His Virgin Bride

by Kara Hart

  I always wanted a love like the one I had with Marshall. Sometimes that comes with unforeseen consequences. You can’t give the other person the full truth when you first meet them. That would be impossible. But I’ve learned now that if you swear off the truth for good, it’ll come back to haunt you, one way or another.

  “It’s right over here,” I say, pointing toward the docks. “Go slow and I’ll find the boat.”

  “What in the world is a woman like you doing in the cargo docks?” The cabbie shakes his head in disbelief.

  “I’m catching a ride out of here,” I laugh, though it’s completely true.

  He laughs it off like it’s a joke as well. No one takes a ride in a cargo boat. It’s a long and dangerous journey, but it’s really the only way out of here. My ride to Europe has been effectively compromised, as the money never got to our guy. I could try a bus to Mexico, but that means going through the border checkpoints. No, this is my best bet. A small space in a boat full of packages. Luckily, I’ve brought enough food and water to survive a week down there.

  I get out of the cab and hand him some money. “Thank you,” I say. “For everything.”

  “It’s just a ride, lady,” he says, getting back in the car. Before he slams the door, he says, “Hey, uh. Be careful. Whatever you’re doing doesn’t seem so straight. I’m not going to butt in your business, but make sure this is what you really want to do. Good luck, miss.”

  I watch as the taxi drives away. I’m alone. All alone. I don’t know how to feel anymore. Sometimes I think about the future and it seems so wide open. So many possibilities, you know? Other times, like now, it feels so small and empty.

  I want Marshall. I want him so fucking bad.

  Before the cab, I did something stupid. I had a brief moral dilemma. I may be leaving the country because I have to. I can’t go to prison for half my life. Still, I wanted to make things right again. That’s why I grabbed my money and threw it into a big duffel bag. I made sure everything was clean. No fingerprints. No tracing the money to me. Anyway, it won’t matter once I’m out of the country.

  I took my chunk of the money and I marched it down to the police department. I have to say, seeing all those police cars made me nervous. Still, I look like a normal girl. A cop walked by me, tilted his hat and said, “Ma’am.” I simply smiled and kept walking.

  I left the bag in the front, right next to the door, note attached to the zipper. The note was short and to the point: “I regret taking this. Have it back. I don’t want to carry this weight any longer.” That was that. I walked away from the station and no one said a word to me.

  Now, I’m on the docks and I have an hour to spare. I nestle my bag against a concrete pillar, near the water. I see a small vendor in the distance, where all the workers are eating their lunches. I walk up and the crowd starts whistling at me, but I ignore it. I don’t feel like my normal self anymore. If anything, I feel like a ghost.

  “I’ll take a Coke, please,” I tell the vendor. He reaches in an ice cooler and pulls out a can of soda. I hand him two dollars and breathe a sigh of relief. I’m almost out of here. Just another hour of waiting and my boat will be here.

  “Virginia?” I hear a voice call my name. I freeze, unable to bring myself to turn around. The voice is strangely familiar, yet distant from me. “It’s you! I thought it was you.”

  I feel a hand fall against my shoulder and I shudder with fear. Who would know that I’m here? Nobody. Not even Marshall would know. I slowly turn around and see him. Oh, God. It’s Adam, and he’s got the cockiest smile plastered across his face. He knows he’s hit the jackpot. He’s won the game. Checkmate. It’s over.

  “Adam?” I ask because I have nothing else to say.

  “What’re you doing down here?” he asks me. “It’s so weird to be running into you here.”

  My brain scrambles to make something up. Anything. I just need a good story. Fuck! “I’m, uh, visiting my dad down here. He works for the union here.”

  “Works for the union, that’s great,” he says, still smiling. He knows he’s got me in a lie. I look past him to see if any other cops have followed. There’s a man on a bench, reading the newspaper. He glances up at me, smiles, and then looks back down at his paper. I can’t figure out who’s watching me, and who’s just an innocent bystander.

  “Yeah, pretty great,” I bounce on the back of my heesl, ready to run out of here if I have to. I’ll jump in the fucking water. I’ll swim away. I’ll… I’m so screwed.

  “Hey, listen,” he continues, “I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

  “Sure,” I say. “I could help tomorrow. What do you have in mind?” Just leave. Please, just leave, Adam. Let me get on with my life. It’s all I want. I’ll never hurt anyone again. I’ll never break another damn law. I won’t even jaywalk.

  “Well, I’d actually need your help now. That’s the problem. I’m in a hurry,” he says. “Craig Richardson. You know him?”

  “I heard about him on the news,” I lie. “Isn’t he dying or something?”

  “Actually, he woke up,” he smiles. “He’s going to play ball with the authorities. We’re pretty happy.”

  “That’s really great, Adam,” I say. “Tell Marshall I say congratulations.”

  “Well, that’s the thing. He’s all broken up about what happened between you two,” he says. “But I know that you two were like two peas in a pod. You were both so cute together.”

  “Yeah, well,” I sigh. “Things happen, you know?”

  “Yeah, but before you catch that boat out of here, I thought you could head down to the station with me and talk things over with him,” he says. My stomach completely drops. “You can grab your suitcase before we go. It’ll only be a couple of hours.”

  “What?” I ask. “Adam… what’re you saying to me?”

  “I’m just saying, before you leave on that cargo boat. You know, the one you paid $500 for?” he waits for me to respond, but I’m choking on my air.

  I stutter. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Adam. I—”

  “Don’t play dumb with me.” He turns angry. “I know it was you. I know you kept Marshall close so you could try and get around the case, but I’m onto you. You just lost.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” I say, looking behind me for an escape route. There’s no way out of this, however. I’m stuck.

  “I know that Marshall knows too,” he goes on. “You can’t fool me. You’re caught. Virginia Greene, you’re under arrest for the crime of—”

  “No,” I whisper, feeling faint. “No! You can’t do this. I didn’t do anything.”

  “…for the crimes of armed robbery and obstruction of justice…” His words fade like fog rolling into the day. I can’t pay attention to anything he’s saying. All I know is that I’m caught. This is my worst fear come true. He starts reading my rights, but it just feels like a death sentence to me.

  “I can’t,” I whisper. “I can’t go to jail.”

  He keeps talking and his words are muffled. I feel a surge of adrenaline coursing through my body and, finally, I allow myself to take a chance. I flee the scene.

  That’s right. I run as fast as I fucking can. Turns out, I’m pretty fast. I climb up a shipping container and begin running across the line of them. He darts around the side, trying to cut me off. At the end of the line, I jump off, and continue running. I look back and he’s behind me, but he’s got a good distance he needs to cover. What’s best? No one else is following me. The guy came after me alone, breaking protocol, no doubt.

  “Come on Vi,” I whisper to myself. I turn a corner and see my suitcase. In front of me is the Cargo boat I needed to take, just pulling in. I won’t be able to take it this time. Another time, maybe. As for now, I keep running. I turn right and run straight until I’m face to face with a busy road.

  There’s a cab parked on the side, so I jump in. “Take me out of here!” I scream.

  “Where do you want
to go?” he asks.

  “Downtown! Oh, God. Just drive! Please,” I beg.

  Outside my window, I can see Adam running my way. He’s got his gun in his hand and he’s getting closer by the second.

  “I can’t go to Downtown right now. Too far. Sorry,” he says.

  “Then go anywhere!” I yell.

  “You need to settle down, lady. I don’t take orders from customers. Get out of my cab,” he says.

  “No, no, no.” I start to cry. “I’m sorry. Please. I need a ride out of here.”

  It all happens in slow motion. Adam’s elbow comes crashing into the taxi’s window. Glass shoots out everywhere. His hand grabs my shirt and he pulls me toward the door. I try and kick at him, but it only buys me a few more seconds of freedom.

  I feel those handcuffs wrap around my wrists and everything turns black. My whole world falls apart. “You’re under arrest,” Adam says.

  Marshall

  I’m spinning with confusion. I thought I could go on living without her and continuing my old life, but it’s harder than I thought. I keep going back to the night I met that woman. That night changed my life forever. Despite her being a criminal and completely lying to me, I can’t dispute the fact that she opened my eyes to a different life.

  Before her, I was content, but I wasn’t living my life in the way that I truly wanted to. I was just floating by and waiting for the day I’d get my pension. Now, it’s like I’ve let the sun in my life in a certain kind of way. Whatever happens in the next few days, I can hold my head up high because I’m not taking this shit any longer. When this case is over and done with, I’ll be gone, travelling the world.

  But I can’t go by myself. I just can’t.

  When I get to the station the next day, I see a large duffle bag and a note near the door. Freddie walks up next to me and puts his hands on his hips. “What do you think it is?” he asks me.

  I shrug. “I don’t know, but there’s a note.” I read the note aloud and Freddie just laughs.

  “Why on earth would you return the money? You’re still guilty in a court of law,” he says.

  “Some people just can’t live with the guilt,” I say. “Too bad you can’t turn back time.”

  I think of Virginia again. She could be anywhere by now. “Where’s Adam?” I ask one of the guys.

  “He said he was going down by the docks. He thinks he found something with the case. Something big,” he says.

  “And you didn’t think to call me? You know that’s against protocol, right?” I ask him, pissed. He just shrugs. “Dammit!”

  I walk out the door and my heart is racing. I get into one of the patrol cars and take off, heading south. There are only a few ports out of here, but she’ll choose the closest one. Still, it’s far away, forcing me to keep my eyes open to every car going in the opposite direction.

  I’m going about 110 in the left lane, and I’m not stopping. My foot is slammed against the pedal. It’s make or break time. Am I going to get her out of this mess? There’s no way I can do it without it getting messy. What do I do? Beg Adam? No. Of course not. I’m going to have to turn on my partner. I’m going to have to come up with a plan.

  I slowly pull up to the docks and get out, making sure I keep a low profile. After searching for 15 minutes, I come across Adam’s car. It’s parked and completely empty. I have some time, but probably not that much. My hope is that he didn’t call for backup.

  I keep walking, toward the workers at the docks. There’s a small vendor selling some food and drinks. Nearby, I see her. And there’s Adam, talking to her. She looks nervous. No, she looks worse than nervous. She looks hopeless and sad. A sense of guilt starts to creep in my body. My Virginia. The love of my life. Vi… How could I let her down like this?

  Maybe it’s for the best. Adam was onto her from the get go, it seems. Now, he’s got her where he’s always wanted her. He’s won his little game. He’ll get his promotion. I’ll get fired, no doubt. There’ll be an investigation. I won’t get charged. Cops don’t get charged. We get torn apart by the media. The city will despise me. Hell, I probably deserve it.

  I deserve it all for being so blind to everything. But I don’t give a fuck anymore. I’m not here to play by the rules. I’m here to break them. I’m here to shake things up. I won’t be a pawn in Adam’s twisted game. I’m my own person, who happens to be in love with a known criminal. Fuck it. Sometimes that’s just how life is.

  She makes a run for it and a chase ensues. She’s a damn good escape artist, but it’s obvious where she’s trying to go. Within minutes, she gets inside a cab. I’m hoping she doesn’t take off. If she does, the whole squad will go after her and it won’t be long before that driver stops for them.

  I watch as Adam smashes the taxi window. He throws on the cuffs and pulls her out. “Hey,” I mutter to myself. “Don’t you dare fucking hurt her.”

  I’m getting close. My hand is on my weapon. This is not who I am. This is against everything the department stands for. But Adam is getting rough with her. He slams her down across the pavement and places his knee across her back. “Stand down!” I hear him yell. “Stop resisting!”

  She’s not resisting. She’s fully compliant, except for the fact that she’s writhing against his knee. It’s a normal reaction.

  I can’t take this anymore. Sometimes cops don’t deliver true justice. When that happens, someone needs to take a stand. My career over there is done. Even if it wasn’t, I’m checked out. You want to know the honest truth? I want Virginia back. I want that feeling she gave me back. I want to feel the thrill of starting a new life with the woman I love. I love Vi. She’s the only good thing left in my life.

  “Adam! Stand down!” I scream, getting close to him. He turns his head and immediately points his gun at me.

  “Stay back, Marshall!” he yells. “This isn’t about you. This is about Virginia Greene.”

  “I’m not here to hurt you,” I say. “Just put the gun down. We’ll figure this out together. We’re partners, remember?”

  “You knew all along, didn’t you?” he asks, hurt. “You hid this from me since day one. We were never partners. Admit it. You always thought I was stupid.”

  “I didn’t know until a few days ago. That’s the God honest truth,” I admit. “Adam, put the gun down!”

  Virginia is on the concrete, hands bound behind her back. She’s looking straight at me with those beautiful eyes. Only, they’re full of tears, hurt, and pain. I never want to see her like that. I want to protect her, always. I failed this time, but I won’t ever again.

  “Marshall, just let me go,” she pleads. “It’s over. I can’t run forever.”

  “Vi,” I say. “I love you. I’m sorry about everything. I don’t care about the past. I just want a future with you.”

  “Stay the fuck back!” Adam screams, shaking with anger. “Warren Marshall, you’re under arrest.”

  “Fuck off,” I spit. I start walking forward without any fear. “Face me like a man.”

  “I’m warning you,” he says. “Stay back.”

  “What?” I laugh. “You’re going to shoot a cop?”

  The bang comes as a huge shock. At first, I stand there in disbelief. My ears are ringing and the smoke from the barrel is looming all around me. “No!” Virginia screams.

  I fall to the ground and Adam drops his gun. What he doesn’t know is that I’m wearing a heavy-duty artillery vest, straight from the swat team’s supply room. Still, the bullet knocked the fucking wind out of me. I struggle not to move erratically and give myself away, taking small breaths in. I’m not going to lie. It hurts like fucking hell and I’m pretty sure one of my ribs is cracked.

  “Marshall.” Adam runs over to check my pulse. My hand is still fixed around my pistol. “You ain’t dead, right? Come on, man. Hang in there.”

  I don’t say a word. He just keeps going on, trying to lay the blame on me. “You shouldn’t have come at me,” he says. “I would have never pulled the trigg
er.”

  Around us, a crowd has started to form. Quickly, Adam checks for my pulse. Now’s my time to act. I throw up a leg and kick him in the jaw. I kick his gun away and hold my pistol, pointing it at his heart.

  “I’m okay, Vi,” I say. “I’m getting you out of this mess.”

  She’s not saying a word and I don’t have time to look her way.

  “No fucking way,” Adam says. “No! This is my case. You can’t ruin this for me.”

  “I need you to get on the ground. Put your hands behind your back,” I say. “If you don’t, I’m going to lodge this bullet directly into your groin. Got it?”

  He falls to the ground and puts his hands behind his back. I cuff him quickly and keep my gun at him. “Vi!” I yell. “Can you walk?”

  She gets up and comes toward me. I uncuff her and hug her quickly. “There’s no time,” she says. “I have to leave. I’m… I’m sorry for everything.”

  “I’m coming with you,” I tell her. “I shouldn’t have ever let you go.”

  “Marshall, you can’t. You have a life here,” she says. “I don’t deserve you.”

  Adam tries getting back up, but I kick him back down on the ground. He groans in pain. “Look, I broke too many rules. I’m done with policing. I want an out. I want to be with the woman I love. Do you love me still?” I ask her. “It was all real, right? The emotions? The things you said to me?”

  “I’ve never fallen so deeply in love with anyone before,” she says. “I made so many terrible decisions. If you want to be with me, you have to know that life won’t be easy for us. We’ll have to get new identities. We won’t be normal. We’ll be outcasts forever.”

  “I don’t give a fuck what we are. As long as I’m with you, my life is complete,” I say. “So give me your hand and lets get the hell out of this place.”

  She looks at me with a slight hesitance. Tears fall down her cheeks and she makes no attempt to brush them away. She grabs my hand and I pull her close to me. “My Virginia Slim,” I smile. Our lips crash together and all the goodness in the world floods into my heart. Her scent, her taste, and her touch all comes back with a familiarity.