Jack: Grime and Punishment (The Brothers Grime Book 1)

by Z. A. Maxfield

  “Good.” Jack kept on nodding. “Good.”

  “So…” Ryan trailed off. All five men glanced at everything but one another.

  Goddamn it. Jack had to ask about the cat. He didn’t want to, but he had to. “You’ll be taking Tasha back now?”

  “Uh.” Skippy’s gaze flew to Gabe.

  Jack was going to miss that goddamned cat. “What?”

  “See…the thing is, Tasha’s not really mine.” Skippy found something fascinating to look at in his coffee.

  Gabe intervened. “What Skippy’s trying to say is—”

  “It was Gabe’s idea,” Skippy blurted. “He said you oughta have a pet, and then there was this cat at the scene we was working. Not the gorgeous scene, but the one two days before where the lady exploded.”

  “The lady what?” Ryan grabbed a piece of toast from the table.

  Jack was pretty sure Ryan knew all about this sort of thing, but he explained. “Sometimes when a dead body is left in a warm environment unattended for a period of time…”

  “Oh, God. Never mind. I know.” Ryan handed his toast and coffee to Jack.

  Jack smiled. That was one way to get coffee without having to turn around.

  “The owner’s daughter was allergic to cats and asked did I know anybody who could take care of her? See, I can’t take her because Kelly Ann thinks cats steal the breath from little babies—”

  “Wait, what?” asked Jack.

  “Kelly Ann can be…” Skippy seemed to search for the word. Jack assumed crazy wasn’t the word Skippy was looking for. Crazy was the word Jack would have used, but he kept his mouth shut. “Kelly Ann is old-fashioned. Anyhow. Gabe said you should have a cat, and if I left Tasha with you, she’d adopt you and you’d have to keep her.”

  “Gabe said that, did he?” asked Jack.

  “He was right,” said Ryan. “Jack is definitely now Tasha’s bitch—er…human.”

  Jack rolled his eyes, but he was pleased. Delighted, in fact.

  Dave muttered, “Seems like there’s a lot of that going around.”

  “By the way. Someone has to take care of Tasha while I’m in Vegas.”

  “I’ll do it,” Skippy said. “Leave me a key.”

  Jack arched an eyebrow at him. “Since when do you need a key?”

  “Ahem.” Skippy cleared his throat. “Detective Hungley is right there. Just sayin’.”

  “One of these days, Skip. You and I are gonna dance.” Dave tried out his highly trained cop glare on Skippy. It could peel the average person like a grape, but Skippy was oblivious.

  “Is that like, some gay thing?” Skippy’s eyes narrowed. “On account of I don’t swing that way.”

  Dave’s eyes widened. “No, I—”

  “Okay. So. Skippy will watch the cat while you’re in Vegas.” Gabe got to his feet, and Dave rose with him. He looked so anxious to leave Jack almost felt sorry for him. Almost. “I’m going to take care of the business, and Dave’s going to keep his big mouth shut from now on. Meeting adjourned.”

  Gabe and Dave nodded to everyone as they exited the kitchen through the back door. That left Skippy, who blinked up at Ryan and Jack like he was expecting them to serve him breakfast. Jack sipped his coffee thoughtfully while Ryan got himself another cup.

  “So you two?” Skippy used his hands to describe a pretty filthy act into the air and then grinned happily at them. “It’s like that now?”

  Ryan nodded. “Yeah. Probably.”

  “I guess. Yeah.” Jack glanced at Ryan, who shot back a smile that knocked the breath from his lungs. “Yeah. It’s exactly like that.”

  Skippy’s Big Ask

  A Bonus Short Story For You!

  Skippy rolled down the quiet street in his piece of shit Mazda. As he drove, he pondered another night, another quiet neighborhood, and the “messages” he delivered in Jaime Ochoa’s Escalade SUV.

  That was forever ago—before he got betrayed by one of his crew. Before he met Kelly Ann. Before he’d come to Cali, and joined the Brothers Grime, and started a new life for himself as a whole different kind of cleaner.

  He never forgot where he came from. And on nights like this one, missions like the one he was on now, it was obvious he never would.

  Twice, he passed the house at a crawl with his lights off. He checked out the cars in the driveway. The owner was home, entertaining his business partners. Whether it was for work or play those guys always hung out together. Between them and Jack’s boyfriend Ryan, it had proven extremely hard to catch his boss alone. Didn’t look like there was any choice now. He’d have to take the chance when they were around.

  He made another circle of the long block and its squat bungalow homes. Some were inviting, with porchlights and fancy gardens. Some looked dark and uninhabited, perfect for squatters and junkies.

  As he drove, he asked himself whether he could do this. It was one thing when Jack was alone with Ryan. But if Eddie and Gabe were with him, or God forbid, Detective Huntley, who always looked at him like he smelled decomp…

  He reached for the crucifix Kelly Ann had wrapped around his rearview mirror and glanced at the family pictures he kept in his visor. Kelly Ann and Baby Eduardo—nicknamed Lalo—were the most exquisitely perfect things in his life. What wouldn’t he give, for them? What wouldn’t he do?

  On the fourth trip around, he parked his car in front of a vacant place four houses down from Jack’s.

  If it weren’t for Kelly Ann, he’d probably still be visiting the squatters in houses just like that one, organizing runners and lookouts. Collecting cash from the kids his people trusted with their product, making trouble for anybody who broke that trust.

  He was a world away from all that now, but being here like this brought memories back and gave him the shivers.

  He’d grown soft. He liked his cushy life. He didn’t want to fuck things up and lose it, ever. He’d weighed everything against what was most important, and he came to the inescapable conclusion that he had to walk up to Jack’s house, knock on the door, and do what he’d come there to do. No matter what.

  His footsteps sounded like gunshots on the concrete. His knocks, like bomb blasts.

  The door opened, and a wedge of light spilled out. From inside, he heard music, and the low laughter of men.

  “Skippy. What’s up?” Jack asked.

  “Can I talk to you?” Skippy shot a quick glance both ways. There was no one else on the street. A cat’s eyes reflected Jack’s porchlight from the bushes. Somewhere a dog barked. “Alone?”

  “Sure.” Jack stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Skippy had the weird urge to scold him for it. You don’t come out just ‘cause I ask. You don’t make yourself vulnerable to whatever’s out here on my say so. “Everything okay? Kelly Ann and Lalo—”

  “They’re fine.”

  “Okay.” Jack waited. “That’s good.”

  “I mean.” Skippy’s heart raced. How could this be so hard? “Maybe.”

  “Maybe they’re fine?”

  “I don’t know.” He scrubbed at his short hair. “Lalo’s fine.”

  “Something up with Kelly Ann?” Jack gestured toward the bench on his porch. Maybe on account of he had a bum leg he needed to sit? Skippy stepped back so Jack could pass, and then sat down next to him.

  “Maybe.” He stared straight ahead.

  Jack leaned forward and clasped his hands between his knees. “Is she sick or something?”

  “Sort of.” Why was a this so hard?

  “Is there something I can help with? Do you need cash, is that it?”

  “No. I mean. Things were hard, but now they’re better. I just—” He wasn’t sure he could do this, after all. Was it disloyal? Would Kelly Ann think he was an asshole for talking about things like this?

  Jack waited him out.

  “Kelly had that thing. Baby blues. And her mom knew what it was. She told Kelly Ann to ask the doctor for help.”

  “That’s good. Did she?”

&
nbsp; “Yeah. She has to take pills for it now and all. Seems like she’s a lot better, except”—he glanced at his hands—“it’s exhausting having a toddler. And she works so hard. Neither of us ever get any sleep.”

  “Doesn’t Kelly’s mom live at your place?”

  Skippy glanced up. “Her mom kind of makes things harder.”

  “Really?”

  “She’s got some strong opinions, I guess you could say.” He didn’t want to speak ill of his mother-in-law. “She keeps Kelly Ann company but she’s older, and she doesn’t help a lot.”

  “So Kelly Ann is pretty much taking care of both of them. Maybe you could find Kelly Ann a helper or something?”

  “I will. Only for now, I was thinking of something more…romantic.”

  “How can I help?”

  ”You’re in a relationship.” Skippy found something to look at on the street. “You got any ideas for something nice I can do?”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah you. Ryan looks at you like you’re the last line of coke at a yacht party. What can I do for her that will let her know that she means everything to me?”

  “You just went to Vegas, right?”

  “Yeah, but her mom and the baby ended up going too.”

  “So you didn’t spend any special time together?”

  “Not really.”

  “So that’s probably the first thing. You should go somewhere it’s just the two of you. No distractions.”

  “Like where? ‘Cause Vegas isn’t that.”

  Jack frowned. “I’ll bet Ryan knows a lot more about this stuff than I do.”

  “Yeah?”

  “He’s inside. You want to ask him?”

  Skippy stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Who else?”

  “Gabe, Eddie, and Dave.”

  He winced. “Detective Hungley.”

  “Don’t let him hear you call him that,” Jack warned. “I don’t know how we’d fit his head back in his ball cap.”

  The door opened, and Ryan peeked out. “Jack? Everything okay?”

  Jack gave Ryan a nod. “Come on, Skip. Let’s put our heads together. I’m sure we’ll come up with something.”

  “Okay.” He let Jack talk him into it. “If you think that will help.”

  “Help what?” Ryan asked.

  “Tell you inside.” Jack shooed Ryan in. Skippy followed. They joined the rest in Jack’s 80’s era kitchen, where they had a poker game going. “Have a seat, you want something to drink?”

  “Ginger ale, if you have it.”

  “Sure.” Jack filled a glass with ice and handed that over, along with a can of pop.

  “Thank you.”

  Dave rolled his eyes. “Polite for a guy who used to bust kneecaps for a living.”

  Skippy sipped his pop. “Says who?”

  “Your rap sheet?” Dave baited him every single day, but he was going have to do better than that.

  “No it didn’t.”

  “Dave,” Jack warned

  “There is no proof of any illegal activity,” Skippy said the words mildly, because he knew it made Huntley’s head explode.

  “No proof doesn’t mean you didn’t do anything.”

  “Doesn’t mean I did.”

  With a huff of annoyance, Dave rearranged his cards. “Are we playing, or what?”

  “The game can wait,” said Jack. “We’re helping Skippy right now.”

  Dave turned his chair to glare at them. “Now? Are you kidding me?”

  At his vehement tone, Jack shared a look with Ryan. “I fold.”

  “Me too.” Ryan smothered a laugh.

  “You fucks, I finally had you.” Dave threw down three kings. “I hate you, Skippy.”

  “Honestly? I’m not surprised to hear that, Dave.”

  Eddie asked, “What do you need?”

  Skippy glanced at Ryan. “You guys just hooked up, right? If you wanted to treat Jack to a real nice time, what would you do? I mean something classy.”

  “This for Kelly Ann?” Ryan asked.

  “Of course.”

  “Let me think."

  “Let’s all try to figure something out,” said Jack.

  Eddie asked, “Do you need time off?”

  Skippy’s face heated. “Maybe. I want to do this right. Kelly Ann deserves it.”

  “What about spending time away alone?” Ryan asked. “You could get a nice hotel room and take some time to reconnect. Maybe at the beach?”

  “I thought of that, but it’s like she has invisible ties to her mom and the baby and they don’t stretch that far.” The only way he’d gotten Kelly Ann to Vegas was to take her mom and Lalo, too.

  “Maybe she’d go for a local hotel?”

  Skippy thought about it. “If it’s not farther from our house than Costco or something.”

  “I can work with that.” Ryan took out his cell phone.

  “That’s it. Make a couple reservations at local restaurants, take some time to yourselves, and you’ll be her hero,” said Eddie.

  “Will she leave the baby with your mom?”

  “Yeah. Mrs. Higgins can watches the baby if we stay close.”

  “Wait. You call your mother-in-law Mrs. Higgins?” asked Dave.

  “I wouldn’t exactly call her Mom.” That was one of his problems. “It’s not that she isn’t a nice lady. She just isn’t real warm, is all. With me, I mean.”

  “And she lives with you?”

  Skippy shrugged. You changed what you could. And Mrs. Higgins was not that.

  “What days do you think you’ll want to go?” Ryan asked, still typing. “I need to put in dates to look at the room rates.”

  “Uh…”

  “What about weekend after next?” Jack asked. “Kim asked if she could have time off this weekend and I think Kevin’s got hockey tickets for Sunday, but next weekend should be okay.”

  “That would work,” Skippy agreed.

  “So let’s say you leave Friday afternoon…” Ryan thumbed something into his phone. “You could stay until Sunday. I’ll see about getting you a late checkout.”

  “Wait, where?”

  “Embassy Suites maybe? Rooms includes a breakfast buffet.”

  “By the mall?” Skippy asked.

  “Right. It’s close enough that if there’s an emergency, you can be home in ten minutes.”

  “That sounds cool. Kelly Ann might actually go for that. She could even tuck Lalo in if she wanted.”

  “Sure.” Ryan typed and typed. “Yes. I knew it. I have enough bonus points for both nights.”

  “You don’t have to use—”

  “It’s my pleasure, Skippy.” Ryan beamed at him. “I’ve had these points forever and I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Thank you.” Skippy knew when to be grateful and shut his cake hole.

  He loved his little family. He did. But when it came to his mother-in-law, things were complicated. He longed for just one day without the need to maintain a polite facade when he wasn’t feeling it. One day with Kelly Ann, just the two of them, like it used to be.

  Lalo was the love of their lives, but Skippy wanted his wife back from Mommyland. His heart beat faster just thinking about it.

  As if Ryan read his mind, he said, “It’s probably not going to be easy for Kelly Ann to let go.”

  “You think?”

  “Taking two nights away will help. You’ll need to get to know each other all over again. Redefine what you are to each other, now that you’re Lalo’s parents.”

  That was the problem. He wasn’t jealous of the time Kelly Ann spent with the baby. He only wanted to make the most of their alone time. But it took changing gears. Sometimes they fell asleep before they said a single word to each other that didn’t have to do with the baby.

  He eyed Ryan. “How’d you get so smart?”

  Ryan leaned against Jack, who slid an arm around his waist. “We all work the kind of jobs where you have to learn to leave things behind at the end of the day. If not, w
e couldn’t have lives outside work. It’s not easy and it takes effort. I have to decompress every time I leave work.”

  “I guess I do too, come to think of it,” said Skippy.

  “I know you do.”

  “That’s why cops don’t stay married,” said Dave. “We can’t leave the job at work. It changes you too much.”

  “Plenty of cops stay married, Dave,” said Ryan. “I know some.”

  “Statistically, they’re outliers.”

  “Maybe.” Gabe glanced away. “But if only one does it, that means there’s hope.”

  “I’ll bet you play the lottery.”

  “Just poker,” Gabe fired back. “With your loser ass.”

  Dave sniffed. “I had three kings.”

  “So I guess we all need to thank Skippy for stopping by, huh?”

  Dave picked up his beer. “Not me.”

  Skippy got up to leave. “Thanks for your ideas.”

  “I’m not done yet,” said Ryan. “Give me until the beginning of next week, and I’ll have an itinerary for you.”

  “That sounds so sexy,” Jack teased. “Itinerary.”

  Skippy frowned. “I don’t think—”

  “I doubt he wants you to plan every minute, there Ry.”

  Ryan blushed. “I’ll pencil in sexy times.”

  Skippy said, “I’m just gonna go now.”

  Jack walked him to the door. “I think you’ve unleashed a monster.”

  “It’s nice.” He glanced back. “I can un-plan whatever he plans, right?”

  Jack opened the door for him. “I’ll tell him you have the power of veto. You can even cancel the whole thing, if you need to.”

  “I want to do this. The problem might be getting Kelly Ann on board.”

  “I’ll book you out all that weekend, anyway. You need a little downtime.”

  “Thanks, again, Jack.”

  “You’re a great employee Skippy. We’re happy to help.”

  “Speak for yourself, Jack” Dave called from the kitchen.

  “I’m not your employee, Dave.” Skippy waved and made his way to the car.

  He should have known Jack would be willing to work around a little time off. And Ryan. He was a class act. He probably knew all kinds of places he and Kelly Ann could go where the atmosphere was romantic.

  Skippy wasn’t the most brilliant guy in the world, but he knew what to look for in a mentor. When a dude was going somewhere he wanted to be, he followed them.