Relent

by Nina Levine

  We dropped by Kick’s place and he picked something up before we headed to my dentist. I was surprised when he made another detour on the way. We pulled up outside a rundown house and I wondered who lived here. I hopped off his bike and removed my helmet, waiting for him to tell me what we were doing here. However, he simply took his helmet off, dumped it on his bike, grabbed my hand and led me towards the front door.

  After he knocked, I asked, “What are we doing here, Kick?”

  He seemed so serious. “You’ll see.”

  A guy dressed in what looked to be thrift shop clothing opened the door and ushered us in. He also seemed very serious, and I felt a little anxious, but at the same time, I knew Kick wouldn’t put me in harm’s way so this must be a safe place.

  “Thanks for coming, man. She wasn’t supposed to be here until tomorrow, but her old man beat her up bad enough last night for her to leave earlier, and I just want to get her out of town as soon as possible,” the guy said to Kick.

  “No worries, Brian, I’m just fuckin’ glad she’s finally decided enough’s enough. And King will be, too.”

  Brian eyed me over his shoulder and then looked at Kick. “This your woman?”

  “Yeah, eyes off,” Kick replied firmly, his message loud and clear.

  Brian held his hands up. “Hey, no problem, I’ve got enough to worry about with my old lady. I got no clue how men handle more than one woman at a time.”

  Kick chuckled, but all traces of humour were gone when we made it into a bedroom at the back of the house. Sitting on a bed was a woman who looked to be just under thirty. I sucked in a breath at the sight of her face. Her old man had done some serious damage; she could hardly see out of one eye and the rest of her face was heavily bruised, as was her neck and upper chest area. I shuddered to think what her clothes hid.

  Kick knelt in front of her, his face a mask of anger. “Fuck, Jen . . .” His voice trailed off as he took in her bruises.

  She winced as she tried to speak. “I’m here now, yeah?”

  He nodded and swore under his breath again. “We’re getting you out of Sydney today, and I don’t want to ever see you back here again.”

  She agreed, and Kick stood. He walked out of the room, and after Brian spoke to the woman for a couple of minutes, he followed Kick out.

  “You’ve told King she’s here?” Kick asked as he pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Brian.

  “Yeah, he’s going to swing by a little later today to see her before she leaves,” Brian answered, opening the envelope and flicking through the wads of cash inside.

  I was stunned. There had to be thousands in that envelope.

  Kick frowned. “It’s all there, as promised,” he muttered.

  Brian shoved the envelope in his pocket. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  “I’ll let you know when I have more,” Kick promised, and then grabbed my hand and led me out of the house.

  I was glad to walk outside. Not only was that house rundown, it felt depressing inside, with old furniture and little decoration. Kick seemed on a mission to get back to his bike, but I tugged on his hand to slow him down. When he looked back at me with a questioning glance, I asked, “What was that about?”

  He stopped walking and turned to face me. Jerking his chin towards the house, he said, “That’s a safe house for battered women, and we help them escape their motherfucker husbands and boyfriends and get them out of Sydney.”

  “Who’s ‘we’?”

  “King, Brian and me.”

  “And where did you get all that money from?” I asked the question I figured he might not answer, but there was no harm in trying.

  He sucked in a breath and avoided my eyes for a moment, but he surprised me when he looked back at me and said, “I got it off a druggie scum-of-the-earth asshole, and trust me babe, you don’t want to know what happened to him, but let’s just say the earth breathed a little easier that day.” He finished talking and then waited for my reply, his eyes wary. He had no need to worry, though, because I had no problems with the earth breathing a little easier.

  I gave him a smile that I hoped told him how I felt. “So you were just redistributing the wealth, so to speak?”

  He stared at me for just a moment longer with that serious gaze, and then broke out in a smile. I watched as his shoulders loosened and his breathing evened out. “Yeah, you could say that. King leaves me in charge of financing the operation so whenever we come across extra cash, I put it aside.” He paused for a moment before giving me a regretful look. “I wish I could have given you that money to bail your Dad out, but it was already promised to Brian by then.”

  “You don’t have to explain yourself, Kick. And besides, you found another way to help.”

  He nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  “Who was that woman?” I asked quietly. I had the sense she was more than just a stranger who needed help.

  “Jen is an ex of King’s. They dated a long time ago, and she left him for the asshole who nearly ended up killing her.”

  I had never met King before, but he sounded like a good guy if he still looked out for an ex, as well as all these other women who needed help. “I’d like to meet King one day,” I said softly.

  He smiled again. “I can organise that, baby,” he said, giving me something I had wanted for a very long time.

  He’d given me a piece of himself he’d kept hidden for so long by promising to introduce me to his friend.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, feeling like we’d just taken another huge step towards our future.

  ***

  “What are you doing home alone? I thought you and Kick couldn’t get enough of each other these days,” Maree said into the phone.

  I tucked the phone between my ear and my shoulder to free my hands. “We were going to spend the afternoon playing with his toys but he had to do some club work,” I said as I grabbed the ice cream out of the fridge.

  “Fuck, you’re a lucky woman. What kind of toys are we talking here? And shit, it’s nine pm babe, why isn’t he back yet?”

  I laughed, scooping ice cream into my mouth. “I think he meant his remote control car, shit like that,” I joked with her.

  I could picture her poking her tongue at me. “Very funny, Evie.”

  “Well, seriously, what kind of toys do you think he meant? Mind you, I think Kick could even make playing with a remote control car sexy.”

  She sighed. “I think you’re probably right.”

  “We’ll have to play another day, though. He rang about half an hour ago and said he’d be busy for a while so he’d see me tomorrow.”

  “Bugger. You’ll have to play with BOB instead.”

  She spoke the truth. I’d been horny all day imagining amazing sex with Kick, so I’d have to take care of that myself now. “I should video it and send it to him.”

  She started coughing and spluttering. “God, you just made me almost choke on my drink. I think that’d be an awesome idea. Serves him right for cancelling on you.”

  I put the lid back on the ice cream and placed the tub back in the freezer. Taking hold of my phone again, I began walking to my bedroom. “I was kidding, Maree. Whatever he’s doing obviously needs his attention and if I sent him that, he’d be so distracted.”

  “I guess,” she mused, not sounding convinced, “but I’d still send it.”

  “That’s cause you’re a bitch and like your men to pay when they don’t make good on promises.”

  Laughing, she agreed, “Yeah, I do.”

  A noise outside distracted me and caused my heart rate to spike.

  Shit, was that someone out there?

  “Maree, I think there’s someone outside my house. Can you stay on the phone while I go and check?”

  “Fuck . . . yeah, go,” she said, her voice tinged with concern.

  “Thanks,” I said as I switched the outside lights on and slid the back door open. I took a tentative step, not seeing or hearing an
yone, but that noise had pretty much convinced me someone had been out here.

  My back door opened up onto a cemented outside entertainment area that then led to a brick path that took me down the side of my house to the front. I found one of my pot plants had been knocked over, the dirt spilling onto the cement.

  Shit.

  My breathing picked up and my heart thumped in my chest.

  “Can you see anyone?” Maree whispered into the phone.

  “No, but someone’s been here because the pot plant is knocked over,” I whispered back, not really sure why the fuck I was whispering when this was my house.

  And then I heard my side gate latch, and my heart fell into my stomach.

  I wasn’t sure whether to move towards the sound or away from it, but my instincts took over and my legs began walking towards the gate. I switched my phone’s flashlight on and shone it down the side of the house, expecting to come face to face with the intruder any second.

  I saw nothing. The gate was shut and the path was clear. I hurried through the gate to the front yard, just in time to hear a squeal of tires and a car speeding off down the street. The car was so far away I couldn’t even work out the make or model.

  I switched off the flashlight and put the phone back to my ear to hear Maree screeching at me.

  “Shhh,” I said, “he’s gone, and I’m okay.”

  “Oh my god, don’t ever do that to me again, Evie! I was asking you if you were okay and you weren’t answering me! Do you have any idea how many grey hairs you just gave me?”

  “Sorry, but I needed the flashlight to see.”

  “Fuck, so there was someone there?”

  I tried to calm down from the fright and get my breathing under control. “Yes, there was definitely someone here.” I’d made it back inside and locked the door behind me, but I was leaving the outside lights on tonight. It probably wouldn’t stop someone intent on getting in, but I felt better having them on.

  “Christ, you need to call Kick and get him over to stay with you tonight.”

  “No, I don’t want to bug him. And besides, there have been a few break-ins around here lately so it was probably someone trying to get in, and now I’ve scared him off. I doubt he’ll be back. I’ll call the police in the morning,” I said, feeling too exhausted to wait for them to come out tonight. And besides, what could they do anyway? It wasn’t like the cops had the resources to position someone on our street just waiting for a burglar to come by.

  “Do you want me to come and stay?” she asked, being the wonderful friend she was.

  “No, I’m okay,” I said, “but thanks, babe.”

  “Mmmm . . . I’m not convinced I shouldn’t come over.”

  “Maree, I have security on the house. I’m locked up tight and no fucker is getting in tonight. I promise, I’m all good.”

  She was silent for a few moments and then conceded. “Okay, but you call me the minute you are worried. And I’ll be calling you in the morning to check on you.”

  We ended the call, and I crawled into bed.

  It was probably a good thing Kick wasn’t here. He’d go all crazy protective, and while I loved his bossy way in the bedroom, I didn’t need him trying to control my every movement.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Kick

  I pocketed the cash we’d just collected for King, and turned to Nitro as we headed towards our bikes. “I like it when jobs are that easy.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, makes it a lot fucking easier when they just pay up with no encouragement needed.”

  Just as we reached our bikes, my phone rang. King. “What’s up, brother?” I answered it.

  “Have you been to Hawk’s to collect yet?”

  “Nope.”

  “Good, cancel that job. I’m gonna give him an extra week to pay,” he said, stunning me. King rarely gave extensions.

  “Yeah, the motherfucker’s mother needed cash for an operation so I figure she needs it more than us.”

  “You believe him?”

  “He wasn’t the one who told me. Jen told me when I saw her yesterday before she left.”

  I was so confused, not understanding the connection between Jen and Hawk, but I figured King knew his shit. “Right, so we’re done for the day then. I’ll bring the cash back now, but do you need me after that?” I hadn’t seen Evie since yesterday afternoon and was fucking craving her.

  “No, you and Nitro can call it a day.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you soon with this cash,” I promised before ending the call.

  Nitro raised his brows. “We done for the day?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, man.” I reached for my helmet. “Did you finish working on the engine?”

  “It’s nearly done. Thanks for your help the other day.”

  “Sure. Just call out if you need a hand again.”

  My phone buzzed with another call, and my face broke out in a grin when I saw the caller ID.

  Evie.

  Nitro chuckled. “Looks like some good pussy there, brother.”

  “Yeah, you could say that,” I said as I answered it. “What’s up, baby?” I said into the phone.

  “Someone’s broken into my house . . . can you come over? It’s okay if you can’t, but -”

  I was instantly on alert; Evie sounded panicked. “I’ll be there in about ten minutes. Are you okay until then?”

  “Yes. Thank you,” she said softly, relief clear in her voice.

  “Fuck,” I muttered as I shoved my phone in my pocket.

  “What’s up?” Nitro asked.

  “My girlfriend’s house has been broken into.”

  “You need help?”

  “Nah, should be alright,” I said, turning over the engine of my bike.

  He nodded, and I gave him a chin lift. “I’ll catch you later, man.” And then I took off for Evie’s place.

  Whoever had broken into her house would pay dearly.

  ***

  I’d expected to find Evie still panicked, but she’d calmed down by the time I got there. I took in the mess as I walked through the house to find her in the kitchen. The place had been trashed and it looked like we had a big clean up ahead of us.

  She looked up from the table where she sat. “Thank God you’re here,” she said as she got up and came to me.

  I opened my arms and pulled her close. She gratefully stepped into my embrace and rested her head against my chest. I felt the tightness of her body, and rubbed my hand up and down her back. I held her until she lifted her head and looked up into my eyes.

  “Why did they have to wreck the place as well?” she asked, her voice cracking a little.

  “Fuck . . .” I swore, “because they’re assholes.”

  “Yeah, they are.” She let me go and walked to the sink. “I need a coffee. You want one?”

  “No, I’m gonna take a look around.” At her nod, I headed into the lounge room and surveyed the damage. It didn’t look like anything of real value had been taken. The television and stereo were still here. I walked around the entire house and then back into the kitchen. “Babe, what’s actually missing?” I asked, because I couldn’t work out what had been taken. All big ticket items seemed to be in place.

  She was on the phone, on hold, and she answered, “That’s the weird thing. I can’t work out what’s been stolen.”

  “Who are you on the phone to?”

  “The cops.”

  I reached for the phone and she let me take it. Ending the call, I said, “I don’t think anything’s missing, unless they took jewellery or something smaller like that?”

  “No, I checked that, and nothing is missing.”

  “Do you want to claim this on insurance?”

  She frowned. “I don’t know. Why?”

  “If you want to claim it you’ll have to involve the cops. If not, you can forget them and just let me and the boys find out who did it, and deal with them for you. Either way I’ll be finding out who did it, but I’d prefer not to have the cops inv
olved.”

  She thought about it for a moment and then said, “I’ll just let you handle it.”

  I gave her a quick kiss and said, “Okay, I’m gonna get started on it now. Will you be alright on your own?”

  She gave me a smile and nodded. “Yeah, Maree said she’d come over if I need her, so I’ll give her a call. She’ll help me clean up, too.”

  Thank fuck for her friend. I didn’t really want to leave her on her own.

  As I headed out, I mulled it over. My natural instinct would be to suspect Gambarro because I was a paranoid bastard, but this didn’t seem like a job he would pull.

  It seemed to me that if he were involved, Evie wouldn’t be breathing anymore.

  But it wouldn’t hurt to check in on him.

  ***

  “Mr Gambarro is out of the country.” His security guy glared down at me, challenging me to argue with him. He was refusing me entry to Gambarro’s building and feeding me stories about Gambarro not being here.

  “You expect me to buy that?”

  “I don’t give a fuck if you do or don’t; it’s the truth. Now fuck off and leave me alone.”

  I assessed the situation and decided to confirm that information with my other contacts before pursuing this any further, but I did ask, “When will he be back?”

  The guy glared at me harder, in a ‘you’re-fucking-kidding-me’ look. “I said, fuck off.”

  I pulled out my phone and began dialling as I walked away.

  Bones answered on almost the first ring. “Kick. What’s up, my man?”

  I liked Bones, simply because he usually had solid information, and he was always willing to share it with me. He ran strip clubs and girls, and, in general, had his finger in a lot of pies. “Do you know if Gambarro is out of the country?”

  “Yeah, he left last week. Pretty sure he’ll be back this week, maybe in a couple of days.”

  “Thanks for that.”

  “Why do you ask?” Bones was a nosy motherfucker and while he had his uses, I didn’t trust him with my secrets.

  “Just checking some shit out for a friend. Their place was trashed, and they suspect him, but I don’t figure him for that kind of thing.”