by London Casey
And here was Jessa, just a hair over thirty. Working as a veterinarian when she should have been a medical doctor by now. All those years of school, working, saving, it was all laid to waste after one night. It changed her life forever and while the passion for medicine and a need to care never went away, that desire toward humans was destroyed.
“What do you think, Doc?” Jim asked.
He was tall, handsome, piercing blue eyes and a perfect hairline. He was a ruthless lawyer - or so Jessa had heard - but any time she had a run-in with Jim, he was teary eyed over his childhood best friend.
Brenda gripped his hand tight.
Jessa had heard from one of the receptionists that Jim and Brenda had been trying have a baby for years and weren’t able to do so. They had done every possible treatment and test and experiment with no luck at all. So Jessa knew that this wasn’t just a dog or a family dog or even just Jim’s childhood best friend. This was Jim’s child, basically. The child he couldn’t have right now.
“Let me take a look at a few things here,” Jessa said.
She examined Brandy and everything was about the same. Her hips were slowly deteriorating. There was no stopping it. There was no real treating it other than medication to make the dog comfortable. The same for the cataracts.
“Well, I’ve got good news and bad news,” Jessa said. “The good news is that nothing’s really changed at all.”
“But that’s also the bad news,” Jim said.
“Yeah.”
“Shit.”
“Jim,” Brenda said. “Don’t curse at her.”
“I didn’t curse at her,” Jim snapped.
“It’s fine.” Jessa leaned against the counter. She closed the folder again and turned her computer screen away. “Listen. I would never do anything to mislead any of you. All three of you. My goal right now is to make sure Brandy is happy and comfortable. The same for you both. It’s never easy coming to terms with the inevitable around us, and I’m sorry for that…”
“Just be straight,” Jim said. “Do we need to talk about putting her down?”
“Jim,” Brenda said. “I don’t want to have that conversation.”
“Well, we can’t let her suffer.”
Jessa looked down at Brandy and pointed. The dog was resting on her side, breathing fine, still with that smile on her pretty blonde face.
“You’ll know when she’s suffering,” Jessa said. “Right now, she’s content. I believe dogs know just as much as we do. She knows her body is getting old and changing.”
“I said the same thing,” Brenda said. “Maybe it’s weird to think, but Brandy has been around so long and been through so much, she’s not a dog to us…”
Brenda caught herself.
“I see that quite a bit,” Jessa said. “I wouldn’t change a thing right now.”
“She had a bad night, Doc,” Jim said. “She was crying at one point.”
“Well, I’ll order more X-rays and we’ll keep a close eye on things. You know how to reach me. I don’t just go and disappear, right? I’m always available to talk to. Brandy is going to have good days and bad, just like any of us. You have her medication and you know how and when to use it. I’m putting this blunt and forgive me if I sound rude, but as long as you don’t give up on her, she won’t give up on you or herself.”
Jim crouched and scooped up the dog. He lifted her with ease and cradled her. It was quite the sight to see a man in a suit holding a shaggy retriever like he did. But in that moment there was almost a childhood flicker in his eyes. He probably held the dog like that when he was twelve and she was just a puppy.
“As long as she keeps smiling, you’ll be okay,” Jessa said.
“But there’s going to come a time when she’s not okay,” Jim said. “When she passes.”
Jessa reached out and touched Brandy’s head. She offered a frail smile to Jim and Brenda. “The same could be said for all of us, right?”
That was the last appointment of the day. It wasn’t the worst way to end a day, but it certainly didn’t send Jessa back to her office with a hopeful smile on her face. She sat down behind her desk and felt herself choke up. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d become so attached to animals like she did. Hell, the entire career choice was a shotgun thing. Med school on a Monday, then veterinarian school by Friday. Lucky for her she had someone to help her through everything. A friend of a friend owned her own office and took a liking to Jessa. Her name was Dr. Ashland. It all seemed to happen too easily. Of course, throwing her original dream down the drain had been hard enough.
But Jessa knew she never had a choice in the matter. Not after what she saw happen. Her entire life had been about becoming a doctor. Wanting to help people who were sick or didn’t feel right. To save people. To stitch up cuts. To remove a bad appendix. There was a flip side to it all. The side when people were too sick to cure. Or when surgeries went bad. Or just time caught up and took control.
That was a crash course Jessa never expected… especially with her best friend.
Jessa shut her eyes and rubbed her temples with the pointer and thumb of her right hand. So many times the images would just pop into her mind.
Getting there a minute too late. Hearing nothing. Literally nothing. Because they were gone. Opening the door and seeing a hand on the floor, outstretched… her fingertips almost touching…
A knock at the door broke the bad memory into pieces.
“Come in,” Jessa yelled.
The door opened and in poked the receptionist, Terri.
“Sorry to bother you. Someone is here… with an emergency.”
“An emergency? We don’t do emergencies. We’re…”
“He’s insistent he talks to you. He has a box with him. I guess there’s an animal in it.”
“Who is it?”
“I’ve never seen him before. He looks pissed off. Upset, I guess.”
“Okay,” Jessa said. “I’ll be right out.”
Jessa couldn’t find it in her heart to say no. Plus, if Terri hadn’t locked the door, what was she supposed to do? She couldn’t just sneak out either, since Terri probably told the guy she would check on Jessa.
Sighing, Jessa walked out of her office. It wasn’t like she had anyone to go home to, right? Hell, for being a veterinarian, she didn’t even have so much as a goldfish at home. Just a small, well kept apartment. She had an on-again-off-again fling with a guy named Mike who was a mortgage broker, but that relationship (if you could call it that) was only convenient when Mike wanted it to be. Most of the time when he called Jessa told she herself to tell him to fuck off but truthfully she didn’t like to be alone. Even if it was just silly comfort for one night, it was something.
Jessa walked down the long hall and turned the corner, opening the door. When she saw who was sitting in a chair, a box next to him in another chair, she froze. It was like walking from a sunny day into a sub zero night.
Death sat there… with a grin on his face…
***
“Cat got your tongue?” he asked and then snickered. He pointed to a cat drawing on the wall. “Get it? The cat… right?”
“How…”
He stood and tugged at his suit jacket. “How am I out of prison? Well, see, there’s this thing where you serve your time and then they just let you go. They open the door, give you a swift kick in the ass, and say goodbye. Well, they actually don’t say goodbye. They just shut the door behind you. But I’m a free man.”
“You need to leave right now.”
“No, I don’t. I’m free. I can do what I want.”
“This office is closed.”
“The door opened just fine.”
“It’s supposed to be locked,” Jessa said. “I’m telling you to leave. You don’t want me to call the police on you, do you?”
He smiled. That big, evil smile. “Still the same, huh? You still blame me, don’t you?”
“I know what you did,” Jessa said.
; Her chest felt like it was collapsing into her body. She had been promised he would never come back and bother her. That he was going to go away for a long time. And while he was gone, they were going to work on the other case. That they would find a way to present the murder charges.
Apparently that never happened.
“You think you know,” he said. “I feel bad for you, too. Cleaning up dog shit all day and night. Dealing with people who own animals. Why can’t they get a real fucking life?”
“Go,” Jessa shouted. “I’m not saying it again.”
He pointed to the box on the chair. “But I brought you something…”
“I don’t care. Leave right now.”
He let out a breath. “Okay. I’ve overstayed my welcome. I’ll be back, Jessa. We are so far from done.”
“You come near me again and I’ll call the police. I’m going to call the police right now. I’m going…”
“Before you waste your energy with words, look in the box. Look at what I brought you. Remember, Jessa.” His lip curled. “Remember exactly who the fuck I am.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
Jessa felt the fear rise up within in her like a tide. She touched her chest. Her heart was pounding. Nobody would believe if she told them. Nobody was supposed to know about what had happened before.
“Uh, Jessa?” Terri asked.
Jessa stepped toward the box and then looked over her shoulder. “What?”
“We have a small problem.”
“What?”
“One of the cats… it’s missing.”
“What do you mean it’s missing?”
“I went to check on everything. Mrs. Soldier’s cat is missing. The cage is shut and everything. It’s just gone…”
“A cat can’t disapp…”
Jessa sucked in a breath. She looked at the box and shook her head. She thought about the last thing he ever said to her before he was arraigned and put away.
Don’t worry, my little kitty, I’ll be back for you.
Slowly, Jessa grabbed at one of the loose flaps of the box. She knew what she was going to find inside but yet she had to see it anyway. She did her best not to scream and cause a scene, but she did fall forward, into the wall, catching herself with her other hand.
There was only one person she could call. A man she swore to herself she would never ever see again.
She had to call the man responsible for her best friend’s death… she had to call Blaine…
three.
Blaine kicked open the door and everyone stood to applaud him. He put his hands out and nodded. “Bring it in, boys. Bring it in…”
Behind him, Miller pushed through the door and gripped Blaine’s shoulder tight. “You done yet?”
“I’m just getting started,” Blaine said. “I think I have everyone beat.”
“Don’t forget,” Miller said, “I stole the Chief’s wife and baby. I think that takes the cake over getting a blow job in jail.”
“True,” Blaine said. “But I didn’t get a blow job in jail. I was face down in some sweet, nasty stuff too. They couldn’t get the cell open fast enough. I pulled the one away from my face and looked right at the new chief and shot my load into the other one’s mouth.”
“Wait a second,” Trev said. “You came while staring at another guy?”
“Yeah,” Blaine said. “Well, no. Yeah. I mean, it was the chief. You know? Like a… like a big fuck you to you…”
“That’s weird,” Gaige said.
“Really weird,” Miller said.
“No, no,” Blaine said. “You guys let that woman suck on your dick for a few minutes and watch what happens. The pope could have come into the cell and I wouldn’t have been able to stop.”
“Oh, Christ,” Miller said. “Just sit the fuck down so we can talk.”
Miller closed the door behind him. Everyone at the table took a seat.
Blaine sat down and rubbed his chin.
What a fucking night.
He was running on empty right now. He sat in jail until almost two in the morning. That’s when they all got released. At the same time. They went back to the strip club so Blaine could get his motorcycle. He had room for one of them to come with him…
“So I see we have a new guy in charge of the Frelen PD,” Miller said as he made fists and put them on the table. “Blaine was the lucky one to meet him.”
“Yeah, lucky,” Blaine said. He and Miller looked at each other. Not a lot of people knew Blaine’s deepest secrets. Not that he had any ties to the law or justice, but it still stunk on him a little. “The guy’s an asshole. As expected.”
“We’re his first target,” Miller said. “And why not? It was no shock the relationship we had with Jerry for all those years. Keeping the balance between good and bad. We did the dirty work and the PD came out looking brave and clean.”
“Fuck them,” Nate said. “Everything we just went through with Jerry…”
“None of that matters,” Miller said. “They knew he was fucked in the head. That’s why the suicide was accepted and let go. They won’t memorialize Jerry. They won’t talk about him. They’re pushing to move forward. But I’m sure somewhere in the back of their minds, they blame us.”
“It’s been a bloody and rough time,” Blaine said. “But it’ll settle now. There’s no more shit outside. Eight Under has been kept under control for a while now. Coast Road has nothing since we took their deals away.”
“Now we just have the entire PD looking at us again,” Shay said. “Like we’re ants under a magnifying glass.”
“Except there’s no sun,” Miller said. “They’ll come hard, but they have nothing. I need all of you to keep your noses clean. No getting busted at the titty bar…”
“Whoa,” Blaine said. “Let’s get something straight. It’s not a titty bar. It’s an entertainment establishment.”
“And they entertain you with their tits out,” Landon said.
“Not just their tits, man,” Blaine said. “Not for me. You can’t imagine…”
“Oh, we can,” Gaige said.
“Why did they bust up the place?” Trev asked.
“To flex their muscles,” Blaine said. “They were checking for licenses. For issues. Alleged rumors of prostitution and drugs. They wanted to shake down the dancers.”
“Looks like you got mouthy,” Gaige said and touched the side of his face.
Blaine touched the swollen cut on his face. “You know me, man.”
“Always an opinion.”
“One of them hit one of the girls,” Blaine said. “I don’t go for that shit.”
“Christ,” Shay said. “He’s pushing power, huh?”
“He’s trying to create rank,” Miller said. “Trying to show who is big, little, whatever. We can push back. We will push back. He’s not going to find anything he thinks.” Miller slowly sat down. “But we still have to survive.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Blaine said. “I know that tone, Miller.”
“We have a job,” Miller said. “A delivery run.”
“A shipment,” Gaige said. “Got a call from Southern Cali. They have a shipment of weapons that’s being tied up just outside Reno. Our neighboring charter has themselves on a couple Fed lists and are being watched worse than we are here.”
“So we’re moving the shipment?” Nate asked.
“Yeah,” Miller said.
“Jesus,” Shay said. He stuck a cigarette between his lips and lit it. He took a drag. “So much for keeping our noses clean.”
“It’s not anything crazy,” Miller said.
“How big?” Blaine asked.
“Box truck size.”
“Fuck,” Blaine said. “That’s…”
“We’ll be out of Frelen jurisdiction,” Miller said. “For most of the ride. I have an idea to help take the heat off us a little.”
“Listen,” Blaine said, “Ethan isn’t going to buy anything we do. We leave town, he’s going
to be on us. He’s going call in favors. He’ll do whatever, Miller. You don’t know how deep and dark this guy will go.”
“How do you know?” Gaige asked.
Blaine looked at Gaige. “Trust me, brother, I know. He wants to make a name for himself in this town. Anything to get us…”
“We have to do it,” Miller said. “There’s no question on that. We can vote it if anyone wants to, but I’m telling you guys, we have to help move these weapons. To protect two charters. To protect ourselves. These other crews are going to rebuild and push again. If they don’t, others will.”
“What about those guys in Rusted Devil?” Blaine asked. “Our boy Jake went up there and took care of business.”
“They still have cartel issues,” Gaige said.
“We’re not mixing clubs,” Miller said. “Let me work on the details for this run. Everyone keep their eyes open and their noses out of shit.”
Blaine raised his hand. “What about pussy? Because if I have to keep my nose out of pussy, I’ll kill myself.”
Everyone laughed.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Miller said. He quickly grabbed for Blaine. “Not you.”
“Ah, shit,” Blaine said. “Am I in trouble, Miller?”
“Maybe.” Miller looked away. “Hey, Jace! Send a prospect in here with a couple’a shots of whiskey.”
Blaine then sat in silence with Miller. It was uncomfortable. Miller was a damn good man, a powerful President, but also scary as fuck. He didn’t need bulging muscles and tats running all over his body. He had the power of silence. The kind of guy that could sit there and not say a word but still command the room.
Nothing could scare Blaine though. He’d been there, done that, twice even. That was just how his life had been set up. He rubbed his jaw and thought about Ethan.
Excuse me, Chief Ethan now.
They had been on the streets for years together. Busting up gangs, stopping murders, investigating the nastiest stuff that nobody else wanted. Hell, it was those long nights that pushed Blaine to the other side of the law. The nights where they’d find a beautiful young woman huddled up because of shit some asshole had done to her. Then they’d catch the guy and they couldn’t hurt him - because of the law - and then the guy would go to trial and weasel his way off.
