He tucked the key into his pocket, memorizing the apartment number and vowing to check it out later. Enjoying his new step up could wait until he made his first delivery. He wanted to get the delivery out of the way, lest Big Jim Hawthorne get testy and impatient.
He ran a hand through his hair, trekking back to the car and feeling weary. He slipped into the driver’s seat, taking a moment to examine in his reflection in the rearview mirror. His heart ached—ached for the life he would likely never get to live.
He drew away from the mirror, starting the ignition and driving in the direction of the address that had been left in the glove compartment. He didn’t even consider the fact that he didn’t have a license, knowing that he would have more important things to worry about if he got pulled over. This was the heaviest crime he’d ever committed, considering the one thing he remained firm on was his refusal to become an addict or deal drugs.
The contents of the car’s trunk weighed heavily on his conscience, but he tried not to overthink it. His eyes remained on the road, and he stiffened as he passed a parked police cruiser. He could make out a vaguely familiar figure in the driver’s seat of the car, and prayed he was mistaken. However, the police cruiser pulled out of its hiding spot, following him with its sirens on.
His heart beat erratically in his chest. This was the very last thing he needed right now.
He weighed the options of speeding off, but instead pulled over, deciding to play it cool. He slicked his hair back as much as he could, then manually rolled down the window of the old clunker.
The officer from before, Mr. Wonderful, stepped up beside the window, and Rick considered him with a sly smile. The police officer narrowed his eyes, giving the car a once-over.
“Odd to see you in a car, suddenly. Come into some sudden fortune I’m not privy to?” the officer said drolly.
Rick bit back a nervous laugh. “If it was a fortune, don’t you think I’d choose a nicer car?”
The dark-haired man quirked a brow, examining the license plate in the passenger seat.
“Why isn’t your plate on your car? That’s why I stopped you. A bit suspicious, cruising around town without a license plate.”
Dammit, Rick thought. His mind scrambled for an excuse, but he couldn’t come up with anything good. “It just… slipped my mind,” he replied.
The officer rolled his eyes, drawing away from the door.
“I’m going to run your plate then, with your permission, I’d like to search your car. It will only take a moment,” the officer said, slipping back to the cruiser.
Rick fidgeted in his seat, cursing his forgetful nature. The officer remained in his cruiser for a long moment, and Rick struggled to make out his expression. The officer seemed to be growing annoyed by something, and moments later he leaped out of the cruiser again. The officer approached the window, eyes narrowed critically.
“I’ve been informed that I am to let you go,” he said grudgingly.
Rick quirked a brow, considering the officer with a confused expression. The officer seemed to see nothing else to discuss, and turned his back on Rick to walk away.
Rick grabbed the officer’s arm before he could stop himself, and the officer looked at him with a critical expression.
“I need help. I can’t talk now, but, I have an apartment, now. Meet me there, if you wanna know more,” Rick said softly, jotting down his address on a piece of paper and slipping it to the cop.
The police officer looked hesitant, but accepted the offering. “You have a good day, sir.”
“You too, Officer…?” Rick began hopefully.
“Daryl will do.”
“Okay, Daryl. Call me Rick.”
“See you around, Rick,” Daryl muttered, slipping away from the car. He got into his police cruiser, and Rick watched as he drove past. He breathed a sigh of relief, continuing his own path to the address he was supposed to make his delivery to.
He wasn’t sure what to expect, but he wasn’t awfully surprised by how rundown the home was. He got out of the car. Something large smashed into his side, and he was shoved against the driver’s door. A fist made contact with his eye. Rick cried out in pain.
“You nearly fucked us over, fresh meat,” a grungy looking man growled, gripping Rick around the throat. He slammed Rick against the car again. “You’re lucky we have an in with the police, or you’d be dead.”
“Sh-shit! I’m sorry,” Rick gritted out, seeing stars as his head was slammed against the metal. “I didn’t mean… an in with the police?” Rick began, surprise changing his line of questioning almost immediately.
“Don’t you know anything? Big Jim is real close with the police chief. You’re lucky they were able to get the call in to let you loose after we spotted you getting pulled over.”
Rick stared at him through wide eyes, his body screaming in pain. “Oh,” he managed.
“Do you at least have the shipment?” the man asked.
Rick nodded carefully, circling around to the back of the car and popping the trunk. He averted his eyes as the man and his crew began unloading the car. A few moments later, the trunk was empty, save a bit of residue.
“Can I leave now?” Rick asked quietly, rubbing his already swelling eye. The group looked at him for a moment before turning their backs on him. “I take that as a yes,” he muttered to himself.
He grabbed the license plate from the passenger seat of the car, then fixed it into place before slipping back in the driver’s seat. He could scarcely see what he was doing, and he knew he was in no state to drive. It wasn’t as if he had a choice, however.
He managed to make his way back to his apartment complex, stumbling to the apartment he’d be renting for foreseeable future. He pulled the door open, somewhat surprised to see a few pieces of beaten down furniture left from the last tenant. He smiled to himself, flopping heavily on the stained and torn couch. It certainly wouldn’t impress the officer… Daryl. But he had already given up on his dream of courting the gorgeous man. If he had nothing to offer to begin with, what could he offer now?
He could only hope Daryl would show up. The whole city was likely to go up in flames if they didn’t do something.
***
Daryl clutched the address in his hand. He pulled off the road as soon as he was out of the other man’s line of sight. He examined the writing with shaking hands.
He knew that Rick wasn’t your average law-abiding citizen. He knew, without a doubt, that he would have found some stash of drugs in the car if he had been allowed to search it. He couldn’t understand why he would be ordered to let the man go, but he had learned to stop asking questions. The thought of facing the police chief again wasn’t a pleasant one, and as certain as he was that Rick was up to no good, he couldn’t shake the desire to meet with him that night. It could be a trap. It was more than likely to be a trap, and he had no idea what sort of ties Rick may have with even less savory characters.
Still, there had been an undeniable fear in Rick’s eyes, a kind of desperation that made Daryl want to help him. He had no idea what he would be saving Rick from, but he resolved that Rick definitely needed some kind of saving.
He folded up the sheet of paper that had Rick’s address on it, stuffing it into his pocket and continuing on what he considered a pointless patrol. The police chief seemed particularly specific about who he was to bring in and who was allowed to run free.
Daryl didn’t want to think poorly of the chief. He certainly didn’t want to think poorly of the station as a whole, but he was rethinking whether he was cut out for this job. It seemed his strong moral compass had no place in this town. He supposed he couldn’t feel particularly high and mighty, considering the fact that he was planning to go to a known criminal’s home that evening. Still, something told him there was more to this story than Chief Franklin let on. There had to be something he was holding back about the police ties with this Jim Hawthorne guy. He couldn’t even be sure that Rick had any information about the
informant, or the gang they were supposedly tied with. He was going out on a limb, and he knew it was dangerous. He almost wished he could allow himself to become complacent, like everyone else in this damn city.
Except Rick…
He narrowed his eyes, eyes flicking to the clock on his radio. It was growing close to the end of his shift, thankfully. He didn’t know how much longer he could circle the city with no real purpose. The two times he’d found actual trouble, he’d been ordered to leave it alone.
Some police officer he was turning out to be.
He drove in the direction of the police station, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel in impatience. He pulled the cruiser into the lot, then stepped out and went inside the department. He was quiet as he clocked out, not wanting to raise any suspicions. The chief was locked up in his office, as he always seemed to be, and there were very few officers lingering around the station. He didn’t acknowledge the others as he left.
He had a lead to follow, and he was determined to find out what was going on, whether the chief liked it or not. He drew the slip of paper out of his pocket, considering it for a long moment and trying to place the apartment complex. He hadn’t been in town long, but he had passed the rundown place several times on his patrol. He was sure he wouldn’t have much trouble finding it.
He walked the sidewalks with a sense of melancholy, hands stuffed in his pockets. Truth was, he had almost expected this job to be easy. He hadn’t expected the bumps in the road. He hadn’t expected the only friendly face in the entire city to be that of a criminal. He held his loyalties to the men in uniform, but he had to remind himself that Rick likely wasn’t as friendly as he made himself out to be.
He spotted Rick’s car in the parking lot, so he stepped up to the apartment complex. It didn’t take long to find Rick’s apartment, and he hesitated at the door for a long moment before rapping his knuckles against it. He lowered his hand to his gun, though he knew it would provide little protection if this was an actual trap. He could always transform into his dragon, if worse came to worst. He hadn’t transformed since he was a kid, hating the sensations, but it was always a backup plan.
Daryl was drawn from his thoughts as the door was pulled open, and a bruised and battered Rick offered him a big smile.
“You came,” Rick said, obviously relieved. He stepped back, gesturing for Daryl to step inside.
Daryl obliged, stepping into the shoddy apartment and examining the meager furnishings. There was fresh blood staining the single couch in the living area, and he realized with a start that it was Rick’s blood. He looked more closely at the other man in the dim light of the apartment.
“What the hell happened to you?” he demanded, guiding Rick back to the couch.
Rick exhaled a wheezing laugh, brushing his hair away from his face. “I never planned to get tied up in all of this, Daryl. Just so you know. I mean, I’ve done my share of petty crime. But since I’ve been tied up with Big Jim Hawthorne, I’ve had to do things I never would have considered otherwise.”
Rick sank into the couch cushions. Daryl hesitated before dropping onto the couch beside him.
“Who exactly is Jim Hawthorne?” Daryl asked.
Rick laughed bitterly. “Who is Jim Hawthorne? I guess I can’t expect you to know, especially considering…” Rick trailed off, and Daryl waited for him to continue. “Jim Hawthorne is the biggest crime lord in the city. Anything bad that happens around here can usually be tied back to him.”
Daryl struggled to keep his composure. Had Chief Franklin lied to him, or was Rick Lamaar the liar?
“Surely you’re mistaken. He can’t be the one actually running things,” Daryl said.
Rick considered him with a wry quirk of his lips. “He’s got an in with the police chief. Probably pays him off. I don’t know the details, all I know is that Jim and all of his affiliates are allowed to do as they please, no matter who gets hurt.”
Daryl pointed to the bruises on Rick’s throat. “Like that?” He reached out to ghost his fingertips against the marred skin.
Rick shivered, and nodded.
“I guess I should be surprised,” Daryl said. “But I had a feeling something was up, when I was told to let so many crimes take place without intervention. So, judging by the fact that you told me all of this, I get the feeling you want to put a stop to it?”
“For selfish reasons,” Rick said. “I want out. It doesn’t help that if this continues, this city could be destroyed,” Rick muttered, wringing his hands nervously. Daryl drew his lip between his teeth, nodding resolutely.
“All right, then. Somehow, some way, we’re going to put a stop to all of this. Whether the rest of the department agrees with it or not,” Daryl said with a grim smile. He took the same paper that Rick had scrawled his address on, flipping it over and jotting down a telephone number. “Dunno if you have a phone, but if you happen to get one, I want you to be able to contact me.”
Rick’s eyes widened slightly, and he accepted the paper with a smile. “I actually have a phone, but it hasn’t been in service for a while. I can get it turned back on, though. The number should be the same once it’s activated, so…” Rick trailed off, holding his hand out for Daryl’s phone.
Taking the hint, Daryl handed Rick his phone. Rick swiftly programmed his number into the contacts. He moved to hand the phone back to Daryl, and Daryl couldn’t help but notice how Rick’s hand lingered upon his own. He looked Rick in the eye, more than vaguely aware of the hints of lust in Rick’s eyes. In another world, perhaps he would have latched onto that attraction. In this world, however…
“I’m going to head home,” he said. “Work on getting that phone reactivated, and call me when you do. I’ll try to put together some sort of plan, but I can’t make any promises. I just want to thank you for telling me the truth, Rick.”
Rick drew his hand away from Daryl, and folded it with the other one in his lap. “It’s no problem. I just hope we can figure this out.”
Daryl considered him for a long moment. In another world…
“Me too. I’ll be in touch,” he said with an air of finality, rising from the couch and walking out the door. Though he wasn’t entirely sure where to start, he knew there was very little he could accomplish that night. He made his way home with the weight of the world bearing heavily upon his shoulders.
***
Rick was swift to get his phone activated early the next day. The first text he received, much to his disappointment, was from Mickey. He could only wonder how they had gotten his number, how they had known he had just activated his phone. He tried not to overthink it, however, and read over the text with a vague sense of unease.
Apparently, he was to meet with Jim Hawthorne in his office to discuss his next drop-off. He could only hope he would be able to maintain his composure. Fear licked at his insides at the thought of another drop-off, but he tried to tell himself that getting roughed up was just a one-time fluke. But it was difficult to believe in this validity of that thought, considering the whole situation had been a series of events that nearly got him killed.
He rested his head against the steering wheel of his car and listened to the hustle and bustle of the city around him. He could scarcely believe that his world view had effectively been shattered in the matter of a day, but his emotions had always been a fickle thing. Of course, anyone would feel a measure of doubt in his situation.
He lifted his head from the steering wheel, then shifted the car into drive and made his way to the outskirts of the city. Big Jim’s home was a rather extravagant one, especially considering its surroundings. Rick could imagine his skull getting crushed by one of the numerous marble statues that decorated the place. It only seemed a matter of time at this point, but his meeting with Daryl the day previous had managed to instill the slightest of hope within him. If anyone could clean up this town, it was the tenacious new officer that still unknowingly gripped his heart.
He hesitated a moment, pulling
off to the side of the road before pulling his cell phone back out of his pocket. He scrolled to the single name programmed in the contacts; he hadn’t felt Mickey deserved his own contact slot. He brought up the text screen, drawing his lip between his teeth as he typed out a simple greeting text. Realizing that the line was strictly business, he quickly typed out another text explaining that he had been called in. He added that he would check in with Daryl after the meeting, relaying what he had learned. Considering the text with the faintest of smiles, he hit the send button before slipping the phone back in his pocket.
He glanced up from the place he’d pulled over, spotting Big Jim’s mansion in the distance. He hummed nervously to himself as he went down the long gravel driveway. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he went, and felt his phone buzz in his pocket. As much as he wanted to check for a reply, he knew he had more important things to tend to for the time being. He pulled into a spot at the front of the mansion, stepping out only to spot Mickey lingering near the front deck with a cigarette hanging from his mouth.
“Hey,” Rick called out, intent upon continuing, but the words died in his throat when he spotted the baseball bat propped up against the deck at Mickey’s side. Maybe he could just get back in the car and drive away.
Before he could further consider that thought, gunshots echoed through the air. He jerked away from the car, watching as bullets ricocheted off of the metal, shattered the windshield, and effectively flattened the tires.
“What the hell are you doing?” he cried out, trying to scramble away. He was fast, but unfortunately, bullets were much faster. One lodged in the back of his leg, sending him tumbling to the ground with an agonized scream. Mickey approached him, the baseball bat gripped in his hand. Another man he’d never seen before moved to trail after Mickey as he tucked his gun back into its holster.
“Go on, tell the boss I’ll take care of this,” Mickey called out. The other man hesitated, and Rick looked from Mickey to the stranger with fear in his gaze. The other man simply nodded, and Mickey grinned like a shark as he crossed the final distance to Rick’s immobilized body.
Arrested by the Dragon: Gay Police Paranormal Romance Page 4