Runaway ✔

057 • Juice

"What's keeping you from comin' in?" With raised eyebrows Luann handed him a beer. 

Juice shrugged his shoulders. "I'm on watch."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Need to expect trouble?"

He quickly shook his head. "Hap's teaching his sister to shoot. She's stalked by her ex, he's a freak."

It was information he shouldn't share with everyone, but the owner of the porn studio was Otto's old lady, one of his brothers who was in jail. She had a right to know.

"Poor girl. Well, she's in good hands with Happy." She gave him a wink and returned into the building to give some instructions. 

"Yea..." Juice muttered, not enthusiast at all. He didn't like the way Happy had ordered him to stay here, even though there was no point in making a problem of it. Happy was her brother. And she was his girlfriend for less than 24 hours, so he didn't really had much to say. 

Moreover, it was probably good for them to spend some time together, for he knew they hadn't spoken much since she was here. He hadn't talked about it with Dana, just like so many other things they hadn't discussed yet. 

The fear of losing her which had made him almost lose his mind yesterday, had showed him how much he cared about her, but now he thought about it, he didn't know her very well. There were many subjects they'd avoided, on purpose, and he'd been at peace with that because it was none of his business. But his vision about that had changed now they were together. 

Juice took a gander inside. Sack was sitting on a black couch, watching one of the sets where a man sat on his knees, a collar around his neck, while two porn girls were bubbling around him. He looked the other way. It was not his thing, most things that happened here were rather nasty or hilarious than hot. 

In the distance the last bang faded away. Juice strolled a few meters away from the entrance so that he didn't create the impression he'd been there all the time. He leaned against the wall, put his sunglasses on and lit up a cigarette. It couldn't take long before they would return, they were gone for more than an hour. He wondered how many Happy had suggested about his activities within the club. Did she know about the skulls he'd tattooed on his stomach, symbolizing the murders he'd committed for the club? Happy was a tough one, without hesitation the most ruthless of them all, and his crusade against his mother's murderer would provide him with a whole lot of new tattoos. 

He just kicked out his cigarette when brother and sister left the row of threes. Her tensed shoulders showed him her anger immediately. Was she still mad at him? He pushed himself away from the wall, pulled up his pants and took a few steps forward. 

Happy walked past him without saying a word and entered Cara Cara.

Juice looked at Dana. "How did it go?" His eye caught the Glock she was holding in her hand. 

Dana heaved a deep sigh. She looked tired. "I remember better brother-sister-moments."

Juice didn't know how to answer. His relationship with his own sister was anything but fantastic, so he wasn't the best adviser. He pulled her close and kissed her temple. 

"And the shooting?" A little worried he studied her face. Shooting during a game had already triggered bad memories, he couldn't imagine things had been better with a real gun.

Her glance slid down her arm and rested on the weapon. "I had a hard time. Not with hitting the targets, but..." She sighed and shrugged a shoulder. 

"I get it."

"Yea, you do. Happy however said I just have to get over it."

Juice could easily picture Happy telling her those words. That was probably what Hap was doing all the time. Juice himself however wasn't good in letting things go at all, thoughts always kept circling around in his head until they were driving him crazy. He had the feeling Dana was more like him than like her brother. 

Or maybe he was wrong. For someone who had gone through so many horrible things, she really was a tough one. Of course there were moments she was having a hard time, but most days she was energetic and her smile wasn't a rarity at all. 

"You'll get over it," he said. "In your own way."

He smoothed her thick hair that started to get blond at the roots again, and he put a lock of hair behind her ear. She let him kiss her, but he noticed she was distracted and he didn't insist. 

"I'm going to get Sack." He motioned with his thumb over his shoulder and sighed softly when he turned around. He wished he could erase this morning from their memories. He entered Cara Cara, walked to the couch where the prospect was still watching his private show and tapped the back of his head. "We're leavin'."

He nodded to Luann on his way back and went outside again.

"Is Happy not goin' with us?" Dana asked.

"He eh... is busy."

She raised her eyebrows and he shrugged. He could think of only one reason why Happy had marched inside: to blow off steam. To get distracted. 

"Right..." she muttered. "Gross."

"It's their job," Juice answered indifferently, "and they're good at it."

He quickly kept his mouth shut when she gave him an angry glare. He bit on the inside of his cheek. He had to think twice before speaking. Normally he just blurted out what came into mind, there was nothing that could surprise his brothers, but this clearly was a sensitive issue for Dana. 

At least since she'd walked into the office this morning.