“Sure, okay. No problem. Just, you know, I have an idea you could make Nate proud. Might take some time, but if you wanted to work towards joining up with the Bureau, especially after today—”
“I’ll think about it later. Not now.” Finally raised her eyes. “Do you have a cell phone I can borrow?”
He reached for his instinctively, remembered he got rid of it along the Interstate. Shook his head. “Not with me. I’m sure Wyatt would, once he’s finished.”
“Just want to call my mom. That’s all.”
“If you want, I can get someone to take you home anytime. We can get your statement in a couple of days. You’ve been through a lot.”
She mushed her lips around. “I’m fine.”
“Okay.”
He turned as Desiree stepped into the room with two small cups of coffee. “The machine stuff was the best I could do—”
Wyatt was right behind her, saying “Excuse me” and brushing past, bumping her, Dee holidng the cups high and out as they sloshed.
Wyatt said, “We’ve got him. Here in town.”
Rome looked at Dee. Her eyes wide, lips parted. He said, “Lafitte?”
“Yeah, and that biker he runs with. The police already have three unmarked cars in the lot. The Chevelle is still there, and so is the Harley.”
“Are they going in?”
“Not yet. The biker’s name is Steel God, and he’s a madman. We think he’d make a break for it if we tried anything less than SWAT. I’m telling you, he’s insane.”
“No, that’s not it.” Colleen was speaking up. “He does what he has to, but he has a lot of respect, too. He washed my face after breaking my nose. Very impressed with how I fought.”
“That’s one cop. He had the advantage. This time he’ll probably feel threatened and go out guns blazing.”
“Well, yeah, but he’s not going to be a coward about it. He’d rather charge your guys rather than hide behind hostages.”
Rome sniffed. “It’s not a bad profile, but you didn’t get to spend that much time with him. You don’t know his history.”
“Don’t need to.”
“Yeah, you do. I know he spared your life and all—”
“Shut up! Would you just shut up?” She bolted from the chair, held her hand to her chest. “Such an arrogant asshole, Rome. You think you’re the shit, all the time.”
“I’m guessing you might have a little Stockholm Syndrome going on.”
“I feel fine. Steel God didn’t spare my life. Lafitte did. He’s going to listen to Lafitte. So what you’ve got to do is talk to Lafitte first, if he’s not in a coma still.”
More cops coming into the room. Wyatt leaning his ear to one of them, taking in the news, nodding, whispering orders.
Then he said, “How about we go on over, call the room, see if Lafitte will talk to us? If she’s right, we can end this nice and calm.”
Rome shook his head. “I’m not a negotiator.”
“When it comes to him, you are.”
Another look at Dee. She gave the slightest shrug, enough to telegraph As long as it’s over.
Rome said, “Okay, make sure as many guests on their floor get out now. Get someone on the stairs.”
“They’re way ahead of you on strategy. All we need now is you talking this boy out.”
They started for the door. Dee set the coffee onto a table, fell in beside Rome.
“Don’t even say it,” she said.
“Wasn’t going to.”
He was nearly in the hall when he realized Colleen wasn’t with them. He whipped around. “Come on.”
She took a step, then took it back. Said, “No, that’s okay. I’ll stay with Josh.” Not even “McKeown” any more.
Rome told Wyatt and Desiree he’d meet them at the end of the hall, waited until they were out of earshot.
Then he waited some more. No need to even ask her. Just let the silence build and she’d start to fill it in.
Two minutes.
Colleen finally said, “I’m not coming. I don’t care any more.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“No, really.” Her lips squirmed like she had a bad taste in her mouth. “Fuck, it’s, like, all I wanted was to fuck Lafitte over bad. Like, head shot bad, you know? It’s his fault Nate’s dead, and I don’t care what you say, that’s the way it is. So then that…that…fucking bastard saves my life? I was ready to die, man! So ready, wanting him to pull that trigger. I was waiting for angels to greet me, all that shit. If I couldn’t get revenge, I just wanted to go be with Nate.”
Louder and louder. Not wailing, but right on the edge. Rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.
“And, and, and now Josh might die, and that’s my fault. And, fuck, I killed that girl back there. Hardly had to think about it. Jesus.” Couple of tears. She laid her palm on her cheek, left it there a long time before sniffing, brushing it away. “I just wanted to be a cop because it was, like, strong. I liked being strong. But I’m not any more. I don’t want to see anyone else die.”
What do you do? Hug her? Shit. Rome clasped his hands in front of him, mimicking the pose he’d seen from his own superiors. Stare at the ground a moment before coming back with a checkmate smile.
Rome said, “How about I order you to go?”
“You can’t.” She sat down. “I’m going to quit anyway.”
“So? How about this, then. I hold you as a material witness. You still get to come along, and after, I can let you stew in jail for a while.”
Colleen touched her bandage. Poked at it. Squinted her eyes when the pain hit. Sniffed in real big and clamped her hand on the armrest again. “Do it. It’s the only way I’m moving.”
He watched her short fingernails grip the wood. Nothing some handcuffs and a taser couldn’t fix. Seemed to work almost every time. But she’d gotten all buddy buddy with the boy. Motherfucker. Next she’d be telling him they planned to open a barbecue restaurant together or something.
Why bring her along anyway? At best, she’d be able to point out the biker. At worst…no, there was no worst. And best wasn’t that great, really.
Rome waved her off. “Fine. I don’t care. Your life.”
Her shoulders went slack. “Thank you.”
“Your loss. Can’t change your mind.”
A slow shrinking, hand slipping between her knees. Face down. Feet one on top of the other. “I’ll let you know if there’s any news on Josh.”
He stood there another half minute or so, finally saying “Yeah.”
Down the hall he met up with Wyatt, Desiree, and a bunch of adrenalized cops. That was more like it. They trooped out into the mid-morning light. Hungry to go. Rome thought, This is what it means to be the law.
THIRTY-SIX
Lafitte found Steel God at the end of the hall, looking down at the parking lot through the window. The big man kept staring, said, “Think they’re here.”
“Is it safe to look?”
“Why not? They want to shoot me? Just like that?” He pointed to a sedan, unmarked but still obvious. “Got one. Him and a partner in the front seat. Probably going to hide until the cavalry arrives.”
“Which means?”
“Time to go.” Steel God smiled. Fucking smiled.
“If you see one, there’s probably more on the other corners.”
“Rather let them chase us than trap us.” He turned and started down the hall. Someone had been peeking out their door, opened just a crack. Steel God winked at them. The door shut. Lafitte followed, still trying to decide. Run? Stick together?
Or get away safely, do the math later.
Still a hard choice, knowing what he knew about Ginny, the kids, his whole fucking life. Shouldn’t be so hard. In the end, it came down to what would work best.
“Wait, wait.” He stopped. Bent over, put his hands on his knees. His body still aching, cramping. “What if we split up?”
Steel God turned back. “For good?”
&nbs
p; “No, like, for a day. If Kristal and I can somehow sneak out and take the car, then you can tromp out of here, lead them all on a wild goose chase. I don’t know. Just…it’ll give us time to make it back home.”
“Our home?”
Lafitte nodded. He meant it. Like it or not, that’s where he had to go. “Yeah.”
A couple with a little boy came out of their room, a little scared. They saw Lafitte and Steel God, stopped whispering, frozen.
Lafitte pointed down the hall behind them. “Stairs are that way.”
The father put his arm around his wife, led her in front of him so his back was a shield to the two bikers. Another door opened further down the hall, businessman type, same scared look.
Lafitte said, “They’re clearing the floor. We’re out of time.”
Steel God crossed his arms and stared after the fleeing people. Lafitte was wishing hard he didn’t get any ideas about hostages.
Took a minute for the big man to say, “We stay together.”
“It’s a bad idea.”
“We’re past bad. I didn’t come all this way to have to split up. And you’re in no fucking shape to be alone.”
“I’ll have Kristal.”
“Only until you slow her down. Then you got no one.”
Lafitte couldn’t argue with that. Goddamn it, this was all he had left, and it wasn’t much.
“Okay,” Lafitte said. “Okay. Okay.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
Steel God clapped a hand on Lafitte’s shoulder. “Keep watch at the window. Let me know if anyone else shows up before we get back.”
“Going to get her?”
“Be right back.” Wink.
He walked back to the room. Lafitte started for the end of the hall, nearly ran into a couple of teenage girls wearing the same T-shirts, ST. JAMES HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL. Their eyes went big. Moved over against the wall. Lafitte kept on, flicked a thumb over his shoulder. “Stairs are back that way.”
*
“We need to go,” Steel God said as soon as he stepped into the room. “Now.”
Kristal had shoved Billy’s old clothes into the shopping bag, plus the leftover guns. She reached in and pulled one out. “Need this?”
Steel God crossed the room, took it. “You and Billy in the car. I’ll follow.”
Kristal nodded. “I’ve been thinking, maybe we should split up?”
“No, we talked about that. I don’t like it.”
“But it’s the best way. Split the focus, and you’ve got a better chance—”
“I said no!” Thunder. Startled Kristal. He took a deep ragged breath. Coughed, spit on the carpet.
Kristal stepped over beside him, laid her hand on his back. “Look at you. This is hard enough already, but how are all three of us going to make it out together like, you know, this fucked up?”
“We will.”
“We can’t.” She rubbed. “I know what we’ve talked about, and maybe it’s time to switch gears. In a few days, after the heat is off, we’ll meet up.”
He flexed her hand off his back, full height again. “Goddamn it, look. You and me, we’ve got this plan, but I know you’re going to fuck me over.”
“No, come on, never.”
“Shut up. Fucking shut up already.” Got a finger in her face. “I said I know, not that I’m guessing. You hear me?”
Kristal’s lips twisted. “Billy told.”
“Fuck, I figured that shit out long before then. So if I get caught, it’s no biggie. I go to prison, I’ve got people on my side in there, and before too much longer I’m either dead in the infirmary or dead in a fight. That’s fine. But you, let’s say Billy’s not strong enough to make it. You’d drop him in a second.”
She turned away. “You asshole. Piece of shit. I wouldn’t.”
“Or say they catch you.” He closed in behind her. “Jesus, the things you’d tell them in exchange for a deal. I can’t even begin to—”
“Fuck you! Never. Not even once.”
Grabbed her shoulders, spun her around. Shut her up.
“I know what Billy sees in you. You’re good at that, showing him innocence where he wants to see it most. But I’ve known you a little longer than that. You might be smarter off the dope, but you’re still the same manipulative selfish bitch who came crawling to me wanting to suck my cock, move right up the ladder your first night, remember?”
Her eyes were already down and right, hard. She nodded. “Mm.”
“And what did I say?”
Her throat contracted. Thin cold lips.
“Answer me. What. Did. I. Say?”
“That I’d have to prove myself.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve been doing that everyday. I finally got here to the top.” Eyes back to his. “And you turn out to be a weak pussy. Fucking dying already.”
His eyes. She hadn’t seen them go sad like that in forever. He took a step away from her.
Kristal said, “It’s time to split up. This is my call now.”
Steel God shrunk. Just her imagination, maybe, but he shrunk a good three inches like magic, she could swear to it. He said, “I still make the call.”
“No. Not any more. If you want to keep on playing this game, you do what I say this time.”
“I. Um.” Cleared his throat. Gruffed it up. “There’s a lot left in the tank, missy. I’m not called Steel for nothing.”
Kristal laughed. The laugh of an actress on Broadway. High drama bitch. Withering. “Why do you think I stopped going after your cock? Like, I gained some fucking respect for you. Jesus. Because you were limp, man. L-I-M-P. So I found the next best thing—the guy going to replace you.”
“Hey—”
“Just been waiting you out, old man. My fucking granddad is tougher than you, and he’s had three strokes.”
Steel God backhanded her, split the skin at her temple. She bounced onto the bed.
“Only reason I never fucked you was because you weren’t my type.” Whatever had been vulnerable in his eyes had turned batshit insane. He said. “I don’t have time for fucking games. Fucking double agent shit. The women in my bed, I tell you one thing, they’re honest. If they’re not when they get there, they are when they leave.”
She smirked. “Want to bet?”
He didn’t have an answer.
She said, “You believed them, didn’t you? You had no idea what they were telling the other women.”
Steel God’s breaths were heavy, strained. Kristal touched where the skin had split. Stung. Pulled away two bloody fingers.
He said, “You want to play? Let’s play. At least we’ll finally get some truth out of you.” Unbuckled his belt.
“Are you kidding? We don’t have time!” Kristal said.
“Too late. We’re shooting our way out anyway.” Unbuttoned his pants. “It might hurt going in, but it’ll only take a couple minutes.”
Kristal got a peek at his dick as the zipper came down and he pulled it out. Just like she’d heard. Every part of this guy was huge. Had to be nearly a foot soft, goddamned thick, and it was growing. A bit of the tip was gone because one of his earlier girls bit it off. Never heard from her again.
Steel God reached down, grabbed Kristal’s shoulder and turned her over. She fought but the grip was intense. Flipped her onto her stomach, one hand pinned under, the other free but useless. Steel God laid a flat hand on her back, started working on her jeans with the other. Yanking. Tearing. Not getting anywhere.
She slipped her pinned hand lower every time the bed bounced. Steel God put his knee on her back and ripped both back pockets off her jeans with his hands, taking most of the denim with it.
Kept the pinned hand moving down. Into her pocket. Around the knife.
Her jeans completely assless now. Steel God gave it a slap. Grunted.
“Girl needs a tan, I tell you.”
She inched the knife from her pocket.
One of Steel God’s fing
ers slipped inside her ass. Kristal cried out.
“Hey, sweetie, relax.”
“No, please, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“Just relax and take it, okay? I’m going to let you move, just get on your knees.”
“Please, I won’t, I promise. Please, God, please, no.”
His knee came off, but he grabbed her hair and yanked hard back. Felt her scalp stretching.
“I said on your knees!”
He threw Kristal onto the bed. She did like he asked, got on her knees. Got the knife out, too. Had to do it fast, fast, fast. Opened it.
Steel God grabbed her hips. His cock rubbed against her bare cheeks.
She pushed herself up, spun. A second there, Steel God backed off. What had she expected? Rage? Surprise? She got neither. The man’s face was like Jesus paintings. Reached for her. She sliced his hand. Steel God flicked it back like he’d been snakebit. Kristal didn’t wait. She drove into him, pushed him against the wall, stabbed into his crotch. Got one of his balls.
“Yes! Fuck yeah!” He said it with spit flying, blood from his hand getting all over Kristal as he pawed at her. She twisted the knife in his ball-sack. Pulled it out.
Steel God swung a knee into her gut. She gritted her teeth and felt the muslces spasm, tighten. She was going to fall down. But first she grabbed Steel God’s beard, wound it around her hand, brought him down with her. Freed the blade from his balls, aimed the next one for his neck.
Not exactly where she’d hoped. Damn thing went straight up under his jaw, behind his molars, the blade not long enough to slam into his soft palette. Fuck. She worked the blade back and forth in the hole. Back and forth. Making it bigger, making it work. Slicing all up under his jaw. Her fingers slick and red with him. Just kept working it. Steel God’s hands slapped at her arms and at the blade. More. More.
He got hold of her but she slipped away, unplugged the knife from his jaw and held it ready to thrust again. Fucker still swiping with his hands. Slid down the wall. Too much blood in his mouth. He choked. Blood ran. He choked again. Got this steady throat-clearing rhythm going but it wasn’t doing shit.
Kristal eased up the stance. Stared down at him. Felt behind her, ass skin cold, goose-bumped. She swallowed. Hated to see the old man like this. She stepped closer, above him. Weak arms slapping but she pushed them down. Grabbed his hair, pulled his head to the side.
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