Rebel Soul

“I could probably get you one” Sam pointed out, lazily stirring her spoon through her black coffee. “I know a few people and you’re right, after the shit that happened, you probably need better security. Let me look around, some people owe me favours and I could get you one for pretty cheap if I do it right.” Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she rested her head in her hand. “How you dealin’ with it though. What happened? Couldn’t been easy to go through.” As someone whose gone through a fair amount of trauma in her own life, both in her childhood and adulthood, she recognised the fact that everyone dealt with differently and if this was the first thing of the sort to happen to him, it could be hard.”

“Really?” Ezra raised an eyebrow as he looked over at Sam. He was skeptical but appreciative and nodded along at her words. “I mean it doesn’t hurt to look around, right? I’m trying to get Lila to see how important it is. I mean we may just be some motel grille but we’re still pretty popular and we don’t know if it’ll be the last time this happens. We gotta be prepared. Random question actually, how old do you have to be to be get licensed to carry a gun?” He shrugged as he thought about it before turning to her at her question. “I mean I’m...I’m fine,” started and cleared his throat, his eyes dropping to his sneakers. “I mean it’s still got me shaken up a little bit you know? Can’t stop looking over my fucking shoulder, especially when I’m here. Like the guy looked me right in my eyes you know?” He glanced over at her and sighed. “I can’t get that shit out of my head, it’s like burned into my memory. Sleeping is..rough,” he admitted before clearing his throat. “But I guess that all goes away with time, right?”

The bass thrummed around Wyatt as he sat back in his chair – his top shelf scotch resting comfortably in his hand as his eyes danced around the club. The Crazy Horse III was always a good time, as long as the bouncers kept their distance. He enjoyed the artistry that each of the dancers displayed up on the pole. It wasn’t just about the sex appeal, although that didn’t hurt. It was Wyatt’s form of Las Vegas entertainment. Celine Dion’s voice was still amazing. Britney Spears still knew how to put on a hell of a show. But nothing compared to the work and absolute strength the girls showed at the Crazy Horse. 

Sipping his scotch, he turned to the person who had settled next to him. Pocket flush with cash from all the extra hours he’d put in over the holidays, he brought out a few hundred dollar bills and gestured for one of the girls to come over. “Hey, let me buy you a dance!” He raised his voice so his new companion could hear him over the loud music. “A belated Christmas gift. I promise it’s worth it.” 

Ezra never knew how he ended up in these situations. What had started out as a few drinks with some of his friends, had turned into him at a strip club. Not that he was complaining, it definitely wasn’t a bad place but he was trying to fight off the nervous feeling that he’d end up in trouble again. Ever since the robbery, his nerves had been shot and he was constantly paranoid. He was terrified that he’d run into them again. He knew it wasn’t logical. Lila was right, they had no reason to stick around. But that didn’t ease his mind at all. Still, his friends had insisted on getting him drunk and he wasn’t going to tell them no. He had just returned to the bar when he heard someone speak to him. “Hm?” He turned and his eyes widened as he saw Wyatt, even more when he heard what he said. 

“Oh uh, shit man I mean I’m not gonna say no.” Ezra smiled, hoping Wyatt wouldn’t take it back when he realized that they knew each other. But there was a part of him that felt like he wouldn’t. “Why am I not surprised to see you here?” He smirked and looked him over before looking at the dancer walking towards him. “No offense to my moms but this is probably the best christmas gift I’ve gotten this year,” he joked.

Monika had an audience — or at least it seemed that way as a young man seated off to the side chuckled. He was a visitor to the station, identified by the sticker on his shirt, and she wondered what someone his age was doing in a police precinct at this hour, whatever the hour happened to be. She no longer had the luxury of her cell phone to do any number of tasks, including configuring the current time, but most importantly contacting someone to help her get out of this mess. Her phone, along with all of her other belongings, had been confiscated when she had been brought in. But this guy, whoever he was, sitting on the favorable side of the holding cell’s barred wall, was offering his help to call someone for her. 

“You’d do that?” Monika scanned the room in an effort to determine of the coast was clear before slowly maneuvering herself onto the side of the bench, then picking herself up slowly enough to stand upright without falling over. She approached the bars and kept her eyes peeled for any officers hoping to swoop in and order her away. “Can you call my sister? She’s, like, this tall” — she held her hand out above her head, several inches too high — “and she’s blonde and has blue eyes and she kind of looks like me because we’re twins. But not identical. People always ask if we’re identical, but we’re not. We’re soror-sorrrr-soral—” Monika sputtered the word, each attempt to pronounce failing. “Fraternal. We’re fraternal twins. But fraternal is guys? Like fraternity. And we’re girls.” Leaning forward, she rested her forehead against the cold metal bars. “So do you think you can contact her? I think I know her social security number.”

“Yeah, sure why not,” he said with a shrug. He had been in her situation before and it wasn’t a great place to be in. And though his judgement wasn’t always the best, she didn’t seem that bad and maybe the holiday spirit has really gotten to him. He laughed along at her explanation and shook his head. “That told me nothing except that you probably have a twin who’s probably as hot as you. Two hot blonde twins, nice,” he said more to himself before shaking his head so he could refocus. “Okay her social security number is not gonna help me, I mean unless she’s rich which in that case,” he joked before realizing that was probably the wrong thing to do. The night had messed with him enough and he had already solved one major problem today, his brain power was tapped out. “How about you start by telling me her name. And your name. I’m Ezra,” he said and pointed at himself before looking at her. “What’s your name? And your sisters name? Maybe I can find her on Facebook or just google her number like they do on Catfish. And if not then I can see if I can find another way.” He pulled out his phone and glanced at her. “By the way, just out of curiosity, what did you do to end up in here? If you remember of course.”

We’re all still here. Ezra stated the obvious. And yet, somehow, it was a brand new information. Maybe it wasn’t a big deal in general, a teeny-tiny robbery but Lila never would’ve imagined it would hit the one place she deemed her safe haven. Either way, she appreciated his effort. So she nodded in response. Ezra was braver than most 18-year-olds she’d come across and even now he was holding it together. Lila squeezed his hand back firmly as he pleasantly surprised her with his idea. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, his mind went straight to new creative ideas and solutions. Hearing it from him was like a breath of fresh air. Suddenly it became clear she was getting old– Ollie’s influence. “That’s a great idea, actually” she said in a gentle voice, full of support. “I have some money saved up too. The Internet and… A yard sale! We could really organize one, you could sell your art if you’re up for it. We could ask the owner…” Fuck. Charlie. Her heart sank once more. One more person she’d have to break the news to and watch her disappointment. Swallowing hard, she shook her head, leaving to worry about it for later. One guy didn’t even know about it? “Good for him,” she let out a dry laugh. It was short-lived but genuine. Her breathing picked up when she spotted his hand moving closer; she seriously considered slapping it away. Her head snapped up immediately. “Don’t tell Nadia. Or Ollie. Please?” The manager grabbed his hand, she wasn’t going to let him leave the room thinking he was guilty in any way. “And please, don’t think this is your fault. The fucking bag ripped, it’s really not your fault.” A brief pause as she held his gaze. “You did your best and it’s very important to me you know thst, Ezra.” Letting him go, she added quietly. “Bring them in.”

He nodded when she asked him not to tell Ollie or his mom. He knew they would have to eventually but he trusted that she knew when the right time was. He actually managed to smile when she told him that he did his best. He didn’t always make the best choices and he didn’t always do the right thing. But this time he had done something right, this time he had actually saved people’s lives. He took a second to take in the moment and took a deep breath before nodding. “I do know that. Thank you.” He nodded and kissed her forehead quickly before walking to the door with her to meet the cops. it was weird for him to actually be friendly to a cop but he supposed there was a first time for everything. Then again this was probably his first interaction with a cop where he wasn’t getting chased or close to being arrested. He let Lila do most of the talking and answered every question honestly when the cop asked them. It wasn’t until they had given them a little break that he realized his hands were still shaking a bit. He glanced at Lila and sighed. “Full disclosure? That shit was fucking terrifying.” He shook his head and looked down at his sneakers. “I-I don’t think I’ve ever felt my heart race that fast, you know? I mean fuck.” He paused for a moment and dragged his eyes up to the sky. “I-it’s like I know we’re okay but I’m still scared, you know? I mean those guys could be..anywhere. Just pass us on the street and I-” he cleared his throat and stopped himself. “Sorry, sorry I’m not helping any of this, am I?”

Lila offered a kind word or two to every guest. Some looked more distressed than the others and those she tried to comfort with an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder. It didn’t hurt to repeat the police was on their way. Tell them they were safe in in her most assuring voice. The woman had never considered herself a particularly good actress but could sound extra calm and convincing when the situation called for it. Eventually, she retreated to give them some space and moved around the diner to put all chairs back to where they initially were. Even though she was curious to check whether the intruder’s tight grip around her neck left a mark, she didn’t dare touch it. Thankful for Ezra who walked up to her again and grabbed her attention, pulling her into his embrace. “Are you okay?” Lila returned the hug, shutting her eyes– hoping the nausea would settle. She hugged him until her breathing steadied and held him a bit longer for Nadia too. “–Yeah,” she murmured softly. “Call her. As for how much there was– I don’t know.” The woman pulled back, hands dropping to her sides. “We were supposed to.. Do the.. Later.” Clearing her throat, she wanted to lift her gaze and look at him but couldn’t. “I don’t know what  what to– I don’t know what needs to be done, what can be done.” Her frown deepened as she admitted in defeat. “How are things back there?”

“I-I’m still a little shaken up but okay. I mean we’re all still here.” He nodded and managed a soft smile as he looked at her. “I mean all we can do is tell the police what happened and as far as the money, I mean if we need to, we can always raise money some how. I mean the internet is amazing. We can make it happen.” He glanced behind him and shrugged. “They’re okay. One guy didn’t even know anything happened so,” he laughed softly and reached out to squeeze her hand slightly. “We’ll figure it out,” he reassured her before sliding his arm around her shoulders, glancing at her neck for a second. “Shit,” he said softly and reached up to touch her skin but decided against it and dropped his hand. “That fucking asshole left some marks. I’m so sorry, if I hadn’t ripped the bag,” he sighed and shook his head. But his apology was interrupted by the sound of police sirens and their lights shining into the grille. “Okay,” he said with a long breath and pressed a kiss to Lila’s temple before they started moving towards the door. “Just remember, we’re gonna get through this,” he reassured her, trying to muster the courage he felt he should have before following Lila to meet the cops at the door.

          There were questions, plenty of questions swirling around in her mind, but she couldn’t find the right words to utter them. She only took a quick look at her father before closing the door behind her and letting Ezra lead her out of the parking lot and wherever he wanted to go. It wasn’t uncommon for Lola to follow him blindly, she had arrived at that motel completely alone and found one of the best friends she had made in years and God knew when she was leaving that motel, so she definitely intended to keep him close. She sat down next to him and listened to him intently, part of her still wondering whether or not she was dreaming about it all. “I—- I’m sorry, E.” Lola sighed and put one hand over his knee, squeezing it tightly. “It’s going to go away,” she shook her head, “I mean, we can hope for that. I’m going to say the lamest thing in the entire world that is I’m glad nothing serious happened, because you’re here and alive. Is– did everyone make it out? Is everyone physically fine?”

He leaned into her slightly as he sighed. “Everyone is fine. They left after we gave them the money. They bruised Lila a bit though. One guy grabbed her neck, that motherfucker.” He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “I just can’t shake this feeling that something is still wrong. I mean I’m okay. Everyone is okay. Physically at least. But that’s the kind of shit you never imagine is gonna happen to you, you know?” He blew some smoke in the air and closed his eyes. “It was fucking wild, Lo, so wild.” He cleared his throat and turned to look at her for a moment before leaning his head on her shoulder. “Please tell me your night was better than mine.”

“ — I’m pretty s-sure I have rights! Haven’t you ever, like, read the Constitution? ‘Thou shalt not be a pussy and ruin people’s nights!’” Monika’s voice slurred as she called out after the uniformed officer who had deposited her in the holding cell. He was shaking his head, a muted laugh spilling from his mouth. What was so goddamned funny? One of his friends in uniform had picked her up outside of the The Mirage, yelling obscenities at the security escorts that had removed her from the casino — for what? She couldn’t remember what she had done that was so awful to warrant this kind of treatment.  “My sister is a lawyer! Hey, crew cut! Don’t ignore me. Don’t I get a phone call? I’m an American. I have rights. Respect my amendments.” 

The officer didn’t seem to care what she was saying, no matter how loudly she shouted. Grumbling with defeat, Monika moved to sit and narrowly missed the bench lining the interior of what the officers called the Las Vegas Police Department’s “sobering up center,” which was in reality a large cell at the back of the precinct. She succumbed to the brutal combination of gravity and her own loss of depth perception, sliding down to the floor. Her stomach lurched and she pressed her lips together, willing it to calm down. She didn’t need to be tossing her cookies here, not that the drunkards around her would mind. They all seem unfazed by her presence, some of them sleeping off their own wild night out. Closing her eyes, she tried her best to shut everything out and focus on her thoughts, but a voice nearby forced her attention elsewhere.

Ezra couldn’t stop playing the night over and over again in his head. He kept seeing the mans eyes staring at him, kept seeing the gun waved in his face. There was a part of him that still felt like it as too good to be true. You heard so many stories and yet their had been what he could only think was a good ending. He was grateful for Lila’s bravery which had led him to be able to keep his cool throughout the entire ordeal. Or as much of it as he could have in that moment. He was grateful that the first thing he was able to do after the cops arrived was hug his mother and let her know that he was okay. He had texted Lola back on the way to the station but had gotten no reply and was contemplating whether or not to text Charlie. He knew she would hear about it and he knew she would be worried but he didn’t know if he wanted to be the one to break the news to her. 

He had just started to type out of a message when he heard someone screaming from the cell behind him. He managed a laugh at the woman’s words once she heard them and looked around to see the officers faces. He turned around and looked at her, wondering if her night had been worse than his. “Do you want me to call someone?” He found himself saying, unsure if this woman had actually done something wrong or if she was just taken advantage of for being drunk. “Hey, do you hear me? Should I call someone for you?”

          She was sleeping. It had been a long and tiring day starting from the animals and ending with her father in jail for disturbing the peace after drinking too much. She had wanted to go directly to Ezra, but couldn’t get a hold of him when she got back in the motel and ended up falling asleep after taking care of her father and swearing to herself that she would only rest her head for five minutes. Lola definitely did not expect to wake up with the sound of knuckles against the wooden door and rubbed her eyes to try and stay awake, she yawned, shaking her head and walking to the door before finally opening it. The mere fact that Ezra was there was enough for her disorientation to go away, and a state of alert invaded her senses. “Uh— I am sorry, some guys what?” She asked again, trying to discover if she had heard things right. “Some guys robbed the diner? How— when— why?”

“Yeah,” he replied and let out a long breath as he played the whole night back in his head. “Some guys came in with their faces covered and with guns. Demanded all the cash from the register. So that’s what Lila and I did, we gave them the money.” He knew it was the right choice and that it could have been so much worse but he couldn’t help but feel like something had still gone wrong. “I’m sorry I-I didn’t know who else to wake up and I just, can you come outside for a little bit, please?” He knew she was going to say yes but he stil had to ask. It was weird for him to actually have someone around his age to go to, someone who he felt like he could trust. He had never really had that ever before. He waited for her to check on her dad before she followed him and he led her off to the side of the hotel and found a place for them to sit. “I still can’t believe it happened I,” he sighed as he slid his pen out of his pocket and took a long drag. “It was so fucking scary, Lola,” he sighed out and wiped his hand over his face. “I-I don’t know if I’m ever going to get that dudes eyes out of my head. Like ever.”

Charlie had to think about his question for a minute. In her trunk she had a bunch of pictures of both her grandparents. She knew she had to spend an afternoon going through it all. Tapping her chin, she shrugged once. “I think so, but let me get back to you on that. It would be really nice if you could do something like that. Maybe I’ll try to convince Jimmy to hang it in the front office. It’s where he’d always be.” A soft smile graced her lips as she thought about him behind the desk checking guests in. She spent many afternoons under the desk with a steady stream of sweets from her favorite man in the whole world. “Yeah, I know. I just want him to relax. He deserves it. The motel is still standing. And even if something bad happens, we can rebuild. No big deal.”

She allowed Ezra to take the lead. It was nice to just let go sometimes. In her business life, she always had to be the type of the game. She was young with far too much money and far too many properties. She had a degree and knew what she was talking about, but being a woman didn’t make things easier. Allowing Ezra to take the lead made her feel safe. She sighed softly as she laid herself out on the bed and stared up at him. She allowed him to move her and gave in when he kissed her deeply. Her body was in full relaxation mode, reacting to his every touch and demand. “Yes, sir.” She grinned as she gave him a tiny salute. 

As she moved to readjust herself over him, her cell phone began to ring. It was loud and obnoxious. She felt her jaw and shoulders tighten each time it went off. She wanted to ignore it, to just climb up and on top Ezra’s face, but she couldn’t. Real life crashed into her room like one of the wild animals circling the property. She stretched out to grab the ringing phone and brought it to her ear. “Hello.” She held up a finger to Ezra as she looked down at him and listened to the voice on the line. “Excuse me.” Her back straightened up as she listened. “What the hell do you mean you can’t get here for another five hours? There are wild animals roaming my property.” 

Ezra’s mind was already on how satisfied he was about to leave her when he heard her phone. He wanted to tell her to ignore it but he knew that it was just wishful thinking. He sat up and sat back against her headboard as he listened to the conversation, immediately reaching for her hand when he saw her straighten up. He already knew this wasn’t good news and that their afternoon wasn’t going to turn out how they wanted. He moved out from under her while she stayed on the phone and started to get dressed. When she finished on the phone, he sat next to her again, his hands sliding into hers. “Hey, how about this? I’ll get some of the guys from the grille, Lola too cause she loves adventures and we’ll round up the animals ourselves. They’re not really violent and we just need a place for them to chill before animal control comes. Come on, there’s enough of us that we’ll be able to contain them.”

He leaned forward to kiss her cheeks, hands sliding up her back to massage her shoulders. “It’ll be okay, babygirl,” he reassured her, knowing that despite how relaxed she tried to come off before, she had the tendency to put a lot of pressure on herself. “Tell me what I can do and I’ll do it.” He smiled softly and dropped a kiss on her shoulder. “I still have twenty five minutes until work.”

Lila’s feet moved in sync with Ezra's—she was relieved he understood the gravity of the situation and wasn’t trying anything. Fear drove some people, after all. He was also Nadia’s son and for all Lila knew impulsiveness ran in the family. The fact Ezra was behaving didn’t set her mind at ease as much as she’d like to.

Someone who knew the space around the register like the palm of her hand didn’t have to look to know what Ezra was doing—reaching under the counter for the paper bag because that’s where they usually kept them, the signature sound register made, she was aware of it all. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the other one was dragging his feet around her precious diner, knocking chairs and what-not—clearly trying to frighten the guests. They, however, remained sitting, fear written all over their features.

Let him go? What did he mean by that? The woman got her answer when her hand was suddenly empty. She clenched her fists– digging nails into her palm. Her eyes followed Ezra. It is almost over, it is almost over.

–Lila tried to convince herself but life knocked her down once more— the gun was getting dangerously near Ezra and Lila leapt forward. She didn’t get far, however, seeing that the other one appeared behind her—strong fingers around her neck, holding her in place, constricting—just because they could. “Easy there, babe.“ Lila felt as she was about to throw up, her body frozen. It must’ve been only a few short moments before he released her but it felt like forever. It seemed as if no one in the diner dared to breathe, fearing they might do something to provoke them and prolong the nightmare. When the door closed, Lila gasped for air, counting to five before rushing to lock the door. “Ezra, call the police.“ She instructed, running over to tend the guests, feeling obligated to make sure they were all fine.

Ezra finally let out a breath when he saw them walking towards his car and Lila had locked the door. It took him a second to register her words before shaky hands were reaching into his jeans to pull out his phone. “O-okay,” he said, dialing 911 quickly as he looked around. “Yes, hello, um, I’d like to report a robbery at the Shooting Star Grille. T-two men just came in with guns and cleaned out our register.” He nodded as the woman on the other line said they’d send over officers right away. When he hung up the phone, he walked over to Lila and wrapped his arms around her without a word, holding her close for a second as he tried to ease his heart rate. 

“We’re okay,” he said softly and hugged her a little tighter, afraid that if he let go that they’d somehow be in danger again. After a long moment he finally took a step back, dropping his hands to rest on her arms. “Th-the police will be here soon. I um, do we know how much was in the register?” He looked around the restaurant again and looked back at her. “I’ll check on everyone in the back and um, call my mom to let her know what happened and that I’m okay. Just...just tell me what you need me to do okay?” 

He leaned forward to kiss her forehead before he walked to the back to check on the cooks and the dishwashers. When everyone was accounted for, and he had called Nadia, he made his way back to the front just as the cops were arriving. He looked at the parking lot, hesitating before he unlocked the door and let the officers in, turning to call out for Lila so they could tell them what happened. 

Lila kept her stern gaze on the intruders, wide and cautious eyes following their every move. Her iron grasp held Ezra’s wrist—as the woman was afraid what might happen if she let go of him. In a way, she felt responsible for the young man—as his superior, as his mother’s best friend, as his friend. Ezra needed to get to safety, to Nadia as soon as possible.  Getting him and other guests out of there was her top priority. As expected, they wanted money—if she did as told no one would get hurt. Despite the fact she didn’t trust them (not while held at gunpoint), she would obey. Ezra’s quiet voice reached her and she somehow managed to register it. Turning her head only slightly to him, she murmured: “You need to stay back and-”

“No, no.“ One of them spoke up, wearing a smug grin—one that Lila wanted to wipe off with one great swing of her fist. No– she had to keep a cool head and–  “Let the kid grab the cash,“ He must’ve read on her face how important it was to her to protect Ezra. No way in hell was Lila letting Ezra get exposed and away from her.  However, if she didn’t do as instructed, the consequences could be fatal.  For everyone. Eventually, a small nod was sent Ezra’s way—he could go, but she was going with him, as his human shield.

Ezra squeezed her hand a little tighter as one of the gunmen spoke up. He took a deep breath, not wanting to falter too much in his movements. The faster they gave them the cash, the faster the men were gone and they could immediately call the police. But still, he waited for her nod and when he got it, he moved to pull away from her, only to find Lila still holding onto him tightly. She he moved with her, letting her keep her eyes on the door as he kept his on the register. He grabbed a paper back they used for take out orders and opened it up before opening the register. It took him a second to remember how before it was popping open. 

He didn’t notice his hands were shaking until he started to grab the money, struggling to stuff it in the bag. He took another breath, flinching when one of the robbers stepped closer to him. “Hurry up, kid.” He nodded and grabbed the rest as quickly as he could, stuffing it in the now slightly ripped bag before he looked up. When he met eyes with the guy who had gotten closer, he was sure he had never felt that type of fear in his life. “Let me go, Lila,” he said and took her hand, “I’m just going to give him the bag.” His voice was soft and he pulled her arm off of his. He moved around her and walked towards the guy closest to him, his hands shaking as he held up the bag. “H-here you go.” He kept his eyes on him, reminding himself that the only way to get back to his mom was to be a man about it. He couldn’t let them see how scared he was. 

But he flinched again as the guy reached for the bag and laughed, pulling it from his hand in a way that ripped the bag a little more, a few bills falling to the ground. “Pick that up!” Ezra jumped when the man yelled at him and he looked from him to the floor, a little frozen until he saw the gun moving closer to him. He crouched down and picked up the money, handing it to him before he quickly took a few steps back and stood next to Lila. He reached for her hand again, mostly to remind himself that she was there, his eyes still staring at the door, holding his breath until he saw them completely walk out.