“I think it’s funny that you burst in the dressing room to tell her,” Mel said.
“Oh. Let me tell you. My curiosity was eating away at me like a lion on a fallen gazelle.” He put his hands against his hips. “According to Reggie, Taddeo’s cock is perfect. I’ve seen my share of cocks, none of which have been perfect. So, I thought I’d get a glimpse of it.”
“Well?”
“It wasn’t hard.” He wrinkled his nose. “It was just, you know, in a post-blowjob state.”
She raised her brows. “And?”
“It’s really pretty,” he replied. “I don’t know if I’d call it perfect, but it’s definitely pretty.”
Mel laughed. “Pretty?”
Raymond glanced at a well-dressed man who was passing by. “It was.”
Mel diverted her attention from Raymond to me. “Do you think you guys will get married? One of these days?”
Her question took me by surprise. I’d never once thought of marrying Jared, nor had I considered marrying any of my other previous boyfriends. Marrying Tito, however, was something I dreamed about, constantly.
He was special, there was no denying it.
When we kissed, the world around me shrank to a size that included only the two of us. Our love for one another allowed us to remain suspended in that altered state throughout our embrace. There was no passage of time or worldly concerns. Only two people consumed by the magic only true love can bring.
I smiled. “I hope so.”
“I think it’s cool that he just appeared one day.”
“He didn’t just appear,” Raymond insisted. “I introduced them to one another.”
I gave him a look. “You did not.”
“Believe what you will,” he said. “But I could have sent him on his way. I thought you two would be good together.”
“He asked to speak to the manager.” I arched an eyebrow. “I’m the manager.”
He gave me a dismissive look. “Do you have any idea of how many people come in here asking for the manager? Normally, I just send them away?”
“Are you serious?”
“As serious as a zit on date night.”
“Why would you do that?” I asked.
“To save you the aggravation of dealing with those awful people.” He winced as if disgusted. “Most of them are hoping to get a discount or gift card because of a loose thread or an uneven seam. I mean, really, this is the Buckle, not Prada.”
I chuckled. “You do that for me?”
He looked at me like I was crazy for asking. “Of course. I might not be able to keep a secret, but do I love you, Reggie.”
“I love you, too. I’m sorry I got mad at you about telling him.”
“I knew it would pass,” he said. “You really couldn’t have expected me to keep a secret.”
“I knew eventually you’d tell him,” I admitted. “I thought maybe it’d be in a few weeks, though.”
“I would have lasted a month if he hadn’t been so persistent.” He rolled his eyes. “He was going on and on about this dream he had where he was being accosted by pouty-lipped angels with lean legs and perfect boobs. He said when he woke up, his balls were twice their normal size. I had to tell him.”
I gave him a look of disbelief. “Lean-legged angels?”
He nodded. “With pouty lips.”
“And perfect tits,” Mel added.
“I don’t remember him telling me about any dreams he had that night.” I said.
“I’m sure there are a lot of things Taddeo tells me that he doesn’t tell you,” Raymond bragged. “Did you know he calls me his brother?”
“I didn’t.”
“Well,” he said, cocking his hip. “He does. All the time. Come here, Brother. I need to tell you something, Brother. Hey, Brother, where’s Reggie?” He crossed his fingers and held them between us. “We’re like this.”
I liked it that Tito accepted Raymond with open arms. It was a testament to the size of his heart, and proof that he recognized people for being who they really were, not what the close-minded portion of the world saw them as.
“I’m glad you two are close,” I said. “But I do need to ask him about the pouty-lipped angel dream. I want to hear that story.”
“Please don’t,” Raymond begged.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because,” he said. “It’s our little secret.”
I scowled. “Another one you didn’t keep.”
He turned away. After wandering halfway through the store with his head hanging low, he looked up. “I made it up,” he admitted from fifty feet away. “I can’t keep secrets and I’m a pathological liar.”
I laughed. “Come back.”
Looking like a puppy who’d been spanked for peeing on the carpet, he meandered to where we stood. He lowered his head in shame. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s a time and place for a lie,” Mel said. “And that wasn’t it.”
I looked at her like she was nuts. “When is it okay?”
“When the truth will harm someone you love,” she said.
“Oh.” Raymond’s eyes went wide. “I like that. In the future, I’ll only lie to protect those I love.”
“A lie is a lie,” I said. “They’re never okay.”
“Believe me,” Mel said. “At some point, someone’s lied to you to protect you from being hurt.”
“Maybe so,” I agreed. “But I can guarantee you this: it wasn’t someone that really mattered to me, because those people don’t lie.”
“I bet at some point your father has,” she said. “To protect you.”
“I can assure you that has never happened,” I said adamantly, “And, it never will.”
38
Tito
Hoping to dislodge my heart from my throat, I took a drink of coffee. My mind flashed to the police officer sucking in his last breath.
I was fucked. My future with Reggie—my future entirely—evaporated before me. A month earlier, I was ready to walk away from the MC and never look back. With reluctance, I agreed to one last job. Now the MC was under investigation by my lover’s father, and I was staring the death penalty in the face.
If I had only listened to my instinct.
There was only one way for me to live with myself. I had to tell him the truth and damn the consequences.
“I work for him,” I admitted.
“His aunt is listed as the sole proprietor of the LLC that own the car washes,” he said without looking up. “I suspected you might work for him. I didn’t know.”
He knew far more than I expected. Crushed by the thought of losing Reggie, I stared beyond him, toward the exit.
“There wasn’t a piece of the police officer’s bodies that was so big it wouldn’t fit in a thimble,” he said without emotion. “But I did identify them both, and I got a ballistics report on the weapon used. I found satisfaction in knowing that the same weapon was used in a bank heist eighteen months ago in Indio that I suspected was the work of this same group.”
Cash was supposed to have tossed his weapon in the ocean. Leave it to Cash to fire the same gun on multiple crimes, allowing law enforcement to tie multiple crimes to one weapon.
“The last thing I got.” He raised a charred piece of spring steel and looked it over carefully. “Was this unique lockpick. It has some markings on it that stumped me at first, but I was able to get an expert to trace it to its origin. The pick is from a set that was assigned to Frank ‘Fingers’ Ferretti, a famous safecracker and locksmith from back east. Rumor has it that his daughter Alessandra is living here in San Diego. So, I’m liking Alessandra and this Graham Baker for being together on this robbery. Interesting fact about Alessandra. She holds a record at a racetrack back east. Lime Rock. My guess is she’s Baker’s getaway driver.”
He set the lockpick on the table and looked right at me.
My stomach knotted. I felt like I was going to vomit.
“Police work is far different than most jobs. As
sembling cars, for instance,” he said. “Part X attaches to part Y, and then spring B is stretched into place, followed by bearing C. Then, when that subpart is complete, the assembler starts again with part X. His job is to assemble this particular widget, and that’s it. He knows going in on Monday what his assignment will be, and he knows how he’s going to tackle it. Police work is like improv acting. It’s a lot of guesswork, a sprinkle of skill, and a dash of being in the right place at the right time.”
Reggie’s father was unique in many respects, one of which was that didn’t have to speak to make his thoughts clear. His eyes did it for him. When we first met, I could see uncertainty in them. When Reggie and I expressed our love for one another, his pride and joy were evident.
I peered into his piercing gray eyes. There was no disgust, hatred or regret. Not that I could see. Only disappointment looked back at me.
He shifted his attention to a passing car in the street. “Oftentimes, police officers are left to make decisions that will affect the lives of others based on a hunch or a gut feeling they have.” He met my gaze and held it. “I’ve never been one of those guys. Before I make a decision, I want all the facts. Without them, I can’t proceed and feel right about it. Once I have all the facts, I’m never wrong about the decision I make.”
He leaned forward and locked eyes with me. “I want the gun that was used in that crime.” He cleared his throat. “Strike that request. I need it.” He slid from the booth and stood. “Meet me here tomorrow, at nine am. Bring the weapon.”
He tossed a twenty-dollar-bill on the table and turned away.
* * *
Pacing his office floor, Baker was angrier than I’d ever seen him. After a few laps the full length of the floor, he paused and glared at Cash. “You were supposed to have thrown that goddamned thing in the ocean at one point in time. Then, at another, you were to have tossed it in the incinerator at FFMC’s clubhouse. Now, we find out you’ve been using it all along. What in the fuck were you thinking?”
“It was my lucky gun,” Cash murmured.
“Lucky?” Baker cackled a sinister laugh. “Lucky? Not so fucking lucky now, is it?”
It was worth mentioning that the one thing that drew the police to us wasn’t the firearm, but the tattoo on Baker’s hand. I wasn’t about to mention it, though.
“Get the gun, and bring it here,” Baker insisted. “Tito’s got to take it to Marcie’s Diner at nine am.”
Cash spat his reply at Baker’s feet. “Fuck. That.”
Baker sauntered to his desk, opened the drawer, and slapped a pistol onto the wooden surface with a clank! “Go get it, or I’ll put a bullet in your head where you stand.”
Cash weighed his options. He spread his feet shoulder width apart and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you threatening me, Bake?”
“No,” Baker replied. “I’m making the rest of this club a promise. You either go get the pistol right now, or I’ll drop you where you stand. You lied to the club on multiple occasions, all of which put everyone in this room in jeopardy. I’m tired of your lies. I’m sick of your bullshit. I’m done sticking up for you every time someone has a beef with you. You’re no longer an asset. You’re a fucking liability, Cash.”
Cash glanced around the room and then met Baker’s angry gaze. “Guess it’s time to go.”
“Yes,” Baker said. “It sure as fuck is.”
Cash left without another word.
“What’s this cop going to do with the gun? Reno asked.
I sighed. “I have no idea.”
“Fucker’s going to hang us with it,” he replied.
“He could already hang us,” I insisted. “He’s got a picture of Baker’s tattoos, knowledge of the existence of the LLC, and knows where your C-4 came from. He has Ally’s lockpick, is aware of her being the getaway driver, and named her father by his nickname, ‘Fingers’. I’m not sure what he’s got planned, but—”
“He’s going to fuck us,” Goose said. “He’s using you to get what he needs to strengthen his case. Once it’s solid, we’re done for.”
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Baker shouted. “Fucking red SUV. We never should have taken it. Should have left at 3:17. Should have listened to Tito when he said enough was enough. I deserve whatever I get.”
“Fuck that,” Goose said. “In the grand scheme of things, those cops were collateral damage.”
Baker gave Goose a crazy-eyed look. “Collateral damage?”
“Goddamned right,” Goose said. “Most of what we do is good. In our eyes, it’s for all the right reasons. Their dying is no different than a man dying while at war. A small sacrifice for to achieve the end result.”
Baker’s crazy look continued. “The end result being what?”
“Big picture?” Goose asked. “Ridding this city of scum like our old neighbor, Preston. That piece of shit poisoned half the city with the smack he sold. What about the head of the cartel? Fucking cops couldn’t have got to that piece of shit without us.” What about that drug dealer up north? When I ran by the guard gate, naked? That no good son-of-a-bitch was killing school kids. The end result is that we’ve swept up a few problems in this area, and those dead cops are a sacrifice that was made during the means in which we finance our labor.”
“I’ll think about that a while,” Baker said.
An hour passed, and then another. We discussed opinions regarding the investigation, whether we should run to another country or not, or if obtaining alternate identities was out of the question.
Another hour passed.
All efforts to contact Cash went unanswered.
Through all the fog, fear, and frustration, two things were clear.
Cash was gone.
And.
We. Were. Fucked.
39
Reggie
Every muscle in my body tensed at the sight of my father walking into the store. In all my years working there he had not visited me, once.
Worry shot through me like a sickness. My overactive mind began assembling the worst-case scenarios, all of which included a motorcycle or car wreck involving Tito. Fearing the news, but needing to know what happened, I met him in just inside the entrance.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “Is Tito okay?”
“I was in the neighborhood investigating some gang activity at the gas station down the block.” He spread his arms wide. “Thought I’d stop by.”
I hugged him. “Nothing’s wrong?”
“Not that I know of.”
“You just stopped by?”
“I was within a few feet of this place,” he said with a smile. “So, I thought I would. If that’s okay.”
“Absolutely.” Relieved, I waved my hand in a circle. “Well, this is it.”
“Looks like it’s right up your alley,” he said. “You’ve always been one to naturally know fashion.”
Since I was old enough to dress myself, I was concerned with what I wore. I grinned at his remark. “Thank you.”
He glanced around the store, slowly taking everything in. His curiosity had nothing to do with the store or its inventory, the cop blood in him wouldn’t let him continue with the conversation until he was aware of his surroundings. After a complete survey of the store and the stores across the hall, he continued.
“How’s Tito?” he asked.
“He’s good.”
Standing between two racks of women’s jean shorts, he lifted a pair and looked at them. He shook his head at the sight of the low-waisted micro-shorts. “These things are microscopic.”
“They’re popular again,” I said. “Everyone’s wearing them.”
“They don’t cover up what ought to be left to the imagination,” he complained. “They should be against the law.”
“You arrest the criminals, and I’ll take care of anyone breaking the laws of fashion.”
He hung the shorts on the rack. After glancing at his hands, he wiped them on the thighs of his slacks. “Do you think you a
nd Tito will get married one of these days?”
I gave him a sideways look. “Where did that come from?”
“I’m just curious.”
“You’re the second person to ask that question today,” I replied. “Mel was here this morning, and she asked it. Now, you.”
“Sounds like there’s a lot of people that care about you.”
I disagreed. Not that there weren’t people who cared about me. I believed the curiosity was driven by the magic that exuded from Tito and me when we were together. It was undeniable.
“Tito and I are undeniably in love,” I said. “I think people see that when we’re together.”
It was obvious the answer I gave wasn’t what he was hoping for. His eyes narrowed in opposition. “You didn’t answer the question.”
“I’ll tell you what I told her,” I replied. “I hope that one day he asks me.”
“That would make you happy?”
“Of course it would.”
“How do you know you love him? That it’s not just some, I don’t know, puppy love or whatever?”
My mother’s choice to leave my father came unannounced and without warning. Frustrated with his devotion to work after his promotion to detective, she simply left one day and never came back. The divorce that followed didn’t include bickering and fighting over custody or belongings. She washed her hands of him, me, and everything that reminded her of us.
Being blindsided by her lack of love for what he believed to be a perfect family left him jaded. It seemed he questioned anyone’s devotion to a relationship afterward. I can’t say that I blamed him, either.
“Puppy love? Really?” I laughed. “What’s with all the questions?”
“You two declared your love for one another the other day. I’m trying to make sure the man who’s potentially after my daughter’s hand in marriage has got her best interest at heart.”
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