Drew must have realized how cold he sounded. “Sorry, I need the cash; otherwise, I might end up in a body bag too.”
I waved him off. “Mickey, have you talked to Jesse lately?”
“Yeah, I called him before the funeral.” Mickey threw back another shot of amber colored whiskey. “Nothing’s changed. Frankie refuses to recant the confession. Jesse has a plan though.”
“What kind of plan?”
He grinned, a real smile that lit up his face. “He wants to have her committed.”
I laughed. She would be livid, but if it kept her from a life sentence, I was all for it. I pictured Frankie’s face when the dude in white jackets came to take her away.
Andy suddenly stood. “I’ve gotta go. I’m meeting Roxanne for dinner.”
Did Andy know what was between Drew and Roxanne? I looked at Drew, a guy I’d known for most of my life, and wondered just how deep he was in. After Andy left, I faced Drew. “So tell me about it.”
“About what?” he hedged.
I took a long drink of beer. “Don’t play games, Drew. What the hell is going on between you and Roxanne?”
“Women.” Drew slammed a shot. “You know how it is.”
“Did I miss something?” Mickey glanced between us.
I ignored him, my gaze narrowing on Drew. “It was you. The scars…”
His face paled, eyes dancing like a ferrets. “I was doing the job. Billy told me to—”
I threw back my chair and grabbed his lapel. “Don’t try and pin this on Billy.”
Drew pushed me, hard, but I didn’t let go. My anger intensified when he said, “Like you know. He told me to collect, and I did. Simple as that.” I saw the real Drew for the first time. A selfish, cold-blooded animal. Had the past six years changed him that much?
Mickey stepped between us. “Enough.”
I released Drew’s shirt and turned away. “Her debts paid off.”
“Come on, Ian. It was business. Can’t blame a guy for that.”
I could, and did. That kind of brutality rubbed me raw. A line that even I never crossed. But Drew had always been there for me. Hell, a couple of days ago, he’d taken a bullet for me. I ran my hand over my jaw. Things just kept piling on. Nobody was who I believed them to be. I reached for my leather jacket. “I’m going out.” I turned to Drew. “It’s not a good idea if you are here when I get back.”
Drew’s face turned red. “So that’s how it is, huh?”
“Calm down.” Mickey threw an arm across Drew’s chest.
He brushed Mickey off. “Fuck that.” His fingers locked onto my jacket. “Don’t fucking judge me. You don’t know what it’s like. Shit comes easy to you. People respect you.”
“This isn’t about me.” I knocked his hand away and took a breath, trying to calm my rapid beating heart. A part of me wanted to inflict as much pain on Drew as he had Roxanne. “Drew, she has a kid for fuck sakes.”
“I’m not proud of what I did, but I had to collect. It was her or me. Billy doesn’t fuck around. You know that as well as I do.”
“I need some air.” I walked away, leaving Mickey and Drew staring after me. Drew spoke the truth. Billy was a bastard, but he’d never have done what Drew had to Roxanne. I guess you never do know the people closest to you. Which brought up another interesting point, if I didn’t know Drew, who else didn’t I know?
Chapter 60
“Thanks for seeing me.” I sat in a wooden chair across from Frankie in a room no bigger than a closet. The gray walls and stained concrete reminded me of many similar visits when I was in lockup. It was odd sitting on the other side of the prison system. Frankie looked tired, dark circles around her eyes gave her a bruised, needy look I wasn’t used to seeing.
“I couldn’t avoid you forever.” Laughing, she gestured to the drab surroundings. “It’s not like you couldn’t find me either.”
I smiled and leaned in. “I miss you.”
Her eyes widened as a look of shock crossed her face. “Where’s that coming from?” Suspicion replaced shock. “Oh, I get it.”
My brow furrowed with fake puzzlement. “Get what?”
“Make me think you can’t live without me, and bingo, I’ll recant so we can live happily ever after.” She brushed a lock of hair from her face. “Not going to work, Prince Charming.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying.” I leaned back. “But I do miss you. I want you to come home. I appreciate the sentiment—saving me and all—but it isn’t gonna work.”
“It doesn’t have to work.” She grinned. “It only has to generate reasonable doubt.”
“The doubt your generating is whether you’re certifiable or not.” I laughed. “Jesse’s asking the judge tomorrow for a competency hearing. Looks like you’ll be spending plenty of time in those cute white jackets that tie in the back.”
“Hard to accessorize in one of those.”
A bark of laughter burst from my lips, but then I quickly sobered, my face as cold as the steel bracelets around her wrists. “Enough is enough. They got nothing on me for Sal’s murder. So unless you want to spend the next six months in the loony bin, you better knock this shit off.”
“Don’t lie to me. If I recant and Burgess will lock you up. It’s you or me.”
“I’ll risk it.” A lock of hair fell across her eye, and I tucked in behind her ear. The intimacy surprised her, even more so than it did me. I added, “Going in I knew the consequences. Let me worry about Burgess, and anyway, I have a plan.”
“Great. Another Wilde plan. Should I get the first aid kit now?”
“Funny.” I lowered my voice so the guard in the corridor wouldn’t overhear. I explained my plan and Frankie started to laugh. Admittedly it wasn’t a great one, but it might work.
“That’s never going to work.” She shook her head for emphasis.
“Girlfriends are supposed to be supportive.”
“Good thing I’m a friend because that’s a stupid plan.”
“Dumb or not, it’s the one I’m going with.” I shrugged, knowing my next words would drive her crazy. “Maybe you’ll be safer on the inside.”
“Oh, don’t you even try to keep me out of it.” Frankie called to the guard, “Get Burgess. I have something to say.” Much to Detective Burgess’s dismay, twenty minutes later, Frankie recanted her confession.
******
“You think you’ve won, don’t you?” Burgess pressed the edge of his finger into my chest.
“No one’s a winner this time. I lost someone I considered a brother, and you lost a meal ticket.” His face went red at the bribery innuendo, but he said nothing. I added, “Guess we’re about even.”
He relaxed slightly. “I couldn’t have made it stick anyway. No physical evidence. But be warned, if I find any evidence of you at the scene, you’ll spend the next fifty years as a guest of the state.”
“You won’t.” Gloves had seen to that. Not to mention an alibi. Burgess stared to say something, but Frankie came rushing through the doors, a free woman. Burgess glared at her, and then at me, before he walked away.
“Let’s get out of here.” I took her hand. We stepped out of the police station, sucking in car exhaust, and the smell of rotting garbage. The taste of freedom.
“Before we go, I want you to know one thing.” Frankie put her hand on my arm.
“What’s that?”
“I’m not stupid.”
“Never said you were.”
“True, but using reverse psychology 101 implies you think I might be.”
I laughed, trying for a look of innocence. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“I’m just glad to be out of there. Jail’s no place for a girl.” She gave me a quick kiss. “I need a long hot bath, followed by an icy cold beer.”
“The beer I can get. The bath might take a little longer. We have things to do.” I considered step one in ‘the plan’, and gave Frankie a smile. Having her around would make what I was about to do much easier.
Chapter 61
I knocked on the safe house door where Andy played babysitter to Roxanne and her kid. It had taken us fifteen minutes to get here from the jail, five of which I spent assuring Frankie that jail grim looked good on her. Booted feet shuffled on the other side of the door. The clang of metal on metal echoed as someone unlocked the door.
Frankie put her hand on my arm. “This is a bad idea. Even if Mike hears about it, what makes you think he’ll do anything? It’s not like he’s been concerned with her welfare so far.”
I wished she’d stop being so fucking reasonable. “This will do one of two things. Bring Mike into the open, or prove someone else is pulling the strings.”
“Do you think it’s someone else?”
Before I could answer, the door opened. Andy stood to the side, a Glock pointed at my head. He lowered the gun when he saw me. “Ian? What are you doing here?”
“Where’s Roxanne?” I stepped inside the house, memorizing the layout. Who knew when the information might come in handy? The place looked like a fortress. Steel bars protected the windows and a cache of computers and weapons littered the room. Dead center in the room sat a baby swing, its bright blue seat at odds with the guns.
“Roxanne and the kid are taking a nap. It was a long day.” He waved to the back bedroom.
“Any problems?”
He shook his head. “She’s upset about something, but won’t tell me what it is.”
“I think I know.” I gestured to Frankie. “Fill Andy in on the plan. I’m going to talk to Roxanne.”
I heard Frankie say, “Ian has really outdone himself this time…” One day we’d talk about her lack of faith in me. I grinned and knocked on the door to Roxanne’s room.
“Come in,” she called. I opened the door and entered a boring brown room. Brown everything. Walls. Carpet. Bedspread. The poor kid probably suffered from sensory deprivation after being inside this room for longer than an hour. Roxanne sat on the bed, feeding the baby. Stringy stands of peas and drool covered him. His chubby legs kicked with excitement at the next gooey mouthful. Roxanne looked up surprised and fear when she saw me. “What are you doing here? Where’s Andy?”
“I’m not going to hurt you. I know about Drew,” I said. “You have my word, he won’t touch you again.”
“Don’t tell Andy…please. I don’t want him to know…what I did…” A tear slid down her cheek.
Interesting. Roxanne had a crush on Andy. I filed the information away in case I needed it later. “I won’t tell him. But he’s in danger, and the only way I can stop something bad from happening to him is with your help.”
“How?”
“For starters, I’d like to bind and gag you.” That didn’t go over well. For a second or two she looked like she might faint. Her face paled, and she made a small squeaking sound from deep inside her throat. “I’m not off to a great start here.” I paused, letting her fear recede. “Give me a minute to explain. Someone, maybe your brother killed Neil and attempted to kill Andy, Mickey, and myself.” I decided to leave Drew’s name out of it.
She shook her head. “Mike’s dead. Even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
“Okay, let’s say you’re right, and it’s not Mike. We need to know that, and in order to find out, I want to fake a kidnapping.”
“With me as the victim.” She gave a small laugh. “If it is Mike he’ll come for me. And if it isn’t, you’ll know you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
“Right.”
“You’re barking up the wrong tree, you know.”
“Either way, Andy and the rest of my friends will be safe. That’s all I want.”
“Okay.” She feed the baby another spoon full of green yuck I wouldn’t even eat and I’ve eaten some weird shit in the Navy. She glanced up at me. “So what do you want me to do?”
Andy rushed in the bedroom followed by Frankie as I explained exactly what I wanted. “No.” Andy stepped in front of Roxanne. Guess the crush worked both ways.
“What?” I hardened my face.
“I’m not going to let you use her as bait.”
“I’m not using her. She won’t be in any danger, I swear it.” I smiled. Andy had it bad.
“I can’t let you do it.” Andy looked torn between loyalty to me and the need to protect someone he cared about. A position I often found myself in with Frankie.
Roxanne spoke up, “I have to do this.”
“No you don’t.” Andy glared at her. “Ian can find another way. It’s too dangerous.”
“I want to clear Mike’s name, and if a fake kidnapping will do it, you’re not going to stop me.” Her voice grew stronger with each word. Relief filled me. If she willingly went head to head with Andy, Drew hadn’t broke her.
Frankie put a hand on Andy’s arm. “Trust Ian. He’d never let anything happen to her.”
Andy took a shuddering breath. “Okay, but she’s not leaving my sight.” He tapped me in the chest. “If anything happens…”
“It will be all right, you’ll see.” I grinned. “Besides, my plans are foolproof.” Frankie laughed, and Andy gave a loud groan.
Chapter 62
My cell phone rang at two that morning. “Speak.”
“What the hell are you up to, boy?” Billy’s voice boomed from the receiver.
Glancing around my bedroom, I answered honestly, “Not a damn thing.” Frankie slept on the couch ten feet away, driving me crazy. Like a fine wine, she tasted much too good, but damn, the next morning I’d regret succumbing.
“Mark called. He says you’ve gone over the edge, took poor Roxy from my protection. He said you kidnapped the girl. Two witnesses watched you toss her into a car, and drive off. What the fuck’s going on?”
Nice. I’d taken a page from Neil’s theatrical book and directed the kidnapping with perfect timing. A born actresses, Roxanne played her part well. Screaming her head off as I dragged her from the safe house. I threw her into a car, and sped down the block. But we didn’t get far. My stomach growled, so I pulled into a drive-thru and ordered two burgers, an order of French fries, and a coke. Roxanne just shook her head, watching in disgust as I wolfed down a thousand calories in a couple of minutes.
“Are you gonna answer me, boy?” Billy yelled into my ear.
I pulled the receiver away. “Do me a favor.”
“What?”
“Spread the word. Tell everyone Roxanne’s in my custody, and unless Mike comes forward I’ll be fitting her for cement sneakers.” I grinned at my tough guy impression.
Billy laughed. “I see. You don’t actually think this is going to work?”
“Not really. I am hoping that it will shake things up. Give me an idea what I’m dealing with. This guy’s been two steps ahead of me since the start, and I’d like to figure out why.”
“Leak?” Billy suggested with hesitation.
If so, someone I cared about had played me dirty—a thought that left me cold. “I don’t think so.”
“Let me give you some advice.” He paused. “Sun-Tzu said, ‘keep your friends close and enemies closer’. I’ll do you one better. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between them. So my advice—treat them the same. Trust is for romantics, fools, and dead guys.”
“Aren’t you a ray of sunshine.”
“I ain’t dead yet so I mustn’t be far off.”
“Spread the word.”
“Okay, but you remember my words.”
I hung up feeling a little worse. How the hell I didn’t grown up to be a serial killer I’ll never know. I got out of bed and headed into the kitchen for a snack. My eyes slid over Frankie’s naked thigh pushing my quest for food into the back of my mind and making love to her front and center. I blew out a long breath, opening the refrigerator door. I considered a four-day-old slice of pizza and a container of mystery meat. What didn’t kill you only made you stronger, I thought grabbing the mystery meat. I also grabbed a beer, hoping the alcohol would kill whatever bacteri
a grew on the slimy meat-like substance.
“You aren’t going to eat that?” Frankie stood in the doorway, backlit by a shaft of moonlight.
“I’m considering it.”
“Death wish?”
I shrugged. “More like an adventure. When did I have Mexican?” I lifted the mystery meat out only to discover cheese and enchilada sauce.
“Yuck. Honestly I can’t think of a single reason why I should love you.” Frankie grabbed the container and threw it in the trash.
The coldness that formed in my chest on the day she left my hospital room eased. “I can give you two.”
“Really?” She stepped closer, running her tongue over her lips.
My train of thought flew out the window as I concentrated on those wet, plump lips. The breath hitched in my chest, and my body tightened. My hands fisted and I reviewed the pros and cons of ripping her t-shirt off her and branding her as mine.
She laughed. “Reasons why I love you…remember?”
“Yeah…ummm…” I shook my head to clear it. “You don’t know any better.”
She nodded. “And two?”
I grinned. “Come closer and I’ll show you.”
She laughed. “I think it’s because you’ll do anything to have me.”
“I will, huh?”
The tip of her tongue darted along the edge of her teeth. “You will.”
******
What was wrong with me? I’d spent the last four hours making love to the woman of my dreams, and now I lay in bed, her beautiful body covering mine, wondering about her motives. She blew hot and cold, and it made me crazy. One day, she wanted to be friends and the next she’s pissed at me for supposedly sleeping with another woman. To top it off, she almost ended up in prison for a murder I’d committed.
I cared about her. I wanted her, but did I love her? I’m not sure I’d ever loved anyone. Don’t get me wrong. I’d said the words in a pinch. A naked, drunken pinch, but I’d never meant them. So why did the thought of losing her make me sick?
SHANK (A Wilde Crime Series) Page 21