes fell first on Juliette, and then moved over to me and Frank, who were standing just a short way behind her.
“What are you guys doing here?” Bill muttered, his eyes darting between us, as if searching us for any signs of drugs. “I’m not interested in any of your shit.”
“Oh, but I think you are,” Frank smirked, pushing me roughly onto the bench opposite Bill, and then gesturing for me to scoot along so he could sit too. “You’re only ‘uninterested’ because you’re worried what Lazzara might do if he sees you buying from us again, aren’t you, Beckett?”
Bill didn’t reply, but dropped his eyes to his hands and muttered something that nobody heard. He then shot a quick glance to the side and realised Juliette was the only one still standing, so scooted along the bench so she sit down next to him. I was taken vaguely by surprise, half thinking that maybe Juliette was right in saying that Bill was a way better guy than Frank. I mean, Frank had just carelessly shoved me onto the bench in front of him, whilst Bill had moved over for Juliette out of choice. I don’t know though; I had a tendency to over-analyse things like that.
Bill raised his eyes to look back at Frank, and the two men assessed each other for a moment, the taller of the pair looking desperate for what he knew the shorter one possessed.
Then, Bill sighed, sounding sort of irritated. “Fine, give me the fucking coke. But if Lazzara finds out, we’re all fucking dead.”
Frank laughed. Properly, loudly, laughed. “No, we’re not. You might be. I won’t be. I’m fucking invincible.”
Juliette snorted loudly. “Invincible…”
“Fuck off.” Frank scowled, before turning back to Bill. “Look, do you want it or not?”
“Yes!” Bill nodded, sounding desperate. “I told you, fucking yes.”
“Alright then,” Frank replied with half a smile, his normal smirk returning. I watched as Frank reached inside his leather jacket, and then pulled out a small bag of white powder. He subtly passed the substance across the table to Bill, who in return slipped a small wad of cash into Frank’s hand. Frank then counted the money quickly, before placing it inside his pocket, and bringing out a cigarette and lighter to replace his current cancer stick, which was barely more than a stub. He caught me watching him, and raised his eyebrows slightly. “Whatcha looking at, sugar?”
“Nothing,” I mumbled, letting out a small sigh.
“Didn’t look like nothing. Looked like you were looking at me.”
“I was.”
“And?”
“And what?”
I opened my mouth to reply, but my voice was cut off by a different, huskier voice whispering “And what are you doing with Beckett again, Iero?”
The four of us sitting at the table froze at that voice; we’d all recognised it, but were wishing it away. This voice was the reason that Frank, Juliette and I had left the old motel, and this voice was the reason that Bill had been reluctant to buy coke from Frank any more. This voice had threatened Juliette and I last time we’d met, and now it’d found us doing exactly what we’d been told not to do.
“Lazzara.” Frank stated frostily, his smirk turning stony. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Just checking that my loyal costumers really are being loyal,” Lazzara replied with a threatening glare towards Bill. “Looks to me like that’s not what’s going on here though. And you’ve been dealing with him again, Iero… that’s not good, is it? Not good at all… didn’t I warn you what would happen if I caught you and Beckett trading after our last little meeting?”
Frank just scowled in reply, and I’m pretty sure I saw him clench his fists under the table to prepare for a fight. Lazzara didn’t seem to notice though, his dark brown eyes wandering over Juliette and I, and the corners of them creasing as his smirk grew bigger, displaying a mouthful of decaying, yellow teeth. Despite the yellowness of his teeth though, there was something strangely attractive about Lazzara, most likely linked to his air of mystery. His features were definitely good-looking too, and had been carved with skill, although Lazzara chose to hide his handsomeness behind a mock of long, slightly greasy hair.
Lazzara’s deep, dark eyes locked into mine, making his ever growing smirk spread even further. He then shot Frank a quick glance, indicating me with his head as he cackled “Pretty girl you’ve got there, Iero.”
Frank didn’t even bother to look at me, but raised his eyebrows back at Lazzara. “Fuck off.”
Lazzara acted as if Frank had never spoken though. “Shame if I was to carry out my threat, and something happened to her…”
Frank stood up, still far shorter than Lazzara but putting on a threatening tone as he snapped “You fuck off and leave us alone.”
Lazzara laughed, and gave Frank a light shove. “Going to hit me again, Iero? “
Frank didn’t reply.
“C’mon, I’m right here, waiting for you.” Lazzara cackled.
Still nothing, but Bill, Juliette and I all had our eyes fixated on the pair. Lazzara was growing irritated by Frank’s resistance to fight, and whilst it was clear that Frank was using all remaining self restraint to not fight back and enrage Lazzara further, I could tell he was pretty close to doing something stupid, just as he had last time.
“Iero, I asked you to fucking-”
Frank drew back a fist, and pummelled it right into Lazzara’s stomach. Lazzara gave his trademark psychotic laugh, and hissed “Now that’s what I’m talking about!”
And before I knew it, the two men were beating the living shit out of each other again.
Well, there’s a surprise.
Anyway, skip ahead a few weeks, and Frank, Juliette and I had moved onto a new motel. It wasn’t far from the old one, but Frank said that from ‘experience’, he thought it would be best for us to avoid Lazzara for a while. Not that it mattered much; the three of us were drug-dealers and pick-pockets – we were naturally pretty good at being stealthy in our work, and didn’t really ever bother to worry about what would happen in the case that we did stumble across Lazzara.
“So, new motel, new bar,” Frank muttered through his ever-present cigarette, as he held it between his teeth. “You two girls wanna go check it out?”
The new motel was, if possible, even worse than the old one. It was just as grimy and dirty, only this time the stains on the walls looked far more like blood, and the air that consumed the building was so thick with smoke, I was surprised I could see three feet in front of me. So in answer to Frank’s question, no, I didn’t want to go check out the bar. But judging by the fact that Frank had already begun to lead the way, it didn’t seem like I had much choice.
So, I followed Frank, and Juliette followed me. The two of them had come to a point where they didn’t talk unless they had to, because otherwise it just ended up in them bickering. I still have no idea why they hated each other so much; Juliette said she thought she annoyed Frank, which did seem kind of likely, but I wasn’t sure. I never bothered to ask Frank why he didn’t like Juliette, actually – he probably would have told me, but it just never really occurred for me to bring the topic up in conversation.
As Frank led us through into the small, dingy bar, I was instantly hit with a wave of a mixed smell, consisting most strongly of cigarettes, alcohol, and weed. The cigarettes and alcohol was only to really be expected, and the weed just meant that Frank was pretty likely to make more business, so it didn’t really surprise me when Frank breathed the horrible smell down into his lungs with almost satisfaction. His face broke into a small smirk too, and he once again gestured for me and Juliette to follow him across the shitty little room. We headed over to the bar, just as we always did, only right as I was about to take my place on a bar stool, Frank stuck out an arm, halting me instantly.
“Oh sure, just stop us whenever you feel like – we’re like your fucking slaves, aren’t we?!” Juliette snapped unnecessarily from behind me, but Frank’s smirk didn’t falter. In fact, I doubt he even heard Juliette, because his eyes were fixed on someone else just across the room. And this ‘someone else’ was particularly tall, skinny, and pretty easily recognisable. They sat in a booth with worn out leather seats, hunched over slightly as if trying to hide themselves. The man clearly hadn’t noticed the appearance of Frank, Juliette and I, but his expression displayed his obvious discomfort that must have come from cramping his tall and lanky self into such a small table-space.
“I spy Bill Beckett,” Frank barely whispered, coughing up a dry laugh. “Come on girls, let’s go say hi.”
I didn’t object; I never did, but I thought Juliette might. So it came to me as a surprise when she nodded along with Frank’s suggestion, even more so when she picked up her pace to go and sit next to Bill. I mean, obviously I knew that Juliette thought Bill was a better guy than Frank, but I’d never realised that she’d actually liked him.
“Hey Bill,” Juliette beamed brightly at the skinny man, making him jump out of his skin as he finally registered our presence. His dark eyes fell first on Juliette, and then moved over to me and Frank, who were standing just a short way behind her.
“What are you guys doing here?” Bill muttered, his eyes darting between us, as if searching us for any signs of drugs. “I’m not interested in any of your shit.”
“Oh, but I think you are,” Frank smirked, pushing me roughly onto the bench opposite Bill, and then gesturing for me to scoot along so he could sit too. “You’re only ‘uninterested’ because you’re worried what Lazzara might do if he sees you buying from us again, aren’t you, Beckett?”
Bill didn’t reply, but dropped his eyes to his hands and muttered something that nobody heard. He then shot a quick glance to the side and realised Juliette was the only one still standing, so scooted along the bench so she sit down next to him. I was taken vaguely by surprise, half thinking that maybe Juliette was right in saying that Bill was a way better guy than Frank. I mean, Frank had just carelessly shoved me onto the bench in front of him, whilst Bill had moved over for Juliette out of choice. I don’t know though; I had a tendency to over-analyse things like that.
Bill raised his eyes to look back at Frank, and the two men assessed each other for a moment, the taller of the pair looking desperate for what he knew the shorter one possessed.
Then, Bill sighed, sounding sort of irritated. “Fine, give me the fucking coke. But if Lazzara finds out, we’re all fucking dead.”
Frank laughed. Properly, loudly, laughed. “No, we’re not. You might be. I won’t be. I’m fucking invincible.”
Juliette snorted loudly. “Invincible…”
“Fuck off.” Frank scowled, before turning back to Bill. “Look, do you want it or not?”
“Yes!” Bill nodded, sounding desperate. “I told you, fucking yes.”
“Alright then,” Frank replied with half a smile, his normal smirk returning. I watched as Frank reached inside his leather jacket, and then pulled out a small bag of white powder. He subtly passed the substance across the table to Bill, who in return slipped a small wad of cash into Frank’s hand. Frank then counted the money quickly, before placing it inside his pocket, and bringing out a cigarette and lighter to replace his current cancer stick, which was barely more than a stub. He caught me watching him, and raised his eyebrows slightly. “Whatcha looking at, sugar?”
“Nothing,” I mumbled, letting out a small sigh.
“Didn’t look like nothing. Looked like you were looking at me.”
“I was.”
“And?”
“And what?”
I opened my mouth to reply, but my voice was cut off by a different, huskier voice whispering “And what are you doing with Beckett again, Iero?”
The four of us sitting at the table froze at that voice; we’d all recognised it, but were wishing it away. This voice was the reason that Frank, Juliette and I had left the old motel, and this voice was the reason that Bill had been reluctant to buy coke from Frank any more. This voice had threatened Juliette and I last time we’d met, and now it’d found us doing exactly what we’d been told not to do.
“Lazzara.” Frank stated frostily, his smirk turning stony. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Just checking that my loyal costumers really are being loyal,” Lazzara replied with a threatening glare towards Bill. “Looks to me like that’s not what’s going on here though. And you’ve been dealing with him again, Iero… that’s not good, is it? Not good at all… didn’t I warn you what would happen if I caught you and Beckett trading after our last little meeting?”
Frank just scowled in reply, and I’m pretty sure I saw him clench his fists under the table to prepare for a fight. Lazzara didn’t seem to notice though, his dark brown eyes wandering over Juliette and I, and the corners of them creasing as his smirk grew bigger, displaying a mouthful of decaying, yellow teeth. Despite the yellowness of his teeth though, there was something strangely attractive about Lazzara, most likely linked to his air of mystery. His features were definitely good-looking too, and had been carved with skill, although Lazzara chose to hide his handsomeness behind a mock of long, slightly greasy hair.
Lazzara’s deep, dark eyes locked into mine, making his ever growing smirk spread even further. He then shot Frank a quick glance, indicating me with his head as he cackled “Pretty girl you’ve got there, Iero.”
Frank didn’t even bother to look at me, but raised his eyebrows back at Lazzara. “Fuck off.”
Lazzara acted as if Frank had never spoken though. “Shame if I was to carry out my threat, and something happened to her…”
Frank stood up, still far shorter than Lazzara but putting on a threatening tone as he snapped “You fuck off and leave us alone.”
Lazzara laughed, and gave Frank a light shove. “Going to hit me again, Iero? “
Frank didn’t reply.
“C’mon, I’m right here, waiting for you.” Lazzara cackled.
Still nothing, but Bill, Juliette and I all had our eyes fixated on the pair. Lazzara was growing irritated by Frank’s resistance to fight, and whilst it was clear that Frank was using all remaining self restraint to not fight back and enrage Lazzara further, I could tell he was pretty close to doing something stupid, just as he had last time.
“Iero, I asked you to fucking-”
Frank drew back a fist, and pummelled it right into Lazzara’s stomach. Lazzara gave his trademark psychotic laugh, and hissed “Now that’s what I’m talking about!”
And before I knew it, the two men were beating the living shit out of each other again.
Well, there’s a surprise.