The Convergence
"Kip it's a good offer, I think we should take it." Tumbler stated, taking a swig of beer.
Kip didn't answer. He stared blankly at his own bottle, half empty.
"It's after nine man, where's Sway?" Freb asked, sitting down on the stool next to Kip.
"It's not like her to be late." Toby added, sitting next to Tumbler.
"Typical woman man," Mirror Man said, leaning against the bar in the middle of his four friends, "keeping you waiting."
Tumbler smirked, "Yea let her hear you say that."
Kip smiled, taking a swig of beer.
"Nice," Freb shouted, "pool table opening."
Toby got up silently, following his friend who handed him a pool stick.
A song from the '90's started to play. It was a melody vaguely familiar yet one that couldn't be named.
"Oh now I know they ain't gonna start playing that shit." Mirror Man said loudly, "I've got tah fix this." He chugged the remainder of his beer and walked directly to the jukebox, digging through his over sized pockets for quarters.
"It's gonna be a long night." Tumbler said, taking another swig of beer.
Kip nodded, "Man where is she?"
"Where are we exactly?" Avery asked, eyeing the large cargo ships suspiciously. It looked like a scene straight out of "On the Waterfront" except more modern and less welcoming, which she hadn't thought possible.
"We're meeting my friend at a bar." Tommy said, less friendly than Avery liked.
"No hotel?" Avery asked, trying her best at weak-but-gets-everything-she-wants female voice.
Tommy smirked, "After, I just have to stop in and give him something, it's really important. Than we'll go to our room."
Avery didn't flinch on the outside, her face stayed cool as a cucumber, but her stomach was doing flip-flops. Sharing a room, possibly a bed, with a guy she'd just met yesterday wasn't exactly her style.
"Here." Tommy said, parking the car and getting out.
Avery looked around removing herself slowly from the safety of her seat. The bar they were walking into was the classic fisherman's place, a plank for stairs and ropes for handles. The door swung both ways and it had a classic circular window hole, like the Titanic Avery thought. The door was painted blue like the rest of the building and rust formed on every crevice.
Tommy, the constant gentleman, held the door open for her.
"Thanks," Avery said sarcastically.
"My friend's right over there." Tommy said, brushing past her quickly. He reached out his hand to a guy sitting quietly in a booth. The unknown friend stood shook hands and proceeded to engage Tommy in what looked like the world's most intense business conversation.
Avery sighed. She realized they stuck out like green grass in the middle of a drought and couldn't understand how Tommy didn't see this.
"This is going to be some week." Avery said under her breath. Her frown deepened as she realized it was actually two weeks.
"Hey check this out." Kip said, pointing to Avery and Tommy.
"They're a little far from Orange County." Tumbler remarked, ordering another beer.
Kip's eyes followed Avery from the door. Her blue sundress was earning her plenty of stares. The guy she had come in with motioned for her to sit down. The booth was also occupied by a guy Kip knew more by reputation than actual contact, but that was mainly due to Kip never really getting into the drug scene.
"This isn't good." Kip said quietly.
"Nope." Tumbler agreed, handing him a beer.
"Hey quit pounding on the machine!" The bar tender yelled.
"It took my quarters man!" Mirror Man shouted back.
"Excuse me," Kip said distractedly to the bar tender, "When's Sway getting here?"
The gruff man looked down sourly, "She ain't coming in tonight."
Kip sighed.
"Perfect." Tumbler mumbled.
Avery took a seat tentatively next to Tommy. He didn't bother introducing her, in fact his friend didn't pay much attention, just a simple nod and than back to business. They were talking jibberish to her, all about amount and how the market was virtually untapped. For what she had no idea. She was just hoping the other members of the bar would start treating her like she didn't exist, all the attention was beginning to make her blush, and more uncomfortable than she thought she could get.
"Hey man," Mirror Man said, re-joining Kip and Tumbler at the bar, "check this out."
He pointed towards the door where five very well built and visibly armed men had come in. The sixth was skinnier, but walked as if he owned the world.
"Shit." Kip cursed, putting his beer onto the bar.
Bravado oozed from his presence as he strutted over to the booth. He stood uncomfortably close to Avery. She noticed Tommy's friend slightly tense. He had tattoos up and down his well-built arms. His tattered black tee and denims fit and helped him fit in. And his scuffed black army boots had obviously seen a fight or two in their day. To Avery there should be no reason for this man to tense. But with the introduction of this skinny tan man and his oversized black and white, ex-military look a like, body guards this tough friend of Tommy's certainly tensed.
"Phil," The skinny man started, "What's your friend doing in Long Beach?"
He turned his attention to Tommy, "Here for the truck show pretty boy?"
"No," Tommy answered, annoyance laced in his voice.
"No," the skinny man repeated, "I didn't think so."
He noticed Avery looking at him; he smiled an oily smile car salesmen practice years to achieve. Avery looked down at the table.
"What's the matter pretty boy," skinny man's attention went back to Tommy, "those rich white folks loose interest in your expensive white fun?"
Avery's eyes widened, "Shit, drugs." She thought.
"More like, I'm looking to expand my market base." Tommy replied, seemingly unfazed.
"I came to Long Beach with a drug dealer, fucking figures, thanks Channel, thanks so much." Avery thought as she began to twist the hem of her dress under the table, "How am I getting out of this."
"Yea?" skinny man smirked, "maybe we should talk."
Tommy motioned for him to sit down across from Avery.
"Outside." Skinny man said, sharply turning and walking towards the door, he whispered something to one of his guards who smirked.
"Well," Tommy said motioning to his friend.
"Like we have a fucking choice." The friend said agitated.
"Move," Tommy said, lightly touching Avery on the arm.
She got up, the room was starting to spin.
"Tommy…." She started but he cut her off.
"I'll be right back." He pushed her aside and walked out the door with his friend, two guards followed them out. One had walked out already with skinny man, leaving two with Avery.
"You're an awful long way from home sweet thing." One said, brushing his hand up and down her arm.
The other one laughed, sitting down across from her, they were boxing her in.
"Perfect," she mumbled.
"Your boyfriend bring you along to all his business deals?" The one who had been brushing her asked.
"He's not my boyfriend," She answered quietly, eyes focused on the battered wood of the booth's table.
"Kip what are you doing man?" Mirror Man asked as Kip stood up and started walking towards Avery.
Toby and Freb had stopped playing pool; Tumbler held his beer silently watching the event unfold. They had all huddled up when the skinny man they knew as Slice walked in with his entourage. Drug dealers are usually bad news, but drug dealers who have a criminal record longer than Santa's list and are smart enough with the law to stay on the streets, those are the guys you need to be prepared for. Bad things follow wherever they go and if you've been in Long Beach long enough you know Slice is a name you want to avoid.
"Man this is not good." Mirror Man said, shaking his head.
Guard number one had moved his hand to her back. Guard number two was laughing.
"Knock it off." Avery said frustrated.
He didn't stop.
"Please," she begged.
Pleading just made guard number two laugh harder and Guard number one bolder. He moved his other hand towards her chest when something caught it.
"I think you're done man." Kip said sternly.
Guard number two stood up.
"Here we go." Tumbler mumbled. Taking a final swig, emptying his beer.
The guard stared incredulously at Kip. "Who are you?"
"Doesn't matter, I'm a concerned citizen of this bar and I'm asking you kindly to fuck off." Kip said, dropping the guard's hand.
"Better watch your fucking mouth." Guard number two through his pointed finger menacingly in Kip's face.
Avery heard a bottle break and watched as shards of glass scattered onto the table. Guard number two feel back into the booth, grasping his head and trying to stop the bleeding.
Kip ducked the first punch as Freb's jaw connected with the second. Mirror Man pushed guard number one to the ground, screaming the whole way. Tumbler's fist connected repeatedly with guard number two's jaw as Toby delivered a few swift kicks to guard number one before having his knees kicked out from underneath him.
Avery felt arms grab her, looking down she noticed marking around his wrist. She could only see one, and it was for only a split second before she found herself running towards the door.
Kip pulled the out of place girl quickly towards the door. Freb and Toby were pre-occupied by a few guys from the bar who felt joining in on the fight would be fun and Mirror Man was holding down guard number one shouting loudly. With guard number two sufficiently incapacitated Tumbler followed Kip and Avery out the door.
"What…' Avery started, but was cut off, this time by Kip.
"Where are the keys?" He shouted.
"Here," Tumbler said, tossing the clinking metal pieces into the awaiting hand. "Get outta here, we'll manage."
Kip nodded as Tumbler re-joined the fight inside.
"C'mon." Kip said to Avery wrapping his arm around her tightly.
They walked quickly down the ramp.
The violent scene from inside was replaced by a war like scene outside, complete with car on fire. She didn't see the red and white convertible anywhere or Tommy for that matter. She saw a couple of skinny man's guards in the parking lot watching the car burn, their guns in hand.
Skinny man was shouting at them, waving his hands frantically in the air.
Avery was just about ready to collapse, and decided she probably would if her strange knight not in shining armor's arm hadn't been around her.
"Get in," Kip said, depositing her next to a polished black car that looked like it belonged in a 1970's T.V. show.
Her mouth opened slightly to protest, but then her brain engaged realizing the options were get into this stranger's car, the same stranger who saved her or hang out in a parking lot in the middle of the night next to a seedy bar complete with brawl inside and cars on fire outside.
She buckled her seat belt as they sped out of the parking lot, past a row of police cars heading towards the battleground.
"I'm…Avery." She said unsure of herself.
Kip looked at her a few seconds, than back to the road, "I'm Kip." He said just as awkwardly.
He made a left at the stop sign and a right at the next set of lights. Avery tried to pretend like she knew where he was driving her, well aware she was failing miserably at it.
"Your boyfriend's a real people person." Kip scoffed, stopping at a red light.
"He's not my boyfriend." Avery responded defensively.
Kip opened his mouth to say something but decided against it.
Avery looked over and noticed he was looking at her; she looked at her hands.
"Are you hungry?" Kip asked awkwardly.
"Yea," Avery said, surprised at her self, "I am actually."
Kip nodded, "Ok."
He shifted into gear as the light turned green and took a left.