Runaway Ride.

A. L. Summers.

Devil Riders.

A. L. Summers.

We"re only on our first set and already that a.s.shole Jack is p.i.s.sing me off. When they"d arrived he"d made a scene about me playing with him and his band. That was bad enough, but for the last 45 minutes he"s taken every opportunity to slight me. I"m a professional so I hold my tongue, swallow my pride, and do my part. The Drillers aren"t a bad band for a bunch of amateurs, but they aren"t nearly as good as Jack seems to think they are.

"We"re going to close out our first set with one of our favorites," Jack announces to the small crowd that has pretty much ignored us all evening, "I think y"all know this one." Looking at me, he adds loud enough for the mic to pick up, "Try to keep up."

I purse my lips in annoyance. n.o.body belittles my talent unless they"re better than me. This a.s.shole isn"t. We rip through Devil Went Down to Georgia and finish to a smattering of applause. The Drillers take their bows and begin to step down from the small stage for a break. I make no move to follow and keep my seat behind my digital piano. As soon as Jack, the last to leave the stage, steps down, I begin to stamp my foot, hard. I set up an upbeat tempo and launch into Orange Blossom Special. While originally written for violin, excuse me, fiddle, I take it and run with it. I layer in my own nuances and flourishes while pounding the s.h.i.t out of the keyboard to bring the song to life.

I throw a quick glance at The Drillers standing just off-stage. Jack is standing there jaws agape while Rudy, ba.s.s, and Stockton, drums, grin like Cheshire cats. I smile and wink at them in acknowledgement. As soon as I finish, the room erupts into the loudest and most sustained applause of the night. I notice a group of h.e.l.l"s Angels wannabes laughing at Jack as he stomps toward the bar, all except for one guy sitting at the end of the table nearest the stage. He"s not joining in with the razzing, and is instead watching me with an intensity I find mildly off-putting. All around him, men and women wearing similar well-worn riding leathers offer mock salute to Jack with various beverages.

Rudy steps back on the stage as I get up from behind the keyboard. He gives me a platonic hug and a big high-five as he laughs. "Maybe it us who should be worried about keeping up with you. Where"d you learn to play like that?"

"Glenn Korff," I reply. When Rudy shows no comprehension, I just finish with, "University of Nebraska."

"Rudy Ginlette," Rudy says, extending his hand as Stockton joins us onstage. "And this is Bob Stockton."

"Alicia Davenport," I say as I shake hands all around.

"Don"t let Jack get to you," Stockton says, glancing at Jack as he sits at the bar, scowling at me, "he"s an alright guy once you get to know him."

"Yeah, he seems like a real sweetheart," I say sarcastically as we move to the end of the bar, where I normally sit when not performing.

"Listen, let me make it up to you, okay? Let me buy you a drink. What are you having?" Rudy asks. I"m leery of the offer and I guess it shows. "C"mon," Rudy encourages, "I"m happily married with twin little girls. You"ve got nothing to worry about."

This time I accept with a smile. "Sprite, please." I don"t drink often in any case, but I never drink when I"m playing because I"m afraid it will make me sloppy.

"Oooh, wild woman," Rudy teases, ordering my soda. Rudy, Stockton, and I sit and talk at the end of the bar. I learn that The Drillers are three high school friends playing local gigs for fun and a little pocket money. The band name comes from the fact that all three work in the oil industry. After some encouragement, I tell them my own story: after graduating with a music degree from Glenn Korff, I bounced around, playing piano where and when I could until I got my big break playing with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. I played there for about a year, until the holidays just past, as a matter of fact, when they fired me over a scandal.

The orchestra was spotlighting the music of Vince Guaraldi and I was front and center, my first time as the featured performer. After one Friday night show and two shows each the next Sat.u.r.day and Sunday, I suddenly found myself the new toast of the town. I still have the very complimentary review I clipped from the newspaper. Things were looking up, at least until I bashed the conductor over the head with a music stand.

I"d been warned early on not to let myself get caught alone with Mitch.e.l.l Farinni. But when he asked me to his office to "discuss my performance" after the last show on Sunday, I was so jazzed from my performance that the warning didn"t even cross my mind. When he wouldn"t take no for an answer and got a little too grabby, I whacked him with the closest thing I could get my hands on: a music stand. The next day, I was called into the President"s office and summarily expelled. The entire time I begged and threatened, Farinni sat there with a small bandage on his head and a knowing smile on his face. The smug b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

I stormed out of the President"s office with vengeance on my mind, but in the end I couldn"t find even one woman willing to come forward and stand up to Farinni. So now I"m right back where I started, playing gigs where I can and working a register at the grocery store to make ends meet. At least now I have a steady gig, playing seven to midnight Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and seven until two Friday and Sat.u.r.day. All part of Tango"s plan to "give The Joint some cla.s.s," as he said when he hired me.

I"m just finishing my tale of woe when I see the man I"d noticed earlier-the quiet h.e.l.l"s Angel wannabe-kick a chair out from under his feet and saunter in my direction.

"That was some b.i.t.c.h-slap you put on the fiddle player," the man says as he coasts to a stop between me and Rudy, ignoring Rudy like he didn"t exist. The man is large, with narrow hips and a muscular upper body that his leather jacket can"t completely hide. I can"t put my finger on the reason why, but the man radiates a certain dangerous aura that makes me slightly nervous. Suddenly I am very glad to have Rudy and Stockton near.

"Yes, well..." I begin, but grind to a halt, unsure what to say and hoping that I hadn"t screwed up this steady paycheck with my little stunt.

"He deserved it," the man continues. "If he"d pulled that s.h.i.t on me I"d have kicked his f.u.c.king a.s.s."

Although his words are supportive, his tone puts me on edge and makes me nervous. "Yes, well, uh, thank you Mr....?" I begin, trying to hurry him on his way.

"Grieg. Charlie Grieg."

"Yes, well, thank you, Mr. Grieg."

"Hey, Chuck, you should watch your language in front of a lady," Rudy says firmly, putting a hand on Grieg"s shoulder.

Grieg doesn"t even move his eyes from me. "If you want to play that ba.s.s again, I suggest you remove your hand," Grieg says. His voice is calm but the threat is clearly heard. The moment Rudy removes his hand, Grieg gives me a small smile. "I"ll be seeing you around, Fingers," he says as he casually moves back to his table.

As Grieg walks away I see a hawk embroidered on the back of his jacket, an oil derrick clutched in one claw, a barrel in the other.

"What an a.s.shole," Rudy mutters as Bobbi bounces up to take another round of orders.

"I see you met Charlie," Bobbi says, all flirt and bubbles.

"Yeah. What"s his story?" I ask. I"m only on my fourth night at The Joint, but I would"ve remember him if I"d seen him before.

"He"s a regular," Bobbi explains. "Him and his crew come in nearly every Friday and Sat.u.r.day."

"They look like h.e.l.l"s Angels with better haircuts," I observe snarkily.

Bobbi giggles. "The Neon Hawks. They"re wildcatters for Hawk Oil. The Neon comes from their bikes. Lit up like a sign, with neon lights all over them." Bobbi pauses and looks at the table. "That Charlie... there"s something about him," she says slightly wistfully.

"You"ve got to be kidding!" I exclaim, unable to completely hide my distaste.

Bobbi giggles as she picks up her drink-covered tray. "Hey! Don"t knock it "til you try it. The nice thing about wildcatters is, they sure know how to pump." Bobbi winks lasciviously and moves off, distributing the drinks.

"What"s a wildcatter?" I ask Rudy.

"Independent oil man that drills where there"s no known oil. Quickest legal way I know to go broke," Rudy explains. "If you"re a wildcatter you"ve gotta have a pair of big bra.s.s ones."

Before I can respond, Jack walks by and glowers at Rudy, Stockton, and me. "C"mon, Fingers," Rudy teases, "let"s rock this joint."

Sat.u.r.day night The Drillers are back. Well, two of them are, anyway. Friday The Drillers were wearing what appeared to be dirty work clothesgoing for a certain look, I guess. Tonight they"re dressed in black pants and crisp white shirts, neatly matching what I wear whenever I perform. Just before we start our first set, Rudy whispers that he and Stockton"ll follow my lead. Last Friday I was in the background, but tonight I"m front and center and covering for the fiddle.

We do some up-tempo country, a bit of swingy jazz, a little rock-a-billy, and just to be a b.i.t.c.h, I close the set with Devil Went Down to Georgia followed by Orange Blossom Special. We"re just setting up for our second session when the Neon Hawks arrive, the heavy rumble of bike engines heralding their arrival before they come through the door. While the rest of the Hawks drag tables together, loud and boisterous, Grieg walks straight to the stage.

"Seems like someone"s missing," Grieg begins. "I guess he knows his betters when he sees them." He doesn"t call me by name but his comments are clearly directed at me.

"I wouldn"t say that, Mr.... Grieg isn"t it?" I demure, not wanting to get drawn into a discussion.

"It is, but call me Charlie. And I would," Charlie says. "So tell me, Fingers, what are you doing in a place like this?"

"Just lucky, I guess," I say, still trying to avoid talking to him without being rude. "If you"ll excuse us, we need to get started." Charlie smiles and makes a go-ahead motion with his hand before he turns and idles up the bar.

We begin our second set. Now that we"re settling in and getting comfortable with each other, we jam, each of us taking a turn to show what we can do. By the end of the second set we have the audience eating out of the palm of our hand, and Tango, the owner and cook, is beaming at us. I guess I didn"t screw the pooch last night after all.

As we thank the audience and leave the stage, Charlie rises and moves to intercept us. Rudy and Stockton step in front of me, shielding me from Charlie.

"Relax cupcakes. I just want to buy the lady a drink, if she"ll join us, to apologize for my language last night," Charlie says with quiet confidence, as if their silent move to protect me is of no more concern to him than a fly would be.

I pause, and then decide to nip this in the bud.

"It"s okay guys. I"ll be fine," I say, moving between Rudy and Stockton. "Just this once, okay?" I say to Charlie, my tone making it a statement.

"If that"s what you want," Charlie replies with maddening self-a.s.surance. He leads me to the table and motions Bobbi over. "Give the lady whatever she wants," Charlie says, and I can tell Bobbi isn"t thrilled at Charlie inviting me over. I"m probably cramping her style or something.

"Sprite," I say, then sit quietly, not knowing what to say or do as I look around the table. There are eight men, not counting Charlie, and three women, and I strive to project a confidence I don"t feel.

"Unless you want me to call you Fingers all night, why don"t you tell me your name," Charlie says as Bobbi moves off.

"Alicia," I say, not offering my last name.

"Alicia, let me introduce you to the Hawks," Charlie says. "This ugly mug belongs to Curtis," Charlie says, looking to the big man to his right. "That"s his old lady, Beth. Next is Dutch, Toes, Will, his squeeze Pam, Tony, Rick, Chains, and lastly, Siphon and his old lady, Liz. Hawks, this is Alicia. I expect you to be on your best behavior around her."

"f.u.c.k that!" Curtis spits out, causing the entire table to laugh, myself included.

While rowdy, being able to put some names to faces removes some of their menace. "Bobbi tells me you"re wildcatters," I say after Bobbi drops off my drink.

"That"s right," Siphon says. "We are the mother-f.u.c.kingest wildcatters in Oklahoma. We can practically p.i.s.s crude."

"That would sting," I quip. The subsequent silence makes me uncomfortable... until everyone bursts into laughter.

"f.u.c.king-A," Dutch says, hoisting a beer in my direction.

"So tell me about the Neon Hawks," I say, genuinely curious now that I"m not so afraid that they"ll strip me and eat the flesh from my bones.

Dutch launches into his story. "Well, first you have to be a wildcatter for Hawk Oil. No exceptions. That f.u.c.k sitting beside you is our next President. Every April first, someone else gets to take over leading this bunch of sorry a.s.sholes for a year, and I"ll be glad to hand over the reins. Basically, we"re just a bunch of guys that like to drink, fight, and f.u.c.k. But what we like most is bringing in that liquid gold, isn"t that right, boys?"

Various loud expletives laced acknowledgments are given in return.

"And the motorcycles?" I prompt.

"Freedom, baby," Chains says. "Nearest thing to flying without leaving the ground. Besides, you haven"t lived until you"ve f.u.c.ked some b.i.t.c.h across the seat of a Harley."

I can feel my mouth drop open at the comment, shock turning into embarra.s.sed amus.e.m.e.nt, when Liz murmurs, "Ain"t that the f.u.c.king truth," before planting a big wet one on Siphon.

"So you fight, drink... err... f.u.c.k, and drill for oil. And ride motorcycles. That"s the Hawks?" I ask.

"Among other things," Toes says.

"Other things?" I ask, but n.o.body answers. I notice Dutch giving his head a slight shake, giving me the vibe that I"d heard something I shouldn"t have.

"Don"t worry about it," Charlie says. "Just oil field stuff you"d find boring."

"So, Liz, how long have you and Siphon been married?" I ask lightly, as if nothing had happened.

Tuesday I"m muscling the amp around, setting up for the night, when strong hands reach in and effortlessly turn the amp so I can plug in the piano. The hands" unexpected appearance make me start.

"Sorry," Charlie says, taking the amp cord from me and plugging it in.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, surprised at his appearance. "Bobbi said the Hawks only come in on Friday and Sat.u.r.day."

"No Hawks tonight. Just me," Charlie says, turning the amp back around. "We lost the cutter head today so the rig is down until we can get it fixed. Why, aren"t you glad to see me?"

I smile in spite of myself. "It"s always nice to see a friendly face in the crowd. I just didn"t expect you, that"s all."

Charlie grunts and looks over at the piano. "So, tell me about his rig here. It doesn"t look like any piano I have ever seen."

"It"s a Roland RD 800 Digital Piano," I explain. "It"s like an electric guitar, but with keys. Sounds just like a piano, or several other keyboard instruments, but it"s a lot easier to carry around than a Steinway."

Charlie grunts again. "Yeah, I guess I can see that." Charlie stares at me with his ice-blue eyes. "I was impressed by how you handled yourself that Friday. You really hung that fiddle player out to dry," Charlie"s lips twist into a mischievous smile, "and you gave as good as you got Sat.u.r.day. I"ve never seen Liz speechless before." Charlie pauses, then chuckles. "It may have been because you were using big words. In any case, you may look and talk like a school teacher, but you have some fire in your gut." I can feel myself frown, unsure whether his words are a complement or not. "That"s a compliment," Charlie continues, "I just mean there"s more to you than meets the eye."

"Why do I think I could say the same about you?" I ask.

"h.e.l.l, I don"t know anything about anything except drilling," Charlie says quietly. "Drilling and riding," he adds after a pause. "One pays for the other."

"And drinking. And fighting," I suggest with a smile. "Not to mention f.u.c.king."

Charlie"s mouth twists into a crooked grin that dissipates the cloud of danger that seems to hover over him. "Well, drinking and fighting anyway."

I stare at him a moment before I bubble over into giggles. Bobbi"s right, there is something about Charlie. "I have to get started to pay for my dinner."

Charlie smiles and moves off, sitting down at the bar and chatting with Christine, the bartender. I work though my set and every time I look at Charlie his eyes are on me. I"m used to having people watch me, but his expression suggests more than just a pa.s.sing interest in a musician. It"s the same intense gaze I noticed that Friday night. As I wrap up my first set, I see Bobbi bring out two plates and sit them at the table where Charlie lounges with his feet kicked up in a chair. As I step off the stage, he waves me over, motioning to one of the plates.

"Is that for me?" I ask.

"If you want it," Charlie says. "Tango is a crotchety old fart, but he can whip up a mean sandwich."

"Charlie, you didn"t have to do that."

"Why, have you eaten already?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Then sit down," Charlie interrupts, kicking the chair back from the table with a foot. "I can"t eat both of these."

I dither a moment then sit. I can"t afford to eat out on my limited budget, and the sandwich looks delicious. I take a quick peek at the contents of the sandwich followed by a delicate sniff before taking my first bite. The chicken covered in melted cheese and spiced with peppers is delicious, and I nearly swoon. "Oh my G.o.d this is so good!" I exclaim around a mouthful of food. I inhale the sandwich like a ravenous wolf. This is the first meal I"ve had in a restaurant, or bar and grill, in months. Charlie and I talk as we eat, and I can tell there"s a keen intellect hiding under that glowering facade. Charlie may act like a brawling, hard-drinking bada.s.s, and maybe he is, but there is definitely more to him than that.

"So, tell me why you"re here," Charlie says during a lull in the conversation. "You didn"t say before."