Page 35 of Loki's Flame

“Which one of you dated Shannon?”

All four eyes were on me, not blinking, as if they were deer caught in headlights.

“Okay, so maybe that was a lie. The part about Shannon having a boyfriend.”

Tate spoke, but stopped and fidgeted in the chair. I turned the gun to point directly at Marcel, realizing, maybe not for the first time, that he was loyal to Marcel, and in that moment, I knew the truth. I moved my thumb to unlock the safety.

“So, tell me Marcel. Did you get her hooked on heroin before or after your relationship?”

“It was an accident. We’d been partying after a gig we did at a jazz festival in Lafayette. Shannon had been using it for a while. Hell, we all did it, but that night she took too much and before we knew what was happening, she was gone.”

“You didn’t call an ambulance?”

“There wasn’t time,” Marcel said, easing up in his seat and putting his hands on his knees, cradling his head in his hands.

“So, that’s it. There wasn’t time. Or maybe you didn’t want to be caught with the drugs?” I growled.

Tate chimed in, “what good would that have done anyone?”

“You think leaving her alone was the best way to handle it? My voice raised as the anger boiled in my veins.”

“I cared for your sister,” Marcel said quietly.

“Yeah, sure looks like you cared.”

“What do you want me to say? Her eyes still haunt me every night when I try to go to sleep. I’ll never forgive myself for what happened. She was a lovely girl. So young. So talented.” His voice trails off.

“What do you hope to accomplish?” Tate asked.

I looked at him and smiled. “I’m so glad you asked that, Tate.”

Loki and Taz both entered the room with guns raised. Taz carried a satchel over his shoulder.

“Move to the loveseat,” Loki motioned his gun while addressing Tate.

“What the fuck are you doing/” Tate’s eyes bulged as he complied with the big scary biker.

“I thought we should have one last party to honor Shannon’s life.” I said and stood. Taz sat down on the other side of the couch and began taking out the contents of the bag.

Both Marcel and Tate looked frightened. Tate grabbed Marcel’s jacket in his fist, but Marcel was not paying attention. His eyes fixated on the heroin. It was clear at that moment that he was an addict. If I’d been paying attention, I would have noticed how thin and pale he was. How his suits hung off his frame. I bet track marks littered his arms or toes. Tate stood up abruptly, but Loki had the gun against his temple. He froze, and the smell of urine permeated the air.

“I don’t do that shit,” Tate said hoarsely.

“Well Tate, I’d feel sorry for ya if I could believe anything you said. I think you’d sell your mama’s house right out from under her for this man. You're in love with him, right?”

Tate looked at me in shock. Apparently, he didn’t realize how obvious it was when you took the time to notice. I’m guessing Marcel did not know, or if he did, he used that to his advantage.

“Marcel, you’ve got to snap out of it,” Tate begged and tried to pull him up by the arm.

“Stop Tate. I want this,” he said, resigned.

Taz had the needle ready and Marcel shimmed out of his jacket while still seated and once it pooled behind him, he rolled up his shirt sleeve. He had some faded track marks on the inside of his arm, hard to make out with his dark skin. Taz, wearing latex gloves, put the rubber band around his bicep and flicked his inner arm to get the vein to the surface. As soon as the shot plugged its contents, Marcel sighed and leaned back into the cushions. A look of bliss on his face. I hated that. I wanted him scared. It hurt me to my core that I didn’t know if Shannon had been scared at the end.

Tate screamed and crumbled onto the floor as he fainted. Taz worked quickly to get the second needle injected. Tate’s short sleeve polo shirt made it easier. I stood watching, tempted to just leave them here. Marcel was foaming at the mouth as his eyes rolled back in his head. He slumped over the chair. Taz put his index and middle finger up to his pulse point in his neck and waited.

“He’s gone.”

“How did you know how much stuff to add to make it work so quickly?” I asked, quite curious.