TORN: Death Dealers MC

by Celia Loren

  As I turn around, another cylinder sails in from the front door. We're surrounded, and with a shit ton of heroin in the basement cell.

  "Fucking pigs!" Taz screams, and pulls his gun out as a SWAT guy enters. Taz fires at the door, and they pull back. Someone else pulls open a window and leans out, firing at the SWAT guys there. I pull my t-shirt collar up over my nose and run to the other window to open it, so we can at least see who we're shooting at in here. My eyes are already blurred and tearing from the gas.

  I open the hallway door again and glance down it. There were some guys in the bedrooms with sweet butts, and they're now leaning out of their rooms and firing at the SWAT trying to come in the back door.

  This is a fucking mess. I hear a grunt behind me and turn. Tank slouches against the wall, grabbing his shoulder.

  "Fuck," I swear. I run over to him. "Come on!" I tell him, pressing my hand onto his bleeding wound. "We've gotta get you out of here!" He nods, and I pull him toward the office door. I fire three quick shots at the front door for cover, then unlock the door and pull Tank inside. He tries to lean against the back of the door, but I drag him along toward his office, away from the gunfire.

  "I gotta go back out there," I tell him as he collapses into his chair.

  "Leave me your gun," he says.

  "What? Where's yours?"

  "Left it at home. I don't understand how they got the drop on us."

  "I think I'm going to need my gun, Tank," I point out.

  "I'm your president! Leave me your fucking gun!" he spits out. Before I can reply, the door opens and then quickly shuts. In the darkness, I can just see a masked SWAT guy moving stealthily toward us. How the hell did he unlock the door? I raise my gun and point it at him.

  To my surprise, he lowers his gun, pointing it toward the floor as he advances toward us. "Stay back!" I warn him.

  He reaches the doorway of Tank's office and raises a finger to his lips, then turns at points the gun at… the lamp? He fires three shots at the base of the lamp, then holsters his gun.

  "What the fuck are you doing?" Tank cries out.

  The SWAT guy reaches up and takes off his helmet, then pulls off his mask. I lower my gun, as shock rolls over me.

  "What… I don't understand," I stammer.

  "What the fuck is this sweet butt doing here?" Tank grunts.

  "Beth?" I whisper, trying to figure out if I got hit in the head.

  "Actually, it's Marie," she says.

  Chapter 34 – Marie

  "I don't understand. What the hell are you doing here?" Ford gasps. I try to keep my breath steady. I've found him, that was the first step. But I didn't expect him to be with a wounded Tank, or pointing a gun at me. Shots ring out from the main room behind us, jolting me.

  "There's not a lot of time to explain," I say. "But my name's not Beth, it's Marie, and I'm an undercover cop."

  "What the FUCK!?" Tank explodes. I ignore him and keep my focus on Ford. There's no time to get distracted.

  "The whole time…?" Ford replies, looking dazed, then a dark look comes over his face. "You lied to me."

  "No. Everything I told you about was real. Everything. I wouldn't have made that stuff up, I couldn't have."

  "You rat!" Ford yells. "Shoot the fucking bitch!"

  "You're one to talk," I retort. "Ever wonder how the Death Dealers got so big, so fast?" I ask Ford. "It's because Tank's a mole for the FBI."

  "You fucking liar," Tank growls.

  "There was a bug in that lamp. I planted it myself. We heard him talking to them. He turned over other criminals so that he could run the Death Dealers with impunity."

  "Why should I trust anything you say?" Ford asks, keeping his gun trained right at my head.

  "That's how I heard about that Spiders prospect. Ford said it on the phone to the FBI. He turned you in for murder in exchange for information about the heroin shipment." I see Ford shoot a quick glance over at Tank. Tank sees it, too.

  "That's insane!" Tank spits at me.

  "I swear it's true, Ford," I tell him. "And that's why I'm here. I can walk you out of here. And then we can leave, together."

  "That's insane!" Ford exclaims.

  "Maybe," I admit. "But I've got all the money I have in the world strapped under my vest right now. It's not much, about six thousand, but it could give us a fresh start in Mexico, like we talked about."

  "I can't believe what I'm hearing," Tans says with a laugh.

  "I want to spend my life with you, Ford. And if we don't leave right now, you're going to get arrested and charged with drug possession, trafficking, money laundering, and who knows what else."

  "Didn't you forget about this supposed murder?" Tank sneers.

  "No, I think I took care of that one, actually," I tell him. "Ford, I love you. Run away with me."

  "You lied to me," he replies, but the tip of his gun lowers slightly.

  "I know. But you're also the only person who's ever really seen me. And I see you. I do now. I should have believed what you told me earlier, but I'm here now. Come with me." His gun lowers a little more.

  "Are you seriously considering this?" Tank yells. "We're in the middle of a fucking firefight here!"

  "Why now? It's not the most convenient. I mean, you could have called," Ford says. The slight sparkle in his eyes tells me I might actually have a chance here.

  "I did. You changed your number."

  "Got a new burner."

  "I went to your place as soon as I heard about the raid, and you weren't there."

  "On a run," he explains.

  "Hate to break up this little reunion," Tank sneers, "but this fucking cunt is a liar."

  "Deny it, then," Ford says, turning to him. "Deny you're a mole."

  "Are you fucking kidding me? Of course I'm not a mole!" Tank yells, his face purple with rage.

  "Ford, he killed Brick," I finally tell him. I know they were close. "Brick wouldn't turn and so the FBI offered the deal to Tank. All Tank had to do was get Brick out of the way."

  Fury covers Ford's face. "Deny it," he growls at Tank.

  "How dare you!?" Tank yells. "I'm your fucking president! What the fuck is wrong with you? You're going to believe this little piece of ass over me? After I'll I've done for this club?"

  "You said you could know people within two minutes of meeting them, Ford," I say. "So what's your gut telling you now?"

  "Oh, for fuck's sake!" Tank says, rolling his eyes. "Shoot the bitch!"

  My throat closes as Ford raises his gun. I thought I could reach him. I thought he would believe me…

  Suddenly, he smiles at me. "I've got a good feeling about you, Marie," he says. He turns and points the gun at Tank, then lowers it. "Can't have you getting away," he tells him, and pulls the trigger.

  Tank screams in pain as his kneecap explodes. "You motherfucker! You motherfucker!"

  "We better get going," Ford says. I smile. "You got a plan to get us out of here?"

  "Not really," I tell him. "I figure we just run."

  "Sounds good to me," he replies.

  We head toward the office door and crouch down. He pulls the door open slightly and peers out. It's mayhem, tear gas still in the air and bullets flying everywhere.

  "You ready for this?" he asks me. I put my hand in his.

  "Ready."

  "You know it's fucking insane, right?"

  "Oh, I know."

  He leans forward and kisses me, and it's true, I do feel ready for anything. "You never did seem like much of a Beth," he says.

  Chapter 35 – Ford

  I watch the main room, waiting for a chance. "Get back here, you motherfucker!" Tank screams from the back room.

  "One more thing," Beth – Marie – says. "Those cops, they're good guys. They're just doing their jobs."

  "What if they shoot at me?"

  "Aim for their legs," she replies.

  I smile darkly. "They're wearing bulletproof vests. I sort of have to."

  "Glad we're agree
d."

  I place my hand out and put it palm up. She slaps her hand down in mine. I turn back to the room.

  "I'm going to fire a few shots for cover," I tell her. "Then we run to the front door. My bike's around the side."

  "Got it."

  "Here goes…" I raise my gun and fire three shots, aiming over the cops' heads. "Now!" I tell her, and pull her into the main room. I guess I should be worrying more about myself since she's got the vest and the helmet, but I can't help putting my body in front of hers as we run along the wall toward the front door. Suddenly, a body comes stumbling through the door.

  "Hands where I can see 'em!" a cop yells from outside. The body is Victor, one of Taz's hotheaded friends. He reaches for a discarded gun on the floor. There are two quick pops, and Victor falls backward. The cop hurries through the front door, swearing, and crouches over Victor's body. I stare for a moment.

  Marie squeezes my hand, and we quietly make it the rest of the way toward the door. To my left, I can see three brothers on the ground, their hands cuffed behind their backs. A cop stands over them, making sure they're not about to pull something. I've been in plenty of warzones before, and I can tell that the Death Dealers are losing this fight.

  Marie and I head toward the right. My bike's parked on the end. We reach it, and Marie yanks off her helmet and pulls down her mask.

  "Let's get out of here," she says. I'm about to swing my leg over my bike when her expression changes. "Don't!" she calls out, then jumps in front of me. I turn around to see a cop pointing his gun at me. His face looks familiar…

  Chapter 36 – Drew

  My body grows cold as I look at her. She's with him, Ford, the murderer. Not only that, she stepped in front of him, so now I don't have a clean shot.

  "What the hell are you doing?" I gasp. I look around quickly. On the side of the building like this, no one else can see us. No backup.

  "I guess this is the part where I say this isn't what it looks like," she replies. "But it is."

  "You're…you're helping him?"

  "I'm leaving with him," she replies. The grey light of the moon flickers over her eyes.

  "You're insane," I tell her. "You have Stockholm Syndrome or—"

  "Drew. I know that you don't understand, but we need to go."

  "Go? You're not going," I reply. "How are you so fucking calm right now? You're a police officer, and you're helping a criminal escape! You'll go to jail!"

  "I'm in love with him."

  "No, you're not! You were just undercover too long."

  "That's not what this is. He sees me," she says, still maddeningly calm.

  "I see you!"

  "No, you don't," she replies, and takes a step toward me.

  "Don't!" I warn her, and she raises her hands.

  "You don't really know me, Drew," she says. "I have a past I never told you about, that I never told anyone about. I wanted to be a cop because I thought it would finally make me good, but it's not who I am."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "I can't explain. I'm just not who you thought I was."

  "Look, Marie, we can still go back. No one else has seen this, and I won't tell, I swear to God. Just move away from him."

  "No, Drew, listen to me. I know this is hard, I know that you and I—"

  "Is this why you came on the raid?" I feel like my brain is exploding. I mean, I can't really be seeing what I'm seeing and hearing what I'm hearing. "Fuck! You planned this the whole time, didn't you?"

  "Yes! I had to get Ford out. He doesn’t deserve to be handed over to the FBI!"

  "He's a murderer!"

  "No, he's not. He didn't kill that prospect, he just made it look like he did to save his life in the long run. I found the hospital records for when the prospect went to the hospital. He left without giving an ID, but there was security camera footage, and it all matches up with what Ford said."

  "That's not enough to get him off the hook," I counter. "It could have been another brother."

  "It's enough for me. I left all the evidence in your desk for you to find when you get back."

  "And what about everything else? Even without the murder charge, he's still a criminal."

  "There's more to him than that. You'll have to trust me on this."

  I glance quickly behind her. Ford is standing there completely still, but his eyes are on me and I can tell he's ready to make a move if I budge even an inch.

  I take a deep breath. "Marie, think about all you're giving up. You can never come back here. You'll be wanted."

  "I know. It's worth it. He's worth it."

  "I can't let you do this," I tell her. "I just can't." She takes another step toward me, then another.

  "Drew. I meant what I said. You are a good, good man. But we would never have worked. I'm a different kind. I just am."

  "But I love you," I protest, my throat nearly closing off my words in pain.

  "Then let me go," she whispers. "Please. Let me go." I study the way the light gleams white on her cheekbone, the small upturn at the end of her nose, and the bright green of her eyes… I memorize it, and lock it away in my brain. I know I'll never see her again. I lower my gun. "Thank you."

  She slowly backs up, until Ford is directly behind her again. "You better be good enough for her," I tell him.

  He gives me a solemn nod, then swings his leg over his bike. The ignition starts, and Marie slides on the back of his bike behind him. I look around again, making sure no one is watching.

  As I look back, the bike lurches forward. Marie raises her hand to me. The bike passes me, then sails down to the front entrance and tears off along the road. They're gone.

  Chapter 37 – Ford

  "Where are you going?" Marie yells in my ear.

  "I've got a go-bag at my house," I yell back. "We're gonna need it."

  "We don't have a lot of time!"

  "It'll just take a minute!" I assure her. She settles down against my back, pressing her face into me. I grin as the wind whistles past us. I haven't felt right in weeks, ever since she left. And just like that, all is right again.

  Is it crazy that I'm not even worried about what our lives will look like? All I know is that I need her there. We just need to make it down to Mexico.

  I turn my head as a bunch of black, unmarked cars with red sirens on their roofs head the other direction. That'll be the FBI. They must have just heard that their precious mole got busted. Too late now. He's been caught with his pants down, or at least with a shit ton of heroin in his basement.

  I pull into my driveway and Beth hops off behind me. I push down my kickstand and jump off. I look down at her and yank her toward me.

  "I can't believe you're a fucking cop," I mutter.

  "Come on, you love a girl in a bullet proof vest," she purrs. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her hard. She breaks away and looks up at me. "You're sure though, right? About me, about Mexico?"

  "I'm sure," I reply. "I've been thinking about leaving the Death Dealers for a while anyway. Things hadn't been the same since that traitor took over, and now I know why." I take her hand and pull her inside the house. We head for my bedroom. "That's why I've had this ready," I tell her, and pull a black backpack from the top of my closet. I open it, showing her the stash of cash and fake IDs. Her jaw drops.

  "How much money is that?" she gasps.

  "About a hundred and forty-two thousand," I tell her. "I've been saving it up for years."

  "Wow, I feel like an idiot with my six," she replies.

  "This'll get us set up with a real life," I smile.

  "I really am sorry I had to lie to you. I wanted to tell you the truth so many times."

  "Now I know what you couldn't tell me. Maybe it was supposed to happen this way." She smiles up at me, then tugs at her vest.

  "Since we're here, I'm going to take this and my uniform off. It'll just attract attention. I think I left some clothes here," she says, reaching down the front of her vest. She pulls a stack of c
ash out and throws it into the backpack. "Unless you threw them out."

  "Still on the shelf in the closet," I tell her. "I'll grab some waters and pack the saddlebags so we don't have to stop."

  "Yeah, we should get going," she agrees. "Meet you outside."

  As she pulls at the straps on her vest, I hurry toward the kitchen. I have a few bottles of water in the fridge and some protein bars. That'll have to do. It's only four hours to the Mexican border, but then there'll be a lot of driving after that. I have a town on the Pacific coast in mind as our destination.

  I think briefly of Marsh and the rest of my brothers. I hope he gets off with a light charge. I wish I could have warned him. I smile, realizing why Marie texted Candice to meet her so far away. She knew the raid would be happening and wanted to get her out of the way.

  There were still some good things about the Death Dealers, but not enough. Tank was like a bad apple, spoiling the rest of the bunch.

  I glance toward the door, and notice that it's open slightly. I frown. Didn't Beth close it behind her?

  I tense, but I'm too late. I feel a sharp pain on the back of my head, and my vision goes blurry before blacking out completely.

  Chapter 38 – Marie

  "I'm just gonna use the bathroom really quick!" I yell to Ford, but he doesn't answer. Probably outside, packing up his bike. I hurry into the bathroom and pee. The raid must be winding up now. It'll be a long night ahead for the cops, doing all that paperwork to book the Death Dealers. I'm sure Tank will be furious to find out that Ford and I have escaped.

  I don't even feel sad about my choice. I'll miss Candice, and Drew, but mostly I'm excited for my new life. I finally feel like me again, like I'm making choices for the person I am, not the person I think I should be.

  I wash my hands and hurry into the bedroom. "Ready!" I call out to Ford. Again, no answer. "Ford?"

  I head toward the hallway into the kitchen. Something catches my eye by the ground… the toe of Ford's boot, just visible around the edge of the doorframe. He's wearing them now, I know. My mind puts it together before my eyes fully process what I'm seeing. Ford is lying just out of view on the kitchen floor.