When I raced after them, the man turned and fired a couple of rounds that ricocheted off the concrete walls. I kept along the outer wall as much as possible, but doing so slowed my pace. A sign at a landing revealed I was on the fourth floor. I’d never catch him at this rate. Time for something crazy. Or stupid. Whatever.
I launched myself at the center railing and began a controlled fall, bouncing from one rail across to another, screaming as jolts of pain shot through my left arm. The guy holding Holly came into view. He had a confused look on his face as I vaulted over the rail toward him. Before he could raise his weapon, I drove the heel of my right hand into his nose and used his body to cushion my landing. The back of his head smacked into the concrete wall with a sickening thud, leaving a smear of blood. I caught Holly as she started to tumble down the stairs. My left arm quivered with pain from the effort.
“You okay?” I asked Holly.
She looked at the dead guy beneath me. “He dead?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Are you hurt?”
“I don’t think so.” Her voice was small and fragile. She looked again like the girl on the telethons but without the big grin. “You going to send me back to jail?”
“Yeah.”
She gazed absently at the man whose life force dripped onto the concrete steps. “Figures. Guess it can’t be much worse than what I already been through.”
“Hopefully my lawyer can help you get the charges dropped. Now let’s see if we can find a way out of here.”
We descended the stairs and emerged out a fire door marked with a warning that an alarm would sound if the door opened. It didn’t. We found ourselves in a small parking lot. The Gray Ghost was parked in a handicapped parking space about twenty feet away. Conor stepped out.
Tempting as it was to rush Holly to jail and leave the carnage behind for someone else to discover, Conor and I opted to do the right thing and call 911 and then Kirsten. Within fifteen minutes, the surface parking lot was ablaze with flashing red, white, and blue lights. The Fourth of July had come early, though the real fireworks were thankfully over.
When Kirsten arrived, I gave an initial statement to the first officer on the scene, then again to Detective Hardin when he showed up a little while later. Holly was turned over, and I eventually got a body receipt. Kirsten seemed convinced she could get Holly’s bail reset in the morning and return her to her aunt’s custody.
At Conor’s insistence, I agreed to let the EMTs transport me to the hospital to be treated for my gunshot wound and checked for broken ribs. To my surprise, he managed to overcome his hospital phobia and showed up at my bedside shortly after I was wheeled in. He looked agitated, as if he’d start climbing the walls any second.
“Damn, dude, you look as bad as I feel,” I whispered, trying to keep my mind off everything that hurt.
“Well, I figured you’d taken on Milo Volkov all by your lonesome. Least I can do is show up at your hospital room.”
The X-rays showed no broken bones, only bruised ribs. The gunshot wound would leave a nasty scar but would otherwise heal okay. By the time Conor and I arrived back at my place, it was after two in the morning.
55
At six the next morning, I called Becca and filled her in on everything—catching Holly, killing Volkov, and Conor’s dark confession. She had been my confidante since middle school, so I knew she wouldn’t tell anyone else about Conor’s history. She was as shocked as I was.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Jinx. It’s a lot to digest.”
“Tell me about it. I love him, but I’m still struggling with what he did. All those people.”
“I hear ya. But as long as we’ve known him, he’s been an upstanding guy. And he loves you with all his heart. That’s not nothing.”
“True, though I never thought I’d be dating a former terrorist wanted by British intelligence.”
“It’s a tough call. If it were me, I’d keep him. But you have to decide what you can live with.”
“Thanks, Becks. I have a lot of thinking to do.”
Conor and I didn’t talk much after he got up. Just a polite but minimal greeting, swimming in a cesspool of awkwardness. I figured he was giving me time to process, for which I was grateful.
At nine, Conor and I showed up at Assurity Bail Bonds. When we walked in Sadie’s office, she didn’t look happy to see us. Not even when I held up the body receipt time-stamped for the previous night at 11:50 p.m.
“I suppose you expect to get paid, even after I expressly forbid you from involving this no-good son of a bitch.” She didn’t so much as glance at Conor.
“Okay, flag on the play!” I leaned over Sadie’s desk. “First of all, I would never have been able to apprehend Holly Schwartz had it not been for Conor.”
“Oh, is that a fact?”
“Yes, it is. Secondly, I know about his involvement in the Omagh bombing.”
Conor stared at his shoes.
“And you’re okay with him murdering innocent civilians?”
“Hell no, I’m not okay with it. Just as I’m not okay with your father giving kickbacks to attorneys back when he ran your company.”
Sadie fidgeted in her chair but said nothing.
I took a deep breath. “I’m trying to live in the present, let the past be the past, and give everybody a fresh start. And considering he helped me save you half a million dollars, maybe you can too.”
Sadie sighed, straightened her blouse, and looked at Conor. “Very well, Ms. Ballou. A fresh start. I’m willing to give it a try.”
“Thank you,” Conor said quietly.
I held up the body receipt for Holly. “Excellent! Time to pay up. Fifty large. Cash, check, or charge.”
Sadie pulled out her checkbook and began filling it out. “I must admit I wasn’t sure you’d pull it off—apprehending Schwartz.”
“It was touch and go for awhile. Especially when Volkov got involved.”
Sadie’s pen froze in midstroke. “Milo Volkov? The Russian gangster?”
“Chechen, technically, but he’s not a problem. He’s dead.”
“Do I want to know the details?”
“You really don’t.” I took the check and slipped it into my pocket. “So what else have you got for us?”
“Us?” Sadie looked at Conor.
“Hey! Fresh start, remember?” I said.
“Very well.” She opened a drawer and pulled out a few files. “These three have missed their court dates in the past week.”
56
We left Assurity and dropped by the bank to deposit the check. I then did a bank transfer to Conor and to Becca for their cut of the bounty. Shortly afterward, I got a text from Becca thanking me and telling me she’d see me soon. But despite it being the middle of the week, I needed a day of some serious downtime.
Conor and I spent the next few hours at my place, catching up on some badly needed sleep and some serious couple time. After our second round of sex, I got up and made some margaritas, and we sat at my kitchen table.
“You still attracted to her?”
“Who? Sadie?” Conor scoffed. “Don’t be daft!”
I couldn’t help feeling insecure. It was always the comparison thing. “But she’s cisgender, right? All original equipment?”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, cisgender, transgender. It doesn’t bloody mean a damn thing to me. I fell in love with you. I don’t care what parts you used to have. I’ve only known you as Jinx. You’re all girl as far as I’m concerned. As far as Sadie, she’s part of my past. She doesn’t hold a candle to ya. Ya got nothing to worry about.”
“You think she’s sexier than I am?”
“Are ya bloody kidding me? Even if she were, which she’s not, it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference. You’re my girl, Jinxie. There’s no one I love more than you.”
“Fair enough.”
I spent the rest of the day reading up on the three cases Sadie had assigned me. None of them were the big money that Holly Schwartz
was, and they weren’t anywhere close to going into default. The charges were for minor offenses like possession and passing bad checks.
When dinnertime approached, Conor suggested getting dressed up to go out someplace to celebrate.
“Where we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise?” I cocked an eyebrow. “Not really a big fan of surprises.”
“You’ll like this one, I swear on the bloody Virgin Mary.”
“This have anything to do with the reasons why you’ve been disappearing a lot the past week or so?”
His face opened into a mischievous grin. “Maybe.”
“All right, mister, out with it.” I started to act as though I was going to tickle him. He hated that. And he was extremely ticklish. I, on the other hand, wasn’t, one of the few areas in which I had a distinct advantage over him.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Jinxie. It’s just a celebration. Okay?”
“Celebrating what?”
“Catching Holly Schwartz, for one.”
“And . . .? What aren’t you telling me, Conor Doyle?”
“You’ll see soon enough, I swear.” I considered tickling him some more, but I figured I’d let him enjoy his surprise.
We piled into his car, and I spent the ride trying to guess where we were going, but he refused to confirm or deny any of my guesses. We were headed into the East Valley, and that was all I knew.
My phone rang as we passed the Loop 202 interchange. Caller ID said it was Kirsten.
“Good news,” she said. “No charges pertaining to your showdown with Volkov and his men last night.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Also the FBI has dropped all charges against you from the warehouse incident.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Glad to hear it. Federal prison would really interfere with my lifestyle. How’s Holly?”
“She’s had her bail reset, and her aunt has agreed to let her stay with her biological father.”
“George Peavey.”
“How’d you know?”
“Let’s just say he’s a fan.”
“I see. Well, I’ll send you my invoice.”
“Great.” More of my bounty money gone. “Hey, what about the Delgados?”
“They’re facing charges of kidnapping, obstruction, and aggravated assault unless you choose to drop the charges.”
I thought about it. “What if we agreed to drop the charges in exchange for them paying for my legal and medical expenses associated with this case? Is that possible?”
“I’ll talk to their attorney and get back with you.”
I hung up and noticed Conor exiting onto Broadway Road. “We’re going to my parents’? Are they in on this?”
He whistled along with the radio.
When we reached my parents’ street, I noticed a string of cars parked along the road. Conor pulled into my folks’ driveway and led me up to the house.
My father opened the door and gave me a big hug. “So happy to see you, honey.”
“What’s going on, Dad?”
He gave me his cheesiest of grins. “You’ll see.”
The two of them led me outside into the backyard, where a crowd of friends and family from all areas of my life greeted me with cheers. Jake and Rodeo were there getting awfully chummy. Becca, who looked great in a flowing blue dress, waved from across the yard. Members of my cosplay group and the Phoenix Gender Alliance mingled with neighbors and family friends. Somewhere in the crowd, I could hear Juanita’s raucous laugh as she “terrorized the straights.” This collision of different aspects of my life felt surreal.
Conor and Jake had installed a misting system overhead to keep things cool. Tables stretched across the yard, decorated with pink tablecloths and covered with a spread of dishes that smelled spicy and wonderful. Finally my mother appeared from the kitchen, holding a large rectangular cake.
I kissed her on the cheek before examining the cake. Drawn in icing was a stick-figure girl in a pink dress and the words “It’s a Girl!” I blushed and had the strong urge to disappear.
I looked at my mother. “Mom, what is this?”
“The anniversary of you getting your surgery. My baby girl was reborn eleven years ago today.”
“Oh my God! I am so embarrassed. Now everyone knows.”
“Oh, baby girl,” my father said, “don’t blame your mother. This was my idea.”
“Dad! Why?”
“Because after what that reporter did, everyone knows, anyway. You needed to know that none of your friends care. We all love you and are here to celebrate you and your journey.”
I turned to Conor. “And this is why you kept disappearing?”
“I was helping to arrange things. Ordering the cake and such.” He leaned in close. “I wanted them to decorate it with a picture of a big furry—”
“Stop! Don’t even say that.”
“Fortunately, your father vetoed that idea.”
“Thank the gods for that.” I looked around the crowd and got some waves from my friends around the yard. “You had to invite everybody?”
“Here ya go, sis. Maybe this will help.” Jake handed me a Corona with a squeezed lime already in the bottle. It tasted good.
“Thanks.” I noticed his arm was around Rodeo’s shoulders. “I see the two of you have met.”
Rodeo blushed. “I wasn’t even sure I should come since things got awkward.”
“It’s good to see ya, mate.” Conor raised a glass of whiskey.
I gave Rodeo a hug. “I’m glad you came. I missed you.”
“Missed you too. Did you hear about Fiddler?”
I grimaced. “Yeah, unfortunate.”
“The offer still open to rejoin your team?”
“What’s wrong?” Conor chuckled. “Trouble with Big Bobby?”
“Bennies were great, but Big Bobby and Sara Jean have become insufferable now that you’re gone.”
“Then Conor and I’d love to have you,” I said.
“Thanks!” Rodeo raised his beer bottle. “And happy vagina-versary, by the way!”
“Ugh!” I recoiled and punched him in the shoulder. “You’re so gross.”
“My bad,” Jake said. “I bet him ten bucks he wouldn’t say that to you.”
“Geez! Men! Can’t live with him, but you bet your ass I can shoot ’em when the situation calls for it.”
“Hey, serves you right for returning my truck stinking of puke!”
Someone in the crowd started shouting, “Speech! Speech!” Everyone joined in the chorus until they formed a mob around me.
There were a lot of things worse than being loved and accepted just as I was. Still, I felt naked. My gender stuff had always been a private thing. And now I was as out as a trans girl could be. But I decided to embrace it. Happy vagina-versary to me!
Also by Dharma Kelleher
Iron Goddess: A Shea Stevens Thriller
Snitch: A Shea Stevens Thriller
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Stay up to date with Dharma’s latest releases by joining the Dharma Kelleher Readers Club.
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About the Author
Dharma Kelleher is the author of three novels including the much-acclaimed Shea Stevens thriller series. She is a pioneer in transgender crime fiction, writing gritty tales about outlaws, renegades, and misfits from a queer perspective.
She is former journalist and a current member of both the International Thriller Writers and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She lives in Arizona with her wife and three feline overlords.
Learn more about her and join the Dharma Kelleher Readers Club at https://dharmakelleher.com.
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Chaser_A Jinx Ballou Novel Page 26
