“Fuck!”
Kaia hoped it hurt. It was an unusual sensation for her, but she couldn’t stop seeing Adrienne’s swollen, purple eyes. Kaia knew the force this monster could generate and she had no problem smashing Adrienne’s face, but a little tumble to the ground and suddenly she was a victim.
Reid pulled Gianna to her feet. “You done?”
“Not even close. I’m going to get you crooked cocksuckers for that. You think excessive force is a toy you can play with anytime you want.”
“You can’t assault an officer and not expect to be stopped,” he said.
“Shut up, pretty boy. You should be able to arrest someone without bringing them in bloody.”
“You can talk to the serge—” Kaia started.
“Please, I’m not going to talk to your stupid boss who’s probably just as crooked as you. You’ll get street justice, Blondie.”
“You don’t want to make threats, Hernandez,” Kaia said. “Just shut up and stop resisting.”
“That’s fine. You’ll get yours though, I promise you that.”
Kaia was relieved to hand Gianna over in the station. The desk officer was eager to get away from the phone and took over without being asked. Kaia went to a free desk to start the report, but as she sank into the chair, the deep ache in her overworked muscles sprang to the surface and all she wanted was a drink and a nap. Reid leaned into the room.
“Hey, let’s get out of here. I’ll buy you a drink,” he said.
“I have to—”
“They’re doing the paper. You can add your info tomorrow. Come on, screw this night.”
Kaia smiled. “I can agree with that.”
“Good, let’s go.”
Kaia changed clothes and met Reid at their favorite after work spot. Some bars were somehow destined to become cop bars though no one could explain how it happened. Reid didn’t say a word until they each had a beer.
“So.” He took a swig.
“They’re just road burns, Reid. You’re going to start offending me if you ask if I’m okay again.”
“Fair enough. Something did shake you up though.”
Kaia wasn’t sure she wanted anyone to know, but she did trust Reid.
“The victim on that domestic is my ex.”
Understanding settled on his face. “Were you serious?”
“We were kids, but yeah, we were serious,” she said. “We were sixteen when we met, seventeen when—” She stopped. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him. Not even Reid. “When she moved.”
“And you didn’t keep in touch?”
“No. Her mom had a problem with us, wouldn’t let us talk. I was in Evanston; she moved to South Side. It might as well have been across the country at the time. It’s been ten years, though. She could have contacted me along the way. I figured her mom must have brainwashed her so deep into the closet that she didn’t want to. I half expected her to be married to a dude living in the suburbs by now.”
“And now you find her here. With a woman.” He nodded again, putting it all together. “An asshole at that.”
“Exactly.”
“You can’t take it personally, Sorano. No one means to end up in those relationships. I’m sure that brute started out lovely. Maybe she met Hernandez when she moved, and by the time she thought she could contact you things had gotten ugly. Afraid to set Hernandez off.”
“Yeah,” Kaia said. “Maybe. But what am I supposed to do now? Hernandez will probably be out Monday. Am I supposed to just let her drown in this?”
“Nothing you can do if she won’t let you. She knows you’re there if she needs it.”
Kaia frowned. “Kind of.”
“What do you mean?”
“I offered to help, gave her my card, but I didn’t exactly leave off warm and fuzzy. She was anti-cop and I took it like a child.”
“Oh, fuck her.”
“Reid.”
“These people want to call for help when they’re in trouble, but the second we’re there it’s ‘fuck the police.’”
“I know, Reid.”
“All right, sorry.”
“I should probably just leave her alone. Hernandez is out of control, though. You see that neck tat? WAK? You know anything about that?”
“Not really. I’ve seen their tags, but that’s about it. Seem small time.”
“Didn’t act like it.”
“I’ll ask my buddy in the Gang Enforcement Unit about them, see what I can find out.”
“Thanks.” Kaia glanced at her phone for the first time in hours. She had five messages, all from Carli. The first was plain on the screen without her opening it. “Are you okay?” She was sure the rest were similar in nature. She still wasn’t used to how much Carli worried. From dispatch, she knew when Kaia got into drama and when it ended, but usually not the specifics. Kaia texted back quickly, but it was already too late to save her much anxiety. Kaia didn’t want to stress her out. She didn’t particularly want to see her either, though.
Chapter Four
Adrienne sat in the jail parking lot. She’d stared at the bundles of cash in the safe for hours, calculating how far it would take her, how long it would last. She wondered if it even crossed Gianna’s mind that she might take it and run. She doubted it. Gianna knew the hold she had on Adrienne. She knew how to alternate between love and terror as needed, always knew what to say to keep her there. As much as she hated it, as awkward as it had been to admit to Kaia, she did still love Gianna, even if it had warped into a different and ugly kind of love.
Gianna was crossing the lot. She had spotted Adrienne and looked happy. That was a good start. She opened the car door and slid in. She kissed Adrienne, a casual, familiar kiss on the lips that somehow communicated the five years they’d been together.
“You okay?” Adrienne asked.
“Of course.”
Adrienne reached for the shifter, but Gianna covered her hand with her own before Adrienne could shift into gear. She looked into Adrienne’s eyes.
“Are you okay?”
She looked so sincere, so warm. She cupped Adrienne’s face with her palm, eyes exploring the bruises. Gianna’s eyes shimmered, the closest thing to crying they ever did.
“I’m so sorry, baby.” She kissed Adrienne’s face gently. “I’ve been trying so hard to do better.”
Gianna’s cool touch was soothing to her sensitive skin. She wanted to ask how hard it could possibly be not to beat her senseless, but digging for more wasn’t worth it. If Gianna felt her apology wasn’t believed and accepted, she’d snap back into being the same person she claimed she wasn’t. Three years ago, Adrienne had fallen for the apologies wholeheartedly. Two years ago, she’d been skeptical, but still foolishly hopeful. Now she knew it wasn’t true, but couldn’t truthfully say she didn’t still love hearing it. She let Gianna pull her closer, wondering how it felt so safe being with Gianna even though she’d hurt her far more than she’d ever protected her.
“I’m nothing without you baby,” Gianna said. “I’ve been getting better. You make me better.”
Adrienne let go of the part of her that wanted to stay mad. To deny her would be a waste of Gianna’s rare affection and would plunge them directly back into misery, and then she’d wish she had just enjoyed this moment instead of ruining it.
Adrienne drove home. When they pulled up to the house, Gianna saw the reunion of the Wild AKs waiting for her on the lawn, behaving as if she’d been gone for months rather than the three days she actually was. Anna jumped on the hood of the car, bottle of tequila in hand.
“Get out of the car, motherfucker, let’s party!”
Gianna smiled as she got out and hugged all fifteen or so of them. They piled inside and tequila shots started flowing. Adrienne watched Gianna talk to everyone, the way they all wanted to please her. She was at once intimidating and warm, charismatic but ruthless. Adrienne knew she would be the leader of the Wild AKs one day, and that all the associated dangers of that would
follow Adrienne too. She knew it was juvenile to be so fascinated with the money, drugs, power, guns, the fearlessness, the rebellion, but she couldn’t help it. It was a life that felt different. It felt real. Not a life commanded by needs, clocking in and out of some worthless job, being crushed by constant struggle. She knew the dark side of this life well, but most of the time when she looked around she saw smiles, friends, money, and family who would die for one another. A huge part of her wanted to jump in and wear that WAK ink, and she was finding it harder to remember any benefits of not doing so.
Anna bounded up and handed Gianna a roll of cash. “I sold your share for you.”
“All of it?”
“Yeah. Count it if you want. Your girl thought I was trying to rob you or something.” Anna glared at Adrienne.
“She’s just looking out.” Gianna beamed at Adrienne and pulled her close. Adrienne wrapped her arm around Gianna’s waist and squeezed, absorbing Anna’s glare like a smug sponge. Gianna raised her shot glass toward Anna. “You do look sketchy as hell,” she teased her.
“All right, that’s cool,” Anna said. “She called the cops on you, though, bud. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know. She didn’t give them anything to work with, though. No harm done.”
Adrienne was shocked. Gianna was obviously still trying to get back in her good graces, but she never expected that transgression to go unpunished. Anna looked like she was going to explode. Adrienne squeezed Gianna’s ass and lightly bit her neck before Anna could press it again. Gianna’s eyes flashed with lust, and Adrienne knew she’d won. Gianna could be hotheaded and selfish, but she was crazy about Adrienne. Even though the cost was too high, Adrienne loved the way Gianna looked at her like she was the sexiest, most desirable thing on the planet.
“That’s weak, man,” Anna said, pulling them both back.
“Nah, it’s okay.”
“It’s not okay, man. She got you arrested. I don’t want a snitch around us.”
“She didn’t give them anything.”
“Snitching is snitching.”
“It’s not snitching if she didn’t give them anything.” Gianna leaned forward, mildly posturing on Anna and signaling she was out of patience. “She’s ride or die, Anna. Give her a break.”
Anna laughed and directed her piercing gaze at Adrienne. “You ride or die?”
“Of course.”
“Prove it. We got some business to do. Need a driver. Think you can get some dirt on your church dress?”
“What does that even mean?”
“You coming or what?”
“Now?”
“Hell yeah, now. The night is young.”
Adrienne glanced at Gianna, who shrugged casually. There was no pressure, but Adrienne had an opportunity to truly shut Anna up, to be something other than Gianna’s girlfriend and punching bag.
“Let’s do it.”
Twenty minutes later, they pulled onto a street lined with what were obviously multimillion-dollar homes.
“Kill the lights,” Gianna said.
Adrienne did as she was asked, heart thudding heavily in her chest.
“This guy has been buying from us for months,” Gianna said. “Suddenly thought he didn’t have to pay anymore. He obviously has the money, as you can see.”
“So now he’s going to pay plus interest and a beat down,” Anna said.
“Stop here.”
Adrienne stopped. She could barely breathe. This had transformed from words to reality in minutes, and now she was one twist of chance away from jail, maybe worse. She didn’t have the personality for this. She’d always felt like the good kid trying to fit in with the bad ones, the one terrified person in the group of delinquents, except she was twenty-seven now. She suddenly felt so stupid and out of place, like she’d risked her whole life for the satisfaction of talking tough. She shook it away. She wasn’t going to be scared and weak. She’d been trying to overcome that version of herself her whole life. Gianna looked at her, scanning her for a reaction.
“Be safe,” Adrienne said. “I’ll be here.”
Gianna smiled and kissed her. She and Anna got out and moved quickly in a crouch toward the back of the house. Adrienne saw the subtle bulge of a gun in each of their waistbands. Adrienne strained to hear, but there wasn’t a sound. She got paranoid some nosy neighbor was calling the cops, or worse yet that someone had cameras.
Gianna and Anna finally came creeping back out, apparently not in any hurry. They got in with sly smiles.
“Got it, let’s go.”
“Hold on,” Anna said. “Someone just turned on behind us.”
“Cop?” Gianna asked.
“I don’t know. Duck, let him pass. He’s probably just driving through. He’s alone.”
Adrienne lowered herself in the seat, trying to disappear. Her pulse thundered in her ears. They waited in silence for the car to pass, but it didn’t. Gianna lifted just enough to look in the side mirror.
“Shit, he’s behind us. It’s a cop.” She slowly took her gun from her waistband. “He doesn’t know if we’re in here yet. Go.”
“What?” Adrienne hissed.
“Go. He won’t chase for this.”
“He’s got our plates by now.”
“They’re not ours. I stole them. He’s walking up, Adrienne. Go!”
“Shit.” Adrienne straightened up and hit the gas hard. The tires squealed, then finally got traction and the car jumped forward. Anna sat up and watched out the back window.
“He’s running back to his car. Damn, he’s going to try it. You have to hit it, girl.”
“You said he wouldn’t chase!”
“Yeah, well, we got a cowboy.” Gianna pulled the slide of her pistol.
Adrienne saw a flash of Kaia in that car, being shot at. She knew it was unlikely, the odds were absurd, but it was all she could think about. She tried to shake it away and hit the gas harder. The speedometer climbed through the 60s, 70s, up into the 80s, which felt like light speed in the quiet neighborhood. The red and blue lights were pulsing furiously, the sirens screaming. She turned, slowing a quarter of what she knew she ought to. They screeched around the corner and nearly lost control.
“You got it,” Gianna said, cool as could be. Adrienne was shocked to find it actually helped. The street was narrow and curved constantly, impossible to speed through the way she wanted. She turned again. More of the same stretched in front of her.
“How the fuck do you get out of here?”
“Straight, left at the school,” Gianna said. “We’re okay.”
“I still hear him,” Anna said.
“He’s going to have backup soon,” Adrienne said, panic creeping up again. The lights flashed around the corner again and sped toward them.
“God, fuck off!” Adrienne yelled.
Anna laughed. “I got it.” She rolled down the window, leaned out from the waist up, and fired three shots. His brakes locked and Adrienne flew ahead. She spotted the school and turned onto a wider suburban road. She accelerated into the 90s. Before she knew it they broke 100. She approached 110.
“Yeehaw,” Anna said.
“All right.” Gianna touched her leg. “Slow down up here and go right. He’s not following anymore.”
“Did you hit him?” She glanced in her rearview at Anna.
She shrugged. “Doubt it.”
They pulled over and Gianna got rid of the stolen plates, putting their own back on before they went home.
Back inside the house, Anna and Gianna each emptied their pockets, producing thousands of dollars. Anna counted out a thousand and handed it to Adrienne. “You did good.”
Gianna did the same and kissed her. “Get something you’ve been wanting.”
What she wanted was out of this relationship and away from this gang, wasn’t it? Gianna leaned over and kissed her again, wrapping her arms around Adrienne’s waist and pulling her close. Gianna’s tongue teased at her lips, parting them slowly. Adrienne acce
pted the advance. There was something about belonging to Gianna that still made her lose her mind. She was gorgeous, strong, devoted. Despite everything, Adrienne loved being hers. Being accepted by her and Anna felt exactly as good as she’d predicted. But why was the touch of Kaia’s hand on hers still tingling days later?
Chapter Five
Kaia woke to her phone humming across Carli’s wood nightstand. She glanced at Carli, still in a sound sleep. She’d tossed the comforter aside during the night and her bare back was exposed. Kaia hadn’t particularly wanted to come over, but she’d always had a hard time turning down sex, even when she didn’t much want or need it. She finally processed Reid’s name on her phone and picked up.
“Hey.” Kaia slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the living room.
“Got a minute? I asked about that WAK tat for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Gang Unit just recently started watching them. Wild AKs. They’re up-and-coming. Started small, now they’re dealing drugs and guns with the big boys, expanding in a hurry and getting ugly about it.”
“How ugly?”
“Whole deal. They came out shooting. Caught a couple homicides. The founder was suspected in two, but they didn’t have enough on him and he walked.”
“Who is he?”
“Marco Woods. Started the group up as a neighborhood loyalty thing. They have guys, girls, kids, you name it. All you need to get in is the right zip code and a bad attitude.”
“So they could be anyone.”
“Exactly.”
“What else?”
“Not much. They were flying under the radar, but they’re getting a lot of attention now. Pretty sure a group of them fired at an officer last night fleeing a B and E.”
“What?”
“Yeah, they didn’t hit anyone, but they got away. The Gang Unit is taking a hard look at them now. My buddy was curious what brought me in. I think he’d really like to talk to you.”
Hers to Protect Page 3
