Marshall: A Bad Boy Romance

by Kara Hart

  I knew I had to stay and talk with him. I couldn’t say no and walk away because then I’d never know what could’ve been. Well, I know now. What could’ve been was everything. And I let it crash to pieces.

  30

  Marshall

  Have you ever felt your heart physically hurt inside your body? Before now, I had never felt that. Before Vi, things were always normal. It wasn’t the most exciting life, but there wasn’t any pain attached to it. I just did my job, went out with some women to pass the time, and went to sleep. That’s how it was before her. I led a simple life.

  Now, everything has fallen apart. Picture this: a grown man as sexy as me, laying on his bathroom floor with a bottle of bourbon in hand. It ain’t a pretty picture, right? That’s what this woman has done to me. She makes my head spin, my stomach turn, and my eyes wince.

  She knew what was going to happen. She did it anyway. Of course she did. Why wouldn’t she? Here’s a woman who’s hell bent on playing games. From the very first night we met, she wanted to destroy everything that I had become. To her, I was just the enemy, waiting to bring her down. Yet, I had no fucking clue.

  Vi. A bank robber. A criminal. It’s unfathomable to me. This woman has put me in the worst position known to man.

  Lying on my bathroom floor, I hear my phone vibrate. I glance at the screen, but I can’t make out the name. I’m too fucking drunk and heartbroken for this shit. I answer it anyway, hearing Adam’s stupid voice in the phone. I can’t let him know about Virginia. He’d rub it in my face, gladly.

  “Where are you, man?” he asks. “You were supposed to be here over an hour ago.”

  “I’m piss drunk,” I say. “Leave me the hell alone.”

  “You’re what?!” he screams. I can hear him scurrying out of the station. Outside, I can hear the cars whizz by. It’s about 9 AM and my head is throbbing. The thought of going out into the real world right now completely disturbs me. How could anyone do that at a time like this?

  “Man, you have to be here. Craig just woke up from his coma. We’re hoping to get some information out of him later today,” he says.

  “Fuck,” I groan. “The bastard woke up already? You’re not going to get any answers today. It’s too soon.” My words are slurred, but I’m capable of forming some coherent sentences at least.

  “You need to be here. Freddie’s going to flip,” he says.

  “Tell him I’ve got a fever. I’m puking my brains out. Tell him anything. I don’t give a damn. I can’t drive a car, let alone walk into work like this,” I tell him.

  “Dammit, Marshall,” he sighs. “I’m coming over. Don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Like hell you are!” I scream, but he just hangs up the phone. “Bastard.”

  It feels like only seconds have passed when he knocks on my door. “Come in!” I yell, unable to pick myself off the ground.

  I hear his footsteps in the hallway. I look up and see him standing over me. “You weren’t lying,” he laughs. “You’re totally fucked up, aren’t you?”

  “Shut the fuck up, Adam,” I say. “Don’t be like that, right now. I’m hurting.”

  “Headache? You need some Advil?” he asks.

  “It’s my heart, dammit,” I say. “She took my heart, squished it in her hands, threw it on the pavement, and stepped all over it. She broke it into a million pieces. Now, I’ve got nothing to live for. Nothing.”

  “Jesus, man,” he leans over and hands me a water bottle. “I’ve never seen you like this before. I thought women were a dime a dozen to you.”

  “You envy me, right? You envy this?” I laugh with malice. “Women used to mean nothing to me. And then I met her. Virginia!”

  I’m an embarrassing piece of shit. At least, that’s how I feel. Melodramatic. A man isn’t supposed to hurt like this. He’s supposed to pick himself up, dust off his jeans, and get back into the ring. Instead, I’m laying on the floor, drunk as hell, and I’m on the verge of tears.

  “What happened?” he asks me.

  “Why’d you always blame her, man?” I skip over his question. “You always made her out to be a criminal.”

  “I didn’t,” he says. “Elroy said that the woman—”

  “Fuck Elroy!” I yell, sitting up. The room starts to spin, but I manage to stop it in my head. “We were partners. You’re supposed to stick by me, man. You can’t go around blaming people for shit they didn’t do.”

  “I wasn’t blaming her. I was keeping the option open. This case is important to me,” he says. Anyway, he was right. He doesn’t know it, but he hit the nail right on the head.

  “Well, you can fuck off with your assumptions,” I say. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter anymore. She’s gone. She left me for good.”

  “I don’t understand. I thought you were in love,” he says. “I saw you two together yesterday. You looked happy enough.”

  That was back when life was perfect. Funny how it wasn’t that long ago, but it feels like another life entirely. “Shit happened, okay? She’s gone. Let’s leave it at that,” I say. “And I’m not coming into work. Not today, anyway.”

  “You don’t want to be the one to question Craig?” he asks. “You sure? It wouldn’t bring you any joy?”

  “I’m done caring about justice.” I smile. “You hear me? Done. I’ll be there tomorrow. Talk to Craig. I don’t give a flying fuck what happens.”

  He gets up from kneeling next to me and shakes his head. “Get some rest, man. You’re losing it. I miss the old Marshall,” he says. I feel an angered sadness waiting to burst inside of me. He misses the old Marshall? Well, shit. I wish I’d never been born in the first place. Then, Virginia couldn’t have broken my heart.

  “See you tomorrow,” I whisper. Tomorrow. Sure.

  31

  Marshall

  The next day, I wake up feeling shittier than ever. I’m too sober to run away from the pain. Now, nothing matters to me. I’m as blank as a man can be. In some odd way, this gives me defiant strength. I walk into the station, ready to bring this case to rest.

  “Bring me to Craig,” I say. Adam glances up at me from his desk and smiles.

  “You’re finally ready?” he asks me. “You look a hell of a lot better than yesterday.”

  “I’m fine,” I say. “Just a bad day. You ever have one of those? Come on. You ready to get this over with?”

  “I’ve been dying to,” he says, grabbing his keys. We storm out of the building so fast that even Freddie is bewildered.

  “Freddie’s tried his tactics on him, but he’s not budging. The guy keeps claiming he can’t remember anything, like he’s got amnesia or something.”

  “Bullshit,” I laugh. “He knows exactly where he is. The man doesn’t want to go to jail, but he’s going to end up there, regardless.”

  “I figure you’re the one for the job, not Freddie. This is your area of expertise,” he says. “Let’s just hope he tells us who the third party is. That woman.”

  Virginia. The woman who broke my soul. What am I going to do with her and the knowledge she gave me? The hard pill to swallow isn’t that she committed the crime. I can deal with that eventually. It just takes some time. No, the worst part is feeling how checked out I am. And it’s all because of her. After this case, I’ll surely quit the force. It’s my time. The woman I loved duped me. You can’t come back from something like that.

  “Something tells me she’s long gone,” I say.

  I think of her packing her things. I imagine her leaving town in a taxi. Maybe she’ll take a boat overseas somewhere. Maybe she’ll end up in Mexico by herself. Without me.

  Fuck, we had so many plans. We were going to conquer the world. I really felt like we would. How can it all be over? The heavy blows come in waves of pain and misunderstanding. Confusion. It’s part of the grieving process. Sometimes I find myself denying that it ever happened. Other times, it’s just so fucking obvious. In the end, you don’t know what to believe. You just know that it’s not how it wa
s anymore.

  We pull into the hospital, walk through those blue doors, and come across Craig Richardson’s room. The doctor is standing in front of the door, blocking our access.

  “Move aside, please,” Adam says. “We have a court order.”

  “I won’t let you terrorize this man during the healing process,” the doctor says. “He deserves to get better.”

  “Look,” I sigh. “I’ve had a really fucking hard couple of days. The least you can do is let us through.”

  “Frankly, I don’t care about your last couple of days. I’m a doctor. I focus on health.”

  I let him have his say. Sure. When he’s finished I say, “This man killed someone six years. He killed someone and then robbed two banks. He doesn’t get time to fucking heal. People like him don’t deserve time,” I say, fed up with all the bullshit.

  “Excuse me?” he asks, confused.

  “Move aside or you’re under arrest,” I say. When he doesn’t move, I push him aside.

  “Calm down, Marshall,” Adam whispers.

  “I don’t give a damn anymore, Adam,” I tell him honestly. Then, I face Craig. Can you believe it? The bastard actually has a smile on his face. Even with the tubes coming out of his nose, he’s smiling. “Craig Richardson. I’ve been waiting weeks to talk to you.”

  “Marshall,” he whispers, out of breath. “We finally meet.”

  “It’s a real pleasure,” I say.

  “I want to speak to you alone,” he says. “I won’t talk if this man stays in the room with us. I don’t trust him.”

  “He’s under strict orders to stay,” I say. Though, I wish he’d leave as well. “I’m sorry, but he’s gotta stay.”

  “Then you get nothing from me,” he says. “I’m very weak. I think I’ll go to sleep for a while.”

  “It’s fine,” Adam sighs. “I’ll wait outside. You got this?”

  “Yeah,” I groan. “I got this.”

  Adam exits the room and closes the door. “Make sure it’s shut,” Craig says. “We have some things to discuss, no doubt.”

  The door is definitely shut and I doubt Adam can hear anything. I can see him sitting against an opposite wall outside. I get right to the point with this guy.

  “Virginia,” I say.

  He nods and smiles. “So, you already know?” he asks.

  “Yeah,” I sigh. “I know too much.”

  “You’re not going to turn her in, are you?” he asks with a concerned look on his face.

  “Why do you want to protect her so badly?” I ask him. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t turn her in right now?”

  “Well, for one, you withheld the information for quite a long time,” he says. “How’s that going to look to the feds in there?”

  “I just found out. I’m not withholding shit,” I say.

  “Oh, so your partner knows? That’s good. I was under the impression he was being kept in the dark,” he smiles.

  “What’s your fucking point?” I ask, getting irritated.

  “The point is, we’re all capable of making mistakes. Even you. Mister police man. Mister fucking hero,” he says.

  “I’ve never killed anyone. I’ve never robbed a bank,” I say. “I don’t take from people. I try and do my best. That’s the difference between me and you.”

  “And the difference between you and Virginia, I suppose?” he laughs, but it hurts him to strain his stomach.

  “Me and Virginia are done,” I say. “For good.”

  “Cute,” he says. “Anyway, it’s none of my business. I’m not out to turn her in. I know I’m going to prison for a very long time.”

  “Yeah,” I mutter. “After this case, I’m done working for the force. You at least won on that front.”

  “Justice, right?” he laughs. “I don’t really give a damn. It’s all so inconsequential.”

  “What do you care about, Craig?” I ask.

  “I cared about leaving this place. Now, I’m stuck here forever. Funny how that goes,” he says.

  “You’ll admit to everything? The murder… everything?” I ask him.

  “Why not? I have nothing to live for anymore. Might as well start living truthfully,” he says. When he can tell I’m not buying it, he adds, “Don’t worry. I’ll help your case, but I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for Virginia.”

  “Vi?” I frown. “Why? You think she cares about you?”

  “You’re wrong about her, Marshall. Deep down, she’s a really good woman who got conned into a false narrative,” he says.

  “She used me,” I look away. “She used me to get information out of the case. I know she did, dammit.”

  “You know, she kept your relationship somewhat of a secret to us,” he admits. “We had to pry it out of her. I don’t think you know her intentions as well as you think. Goodbye, Marshall.”

  “See you in court,” I mutter, walking out the door. When I turn to look at him one last time, he’s got his eyes closed and he’s breathing heavy.

  “What happened in there?” Adam asks me right away.

  “He’s going to play ball in court, that’s what happened,” I say. “Can we go home now?”

  “You did it? It was that easy?” he looks astonished.

  “Yeah, well, I’ve stopped giving a fuck ever since… well, ever since Vi left me. I guess it’s helped me in the long run.” I give a short smile.

  He nods and thinks to himself for a minute. “And the woman who helped them? Who was she?”

  “You try asking him. They won’t budge on that bit,” he says. “My guess? She’s far away from here now, sailing near the coast of Mexico.”

  I think about Virginia, all alone. She’s probably on some boat somewhere, looking back at Texas. She’s no doubt remembering what we had. I can’t forget it either. She’s starting a new life now. Only, it’s without me.

  32

  Virginia

  I hop in the cab and drive toward the docks. It’s a couple of hours away. There’s nothing left for me here. Now that Marshall has sworn me off, I don’t know what to do. There’s no forgiveness in this world that’s large enough for me.

  I always wanted a love like the one I had with Marshall. Sometimes that comes with unforeseen consequences. You can’t give the other person the full truth when you first meet them. That would be impossible. But I’ve learned now that if you swear off the truth for good, it’ll come back to haunt you, one way or another.

  “It’s right over here,” I say, pointing toward the docks. “Go slow and I’ll find the boat.”

  “What in the world is a woman like you doing in the cargo docks?” The cabbie shakes his head in disbelief.

  “I’m catching a ride out of here,” I laugh, though it’s completely true.

  He laughs it off like it’s a joke as well. No one takes a ride in a cargo boat. It’s a long and dangerous journey, but it’s really the only way out of here. My ride to Europe has been effectively compromised, as the money never got to our guy. I could try a bus to Mexico, but that means going through the border checkpoints. No, this is my best bet. A small space in a boat full of packages. Luckily, I’ve brought enough food and water to survive a week down there.

  I get out of the cab and hand him some money. “Thank you,” I say. “For everything.”

  “It’s just a ride, lady,” he says, getting back in the car. Before he slams the door, he says, “Hey, uh. Be careful. Whatever you’re doing doesn’t seem so straight. I’m not going to butt in your business, but make sure this is what you really want to do. Good luck, miss.”

  I watch as the taxi drives away. I’m alone. All alone. I don’t know how to feel anymore. Sometimes I think about the future and it seems so wide open. So many possibilities, you know? Other times, like now, it feels so small and empty.

  I want Marshall. I want him so fucking bad.

  Before the cab, I did something stupid. I had a brief moral dilemma. I may be leaving the country because I have to. I can’t go to pris
on for half my life. Still, I wanted to make things right again. That’s why I grabbed my money and threw it into a big duffel bag. I made sure everything was clean. No fingerprints. No tracing the money to me. Anyway, it won’t matter once I’m out of the country.

  I took my chunk of the money and I marched it down to the police department. I have to say, seeing all those police cars made me nervous. Still, I look like a normal girl. A cop walked by me, tilted his hat and said, “Ma’am.” I simply smiled and kept walking.

  I left the bag in the front, right next to the door, note attached to the zipper. The note was short and to the point: “I regret taking this. Have it back. I don’t want to carry this weight any longer.” That was that. I walked away from the station and no one said a word to me.

  Now, I’m on the docks and I have an hour to spare. I nestle my bag against a concrete pillar, near the water. I see a small vendor in the distance, where all the workers are eating their lunches. I walk up and the crowd starts whistling at me, but I ignore it. I don’t feel like my normal self anymore. If anything, I feel like a ghost.

  “I’ll take a Coke, please,” I tell the vendor. He reaches in an ice cooler and pulls out a can of soda. I hand him two dollars and breathe a sigh of relief. I’m almost out of here. Just another hour of waiting and my boat will be here.

  “Virginia?” I hear a voice call my name. I freeze, unable to bring myself to turn around. The voice is strangely familiar, yet distant from me. “It’s you! I thought it was you.”

  I feel a hand fall against my shoulder and I shudder with fear. Who would know that I’m here? Nobody. Not even Marshall would know. I slowly turn around and see him. Oh, God. It’s Adam, and he’s got the cockiest smile plastered across his face. He knows he’s hit the jackpot. He’s won the game. Checkmate. It’s over.