He looks at it. “Take what?”
“The imaginary scissors to cut the imaginary cord you still try to hold.”
Momma Joe laughs, and so do Kiki and Max.
The ride to the airport was almost silent.
Leaving for college was a big deal, but I always knew I could see any of them at a moment’s notice. That won’t be the case now.
My favorite movie of all time is The Wizard of Oz. When I met Dad for the first time, I felt like Dorthey walking into Emerald City. He filled the entire city and a part of my heart that had always been empty. Then the rest of them filled it even more.
Standing before the entrance to the airport security check in, I put on a brave face.
As I hug Momma Joe, she whispers, “Be bold but careful. And call me anytime.”
“I love you.” I hug her extra tightly.
Carly is next. “We’re so proud of you.”
“I know.” I hug her. “Love you Momma C.”
Next, I hug Max, the lion to my Dorothy. “Don’t you ever forget you’re as strong as all the other Steel crew. Be courageous.”
“Pft, I know that,” he replies as he hugs me tighter.
Kiki is next. “Stow the badass once in a while, Kiki, and let people see your heart.”
“They have to earn that,” she whispers.
I hug her tighter. “I love you, Katherine.”
A tear slides down my face as I look at Dad. “I think I’m going to miss you most of all.” Scarecrow, I think.
“Don’t go.” His eyes widen, and I see unshed tears in his them.
I hug him tightly. “Don’t ask me to stay when you taught me to fly.”
Walking outside of Miami International Airport, the humidity hits me like a hot damp cloth. I smile when I see the palm trees, snap a picture, and send it to the family group chat. After shoving my phone in my crossbody purse, I look around and see a woman in short shorts, a black tank top, and blue hair. Colorful tattoo sleeves cover her toned arms. She’s smoking a cigarette and leaning against a white SUV. She flicks it and holds out the sign under her arm that says, I. Steel
Smiling, I hurry toward her. “I’m she.”
She looks me up and down and busts up laughing. “You have got to be kidding me. Those assholes are going to eat your Barbie ass up.”
It pisses me off, but I’m not here to make enemies. As a matter of fact, I’m not here to make friends either. But I will play the game. “They may try, but they won’t succeed.”
She pushes off the vehicle and blows a puff of smoke in my face. “You wanna bet?”
I ask, “You wanna lose?”
She shakes her head in sarcastic disbelief and moves away from the passenger door. “Get in. We’ve only got a few hours before we try to salvage this week’s shitshow.”
I open the back and load my things in, while she sits in the driver’s side, impatiently waiting. Well, fuck her. She could have helped.
I climb in. Before I’m even buckled, she peels out and away from the curb.
Once I’m buckled, I turn to her. “So?”
She turns up the radio then pulls a file from between the seat and console, tossing it at me and yelling over the heavy metal music, “Here’s the crew.”
The first page shows the details of the show that I’ve already looked up on the website.
Then there is the itinerary. Miami; Las Vegas; Richmond, Virginia; Flint, Michigan; Portland; Austin, Texas; San Francisco; Honolulu, Hawaii; Kansas City, Missouri; Los Angeles; and then to Philadelphia. Eleven stops, two studios in each city, one week at each with appropriate travel time in-between each, as well as time off for the holidays. The earlier stops are hotels. The latter is a mix of homes and hotels.
I open the file and flip through the pages. At the top is a name, and below is information about them.
One by one, I look at their names.
Maze
Grimm
Tags
Axel
Blade
Ranger
Darby
Breaker
Dagger
Neo
“Is this for real?” I laugh.
She pretends she doesn’t hear me, and it pisses me off.
I reach up and turn off the stereo. “You don’t have to like me, but would it hurt you to answer some fucking questions?”
I see her roll her eyes behind her shades. “First, we aren’t friends. You and I, we’re rivals, just like they are. They’re going up against each other for one hundred Gs, and we’re going up against each other for five an episode. One of ours wins, so do we.”
“Wasn’t aware of that, but I’m good with a paycheck.”
“I bet you are, Barbie.” She reaches up and turns the stereo back on.
I turn it off. “Listen, Lilith, I’m ten days behind you; you wanna win fair and square, give me more information.”
“I don’t give a damn how I win.” She laughs. “You’ll be introduced to them all at dinner, just like I was.”
This bitch hasn’t a clue that I’m not easily intimidated. Hell, I’ve dealt with Kat most of my life. This one’s a cupcake in comparison.
Ten
Ditch and Dine
Bella
When we pull up in front of a beachside motel that looks like it hasn’t been renovated in the past two decades, I flip open the folder.
“You sure we’re at the right place?” I ask my happy hostess when she kills the engine.
“The guys got us kicked out of the five star two days ago.” She opens the door and gets out, and I follow suit. She doesn’t move to help me unload my belongings; just lights a cigarette and leans against the driver’s side.
I stack everything perfectly on top of my rolling case and begin to head toward the entrance, leaving Smokey the Bitch to finish her cigarette and secretly hoping she chokes on it. Then I look back when I hear the vehicle start.
She rolls down the passenger window and flips me off. “Good luck getting a cab to the hotel at this hour.” She peels out.
I stand there, hands full and pissed off.
I pull my phone out and look at the email. Sweating balls, I hit Google and find the hotel fifteen blocks away. Then I hit Uber.
Forty minutes later, sweat-drenched, I walk into the Sand Beach Resort. Beyond the fountain and behind a wall of glass, I spot Bitchzilla and a bunch of inked men sitting at the hotel bar.
I drop my bags at the desk, and a woman looks me over, scrunching her nose up a little. “Can I help you?”
“Isabella Steel, and I’ll be right back for my room key. Hold my bags please.”
I stomp through the lobby, fuming, through the opening in the glass wall and straight up to her. I tap her on the shoulder, and she whips around.
She immediately laughs in my face until I step into her space.
“You better check yourself, Barbie.”
I look up as I close the gap between us, my tits pressing against hers. “You just fucked up with me.”
She steps forward. I hold my stance. “You best—”
“You think you, your bad attitude, and bad dye job intimidate me? You’re fucking wrong. I’m a grown-ass woman, not some little bitch you can bully on the playground because your daddy didn’t pay enough attention to you. You’ve been warned.”