Themis mentally noted Eunice had cigarettes, before turning to Tracey. She was short and wide, thicker mostly around the thighs and the chest. She was dressed in a professional skirt suit, and was bancing on a pair of heels that made her stand almost as tall as Themis, though stilts would be a more accurate descriptor due to their sheer height .

  “You’d do that for me?” Themis asked.

  “Why not? I’m sure you are dying to see the inside, afterall,” Tracey grinned.

  “Huh?” Themis said, before she caught herself. “Ah, yes, of course. I love cars.”

  “I remember,” the business woman said, throwing her half done cigarette to the ground and stomping it out. Rich people shit. “There is only one small problem…”

  “Yeah?”

  “You can’t take this with you,” she said, pointing at Themis’ chest.

  She looked down, suddenly remembering she still held the yoghurt with her. In one breath she shoveled everything inside her mouth and swallowed, the practically unchewed cereal did not go down easy. She threw the empty cup together with the spoon in a trashcan at the side of the apartment building. It couldn’t have taken it more than a minute for her perfect evening to be turned upside down.

  “Impressive,” Tracey noted, getting in her car. “Not even a cough.”

  “Yeah, let’s just say this isn’t my first rodeo.”

  She hopped in the car, as Tracey changed shoes from her heels to a more driving appropriate pair of sneakers. The interior was roomy, as expected from such a massive car, and surprisingly comfortable. The outside screamed ‘military’, function over form. It was a bit scary, if Themis had to be honest. The inside was all fancy leather and schmancy detailing though, closer to a hotel reception than a barrack. She sank in the padded leather seat, taking in the sights. The dashboard looked like a spaceship to her, though that was true for most cars. Nothing could beat the cool simplicity of a bike. Screens were mounted next to the wheel, broadcasting a panoramic view of the car.

  “You swallow things a lot?” Tracey said with a grin, before turning the key to the ignition and making the whole car vibrate. They didn’t call it a Hummer for no reason.

  A blush spread across Themis’ face. ”Just drive, please,” she said, dodging Tracey’s eyes.

  They drove through town quietly, Themis instructing Tracey every couple of turns. Her driving style was surprisingly conservative given her choice of a tank as her personal vehicle, double and triple checking every turn and every traffic light. She did go fast, though. Themis was fine with fast, she was in a rush after all. Plus if they were to crash they’d probably run over whoever was unlucky enough to get on their way and come out unscathed.

  “What’s on your mind?” the older woman asked.

  “This car is crazy,” Themis replied, genuinely impressed by it.

  “The H2 is my personal favourite of mine, I had to pull many strings to get my hands on this one,” Tracey said, slowing down as they approached their destination. With a few minutes to spare, too. “They don’t make them anymore. Though, I’m sure a car aficionado such as yourself would know that.”

  “Yeah, haha,” Themis tried to ugh it off. “A damn shame, if you ask me.”

  “Amen to that.”

  Tracey pulled over, eyeing up and down the abandoned fire department that had been closed as long as Themis could remember. “Are you sure this is the right pce?” she asked, as the taller girl opened the door and jumped to the curb. It wasn’t, of course. But she wasn’t gonna have a stranger drive her to the clubhouse before knowing more about her.

  “It’s close enough,” Themis said. “I can walk a bit, I don’t want to waste your time.”

  “Alright then.”

  “Thank you so much for this, I don’t know how to thank you enough,” Themis said, stretching her arms. The ride had been short and comfortable, yet she still felt drained after it was over.

  “I can think of a few things,” Trace winked at her, before taking off. “I know where you live, remember?”

  Themis remembered. She watched the car drive away, plumes of bck smoke pouring out of its exhaust. It stunk up the air with greenhouse gases. From the outside it looked a lot more like the monster it was. Themis could sleep a little lighter knowing they didn’t make those anymore.

  Tracey being nice was not high on Themis’ list of expectations. Much less the business woman coming onto her. Third girl to throw herself at her that day. So far. Was there something in the water? Her initial idea of Tracey was that of a sociopathic sugar-tongued city slicker, one of the Patrick Bateman types hiding their sickness behind a veneer of expensive clothes and vanity luxuries. Yet she was nice. She had marched into the city ready to manifest her destiny and add a few zeros to her net worth, making daddy proud in the process. So why did Themis like her?

  She pushed the meeting at the back of her mind, running out of space. She wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, there wasn’t that much room to begin with. She had to keep her priorities straight, though. And for the moment, every priority revolved around the club. As soon as she made sure Tracey was gone she turned around and started walking. At the edge of the block, past the derelict fire department and across a four ne street without working traffic lights was the clubhouse, quiet on a weekday with no guests being expected. A full house, though. Nothing good ever came out of one. The closer she got to the meeting, the more anxious she felt. She had stared down gangsters, murderers, rapists, ughing at the whiff of danger. Yet meeting with the women she considered her sisters, including her actual sister, made her sick to her stomach.