Tattoo

by Cambria Hebert

  And situations like this were exactly why.

  “Lucky you,” Snake said.

  I shrugged.

  “So what have you been doing since then?”

  I came back to Raleigh. And I did paperwork. Then I did more paperwork. I was debriefed and had my head looked in to make sure being undercover so long hadn’t fucked me up too bad.

  The thing with being a liar for a living… no one found out anything I didn’t want them to know. Even the department shrink. So after the paperwork, the trial, and the mandatory mental health checks, I was cleared to go back to work.

  “Laying low. I was on my way out of town today, going fishing.” The best lies always have a seed of truth. I glanced back at Taylor, who hadn’t moved from the cot. “I stopped in to see my girl before I left.”

  “Your girl should know better than to step in front of a man with a gun,” Leo said from his position on the couch.

  God, I hated him.

  I turned from Snake to glare at him. “Maybe you should learn to control your twitchy trigger finger,” I said, anger veiled in my words.

  “Shoot first; ask questions later,” Leo drawled.

  “You’re an idiot.”

  He burst up from the sofa, challenge in his posture. I stayed relaxed, like he didn’t even bother me. I glanced at Snake. “Hotheads ruin good partnerships.”

  Snake looked at Leo. “We ain’t got time for this.”

  Tommy walked over to the fridge and pulled out a couple beers. I noted there wasn’t any water as he passed some of the alcohol to Leo and his buddy on the couch.

  “Now that Pike is gone,” Snake began and I looked away from the fridge, “there are some vacancies at the top of the organization.”

  Organization = gang.

  “And you got your eye on the throne,” I said.

  “I got the ambition, the crew.” He gestured toward the duffle bags. “And now I got the capital.”

  And I had the opportunity to take him down before he even got started.

  “I like being on the winning team,” I said. “So where do we go from here?”

  “Plan is to lay low for a couple days, let the heat die down from the robbery. Then we’ll turn some of this money into product and start to expand.”

  Product = drugs.

  Paying cash for a huge shipment of drugs was also a good way to spend the stolen money without raising any red flags, because it would all be done under the radar. And this type of guys wouldn’t just walk into a bank with their cut of the profit. These guys would hold their cash and not flaunt it.

  I had to admit I was impressed. It was a fairly solid play for one of the top spots in the organization. It was timed right as well. The dust was beginning to settle from the busts, and people within the crew were likely starting to go hungry. Hungry for cash, hungry for work, and likely hungry for someone to call the shots.

  Being in the drug business, in an organization like this, was profitable… I should know. I took money from it. That hefty bank account Taylor pointed out wasn’t just a product of police force salary alone.

  “Solid,” I said, letting them know I liked the plan and I was in.

  Taylor made a small sound and it put me on alert. This conversation had been damn informative, but it lasted too long.

  “Got any water around here?” I asked.

  “Got plenty of beer,” Tommy offered.

  I made a show of grabbing one from the fridge and popping the top. I took a generous swig, casually making my way over to Taylor, when really I wanted to move a lot faster.

  Her face was flushed. I knelt down beside her and she stared up at me with pain-heavy eyes. I pressed the back of my hand to her forehead. It was hot.

  She was running a fever. Infection was likely taking over her insides like wildfire.

  “How ya doing, Tay?”

  “Peachy,” she replied, her voice low.

  Time to go.

  I pushed away and went back into the other room. “I’m going to take her to the hospital, drop her off. We don’t need a woman with a bullet wound slowing down our plan.”

  “We could just take her out right now,” Leo offered.

  I moved so swiftly no one had time to react. My fist pummeled the side of his jaw, smacking his head to the side as I straddled his body and delivered a few more blows to his face and head.

  Snake yanked me off, towing me backward as the other dude on the sofa moved between me and his buddy.

  “I swear to God,” I growled in his direction, my chest heaving. “You so much as look at her again and I will fucking kill you.”

  “You’re fucking crazy,” Leo yelled, dabbing at his bloody lip.

  “Chill, man,” Snake said, releasing his grip on me. “No one’s gonna take out your woman.”

  Gee, that made me feel a shit ton better.

  “I’m taking her outta here,” I said, flat.

  Snake exchanged glances with Tommy, then looked back at me. “You know you can’t take her to the hospital right now. She knows where we are.”

  “She ain’t gonna tell no one.”

  “She says that now. Then she’ll get some feel-good drugs running through her system and her tongue will loosen.”

  “She needs antibiotics and pain meds,” I said.

  “So get her some.” Snake reasoned.

  “You saying I can’t take her out of here?”

  “I’m saying wait a couple days. On our way to our new location we can drop her off. By that time we’ll be on the move and she won’t know where we’re going next.”

  “And if I don’t like your compromise?” I asked.

  The sound of several cocking guns made me glance around the room. All four men had drawn on me.

  Snake gave me an apologetic look. “It’s just business, man. You understand.”

  Oh, I understood I was going to nail his ass to the wall for this. “If we’re gonna be here a couple days, I gotta go get some supplies.”

  Snake smiled. “Van’s parked about half a mile away.” He tossed me the keys. I caught them in midair.

  I started toward Taylor, sorry I was going to have to move her but seeing no other choice.

  “Leave her,” Snake’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

  I turned back. “What?”

  “I said leave her,” he said. “Think of it as a proof of trust,” he explained when I only stared at him. “We’ll know we can trust you to come back without pulling a fast one and you’ll know you can trust us when you see we’ve kept your girl safe.”

  He wanted me to leave her. Here. Alone.

  She needed those meds. Without them she might die.

  If I didn’t agree to this “proof of trust,” they’d probably kill us both right now.

  I gave a swift nod and all the guns disappeared. Tommy and Snake went back to drinking beer and Leo and his buddy, whose name still remained a mystery, went back to their phones. I leaned over Taylor, speaking so hopefully only she could hear.

  “I’m going to go get you something to make you feel better.”

  Her eyes widened and she reached for my arm. “Don’t leave me here.”

  “I got to, Taylor. They won’t hurt you while I’m gone.” That was probably the worst lie I’d ever told.

  “I have a bullet hole in my arm from one of them.”

  “Which is exactly why I gotta go out.”

  She looked at me intently for long moments. Her feverish eyes grew moist with tears. “You’re going to come back, aren’t you?”

  “I swear on all that’s holy on this planet I’m coming back.” I cupped her cheek in my palm. “I promise.”

  She nodded, her hand sliding off my arm. It seemed like something someone who was entirely defeated would do.

  “Hey,” I said, stroking her cheek with my thumb. Her green eyes looked up once more. “Don’t give up.”

  “I won’t.”

  I smirked. “Do me a favor, huh? Don’t try to run while I’m gone. Those
assholes will let you fall down the stairs.”

  Her lips cracked into a small smile. It felt like a major victory.

  “Bring me a Gatorade.”

  I smiled.

  “And a really big Tylenol.”

  My chest swelled a little with her spoken words. Most women would be screaming and crying. Hell, most men would be whimpering like babies. I knew she was scared. She was wounded and confused. Yet she was keeping it together.

  I liked her. She was tough.

  “I’ll see ya soon.”

  She nodded.

  I pulled away. Walking out of that ghetto, rundown building was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. But I didn’t have a choice. As soon as I cleared the empty parking lot, I upped my pace into a run.

  I had antibiotics and Gatorade to find.

  And I also had a phone call to make.

  6

  Taylor

  Time slowed to a crawl.

  I felt every single second, every single breath I drew, and every single lump on this craptastic cot.

  I even counted the cracks in the wall. I lost interest at twenty.

  Chills racked my body and it hurt to shake. Every little jolt my body forced upon itself sent ripples of pain scattering across my body.

  Where was he? How long had he been gone?

  Lying here and waiting for a man to come back and save the day wasn’t really my idea of a good time. In fact, it made my already foul and emotional state worse.

  I attempted to blink away the dizziness in my eyes and swallow back the dryness of my throat. Maybe I could get ahold of a gun. It would likely be the only way I’d get out of here without being tackled to the ground.

  I definitely wasn’t a helpless damsel in distress, but being injured and sick took away a lot of my strength and power.

  As I was lying there hatching ideas for the best way to get a gun, a cell phone rang. Oohh, I could get ahold of a cell phone! I thought excitedly.

  I could pretend I was passing out or something, turn into one of those whiny, demanding females, and get one of them over here. Maybe they would drop their cell phone and I could use it to dial 9-1-1.

  I sure as hell hoped I didn’t get the same operator as before.

  She had been sooo not helpful.

  “Yeah,” Snake said, interrupting my very brilliant planning. I glanced his way, watching him hold the phone up to his ear. A second passed while he listened. “So what did you find out about Slater?”

  My ears perked up at the mention of Brody (aka Slater) and my stomach knotted with nerves. What if he found out Brody was really a cop? They would kill him when he came back… and worse…

  They would kill me.

  I was a hopeful person. I always had faith that my death would come when I was in my nineties, after I lived a full life, and I would pass quietly in my sleep in my own bed. I never imagined I might die by the hand of a gang member at the age of twenty-four.

  “Yeah,” Snake said, listening. “That long?” he muttered.

  Oh, how I wished I could hear what was being said on the other end of the line.

  “Okay, tight,” he said into the line. “Uh-huh.” As he talked, he paced around the room and I watched his movements carefully, trying to read his body language.

  So far he didn’t seem like someone told him there was a cop involved. He didn’t seem like anything he was learning was going to result in a gunfight.

  That was good.

  Just as my nerves started to settle, Snake came to a halt. “You don’t say?” he muttered and then pivoted around.

  I didn’t bother to look away, to hide the fact I was looking at him.

  Our eyes met.

  “Yo, thanks for the info, man. You hear anything else, dial me.” He spoke into the phone, but his eyes were still on me.

  I didn’t like the way he was looking over here. I was hoping he’d forget about me.

  He pulled the phone away from his ear, slipping it into the pocket of the black pants he wore. True to his name, he practically slithered across the floor toward me. The look in his eyes was calculating and a little mean.

  I felt my fingers curl into my palm, gripping at the fabric covering my legs.

  Oh my God, he knew about Brody.

  He knew he was a cop and now he was going to kill me.

  7

  Brody

  I needed a shirt. Walking around without one would just draw unwanted attention. Not to mention, I wanted to keep the gang symbol on my back covered.

  The air was still hot as hell even though the sun was lowering in the sky. Raleigh had two temperatures throughout the year: hot and Hades. The van was right where Snake said it would be, and I jumped in, turning the AC on high and pointing it toward the closet town, Garner.

  I thought about driving back into Raleigh to get my cell phone and weapon out of my truck, but it had likely been impounded because it was sitting outside the bank at the time of the robbery and I was nowhere to be found.

  I knew the guys at work would know I was likely already working the case, but not everyone on the PD would know, so if I was spotted in Raleigh, I might get hauled in for questioning and that would not help Taylor at all.

  Leaving her back there was pretty dangerous and I didn’t want to be gone any longer than absolutely necessary. About two minutes of driving brought me into Garner. Just like that, I was in a quaint town of North Carolina.

  I slowed and turned into the nearest gas station and parked alongside the building. I bypassed the “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service” sign stuck to the glass double doors and stepped inside.

  There was a girl with a high ponytail behind the counter, looking bored, but as soon as she saw me, she perked up, standing up straight and giving me a onceover. I gave her a smile and wandered over to a rack of T-shirts that were hanging nearby.

  They were all white, sporting red NC State University logos, with the words Wolf Pack written directly beneath. I selected an extra-large off a hanger and held it up. “You mind?”

  I asked the girl. She blushed.

  I pulled the shirt over my torso and then reached for the last remaining hoodie on the rack. It was a large, but at least it would be warm. I took the shirt and went toward the back where I stood in front of the selection of Gatorade, pondering what flavor Taylor might like.

  Wait.

  Was I seriously standing here debating over the flavor of Gatorade for some chick?

  I didn’t have time for that shit.

  So I reached in and pulled out about five, loading up my arms and then going into the snack isle. There wasn’t exactly a healthy selection, but I’d take what I could get. I piled some junk and some over-the-counter pain meds on top of the drinks and traipsed to the counter and dropped it all in front of the girl.

  “Don’t forget the shirt I’m wearing,” I told her as she rang up everything.

  She giggled and I handed over a few twenties. Once everything was in a bag, I headed down the road, not stopping until I saw the next place on my list. I parked near a side entrance, hoping I would get lucky and it wasn’t one of those doors that was an emergency exit only with one of those annoying alarms.

  I bypassed it and went in the front entrance, walking right up to the counter in the center of the room. The receptionist barely looked up when I signed the log on the counter, using some made-up name.

  “You need to be seen today?” she asked.

  Why the hell else would I walk into an Urgent Care clinic in the middle of the day? “Yeah,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Think I might have strep.” I lied.

  “Sign in,” she said, obviously not seeing me already doing so. “We’ll be with you shortly.”

  I guess I wasn’t the only one lying today. She and I both knew that “shortly” meant four hours.

  “Can I use the restroom?” I asked.

  She pointed off to her right. “Through that door.”

  Bingo. It was on the other side of the waiting room, behind t
he door where they called the patients back. “Thanks,” I said and headed straight toward the bathroom. On my way in, I noted the nurse’s station just two doors down from the bathroom. And across from that was the exit that I parked near.

  It didn’t appear to have an alarm attached to it.

  I stepped in the bathroom and took a piss. Then I washed my hands and listened against the door for any kind of movement in the hall outside. I could hear someone talking nearby and then their voice retreated and I heard a door close down the hall.

  The bathroom door opened soundlessly, and I peered out, not seeing anyone nearby. Stepping out into the hall, I kept my footfalls soft as I moved stealthily across the hall into the nurse’s station. I had maybe one minute tops to get what I needed and get the hell out. The first place I went was to the white overhead cabinets hanging above a cheap countertop. Inside, I found packaged sterile syringes and various sizes of bandages. I grabbed several of everything I thought I might need and then turned to the cabinet behind me. I found several vials of amoxicillin and carefully stuffed them into my pockets. Footsteps down the hall had me grabbing handfuls of other supplies and shoving them into my hat.

  A few seconds later, I was peaking into the hall, and once it was clear, I held my breath as I pushed through the side door.

  My muscles were tense and ready as I waited for the piercing sound of an alarm to draw attention my way. Even if it went off, I wasn’t giving up these supplies. They wouldn’t be able to catch me before I drove away.

  Thankfully, no alarm sounded, and I let out a breath. A nurse turned the corner just as the door shut and I took off for the van. I waited until I was out of the parking lot and down the street before I carefully pulled everything out of my pockets and hat and placed it into the bag with the hoodie.

  The clock on the dashboard showed I’d been gone thirty minutes already. Thirty minutes that felt like a damn lifetime. Now that I had what I needed to help make Taylor comfortable, I wanted to put the pedal to the metal and get back there, but I still had one more stop to make.