Introduction
Rating: R so far. The time period begins about eight months after the Affirmation tour ends.
Disclaimer: Don't own any of it, don't think any of it happened. Slight AU.
Dan's POV. Thanks again to Elmore Leonard for writing such damn good
books that he inspires me. Imitation is the highest form of compliment.
Note: Thanks to my lovely Betas, even though they usually run off before
they finish. ;) Thanks to everyone who loved the first one and kept poking
me with sharp sticks to write a sequel. And thanks to all who will forever
love the first one more than this one.
Introduction
Everything is louder when you're drunk. It's almost like having some kind
of super sensory ability, but most people believe it's more of a bad thing.
Rightly so, I suppose. Wouldn't want people getting loaded and using the
excuse of super powers, or some dumb shit like that.
I smiled at that and inhaled again on my cigarette, and tried to pay attention
to the voice talking at me. Sounded like somebody had turned the base up
way too high.
"You've got to stop doing this, Daniel."
It occurred to me altogether too late that the cigarette was being pulled from
my mouth.
"And none of that in here, either." The burning cherry fell to the ground
and was unhappily put out, smoke curling up in protest. Fuck, it was my
last one, too. "If you keep ending up in here, we're going to have to do
something," the voice blathered. Do something. I was doing something. I
was getting right pissed at a small bar in town that I went to weekly. Or, it
used to be weekly. I'm enjoying its company much more regularly now.
And I had been doing something when I was interrupted and brought here.
Trapped here, really.
My eyes hurt from staring at the full moon that was shining into the dark
cell. The blathering man I knew to be Officer Jess, who usually handled
calls against me. I was nodding at his words, I realized, agreeing.
Agreeing! Shit, I had been agreeing too much, lately. I clenched my jaw to
keep the nicotine craving away. It grew.
"A few hours, then we have to let you go," Jess rattled off the code. I
entertained the idea of flicking him off, and decided not to do it. Then I
remembered my lighter, pressing insistently against my hip, a Zippo that
lived in my pocket. I wondered if I could burn the place down. My
thoughts were interrupted by a loud clang, the door closing, making my
brain wince.
"Fuck," I growled. "Ow."
Perfect, you know? This was the perfect Friday. A bloody perfect cap to a
perfect week. Though it'd gotten to the point where I didn't much care
what Jess thought. Or Ben, for that matter. Though, to be fair (and I hate
to be), Ben hasn't been seen by anybody for months. I figure he did the
smart thing; took his girls and went to Nevada. Ever since the feds had
cracked down on prostitution in California, Benny'd been having a bit of a
hard time finding work. God forbid he dropped the business. No, no,
simply moved it.
And me, I'm rotting. Rotting like I was before, though. In a good way. I
guess that'd make it decomposing, but that's a tad bit picky. Just sitting
around, living off royalties, being a local scum bag like all the other
semi-celebrities in California. Though by now, my near-nightly adventures
in the local drunk tank were old news. In the state with as many celebrities
per square inch as it can possibly cram in, one drunk, friendless, bastard of
an ex-DJ/guitarist/poser don't much matter. My face doesn't matter, and
the name doesn't matter either.
Savage Garden, that is. The Name. Darren.
I shifted on the hard cot, one that was growing nearly as comfortable as my
own bed from constant use. The moon poured in through the unnecessarily
barred window even brighter than before. And, to add insult to injury, my
back was freezing against the brick wall. Though it was creating a nice
contrast form the spring heat. With my thoughts distracted, they shifted
back to the metal box of fire in my pocket, and I pulled it out. Flicked it on.
Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? My face reflected in the orange
glow, in the side of the lighter just for a moment before I extinguished the
flame.
Out, just like that.
Just like Darren.
continued in part one...