When they came back on, the regular girls were there and Lottie was gone.

The crowd went wild. Everyone sitting surged to their feet and screamed, including me.

I barely got my ass back on the chair when I felt something at my ear and I heard Luke say, “Let’s go.” I turned to him and he was right in my face.

“Did you see that? That was great!” I yel ed. “I want to dance. I want a bikini like that. She’s my hero!” The crowd was stil roaring, chanting, clapping, begging for Lottie to come back. I could barely hear, they were so loud.

Luke’s fingers curled around my arm. “Let’s go,” he repeated.

“But… I’m having a good time,” I said.

He pul ed me out of the chair. “This place isn’t safe.

We’re going.”

“Luke.”

He pul ed me close, probably so I could hear, the roar was stil deafening. They were chanting Lottie’s name and had begun stomping their feet.

I looked at Luke and there was no sexy half-grin or flirty look in his eyes. His face was serious. “You want to answer to me, you keep this shit up. Now, we’re going.” I gulped, nodded, grabbed my bag and wrap and moved to walk away.

That’s when I felt it. The crowd wasn’t only wild, they were wild. Lottie had whipped them into a frenzy. Two songs weren’t enough. She could dance until her feet were bloody and it wouldn’t be enough.

I noticed that the others had realized it too. Tex was already moving Nancy out. He glanced back at me and boomed, “Go!” Trixie and Jason were helping Ada with Tod and Stevie leading the way. Indy, Jet, Al y and Annette were sliding around the stage and heading toward a side door.

Shirleen, Lavonne and Bear were settled in with drinks like they were sitting in their living room. I thought they were completely oblivious to the possible danger except Shirleen yel ed to me, “Go with your bodyguard, girl, Shirleen wil be okay. This ain’t no place for a pretty child like you. They get one look at you, they’l tear you to shreds.” I nodded, real y not feeling in the mood to be torn to shreds.

While Luke pul ed me with him, I heard Shirleen shout,

“Come see Shirleen! Jet’l bring you. You’re welcome any time!”

I noticed the crowd was pressing in. The bouncers pushed through and started lining the stage.

Luke stopped and he bent to my ear. “Get close to my back, hold onto my belt, keep your head down and move with me.” I nodded. “Let’s go,” he finished.

My fingers curled into his belt, I fitted my body to his back and he pushed through the men pressing towards the stage. We got halfway to the door when Luke stopped.

“Where you takin’ this sweet thing?” someone I couldn’t see asked.

“Step aside,” Luke said in a voice ful of warning. I figured the man would just step aside. At Luke’s tone, anyone in their right mind would step aside.

“Don’t feel like –” the guy, voice now bel igerent (and to my thinking, pretty f**king stupid), started to say, then I felt Luke move swiftly and economical y.

Then he started forward again.

“Watch your feet,” Luke said to me.

I looked down and we stepped over the man who was now unconscious on the floor.

Holy cow.

We didn’t have any trouble going forward then. We were given a wide berth.

Luke put me in the Explorer, rounded the hood and got in beside me.

While he was starting the car I said, “I’m worried about my friends. And Lottie. That didn’t feel good.”

“That wasn’t good,” Luke said, hitting a button on the on-dash phone.

It rang in the cab once and Luke was reversing out of the spot when we heard, “Yeah?”

“Tel Lee his woman is in another situation. Smithie’s.”

“Got it,” the voice said.

“Eddie’s woman too,” Luke said.

“Got it.”

“The sister as wel .”

“Check.”

“Out,” Luke said.

I heard the disconnect.

I stared at the phone.

“That’s it?” I asked.

“My assignment is you, not them,” Luke explained.

“But –”

“Lee’l take care of it.”

“But –”

He switched gears and put the Explorer on the road.

“Quiet.”

“But, my friend Annette is in there.”

“I thought her man was with her.”

“Yes, but Jason can’t lay out a guy like you!” I yel ed, getting panicked. “We have to go back.”

“We’re not going back.”

“We have to go back.”

No answer.

“Jason’s a pacifist. He’s a liberal. He’s a vegetarian. In a normal situation, Jason could handle himself but that wasn’t a normal situation. You’re, like, Superman. You have great facial hair. No one’l mess with you. We have to go back!”

“Babe?”

“What?”

“Shut up.”

We stopped at a light and I pul ed my phone out of my purse and cal ed Annette.

“Yo Bitch!” she answered.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah! Chaos! It’s f**kin’ cool. They like, love Lottie.

She’s doin’ an early encore. I can’t wait. Wasn’t it the shit?

Lottie told me Daisy showed her al of her moves. They’re gonna teach me.”

“Are Indy, Jet and Al y okay?”

“Wel … yeah. We’re al drinking champagne in the dressing room. Tod and Stevie left, not real y their gig.

Jason just got in. He got Jet’s mom and the old lady to the car. We’re groovin’.”

I closed my eyes with relief, then opened them again.

“I’l talk to you tomorrow,” I said.

“Later.”

Disconnect.

“They’re fine. They’re drinking champagne in the dressing room,” I told Luke.

No answer.

“It sounds like everything’s cool. Maybe you overreacted.”

Stil no answer.

I was beginning to feel like I was missing out. Al my friends were stil back there, drinking champagne and I was heading home. I wanted to drink champagne or, at least, have another appletini. Anyway, I liked Shirleen. She was hilarious.

So I said, “Maybe it’s okay. Maybe we should go back and drink champagne. Lottie is going to dance again and I’d like to see it. I’m sure it’s safe.”