by K. M. Hodge
“You’re gonna get yourself killed.” Jude shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re gonna get me killed.”
“You aren’t above the law. Whatever you’re doing, you’ll need my help—whether you want it or not. And when all this shit goes down, whose side do you want to be on?” The detective stood toe-to-toe with Jude.
Alex stepped in to separate the two. “You, yourself asked for help. This is what I can offer you. Detective Cook wants this just as badly as you do. I know you don’t feel like you can trust her, but she’s your best bet. I’m not a cop. I don’t have the resources for this kind of project. And even if we did get some dirt on the guy, I can’t arrest anyone since I’m not a cop.” Alex pointed at the detective. “But she can.”
“What if we catch the lawyer and put him away? What if he doesn’t turn and people start asking questions about a leak? What I know is top level. People will know it’s me.”
The detective relaxed her shoulders and dropped her gaze. “Then we make sure that what we catch him at has nothing to do with you.”
“And how do you suppose we do that?”
“Through your friend. The one he’s dating.”
“No way,” Alex said.
“I’m with him on this,” Jude said. “Sally doesn’t need to be involved.”
“I really don’t see how you have any choice. He isn’t the kind of guy to let a girl slip through his fingers.” The cop looked down at her shoes. “So, the way I see it, the only way for us to catch this guy and keep your friend alive is to work together.” She took a small pause and looked at both men. “Agreed?”
Alex and Jude looked at each other and then nodded.
“Agreed,” they said in unison.
“Good. Now let’s get to work.” The detective smiled at them, a self-satisfied grin that irritated Alex to no end.
***
Valero Gas Station Pay Phone
Washington, DC
December 7, 2005
10:00 AM
~~~
Billy slammed down the phone. Jude hadn’t answered for the third time in a row. His sudden lack of communication didn’t sit right with Billy. He’d need a new full-time person to keep an eye on Sally since Henry didn’t seem interested in doing it anymore. Thankfully, she’d been in too much pain the last two weeks to get into too much trouble. When he left to go back to DC, he’d taken her pills with him. He didn’t get much for them on the street—enough to buy him a nice lunch and a prostitute to give him a quickie in a back alley.
All morning Big D had driven them around on a head-cracking mission. They’d put the fear of God into a few folks and shook down some more for cash. He didn’t know why the boss had picked him to go on this job with him, but he thanked the saints that the big man had sought him out.
As they drove through the busy DC streets looking for a burger joint, they listened to old school hip-hop with the bass cranked up so high that the car vibrated. Billy hated that kind of music, but he put on a good face, pretending to be a fan. Billy secretly sighed in relief when Big D turned down the radio a little.
Big D made a wide turn and honked at the car in front of them that slowed down. “Fucking DC drivers.” He honked again and the driver in front of them sped up. “What do you know about our lawyer friend, Mike?”
Billy folded his arms over his chest and rested back into his seat. “Nothing really. Lives alone. His wife kicked it from cancer a few years ago, I think.”
“Do you think he’s on the level?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, does he have a lot of enemies? Piss off people?”
“From what I hear, he’s kind of a prick, but he does his job. He does a little coke. He might be skimming some from the stash, not enough to really notice, but I don’t know sure. Just a feeling.”
Big D pulled into a fast food restaurant parking lot and turned off the car. The sudden quiet jarred Billy’s senses.
“I hear he has a new girl. You know anything about her?”
“I don’t know nothing about a new girl. Why do you ask?”
Big D just shrugged his shoulders.
***
La Torte
West Ocean City, Maryland
December 7, 2005
6:00 PM
~~~
Alex adjusted his tie and smoothed the wrinkles out of his jacket. He hated going to places like this. Too fancy for his taste. The room, set up with small romantic alcoves, left him feeling claustrophobic and on display at the same time. He felt sure that everyone in there knew he didn’t belong. The kind of place that slime ball lawyer would take his dates.
“Quit fidgeting. You look hot.” Sara pursed her bright red lips and rubbed up against him.
Her short red dress and matching heels made him want to take her in the coat check room, but he clenched his fists and refrained from giving in to his addiction. Well, at least for the moment.
“You’re killing me in that dress,” he whispered.
Sara giggled and pressed her body against his, making his head spin. “I thought you might like it.”
“I do,” he said, undressing her in his mind. “I’ll like it even better around your ankles.”
Sara ran her fingers up over his lapels. “The bathroom? We could make it quick.”
Alex swallowed hard and glanced around to make sure no one saw them. “I shouldn’t have brought you.”
Sara pouted. “You’re way more fun when you aren’t on medication.”
“Just two for this evening?” the host asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
The host snagged two menus and smiled. “Follow me.”
Alex hooked his arm through Sara’s and walked behind the host, practicing his breath counts to calm himself down. The host stopped in front of a booth in the corner. Alex let go of Sara’s arm and let her get in first. He would need a drink. Maybe two. He wasn’t supposed to drink while on the meds, but fuck that. He sat down and then let his eyes search the room. It didn’t take long to spot her.
Sally.
His date touched his leg and glanced in the same direction. A small sigh escaped her lips. “So that’s the woman you’re so worried about? She looks like she’s having a good time.”
Alex’s heart sank as Sally laughed and smiled wide for her date. The lawyer touched her hand and he almost bolted out of his seat to deck the guy. But Sara squeezed his leg like she could read his mind.
“Hey there, killer. Calm down.” Sara waved at the waiter walking their way.
“Hello, my name is Ralph and I will be your waiter tonight. What can I get you to drink?”
“Whiskey and keep it coming,” Alex said, not taking his eyes off Sally for a moment.
He heard Sara indicate she’d have the same. When the waiter walked away she tugged on his hand, making him face her.
“What?”
“Calm down,” Sara hissed. “You’re going to draw attention to yourself. I knew we should have fucked before we got here.”
The waiter came over with their drinks and Alex downed his. The alcohol burned and made him cough. Sara glared at him, making his nerves stand even further on end.
“Would you like to hear our specials?” the waiter asked.
“No. We’ll split the Dorado and keep the drinks coming.”
The waiter cleared his throat and took their menus. “Wonderful choice, sir. I’ll be back with another drink for you.”
Once the waiter walked away, Sara took his head in her hands and kissed him. He groaned, hating the way his body responded to her. The meds Doc put him back on helped a little bit. Enough that he could break the kiss with Sara and pull away from her.
“I’m going to go outside and make the call to his office,” Alex said.
Once outside, the cold air calmed his overworked nerves. Doc had given him an emergency Xanax that he took out and chewed in the hopes that it would work faster. After taking a few deep breaths, he took out his ph
one and called Danny, who answered on the first ring.
“Hey, I need you to mask my number so it looks like the calls are coming from the Fort County Police Station.”
“Sure thing. Give me a minute and I’ll set it up.”
Alex hung up the phone and began pacing up and down the walkway in front of the restaurant. After a minute passed, he dialed the lawyer’s answering service and prayed Danny had set up the right number.
“This is the law practice of Michael David. How may I direct your call?”
Alex cleared his throat and tried his best at a white trash Maryland accent. “Hey, yeah, this is Robert Graber. I got locked up for possession again. I told them I wanted to speak to my lawyer. Tell Mike to get his ass down here, pronto. I’m at the County lock up.”
“I’ll pass on the message and he’ll be there shortly, Mr. Graber.”
“Tell him to make it quick. This cop is busting my balls.”
Alex hung up and took a deep breath. Please…please work.
***
La Torte
West Ocean City, Maryland
December 7, 2005
6:00 PM
~~~
Sally hated French food. A part of her wished that Michael would take her to a burger joint or a bar for a couple of drinks instead of these four-or five-course meals she couldn’t pronounce. She couldn’t even identify half the stuff on her plate.
“Is your fish okay?” Michael asked.
Sally smiled and put down her fork. She didn’t think she could take another bite. “It’s delicious. I guess I’m just full.”
“You should eat more. A stiff wind could blow you away.”
She felt her cheeks grow hot and she hid her embarrassment behind her glass of wine.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to embarrass you. You do look quite lovely tonight.”
Her body couldn’t help but react to his charms even though her mind told her not to fall for his tricks. The heat spread from her cheeks to her chest and she was sure she must be as red as her wine. “Thank you.”
Michael’s smile widened and his eyes softened. The Mr. Hyde she’d grown to know and the Dr. Jekyll she knew him to be made her head spin. Maybe everyone was wrong. Maybe he had nothing to do with that woman’s death. A small part of her needed for him to be innocent, to justify her growing affection for him.
“If you’ll excuse me.” She cleared her throat and rose to her feet. “I’m going to go powder my nose, or whatever else a lady is supposed to say to nicely excuse herself to the restroom.”
Michael laughed and rose from his seat like men do in the movies. He cupped her elbow and drew her close to him until he could kiss her lightly on the lips. “Don’t be long.”
Sally wet her lips and swallowed hard. His intense gaze made her stomach flutter and her pulse race. Michael’s smile widened and she remembered why they were standing in the middle of the restaurant in the first place—she had to pee. She turned and fought the urge to run. Once the bathroom door closed behind her, she let out a loud breath and leaned against the wall. She waited for her heart to stop racing and for her breathing to return to normal.
Get it together!
She quickly went to the bathroom. When she was done and washing her hands, her reflection stared back at her, bright-eyed and pink-cheeked. She didn’t recognize herself in the pretty pink dress with a satin top and taffeta skirt. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a high and tight bun. She looked like a fucking ballerina.
“You can do this, Sally Ann.” She tried to make herself believe the words coming out of her mouth, but the tightening in her chest told her she was doing a piss poor job of it. She didn’t know what the hell she was doing. So far their bug had failed, and she’d gleaned nothing of interest from the man. She needed to change that, and quick.
The door to the bathroom swung open and two giggling women shuffled in. She smiled at them and walked back out to her table where Michael was waiting. When he saw her, he stood and kissed her again, this time lingering a bit longer. When he broke the kiss, he caressed her red-hot cheek.
“Miss me?”
“Always.”
They sat back down and she sipped her wine. She felt a release of relief when he started talking again about his work. Her heartbeat slowed back to its normal pace. When he paused mid-sentence and touched her arm, she startled.
“I’m sorry I’m boring you. Tell me about your day.”
Sally swallowed and twisted up her napkin in her lap. “Not much to say. I worked a double because one of the ladies went into labor.”
“Oh, now that’s interesting.” Michael dabbed the corners of his mouth with his napkin and placed it back onto his lap. “Do you ever think about the future? What you might like to be doing?”
She rested her hands in her lap to keep from biting her nails. Of course she thought of the future, but what could she tell him? She looked away from him and her eyes caught a familiar face.
Alex…Alex kissing a hot blonde.
Sally clenched her fists under the table and looked away.
“Is everything all right?” Michael asked.
She snapped back to attention and looked at her date. “Yes, I’m fine. I—”
“I’m sorry if my question upset you—”
She waved away his concern. “No, no. It’s fine. I was just thinking that I don’t know what I want in the future. I guess just to be happy.”
“Are you not happy now?”
His question, much like the last one, threw her. The true answer would be that she hated almost everything about her life, but that answer would require explanation. Instead, she threw it back at him. “Are you happy?”
“Sometimes I think I am,” he said as he looked away from her. “I’m happy when I’m with you.” He looked back at her and caught her eye. “I hope I make you happy, too.”
Sally opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, the waiter chose that moment to come to their table. “Excuse me, Mr. David. We have an important call for you.”
Michael turned to her and sighed. “I’m sorry, Sally. I turned off my phone. It must be the office. I told them only to call if there was an emergency. I’ll just be a minute.”
Her shoulders relaxed, but her palms began to sweat. She glanced around to make sure no one was looking and took a bite of her thumbnail. She glanced over to where Alex and his date had been sitting and noticed the booth was now empty.
“I’m sorry.” Michael bent and bussed her cheek, making her jump a little. “I’m going to have to go. One of my important clients got arrested tonight.”
“Oh?” Sally made to stand, but he stopped her. “Please stay. Enjoy the rest of your dinner. I insist that you get dessert. I’ll have them bring you out their crème brûlée. It’s magnificent. And I promise I’ll make this up to you.”
He gave her a quick kiss and groaned. “I’m going to bill my client extra for pain and suffering.”
Sally giggled. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine.”
Michael reached into his pocket and tossed money on the table. “I’ll have the host call you a cab to take you home.”
“Oh, wait,” Sally said, reaching for her purse. “I have something I made for you.”
“You made me something?”
She pulled the CD out of her purse and handed it to him. “Music. Some of my favorite songs. I thought you could listen to it while you’re at work and maybe think of me.”
The lines on Michael’s forehead deepened and he smiled. “You made me a mix tape?”
“Something like that.”
Michael gave her another quick kiss. “Thank you. That’s very sweet.”
“Goodnight, Michael.”
“Goodnight.”
Michael looked back at her one last time. He bit his bottom lip and shook his head. She waved and smiled at him. As soon as the doors closed behind him, she dropped her shoulders and sighed.
The waiter came to her table and filled he
r wine glass. “Mr. David ordered the crème brûlée for dessert. Would you like a port to go with it?”
Sally didn’t know what a port was so she shook her head. She caught the faint scent of cigarettes and hard liquor and turned to see Alex coming up behind her. “I thought he would never leave.”
Her breath caught in her throat as she glanced around the room. Alex came up behind her and whispered in her ear. Alex. “Don’t worry. I waited until he drove off. He’s not coming back.”
Sally let go of the breath she’d been holding. “There’s no client in jail, is there?”
A sly smile curled up at the corner of Alex’s mouth as he slid into the seat across from her. “Nope. But he’s going to have to drive over an hour to find that out. I’m guessing he’s gonna be none too pleased.”
Sally sat back in her chair and tossed her napkin on the table in front of her. “Alex—”
“Get the dessert to go.” Alex stood. “I’m going to get us a cab.” Sally watched as he walked away and then waved down the waiter who scurried back to her table.
“What can I do for you, ma’am?”
“Could you please box up my dessert for me? I’m afraid I’m not feeling well.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be right back.”
He returned five minutes later with a bottle of wine and the dessert box tied with a bow. “Some port to go with your dessert. For when you are feeling well again, of course. I hope everything was to your liking.”
“Thank you. Dinner was lovely.”
The coat check man helped her into her coat and the waiter handed her the box and the wine. The host held open the front door and started for the curb when she stopped him. She could see the silhouette of Alex waiting inside the cab for her. “There’s a cab right there. Thank you.”
Sally jumped into the cab and tossed everything on the seat between her and Alex. As they drove away from the restaurant, Alex pulled her into a kiss. She kissed him back and pretended for a moment that her impossible dream might actually come true.
