Jimmy watched our plans turn to shit, but he didn’t break a sweat. How can he be so calm? This can’t be good. We had lost our upper hand by having the drugs. Surrounded by these men, it seemed like our minutes were numbered. They could shoot us and take the drugs. The taste of vomit rose up in my throat. I swallowed, forcing it down.
The curvy prostitute who had arranged the meeting leaned against the back door. Her smug smile lingered until I stepped out of the car. She took a long draw from her cigarette. I walked up to her, eager to see the mystery buyer. She blew the smoke out then flipped the cigarette onto the cement.
Stomping on it, she said, “Right on time. He’ll like that.”
My goal wasn’t to impress him. I only cared about making the drug deal.
She said, “My associate is going to stay with the car and your friend, for now.”
A car door shut behind me. Keeping my hand on the revolver in my waistband, I turned my head toward the noise. The driver of the Mercedes approached us. His dark shark eyes shot daggers through me.
The cold barrel of a gun jammed against the back of my neck. My breath hitched as I put my hands up. “I don’t want any trouble.”
“Where’re the drugs!” the man standing behind me shouted. He grabbed my revolver from my pants.
Fucking great, now I don’t have a gun. “They’re in the trunk.”
“Open it.” He pressed the gun deeper into me.
My heart pounded. He’s going to pull the trigger as soon as I open it. Either I show him the drugs and die, or I die and they force Jimmy to do it. Shit!
“Now.”
Unless Jimmy did something, I was dead. I walked to the car.
A man sat in the passenger seat, pointing a gun at Jimmy. The thug said, “Give your friend the keys.”
Our plan was becoming more complicated by the minute. Jimmy rolled down his window and handed the keys over. I went to the trunk and popped it open. The man that had pulled a gun on me earlier kept his weapon drawn on me. Another man got out of the SUV and walked toward us.
“You’re going with him.” He nodded in the direction of the man heading our way with his gun pointed at me. He towered above everyone else and had tattoos covering his arms.
Shit! How many men are we dealing with? Even if Jimmy tried to disarm the man in the car, it would turn into a bloodbath.
Tattoo Man came over and glanced at the stash in the trunk. His eyes lit up. “Well, look what we have here.” He looked back at me.
The other guy put his gun in his pocket and grabbed a pouch of the pills from the trunk. He opened it and took a whiff, closing his eyes as his nostrils flared. Taking a deep breath, he nodded to the man with his gun still aimed at me.
“Move.” Tattoo Man motioned me with his weapon toward the back door entrance of the strip club.
I looked back at Jimmy before entering the club. His hands were on the wheel. The scumbag still pointed his gun at Jimmy. Jimmy stared ahead with a stoic expression. I didn’t know if we were going to make it out of here alive, yet Jimmy sat there as if he was in control.
As the prostitute watched us go inside, I wondered why we were still alive. What’s stopping them from killing us and taking the drugs? What the hell is going on?
When I reached the top of the staircase, I found three rooms, all with closed doors.
“Go in the one on the end,” he commanded from below.
Just as I entered the room, I saw a man inside. He grabbed my shirt and shoved me. Pinning my back to the wall, he grabbed my neck. He squeezed hard. I struggled to breathe.
We were eyeball to eyeball. His hardened face was carved with deep wrinkles, and his jet-black eyes were intense. The smell of whiskey permeated what little air I could breathe. I gasped. I struggled to form words but couldn’t speak. Lightheaded, my vision became fuzzy.
He loosened the hand wrapped around my neck just enough to allow air to seep into my lungs. As I inhaled, my vision became clearer. He took a knife from his pocket with his other hand. Holding the blade against my jugular, he released his hand on my neck.
“You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve,” he said. “Where’s my car?” He pressed the knife deeper against my skin.
Shit, his car! I was trying to sell the drugs back to the owner of the drugs. So that’s why they didn’t just kill us. The fact that I still had his precious car was the only thing keeping us alive. That hoe fucking set us up.
On the verge of cutting my neck he said, “Answer me, or your friend starts bleeding!”
“I can get it for you.”
“You’ve got till midnight. Bring it back here.” He put his knife down. The tattoo man grabbed my right arm.
He needed his car. I needed his money. Coming back here would be suicidal. “Not here.”
“Reggie will make sure you come back.” He nodded at the tattoo man, who shoved his gun into my side.
If I could get away from Reggie, I’d have to have a way to contact him. I didn’t even know his name.
Looking at the owner of the car, I asked, “What’s your name?”
“Skel.”
I tilted my head. What the hell kind of name is that?
“You cross me and that will be all that’s left of you, a skeleton.”
Reggie gripped my arm and pushed me toward the door. “We’re going to go for a ride in your car.”
I left the room and headed down the stairs. How am I going to get the car back to its owner with it half chopped for parts? My foot hit the third step.
“Police. Freeze.” The command came from behind the closed door at the bottom of the stairs. I stopped moving.
Pop-pop-pop. More gunfire came from the same direction.
Reggie maneuvered until he was in front of me. “Go back.”
For a split second, I thought of not obeying him. He wouldn’t follow me toward the cops. He aimed his gun at my forehead. “Fucking move!”
Instantly, Fiona’s gorgeous face flashed before me. I needed to live. I turned around and bolted up to the top. Reggie ran into me to get to the door of the room we just left. He turned the knob, but it was locked.
At the bottom of the stairs, a cop slammed the door open with his gun drawn. “This is the police. Come down with your hands up!” he yelled.
Reggie shot at him. The cop fired back. The gunfire was nearly deafening in the enclosed space. I clenched my jaw and tried to open another door. I flung it open.
Reggie followed. I pulled a desk in front of the door to block it. Reggie opened the window. There was a fire escape outside.
Crack-crack. More gunfire sounded from outside the window.
Pop-pop-pop.
Crack-crack-crack.
Reggie ducked below the window. I squatted in the corner.
“Officers down! Two dead.” It sounded like the person was right below our room.
“Copy that!”
Pop-pop.
It became quiet—too quiet. I slid up the wall and stood. Peeling the curtain back just enough to see outside, I saw an officer standing in a pool of blood with a dead cop at his feet.
The officer yelled across the alley to another cop, “Pull back!”
Someone outside our room hit on our door with their fists. Bang-bang. “Police, open the door!”
The cops were giving us two choices, and neither of them was good: Either be arrested, or run down the fire escape. If we fled, the cop in the street could catch us. I looked outside to try to spot the police. I saw no evidence of them, but they could be hiding.
Thump. Thump. Thump. It sounded like men kicking against our door with heavy boots, trying to get in. My heart lurched up in my throat.
The door came ajar enough to cause the desk to move across the floor. Thump. It slid, scraping against the tile. Thump. It moved. Thump. The door was open almost enough for a gun to fit through. My throat was dry. Sweat ran down my face.
This is it. I’ll be arrested, put in jail, and unable to get the money to save Fiona’s life. A
ll because of somebody who ratted us out. Those weren’t garbage men. Those were undercover cops. They knew exactly when this was going down, but how?
Reggie fired through the door until his bullets were gone.
Then there was silence.
A voice yelled from the room next door, “Reggie, get out, now!”
Reggie dropped his gun and headed out the window.
The desk moved back again.
“Open up. This is your last chance to cooperate.”
Boom–boom. Thud–thud.
It sounded as if the cops were dropping like flies. Gagging sounds came from the hallway.
Thud-thud.
There was a hissing sound, then a green mist crept into the room. What the hell, now?
I heard Reggie’s feet pounding on the metal staircase. He’s making it out! I followed him to get away from the nasty odor. I shut the window behind me after I went out onto the fire escape. Just as I started to climb down, I heard the dreaded words again.
“Freeze! Police!” A woman officer pointed her gun at Reggie.
Reggie stopped. “Don’t shoot!” He put his hands up. I did the same. I watched him begin to squat.
“Don’t move.” The cop kept her gun pointed at Reggie. Reggie froze as the officer took a few steps toward the fire escape.
“I’m just sitting.” Reggie slowly continued squatting while moving his hand closer to his ankle. The cop fired as Reggie pulled a gun out of his ankle strap. Reggie flew back from a chest full of bullets. Blood splattered against my jeans.
A rifle stuck out from the window in the room next to ours. Crack-crack.
It fired in the policewoman’s chest. She staggered back, but there was no blood. She must be wearing a bulletproof vest. Tires squealed. The SUV came around the corner and hit her full speed, plowing her down.
The man with the rifle, Skel, went through the open window. He shut it and pulled off his mask. “Get the fuck out of here. Bring back my car, and call me on Reggie’s phone when you get it. He carries his cell in his front pocket. Just dial one.”
“How do I know Jimmy’s still alive?”
“Look down there.” He nodded toward the street.
The back window of the SUV was rolled down, and Jimmy, with a bruised eye, stuck his head out. He squinted as if trying to focus on me. Skel ran down the fire escape and got in the SUV. The car sped off.
Jimmy was hurt badly. It sickened me that he was in trouble because he thought he could handle having my back. If I didn’t get the car back to its owner, they would kill him. I looked around the back alley, but there were no signs of other cops.
“Officer, what is your situation?” a voice came from a device beside the policewoman who had been run over. It was flung off to the side of her corpse. “Officer, please respond.”
More police were coming. In the back alley, two cops lay in their own pools of blood. Was my car still where I left it, or did the cops find the drugs and take it?
My horrible situation had escalated to unbearable. It only took minutes. A few steps below me, Reggie coughed up blood. It spilled down his mouth onto his neck. His eyes bulged as he wheezed. Flabbergasted, I sat on a step. There was nothing I could do but let him die then steal his phone.
I remembered something my pop told me years ago. God forbid Johnny Law ever comes for you. If the cops come, go on the lam. It’s your only chance to survive. I ran my fingers through my sweat-soaked hair. I was going to be on the lam from two groups of people, the police and my own family. First, I’d have to find a way to get my hands on the car the drug dealer wanted back without running into my capo, who was known to occasionally check in on big jobs or send his men to do it. I’d have to steal the stolen car back and not get caught. Fuck me! At least I could still drive it. I hadn’t removed the engine yet.
Reggie convulsed, raising his head and spewing blood out onto the steps. Sirens sounded in the distance. I shoved my hand into his front pocket and grabbed what felt like a cell phone. I pulled it out as Reggie clung onto me with both hands. His eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. His face was gray. It felt like death was staring at me, not wanting to let go. I pried his bloody, sticky hands off of me. To increase my odds for survival, I took Reggie’s gun. I ran down the steps, heading to where I hoped my car would still be parked.
Chapter 14
Fiona, Sunday afternoon
Yesterday, before Cam left the hospital, he told me Tony would watch over me. After I was released, Tony drove me to my apartment so that I could grab the essentials: some clothes, my toothbrush and moisturizer, fresh underwear. I was touched that Tony offered to have me stay at his parents’ house even though, according to Cam, Tony was still grieving the loss of Marta, his wife.
Tony’s parents were out of town, and Tony assured me I would be safe at his parents’ house. The mansion, which sat in a nice part of town and was decorated with the latest trends, had everything I could need or want. Tony’s brothers came and went. They took turns guarding doors. I missed my bed, Cam, Amber, and the overall feeling of being secure and safe.
Shortly after I arrived, Amber called to say she was coming over. When I heard the doorbell ring, I felt like a kid about to open a birthday present.
I opened the front door and saw Amber with a bulging duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She looked at my forearm, which was in a cast, and my neck, still bruised from the struggle I had endured. Her stare softened as tears welled up.
“Amber, come inside. I’m going to be fine.” I took her hand and pulled her in. She needed to know I was going to survive my injuries and that Cam would find a way to pay my father’s debt. I hoped she believed everything would be okay in the end—I needed her to.
Her concerned look faded, and she mustered a faint smile. She hugged me gently to avoid putting too much pressure on my arm. Pulling back, she asked, “Can I stay with you for tonight? I checked out of my hotel. Didn’t sleep well not knowing how you were doing.”
“That would be wonderful.” I locked the door behind us.
As much as I enjoyed the thought of her staying with me, I didn’t want her to be in danger. I hadn’t spoken to Cam. What if he can’t get the money to pay my father’s debt before those men find me? I had pushed those negative thoughts aside to function, but with Amber there, they resurfaced. She needed to know the danger she could be putting herself in. I hoped she could handle hearing it. She already seemed ultra concerned.
“It would be selfish of me, though,” I explained as Amber stopped looking around the large foyer and looked at me, “to let you stay the night. I don’t know how safe it is, you being here. How do I know they won’t find out where here is, then attack again? Maybe you should just stay for a few hours.”
She shook her head. “Not a chance. I tossed and turned all night last night. Like I said, I didn’t sleep much. All I could think about was protecting you. I can’t help you if I’m not with you.” She started to head upstairs. “I take it the guest room is up here?”
“Yes, but if anything happened to you…” I reluctantly followed her upstairs. “I’m in no condition to save myself and you. What if they followed you here?”
She paused and turned around. “You shouldn’t worry. I only got Cam’s permission to be here because we took every precaution to make sure that didn’t happen. I called Cam after I checked into the hotel last night. He arranged for Tony to bring me here.”
The fact that she had spoken to Cam gave me hope that I shouldn’t doubt Cam’s ability to handle the situation. I stopped climbing the steps and took a deep breath.
She smiled back. “Cam said he’d find a way to get your debt paid.” Walking upstairs, she said, “In the meantime, I’m doing all I can to watch your back.”
She reached the top and turned around to face me. Even though I dreaded how much potential danger Amber was placing herself in, I knew she was doing it out of love for our friendship.
I reached the top and pulled her
into an embrace with the arm that wasn’t in a cast. “You’re the best, Amber.”
She squeezed back. As she let go, a clanging sound made me jump.
“Fiona, it’s just whiskey in my bag.” She unzipped it. “See?”
“Sorry.” I shook my head. “The noise caught me off guard.”
“It’s okay. I’d be on edge too.”
“I’ll calm down once Cam tells me he’s found a way to pay my father’s debt or work out a deal.”
“It’s going to be worked out. Cam made his intentions clear. He promised to take care of your problem.” She smiled.
I wanted to believe her. Having faith in Cam was the only way to get through the night without knowing exactly how he planned to fix my predicament. I mustered a slight grin and took a deep breath.
“Come on, lead the way to my room,” she said. “This thing is getting heavy. We’ll both feel better once I unload it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I brought something for us to unwind.”
Even in a time of turmoil, Amber knew what to say to put my mind at ease. I walked a few steps ahead of her toward the guest bedroom.
Once inside, Amber put her bag on the bed. She looked around. “I bet you could fit half our apartment in here. Is this the master bedroom?”
“No, that’s even bigger.” My eyes widened. “I’m still getting used to how long it takes to get to the kitchen.”
Amber grinned and nodded. “I’m sure you are.” She peered outside the window facing the backyard. “When Cam arranged for me to come see you, he said you were hidden away with people he could trust.” Her eyes scanned the lawn. “Looks like they’ve got your back.”
I looked over her shoulder. Tony and his brothers were guarding the back door. They smoked a lot, and occasionally one would chuckle at the other. Their casual stance said it all. The orders to protect came from lower levels. It didn’t need their full attention. Still, I was glad someone was there.
“Someone is always watching over me,” I said. “Nice as this house is, I’d rather be home with you.”
“Try to hang in there. I miss you too.”
City in the Middle Page 11