Renegade

by Jeanne McDonald

  “I’ll be right back,” I whispered. I released Ian’s hand and darted off toward the dull sign that announced the location of the restroom.

  Once inside, I washed my face and forced myself to breathe. This was silly. It was madness. There was no reason for me to feel this way.

  Over the sink, there was a small window that looked out over the pier. In the distance, I noticed a dark figure moving along near the railing. I practically pressed my nose to the window to get a better look. It was too dark.

  My senses were on high alert. Something was happening and I’d better check it out.

  I sent Sarah a quick text telling her what I was doing. Her reply was instant that she’d follow me once she ditched the guys and to not engage. Simply observe.

  Noted.

  I managed to slip out the back door undetected. Energy pulsed through my veins, as I slipped through the alley onto the pier.

  Along the pier I took notice of the elaborate boats parked in the water and garages that were heavily locked. What struck me as odd was that the wooden dock was dimly lit. For the amount of high-end property stored here, that caused me alarm.

  I walked as far as the pier would take me. There was nothing here. No one other than the man I’d bumped into was anywhere near this place. The heat was almost unbearable, which would explain the absence of people.

  But it was peaceful. Quiet. I rested my hands on the wooden beam, caging me to dry land. The water rippled below. Soft, gentle movement. It invited me to peek further into its murky secrets. I leaned forward to look into the water’s depths. Blackness was all I could see, and I found comfort in that. As if me and the water shared the same secret. As if the water could hear the pain in my chest that threatened to cripple me at any moment.

  Without thinking, I pushed up on the tips of my toes to peer further into my new found friend’s eyes. For a moment, I felt free.

  There was no sound around me, save that of the water slowly moving below. In that moment, I could understand the call of the ocean. Homer had it wrong. It wasn’t a secret maiden that dragged sailors to their death with her song. It was the sea itself that hypnotized them into its depths.

  My ribs pressed hard into the bannister, cutting off some of my air supply. The loss of breath eased the ache in my chest. There was comfort here. And it called to me. The water beckoned me to join it. Too cool off in its darkness. To share mine with it.

  All of these thoughts flooded my mind and filled my soul. They were so loud in my head that I almost didn’t hear the man yelling from behind me.

  “Run!”

  I walked outside the gates of the boardwalk. The intense humidity immediately caused sweat to form across my brow, but that didn’t stop me from wearing my hoodie. Me and this hoodie did every job together. It was my lucky charm and I never left home without it.

  I zipped my jacket to my throat, tossing the hood over my head. Moving among the shadows, I attempted to be invisible to the naked eye. The muggy summer heat that mixed with the strange mist left me feeling clammy and a bit on edge. A feeling that started inside The Yellow Submarine.

  I’d mentioned to Klaus, my best friend, and literal partner in crime, that I felt as if someone was watching me. He verified that some brunette kept peeking in our direction. Thanks to the dim light in the bar, he couldn’t get a good look at her.

  Since the whole point of my being at the boardwalk was to case out a car I knew to be parked there, I figured it was best for me to escape out the back of the building and get to work. Klaus and I went our separate ways so that if the nosy brunette and her GQ friends were indeed cops, they wouldn’t get suspicious and start following us.

  I trusted Klaus to keep an eye on the group while I did my work. He and I had been boosting cars since we were fifteen, after we ran away from our foster home in Texas. There was no separating us. Not even a woman could stand between us. And believe me, many have tried.

  With Klaus covering my tail, I went in search of the treasure I sought.

  A car.

  A stunning Cuda.

  Such a rare breed of car, and to find one right where I needed was almost suspicious. But who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth?

  And I needed this car. It was one of the last three on the list I needed to complete my job for Sutcliffe. He was paying high dollar, and while that bastard scared the shit out of me, I was happy to take his money.

  I pushed the sleeves of my hoodie to my elbows, revealing the bright, vivid ink that decorated my skin. With my hands tucked in my pockets, I hunched my shoulders and strolled along the pier.

  Anticipation coursed through my bloodstream. Every nerve ending fired with the thrill of finding what I wanted, or in this case, what I needed. Stealing a car was almost as good as sex. Almost. Finding it was like foreplay.

  With the car now in sight, I took a few steps forward only to stop dead in my tracks. A young woman with the blackest hair I’d ever seen meandered aimlessly along the pier. A pit the size of Texas grew in my stomach. There was no way I could take the needed pictures of the lime green Cuda parked mere feet away from me now.

  This woman spoiled my plans.

  Damn her.

  I inhaled and exhaled several breaths. It didn’t matter. I could wait her out.

  At least from my vantage point, I was certain the car was there. That was a start.

  But it wasn’t enough. I needed the pictures to study the area and find the best route out when it came time to make the acquisition.

  I glanced around, trying to find the best place to hide while I waited for her to leave. There was something in the way she moved that intrigued me. I had a distinct feeling I knew her from somewhere, but at this distance, I couldn’t see her face. Only that her hair was nearly the same color as the water below.

  I stepped deeper into the shadows and began to watch her, unable to shake the feeling that I knew her. The light along the pier washed away her coloring, making her appear almost ghostly white. She was petite, her dark black hair rippled down her back. Skinny jeans outlined her toned legs and round ass. What I saw looked nice, but it drove me fucking nuts that I couldn’t catch a glimpse of her face.

  If only she’d turn around.

  The thought occurred to me that I could now add stalking to my rap sheet.

  I chuckled silently at the thought. Not that Sutcliffe would allow me to get into any real trouble. That was one of the beauties of working for him. Though, he liked me and Klaus because we were the best and never got caught. It was how he knew he could trust us.

  Dark beauty stepped up on the bottom rung of the railing. My heart leapt in my chest at the momentary thought of her jumping into the water. There was something so depressive in the way she moved. I wanted to say she looked sad, but in reality, it was almost as if she was devoid of any emotion.

  While I couldn’t see her face, I could tell by the way she moved that she felt empty. It was as if I were looking at the shell of someone who was long gone. I wondered what would make a person appear so empty. My heart ached to make her smile, which took me by surprise. She was a complete stranger, but the pull to hug her and tell her she’d be okay was almost more than I could bare. I’d only felt that way once before. Many years ago, in the same foster home Klaus and I escaped from. There was a girl there. One I cared for deeply. She often carried herself in the same way this woman did. That girl was one of my greatest regrets. I escaped that home. She didn’t.

  I’d often wondered what had happened to her.

  I rolled my shoulders and ran my fingers through my hair, pushing back the hood of my jacket. In my chest, my heart thrummed, and while I told myself I was summoning her away, what I really was doing was pleading with her to turn around so I could get one good look at her.

  Just one.

  That’s all I needed.

  No! What I needed was the car. No woman was worth losing my focus on the task at hand.

  There was no telling how long this woman was going to remai
n on the pier, so I figured it might be better for me to return to The Yellow Submarine. At least there I could cool off and have a drink while I waited her out.

  I threw my hoodie back over my head and turned to leave. But I froze at the sight of another person strolling across the dock.

  Great.

  Just what I needed.

  The possibility of someone else finding me here.

  If that happened, it would kill any chances of me stealing the Cuda.

  One too many sets of eyes placing me at the scene before the theft, I might as well put up a big neon sign saying Jude Wallace was here!

  For fear of being seen, I pressed my back against the brick wall, and moved my hoodie to hide my face. I slowed my breathing and attempted to keep still as the newcomer meandered along the pier.

  At first, I thought nothing of the man joining us on the pier. It was a public place and there were many items stored at the dock. Stupid rich people. They really had no clue how to protect valuables.

  And while the man seemed to belong there with his khakis, collared shirt, and boat shoes, there was something off about him. The man’s menacing size didn’t fit the persona he attempted to portray. He was a hulking beast, ripped from head to toe, practically bursting out from the new clothes he’d obviously just procured.

  Lay off the ‘roids, Bro. That shit messes with your junk. I chuckled to myself at the thought, wishing Klaus was here with me at the moment. We totally would’ve ragged on the bastard.

  My laughter quickly died when I got a closer look at the guy.

  I knew him.

  That was Ringo. One of Sutcliffe’s hired guns.

  But what was he doing here?

  My upper lip twitched at the thought of Sutcliffe having the nerve to keep an eye on me. That was the only logical reason for Ringo to be on the pier. Sutcliffe obviously didn’t trust Klaus and me as much as I thought.

  And after all the money I’d brought in for the fucker.

  I wanted to launch out at Ringo but I knew better. I still needed to recon the car, and with that woman on the dock, there was no reason for her not to ID me later.

  I glanced to the end of the dock at the raven-haired beauty who now dangled between the water and the pier.

  My heart jumped at the sight of her hanging there. Somehow, I knew she wouldn’t jump, but that didn’t stop the panic from welling up inside me.

  To make matters worse, I realized that Ringo noticed her. He licked his lips and a sick smile twisted his lips. I watched as he rubbed his palms against his pants. It didn’t take a fucking genius to gather what he was thinking.

  Sick mother-fucking bastard.

  No way would I allow him to defile a woman. Not like that.

  Consensual, sure. Go ahead and fuck her senseless. But no body deserved to be held against their will.

  In that moment, she was so oblivious to everything that she had no clue what was coming up behind her.

  For the first time in my life, I reacted without a plan. I jumped out of the shadows, not caring if she could identify me later and blocked Ringo from reaching the woman.

  “Run!” I yelled, hoping to garner her attention.

  I grabbed him by the arm and rammed my fist into Ringo’s thick mug, making direct contact with his nose. Adrenaline rushed through my veins. In the back of my mind, I knew I would regret slugging Ringo like that, but for the moment, I didn’t care.

  Ringo raised his hand to his nose as blood trickled from his nostrils. The beast wiped the blood away and spit on the ground. A flash of anger glinted in his eyes. He snarled, almost roaring, as he rushed toward me.

  Now I knew what it felt like to wake the sleeping giant.

  I was fucked!

  Instinct kicked in, and I assumed a fighting stance, prepared to take the onslaught of violence that was certain to meet me. Ringo was twice my size and probably benched more than Klaus and I weighed together, but I wasn’t going to back down easily. Once I started a fight, I finished it. Even if that meant me leaving in a body bag.

  Besides, the fucker deserved this for spying on me.

  Rat bastard!

  I raised my fists, steadying myself, ready to throw another punch. Ringo sidestepped me, whipping around to hit me in the jaw. The sound of bone crunching against flesh rang in my ears. The pain caused light to flash before my eyes, but I shook it off and turned back on Ringo, ramming my knuckles into the brute’s windpipe. Where that move came from, I had no clue, but it slowed Ringo down long enough that I was able to get in another punch to the guy’s face.

  “You’ll pay for that,” Ringo wheezed, barely able to speak. I felt the rush of wind from the punch before his fist made contact with my left eye. Blood trickled down my cheek almost instantly. I wiped away the hot, red liquid and threw another punch, only to be thwarted by my opponent. Ringo grabbed me by the collar, ripping the fabric of my shirt. A look of pleasure gleamed in his eyes as I scrambled to get out of my hoodie. Before I could make my escape, the beefy fist of my assailant busted across my jaw.

  Flushed, sweating, and with blood rolling down my face, I tried to push out of the bastard’s grasp. I pressed my hand against the asshole’s chest, swinging my fist with as much ferocity as I could conjure. Ringo seemed almost amused by my actions. He curled his thick fingers into the fabric of my shirt and hoodie, holding me in place.

  In the heat of the fight, I caught sight of the woman watching us, almost as if she was confused by what was happening. I half expected her to bolt, but instead, she pulled a gun out of God only knows where and identified herself as the police.

  The asshole caught sight of the gun. He looked at me, then back at the cop. “Fuck!” he hissed.

  Rather than drawing the gun I was certain he had in his pocket, Ringo dropped me to the ground and ran off.

  Fucking coward.

  I landed on the dock with an oomph, the metallic taste of blood coating my tongue. I groaned and pressed my palms into the wood as I attempted to push up from the ground.

  “Stop or I’ll shoot!” the woman yelled at the chicken-shit who was already halfway down the pier.

  He didn’t stop nor did she shoot. Instead, she whipped around to me, her eyes blazing. “Stay right where you are.”

  Those eyes.

  I now had a clear view of her face. Her hair. But most of all…those eyes.

  I’d know those eyes anywhere.

  She had the most amazing kaleidoscope eyes. Every color of the rainbow seemed to appear in her eyes.

  With her gun pointed straight at my head, I didn’t dare move. Not that I wanted to.

  I thought I’d never see those eyes again. Yet here they were, staring back at me.

  I was dealing with a cop, and while I knew better, I couldn’t resist the urge to get a better look. I attempted to lift myself up only to be met with her moving in closer to me.

  “Stay down!” she barked in a harsh, ragged tone.

  “Look, lady,” I interrupted, but stopped when she took another step toward me. Gone was the confused woman I’d just seen. Instead, I was faced with a goddess who knew how to wield a weapon. She was fury and fire. The girl I remembered from all those years ago still burned inside her.

  But a cop? Really?

  Lucy Diamond was better than that. Why on earth would she join forces with the bastards who kept us locked in foster homes with assholes that hit us for sport?

  “Don’t you ‘look lady’ me. I’m an officer of the law, and you will treat me with the respect owed to my badge.”

  The factious bastard in me couldn’t resist fucking with her. Not only because she was a cop, but because, well, it was Lucy.

  I waved my hands in the air. A cocky smirk twisted my mouth. “Fine. Let me see your badge.”

  Oh, the gleam of anger in her eyes. Yeah. I’d pissed her off, but I was kind of happy I had. I liked this look on her. It was much better than the emptiness I’d seen earlier. Her spunk was back.

  “What’d you say to me?
” she growled through gritted teeth.

  “I said, let me see your badge.”

  The brown of her kaleidoscope eyes burned red at my defiance. I’d pissed her off, royally, and that only made my smile grow wider.

  It had to be the ink, but I could tell she didn’t recognize me. And that was okay. I’d changed a lot over the years. So had she. But there was one thing that hadn’t changed – Lucy Diamond was still as beautiful as ever.

  And by the look in her eyes, the game was on.

  Son of a…

  The big guy got away, which pissed me off, but at least I had the smaller one. He seemed hurt, which after the beating he’d taken was a logical assumption.

  I took a step closer to him. From what I could see, his short dark hair was ruffled from the fight. The hood of his hoodie covered his face, obscuring his features from me. However, I couldn’t help but notice his lips. They were full, plump, and reminded me of a pair of lips I once knew. My eyes drifted from his face to his neck where his shirt had been ripped during the scuffle. Intense color played peek-a-boo from beneath the torn fabric.

  “Let me see your badge,” he repeated.

  Yep. This guy was a punk with no respect for authority.

  “You say you’re a cop,” he continued, “but how do I know you’re not some psycho with a gun?”

  “Fine!” I shoved my hand into my back pocket, pulled out my badge, and flashed it at him without lowering my pistol. “Satisfied?”

  The punk rolled his lips upward, shaking his head. “Nope. I didn’t catch your name, Officer…”

  “Diamond,” I spat, trying to maintain my authority over the situation.

  The man’s head tilted upward, just slightly. His face was still obscured by his hoodie, but with his hands raised, there really wasn’t much he could do to fix it. “Is there a first name with that?”