by Jessica Ashe
If they do seek revenge, I’m hoping they go after Jay, because he was clearly the ringleader. Unfortunately, those idiots gave them my name.
“Vince probably doesn’t know who we are,” I reply calmly. “You’re not a full-time member of Jay’s crew, so with any luck they’ll just assume you’re a bit of hired help. Same for me.”
“We’re bound to get spotted together again. The way Jay is going, I think he wants a war.”
“That’s why you’re going to get out of this mess.”
Daron scoffs and takes a swig of his beer. “I don’t do this for the joy of hanging around with Jay and those two idiots. In case you haven’t noticed, the conversation is not exactly scintillating.”
“I’ll find you a job. I mean it.”
“Listen Tanner, you mean well, but we both know you can’t get me a job. If you could, then you would’ve done it already. I just need to talk to Jay, try and get him to back off a bit. We were doing okay before. The money wasn’t great, but we weren’t taking huge risks. Just a few beatings here and there when people owed us money.”
“People didn’t owe you money, Daron. You extorted it from them. Come on, I know you’re not happy with doing this. You’re better than that.”
You must be. After the stories your brother told me, I know you are.
“Fuck off, Tanner. I am who I am. Don’t hold me up to be a fucking saint. Yes, we extort money from people, but only because they mess us around. Come back to me when you know of a job opening for an ex-con.”
Daron finishes the rest of his beer and turns to leave just as Jay and his cronies walk into the bar. So much for a week off.
“Just who I’m looking for,” Jay says loudly.
I’m not sure if he’s talking to Daron or me, but either way it’s not good. Why did I have to get myself mixed up in this shit? If I’d stayed clean, Elena could be here right now at the bar, having drinks with Sadie and chatting to me when I’m not busy which is most of the time.
We could go home together at the end of the night and take turns between staying at her place or mine. We could be a couple. I could be in a normal, honest relationship. But no, I had to get involved with a mini-organized crime unit.
I was just trying to keep my promise.
“What’s up, Jay?” Daron asks.
“Been thinking about that job Friday. Didn’t really go according to plan, did it?”
“No one got hurt,” Daron says, apparently forgetting about the two people I shot. I haven’t forgotten them. They’re probably absolute scum, but I don’t know that for sure. One of them has a nasty flesh wound and the other may need an operation. Hopefully Vince provides health insurance.
“The police came early,” Jay says. “That’s where it all went wrong. Me and the boys have been thinking—how did the police know the Adams brothers were meeting?”
The police probably have a task force devoted to the Adams brothers, but it is one heck of a coincidence that they chose to make a raid the one time we were there. Could Elena have been involved? No, she’s far too junior to be investigating the Adams brothers. From the sounds of it, she was investigating Jay instead.
The bar is dimly lit, but even so, I can see that Daron has gone pale. Did he…? Shit, he might have done it.
“What does it matter if the police showed up?” I ask, before Jay notices how quiet Daron has suddenly gone. “We were going to call them anyway.”
“They came early, and that’s why things went wrong. It’s okay though, because I know how they found out. We’ve got a leak.”
I stare at Daron’s lower back—he’s not packing. He always keeps his gun tucked in his belt around the back. I’ve been meaning to get a second piece for the bar, but never got around to it. I always thought my gun should stay at home, but now I’m regretting that decision.
After everything I’ve faced, is this going to be how it ends? A fucking shootout in my own goddamned bar?
“You’ve had too much to drink,” I say to Jay. “How can we have a leak? There’s only five of us who know anything and we were there risking our lives for seven thousand fucking dollars.”
“It’s not just us though, is it? Look around you.”
I look around the empty bar. There are four other people here all tucked away in their own little corners minding their own business. At least, that’s what they appear to be doing. We aren’t exactly being subtle right now, and Jay’s never grasped the art of whispering.
“You’re being paranoid,” I say. “None of my customers are undercover cops.”
“None of your customers, but what about the constant stream of ass you have going in and out of the office?”
“Lay off,” I reply. “I’ve hardly had anyone back there recently, and believe it or not, when we are in there, we’re not discussing plots to kill the Adams brothers. My mouth is usually occupied, but a guy like you might not understand that.”
Jay lunges towards the bar and reaches over, trying to grab hold of me by the shirt. My reactions have always been quick, and it all plays out in slow motion, as I step back and lean to the side to avoid his lunging arm.
Jay barely stays on his feet, but he laughs it off and pretends he was only playing around.
“You’ve been fucking the wrong girl,” Jay says.
“Story of my life,” I reply.
Not anymore, though. I’m fucking the right girl these days and I hope to for a long time to come.
“That one you had in your office last week. A brunette with a nice ass and big tits.”
Elena. That’s the only person he can mean. He thinks she’s the leak.
“That doesn’t narrow it down much,” Daron says. He’s thinking quicker on his feet than I am. I’m too stunned to say anything. “Tanner’s had more women in the last week than you’ve had in the last year.”
Thanks, Daron.
“Yeah, well you had one too many,” Jay says. “I saw that girl on Friday. She was in a car right behind ours.”
“Bullshit,” I reply. I don’t sound at all convincing.
“It was her. So that’s why you’re going to do the job yourself. You brought her into this mess, so you’re going to get rid of her.”
I laugh uneasily. “Get rid of her? Listen to yourself. If your bullshit story is true, then it means she’s probably a cop.”
“She’s definitely a cop.”
“We leave cops alone. Are you crazy? Even the Adams brothers don’t touch cops anymore. It’s suicide.”
“Then I suggest you do it discreetly. Listen Tanner, that little bitch messed up our one chance to kill the Adams brothers, and in the process, she managed to put us in the spotlight for their revenge.”
“You did that by robbing them.”
“The Adams brothers control this city through fear. That’s why the cops won’t touch them. We need them to fear us.”
“I’m not killing a cop,” I say firmly. And I’m certainly not laying a hand on Elena until she asks me to.
“You’re going to do this, or—”
“He’ll do it,” Daron says quickly. He stares at me pleadingly. “Won’t you, Tanner?”
I stare back at him, trying to read his mind and understand what he’s playing at.
“Yeah,” I say reluctantly. “I’ll do it. I’ll kill the cop.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Tanner
“What the hell was that about?”
Jay and his friends leave the bar shortly after I agree to kill Elena for them. What the fuck is going on? A week ago, I was in a new relationship with the most captivating woman I’ve ever met. Now I’m supposed to kill her.
This could only happen to me.
“Things were about to get nasty,” Daron replies. “I just said you’d do it to buy us some time. You know what we need to do now, right?”
“I know what I need to do now. You need to get out of town. I’m not playing around anymore, Daron. This is not going to end well; I don’t want you anywhere near it.”
>
I’m going to kill them.
Sure, perhaps if this was a movie, Elena could fake her death, and we would disappear to some tropical island with new identities and live out the rest of our lives on the beach. In reality, I can’t even afford a vacation to a beach, let alone a new life on one.
Anyway, there’s no way Elena would agree to leave town and never see her friends again. It works in theory, but not in practice. If I don’t kill Elena, then Jay is going to kill her himself and then come after me. He might even ask Daron to do it and then when Daron refuses, he’ll take Daron out as well. By the time he’s finished, he’ll have killed Daron, Elena, and me.
That’s not going to happen.
I deserve death, but Daron doesn’t, and Elena sure as shit doesn’t. She deserves a life full of happiness. For a blissful week, I thought I might be the one to provide that happiness. All I’ve brought her is misery.
“I’m not going to let you do this alone,” Daron insists.
“Yes, you are. I can handle myself.”
“It’ll be three against one.”
“It’ll be three idiots who’ve never fired a gun in anger, against me. If you want to even things up, join their side.”
“I’m not taking no for an answer,” Daron says firmly. “I’ve lost count of the number of times you’ve had my back over the past year or so. I’d be dead already if it weren’t for you.”
“You’re the driver. If something happens to you, we’re all fucked.”
“Don’t give me that shit. I might not be all that bright, but I’m not completely stupid either. You never get involved in any of our moneymaking deals unless there’s significant danger involved.”
“I get a kick out of it,” I lie. “Guess I miss being in a war zone.”
“Bullshit. You come along because you want to keep an eye out for me. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. I’ve appreciated it, but I’ve never understood it.”
“The dangerous jobs pay more. You’re overthinking it.”
“Maybe, but I don’t think so. Either way, I’m with you on this one. The two of us together; we can come up with a plan to get them. I know where they hang out. If you want to take them down you’re going to need my help.”
I should know where they spend their time. How many of their conversations have I heard over the last year? Trouble is, I’m usually trying to block them out. They talk in a way that makes me feel like I’m losing brain cells every moment I listen to them. There’s a strip club they go to. That’s closed during the day though, and they only come here at night. They must have a daytime hangout. Shit, I really don’t want Daron’s help with this.
“I’ll do it here,” I say. “They come in here all the time, and sometimes the place is empty. They won’t be expecting it, so I should be able to take the three of them out in time.”
“What are the chances of them coming in here in the next few days when the bar is empty? And even if they do, are you just going to kill them here? You’ll get caught within the hour, and you can kiss goodbye to any chance of ever seeing Elena again. Unless she questions you, I guess.”
I can’t do a runner. I should. I should kill them and run. Elena doesn’t need or want me in her life, and she’s better off without me. If I end up in prison, she’ll either have to lie or testify in my trial. I can’t do that to her. I must kill them and not get caught. Then I’ll deal with begging her forgiveness afterwards.
Can a cop forgive a killer?
“Fuck, Daron, just tell me where they hang out. Give me the location, and then get the fuck out of this city.”
“Let me in,” Daron yells back. “I’m going to be a part of this even if I have to follow you around until it happens.”
“I swear to God, if you don’t leave this city I might add you to my kill list.”
“We both know you won’t do that. You’ve been protecting me for the last year like a fucking guardian angel. I want to know why. Why did you get yourself into this shit just to keep an eye out for me?”
“For the—”
“Don’t give me that crap about money or the thrill. Tell me, Tanner. Tell me why you’ve been looking out for me, and I’ll give you the location.”
“And leave the city. You have to promise; if I tell you, you’ll leave this city and never come back. I’ll give you money to get you on your way.”
“Fine. I’ll do whatever you want. It’s your funeral. Now fucking tell me; why have you been keeping an eye out for me this last year? Tell me the truth, Tanner.”
Where to start.
This is another lie I’ll need to beg forgiveness for from Elena. I’ll add it to the list: shooting two men, murdering three others in cold blood, lying about my past. Quite frankly, if she does forgive me I might insist she go see a shrink. Love makes us do crazy things, but forgiving me might be the craziest of all.
“Spill it, Tanner.”
“I’ve been looking out for you because I made a promise to your brother before he died. It’s a promise I intend to keep.”
“My brother? I… I don’t understand.”
“If you want the details I’ll tell you. Oh, and my name isn’t Tanner Rockwell.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Elena
“Any luck?”
“No, ma’am,” I reply. “Whoever they are, they’ve kept a low profile until now.”
I’ve spent the last two days trying to identify the other two men who were in the car with Jay and his crew. We snapped some poor-quality photos and gave bland descriptions to the task force dealing with the Adams brothers, but they didn’t come up with anything either.
Mind you, they might have had more success if I’d shared a tiny detail—their names. We’d have them both in jail by now, although I’d be facing some awkward questions.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be focusing our attention on them,” I suggest. “One of them was the driver, and the other might have been some additional hired help. I’m not saying we ignore them, but we’re mainly after Jay and his friends.”
“No, I want these two found. You might be right, but shots were fired in there and I’m willing to bet it wasn’t Jay who did the firing. It probably wasn’t Chet or Burton either because they came out holding the cash. Anyway, they might give us evidence to help convict Jay.”
I’m not sure how much longer I can keep covering for Tanner, or even if I should. If Arlene finds out I’ve been lying to her then at best I’ll be fired, and at worst I’ll be prosecuted. Why bother? Tanner admitted he was there and he was the one who fired the shots. Why should I keep a man like that out of prison?
I shouldn’t. I’m covering for him because I care for him. Because I miss him, and I’m sure there’s good deep down inside him.
And I love him.
I think.
My head and my heart are a mess right now. I guess that means I don’t love him. They say ‘you know when you’re in love.’ Being confused probably means I’m not in love. On the other hand, people who say that probably aren’t faced with possibility of arresting the man they love. That makes things a little more complicated.
It’s not difficult covering for Tanner. In fact, it’s suspiciously easy. He has no criminal record, and there’s barely any evidence of him existing at all. I did a search for his name in the database and came back with nothing other than a few previous addresses that only date back fifteen months.
Is this why Dad was suspicious of him? He looks like a man who’s hiding something.
He sure has a lot to hide.
So does Daron, but Daron isn’t as careful. In my research, I’ve seen his face a couple of times in photos. He’s always been part of a larger group, and he’s easy to miss unless you’re looking for him. That’s what I’m supposed to be doing—looking for him. If Arlene sees these photos, she’ll spot him in an instant. Hopefully I’ll just look careless and not deceptive.
“What’s the next step?” I ask. “Will we go back out in the field again?”
/>
“Yes, probably. Speaking of which, there’s a new handgun instructor on staff. I want you down there tomorrow and I don’t want you to leave until you’ve been signed off to carry a gun in the field.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I know it can be scary, and this might not be what you signed up for, but it’s the job you have. Besides, most people never use the gun. It’s just a precaution, and it helps scare the bad guys away.”
I nod, and Arlene walks away, leaving me to spend the rest of the day pretending to find two men who are probably in a bar just a ten minute walk from here.
I stay late in the office until the place is largely empty. It makes me look like I’m working hard, although to be honest I’ve just been looking through photos while thinking about Tanner. A naked picture of Henry Cavill could have popped up and I wouldn’t have flinched.
I’m underdressed for the bitterly-cold wind blowing when I step outside the police station. It had been warm this morning, and my thin jacket doesn’t do much to keep the heat in. I keep my head down to prevent the wind blowing straight into my face, and march towards home as quickly as I can.
I’m so oblivious to my surroundings that I almost walk into someone.
“Excuse me,” I mutter, as I go to step around him. Someone else appears in front of me and this time I curse my bad luck. I try to walk around him too, but again another man is in my way. I look up and see the grinning face of Jay.
I’m surrounded by Jay, Chet, and Burton.
Surely they wouldn’t do anything in the middle of downtown Chicago. Except we’re not in the middle of downtown Chicago anymore. I’m halfway home, and this road is quiet. They must’ve followed me. People could see us if they looked out their window, but there’s no one on the streets. It’s just me and the three of them.
“Get out of my—”
My words are cut off as a bag is slammed down over my head.
* * *
I’m a lot calmer than I expect myself to be in this type of situation. Not that I’ve spent much time dwelling on the possibility of being kidnapped by a couple of mafia wannabes.
