Vice (Tortured Heroes Book 1)

by Jayne Blue

  He pushed himself off the counter and slapped me on the back. It felt good to have someone on my side for once. I just wished I knew it would do Devin some good. Because right about now I felt pretty helpless to keep her insulated from this. Gates pushed through the door and we headed in to face the firing squad together.

  Nobody liked what I had to say. I expected as much. Everyone at that table, including Stan, was basically thumping their chest to move shit along. Well, too damn bad. I wasn’t going to strong-arm Devin for the sake of their bottom lines.

  “Bring her in,” Cutler said. “Today.”

  “Jesus. Can you at least give her a night’s sleep? I just told her her sister’s been murdered by her uncle and that she’s about to lose her bar. She’s not going to respond well to threats in her current state of mind. I know this woman. She’s going to shut down and put up a wall. She’s never had a reason to trust anyone pretty much her whole life. Give her a minute to wrap her head around it.”

  “Does she trust you?” Stan said.

  “Not really. Not anymore. But she didn’t throw anything at me. I’m going to take that as a positive sign.”

  “We can’t wait,” Cutler said. “Stan, I let your man here make the first approach out of courtesy to you. But I want her in for an interview. Preferably now. Before she has a chance to meet with her uncle again.”

  I rapped my fist on the table. I was about to call Cutler a few choice names but my phone buzzed in my back pocket. My heart lurched when the caller ID came up. Devin.

  “I gotta take this,” I said. Gates sat next to me and saw my phone’s screen the same time I did. To his credit, he didn’t say a word. He just shot me a look and gave me a quick nod.

  “Thanks,” I whispered as I stepped out of the room.

  I went back into the restroom. It wasn’t ideal. Despite Gates’s assurances, the place could be wired too.

  “Hey,” I said, squeezing my eyes shut as I braced for whatever her tone would tell me.

  “Listen, don’t talk.” Floyd’s voice.

  My heart turned to stone as I leaned against the counter, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked hard. Murderous. I gripped the edge of the sink and dropped my head.

  “You had one job, Jase. Do nothing. Say nothing. You couldn’t handle that. I really don’t know what to think. Is it your dick clouding your judgment or are you really dumb enough to think you’ll have a career with the Northpointe PD after this?”

  “Where. Is. She?”

  “Fuck off, Jase. You’ve blown it every way there is. I’ll tell ya. She’s sure pissed at you.”

  He was bluffing. There was no good reason for Floyd Bowles to have Devin’s phone unless she currently wasn’t in a position to stop him from using it. My mind raced and my gut flipped thinking of all the horrible possibilities. Mandy’s death photo flashed across my vision. Mandy’s face. Devin’s face. They seemed one and the same. I took a slow, steadying breath. Devin needed me now more than ever. I had to stay focused. Listen for every dropped detail. Sounds in the background. Anything.

  “We’re going to meet,” Floyd said. “It’s against my better judgment, but you might still have some use to us if you’re properly motivated.”

  “I’m gonna fucking kill you. You got that?”

  “Calm the fuck down. This is all on you. You think she bought all that shit you told her about your brother? That you’re not really a dirty cop?”

  Floyd knew way too much about my conversation with Devin. My blood curdled as I worked it through. Someone had to have been listening in at her apartment this morning. Was it just Cyrus Marsh’s people? The feds? Were they working together? My head spun knowing there was no one I could trust.

  “One hour,” Floyd said. “You have one chance to redeem yourself. You say anything to anyone, the Marsh family is going to be dealt another tragedy.”

  “I want to talk to her,” I hissed into the phone. “Now.”

  My phone buzzed as an email came through while we talked. Acid burned my throat as I pulled the phone away from my ear and clicked my mailbox. He was smart to send the picture of Devin that way instead of texting it. It would be harder to fix a location. She was lying on a bed unconscious, her wrists tied to the headboard. An open window with laced shades billowing in from the breeze. She looked peaceful, wearing the same clothes from this morning. But next to her on a cloth-covered nightstand I saw a syringe, a lighter, a spoon, and a baggie filled with white powder. Hot Shot. Mother fucker. He’d shoot her up. It would likely kill her or leave her like Rachel.

  “We clear?” Floyd shouted into the phone.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. There’s an address if you scroll down to the bottom of that email. One hour. And don’t do anything stupid. It won’t help you anyway. You already know we have eyes and ears everywhere. Say hello to Agent Cutler for us.”

  Then Floyd clicked off. I doubled over and rested my head on the sink.

  “Fuck!”

  He would kill her. I knew it. He knew I knew it. If Devin got in his way, or if it suited his purpose, Cy Marsh would order her death. And unless I got there first, she’d die thinking I’d failed her too.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Devin

  “He’s here, Floyd, I know he is.”

  Floyd just sat at the edge of the bed. He leaned down to brush the hair out of my face. I would have kicked him, but he’d tied my feet to the footboards after I woke up the last time. My head pounded from the hangover I’d earned from that noxious rag.

  “Just relax, Devin. Nobody’s going to hurt you if we don’t have to.”

  “Is that what you told Mandy? I’m curious. Were you the one he had do it? That would make sense. She would have trusted you.”

  Floyd frowned, but didn’t answer. He reached for a water bottle on the nightstand, opened the cap, and stuck a straw in it. Raising his hand, he offered it to me. I wish I’d had the strength to turn it down, but my raving thirst won out. The water was cool going down and I gasped as I swallowed.

  “Easy. It’s gonna take a few minutes for your head to clear. This will help.”

  When he set the water back on the nightstand, I saw the kit and my heart flipped. Is that what he did to Mandy? Shot her up with that shit and watched her foam at the mouth the way Bella did? I choked back tears. I hadn’t asked Jase for the details because I wasn’t ready to hear it. Now my imagination became my enemy, threatening to drown me in panic.

  “I want to talk to him,” I said. “He wouldn’t have had you bring me here if he didn’t want to see me.”

  This was Wayside Street. Uncle Cy owned a duplex on the west side of town. I’d lived here for a while when I went to Wayne State on Uncle Cy’s dime. I was so stupid to take anything from him. Now here I was in that quiet neighborhood on a wooded cul-de-sac. A place where no one would ever suspect I might die.

  “Just try to get some rest,” Floyd said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Floyd gave me a smile and left me alone. I tugged at the bindings but it was no use. Floyd served in the navy during the Gulf War. He knew how to tie a knot. So it was just me. I could scream, but no one would hear. Alone. Funny, I always thought that’s how I would end up. Until I met Jase.

  I dropped my head to the side and squeezed back tears. There was no time for that now. I had to keep my mind clear. Jase. Did he know something happened? Was he looking for me? Did he care? He told me he loved me and swore it was true. My heart soared thinking about it then broke in half again. I wanted to believe him. Was desperate to. Thinking about him even now settled me. He loved me. It had to matter. Except that even with that love, he left me like everyone else did. I couldn’t count on it. Love lies. Love leaves. In the end I was the only thing I had. Mandy left. Maybe it wasn’t her fault, but some of it was. My mother left. Even my father. His exit was by way of a bottle of Jack, but still he left. The irony wasn’t lost on me that the one person who I couldn’t seem to get rid of was the
one who wanted to hurt me the most. At least he was open about it, Uncle Cy. The thought of him left a bitter taste in my mouth.

  “You’re too smart by half, Devin,” Uncle Cy said as he found a way inside my head. His broad shoulders filled the doorframe. Floyd stood at attention like the good soldier he was. He gave Uncle Cy a nod and left the room without a word.

  Cy smiled and walked over to me. I craned my neck and pulled at the bindings on my wrists and ankles. But they rendered me helpless when Cy leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. I could have spit at him. Bit him. But what would be the point? Angering him wouldn’t do me much good if I couldn’t fight back.

  “What did I do wrong?” I asked. The only shot I had was to let him think I was still on his side. A thin shred of a chance, but I’d have to take it.

  “I’ve given you every chance to fall in line. I had everything set up so you wouldn’t have to be involved. Then the one time I asked you to do something for me, you didn’t. You brought a cop into my business, Devin.”

  “He’s not a cop. He’s a liar. He told me he got fired from his job in Lincolnshire. If anything, he sounds like your kind of guy.”

  Uncle Cy laughed. “I thought so too. But it seems like he’s in love with you. Messy. But I can use it. Maybe.”

  The more he talked, the more frightened I got. It meant he had no reason to keep anything from me. Which maybe meant he wasn’t planning on letting me be in a position to tell anyone else.

  “I’m not Mandy. I’m not a junkie. I’ve never even so much as had a beer, Uncle Cy. You don’t have to do this. Now that I understand what’s at stake, I’m not stupid. You win, okay? So let me be a part of it.”

  “Too late for that,” he said. “You’ve got that rebellious streak that makes you careless. Mandy I could control. For a while, at least.”

  “So what? You shoot me up with that shit. Then you leave me here or dump me somewhere? What does that get you?”

  Uncle Cy looked shocked. He reared his head back and dropped his jaw open. “Devin, exactly what do you think I’m planning to do to you? Do you think I’m going to kill you?”

  I wagged my fingers at him in answer, straining my wrist against the bindings.

  “Honey, I’m not going to kill you. I’m just going to properly motivate you.” He leaned over and grabbed the baggie of white powder, tapping its contents to the bottom.

  Things slammed into place with new horror in my brain. “Mandy tried to quit. A few times. She drank. She smoked pot. You put her on the hard stuff, didn’t you? So you could control her.”

  Cy tapped the baggie again and spilled the powder into the spoon. He took the lighter and waved it under the spoon. “Shouldn’t take more than a day or two. And by all accounts, you should prepare to enjoy it. I’ve heard it’s the best high there is. Quick. Right to the heart. It would probably be safer if you snorted it this first time, but you’ve proven I can’t trust you, Devin. But I had Floyd cut it so we’ll ease you in.”

  “Then what?”

  “Then, if you want me to keep you feeling good … and you will … you’ll do exactly as I say. At the bar and everywhere else. It’ll be a good arrangement. You’ll see.”

  I leaned my head against the pillow, defeated. “Why?”

  “Because we’re family, Devin. We’re all we’ve got left. I was hoping that would be enough to earn your loyalty. I really was. You’ve proven it’s not. You disappointed me. You were the one I thought was most like me. Smart. Ambitious. I expected exactly what I got from your sister, your mother, even my brother. I didn’t get to have children of my own. I transferred feelings, Devin. You might not understand it now, but someday you will. As you get older. In the meantime, I’ll take your loyalty this way. Just be glad I’m still willing to give you the chance.”

  Uncle Cy picked up the syringe and drew the liquid from the spoon into it. Then he tapped it once and pressed the plunger until a fat drop of amber liquid pearled at the top.

  “Floyd! She might be a thrasher!”

  Floyd came back into the room. I screamed. I pulled at the bindings and begged. It was no use. Floyd was bigger, stronger, and he’d tied those ropes so tight.

  Uncle Cy gave me one last kiss on the forehead as he stretched my right arm out and tapped the veins inside my elbow. Then Uncle Cy plunged the needle straight in. I cried out as he pierced my skin and the stinging liquid went in.

  “This won’t matter,” I said, still thrashing. “Jesus. Why?The cops know about everything. They probably know about Floyd and Kinney too! You’re going to get caught and one of them is going to turn on you.”

  Cy smiled. “I’m not worried about anyone else’s loyalty, Devin. Just yours. And before the end of the day, Kinney won’t be a problem. What’s the saying? Dead men tell no tales.”

  My vision started to fade. Panic set in at the same time as a floating feeling. Maybe I dreamed the next part. I think I said something. Kinney wasn’t the only one to tell a tale. I saw a flash of metal. My eyes fixed on Floyd’s. Was his hair always that red? No. Not red. Not hair. A spray of liquid shot out above his right ear. Blood. Pain. Not mine. Floyd’s. Uncle Cy shot him right in front of me. He crumpled at the knees and disappeared on the other side of the bed.

  I fell down and down, my blood boiling as the rush of liquid made its way through my veins. Not pleasure. Not pain. Numbness. Jase’s face swam above my head. But when I tried to call his name, his face wavered and broke apart. Just a reflection in the murky water that dragged me down and turned everything to stone.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Jase

  “Jase!”

  I whirled on Gates as he put a hand on my arm, about to punch him in the jaw if he didn’t let go.

  “Not now,” I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. They’d kill her. I believed it in my soul. Mandy Marsh’s pictures wouldn’t leave my brain. They swam above me, clouding out almost everything real.

  “Jase.” Gates got in my face but lowered his voice to a whisper. “You’re lying. I can tell.”

  “I’m not lying. I need to meet Kinney. I’ll have more to tell you when I get back.”

  “Like hell. And you’re not going by yourself. Let me be your ears.”

  “No! Not this time. I’ve got this, Gates. I mean it. Step off, man.”

  “They took her, didn’t they?” Gates finally took his hand off me and stepped back. His eyes flooded with fear and he balled his fists. “Tell me the fucking truth.”

  Should I? How the fuck did I know whether he was someone I could trust with Devin’s life? They told me to come alone. I’m not an idiot. That’s not how this shit works. Chances are I was walking into a damn ambush or that Devin was already dead or both. God, they were right. All of them. The bastards. My heart clouded my judgment where Devin was concerned.

  I closed my eyes slowly and gave Gates a nod.

  “We bring the cavalry with us, they kill her,” he said. It was a statement, not a question. An acknowledgment of the fucking jackpot I’d just landed in.

  I nodded again.

  “Well, shit, Jase. You lead, I follow. I told you I had your six.”

  “Why?”

  Gates blinked. His steel gray eyes widened. “You know, I should probably have a better answer for that. Truth is, I’m not sure. You’re a loose cannon. I’ve told Stan that from the beginning. He came to me when he had the idea to bring you in. He tell you that? No. Probably not. In fact, it wasn’t just his idea. He asked me to give him options outside our own guys. You were on a very short list of people I brought to him. You weren’t even my first choice. I’ve worked with some guys down in Lincolnshire. Good guys. I asked around and figured you were worth the risk after all.”

  “Thanks. That’s heartwarming, Gates. That tells me why you think you can trust me. Now why should I trust you?”

  “Because if I wanted to put a bullet in your back, I’ve had about a dozen chances already. And because Northpointe is my town. I remember wh
at it used to be like and I’m pretty damned eager to bring that back. Devin Marsh gets that. And I went to school with Mandy Marsh. Had a crush on her. Those fucking pictures tipped it for me too, Jase. I want those cocksuckers to pay.”

  I clenched my jaw and gave him a slow nod.

  “Great,” he said, slapping my arm again. “So what’s your plan, Butch?”

  I raised a brow. “Well, Sundance, there’s at least a chance Cy Marsh still thinks I’m useful to him. That’s plan B.”

  “What’s Plan A?”

  Gates gave me a dubious look as he slid into the passenger seat of my car. I pulled out my phone and handed it to him.

  “You know that place?” I asked him as he read the address at the bottom of the email Floyd sent.

  Gates nodded. “East side. Not much out there. Warehouses mostly.”

  “Right. Now look at the picture of Devin.”

  He did. He winced but didn’t say what I was thinking. She was running out of time. “Does that look like someplace on the East side?”

  “Nope.” He sat up straighter in his seat as he noticed what I did in the window next to Devin’s head. “Shit. That could be the duplex I told you about.”

  “Right. Hell of a lot of birch trees out that window.”

  Gates smiled. “Jesus, Jase. This is going to take a stroke of fucking luck for you to be right.”

  I nodded. “Yep.”

  “Fucking fabulous,” Gates said as I peeled out of the Safety Building lot and headed west.

  Gates gave me directions when we turned into the neighborhood. I parked two blocks away, hoping it would give us enough cover. The hard part would be if we got her out. If Cy Marsh had an army waiting for us, we weren’t going to be able to outrun bullets. That was if Devin was in any condition to walk. I shoved thoughts of all the terrible things that might have already happened down deep. One thing at a time, baby. I’m on my way.

  We had our stroke of luck. Partly. Gates showed me the house. A small duplex on a shaded corner. One half of it looked dark, the other had lights on. Cy Marsh’s BMW was parked in the driveway but it was the only vehicle we saw.