Free Marked Clan #2 - Red by Maurice Lawless

John Travolta from Grease . His worn leather jacket was a showcase of rock band patches, and his hair was slicked back and shiny. He spoke like an old-school radio DJ, complete with a gravelly Wolfman Jack tone.
    "Hey there cats and kittens! Are you ready for some derby?"
    The crowd erupted behind me with cheers and whistles. Justin was among them. I looked up at him and saw he was smiling ear-to-ear. This wasn’t just a random idea for a date – he was showing me something he really loved.
    "Tonight we have a hell of a bout between the Rocket City Roller Girls and a new league that’s just cutting their teeth – The Houston Hell Dolls! These girls are looking to come out swinging, so expect some hard hits tonight!"
    The teams gathered in the center of the track and then broke off to line up along a piece of tape on one end. I noted the two girls with stars on their helmets. I looked closer, and noticed that they were actually fabric covers with elastic bands. I asked Justin about it.
    "They call them panties," he said. "Pretty appropriate, I think. They trade off who plays jammer a lot so they make it easier than, say, having separate helmets."
    A projector was set up on the far end of the skate floor with a timer and scoreboard. As soon as the head ref blew the whistle, the time began and the girls pushed off. Within a few seconds, one girl was already on the ground. She dropped to her knee pads and then popped up like she was on springs. The jammer for the Roller Girls was in the lead by the first turn, and she only gained more distance as the rest of the girls made their way around the track.
    She came up on the rear of the pack and her teammates made a hole. She shot through and scored, then made another revolution. The Hell Dolls clustered together and kept her from passing.
    They danced back and forth for almost a whole lap, but she couldn’t find a way through. The jammer tapped both hands twice in a chopping motion against her hips, and the referee blew his whistle. Everyone skated back around to the line and reset.
    "What just happened?" I asked.
    Justin’s eyes never left the game. "The lead jammer can call it off if she’s stuck, or thinks she’s made enough points for that jam. Sometimes they do it to keep the other jammer from getting a chance to score. They all reset and try again."
    The bout went on for two more jams, and then one of the Hell Dolls was pulled out of the game for penalties. Their coach called up another player, and the emcee announced her as "Laurie Loveless."
    She stood up from the bench and skated to her place at the starting line. Her shoulders were covered in sleeves of tattoos, but that wasn’t odd. Most of the girls had at least some ink on them. I’d have to talk to Connor about advertising at these games. Something else nagged in the back of my brain as I watched her.
    The jam was on, and I kept my eyes fixed on the new girl. She kept to the rear of the pack, seemingly biding her time. The jammer for the Roller Girls broke out from the pack again and came around the track. She skated up behind Laurie, and it looked like she would pass her easily on the outside. Just as the jammer pulled up shoulder-to-shoulder with her, Laurie slammed her whole body into the girl and sent her flying out of bounds and onto the floor. The rink went silent for a split-second – just long enough to hear a crack ring out like a gunshot.
    "Jesus," I said under my breath. It came out louder than I intended. Justin watched the jammer’s still form on the skate floor. One of the referees skated over to her. There was a brief exchange I couldn’t hear, and the girl rolled over onto her side. She let out an agonized scream and held her right arm, but got back up and skated toward the track. Her teammates were still engaged with the other team on the track, trying to keep back the Hell Dolls’ jammer. They boxed her in, and she wasn’t able to score before time ran out for the jam.
    The injured girl