The noodle whipped up and slapped her nose, splashing soy sauce onto her cheek. Lachance wiped it away and looked back at Enrique. She rolled her eyes when she saw that he had bought a box of fries.

'Pussy,' she said. They stepped out of the noodle bar and headed back to where she had parked the car.

'Fuck you.' He ducked as she waved a gelatinous piece of octopus at him with her chopsticks. 'Aw hell no, get the fuck away with that alien shit.'

She laughed. 'Dude, stop makin' it so funny and I'll stop doin' it. Look, it's Saint's purple and everythin'.' She popped the offending seafood into her mouth and chewed happily.

'I'm gonna be sick.'

Lachance stopped short when she saw the cop. Enrique swore under his breath.

The officer was leaning casually against her car. A man in his early forties, dressed in the standard Stilwater P.D. uniform of light blue shirt and dark blue pants, and a visored cap. She couldn't see his eyes behind the mirrored aviators on his face, but the way he was twirling the nightstick in his hand told her all she needed to know. This wasn't going to end well.

'Well, what do we have here? Some piece of shit gang banger and his nasty little slut,' the cop drawled. 'You're coming downtown with me.'

'Bullshit, you can't just drag us in like that. What have we done?' Enrique asked angrily.

The cop pushed away from the side of the car and walked slowly around to the rear of the vehicle. He stopped and swung the nightstick hard. The tail light exploded in a shower of red glass. 'Traffic violation, motherfucker.'

Lachance watched in stunned silence. Her baby.

The box of noodles fell from her hand and spilled out on the sidewalk as she pulled out her switchblade and strode forwards, her heart racing. The cop didn't even manage to raise his arm before she drove the blade into the side of his neck and twisted. His blood sprayed out in a red arc when she pulled her arm back. He clutched at the gaping wound, his mouth forming soundless words. She pushed him away, so his blood wouldn't land on the chrome of her car, and opened the driver's door.

'Get in,' she said through her teeth. Enrique was staring at the dying cop. 'Now.'

She could feel his eyes on her as they raced back to the Row. 'Hermana, you just killed a cop.'

'I know,' she said, wiping her hand again against her jeans. She sighed. 'He gave me no choice, man. He was gonna run us in. Pretty guy like you would get his ass ruined in jail.'

'What the fuck? How can you act like this ain't no thing?'

''Cause it ain't. I fuckin' hate cops. Gimme a reason to waste 'em, and I'm gonna waste 'em.' She glanced to the side and met his eyes before looking back at the road. 'Yo, we cool?'

Enrique blew out a long breath and leaned his head back. 'We'll always be cool, girl. I owe you my life. But… shit. Maybe warn me next time before you pull some Gat shit.'

Lachance shifted her hands on the steering wheel. The pig bastard deserved it. They were all the same - a bunch of dirty, corrupt motherfuckers. She let Enrique out at the church. He leaned in through her window to kiss her forehead before she drove back to her apartment. She needed some time alone, to think.

Once home, she twisted the cap from a bottle of beer and sat down on the couch. She swung her feet up onto the coffee table and rolled her head back. There was a screaming argument going on in the apartment above; she heard the crash of breaking glass followed by heavy footsteps and a door being slammed shut. Maybe she should move out. She had enough money from Aisha for a deposit on somewhere new. Somewhere with less shitty neighbours.

The vibrations from her phone made her sit up and open her eyes again. Lin was calling.

'Hey.'

'Hey, you got any plans tonight?'

More banging from upstairs. 'Nope.'

'Good. Meet me in Phantasma, at ten pm. And remember, no-'

'...fuckin' purple. I know.' Lachance finished. 'See you there.'

x.x.x

The pounding bass line wrapped around her chest in the strobe-lit darkness. Lachance made her way through the crowded dance-floor, pushing away the countless sweaty hands that grabbed at her ass. She found Lin at the bar, and smiled as the older girl turned.

Lin's ebony hair was twisted up and held in place with two gold chopsticks, and she wore a tight black top and Rollerz blue pants slung low on her toned hips. Two gold bangles sat high on her left arm. She looked Lachance up and down and nodded. Lachance had opted for a short black dress that left one shoulder bare, and taupe coloured stilettos. It felt strange to be going out as a normal young woman, despite the tiny snub-nosed pistol concealed in her black leather clutch bag. She missed her boots, and the reassuring weight of her revolver.

The Phantasma nightclub was decorated in a monochrome palette of black and white, with neon coloured chairs and chandeliers. It was a popular hangout for the local rich kids.

Lin leaned over to the barman and shouted something in his ear while she held up two fingers. He poured out two large measures of a dark red liquid and squeezed a quarter of lime into each. Lachance took a sip as Lin guided her by the elbow to the dance-floor. The music was loud, so Lin had to press her lips against Lachance's ear as she spoke. Her breath tickled and gave her goosebumps.

'You did good yesterday. But I'm not through with you yet,' said Lin. She took a drink, and put her other hand on Lachance's waist. 'Those cars you stole have been rigged to blow once the engine reaches a high enough temperature. I need you to make sure they get nice and hot.'

Lachance pulled her close, and felt her hips move against her own in time to the beat. 'How?'

'There's a race goin' down tomorrow night. I worked on Troy's car before I left, made it sing. You can drive stick, right?'

'Yeah.'

'Good. That car will give them some tough competition. I know these guys, if you're in the lead for the final stretch, they're gonna hit the NOS to blow past you. When they do… boom.' Lin chuckled, which sent another thrill of goosebumps down Lachance's arm.

'Yo, why haven't you just asked Troy to race? It's his car.'

'Have you seen him drive?'

Lachance laughed. 'Yeah, I get it. Okay, I'm down for a little street-racing. Should be fun.'

They danced and and had several more drinks. Lin shook her head in disbelief then laughed for ages after Lachance told her how she had pulled a gun on Johnny earlier that day. The beautiful Asian girl kissed her on the cheek before she said she had to leave. Lachance told her she was going to stay a while longer.

A pair of tanned hands snaked their way around her waist, and she turned. She'd recognised the scars across his knuckles.

'Hey Vin,' she said with a smile.

'Long time, no see,' he replied. He looked around the club. 'Why did you wanna meet in a grief hole like this?'

She shrugged. 'I was already here with someone else. Do you wanna bounce?'

'Hell yeah I do. Never seen you in a dress like this before.' His hands slid down to her ass. 'I like it.'

'C'mon then. I got somethin' to show you at my apartment anyway,' she said, taking a step back and she pulled him by one hand towards the exit.

The night was mild when they got outside. Lachance had parked a couple of blocks away so that the purple of her car wouldn't get spotted by any Rollerz in the club. She was cursing the high heels of her shoes by the time she stopped outside of it to fish the keys out of her bag. Vinnie pushed her against the door and kissed her bare shoulder. 'Babe, I'm already hard just watchin' you walk in that thing. I don't think I can make it to your place,' he said, lips against her skin.

She caught his hand as it moved under her skirt. 'Trust me, man. This is gonna be worth waitin' for,' she said. Her lips brushed his for a second before she pushed him away.

Vinnie sighed in frustration. 'Fine, just drive fast.' He seemed to notice her car for the first time as he walked around to the passenger side. 'New ride? Hey, you got a tail light out.'

'Yeah, yeah. I know,' she muttered and sat in the driver's seat. 'I killed the bitch that did it though.'

Vinnie laughed next to her. 'Quit playin' gangsta and start drivin'.'

It was just after one in the morning, and the streets were near empty save for the occasional taxi. Lachance kept an eye out for any prowling cops but her luck was in and she saw none. Vinnie turned on the radio and air-drummed along to the songs as she sang. The car rode up on the curb once, making them both laugh.

They stumbled into her apartment, lips locked. Lachance pulled back breathless, and kicked off her shoes before Vinnie covered her mouth with his again. He practically carried her into the bedroom and threw her down on the unmade bed.

'Dude, just, hold up,' she said between kisses.

'Shut up, you know you want it.' Vinnie reached under her dress, pulled her panties down and tossed them onto the floor with the other piles of clothes. 'You're keepin' the fuckin' dress on though,' he said.

Lachance stopped trying to tell him about the bags of coke she had stashed under the bed and moaned against his neck as he pushed two fingers inside her, her hands pulling at his belt.

x.x.x

'Lachance, you in there?' Troy's voice called from the other side of her front door. He knocked again.

'Fuckin' hurry up,' she hissed at Vinnie as he hopped around the bedroom, one leg in his jeans.

'Is he your fuckin' dad or what?' he hissed back.

That made Lachance smile. She unlocked the door and pulled it open partway. 'You coulda just called, man.'

Troy frowned and tried to look past her. 'I did. Got worried when you didn't call me back.'

'Well, you can see I'm fine so...' She tried to close the door but Troy put his foot in the gap and pushed past her. 'Dude, the fuck?'

'Hey, man,' Vinnie said casually, now fully dressed.

'Hey,' Troy said, still frowning.

Vinnie lifted the black rucksack that sat on the floor next to the bedroom door and kissed Lachance. 'By the end of the week, yeah?'

'Cool, see you around, man,' she watched Vinnie as he nodded to Troy and left. When the door closed, she turned and fixed Troy with a look. 'Seriously?'

'Do you know who that was?' Troy demanded.

'Ugh, back off, judgey. That wasn't some random guy I picked up in a bar. I've known Vinnie for a year.'

'So, is he your dealer?' Troy stepped forwards and pulled her chin up to look into her eyes. 'Did you use last night?'

Lachance scowled and wrenched away from his hand. 'No. I made a deal with you. But thanks for trustin' me, asshole.'

'What am I supposed to think when you don't return my calls and I find a scumbag like Vincent Moretti leavin' your place?'

'Yo, how do you know who he is?' she asked.

Troy hesitated. 'Second-in-command, remember? I gotta know this shit. Anyway, you haven't said what he was doin' here.'

Something about the way he paused before answering didn't feel right, but she pushed it aside for now. 'Dude, you gotta ask? We fucked. Hard.'

'You're worth more than that guy, Lachance,' he said quietly. His eyes moved down to her bare legs.

Lachance pulled the hem of her long t-shirt down over the round purple bite mark on her inner thigh. She shrugged, but his tone had taken the fight out of her. 'Do you want breakfast?'

Troy sighed, and brought his eyes back to hers. 'Sure, kid. Put on some clothes and I'll make us some coffee.'

Lachance walked into her room and closed the door behind her. She scraped her hair back into a messy bun and pulled on a pair of soft grey sweat pants. After rubbing off the worst of the smudged black makeup from under her eyes, she opened the door again to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Troy was in the kitchen, his back resting against a cupboard as usual when she walked in.

'Bacon and pancakes okay?' she asked, as she pulled open the fridge and looked inside. She grabbed a pack of applewood-smoked bacon, an egg, a stick of butter and a bottle of milk.

Troy was staring at her strangely when she straightened up. 'What did he mean - 'by the end of the week'?'

Lachance put the ingredients onto the counter-top, deftly catching the egg in one hand as the little fucker rolled off the edge. 'I wasn't gonna tell you just yet,' she said. 'Vinnie's an independent dealer, yeah? Well, he's been non-stop bitchin' about his supply dryin' up, and it just so happens I managed to get hold of a few kilos of pure, white Colombian coke.'

Troy groaned and rubbed a hand across his face. 'Please don't tell me you stole it from the Los Carnales' labs.'

'Yo, it was only gonna get blown up. Seemed like such a waste.' Lachance reached up into a cupboard and brought down a bag of flour. 'He's gonna wire the money to me by the end of the week. I earned $100K for the Saints, man. Cheer the fuck up.'

'That's assumin' he pays you.'

'Ha, he wouldn't dare screw me over. I know where he lives.'

'And what happens when the Los Carnales notice that some two-bit dealer like Moretti is sellin' Colombian product?' Troy asked.

'Ah. Shit.' She bit her lip. 'It'll be fine, yo. Vinnie will cut that coke all to hell, it won't be recognisable on the streets.'

'Can you trust him if he does get caught? How do you know he ain't just gonna sell you out to save his own worthless ass?' Troy took a sip of his coffee.

Lachance thought for a moment. 'How about I ride with him when he's slangin'? Keep an eye on him, protect him from the Carnales...'

'Nope, no way. The less time you spend around people like that, the better.'

'Shut up, man. It's the perfect solution, win-fuckin'-win.' She smiled. 'Now, how crispy do you like your bacon?'

x.x.x

Troy speared the last piece of fluffy golden pancake with his fork, and wiped it around his plate to mop up the remaining smear of maple syrup.

'Where did you learn to cook?' he asked her with his mouth full.

Lachance sat with one leg folded beneath her on the couch. 'Juvie. I did some catering courses and shit. It's no big deal.' She drained the last of her coffee as he swallowed.

'You're really good, kid. I can see why you wrinkle your nose in Freckle Bitch's.'

'Ugh, that whole shitty franchise should be closed down.' Lachance made a face.

Troy leaned forwards to put his plate on top of hers on the coffee table. 'Will you tell me now why you were in juvie?' he asked as he sat back.

'Manslaughter - three counts, diminished capacity. So nothin' worse than you already know about me, man,' she said with a shrug.

'How old were you?' Troy was watching her face with those warm brown eyes, like he was still weighing her up. She rubbed her nose.

'Fourteen,' she said.

'Jesus.'

'See, I knew you'd say that. Why ask if you don't wanna know the fuckin' answer?' Lachance snapped. She stood angrily, grabbed the plates, and strode into the kitchen. The plates crashed against each other as she dropped them carelessly into the sink.

'C'mon, I'm sorry. Lachance, look at me.' Troy took her gently by the shoulders and turned her around to face him. Her stomach flipped over when he brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. That sweet feeling was quickly wiped away when he quietly asked his next question. 'Was it the guys who abused you?'

'For fuck's sake, I don't wanna talk about that. Get off me!' she shouted as she struggled out of his grip.

Troy backed away and held his hands up. Lachance stared at him, and blinked hard against the hot tears that threatened behind her eyes.

'Lachance-'

'Don't. I can't do this shit, man.' She wrapped her arms around her chest. 'We're cool, okay? Just leave me alone for a bit. I'll be fine for the race tonight.'

'Okay. I'm sorry. I'll pick you up later, about nine?' Troy asked carefully.

'Yeah. See you later.'

After she heard the front door close behind him, Lachance slid down against the cupboard to sit on the cold tiled floor. She rested her head on her knees but would not allow the tears to fall.