Hard Case Crime: Choke Hold

by Christa Faust

  Her teenage posse stood in the doorway with their hands up at shoulder level. The blond kid looked pissed enough to spit nails.

  “Tell your little boys to fuck off,” Cody said. “I’m not kidding, get them out of here or I’ll fucking kill you.”

  “Okay, okay,” she said. “Tito, wait out in the hall.”

  “But—” the angry blond began.

  “Do like she says, fucker,” Cody said. “Out. Now.”

  Tito and his buddies backed out into the hall and Cody kicked the door closed.

  “Cody,” Truly said. “You’re hurting me.”

  “I’m gonna do more than that, you fucking psycho bitch,” Cody said. “All of this is your fault.”

  “Baby, I never meant to hurt you,” she said.

  “Yeah, right,” he replied, harsh. “Just kill my whole fucking family.”

  “I never told Tito and his friends to kill anybody,” Truly said. “I just wanted them to scare you and get the DVD back. Things got out of hand.”

  “Out of hand? Things got so out of hand that you decided to set me up and hope Lovell’d kill me for you?”

  “No,” Truly said. “I had nothing to do with that.”

  “Lie to me again,” Cody said, mashing the gun against her cheek. “See what happens.”

  “Cody,” I started, but Truly cut me off.

  “Okay, so I took the coke,” she said. “But I didn’t think Lovell would try to kill you.”

  Cody laughed, a hard sharp bark.

  “What,” he said. “You thought he’d spank me? Give me a stern talking to?”

  “I just wanted to make sure no one else saw the DVD,” she wailed.

  “So then you admit it was wrong,” Cody said. “What you did with me and all those other guys?”

  “I didn’t hear you complaining at the time,” she said.

  “I was fifteen,” he said. “I didn’t know any better.”

  “Not like now,” she said. “Now you’re a real man, aren’t you? So much older and wiser.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Cody said. His voice was cracking, eyes wild.

  “Certainly old enough to get the death penalty if you kill me.”

  “I’ll fucking do it,” Cody said. “I’ll do it and I’ll run. They won’t catch me. I’ll go to Brazil and train with Getúlio Azevedo and...”

  “Cody,” I said again. “Cody, listen to me. Don’t do this.”

  “What?” He turned to me. “But she’s responsible. She has to pay for what she did to me, to Vic and my mom. Don’t you see? This is all her fault!”

  I saw. Better than Cody could ever imagine. I thought of an old friend, how he’d tried to talk me out of killing the men who destroyed my life. Revenge isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, he’d said. He was so right, but I didn’t listen. I couldn’t. And now, in the wake of that revenge, my life had changed forever. I had changed forever. But would knowing what was coming have stopped me?

  Of course there was one critical difference between what I had done and what Cody was about to do. I was almost forty years old when I acted on my own impulse for revenge. Cody was only eighteen. I just couldn’t let him do it.

  “Let her go, Cody,” I said. “She’s not worth it.”

  “How can you say that?” Cody asked. “I thought you loved my dad.”

  “Of course I did,” I said. “But do you think your father would want you to throw your career and your whole life away for one second of revenge? Because trust me, that’s a one-way road and once you’re on it, there’s no way back.”

  “But, I...”

  “If you kill her,” I said. “That’s who you’ll be until the day you die.”

  I couldn’t tell if I was getting through to him. Truly was sweating through her thick pancake makeup.

  “The AAFC would never put a murderer under contract,” I said. “Don’t you think Vic would rather see you become a famous fighter and make him proud than have you shoot some worthless bitch and then spend the rest of your life running from the law?”

  That worked. I could see in his eyes that I’d finally broken through.

  “Just give her the stupid DVD,” I said. “Give her the DVD and walk away. And then I want you to go back to that cattle call and get your ass on that show. It’s not too late. No one in that room is half the fighter you are and you know it. If you don’t even try, it’s like all this was for nothing.”

  His face was full of a thousand conflicting emotions. He looked close to tears. Truly was silent, eyes flicking back and forth between me and the gun.

  Endless seconds clicked past and the three of us stood, soundless and unmoving. Then, miraculously, Cody slowly lowered his gun hand. Not a heartbeat later, Truly drove her elbow into Cody’s balls and stomped down on the instep of his foot.

  The gun dropped from Cody’s hand as he doubled over in pain. Truly kicked the gun out of his reach, then spun and delivered a crisp, textbook-perfect kick to his temple.

  Cody staggered back, but he managed to stay on his feet, shaking his head and squinting, fists raised reflexively to his cheekbones.

  Truly dove for the gun. I was closer.

  If I’d taken even a split second to think, it would have ended right there. I didn’t. I grabbed the gun and shot Truly in the throat at point-blank range.

  She fell to her knees, clawing at her neck. Fine red mist sprayed between her fingers and she bucked forward into a crooked and undignified ass-up position, face down on the bloody, sodden carpet.

  “Fuck,” Cody said. “You said not to kill her.”

  “I said you shouldn’t kill her,” I replied.

  I kicked her onto her side. Her face was dusky blue, eyes bulging. While I watched, the struggle went out of her eyes. I wanted to feel good about killing her, but I just felt tired.

  “You okay, kid?” I asked Cody, tucking the Sig back into my go-bag.

  He reached up to finger a rapidly swelling purple lump on the side of his head.

  “I feel kinda like I might throw up.”

  “I’m gonna check on Hank,” I said.

  Outside in the hallway, I heard a sudden series of thumps. We both froze. Cody looked from me to the door and back again.

  “What the hell...?”

  Voices in the hallway. Croatian. Then the distinct, raspy hairball sound of a silenced gunshot, followed swiftly by another.

  “Shit,” Cody said.

  There was no other way out of the suite. We were on the top floor and the windows were all sealed shut, to prevent high rollers who lose their shirts from taking a dive. I was tired of running. So tired I just wanted to lie down on the bloody carpet next to Truly and wait for it to be over.

  Cody shoved me into the hall closet and pulled the closet door shut behind me just as the door to the suite was kicked open.

  “Where is she?”

  The voice from Lindsey’s office. The voice of the one guy that I had walked away from, the one I had left alive. I’d taken out every other man who’d had a hand in the destruction of my life and violation of my body, but not him. Not Vukasin.

  And now here he was.

  31.

  I stood frozen in the closet, behind the plastic bag on a hanger that had been thoughtfully provided to fill with clothes I might want laundered. I couldn’t see anything that was happening in the room, but my hearing had grown so painfully sharp I was sure I could hear Cody’s terrified heartbeat.

  “Okay, my friend,” Vukasin said. “Let’s make this easy.”

  I could see him so clearly in my mind. His awful, tacky shirts. Wiry little body tan as an old boot. Sharp, weaselly features. I could smell his hot, minty breath. I’d slept with men I didn’t remember as clearly as I remembered Vukasin.

  “She left,” Cody said. “Her and Hank, they went back to Yuma.”

  I could hear something else, a slithery dragging sound followed by a thump. This sequence of sounds repeated several times in the background of the conversation.

 
“Is that so?” Vukasin said. “I don’t think Niko believes you. And it’s very important for Niko to believe you, because if he doesn’t, he will cut off your dick and then feed it to you. Do we understand each other?”

  “I’m telling you...” Cody began.

  “Don’t tell me,” Vukasin said. “Tell Niko.”

  “They went back to Yuma,” Cody said.

  “You think you know how bad it would be, to have your dick cut off,” Vukasin said. “But take my word, you cannot even imagine how bad it is.”

  “Please,” Cody said. “I’m telling the truth.”

  “Niko,” Vukasin said. “Do you think the boy is telling the truth?”

  Another voice, deeper and with a stronger accent.

  “I do not.”

  “I’m inclined to agree,” Vukasin said. “Do you want to know what I think? I think she’s here in this suite. Now we could search for her and find her, but that wouldn’t be as much fun as making you tell us.”

  “You can torture me if you want,” Cody said, so painfully brave and teenage tough that it made me want to cry. “But I’m telling the truth.”

  The kid had no idea what was coming. I did. I couldn’t stay hidden and let it happen.

  “Vukasin,” I said, pushing the closet open. “Let him go. He has nothing to do with this. He’s just a kid.”

  Vukasin was just like I remembered him. His usual tacky shirt had been updated to a black and red faux-goth monstrosity of roses and tribal spikes. He was also wearing latex gloves, as was Niko, who turned out to be Navy Track Suit from the motel. They both had guns, both silenced. Niko was chewing cinnamon gum that I could smell from across the room, wafting above the less pleasant odor of hot blood and recently discharged firearms. Tito and his two friends were dead and piled against the far wall, along with two uniformed security guys and someone small and female, nearly hidden beneath the larger corpses. Someone with pink leopard toenails. Madison.

  The little brother stood beside the pile, also gloved. If he had a gun, it wasn’t immediately visible.

  “Angel!” Cody cried, raw fear in his face. “What are you doing? I wasn’t gonna tell them anything.”

  I never wanted him to know that wasn’t true.

  “I know you weren’t,” I told him. “But I still couldn’t let them hurt you.”

  “This is so sweet,” Vukasin said. “Isn’t it?”

  Niko shrugged and pointed his gun at Cody. I couldn’t stop my eyes from going back to that closed bathroom door, waiting for Hank to come barreling out and get killed. He didn’t, but Vukasin picked up on my glance and motioned for the little brother to check it out. My whole body tensed up, heart racing as he opened the bathroom door. Nothing happened.

  Hank lay curled on his side on the tile floor. The little brother toed Hank’s prone form and he groaned, a dribble of bile leaking from the corner of his mouth.

  “Jesus, Hank!” Cody lunged towards the bathroom. Vukasin backed him up with the silenced muzzle of his gun.

  The little brother said something in Croatian and Vukasin nodded, replied.

  “Okay my friends,” Vukasin said. “Here’s what we are going to do. Niko, give Angel your jacket.”

  Niko took off his track jacket and tossed it to me.

  “Put it on,” Vukasin said. “And zip it up.”

  I did like he said, zipping the jacket to cover up the blood spatter on my white tank top from shooting Truly. My shorts and sneakers were both black and didn’t show blood.

  “Now I’m going to open the door,” Vukasin said. “And we will get into the elevator. When we reach the lobby, you are going to walk ahead of us. Take this ticket.” He handed me a valet ticket and a wad of cash. “Give it to the valet and when the car is brought around, get into the passenger seat and wait. Remember that Niko will be holding your little boyfriend very close. I will be watching you, Angel, and if you fuck me, the little boyfriend is dead. Do we understand each other?”

  “Yes,” I said quietly. I looked back at Hank, but the little brother was squatting over him, blocking my view.

  Vukasin stuck his gun down the back of his jeans and pulled the door open, motioning for me to go ahead. If you squinted you’d almost think he was a gentleman. As we walked together towards the elevators, Niko kept a mock-friendly arm around Cody, snapping his gum. When we reached the bank of elevators, Vukasin took off his gloves and handed them to Niko who took his own off and stuck them all in his pocket. The elevator arrived and down we went, casual as any other guests.

  Three floors down, the elevator stopped and a chubby young girl got on. She had a pretty, friendly face and smiled at us like no one had ever hurt her.

  “Hi there,” she said. “How you guys doing?”

  “Very well, thank you,” Vukasin replied.

  “Where are you from?” she asked.

  “Transylvania,” Vukasin said.

  “Shut up! Really?” She squinted at Vukasin like she was trying to figure if he was pulling one over on her. “You are not. Are you?”

  Vukasin nodded and winked. The girl blushed. My mind was running a thousand miles an hour, trying to think of a way to signal her, to subliminally force her to call the police.

  “Are there really real vampires there?” she blurted out, then giggled and turned even more pink.

  “Yes,” Vukasin said. “There are.”

  Then we arrived in the lobby and the doors slid open.

  Vukasin motioned for the girl to go ahead.

  “Enjoy your visit in America,” she said.

  “Oh, we will,” Vukasin said. “Thank you.”

  We got out of the elevator. My brain was whirling a million miles an hour. What was happening back in the hotel room? Was the little brother just gonna shoot Hank dead while he lay there, defenseless? I felt such a massive crushing hopelessness I could barely breathe. I tried to focus on the one thing I might still be able to control: making sure Vukasin didn’t hurt Cody.

  He pushed me through the doors. An attendant came up to me with his hand outstretched and I put Vukasin’s valet ticket and money in his palm. As he ran to retrieve the car, I stood there alone, wondering what Vukasin was planning to do with me. Kill me? Bring me to his boss? I tried to push these thoughts out of my mind and concentrate on figuring out a way to make him let Cody go.

  I looked back over my shoulder, hoping to see what Vukasin and Niko were doing, but the doors were mirrored glass. All I could see was the pale, frozen mask that was my own face.

  A car pulled up in front of me, a black Chrysler 300. That figured. The last time I’d been in a 300 with Vukasin, I was tied up in the trunk. I almost felt like I should get into the trunk now, for old time’s sake.

  But I got into the passenger seat like I’d been told. Vukasin appeared a moment later with Niko and Cody behind him. He pressed another couple of bills into the grinning valet’s hand and then got behind the wheel. Niko and Cody climbed into the back seat.

  In the rear view mirror I saw Niko grip Cody by the back of the neck, forcing the kid’s head down into his lap. For a weird moment, I though he was gonna make Cody blow him, but he just pressed the gun against the back of Cody’s head and held him down so his cheek rested against Niko’s thigh. I took this as a good sign. If they didn’t want Cody to know where we were going, maybe they would let him go.

  Where we were going turned out to be one of those soulless cookie-cutter suburban developments on the outskirts of Vegas, the ones that look like fake human habitats created by aliens for an interstellar zoo. The small house Vukasin parked in front of was one of a hundred or so, all identical and mostly empty, gutted by recession. A “For Sale” sign sprouted from virtually every lawn, including the one Vukasin had chosen.

  Inside it was over-air-conditioned and fully furnished in the most generic possible way. Everything was beige and you forgot what it looked like as soon as you looked away. No family photos, no personal clutter, nothing that would give any impression that real people h
ad ever lived here.

  Vukasin placed his car keys and .38 on a small table by the door as if it were his house, like he was coming home from work and ready to relax and watch television.

  We were marched silently up some steps and into a large empty bedroom. Heavy-gauge clear plastic tarp covered the walls and the beige carpet. Not a good sign.

  “Okay,” I said fighting to keep my voice steady. “I’m here. I did everything you asked. Now let him go.”

  “I’m not gonna leave you, Angel,” Cody said, twisting his arm against Niko’s grip, all brave chin and terrified eyes.

  “Please,” I said. “Let him go.”

  “Niko,” Vukasin said. “Let him go.”

  Niko nodded and shot Cody in the head. Twice.

  32.

  Before Cody’s body hit the plastic I threw myself at Vukasin in a blind rage. I felt rough hands on me, wrestling me to the floor and a gun butt slamming into my face again and again, but I couldn’t stop flailing, kicking and biting. Then I felt the barrel of the gun thrust between my teeth, clawing at the back of my throat and all the fight in me drained away like blood.

  “She is so eager to be with me,” Vukasin said, grinning and adjusting his twisted collar. “Clean her up.”

  Niko dragged me into a small bathroom. Vukasin held a gun on me while Niko wiped the blood off my arms and chest with cheap beige towels. I didn’t fight. I felt like I was already dead.

  Once I was clean everywhere he could reach with my clothes on, Niko took them off, coldly efficient with my buttons and zippers and hooks. He wet a washcloth and scrubbed between my legs, working quickly and with no wasted motion, like I was an incriminating object that needed to be wiped clean of fingerprints.

  They walked me back out at gunpoint. My eye instantly went to Cody. He lay on his back, arms flung wide like a kid making a snow angel. Like he was just pretending to be dead and any minute he was gonna pop up and laugh at the look on my face. That should have hurt, but it didn’t. I felt nothing.

  Niko kicked me in the stomach and I stumbled backward, gasping and falling on my ass, plastic crackling beneath me. Vukasin tossed Niko a roll of duct tape. The sight of the tape sliced through the numbness, galvanizing me to desperate action.