by Carsen Taite
I knew that wasn’t all, but it was as far as I was willing to go. Right now. I needed to steer Maggie away from this line of conversation, so I blurted out, “I do have a little thing going with a federal marshal. She’s smokin’ hot. It’s just sex, though. Nothing serious.” I had their attention and I took full advantage. “Maggie, if you want lurid relationship details, you’re going to have to focus on Mark. Ask him all about his future bride.”
I raised my glass and toasted my own deft maneuver as Maggie began to pepper Mark with questions. I sat back and half listened to Mark tell us all about Linda, his bride-to-be, while I thought about all the loose ends in my own life. Linda was a resident at Massachusetts General in Boston, but she’d been offered a pediatric fellowship at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. Mark’s geeky computer work wasn’t confined by geography, which meant he could move across the country to accommodate his new wife’s ambition.
My work wasn’t confined by geography either. Dallas didn’t have a monopoly on fugitives. I could move somewhere else, do the same thing. Wheels, guns, and a computer were all the equipment I needed. Hardin had connections everywhere, and bondsmen were loyal to a good bounty hunter. I’d never considered moving, but I wasn’t sure why. Dad was here, but beyond an occasional check-in to scratch a gambling itch and to make sure he hadn’t drunk himself silly, I didn’t spend that much time with him. Besides, he had Maggie around now to nurse his hangovers or try to keep him from getting hung over in the first place.
My only other strong tie to Dallas was Jess. She’d been a constant in my life for so long I couldn’t imagine not being able to knock on her door in the middle of the night to sate a need. But geography played a cruel joke now. She still lived only a few miles from me, but now that she was immersed in Deveaux, she may as well live across the country. Even last night, when I’d been inside her, she’d been far, far away.
Now Mark was moving back. That should be a tie for me, but he was getting married. And married people keep to themselves. They hang out with other married people and they have to confer with their spouses before they can do anything with their single friends. I’d probably talk to him about the same amount of time as I had when he lived across the country.
No ties. Nothing to hold me down. I should be basking in the simple realization of my liberty, but I felt more empty than free. I drank deeply and motioned for another the second I reached the bottom of my glass. Mark was buying, after all, and we had a lot to drink to. His impending nuptials, my solitary existence. Happy times.
Another three beers in and I began to hear voices.
“You are Luca Bennett, yes?”
The voice was quiet, but I could tell it was from behind my shoulder. Maggie and Mark were still chatting away. I don’t usually hear voices after only four beers, but I had been under a lot of stress lately. I spoke into my empty glass. “Go away.”
“I’m afraid I cannot. Mr. Petrov asked me to convey a message to you.”
The man’s voice was low, but ominous. Mark and Maggie stopped talking and stared over my shoulder. Guess the voice wasn’t in my head after all. I turned around to face one of Petrov’s bodyguards. Reality check. I’d been paid a king’s ransom but hadn’t done anything to earn it. Not that I cared. I fingered the gold coin in my pocket while I told him off.
“Look, Mr. Big Russian Guy. I work for myself.” I pointed at my chest to emphasize the point. “For me. There’s only me and my needs. You tell Petrov that he can use whatever powers of persuasion he thinks he has to get people to do what he wants, but I’m not on the list of those people.” I could tell I wasn’t really making sense, but I didn’t care. I was talking to a guy whose reading list probably consisted of the label on a can of protein powder. Brawn was all he had going for him. All he needed to know was that I wasn’t a lackey like him. I pulled the coin out of my pocket and dropped it on the floor between us. “Tell Petrov he can have his Imperial whatever and to leave me the hell alone.”
In a surprising show of initiative, he bared his teeth and growled. “You can tell him yourself. If you’re not too busy begging for mercy when you see him.”
I stood up. I like to stand when I’m being challenged. Mark placed a hand on my arm, but I shook it off. I’d had lunch with an old school mobster this week. I wasn’t going to be threatened by an upstart from the Baltics. I resisted the urge to poke the big guy in the chest, but I put a fierce growl behind my words. “You should leave. Now.”
He hunched his shoulders once and his face smiled, but his eyes shot daggers. “I will leave, but your duty will stay. You will fulfill your duty or you will lose something valuable to you.”
I opened my mouth to say that the joke was on him, that I didn’t have anything of value, but the icy cold glint in his eyes took my breath away. That he wasn’t looking at me, made his trance even more creepy. I followed his stare and my sight landed on Mark. And the guy standing behind Mark. Another big Russian mobster with his hand on my brother’s shoulder. The tumblers clicked into place and I realized I did have something of value. Or someone of value.
I shrugged. “Him? Hell, I just met him tonight. Don’t even know his name.”
“And the woman you were with last night, outside Slice of Heaven?”
My gut clenched at the reference to Jess.
Mark caught my eye and then shot a glance at the hand on his shoulder. “Hey, lady, want to tell your friends to get lost?”
I offered an easy smile in response to his strained voice. “It’s all good. They were just looking for directions and I told them where to go.” I turned to mobster number one. “Tell Mr. Petrov I respect his confidence in my abilities, but I’ve got other work.” I glanced down at the gold coin and said, “Make sure he gets everything that belongs to him. Or I will.” I didn’t care that my last words sounded like a threat.
When he didn’t move, I went from bark to bite, tilting forward, in his face. “Get out. And don’t come back.”
They left. Without the coin. I knew they didn’t leave because I told them to. They left to tell Yuri Petrov I’d been a bad girl and hadn’t done what he wanted. They left to get their next orders, which wouldn’t involve threats. Action would be next on their list.
I looked up to find Mark and Maggie staring at me. Worried questions in their eyes. I didn’t have any answers. Hell, I didn’t know what the hell was going on. Why Petrov was so bent on Bingo. Why he thought I had any influence. Why he could use his muscle to get what he wanted. I hadn’t really cared before. But now that he’d threatened someone close to me, I cared. The list of people I cared about was short, which gave me even more motivation to keep everyone on it unharmed.
Chapter Eleven
I waited about thirty minutes after Petrov’s goons left Maggie’s before I hustled Mark out the door and drove to Dad’s.
“Are you sure you’re going the right way?”
“I’m taking the scenic route.”
“You’re scared those guys are following us, aren’t you?” He shifted to look at the rear window. “I don’t see anyone. Of course, I’m not sure why anyone would be out in this neighborhood.”
I’d taken a winding route through South Dallas. I figured if we were going to get caught in a street fight with some Russians, chances were good the folks here would be on our side. At least we were more like the kind of white folks they were used to. Ones without an accent.
“Who were they?”
“Nobody.”
“Seriously, Luca, I’m not twelve. You don’t have to shield me from all the bad stuff in the world.”
I looked over. He definitely wasn’t twelve anymore, scared and ready to run at the first raised voice. He was a man, but he would always be my little brother. Someone I had to protect. But knowledge is power, and I could give him that much. “Bad guys. Russian mobster bad guys. They run plenty of shady businesses around town, but lately I think they’re into something new or someone else’s operation.”
“And you’re inv
olved with them?”
“No. I mean, kind of. I’m doing a favor for a friend. It got a little complicated.”
“Some friend. Is she hot?”
I slapped his thigh. “Watch it, buddy.”
He laughed. “Okay, so she’s super hot, but you don’t want to talk about it.” When his laugh faded, he scrunched up into a serious face. I recognized the expression from our youth. It was Mark’s cautious, stay out of trouble face. I’d always ignored it before, leaving him behind when he wasn’t up for adventure. But now instead of risking licks from Dad, the stakes were much higher. I might plunge headlong into the trouble, but I wouldn’t let the people I cared about get dragged into it.
“If I could talk about it, I would, but then I’d have to—”
“Kill me? Right, I know the drill.” He leaned back in his seat and I thought we were in for a quiet rest of the ride, but after a few minutes, he asked, “You think Dad can make it through a whole wedding weekend?”
I recognized the worry that had probably been stewing since his fiancée started planning this big event. Mom would be mother-in-law zilla, but zillas were to be expected at a wedding. Dad’s weakness was much more subtle and likely to come out at the most embarrassing moments. Words forgotten mid-toast, stumbling into waiters passing hors d’oeuvres, arguing with the bartender about why his glass wasn’t full to the top. Mark’s concerns were valid. I gave the best answer I could. “He’s good when he’s with Maggie. She’ll be there, right?”
“I assumed she’d be Dad’s plus one. Guess one of your duties as best woman will be to get her there.”
I knew we’d get back to that. “About that, you should probably pick someone else. I’m not big on weddings.”
“You’ve been to so many you can’t handle going to any more? Or is that you don’t like cake? I find that hard to believe because everyone likes cake. Her parents are rich, so I bet it’s going to be a really good cake.”
“Shut up about the cake, already. You’ll want me to get all dressed up. The last time I wore a dress was Easter, when I was six years old, and I’ll never live down the pictures. You think I’m going to get all girly for you when you’re probably paying photographers to capture every moment?”
“Fair enough. I imagine there will be a team of photographers there to capture our most wonderful day ever.” I detected a slight edge to his tone. “Look,” he went on, “I need someone there who’s there just for me. Dad will be there for the free booze. Mom will be there for the spectacle. I’ve got friends who can be groomsmen, but none of them are best man or woman material. I need you to be there, by my side. For me. And I think you should wear a tux.”
“A tux, huh? Mom’s head will spin around.”
He grinned. “Like I said, it’s just for me.”
“Yeah, okay, I’ll do it.”
*
I dropped Mark off at the curb. He begged me to come inside with him, but I had a long list of things I wanted to take care of, and waxing nostalgic with Dad and Mark wasn’t on it. Besides, Dad was probably still pissed at me about his ban from Bingo’s, and as long as I was on Petrov’s shit list, it would be better if I kept my distance. I drove to the end of the street, parked in the shadows, and waited for a few minutes. When I was satisfied no one had followed me, I took off.
I considered my options. Everything—the guys Diamond wanted me to find, the Russians, Bingo—all of it, all of them, were wrapped up together somehow, but I didn’t have a clue why or how. Hadn’t really cared before, when finding Amato and Picone was more favor than work, but now that things were more complicated, sorting it all out seemed way more important. For a second, I considered calling Diamond and telling her to shove her favor. No amount of hot sex was worth the kind of trouble she’d stirred up.
Problem was I didn’t trust her. Why had she sent me on this goose chase to begin with? Did she like watching women turn in circles for her? No, it couldn’t be that simple. She was up to something, and that’s exactly why I wouldn’t turn to her for help now.
There was only one person I totally trusted, and I was sitting outside her house. I didn’t even remember driving to Jess’s place, but here I was, at the curb. And there was Deveaux’s Beemer, parked in the drive, just like last time.
I weighed my options. I could drive off. And keep coming back, hoping Deveaux was gone for a while, or gone for good. Or I could suck it up and go to the door now. If Jess was going to stay hooked up with Deveaux, was I really going to stay away forever?
I took my time walking to the door. By the time I got there, I’d worked up my resolve. I was ready to face Jess and her girlfriend and act like I hadn’t fucked Jess the night before.
The door swung open before I could knock.
“What are you doing here?” Her loud whisper came out like a hiss. I resisted reacting with a smart-ass remark. She was under a lot of stress, and what we’d done the night before probably hadn’t helped.
“I need to talk to you. We’re still friends, right?”
She sighed and motioned me in. “It’s not a good time. I have a lot going on.”
“I know. Maybe we can help each other out.” I didn’t have a clue what I could do for her, but the pained look on her face forced the promise from me. “I’ll do whatever I can, but I really need to talk to you.” Please don’t ask me to help the doctor, please don’t ask me to help the doctor.
My silent chant worked. At least for now. All she said was, “Wait for me in the kitchen. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared down the hall in the direction of her bedroom. I resisted the urge to follow and get a peek at the doctor who must have been waiting for her there.
Jess had one of those big, homey kitchens that people say reminds them of the family gatherings of their childhood complete with home-cooked meals and fellowship. I couldn’t relate. My mother’s attempts at cooking left the rest of us hungry, and we almost never invited anyone over to witness the dysfunction of a family meal.
Took her fifteen minutes to join me. Fifteen long minutes during which I considered looking for a beer in the fridge. Before last week, before I’d known about the doctor, I wouldn’t have hesitated to make myself at home. Now, I felt out of place, like I didn’t belong. Besides, I’d had quite a few beers at Maggie’s, and Jess wouldn’t approve of my drinking and driving. So instead, I amused myself by counting the tiles on her floor. At the fifteen-minute mark, I decided if she didn’t come back in two minutes, I was out of there.
She showed up with thirty seconds to spare. I’d never seen her look this exhausted. She grabbed a mug from the cabinet and asked, “You want coffee?”
“Sure, if you do.” Caffeine would have to be the drug of choice since I didn’t have the nerve to ask for a beer. While she made a pot of coffee, I thought of about a dozen different conversation nonstarters, but silence seemed the better option. Thankfully, after a long stretch of quiet, she spoke first.
“We’ve been seeing each other for a while.”
I nodded, not wanting to interrupt what appeared to be a full-fledged background on the doctor.
“I met her when I was at my doctor’s office. It’s a big office. She was there to talk to them about joining their practice. We were both waiting. We talked and, well, you know…”
I picked up the trail. “And she’s smart, gorgeous. You asked her out.”
“She asked me out, but whatever, it doesn’t matter. We went out. We hit it off. We kept going out. We had a good time. I saw something in her, with her. I can’t explain it.”
She didn’t have to. I’d been surrounded by enough of it lately, that I recognized the affliction—the craving for security, the need to couple, to feel complete with someone else by your side. Mark, Dad, hell, my mother was on her fourth husband trying to scratch that itch. I guess I’d always thought Jess was immune, like me. That we’d always have each other and we’d get to feel superior to the ones who wanted more. Now she was one of them and I couldn’t process the change. “And
now you live together.”
Jess’s expression turned from thoughtful to mortified. “We don’t live together. She’s just staying here until she finds a place.”
“Sorry, I must’ve misunderstood something John said.”
“Nobody knows my personal business but me. You want to know something, you ask me.”
“Fine. Got it.”
“Seriously, Bennett, it’s bad enough having federal agents show up at my house. I don’t need my friends going around speculating about my personal life, especially when I don’t have a clue what to do about it. Besides, I thought you came over to talk about you and your problems.”
I had a ton more questions about Deveaux and whatever trouble she was in, but I didn’t want to be the one prying. Not tonight.
I told her essentially what I’d told John about the visit from Diamond, Yuri’s gold piece, my weird lunch with Vedda’s dad, and the fake prescription drug deal. I ended with the bullying I’d experienced at Maggie’s bar earlier that night. “They mentioned you, Jess.” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Someone from Yuri’s crew saw us last night.”
Her only response was to walk over to the fridge and pull out a couple of beer bottles. She handed one to me and then twisted the top off hers and drank a long pull.
I did the same. I gave the beer some time to work its magic on her, and then said, “I’m out of ideas. I tried to give them back the coin, but they wouldn’t take it. I’d drive straight to Yuri’s place right now, tell him to shove it, but they mentioned you…” She looked up, but I kept talking, scared that if I stopped, we’d have one of those silly sentimental moments neither of us would be able to stand. “Mark was there. He asked a bunch of questions, but I didn’t have a clue what to tell him.”
