by Zoey Parker
It was tax season, which meant the number of files we handled quadrupled. Likewise, the phones were a lot busier, so it was harder for me to find time for the necessary typing and filing during the day. I'd skipped lunch to make up the time, but that afternoon, an important file went missing. I had to spend four hours tearing the office apart to find it so Bertrand would have it for a meeting the next morning, and another hour putting everything back in place after I realized the silly thing had slipped behind the file cabinet.
Just when I thought I was ready to leave for the night, a package arrived from another CPA's office that was transferring nine new files to us. I had to mark and annotate them so Bertrand could review them when he came in.
By the time I left, it was almost 8:00. Even though the walk to the train had always given me the creeps in the daylight, it turned out that nighttime was infinitely worse. Hookers in colorful spandex mini-dresses strutted up to parked cars, leaning into the windows. One of them laughed when she saw me, and another one rolled her eyes. Young men in gold chains and sagging jeans leaned against the walls of the buildings, hooting and catcalling at me as I passed.
Every block I walked felt a mile long. As usual, I kept my eyes pointed straight ahead, trying to concentrate on the bright lights and busy streets up at the train station.
When I was just two blocks away from the Grand Street station, I saw that I was getting closer to the alley next to Maggia's Ristorante Famiglia. This was the alley where I'd always felt the most certain that there were eyes staring out at me, and I usually hurried past it.
This time, though, it was worse. As the alley's entrance drew nearer, I heard a man's voice, sobbing. “Please...Jesus, Angelo, don't fuckin' do this, okay? I'm sorry I did it! Is that what you want to hear?”
“You're only sorry you got caught, Maggot,” a hoarse voice answered. “And that kind of sorry don't count. Now where is it?”
I slowed down. Whatever this was, it sounded horrible and I didn't want to get too close to it. I thought about turning around and heading back to the crosswalk to take a longer way around. But part of me couldn't ignore the fact that I could get into plenty of trouble that way, too, depending on what other kinds of strange people might be out in this neighborhood. I figured I should just rush past the alley as fast as I could without looking into it.
I was so scared by the tone of the voices that I wasn't paying much attention to the words they were saying. I assumed that the worst-case scenario was that someone was getting beaten up or mugged, in which case they'd probably report it to the police later. There was no reason for me to get involved.
I just had to walk past it quickly and forget I'd heard anything.
“Where is what?” the sobbing voice said. I heard a smacking sound, followed by a cry of pain.
“You know what,” the hoarse voice insisted. “No one's coming to your rescue, Maggot, so stop fucking stalling and spill it.”
Just give him your wallet, I begged the man silently. Or your watch, or whatever else he wants. Just get it over with.
The alley was just a few feet away and getting closer with each step.
“Okay, it's at the place in Milwaukee! Jester knows the one I'm talking about!” the crying man said.
I'd reached the entrance to the alley. Half of me prepared to rush past it while the other half begged me not to, insisting that whatever I was hearing, it definitely wasn't a mugging.
But just two more seconds, I thought, and I'll be past and I won't have to care what it was. I'll probably even skip the news tomorrow just to make sure I'll never find out, either.
As I ran past the alley, I heard the crying voice scream, “No! Don't! Help...!”
There was a series of gunshots. Before I could stop my body from reacting, I froze and turned to look at the source.
I'll never regret anything in my life as much as I regret doing that.
The flashes from the gun's muzzle lit the alley in split-second bursts like a strobe. I saw the victim hit the ground face-down as the bullets tore into the back of his shirt, sending up clouds of red mist. The man who shot him was tall and broad-shouldered, his face twisted into a snarl of rage as he pulled the trigger over and over. With each blast, there was a flicker of golden light from his hand, as though the gun itself was gold-plated.
The gunshots ended abruptly and I suddenly realized that I was still rooted to the spot and staring into the dark alley. I tried to make my legs move, but the fear made them feel like they were encased in cement. My heart felt like it was going to punch its way out of my ribcage.
I saw movement in the shadows and heard the hoarse voice in the alley. “Jesus, who the fuck is that? Grab her! Now!” There was a scuffling sound as several pairs of shoes hurried toward me.
You're going to die, my mind insisted. Whoever these men are, they're going to murder you. You need to run. Now.
But I was still paralyzed with terror. I saw the barrel of a gun raise in the darkness ahead of me, briefly catching the glare of the street light above. I shut my eyes helplessly, waiting for another loud bang followed by endless nothing.
I heard the bang, then another, and prepared to feel the bullets tear through my body. Instead, I heard a jumble of confused voices in the alley and felt a hand grip my shoulder firmly, pulling me backward.
I opened my eyes and found myself staring into a man's face, inches away from my own. His skin was pale and he had piercing brown eyes. Handsome and rugged-looking, he was probably in his thirties.
“Come with me,” he said.
Chapter 6
Rafe
Before I left the party at the Nest, I walked over to Bard and asked, “Okay, so where is she?”
Bard furrowed his eyebrows in mock confusion. “Who are you referring to, Rafe?”
I rolled my eyes. “Come on, man. Seven years. I got no conjugal visits. I didn't collect stroke mags. Hell, I didn't even fantasize about anyone except for her. Now I'm free and I want to see her. I want to touch her. I want to ride the fuck out of her all night long. So don't be a dick. Tell me where my Rosie is.”
Bard smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a set of keys. He handed them to me. “She's out back in shed number three. We all took turns giving her plenty of love and care while you were gone. Go to her.”
I smiled and sauntered out the back door, jingling the keys. Every day at Potawatomi, I'd been able to deal with the constant fighting and yelling and cursing around me by just closing my eyes and thinking of Rosie. Every night, I'd escape from my lumpy cot and itchy blanket by dreaming about the thrill of having her under me again.
When I got to the metal door of shed number three, I bent down and put the key in the lock near the ground. I pulled the door up and the light from the street shined into the dark shed, reflecting off the customized paint job. Thorny black stems with blood-red roses blooming on them coiled around the bike's front fairing. The headlight was turned toward the entrance to the shed and when the light caught it, it seemed like she was opening her eye to look at me as I walked in. My old helmet hung from one of her handlebars.
My faithful Rosie.
I gazed at her lovingly for a long moment, then rummaged in the shed until I'd found the notepad and pen that was used to keep lists of parts and tools which needed to be bought. I shrugged out of my Reapers cut and folded it carefully, draping it over the top of a folded stepladder.
I kept the note brief. “Bard – Thanks for the patch, but I need to take care of this first. I'll be back for it.” I folded it and tucked it into the denim vest, then detached the key to the shed from the ring and laid it on top neatly.
I used the toe of my boot to lift the kickstand, then wheeled the bike out of the shed. I straddled Rosie and inserted the key into her. When I turned it, she came to life between my legs, purring for me just like she always had. I savored the moment, enjoying the vibration that buzzed my inner thighs before wrapping itself around my hips and lower back. Even my best dreams hadn'
t compared to the joy of being with her again.
I strapped on my helmet, revved the engine, and blazed out into the night. It took six blocks for me to realize I was laughing like a loon. I had my freedom, I had my Rosie and soon, I'd have my revenge.
A quick search online at an internet cafe gave me the address for Maggia's on Grand Avenue, near LaSalle. It also gave me a chance to grab a couple cups of black coffee and sober up after the whiskey shots I'd taken at the Nest. My plan was to track Angelo back to Jester, and that kind of stealth meant I'd need to stay sharp.
I parked my bike about five blocks away from the restaurant so they wouldn't hear me coming. I knew Jester had kept tabs on me while I was inside, which meant he almost certainly knew I'd been let out today. I figured it was a stretch for him to guess I'd show up at Maggia's to stalk Angelo, but I couldn't afford to take any chances.
The good news was that I knew what Angelo looked like. I'd seen him a few times when I was dating Abby. He and Jester would usually hang out in corners whispering to each other, and everyone knew they were talking about the gangland assassinations they'd done or were going to do. Angelo had been friends with Jester since they were kids and it was common knowledge that they played cards and drank together until dawn almost every night. So it was almost a guarantee that if I tracked him, I'd be within shooting distance of Jester by midnight.
The bad news was that Angelo knew what I looked like too, which would make following him without being noticed a real pain in the ass.
Going in through the front door seemed like a bonehead play. Even without the Reaper patch on my back, I still looked like a biker, which meant someone might figure out that I meant trouble and tip off Angelo that I was there. I figured my best bet was to try to find a back way in so I could stay unnoticed, scope the place out, and make sure Angelo was there so I could follow him later.
As I walked up to the alley next to Maggia's, I saw a woman approaching it as well. Thanks to the streetlights, I could tell that she was in her early twenties and extremely cute, with long brown hair pulled up in a ponytail and a gorgeous pair of tits tucked snugly into her tight blouse. The pleated skirt she was wearing made her look a little prim and stuck-up, and I figured she probably worked in an office somewhere, but the legs under it were long and lovely. Her pale, delicate hands looked like they'd never done a hard day of real work. She was walking quickly with her eyes staring straight ahead.
Good idea, sweetheart, I thought. You don't want to pay too much attention in a shitty neighborhood like this. You just trot on home to your doll collection or your six cats, or whatever the fuck your deal is.
I hung back and lit a spare cigarette I'd gotten from one of the Reapers at the party, giving her a chance to get some distance. She looked like the type who'd scare easily and I didn't want to spook her by making her think I was following her or something. She seemed too mousy to panic and make a scene that'd draw attention, but again, I wasn't in the mood to risk anything tonight.
I'd waited too long.
I heard a couple of guys' voices yelling in the alley. One of them sounded like he was crying, and the other seemed to be cursing angrily, but I wasn't close enough to make out the words. It looked like the woman ahead of me could, though, and they were scaring the hell out of her. Her spine stiffened and she started to tremble. I figured she'd forget about passing the alley and just make a run for it instead, but she kept moving toward it, one step at a time.
Holy hell, sweetheart, what the fuck is wrong with you? I thought. Life's not exciting enough for you? You wanna see some guy get beaten half to death by a bunch of Mancusos for trying to skip out on the bill? Go on and get your ass out of here!
Ordinarily, I wouldn't have given a fuck about some strange girl risking her safety like that. But if she saw something scary enough, then what? She might call the cops, and if they showed up, that could seriously fuck up my plans. Angelo could end up spending the night answering questions at the local precinct instead of leading me to Jester.
But there was something else, too. Even though she looked like the kind of girl who couldn't look at someone like me without wrinkling her nose in disgust, I still didn't feel like watching something bad happen to her. She was hot and curvaceous, and what the hell, she probably deserved the chance to get on with her boring-ass, college-educated life.
Suddenly, a series of gunshots echoed from the alley. I saw the girl's shoulders jump with fright.
No, sweetheart, don't look, just run away, I silently begged. But even as I did, I knew she'd turn her head to peer down the alley, probably without even meaning to. It was human nature. When a person hears a loud bang, they'll always turn to look in the direction it came from, even if it scared the fuck out of them.
Sure enough, she turned and looked.
I tossed my cigarette aside and pulled the handgun from my waistband, jogging over to her. As I did, I heard more yelling from the alley. This time, I was close enough to hear the words clearly. “Jesus, who the fuck is that? Grab her! Now!”
I recognized the voice as Angelo's and my heart sank. So much for my clever fucking plan. There'd be no following him to Jester now. The only thing I could think of was dragging the girl away from the alley before Angelo's next few bullets went into her chest.
She was still standing there, too shocked to move. I grabbed her shoulder and her head jerked around. Her eyes were as wide as tires as she stared into my face, her lower lip trembling.
“Come with me,” I said.
Her legs seemed to unfreeze and she let me drag her away from the alley just as Angelo stepped out of the shadows, firing his gun again. His first bullet hit the pavement where the girl had just been standing and the second went wild, shattering a window across the street.
I broke into a run and the girl followed close behind, kicking off her high heels. From where I was standing, that seemed like the first smart thing she'd done all night. Angelo chased after us, along with a younger guy wearing a sharp suit and sporting a shaved head.
Probably Angelo's personal bodyguard and flunky, I thought. He must have come up in the world since I got put away.
I heard rapid footsteps behind us and a few more gunshots, but I knew better than to stop and try to return fire. As long as they were running and we stayed moving targets, I knew they wouldn't be able to aim for shit. I glanced over at the girl and saw that she was zig-zagging as she ran, which was definitely smart move number two.
The other people on the street were ducking behind cars and mailboxes to avoid the stray shots, and I saw that some of them were whipping out their cell phones to call the cops. That gave me another reason to blow out of here fast, before some bystander told the police I was carrying a gun and I got busted for violating parole.
There was no way I was going back to Potawatomi. If Jester wanted to come at me out here, fine. I'd take my chances. But I'd be goddamned if I was going to be a fish in a barrel for him to fuck with again.
I saw Rosie just a block ahead and ran even faster, pushing myself to the limit. The girl started to fall behind, but I could already hear sirens getting closer. I couldn't hear the footsteps behind us anymore, though, so I stole a glance over my shoulder.
Angelo and his bald pal had given up on chasing us, and were sprinting back to Maggia's. They probably realized they looked like total psychos running down the streets firing guns, especially since the civilians all around us might be taking snapshots and videos with their phones. I'd have bet anything that Angelo was already on the phone with his lawyer, trying to get his story straight before the cops pulled up.
The girl stumbled, falling behind. I thought about leaving her to make her statement to the police, since she wasn't in immediate danger anymore. The last thing I needed was having to worry about some random chick.
Except I knew once she gave her statement to the cops, she'd be dead within twenty-four hours of leaving the precinct. The Mancusos would never leave her alive to testify against one of their ow
n.
So what? a voice inside me asked. Her problem. You've got your own to deal with, like making Jester bleed. What are you, a fucking good samaritan all of a sudden?
But there was something about her. I couldn't let myself leave her to get wasted by some Mancuso scumbag.
Besides, as a way to get to Jester, Angelo was toast. The cops would be on him like flies on a dumpster, and until things cooled off, Jester wouldn't let Angelo anywhere near him. He'd be too smart for that. But what if she'd seen or heard something in the alley that could lead me to Jester?
It was a slim chance, but I had to take it. Otherwise, I could still be trying to find Jester a year from now, provided he didn't find me first.
All this stuff went through my mind in less than a second. I bent down and put my arm around the girl's waist, lifting her to her feet. I couldn’t help but notice her delicious ass as I did.
