by Hamel, B. B.
I back away and head to the next room. It’s the same thing, except there are two more people in this room. In the last bedroom, there are four people all crammed together on a mattress on the ground.
I back away, my heart beating fast.
People actually fucking live here. Junkies, I bet, a bunch of strung-out fucks that probably work for drugs, but still. Actual humans exist in this shit pile.
I sneak back into the main room and snap a few more pictures. When I’m done, I step toward the kitchen.
And stop in my tracks.
A young woman is standing there. She has stringy dark hair and dark eyes that go wide when she spots me. She’s skinny as hell and wearing only a pair of panties and a white t-shirt. She looks like she’s anywhere from twenty to fifty.
“Who the fuck are you?” she asks.
I move before she can react. I grab her by the face and push her back against the wall, one hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming, the other across her chest to keep her pinned there. Her eyes go wide with fear when she feels me put my weight against her.
She must weigh a hundred pounds at most. She’s willowy and frail but her fear turns to anger in half a second.
“Don’t move,” I growl softly. “If you wake anyone else, I’ll kill you all.”
I stare into her eyes and she stares back.
“Do you understand?” I ask her.
She nods once.
“I’m going to move my hand. If you scream, I’m going to have to kill you and whoever gets up.” I slowly move my hand back.
She blinks at me but she doesn’t scream.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“Lucy,” she says.
“Lucy. I’m Rowan.”
She stares back at me defiantly. “What the fuck do you want? You here to rob us?”
“No,” I say. “Do you live here?”
“Maybe,” she says.
I grunt. Sounds like she does.
“I don’t give a shit about you or your operation. I’m here because your employer wants me dead and I need collateral to use against him.”
She blinks at me again. “My employer?”
I sigh. “Dean Fish.”
“Fish,” she says. “You know him?”
“I know him.”
“Bad guy. Jonny won’t let me go near him. Jonny says—”
I put my hand up against her mouth again. There’s a creak in another room and I think I hear someone moving again.
It takes me a second to realize that the girl’s high. She probably woke up in the middle of the night and decided to get fucked up enough to go back to sleep.
The noise from the back room gets louder and I know it’s time to go.
“Tell Jonny to tell Fish I stopped by,” I growl at her.
I release her mouth and run.
“Hey!” she shouts. “Tell him yourself!”
I hear someone burst into the room behind me. “Fuck! Stop!” the voice shouts.
I barrel through the back door and slam into the backyard. I stumble over a bucket someone left out and try not to think about the putrid liquid it spills all over the concrete. I turn and sprint to the back gate, running through it.
“Fuck!” I hear the guy shout again. “Mickey! Someone fucking robbed us!”
I keep running. I don’t need to correct the dumb fuck.
Up ahead the truck springs to life. Allie’s sitting in the driver’s seat and when I hop into the passenger door, she’s already hitting the gas. We speed forward as I slam my door shut.
Figures spill out from the meth house as we drive away into the night.
“What happened?” she asks me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I say. “I got what I need.”
She looks relieved. “What was that place?”
“Meth den,” I grunt. “They’re cooking it.”
“Oh, shit,” she whispers. “My dad was involved in cooking meth?”
“Probably not cooking it, but selling…” I trail off and shake my head. “I’m sorry, Allie.”
We don’t speak for the rest of the drive back to the motel. I can tell this has been hard on her and I don’t want to push anything just yet.
Plus, I need to plan. I have the location of a meth house and proof that something’s happening there. I can use it as collateral against Fish… I just have to figure out how.
That’s a problem for later. For now, we need to get some sleep. I take Allie to bed and wrap myself around her, holding her body tight against mine, feeling her breath pull in and out.
I let that comfort me into a nice, dreamless sleep.
13
Allie
We wake up early the next morning and spend a few hours uploading the pictures to Rowan’s computer and getting them printed at a local office supply store. When we’re finished, we head back to the motel and sit on the bed with a stack of pictures of meth splayed out in front us.
We don’t speak for a little bit. Rowan stares at the pictures like he thinks they’re about to sprout legs and walk off. I can’t help but watch him and wonder what the heck we’re going to do now. I mean, we just have a bunch of pictures of a run-down house and some meth.
Finally he looks up at me. “Okay. I know what the plan’s going to be.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Seriously, just like that?”
“It’s not complicated,” he admits.
“Okay, so what do we do?”
“Step one is pretty easy.” He stands up and walks over to the table where he grabs his cellphone. He picks it up and dials a number before putting it on speaker.
The phone rings a few times and just as I think it’s about to go to voicemail, a man answers.
“Rowan,” he says. “I didn’t expect to hear from you.”
“Hey, Fish.”
My eyes go wide and my heart skips a beat. This is Dean Fish himself, the guy we’re running from. What are you doing? I mouth but Rowan turns away.
“I figured you’d be out of town by now, what with the whole killing one of my guys thing.”
Rowan doesn’t smile. “You should’ve known that would happen.”
“Yeah, well. That’s why I sent someone expendable.”
A chill runs down my spine. Fish is the kind of man to think other humans are expendable.
“Look, I get you’re pissed about the jobs,” Rowan says. “I understand they didn’t go the way you wanted them to. But they’re done as far as I’m concerned and we’re square.”
Fish sighs like he’s genuinely pained. “Maybe that could’ve been the case before you murdered my guy, Rowan. But come on, do you think I can just let this slide?”
Rowan clenches his jaw. “The guy was going to hurt Allie.”
There’s a pause. “Allie, huh?” Fish says softly. “That’s Joey’s girl, right?”
“Right,” he says. “Got a fucking problem with that?”
Fish laughs gently. “I guess it doesn’t matter if I do or don’t.”
“You’re right, it doesn’t. Listen, Fish, we both want this to be done. Nobody else needs to die.”
“You’re right,” he says, sounding tired. “Nobody else needs to die at all so long as you come to me and make this right.”
“Make this right,” Rowan says flatly.
“Sure. Give me the girl and we’re square.”
“What?”
“Give her over. I hear she’s pretty. I got a little house down the ways, I can put her to work, earn off your debt. Give me the girl and we’re square.”
Rowan looks at me and I can see the fury in his eyes. I stare back at him and I think I might be sick. I have to clench the blanket and bite my lip to keep from throwing up all over the floor.
“Listen to me, Fish. I know what you’re up to. You want to end this? Meet me at the Blue Counter Diner in an hour.”
“Now why would I do that? I can just send my guys to kill you.”
“Do that and I send
proof of your meth house to the cops. Meet me in an hour.”
Rowan hangs up the phone.
I stare at him, shaking slightly. He walks over, sits down, and wraps his arms around me, hugging me tight.
“We’re ending this now,” he whispers. “I promise. After this, we’re finished.”
“Take me somewhere,” I whisper back, practically begging him.
“I’ll take you anywhere you want. In an hour, it’ll all be over.”
I nod and press my face against his chest, breathing him in.
I trust him. I don’t know why, but I trust him more than I’ve ever trusted anyone. If Rowan can’t fix this then we were doomed from the start.
He hugs me tight and I let myself trust him.
* * *
The Blue Counter is right in the middle of town. It’s one of the more popular places to eat in Pine Grove. It’s like any other diner, just a little greasy spoon with booths, long counters, and a million options on the menu.
Everyone knows this place and everyone eats here. It’s ten to one in the afternoon when we head inside and grab a booth in the corner. The place is crowded with the lunch rush and our waitress barely stops by to drop glasses of water and take our order.
“Cheeseburger rare,” Rowan says.
I feel sick to my stomach. “Just a Coke, please,” I say.
The waitress snaps a nod and leaves.
I stare across the table at Rowan. “Are you sure about this?”
“Not at all,” he says, eyeing the place carefully. We have all our belongings in his truck and I know he has his Glock tucked into his waistband. We’re ready to run or fight, whatever it comes to.
He reaches out and takes my hand. “It’ll be okay,” he says softly. “Listen, where do you wanna go when we’re done here?”
I blink my eyes quickly. The waitress returns with my Coke. I take a sip and sigh.
“I don’t know,” I say.
“Come on. Anywhere you want. In the States, in the world, whatever.”
“Anywhere?” I bite my lip. “I’ve always wanted to visit Madrid.”
He smiles at that. “Really?”
“Really. I think it would be beautiful. My mom gave me this picture book of European cities when I was a little girl and I loved the pictures of Madrid.”
“Huh,” he says softly. “That’s weird.”
“What is?”
“Spain is the first place I want to visit, too.”
I smile. “No way.”
“Seriously. I mean, I want to go to Barcelona, but…”
I laugh and squeeze his hand. “We can do both, right?”
“I think we can make that happen.” He leans closer. “Where else do you want to go?”
“Oh, god. California. New York. Chicago. All the big places.”
“Done,” he says. “We’ll do Austin, Dallas, Miami. We’ll do it all, and when we’re done, we’ll fly to Spain. How’s that sound?”
“That sounds perfect,” I say softly.
He smiles and squeezes my hand before slowly letting it go. He leans back and his eyes move past me to someone behind me, back near the door. His expression goes hard.
I feel myself tense as he watches the person come closer. I almost can’t bring myself to look. I’m shaking again and I have to sip my Coke to stop myself from breathing too hard.
“Fish,” Rowan says.
I feel him loom to my left. “Rowan. And this must be Allie.”
I look up and a man’s smiling down at me. He’s older, in his forties maybe, with an easy smile and dark hair. He’s a relatively big guy, not as big as Rowan, but maybe heavier. He looks like an ex-football player that got soft in his old age.
“Nice to meet you,” I hear myself say.
He grins. “Why don’t you move over and let me sit down.”
I glance at Rowan and he nods. Slowly I slide over and Fish lowers himself into the booth with a sigh.
He looks at the two of us, still smiling. He seems more like a politician than the boss of a meth-cooking drug production outfit.
“So, here I am,” he says finally. “Left my goons outside, too, just to show I’m here in good faith.”
“I appreciate that, but you’re full of shit. I see one of your boys sitting at the counter. He’s been here since we came in.”
I feel a chill run down my spine when Fish laughs. “Okay, you caught me. Good eye.”
Rowan leans closer. “I told you not to fuck with me, Fish.”
“Come on. You really think I’d show up to this with no backup?”
Rowan grunts. “Fair point.”
“Now, what’s this about you having pictures of my, ah, what’d you call it? Meth house?”
Rowan nods. “Paid it a visit the other night. Rumor is you own the place.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re really going to play it that way?”
“Of course,” Fish says. “You killed one of my guys. You think it’s going to be easy, walking away from this?”
There’s a flash of anger in Fish’s eyes. I shrink away from him but Rowan doesn’t react.
“I know men like you,” Rowan says after a short pause. “I know you don’t want attention. It’s bad for business. You’ve already got troubles, lost a dealer recently. You want to keep floating under the radar. But all these killings suggest something’s up with your drug outfit. I’m guessing you’re having other problems on top of the legal and the last thing you need is the cops sniffing around your shit even more.”
Fish just smiles politely. “Go on,” he says.
“Here’s my offer. I have pictures of your little house plus some other little inferences about this meth business you have going on. I put it all into an email and I’m ready to send it over to the Pine Grove cops right now if I have to.”
“Blackmail, huh?” Fish asks, sighing. “You’re pissing me off.”
“Or,” Rowan continues, “you can agree to let the two of us go. I’ll destroy what I have on you and we can part on square terms. I’ll never come back to Pine Grove. Hell, we’ll leave the country.”
Fish tuts and shakes his head. “Rowan, Rowan. Why would I take this deal? I could just kill you now and be finished with it.”
“Maybe,” Rowan says, “but I suspect you don’t want to do that. You don’t need the scrutiny.”
“You’ve already caused me scrutiny,” Fish hisses, suddenly angry. “And now you’re blackmailing me. I should just cut your throat and fuck your stupid bitch right here and right now.”
I stare at Fish, shocked. His whole friendly demeanor suddenly shifts and he’s practically vibrating with rage. Rowan, to his credit, doesn’t take the bait.
“You can try,” he says. “But you’ll lose more men. You know what I am, Fish. You know what I’m capable of. I’m sure you spoke with my previous employers and I’m sure they told you what I’ve done. Maybe you can take me down sooner or later, but not before I bleed you dry.”
Fish practically shakes with rage before he takes several deep breaths. He visibly calms himself and when he’s finished, his mask of rage is replaced again by the friendly little smile he started with.
“You’re right about talking to your old bosses,” he says. “You’re right that they spoke highly of you. But you still owe me.”
Rowan leans forward. “I have ten thousand in cash in my truck. Take the money and let us walk.”
Fish looks surprised. “You have that much and you didn’t give it to me?”
“It’s my emergency fund. Paying you back didn’t feel like an emergency until right now.”
He lets out a laugh. He seems genuinely delighted by that.
“Okay then,” he says finally. “It’s not even half of what you owe, but okay. You give me the cash and you destroy your evidence and I’ll let you walk.”
“Stay here.” Rowan gets up.
“You’re going to leave her alone with me?” Fish asks.
Fish sighs. “So barbaric.”
Rowan walks off toward the door. I shrink away from Fish as he turns to me.
“So,” he says. “You’re with the guy that murdered your dad, huh?”
I nod sheepishly.
“Fucked up,” he says and grins. “Pretty fucked up.”
I don’t look at him and I will the minutes to pass. He doesn’t speak again until Rowan returns with a bag. He dumps it in Fish’s lap and sits back down.
Fish opens the bag and nods. “I’ll take your word that it’s ten thousand,” he says.
“Good. We through here?”
“Never come back to Pine Grove,” Fish says. “If I have any issues with my business or if I hear whispers of your name, I’ll send every fucking guy I have after you until I stomp your life out under my goddamn boot. Understood?”
Rowan smirks. “It was nice working with you, Fish.”
Fish rolls his eyes and stands. He stares down at us, shakes his head, and leaves the diner. A second later, the guy sitting at the counter stands and follows him out.
I’m shaking like a leaf. Rowan reaches out and grabs my hand. “Are you okay?” he asks. “I’m sorry you had to sit next to him like that.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “I’m okay. Is it really over?”
“I don’t know,” he admits. “I think it is, though.”
I nod once and bite back tears. He squeezes my hand harder. “Come on.”
We get up and he leads me off. He never did get his cheeseburger. He pauses only to drop a few dollars at the cash register to pay for our food before we slip out and head to his truck.
We get inside, he starts the engine, and he pulls out into traffic.
We don’t go to the motel. We don’t go to the cabin.
He gets on the highway and we point west.
We drive for an hour in silence before he finally breaks it.
“Are you sure you want to do this with me?” he asks softly.
“I’m sure,” I say.
“Good.” He looks over at me. “I’m in love with you, Allie. And I’m going to take damn good care of you.”