Strip Tease

by Karen Erickson

  “Don’t hurt her,” she said, her words tumbling over each other. Her heart beat wildly and the scared look in Ginger’s eyes spurred her on. “Please, Billy. You love her. You don’t really want to hurt her, do you?”

  “If I can’t have her, no one can.” His lips had thinned into a grim line and he nudged the gun against Ginger’s temple. She whimpered and he stared down at her with sorrow-filled eyes. “Sorry, sweetheart. You should’ve never left me. None of this would’ve happened if you’d stuck by my side.”

  Tears blackened by mascara streaked down Ginger’s cheeks and she hiccupped. “Don’t do it, Billy. I won’t tell anyone anything, I promise. Please don’t kill me.”

  Ah God, this is not happening. Janelle sat frozen in the booth, feeling like she was in a movie or a nightmare. Things like this didn’t happen in real life.

  “I promise. I’ll keep my mouth shut. Your lawyer will get you out of jail like he always does and we’ll be together again. Forever. Doesn’t that sound nice?” Ginger nodded slightly and Janelle noticed he moved the gun away from Ginger’s head a fraction of an inch.

  “Billy Diaz, we know you’re in there. Come out of the restaurant with your hands up.” A loud voice boomed from outside, surely through a megaphone.

  Janelle glanced out the window to see the parking lot swarming with cars and cops. Men dressed in suits and sunglasses, other men dressed in the black armor that SWAT teams wore.

  The waitress shrieked and dropped the empty tray she’d been carrying. It clattered to the floor, making all three of them in the booth jump. The cook shook his head, resting his hands on his hips.

  “At least they’re not after us,” the cook said, the relief clear in his voice.

  Billy closed his eyes, the gun starting to tremble in his hand. Fear for her sister filled Janelle and she watched him, her breath stalled in her throat. One wrong move and he could put a bullet through Ginger’s skull.

  “Come on, Billy.” Ginger reached out, tentative as she went for Billy’s hand. She circled his wrist with her fingers, the one that held the gun and she tugged on it, pulling the gun away from her head. “Do it for me because I’m going to help you. You don’t want to kill me. You love me. I know you love me. We love each other. We want to be together. Forever.”

  “I do love you,” he said, his voice ragged, his eyes bright and crazy looking. “I love you so much, Ginger. I hate that you ran away from me. Why’d you do it, baby?”

  Ginger shook her head. “I was scared, Billy. So scared. But now that we’re together again, I feel safe. Please don’t hurt me. I love you.”

  Janelle watched them, admiring the expert way her sister handled him. She wondered if Ginger was sincere. Did she really love Billy? Or was she saying that so he wouldn’t shoot her?

  “Aw baby, I hate to see you cry.” He reached for her with his free hand, feathering his fingers across her cheek.

  “Then don’t do something stupid. You kill me and you’ll get life in prison. You don’t want that. Let’s surrender.” Ginger smiled brightly, but her eyes were still dull.

  He jerked his free hand away from her, the gun nudging her temple once more. “Hell, no. I’m not going down. Once I give myself up, I’ll never get out.”

  “Yes, you will.” Ginger’s voice rang firm. “Your lawyer is the best. You’ve always told me that. He’ll get you off. He got you off before. Maybe you’ll spend a couple of months in jail tops, but then you’re out. I’ll make sure you get out. And then we can be together.”

  “We can?” The gun moved away from her temple.

  Ginger nodded. “I’ll do anything for you, Billy. So will everyone else. We’ve always been loyal to you, haven’t we?”

  “Yeah,” he said softly, his gaze jerking to the window when they summoned him with the megaphone once again. He ignored it. “Can I believe you, Ginger?”

  “Yes,” she breathed, leaning into him. She lifted her face, her mouth close to his. “Believe in me. Believe in us.”

  Their mouths fused in a passionate kiss and Janelle looked away, not sure if she should be disgusted or relieved.

  “Everything is on you.” He cupped Ginger’s cheek with his free hand, his fingers stroking downward. “If you don’t come through with your promise, I’ll end up in jail for a long time.”

  “You can count on me. I love you,” she said for what felt like the hundredth time.

  Billy’s gaze slid toward Janelle, the gun still wavering in his hand. For a moment, she thought he might point it at her.

  “I can’t fucking believe this. Your detective is gonna love it.” With a sigh he stood, still carrying the gun. He bent forward and pressed a fleeting kiss to Ginger’s forehead before he turned toward the door. “You promise?”

  He watched Ginger from over his shoulder, his tall lean body taut, his expression grim.

  Ginger gazed up at him and nodded slowly. “I swear on everything I have, Billy. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  With a deep breath, he headed toward the front door. The waitress and cook stood rooted in front of the cash register, watching as he slowly opened the door and stepped outside with his hands hanging by his sides, the gun dangling from his fingers.

  “Drop the weapon, Diaz!” someone yelled.

  Billy didn’t drop it.

  Ginger whimpered and Janelle went to her sister’s side of the booth, sliding in next to her so she could offer her comfort.

  “Drop it, damn it! Put your hands up!”

  Billy lifted his right hand, the gun’s metal gleaming in the bright sunlight as he brought the muzzle to his temple. Ginger shrieked, tried to leap out of the booth. Janelle clamped her arm around her shoulders, keeping her still.

  Her blood ran cold, her stomach bottomed out as fear slithered through her.

  “Don’t do it, Diaz! Drop the fucking weapon now!”

  Billy pressed the gun hard to his right temple. “I can’t go to jail, Ginger. I love you, baby.”

  And then he pulled the trigger.

  * * * *

  Janelle held her sister to her, running her hand over her disheveled hair. Ginger pressed her face into Janelle’s neck, her shoulders wracked with great big heaving sobs, her tears soaking Janelle’s skin.

  She figured they were both in shock, Ginger far more so. Janelle still couldn’t believe Billy had shot himself on the front step of the diner, right in front of everyone.

  A horrible sight she’d never forget.

  “Ginger Pearson?” A tall, thin man in a suit stood in front of the booth where they still sat. Janelle looked up to find him watching the both of them, his expression serious.

  Ginger moved away from Janelle, sniffing loudly. “I’m Ginger.”

  “Ginger Pearson, I’m placing you under arrest. Please stand up.” Another cop came up behind him, his expression eager. He went for Ginger and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the booth seat. She swayed on her feet and he grabbed both of her arms, turning her around so the other guy could cuff her.

  “Wait, what are you doing?” Janelle scrambled out of the booth, hysteria filling her. After the shock of everything that occurred, they were going to arrest her sister?

  “Stay out of it, miss. We have orders.” He gestured to Ginger. “Relax.”

  Ginger did as she was told, a solemn expression on her tired, tear streaked face as the man slid the handcuffs around her wrists. Janelle could only stare in horror, dumbfounded. So afraid for Ginger and uncertain of what would happen next.

  The officer read Ginger her rights and Janelle glanced around the restaurant. It was swarming with people, a few uniformed cops, but mostly men in casual suits. Federal agents, she could only assume.

  Janelle released a shuddering breath and shook her head. Where was Nate? Couldn’t he put a stop to this?

  “I’ll call you when they set bail,” Ginger told her as the two men began to escort her out of the restaurant.

  “Hold on, let me find Detective Ban
ks. This is a mistake. She shouldn’t be arrested,” Janelle pleaded with the two stone-faced agents as she followed them. They led Ginger through the kitchen and exited through the back door, no doubt to keep their crime scene intact in the front, escorting Ginger toward an unmarked car.

  “Banks has nothing to do with this, ma’am. This is out of his hands. It’s a federal case. She needs to be brought in for questioning immediately,” one of the agents told her.

  Janelle stopped at the last step, watching as they pushed Ginger into the cruiser and slammed the door. Ginger shot her a quick smile from the window and settled into her seat, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks.

  Anger mounted inside Janelle as she strode through the throng of onlookers and police officers, the many federal agents who were laughing and slapping each other on the backs. As if they caught a prize fish or something, rather than watched a man kill himself. She caught sight of the various media with their big, obvious white vans and she turned away.

  Nate was nowhere to be found.

  Finally, she spotted him the moment he spotted her, and he sprinted toward her, the relief clearly visible on his handsome face.

  “Thank God you’re all right.” He drew her into his arms but she remained stiff, still full of anger. Withdrawing slightly, he peered down at her. “What’s wrong?”

  Janelle pulled out of his grip. “You know what’s wrong.”

  His brows furrowed. “Why don’t you enlighten me?”

  “They arrested Ginger!” Janelle practically shouted, then took a deep breath before she continued. Tears started to form in her eyes. “Why, Nate?”

  He sighed and ran a hand through his unruly hair. “Procedure, Janelle. They have a warrant. They want to press charges.”

  “I thought you were going to try and help get those charges dismissed.”

  “This sort of thing takes time. And I don’t know if I can, what with Diaz killing himself. Christ.” Nate shook his head, agony written all over his face. “Thank God he didn’t hurt you.”

  Emotion made his voice crack but she ignored it, ignored the surge of answering emotion within her chest. Damn it, she needed to focus on Ginger.

  “She would’ve gone willingly. She would’ve answered every single one of their questions. Why did they have to arrest her?” The tears came now, fat ones rolling down her cheeks and she swiped at them furiously.

  She hated to cry, hated to look vulnerable, especially in front of a man.

  A man who looked like wanted to do nothing but yank her into his arms.

  “Everything’s changed, Janelle. Billy’s dead. They might be walking around with smiles on their faces, but they’re pissed. They wanted to watch him go down. Damn it, I wanted to watch him go down.” Nate swallowed hard. “Are you all right?” His voice turned gentle, his eyes full of concern.

  She shook her head, shook off his sympathy. The very last thing she wanted. “I’m fine. It’s my sister who’s the emotional mess. The one who’s sitting in the back of a car with handcuffs on.”

  “Listen, I’ll do what I can to get her out of there, but I can’t make any promises.”

  Janelle threw her hands up in the air. “Of course you can’t!”

  “Janelle.” His voice was sharp, his expression raw. “Please. I didn’t mean for it to happen this way, no one did. But once the federal government became involved, I had to wash my hands of this case.”

  She knew what he said was true, but she was still mad. And she had to take it out on someone.

  Unfortunately, Nate was her target.

  “If she has to go to prison, I don’t know what she’ll do,” Janelle murmured.

  Nate’s gaze softened. “I know, sweetheart. You’re worried about your sister, I understand. I’ll do my best to help her. I’ll talk to someone. I promise.”

  Janelle lifted her chin. “I don’t know if I can believe your promise.”

  He flinched as if she hit him. “They’ll want to talk to you too,” he reminded her, his voice cold. “You were in there with them. You heard what they said.”

  “Fine, so I’ll talk to them. But not now.”

  “Janelle, they won’t let you leave until you talk to them, trust me.”

  “Stop saying trust me! How can I trust you when you didn’t protect my sister like you promised?”

  Nate stared at her as if she lost her mind. Tentatively he reached out and touched her forearm. “You’re angry with me.”

  “Yes!” No.

  She wasn’t angry at him, she was angry at everyone. Angry at her sister, for getting into this mess, at Billy for killing himself, at the cops, who didn’t seem to give a shit.

  “I can’t take this.” Janelle jerked from his touch and turned away. “It’s too much.”

  Billy’s earlier words rang through her head, coupled with her own doubts. His accusations about Nate using her to get to Ginger. She’d been able to ignore them, but now they returned with a vengeance.

  “Don’t do this.” Nate grabbed her again, cupping her shoulders. Turning her around, he forced her to look up at him with a little shake. “Don’t run away from me now.”

  “Were you using me to get Ginger?” Had she been living in a lust-filled fog since she’d been with him? Believing Nate might have actual feelings for her?

  “Of course not. I care about you, Janelle.”

  She stared into his dark eyes and desperately wanted to believe him. But she was exhausted after the adrenaline rush of the last few hours. Exhausted and scared and so freaking worried, she didn’t know what to do.

  “Don’t shut me out because you’re too scared to face the truth.” He pulled her closer, embracing her within his strong arms and she breathed in his warm, familiar scent.

  It made her want to cry.

  “I—I need to go home.” She pulled away from him yet again. “I’m tired.”

  “I’ll take you home,” he offered but she shook her head.

  “I can drive myself. It’s okay.” Turning around, she began to walk away, but he caught up with her, grabbing her by the arm.

  “I have to drive you home. We came in my car.”

  She kicked at the ground like a little kid and he let her go. “Fine. But I don’t want to talk about it. Just take me home.”

  They walked together toward his car, a uniformed officer stopping him to talk for a brief moment. She didn’t bother listening to what they had to say.

  “They want you to come down to the station so they can get your statement now,” he said once the police officer walked away.

  “Of course they do.” She breathed deep, sick of everyone telling her what to do.

  “I promised him I’d bring you in tomorrow morning. First thing.” Leaning in, he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  “Okay.” She nodded, ignored the tight clench in her chest, could hardly look Nate in the eyes.

  She felt his weighted stare on her as he opened the passenger side door and she slid into the car. Biting down hard on her lower lip, she closed her eyes tight to stop the tears.

  God, she was so confused. And sad. More than anything, she was disappointed. In Nate and in herself.

  * * * *

  “You let her go?” Greg yelled and Nate winced.

  The headache that started the second he dropped Janelle off at her apartment intensified under his partner’s booming voice.

  “Stop yelling,” Nate muttered.

  “Why the hell would you do something so stupid?”

  “It’s not like she’s going to run. She’s not Ginger.”

  “We need to get her statement. I doubt Ginger Pearson is going to be a willing witness.” The look on Greg’s face said it all, expressed exactly what Nate had been trying to explain to Janelle.

  Too bad she hadn’t believed a word he said.

  “Janelle’s coming in first thing in the morning to give her statement. She needs her rest. She’s been through a lot.”

  “Ginger’s
been through a lot too, but I don’t see her resting,” Greg said, still loud enough to make Nate grimace.

  “She has an arrest warrant, asshole. Janelle did nothing wrong.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says me,” Nate practically snarled.

  Greg took a step back. “What is it between you two anyway?”

  “I’m in love with her.” Nate said the words so quietly, he almost didn’t hear them.

  “Say what?” Greg stared at him wide-eyed. “You are in love with her?”

  Nate nodded, rubbing his unshaven jaw. “Damn it, I am. But I doubt she feels the same way.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because she didn’t say a word to me the entire drive back to her place. She’s pissed her sister was arrested. She accused me of using her to get to Ginger.”

  “She’s freaked out. I don’t blame her. That was some heavy shit, Diaz blowing his head off.” Greg shook his head, his expression grim. “You shouldn’t have let her go home alone. She might need you.”

  Great, now his partner was making him feel guilty for letting her go. “I tried, but she told me to leave her alone.” And that hurt more than he cared to admit.

  “If you’re so in love with her, you need to be with her. Comfort her in her time of need.”

  “She wouldn’t let me.”

  “You should have insisted.”

  “Lay off, all right? I feel guilty enough as it is.” Nate walked away, frustrated with himself, with Janelle, with everyone.

  How had this ended so badly between them? He didn’t understand why Janelle was so damn angry. Yeah, her sister was arrested, but it was a formality. And it was mostly out of his control. She acted like it was personally his fault.

  “I heard they want you to sit in during the questioning of Ginger,” Greg said as he glanced around. As if making sure no one heard him. “It’s because of your connection with the sister.”

  “Really?” That gave him a bit of hope. Maybe he could convince the agents to let her off easy.