Lola on Fire: a Novel by Rio Youers

Author:Rio Youers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2021-02-16T00:00:00+00:00

Before

AKA Jennifer Ames/Margaret Ward

(2010–2019)

Jennifer Ames had lived for two years, seven months.

She was a librarian in Little Rock, Arkansas. She had shorter, darker hair than Lola Bear, and was about fifteen pounds heavier. She wore different clothes, too. Frumpy sweaters and leggings, and cheap jewelry from Banana Republic.

This invention of Lola’s—this middle-American calendar girl—had been at the range, and had noticed some jackass checking her out. Because of her shooting, or because he wanted to jump her bones. Lola didn’t know. But there was another possibility. Maybe he recognized her. Lola subtly pointed him out to Arlen Stoat, whom she’d known since arriving in Little Rock. “Steer clear, Jen,” Arlen warned her. “Jason Kazarian. Fancies himself a gangsta. You know, with an a. Sells shooters to street kids in Memphis.” Lola remembered that Jimmy Latzo had associates in Memphis. He was part-owner of a restaurant on Beale Street. He’d likely circulated her photograph among the criminal element. Alarm bells chimed loudly. Lola spent the next week in a state of hypervigilance—making note of suspicious persons and vehicles with out-of-state plates, and checking the backseat of her car before getting in—and just when she began to believe that she was being paranoid, Bruno Rossi came to town.

Karl had warned her about Bruno in their final communication. “Jimmy’s new guy,” he’d said. “Fucking man-ape.” A brief but fair description. Bruno was big—six-four, packed with gym muscle that would slow him down and expose weaknesses. Lola didn’t want a fistfight, though. One bullet to center mass would do it.

She had led Bruno to a quiet industrial street in East Little Rock, with enough distance between them that she could park up and quickly hide behind a storage crate. He’d just exited his car when Lola jumped out, leveled her Baby Eagle, and took the shot. Bruno staggered back several feet and hit the blacktop. He shrieked, clutching his midsection, or so Lola thought. In fact, he was removing his .45 from where it was secured between his jacket and ballistic vest. As Lola approached to finish the job, he sat up and fired five times at her legs (he didn’t want to kill her—oh no, that was Jimmy’s privilege). Lola anticipated the move. She rolled to her right, feeling the rounds cut through the air only inches away. In a previous life, she would have completed the move by popping to one knee, aiming on instinct, and blowing a hole through Bruno’s skull. In this life, she lacked that Jedi-like prowess. She did pop to one knee, but overbalanced, staggered, and had to plant one hand to steady herself. Another bullet rippled the air—Bruno firing behind him as he took up a better position. He got behind his car and kept low. He’d moved slowly, though. The ballistic vest had saved his life, but the impact of a 9mm round would have bruised or broken several ribs. Coupled with the fact that he couldn’t kill Lola, this gave her a distinct advantage.

She zigzagged toward his car, giving him nothing to aim at, then slid across the hood in one slick movement.

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