"Who's askin'?" Phil said. We turned to see a man about average height with a leather jacket draped over his shoulders. I coveted that leather jacket; it was pure, jet black. How he wasn't baking alive in it, though, was a mystery. The man had a cigarette in his mouth and he took it out to speak. 

"You're those guys from AC/DC," he said, looking Phil and Angus over. He was taller than both of them with what seemed to be a permanent sneer on his face. "I hear you guys on the radio sometimes." He dropped his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it. "I'm not a fan."

Ignoring the slight, Angus spoke up. "You've heard of us, do ya' know about Bon?" he asked. "Where he is, or..."

"You lose him or something?" the man asked. "Heard that one's a bit of a wild card."

"That's besides the point," Angus said. I took a step back as he took a step forward. "If ya' haven't heard where he might have been there's no use shootin' shit." Where had this man come from? As we were leaving the pub I could have sworn I saw a man in a leather jacket sitting at the counter...could this be the same guy? Had he overheard our predicament? I wasn't sure I wanted to accept his help, if he offered any at all. 

"Easy, mates, I'm only making conversation," he said, as if we had been the ones to creep him out. "I haven't seen your drunk friend." My fists balled up. Not like I had any real power to use them if I wanted but digging my nails into my palms kept me grounded in reality. Who did this man think he was being so rude? 

"Right then, we're leavin'." Angus took my hand in his and led me away from the man. Phil walked beside us, all of us doing our best to avoid any trouble. 

"You know your band's gonna tank someday!" the man yelled behind us. I could hear his footsteps following us. Hearing footsteps behind me brought out a primal fear in me. I squeezed Angus' hand ever so slightly and he squeezed it back, not turning around. "That singer's gonna get himself into trouble!"

"Hey, mate, can ya' shut the fuck up?" Phil asked calmly but I could tell he was anything but calm. "Go back to the rubbish heap ya' crawled out of." 

The man didn't take Phil's advice and he kept following us. Even without his jeering and yelling it was still frightening to be followed by such a creep. If I hadn't been sweating before I sure was now. "Probably got himself drugged up," the man said, musing to himself. "Ditched your band for some booze."

"Hey, ya' don't know the man personally so I'd watch your mouth if I were you," Phil said. "That ought to get you in trouble someday."

"What, you gonna do something about it?" the man asked. We headed toward a busier side of town where there would be witnesses if this guy pulled something. But of course, most people were either at church or relaxing at home. They didn't want to spend their Sunday ridding the streets of pond scum. "I'm talking to you!"

"Don't look back," Angus whispered to me. "He's not worth your time." I wasn't tempted to look back but I could tell Angus was. Perhaps he was talking more to himself than to me. 

"You're has beens," the man continued. I really wanted to sock him one but I knew my hand would take more of the beating than his nose. I was pretty sure Phil broke his hand in a similar fashion. "Hear me? Your band is trash!"

"That's fine, mate," Phil said, urging us to pick up the pace. "We'll get out of your way then." Something flew by us and clanked to the ground, rolling across the sidewalk. It was an empty can. Fighting the urge to turn around, I got more than a bit scared and pissed off as more things went flying over us or very near us from all the garbage bins on the street. Not only was this guy making a huge mess of trash, he was crossing the line. Phil and Angus were only willing to take so much. 

"Why won't that one say anything?" the man yelled. I didn't want to check if he was talking about Angus or me. "Scared?"

"Fuck off," Angus said but the man wouldn't. I felt him tap my shoulder, trying to get my attention. I wanted so badly to swat his hand away but that was probably what he wanted. He wanted our attention, he wanted to pick a fight. "Don't touch her."

"You won't talk to me, girlie?" he asked, walking quicker to keep up with us. He now walked beside us on my side and he kept trying to touch my hair. Since shrinking and pulling myself away from him didn't work, and he didn't like being ignored, I gave him exactly what he wanted. 

Coming to a stop, waiting for him to stop as well, I reached my hand up and struck him as hard as I could across his face. 

He stumbled backward a bit, clutching his cheek. Knowing a punch would have hurt me, I slapped him instead, but that wouldn't do as much damage. Rage pounded inside me, my adrenaline high. Angus and Phil stopped as well, watching the show unfold. The man rubbed his jaw, hopefully feeling the sting. "Your whore can't take a joke, or what?"

I had it. I'd had it with disgusting creeps bothering me, bothering women everywhere. This man had exactly what was coming to him. 

Before I could think of another way to defend myself, Angus tackled the man to the ground. I ran to help him but Phil held me back, much like when Malcolm got in a fight back at the hotel. Phil must have known Angus and Malcolm could hold their own in a fight. Angus' water bottle took off, disappearing underneath a car. 

I watched in amazement. I'd never seen Angus so feral. It was awfully attractive...

Angus threw a few good swings and I could see the man's nose starting to bleed. Phil let me go, keeping a close eye on them in case it got worse. Angus broke free from the man's grip and left him lying on the ground. He checked himself for any cuts and bruises and saw a couple on his arms, one small scratch on his cheek. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Are you?" he asked, holding a hand to his nose and looking satisfied when he felt nothing. 

"What'd I say about keepin' your mouth shut?" Phil asked, waiting for his turn in the ring. Wiping the blood off on his leather jacket that I no longer wanted anything to do with, the man stood up and backed away from us. 

"You're corporate sellouts!" he yelled, having no clue what he was talking about. "Your music is shit, and every last one of you is shit!"

"If ya' want trouble, ya' fuckin' got it," Angus said, taking my hand again. My palm stung a little from slapping the guy and I almost wish it hurt twice as hard. He deserved to get slapped into next week. 

"Bon's a lousy cunt!" he yelled as we walked away. Rage started building again but I kept going. "You pricks are all cunts!"

"That's the pot callin' the kettle black," Phil muttered as we finally started gaining distance from the guy. The streets were still littered with trash and if I hadn't been in such a hurry to get to safety I would have cleaned it up. "Pissed he lost a fight, now he's throwin' a fit."

"Take your bitch and fuck her like you fuck all the girls!" His voice echoed down the street and I figured he must look pretty stupid right about now. "Don't leave any for the rest of us, you just fuck them all, don't you? All you big shot rockers are the same!"

"His mum must be proud," Phil said. "Her coked up son gettin' beat up after runnin' his mouth."

"I'd like him to say that shit to Bon's face," Angus said. Phil laughed a little.

"Bon doesn't like fights," Phil said. "I don't know how quick he'd snap after gettin' heckled like that." Angus turned to look at me.

"I'm surprised you reacted so quick," he said. "He shouldn't have been puttin' his fuckin' hands on ya'."

"He deserved it," I muttered, still feeling his fingerprints on me. I would need the longest shower in history tonight. Angus smiled and looked at me with something akin to pride. 

"He certainly did," he said. "Ya' did good, ya' know." 

I beamed. 

**********

There was nothing on the outside of the building that could have given away where we were. On the inside, however, with its bountiful doors covering the walls and an upstairs area with even more rooms, anyone with a brain could see we were in a brothel. If the nicely dressed women walking around hadn't given it away, the rough sex bleeding through the door in one of the rooms certainly did.

Personally, I was horrified.

"We'd like to speak to some of the ladies who work here," Phil said. Angus and I stood beside him as the woman in the glasses looked us over. 

"All three of you?" she asked suspiciously. 

"It's kind of urgent, ya' know," Angus said. The woman looked over a time sheet and scanned it over with her pencil. 

"I've got Stacy available," she said. "How long are you planning on staying?" She began to scribble on the sheet. Phil took us aside and lowered his voice.

"Ever hear Bon mention a Stacy?" he asked. I shrugged and Angus sighed in thought. 

"I dunno, maybe," he said. "I've heard so many names floatin' around I've probably missed a few." Phil rolled his sleeves up since the building was quite toasty. Phil finished his water a while ago and Ang's had vanished in the fight. I still had mine and took a quick drink, hoping I wouldn't need to use the bathrooms in this building. "Couldn't hurt to ask."

Phil stepped up to the woman. "Just a few minutes," he said. "If she doesn't mind."

The woman looked up and down at Phil and Angus with approval. "I think she can spare a few minutes with you two gentlemen," she smiled. Then she looked at me. And she didn't say anything. I pouted. "I'll call her down, you wait right there."

The woman grabbed a telephone off her desk and dialed a number. Us three stood aside and waited for Stacy to come down. Phil had the idea to search any local brothels to see if Bon had either paid a visit or if any of the women had a clue where he was. 

"Stacy? I've got three visitors here who'd like to see you," the woman said. "Yes, two men and one sheila...they just want a few minutes with you....alright, see you in a bit." She hung up and gestured up the stairs. "She'll be down."

"Thanks," Phil said. I looked around the walls of the building, curious about what the inside of a brothel looked like. It was well put together with floral wallpaper and a couch in the waiting area. There was a lamp on a wooden side table with a shade to match the wallpaper. There were some mirrors on the wall with a few quaint paintings. I admired them while Phil and Angus talked to themselves. 

Soon enough a woman with auburn hair came sauntering down the stairs in a satin robe and lace negligee. After forgetting about the jerk's leather jacket I started coveting her ensemble instead. I really should have dressed in something more fabulous. She stood in front of us, her hair in waves that cascaded over her shoulders. Her arms were akimbo and she exuded confidence. "How can I help you?" she smiled. 

"Maybe we could talk over here," Angus said, motioning to the couch. 

"Or we could talk upstairs," she smiled, looking at him with bedroom eyes. I felt another pout coming on and more than a twinge of jealousy. Her eyes went back and forth between Phil and Angus and she seemed to forget about the sheila in the room. "I don't mind either way."

"Upstairs is fine," Phil said and she led the way. 

"Have fun," the woman at the desk said. We followed Stacy up the stairs to a little room off to the side. Most of the doors up here were open, unlike downstairs. It was quieter too. We stepped inside a neat little room and Stacy closed the door after us, sitting down on the bed.

"Now what can I help you two with?" she asked. Two??? All THREE of us remained standing. 

"I know this might sound a little....unusual," Angus said. 

"I've heard it all, cutie," she said and Angus turned pink. Okay, Missy, back up.... "Now what's your pleasure?"

"Have ya' heard of a man named Bon Scott?" Angus asked. "In a band around here?"

"Of course I've heard of him, we all have," Stacy glowed. "We play his music sometimes on the radio. He sounds like a fun guy. With that voice of his?" She gestured to the bed. "Would you care to sit down?"

"No thanks, we won't be long," Angus said and I smiled smugly to myself. Phil, however, took a seat and she smiled approvingly. 

"Well, hello, there," she said, giving him a pat on the leg. I remained unnoticed. "So about this Bon..."

"Uh, yeah," Angus said, clearing his throat nervously. If I hadn't been seething in petty jealousy I would have thought his shyness the cutest thing ever. "We were wonderin' if ya' ever spoke to him. If he's ever...been here."

"Unfortunately, no," she said. "The workers here would have been talking about it for weeks if he dropped by. We all dream of it, though." Phil and Angus sighed. Another dead end. "You two happen to know him? Friend of yours?"

"We're in the band," Phil said. "Drums an' guitar." Stacy's face lit up. 

"You're kidding!" she said. "Oh, isn't this just the best! The others will never believe I had you two in my room!" I thought about leaving and waiting downstairs but I worried I might have been waiting a while. "Are you really from AC/DC?"

"Yes, ma'am," Angus said. Stacy stood from the bed and grabbed a pen from a drawer.

"You have to sign something for me," she said. "They'll never believe me if you don't."

Angus and Phil finally remembered to spare a glance my way. I held my hands up. I wasn't the one she was after. "What do ya' want us to sign?" Phil asked. 

Stacy pushed aside the hem of her negligee and placed one foot on the bed, exposing her bare thigh. She pointed on the inside, right on a particularly fleshy spot. "Right here, if you will, darling," she said. 

Phil took the pen and scribbled his name, one hand on her knee. She flashed a grin back at Angus, still ignoring me. Was I fading out of existence? Was it like Back to the Future where Marty McFly started to disappear? Could Stacy just not see me? Was I invisible only to her? Phil handed the pen off to Angus.

"Your turn, sweetheart," she cooed at him. I rolled my eyes. Angus signed his name, taking extra care to make his handwriting neat and tidy and handed Stacy the pen. "Thank you kindly."

"I think we've taken up enough of your time, then," Angus said, meeting Phil and I at the door. "Pleasure to meet ya'."

"The pleasure was all mine," Stacy said. "You know, I don't have anyone coming to see me for a while....you don't have to go just yet." Her leg was still propped up on the bed, the men's signatures on full display. "It's not every day I'm visited by members of a famous band." 

"Nah, we really ought to get goin'," Angus said. Ha! "We appreciate your help. Sorry to bother ya'."

"Come back anytime," Stacy called after them, finally putting her leg down. "I'm always in the area, any time you need a little company." She blew them a kiss and closed the door after us. I huffed and hurried back down the stairs, leaving the love struck men in my dust. 

The woman saw us coming back and I didn't stop to say hello. "Everything go alright?" she asked and I left the Phil and Angus to answer her. Taking a breath of fresh air, I waited by the run down walls of the building and took another drink of water. 

Angus came out first, Phil still inside. He noticed my grumpy attitude. "Somethin' wrong?" he asked.

"Not at all," I muttered. "I love being ignored." Angus stood by me and wrapped an arm around me.

"Don't take it personally, love," he said. "She didn't mean ya' any harm." Oh yeah? It was like she somehow knew about my crush on Angus and wanted to make me squirm. "Think she might have been comin' on to Phil more than me, if that makes ya' feel better."

"Oh, please, she was practically taking your shirt off!" I said and Angus burst out laughing. "Puh-lease, Angus Young...."

"Ya' jealous or somethin'?" Angus asked. "Did her attention get a rise out of ya'?"

I scoffed. "Of course not."

"Uh huh, you're jealous," Angus teased. 

"Am not!" I said, stamping my foot like a child. Angus put on the cutest smug face he could muster and I burned hot. "You're dreaming."

"Whatever ya' say, love," Angus said as Phil came out. "We'll keep it between us," he whispered. I opened my mouth to retort but Phil spoke up instead. 

"Not here either," he said. "I don't think it'll do much good to try every pub an' ranch in the entire city an' the locals have never met him."

"So we jus' head back to Sydney?" Angus asked. "Bet Mal an' Cliff are gettin' anxious, an' I am too."

"Might as well," Phil said, already walking. "I asked the woman inside if she remembered anyone comin' in that fit Bon's description an' she hasn't."

"Thought ya' might have been makin' an appointment," Angus said and Phil snickered. 

"Maybe I was," he said. "Guess we go back an' tell the guys the bad news."

Angus sighed and took my hand again as we followed him. "Bon, oh, Bon, where hast thou gone..."