by Lauren Wood
“I am serious Lucas. I don’t want anything to happen to you. You are a nice guy and you don’t deserve to get wrapped up in my drama.”
I kind of scoffed at her. A nice guy? That was not something that was usually said in the same breath as my name. Maybe Fran had it all wrong and I would have to convince her that I wasn’t so nice at all. I would have thought my reputation would have preceded me.
“I am not a nice guy Fran. If you are really afraid of this guy, you should come with me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I’m not afraid, not really. I just know how Caspien is. He used to tell me what he would do to me if I left him and the man is a lot of things, but he is also a man of his word. That much I know for sure. He will do what he says and I am just not going to be around for it. You should stay away from me Lucas. It is for your own good, really.”
Fran turned to walk out the diner’s door and then stopped. “And yeah, you are a nice guy. The tattoos and the crude pick-up lines don’t really change that. Your hands and lips on me told me all that I needed to know. I just wish we had more time.”
Her smile was haunting and I stood in the same place as she got in her car and left. That woman was more of a mystery than ever. Whatever the man had said to her, she was convinced, but I wasn’t. I was going to make a couple of calls and see what I could find out about this guy. He couldn’t be as bad as she was making him out to be. I would have known about him if that were the case.
The more I thought about it, the more I had to question what it was that I really knew for sure. It was because I was so close to him and I started to remember some things that didn’t make sense. The man had money, even though he didn’t live in a mansion. I remembered some of the many cars that I would see in his driveway. None of them were local and many had out of state licenses. Maybe I was wrong about it all. I had to find out. I had to know.
I wanted to go to Fran and convince her that I would keep her safe, but she didn’t think I was able. She thought that I was one of those nice guys. The thought made me laugh. She was way off as well. It couldn’t be as bad as it seemed and Caspien wasn’t anything to worry about. I would have known if he was. I was sure of it.
“David, I need you to do something for me.”
I was leaving the diner and walking towards my bike when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was someone that I thought looked familiar, but when I looked into the alleyway where I thought I had seen him, there was no one there. I must be thinking about it too much because of what Fran had said.
“What’s up Lucas? You get a hold of too much tail and you are trying to get away?”
“No, I am not worried about chicks at the moment. You seem a little preoccupied. Maybe you are the one that needs a little on the side action before you go home. All you have talked about since you have been here is women.”
“Hell no. None of these bitches around here would do me any good. They can’t do it like she can, so it would just be a waste of time to try.”
It was the first time he had said anything about his wife like that and I remembered the kiss from Fran. Was that the same? Was that why I was going to put David on the trail for me because I already knew that no one else was going to cut it after I kissed her?
It was the first time that I think I finally got it.
I also needed to get back on track. I had called for a reason and it wasn’t to talk about broads with David.
“I need you to find out some information about that neighbor from the other night.”
“The one that shot at the cops?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“Why, what’s up boss?”
“I heard a rumor that I want to know is true or not.”
“What rumor?”
David was acting like this was an inquisition. I would have told him all of that, offered it up in fact, but it was about Fran and I didn’t want anyone knowing that I was doing it because of her. I had a reputation to withhold and after all of the shit that I have given the guys over the years when they fell for a girl, there was no way that I was going to be that fool. I was the fool because Fran didn’t even want me, not yet anyways. I still had some convincing to do and this was just a way to get back to it. I couldn’t convince her to my bed if she was so worried about some other guy. It just wasn’t conducive to that working out all that well.
“I don’t know yet. I just heard some things about him David. I need to find out who he is.”
“Didn’t he get shot from the police?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. He got out of the hospital though and I want to know who he is.”
I knew that David wanted to ask me why I wanted to know. He knew that I wasn’t one that got into gossip, but he didn’t ask. Most likely he felt that I didn’t want to answer him. I wouldn’t have and I was thankful that he got the gist of it all pretty quickly.
“Call me as soon as you find anything out. Do what you need to do to get the information. This is important David. I need this taken care of ASAP.”
“Sure boss, I will call you with the details in a little while.”
Chapter 7
Caspien
I followed the man that I saw with Fran. Fran was going to be easy enough to find. I knew where she was going to go, so I wasn’t so worried about her. I was worried about the man that put his hands on my woman. Was that why she had called the cops on me? It wasn’t like there was another reason. Yeah, I may have gotten a little rough with her, but it wasn’t like it was that bad. It wasn’t enough for her betrayal.
So instead of dealing with her first, I knew that I wanted to deal with the neighbor. I knew exactly who Lucas was. It was hard not to because the man was someone that liked people to know that he was the boss. He ran a gang of misfits and sold a little powder. It wasn’t like he was anyone that was going to be a problem. I just needed to get a few men together and I had a plan to give him the kind of welcome that he deserved. He knew that Fran was mine and he shouldn’t have tried to take her from me. I didn’t take kindly to that, not at all. Lucas was going to have to pay.
I picked up my cell phone and made my way to the hideout. It wasn’t that far from the city, but it felt like it was miles and miles away. Everything was right where I left it and I had a good feeling about the old swamp shack. I hadn’t had to use it in a long time, but it was helpful in more ways than one. The only bad thing about the place was that the cell service was sketchy at best.
Walking around until I got some service, I dialed the number that I had been waiting to call. “Conrad?”
“Yeah.”
“I need you and Bruno to get down to the shack. We have some work to do tonight.”
“What about the shipment?”
“What about it?”
“It will be here in an hour. We need to go down to the docks and get it. The coast guards have been out in full force lately, so I don’t think you want it sitting on that boat too long.”
I agreed, but I was more pressed with the current matters, the ones that had nothing to do with business. This was personal and I wanted it taken care of first. Then I could think about my product that needed to get out to the streets.
“I need you and Bruno out here. Send Tito out to get the shipment. He can drive the truck. Scott can go with him.”
“Sure thing, Cass. Do you need us to bring anything out?”
“Just bring me some things for a West Virginia wakeup.”
The man on the other side of the phone laughed and said that he would be here soon. I didn’t need much to get through my plan. Really all I needed was something flammable and a couple of guns. Lucas was going to realize real quick that he had messed up. He was going to wish that he had never laid eyes on my woman.
I hung up and looked around the shack. It was horrid on the outside, it was made to look that way, but the inside was packed with all kinds of creature comforts. I had maintained this place for years and I still hold to the fact that i
t has always been a great investment. I don’t have to use it very often, but when I do, I am always thankful for it. This time was no different. I had to lay low until I figured out what I was going to do about those charges. They were ones that I wasn’t too sure how to get out of them, but I was already in contact with my lawyer.
Jumping in the shower, I rinsed off and waited for the two to get here. My chest hurt and it looked worse in the mirror than I would have liked it to. I could see and feel infection. The heat was burning off of it. I needed some meds and made another call. I was going to be here a while, so I needed to get everything sent to me.
The two got here together and I went out to the porch to see what they had brought. I was walking a bit slower, but I wouldn’t flinch or act like I was hurt. In this business I couldn’t show any weakness, even though when they went inside, I slumped against one of the trees nearby. I didn’t feel up to it, but it had to be done. It was a disrespect action that I couldn’t ignore. I didn’t want to. Anyone that touched Fran deserved everything that they got.
The only problem was that I had a feeling the cops were going to have my place staked out. They were looking for me and everyone seemed to have the tendency to want to go home, even though it was always the first place that the cops were going to look. They always checked family first and since I didn’t have any family, the only place that they had was my house. Lucas’ house was a little too close to mine, but I hoped the chaos from the fire would confuse them. It would happen fast and I just had to get out of there when the man hit the ground or the house engulfed in flames.
The actual plan was a little fuzzy still, but everyone involved knew what was supposed to happen in the end. This wasn’t our first go round and it wouldn’t be my last. I would beat these charges one way or another and life would be back to normal. I had to tell myself that, because anything else was hard to imagine.
***
The cops were watching my place. I sent one of my guys to make a distraction a few blocks over first. It was going to pull the cops from my house and send them out of the neighborhood. It was going to be a fiery night for this side of New Orleans and I didn’t care either way. It was going to get me what I wanted, without getting caught. That was all that mattered. Lucas had to pay for even thinking about my girl in that way.
When I got the green light, the three of us took our positions around the house. It wasn’t empty. I counted at least three other people in the place besides the mark. I didn’t care who they were. They were going to end up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That was not my problem. The people should have kept better company. All I cared about was the fact that none of them was my Fran. I still didn’t have a handle on where she was, but knowing her she would be at work tomorrow and I wouldn’t have to find her. She liked her routine and I knew it perfectly. Fran could be hard to deal with, but after some time and a little convincing, she would see things my way.
“Are you ready boss?”
I told Bruno to throw the first burning cocktail in the upstairs window on his side. The process was repeated on the back and the other side windows. I wanted only one way out and that was through the front door. We could pick them off as they tried to get away from the smoke. It was a good way to get rid of evidence and make sure that you got rid of the people as well. I wasn’t worried anymore.
After the first one was thrown, it quickly turned into chaos. I could hear screaming in the house and it was more than likely because they were waking up to flames. I would have imagined that would not be a good way to wake up in the morning. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be them.
I heard someone holler my name over the phone and I aimed for the front. The first to come out was a blonde woman and she didn’t get but five feet before she was stopped with a shot. There was another one that was starting to come out, but backed up when they heard the shot. As the building around them burned, I waited them out. They didn’t have anywhere to go, so it wouldn’t be long before the other three made it out, if they made it out at all.
The sirens from before were coming closer and as the sound moved to our street, I saw the ambulance and fire trucks. The police weren’t going to be far behind. I needed the rest of them to get out of there and fast. The house was flaming and I knew that going in wasn’t an option. It looked like it was going to collapse at any time.
I couldn’t wait any longer and I sent the orders to retreat. He was worth a little drama, but not enough to get me put back in jail. I was doing everything I could to stay as far away from there as possible.
Looking back from a safe distance, I still didn’t see any movement and I left thinking that I had gotten the bastard. It was all that I wanted and I felt relieved and ready to move on now. My will had been done and Lucas wasn’t going to be a problem anymore.
The cops were passing us as they made their way to the second crime scene, though they didn’t know that was what it was, yet. Right now it was just a house fire, but the girl with a bullet in her head was going to give away the truth of it all. The truth was that this was not just a fire, this was an execution and I was sure that everyone had been taken care of. While I would have liked to have seen them all shot and dead, it was better to stay out of jail then to see it with my own eyes. I was going to take this as a win and move on to finding Fran. She was most likely at her friends or at work. I would see her soon enough.
I watched the place burn and the smoke rise up in the rearview mirror as we drove away. It was a good day.
Chapter 8
Fran
The weather was beautiful and it was just like I remembered. When I found out that Cass was still loose, I went to the one place that I could think of. Canya had stayed with me and I with her while we had breaks from school. Now I was there and asking for hospitality. The woman had moved and she had an even better view than before.
The sun was just going down and it looked like it was going to fall into the sea at any moment. Like everything when it ended, there was a burst of color and then the sun was finally melting into the horizon in front of it. I was sitting on the beach on a towel, watching the show. It was the only time since I had left New Orleans that I felt relaxed. Down here it felt like my worries were a million miles away.
Getting into the water, it was just as warm as it had been that day. I liked to think that I could stay here forever, but I know that it wasn’t really the case. The fact was that I had to go back to reality soon enough or decide what I was going to do next. There wasn’t much to do here for a living. It was a great place to visit, but not so much to stay.
I heard my name being called as I swam out. I looked back to the shore and saw Canya waving to me. I wasn’t sure what she wanted, but I made my way back in case it was something important. I had been trying to get a hold of Stephanie, but she hadn’t answered all day. Ever since I left the diner that morning when I saw Lucas and he told me about Cass. I didn’t think Cass knew where she lived, although I still just wanted to hear her voice and make sure that she was okay.
“What’s up Canya?”
Her black braids moved as she looked down for a minute. “You had a phone call, but as soon as you got back up here, I noticed that the connection was gone. Your cell phone is getting blown up, so I figured I might as well bring it to you. Whoever it is, they are trying desperately to get a hold of you.”
I hoped that it was Stephanie. She was my best friend and Cass knew it. He would go after people that I love. That was how he was and I had seen him do it to other people more than once. I wasn’t stupid enough to think that it mattered that it was me. He would hang me out to dry in a heartbeat and that is why I was in Florida. He was going to want his revenge. A part of me hoped that he would just forget about it or at least enough to leave me alone, that after a time he would get bored chasing me and let me be. But the other part of me kind of knew that it wasn’t going to happen.
The number on the phone was from Steph’s house.
“Thanks Can
ya. I am hoping this is her.”
“What are you into Fran? You know that I won’t push it if you don’t want to tell me, but maybe I can help you.”
“I don’t think so Canya, not this time. Just a bad relationship that ended wrong. He is a little mad so I am giving him time to cool off before I go back.’
She shook her head and her dark cheeks smiled. “You know, I know it is more than that, but like I said, I am not going to push it if you don’t want to talk. But we have been through a lot together Fran. I owe you and I would be more than happy to get that off of my back.”
I disagreed, “No I think I am going to hold that one for a while for when I really need it. I like to think of this as a vacation.”
Canya just kind of nodded. I knew that I should ask for help. I had a feeling that I was in over my head, but what else could I do? I couldn’t get her involved too. I already had enough people that I didn’t want to be seen with me. If she hadn’t lived so far away, I would have worried about coming here. Cass had reach everywhere and though I still didn’t know how far, I hoped the Keyes were far enough to get out of it. There was no telling though, not really.
We talked for a little bit longer and I drank another beer. It was getting pitch black outside, save for the few lights that were next to the houses that lined the coast. I was in heaven and in some ways I never wanted to leave. Why couldn’t it always be like this?
It was of course bittersweet. It seemed like I was just getting started with Lucas. While I had played it like I wasn’t interested, I was and I was sure that he knew it or he wouldn’t have kept trying. Now I had put him in danger and I would most likely never see him again. Never going back to New Orleans was quickly becoming the only avenue that made sense to me. It was sad because I had to wonder what would have happened. The man had the most haunting eyes.