City in the Middle

by Colleen Green

“I’m glad you’re here,” I said. “Those guys are doing a job, but your support means the world. I needed a friend to talk to.”

  “That’s why I’m here.” She smiled and walked to the bed. She pulled out sweatpants and a top from her bag. “I’m going to put on my comfy clothes so we can get this slumber party started. We need to unwind by drinking some beverages I brought.” She took a plastic bag out of her belongings. “This room is nice, but I’d feel better if I shared your room with you.”

  “That would work. It is actually connected by the bathroom in the middle. The bed’s big enough. Follow me.” I led the way.

  “I’ll change in the bathroom and then meet you there,” she said.

  A few minutes later, Amber came out wearing her sweats and tee. She put the plastic bag that made a clanging sound on the dresser. She continued emptying the contents of it by taking out a couple of travel-sized whiskey bottles. “Something to unwind.”

  I cringed when she held up the Jameson. Growing up, my father had gotten drunk on that brand numerous times. He had turned into a monster intoxicated on Jameson.

  Creases formed on her forehead. “Good thing I brought an alternative for you.” She dug around inside the bag.

  Stepping back, I sat on the bench seat against the window. She took out a box of tea, came over, and sat down beside me.

  “I know how much you like your tea before you go to bed.” She handed me the box.

  “Thanks.” I took the container and smelled the relaxing scent.

  I would sleep better with Amber close by.

  Chapter 15

  Cam

  Sunday (same day)

  There it was, just like I left it. It was a miracle the police hadn’t taken the car. Amazed, I got in, put the key in the ignition, and turned the car on. I slammed it into drive and hit the gas. Sirens blared from behind me. My hands sweated. One of them slid off the wheel. When I drove down the winding street, the sirens faded. My heartbeat slowed. I exhaled, releasing the tension from holding my breath.

  Ditching the car was next. The cops might have informed other officers to be on the lookout for a vehicle with the license plate number of the car I was driving.

  I pulled up to an apartment complex and found a car near the exit. I looked around to make sure that nobody was watching me. I needed to find something to hot-wire the car I was about to steal. I opened the glove compartment of the car I was sitting in. Luckily, there was a flathead screwdriver in it. Even more lucky was the fact that I had watched a guy do what I was about to do. I needed something to pound the screwdriver into the ignition. In the back seat was a thick book. It would have to do. Of course, I would need to break into the car too. Since it was a piece of shit, I wondered if it was locked.

  I got out with my tools and tried to open the door. It was unlocked. I sighed, relieved I didn’t have to try to find a hanger in the dumpster to jimmy the car open.

  I got in. I took the screwdriver and pounded it into the ignition with the thick book. Using it like a key, I started the car with it. The radio blasted. I turned it down.

  Shit!

  A woman came out on her balcony facing me. She lit up a cigarette and made eye contact.

  Son of a bitch!

  I couldn’t put the drugs in this car I was about to steal in front of her. I pulled out Reggie’s phone and pretended to make a call. Come on, lady. Get your ass back inside! She just stood there, inhaling her cigarette then blowing out the smoke into rings over and over again.

  “Mommy, he took it. It’s mine!” A child tugged on her robe while standing beside her.

  “Jerome!” she yelled and went back inside. The child followed.

  Thank God for brats!

  I put the drugs in the car I was about to take so fast it felt like a blur, a blur that wouldn’t go fast enough. I got in the clunker and backed out of the parking space, swinging the car around in a sudden motion. Watching out for cars driving by or ones parked around me was an afterthought. Within seconds, I was about to plow into the one behind me. I slammed on the brakes. I drew a quick breath, waiting for the sound of crunching. There was no sound and no damage. I exhaled, relieved.

  On the way to the garage, I pulled into a fast-food joint and went into the bathroom to wash up. The image in the mirror said it all. My hair was askew, I wore a weary expression, and my eyes were glazed over from the shock of what I had endured. I turned on the water and washed the blood off my hands. Watching it swirl and go down the sink, I flinched. I had done more than just get my hands dirty. I had gotten them bloody. They began to shake. Looking at my shirt with red stains from Reggie gripping me in his last minutes didn’t help, either. I dried my hands and took a few deep breaths until they stopped shaking. Since I wore a T-shirt underneath my work shirt, I ripped the bloody shirt off and threw it into the trash. A man came in. Startled, I froze. He didn’t even make eye contact. Instead, he rushed into the stall and shut the door. I was getting too lucky too often. First, the cops didn’t take my car, then the woman at the apartment didn’t notice me, and now this. Even though I didn’t want my luck to run out, I feared it would.

  I thought about convincing Skel I had the car without actually having it. The problem was that I didn’t know if I could pull it off. I didn’t know if he would give me the money and Jimmy without seeing his car first. I could threaten to destroy his car and keep the drugs without Skel seeing me drive his car when I called him at midnight, but if Skel insisted on seeing the car first, I had to be prepared. I had to drive his car.

  I arrived at the used car lot, not sure what I was going to walk into. What I had to do would be complicated, especially if the boys were inside working on the Rolls I needed back. I parked next to a big dumpster. The bin was located next to the garage reserved for cars that needed to sit for a while. The overflowing metal container would help shield the future activity of transferring the drugs from this car to Skel’s car.

  I got out of the car and headed to the main garage. Cars were parked around it. Giorgio, the head mechanic, stood outside. What if they already tore it apart? Will I be able to drive it? Giving Skel his car back was the only way to get the money to save Fiona. Without that money, they’d come back to kill her. Memories of Fiona’s face, bruised from their last visit, flashed into my mind.

  The closer I got to going inside, the more nervous I became. I had to come up with an excuse for why I was taking the vehicle that I had been ordered to dismantle. The drum beat of my heart thumped in my chest. My throat pulsated, and my mouth became dry.

  I walked past Giorgio by the back door. He glared at me. “This time you’re staying until it’s done.”

  I looked away and tried to think of an excuse to drive the car inside the garage. Giorgio put out his cigarette and followed me.

  “Hey, look who it is, guys! The man who couldn’t finish the job,” Giorgio yelled over 1970s rock music, causing the others to turn toward us. My coworkers had sandwiches and sodas in their hands. Their work shirts were clean. “Did you get your family emergency taken care of?” the wiseass asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Giorgio huffed with attitude.

  Skel’s car wasn’t much different than how I had left it. I looked at the open hood and saw the untouched engine and transmission. The body of the car wasn’t dismantled. I could still drive it.

  “So, you’re here to help us with what should have been done,” Giorgio criticized.

  “Not exactly,” I said, thinking of an excuse that wouldn’t raise suspicion. “This car needs to be moved, and I’ve been told by the skipper where to take it. Another car will arrive soon, and it needs to be a priority.”

  Giorgio poured himself a cup of coffee. He got in my face. “Since when do we take orders from you?”

  “I never heard anything about that,” another grease monkey chimed in.

  “He trusts his nephew to get things done. I’m to take this car out ASAP. He’ll call you later with details about the new one coming in.”
>
  Giorgio creased his eyebrows, glaring. “I’ll take your word that happened, for now.” He handed me the keys. “If you’re lying,” he chuckled, “you’ll have bigger problems than offending me.”

  One of my coworkers came over and closed the hood. I saw a metal bar in the heap of parts and tools. I knew exactly what to do with it. I picked it up.

  Giorgio watched me like a hawk. “If I don’t hear from someone higher up the chain in an hour, I’m going to call—”

  “He said not to disturb him.” I got in, started the vehicle, and put it in reverse.

  I drove to the clunker. After I parked and got out of the car, I transferred the drugs to Skel’s car. Somehow, I did it without anyone seeing me. It was another lucky break, one I desperately needed.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  As I drove near the Hudson River, I figured out how to get Skel’s attention. I pulled up to a dock. It was late, almost midnight. No one was around except some people on a boat in the distance. Their music was cranked up, so they wouldn’t hear anything I had to say over the phone. I put the car in park. The skull gear shift with red eyes had been replaced with an older, less flashy knob.

  I got out and wedged the bar in between the accelerator pedal and the front seat. I pulled Reggie’s cell out of my pocket and hit number one.

  The piece of shit answered on the first ring. “You got my car and my drugs?”

  “I sure do. Do you hear your engine? All I have to do is put it in drive, stand aside, and watch it go into the Hudson, if you don’t do exactly as I say.”

  “That would be unfortunate for your friend.”

  “Yeah, but it would suck for you worse, losing your car and your loot. Bring four hundred large and my friend to Sandy’s Pool Hall by the Washington Bridge in an hour. I see my friend with the money first, then I’ll tell you where your car is.”

  He was silent, and I wondered if he would call my bluff.

  “Deal, but my ride better be in pristine condition, or it will be both you and your friend’s corpses in the river.”

  I hung up and called a taxi service. No way was I driving the car to the spot where I was meeting them. One look at it, stripped of its former glory and without its rims or the skull on top of the gearshift, and I’d be full of bullets.

  When I arrived at the pool hall, the parking lot was nearly full. I went inside and spotted the Hercules-type man that was with Skel’s crew earlier. He came over.

  “Your friend is in the bathroom with the money.” The thug grabbed the back of my shirt and shoved me close to him. He put the barrel of a gun against my side. “Where’s the car?”

  “I see him first,” I blurted out.

  He stayed close and led us to the back. “Go see your friend. Don’t come out until I come in.”

  I opened the door. Jimmy stood with his arms around a briefcase. He had a black eye and a bruise on the side of his face. I didn’t have time to address whatever hell he had been put through.

  I took the briefcase and opened it. The money seemed to be less than what we decided on. “That cocksucker!”

  “Tell me you’re packing heat,” Jimmy said. “I assume there is someone outside that door.”

  I nodded and pulled Reggie’s gun out.

  He took the briefcase back. “Cover me.”

  I held the gun at my side, ready to fire. Jimmy went out, leading the way. He used the briefcase like a weapon and disarmed our guard within seconds. Jimmy stepped back with the gun aimed at the man.

  Wide-eyed, the man backed into the corner.

  “Throw your car keys in my friend’s direction,” Jimmy yelled at him. He obeyed. “Keep your hands where I can see them and tell us where you parked and what your car looks like,” Jimmy ordered.

  “It’s a red-and-black Mercedes SLS, parked in the back row,” he said as I retrieved the keys.

  “Head out the front door. I’ll watch your back,” Jimmy said, still holding eye contact with the thug.

  We managed to walk outside, alive. Jimmy took the keys from me and drove.

  “We’re going to dump this car then make a pit stop,” Jimmy said, speeding down the street.

  I opened the briefcase. Thumbing through the bills, I added up the amount, and my suspicions about it being light were confirmed. What am I going to do? Dean wouldn’t be happy if his cut wasn’t paid. After seeing Jimmy’s fighting skills when he disarmed the thug and stole his car, I doubted that pulling my gun on Jimmy would end well for me.

  “Fuck!” I slammed the briefcase shut.

  “Everything is going to be fine. You have to trust me.”

  “Yeah, how is that possible?”

  “There is only one way you and I make it out of this, and that is you do exactly as I say.” His tight lips, unwavering stare, and tense body convinced me to listen to him.

  Reggie’s phone rang. I answered it.

  “You think you can give back my car missing its most valuable piece?”

  I hung up as I heard Skel cursing me out. I ran my fingers through my hair.

  “It’s time to ditch this car,” Jimmy said, pulling over. “We’re walking to that deli on the corner.” He nodded over to it.

  We got out of the car. I hoped Jimmy had a plan to get us far away from there.

  Entering the deli, Jimmy said, “I’m making a phone call. Give me the briefcase, then go wait outside. Those fuckers are looking for two guys, so we’re putting some space between us.”

  I gave him the briefcase, hoping I made the right decision. “Fiona’s father is going to get this money to pay his debt, right?”

  “Yeah,” Jimmy said, clapping my shoulder with one hand. “I promise.”

  He looked at a teenager sitting on a stool at the counter and wearing a baseball cap. He showed him a fifty-dollar bill. “I need your hat.”

  The teenager’s eyes lit up. “Sure!” He took it off and handed it over. The young man stuffed the cash into his pocket.

  Jimmy put the cap on me. “I’ll come get you when it’s time to go.”

  I went outside. Through the window, I saw Jimmy at the counter, making a call from the restaurant’s phone. Nobody was outside other than me. I shoved the gun I had been carrying into the front of my waistband. My shirt covered the handle, but I kept my hand on it. Things were beginning to settle down, but if they went crazy, I would be ready.

  All I could think about was Fiona’s sweet smile and the way she smelled like vanilla when I held her. Soon, her father’s debt would be paid. Then Fiona would be safe, and I’d see her again.

  I thought about how I had made it that far. The odds had been against me from the beginning. I was a mechanic, not a drug dealer.

  The one thing I hadn’t figured out was how the police knew about the drug deal. They came in such numbers that it couldn’t have been a coincidence.

  After a while, a man I had never seen before sat down next to Jimmy. He didn’t look like anyone from Dean’s crew, but then again, I didn’t know everyone who worked for him. He took the briefcase from Jimmy and left.

  I heard an engine rev. The SUV that ran over the cop during the shootout shined its headlights on me.

  Fuck!

  I pulled my gun out. In the worst possible moment, when I needed my concentration to be on pulling the trigger, I put all the pieces together of why the cops had been at the drug deal. I gripped the trigger, ready to fire. The vehicle sped toward me. Jimmy didn’t look Italian. A man in the passenger seat rolled down the window. He aimed his gun at me. Jimmy was a cop. I squeezed the trigger.

  Chapter 16

  Amber, Monday

  Iawoke at noon and rolled over to find that Fiona wasn’t there. Getting up, I yawned, and my eyes felt heavy. I shuffled to the bathroom, groggy from the lack of sleep. The night before, I had distracted Fiona from thinking about Cam by having us play board games and watch movies. I could have slept for a few more hours. Unfortunately, my shift at work started at four. I didn’t have the luxury of resting any longer. B
y one o’clock, I had showered.

  The aroma of Italian spices filled the air as I went down the stairs. I plopped my duffel bag by the front door. Walking into the kitchen, the smell of oregano and basil made my mouth water. Tony put a heaping serving of pasta with sausage on a dish and handed it to me.

  “Wow, this is incredible,” I said, taking the plate. I sat at the breakfast bar next to Fiona, who was eating. Her eyes had dark circles under them. Tony tipped the wine bottle to pour some in my glass. “No, thanks.” I covered it with my hand. “I have to go to work soon.”

  “A splash won’t hurt.” He paused, keeping the alcohol just inches away.

  “I’ll just drink water,” I said. He put the wine down and got a bottle of water out of the fridge. He put it in front of me. I took the cap off of it. “Thanks.”

  “I had such a good time last night,” Fiona said. “You sure do know how to put a girl’s mind at ease. I’m so glad you spent the night.” She took a drink of her soda.

  “Me too. Maybe you can lie down later and take a nap. You look tired.”

  “I woke up too early from a nightmare.” Her eyes glazed over for a moment. “Cam’s blood—it was all over. I couldn’t get back to sleep.” She took another drink. Her hand shook as she put the glass down.

  I placed my hand on top of hers and patted it. “I’m sure you’ll hear from him soon. Do you want me to come back after work?”

  “You’ve done so much already. You could call me later.”

  “Of course.” I removed my hand from hers. “We’re going to be eating in our apartment the next time we have a meal together. I just know it.”

  On the train ride back to Manhattan, I called Daisy and arranged to stay with her for a couple nights.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  I arrived at work. After spending the night trying to console Fiona, I was ready to focus on my job. It would be nice to not think about the danger Cam could be facing. Not knowing what he was doing only led to Fiona imagining the worst, and I had done it too. For tonight, the only thing I needed to do or think about was work.