by Marie James
“Has she said she wants to leave?”
“No, but I’m pushing her away at every turn.” He scrubs his hands over his face. “Fuck!” His voice booms and reverberates off the walls.
“Why?”
“Why what?” He turns his head to me.
“Why are you pushing her away?” He laughs but not in a way that makes me think I said something funny. It’s more of a laugh that says the situation is apparent and I shouldn’t even have to ask.
“She deserves better than me.” He sounds resigned as if he’s accepted his fate and he’s just waiting for the hammer to drop.
“Bullshit, Garrett. You’re a good man. All of this shit will eventually be over.” I hope he can hear the truth in my words and know I’m not just trying to placate him.
“And if it doesn’t?” He sneers at me. “You think she’s going to stick around and come visit my sorry ass in prison? Fuck, I’d never even ask her to do that.”
“It won’t get that far and you fucking know it.”
“You don’t know that!” He jumps up from his chair and starts pacing again.
“They can’t convict you if they don’t have evidence. They can’t have evidence if you didn’t do it.” My tone is flat because I need him to see that he’s overreacting.
“Innocent people go to prison all the time,” he says.
“You need to calm down. The case hasn’t even gone to the grand jury. Do you remember how quick Alexa’s case went before the grand jury? A couple weeks that’s all. There has to be a reason they haven’t gotten to that step yet.” His pacing begins to slow as he mulls over my words.
“What the fuck am I supposed to do in the meantime?” He leans against the wall with his arms crossed, seriously waiting for his response because I’m at a loss for the answer.
“Lay low, but live your life how you would’ve before all this shit went down,” I say to him.
“It’s not that simple, Ian.” He whispers.
“It is that easy, Garrett. You sit at home with your girl, watch TV, fuck like bunnies, and you wait until you hear anything different on your case. Anything else and you will drive yourself mad.” If you haven’t already I don’t verbalize.
“I have ruined everything with Alexa. I’ve gone from being within two steps of asking her to marry me to treating her like a piece of ass that’s only around to fuck me at my every whim.” I cringe, because I know that Garrett loves that woman to death so he must be in a super low place for this to be going on.
“Make it up to her,” I shrug because the woman is here. She’s stayed so she must feel like he’s worth the fight.
“How the fuck am I supposed to do that? I haven’t even kissed her since I was arrested.” I watch him clench his fists open and closed, angry at himself for his actions.
“You start by going upstairs, wrapping yourself around her and watching a movie.” I grin at him.
He laughs shallowly. “I’m pretty sure she’s about ready to cut my nuts off,” he says.
“But she won’t. She loves you; it’s not too late to work yourself back to her.” I tell him. “Be the man you were before; she fell madly in love with that man. She still loves that man.”
“Start with a movie huh?”
I shrug. “As good an idea as any.” I look at my watch then grab my cell and fire off a text to Lorali. Within a minute she responds. “Lorali says Josie has already gone upstairs to lie down and plans to stay all night. She won’t feel like a third wheel.”
He nods in understanding. “And if Alexa attacks me?” He give me a half-hearted grin.
“We’ll make sure to call an ambulance before you bleed out,” I say jokingly. “And if things go the opposite way there are fresh sheets on the bed in your room upstairs.” I waggle my eyes at him and stand, walking toward the stairs.
He follows behind me mumbling about waiting too long to come over and that he’s sure she hates him by now. We make our way up the stairs and into the living room where the girls are watching some stupid chick flick, of which I could care less. I can never pay attention to movies when Lorali is near.
Alexa notices our approach and her eyes go wide darting from the glass of wine in her hand and back to Garrett. She seems like she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t.
“Ladies,” I say walking toward Lorali. “Can we join you?”
Lorali grins and holds her arms open to me. I sit down beside her and watch Garrett’s more cautious approach to Alexa. She tries to lean forward and place her glass on the table but he stops her movement by gently clutching her wrist. She watches with unsure eyes as he reaches for the bottle of wine and refills her glass.
He kisses her on the temple and sits beside her. Her body is rigid and she continues to cut her eyes at him, like she’s waiting for him to morph into someone else. He has a lot more work to do than I had initially thought, but when I see her eventually settle and lean into him I’m certain it will all work out.
An hour later and he’s grown balls big enough to at least put his arm around her shoulder, trailing a gentle touch up and down her arm. He probably thinks she’s fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder because he can’t see her face, but the tiny smile on her lips tells me she’s just enjoying the affection.
I get Lorali’s attention and angle my head towards them. She squeezes my hand letting me know she sees it too. I hope this calms some of her worries.
The doorbell chimes and I get a sinking feeling in my gut, suddenly hit with a feeling of déjà vu.
Chapter 29
Kaleb
I hate lying to my wife. Well, I’m not exactly lying it’s more like a lie of omission. I told her I was hanging out with a friend tonight. She didn’t ask me who, I’m certain it’s because she still feels guilty for the way she responded to the pictures, and I don’t offer.
Sergeant Holt is kind of a friend, but I did leave out the part about working. Ok, not technically working but Holt said he had some things he wanted to share with me and he could only do it after the other people in the office left for the day since I am still on suspension.
I park my truck in the parking lot after dropping Josie off at Ian’s. I text Holt to let him know I’m here and wait by the side entrance for him to give me access to the building. Before long the heavy metal door is swinging open and not only Holt but Detective Stan Rhodes is in the doorway. I narrow my eyes because I don’t like being surprised by shit and Holt should have mentioned him planning to be here.
Suddenly I’m hit with a wave of panic. Garrett sure as shit isn’t guilty yet he’s been charged with very serious offenses. Is it possible they have found something and misconstrued it as illegal on my part? I’m like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, not sure if I should join them or run, which is crazy because I’m not guilty of shit.
It reminds me of the first time I saw the red and blues flashing behind me when I was seventeen and my first instinct was to run. Not because there was a cop behind me and I was guilty of speeding, but knowing my father was going to find out sent sheer terror through my veins.
Rhodes smirks at me reading my mind. “Get your ass in here Perez, we don’t have time for this shit.”
His slap on my back when I walk past him and into the precinct is brotherly. We make our way through the various corridors until we get to Holt’s office. We all settle in and wait for Holt to begin.
He’s grinning at me but doesn’t say anything at first.
“Well?” I ask eventually.
“It seems Anthony and Marco know each other from the streets.” Holt says with a flat affect.
“Fuck,” I mutter. “So we got burned?” I sit back roughly in my chair knowing without him confessing we’re screwed.
“Just the opposite actually,” Holt says with a grin. “Hernandez started talking the minute we put him in the cell.”
“Fuck yeah!” I want to give him a fist bump but he’s really not the type so I stay in my seat.
/> I watch him click his mouse and turn up the speaker on his computer. “There were some pleasantries but I’m just starting at the meat and potatoes.”
I hear Anthony’s very distinguishable laugh. It’s more like a hyena cackle than a sound that should come from a human.
Anthony: That’s fucked up man. You gonna tell me what your ass is in here for?
Marco: I fucked up man. Let my anger at this prick get to me.
Anthony: You beat somebody’s ass on the street?
I hear Marco chuckle.
Marco: Naw, man. I shoved some assholes head in the wall. They caught me on camera.
Anthony: Shitty luck, bro.
Marco: Yeah, but he’ll get what’s coming to him.
Hyena cackle.
Anthony: You got some plans then. I like it!
Marco: This shit has already been set in motion. I just couldn’t handle myself seeing that mother fuckers face.
Anthony: The guy you slammed?
Anthony pauses before continuing. I presume Marco nodded an affirmation to him.
Anthony: What’s the beef with him?
Marco: You heard about Shelly right?
Anthony: Yeah. Heard about that shit. Pretty fucked up what happened.
Marco: No lie. My girl calls me and tells me that Shelly and her old man’s operation is about to get lit up. So I do what any cousin would do and let them know.
Anthony: Of course man. Family first.
I hear some slapping noises as they commiserate with what sounds like some hand slapping.
“So we have him for informing on the raid,” I say. “Perfect.”
“We got him on so much more,” Holt angles his head back to the computer. “Marco loves to talk.”
Anthony: So you roughed up one of the cops?
Marco: This guy wasn’t a cop. Shelly started hanging around that Trina bitch. That stupid whore went fucking nuts after Evans was arrested for knocking over that liquor store.
Anthony: Shit, Marco. I didn’t hear about any of this shit! I did hear that Evans got shanked in the fucking latrine though. I fucking hated his ass. Glad that fuckers dead.
Marco: Yeah, well. He started running his fucking mouth and I couldn’t have that shit.
Anthony: Fuck yeah, man.
More hand slapping.
Marco: You’d be surprised what some of the crack heads in here will do for a hit.
“Holy shit,” I whisper as Holt stops the tape. “Did he just fucking admit to having Evans killed?”
Holt nods. This clears up two cases because they never determined who shanked Evans in the bathroom right after Josie was abducted.
I turn to Rhodes. “You here because of Evan’s death?”
“Partly,” he says and smiles.
“It gets better,” Holt says.
“There’s more?” I ask incredulously.
They both nod.
Anthony: I’m confused as fuck, bro. What did this have to do with cracking that guy’s head?
Marco: The bitch that Evan’s shot? This guy is her man.
Anthony: Sorry, man. Still not following.
I hear a frustrated sigh, surely from Marco at Anthony playing dumb.
Marco: It’s a big cluster fuck, but try to keep up. Are you high? What the fuck are you doing here?
Anthony: Got busted with a few grams. Three strikes for me, dog. I’ll be sent down for sure this time.
Marco: Shit man I’m sorry. I don’t ever usually get my hands dirty with the drugs. I lucked out a while back and ended up with a couple kilos of some prime shit.
Anthony: I got a cousin that can move that shit for you.
Marco: Thanks man but I used it for this fucker I was talking about. If it hadn’t been for that mother fucker’s girl, Shelly would still be alive. I’d kill Trina my fucking self if she wasn’t already dead.
Anthony: Sounds like the whole situation is fucked.
Marco: I may lose my job but I’m taking that fucker down with me. Money is the only reason he’s out and didn’t get the Evan’s treatment.
I hear Anthony’s hyena cackle again and this time it sounds strained and forced. He’s well aware of the shit storm Hernandez just confessed to.
I just glare at Holt, silenced by disbelief and shake my head from side to side.
“What’s the next step?” I query.
Holt sits up straighter in his chair and opens the desk drawer to his right. He pulls out my holstered glock and my shield and slide them across the desk to me.
I stare at him as if he’s tricking me in some way. “I haven’t spoken to I.A. yet.”
“Why would you need to? There wasn’t an investigation.” Holts pushes my belongings closer to me and I take them off the desk. “Great show with Jessica Riley though. She had no clue we set her up.”
I nod at him.
“How has your time off been?” Holt asks with a devious smirk.
“Really good. Just what I needed, especially after that bitch sent those pictures.” I say.
“The tape we just listened to happened two days ago. Marco was brought in and interviewed earlier today and he sang like a fucking bird. The Attorney General’s office opted to not seek the death penalty if he gave a full confession.” Holt pauses. “He implemented Riley. Seems she’s the mastermind behind all of it. We don’t have all the details but he gave us quite a bit.”
“He hinted that Riley was somehow involved in Josie’s abduction. He doesn’t know exactly how because she didn’t share all of that info with him, but he says she hinted at it often.” I bristle at the knowledge. “She wanted her out of the way so she could have you.” Rhodes says.
“When do we bring the bitch in?” I hiss through clenched teeth. I knew Jessica had a thing for me, I knew she was upset that I backed out of our fuck buddy agreement, I knew she was vindictive when she sent those fucking pictures to Josie. I never would have imagined her doing this shit. Almost since day one that she knew about Josie she’d been out to get her.
“We,” Holt says pointing between him and I. “Don’t do anything. Rhodes and I will handle this.”
I glare at him. “Sergeant,” I begin and he holds his hand up to stop me.
“We’re talking about bringing in a Denver PD detective and a sheriff’s deputy. This shit is going national when it busts open. We have to keep everything above board.”
I start to argue. This has to do with my fucking wife and the people who were involved in her abduction. I could have lost her and our child over this shit.
“Now, I’m not saying you can’t ride along but you have to stay out of it. I can’t have anything called into question.” He explains and it does nothing to abate my absolute abhorrence towards them.
“My fucking wife.” The more I think about it the angrier I grow.
“Is safe,” Holt says in what he thinks is a calming tone.
“Why am I even here?” I spit out.
“We knew you’d want to know. We don’t want you on the outside; we just can’t have you in the middle of it. We can’t take the chance the case gets thrown out.” His words calm me a bit. “Plus,” he adds. “We figured you’d like to let your friend know the charges against him will be officially dropped tomorrow.”
“I heard Marco admit that the drugs planted were his, but what about the arson?” There is so much shit going on, I’m beginning to get confused.
“Marco said in his interview that Riley convinced some young bartender or some shit to plant the coke and light the place on fire. My guess is the arson is the bar manager Johnny Hill’s doing.” Holt says reminding me of what Garrett said. Johnny had access to everything at the bar, practically had free reign.
“No shit?” I raise my eyebrows.
“Like I said he sang like a canary once he started talking.” Rhodes says with a smile.
“You remember Felipe Espinoza?” I nod at him. I’m still pissed the feds had pulled the ‘higher jurisdiction’ shit on that cartel fucker. “He convin
ced Marco to go to his hotel and clean it before we could get over there. That’s how he scored the kilos of coke.”
This day just gets better and better. Marco Hernandez will be spending the rest of his life in prison. Worst thing? They hate cops and dirty or not he doesn’t have a fucking snowballs chance in hell of surviving.
“We actually do need you for something,” Rhodes says as he stands from his chair and stretches out his back. “We can’t find Riley or Hill. My bet is Garrett Hale knows where his bar manager is. Think you can find that out for us?”
I huff. “I don’t know that Garrett is going to be talking to me anytime soon. He was pretty fucking pissed the last time I saw him.”
“Maybe the news you share with him may help a bit.” Holt stands as well and looks at his watch. “If you could go to his penthouse and find out that’d be great. SWAT started gearing up an hour ago.”
“He’s not at home; he’s at his cousin Ian Hale’s house.” They narrow their eyes at me and I hold my hands up in surrender. “I dropped Josie off over there before meeting you guys. I’ll call you if he tells me anything.”
“You call us either way so we know what steps to take next.” Holt demands.
“Yes, sir.” I shake both his and Rhodes hand and make my way out of the building and back to my truck.
Chapter 30
Josie
I’m always amazed at how quickly I got used to sharing a bed with someone. It’s nearly impossible to sleep when Kaleb isn’t in the bed with me. I haven’t told him this because he already feels guilty for being gone so much. I make my way back down the stairs to the living room to join the others because tossing and turning in bed is only causing me more stress.
At the bottom of the stairs the doorbell rings. I smile because it can only be Kaleb this late. We had agreed that I would stay the night here but I knew he’d never be able to stay away from me.
Ian passes me making his way to the door and I follow him. I can feel someone else behind me and I turn my head to see Garrett walking in that direction as well.
