by K. S. Adkins
Though, it looks like Tiny was that guy and I was cool with that.
It was close to seven a.m. when my phone buzzed. Checking the text, I was surprised to see it from Gadget. Opening it, he let me know Officer Willis was snooping around my building. He also said, Whisky, the guy I hired who also worked in the assassin business with his wife, Camo; spotted Willis and sent him away with an ass beating.
If there are two people you do not want to fuck with it’s Gadget, his wife, and anyone associated with them. Whisky, whose real name I don’t even know, liked killing people but he was bored. He was also a born hunter. Granted, we didn’t kill people in my line of work, but he was up for the hunting so I let him have at it.
The guy was nuts and proud of it.
So when Gadget said he needed an outlet, was solid, and I could count on him, I didn’t do much more than give him a key and tell him to have at it.
Another text comes through, this time from Whisky.
His text mirrored Gadget’s except he asked if the guy came back if he could gut him. My answer was no and then I tossed the phone. It wasn’t a full minute later when hers started making noise.
When Drew shifts, I move with her and feel the TV remote digging into my side. Reaching for it without disturbing her, two things happened. The first was it was not the remote. The second was, I hit power and big black started to buzz loudly. “Need coffee before we do that again,” she mumbles placing a hand between her legs.
Turning it around, I find the off button and shut it down. Tossing it anywhere but in my hand, I move her hair away from her face and stop short. Drew was so fucking pretty it was hard to believe she was real and mine again. Her ass being bare to me wasn’t hurting anything either. “You’re getting hard,” she says running her arm over my chest.
“Impossible not to with your ass as inspiration.”
“You’re welcome,” she yawns.
“Your phone is blowing up. Probably Gadget letting you know Willis was prowling around Foxy’s last night.”
“Fucker needs a hobby,” she groans sitting up.
“My guess is he’s curled up somewhere regretting his decision.”
“What’d I miss?”
“Whisky, the guy I hired, beat his ass.”
“Whisky?” she asks with wide eyes. “As in the assassin Whisky?”
“Fuck, Drew please tell me you didn’t – ”
“Because I’m not fully awake yet, I’m going to let that go,” she warns and trust me, I heeded it. “He was a regular for years. Whisky is one guy, shit, the only guy I know who likes fighting more than you.”
“I can see that,” I agree because the man was off but it was clear that even if she let it go, I owed her an apology.
Thumbing through her phone unaware of my inner battle she says, “Dad says hi, Deanne wants to do a sister’s weekend and Carrie wants brunch.”
“I’m sorry about her,” I offer sincerely. “Really fucking sorry. And I’m sorry about Whisky, assuming…”
“She wanted to work with Tiny, she is. She wanted to apologize to you, she did. But I’m keeping my word and I’m tuning her out, Axle. She is not going to be my bestie.” Drew was so full of shit…
“Do you even have a bestie?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. Where’s big black – ”
Tackling her, pinning her arms over her head, I watch her eyes sparkle and couldn’t help but tell her, “Love you, Drew and I’m sorry about Whisky. I need to know you forgive me.”
“Love you too, Axle, and I forgive you.”
“You love me more than big black?”
“It’s a different kind of love,” she jokes. “But yes, I love you more than big black.”
“What’s a sister’s weekend?”
“Ugh,” she says wrapping her arms around my neck. “It’s usually somewhere up north with pedicures, mimosas, and a bunch of other shit I hate doing.”
“You could use a vacation.”
“That is not vacation, it’s torture.”
“When shit slows down will you take me out on the new boat?”
“Now that,” she says arching up to kiss me. “I can do.”
“When’s the last time you talked to Shane?”
“He’s dodging my calls,” she says sadly. “He’s staying up at the apartment so I was going to head by there today and check again.”
“He can’t stay there, they taped the building off.”
“The back door wasn’t damaged and neither were the stairs or the apartment. I made it clear he could stay.”
“Do you want to grab some coffee and head over?”
“Yeah.”
Pulling her up and out of bed, I almost fell to my knees as I watched her ass bounce on the way to the bathroom. Running my hands over my face, I couldn’t believe I had that ass again.
And now that I did, I needed to find a way to get up in it.
If I wasn’t concerned she’d shove big black up my ass in retaliation, I may have already went for it.
Man, that was a big cock…
I don’t know who this fucking kid thought he was but grabbing a female did not fly in my place or outside of it. I was getting ready to make a quick run to Bennett’s for change when I saw him corner her. When he shoved her I nearly shot his ass. The problem here was he was a God damn kid, plus I had my gun in one hand and a bag of cash in the other. Tossing the money to Fudge, I grab the cockfucker hauling his ass outside. Whacking him upside the head to get his attention, I blocked his pitiful defensive strike back at me. Rearing back to knock him out, I saw the look of absolute fear on his face and stopped. Instead of doing what I usually do, which was hit stupid people, I spent the next five minutes giving him a lesson on women. That night when I sent him home, I was confident he got the message. I also hoped that even if it didn’t hit the mark, he’d think twice before putting his hands on a female again. And though I hadn’t seen Axle in nine years, schooling the kid made me think about him. About how he’d always been a gentleman and how the world needed more of them. How even if he fucked me because he felt sorry for me, at least he’d been a gentleman about it.
“You’re not at the apartment, Shane. We had a deal. Fucking call me back.”
Ignoring the mess surrounding me, I blow out a breath while struggling to calm down.
“He’s fine,” Axle promises me.
“He’s not fine,” I argue back. “He did a no-show at Bennett’s, he’s not here and he’s not taking my calls. Let’s go to his parents’ house.”
“Not a good idea,” he says leaning against the door blocking my exit. “Odds are, he isn’t there and us showing up would put you in jail.”
“You don’t think he’d go back?”
“Fuck no.”
“If he did go back,” I try and reason. “And Whisky beat his dad’s ass, who is the one he takes it out on?”
“Give him until tonight. If he doesn’t get back to you by then, I’ll go.”
“What about me?”
“Drew – ”
“He’s mine, Axle. Try ditching me and watch what happens.”
My phone ringing stops our argument and not recognizing the number I answer with, “Yeah?”
“Drew?”
“Again, yeah.”
“It’s Aaron, I’m calling you from the station.”
“Fuck,” I whisper. Aaron only calls me when it’s bad news. “What happened?”
“Officer Willis is pressing charges, I’m giving you warning so you can lawyer up.”
“Is he now? Pressing charges for what exactly?”
“Aggravated assault. The way he tells it, you came to his home, pulled him out of it and kicked the shit out of him.”
“Then I’ll be sure to send his attorney the video of him coming into my bar and punching me in the kisser.”
“Motherfucker,” he growls in disgust. “Bring the video and the attorney, Drew.”
“Give me two hours.”
Loo
king at Axle, I lay it out then scream fuck at the ceiling. “Lost the video in the explosion,” I seethe. “Son of a bitch!”
“Yeah well, I’ve got surveillance at Foxy’s that show him there last night. Call your attorney, get shit square before we head in to the station. I’m going to drop you at home, head over and grab it, then pick you back up.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“If Whisky’s on that feed, I gotta let him know what I’m doing with it. Handle shit at home, then we nail the bastard, together.”
“Alright,” I reluctantly agree.
Climbing back into Axle’s Impala, he drops me at his house and takes off for Foxy’s.
I was calling my attorney; I swear I was but my gut told me to call Shane one more time.
When he answered I only heard breathing. “Shane? Talk to me.” More breathing followed by a moan of pain. “Where the fuck are you? I’ll come to you, just tell me where.”
All he managed was, “Home,” and I had already secured my gun and snagged Axle’s keys to his truck and was in the garage climbing in.
“Stay on the line with me, Shane.”
“Don’t come,” he begs on a whisper.
“Oh, I’m coming,” I warn him. “And when I get there, I’m fixing this shit once and for all.”
“Not safe,” he wheezes and I knew the sound. He was hurting.
“I explained what family means to me. I’m coming for you, Shane. Be ready.”
When he said no more, I drove even faster.
I should have called Axle; I should have called Gadget. Hell, I should have called Aaron back and asked him to send a unit, but I did none of those things.
I was so focused on getting to Shane that I completely disregarded any threat to myself.
Coming around the corner like a bat out of hell, I fly into his empty driveway.
Charging the steps, I bang on the front door with both fists yelling for him. “Open the fucking door!” I demand when I see the curtain move by the picture window. “Open it or I’ll kick the bitch in!”
A moment later, the lock disengaged and I was face to face with his mom having only a screen door between us.
“Come in,” she says pushing it open for me to enter. Not wasting a second, I did exactly that. Now in her entryway, I demand to know, “Where is he?”
“In the family room,” she says far too patiently. Seriously, she looked like June Cleaver, only ugly. “This way.”
Letting her go ahead of me, I follow on her heels. Making a right, then a left, we enter the family room and my knees almost buckled. “What the fuck?”
“He’s repenting,” she says proudly and that’s when I noticed her clutching a bible. “As you know, he has not been obedient in the eyes of the Lord.”
“Cut him down,” I demand. “Now.”
“I made room for you too,” she says sweetly, like she’s done me a favor.
This bitch was nuts. Not only did she have her own son dangling from the ceiling by his wrists, she actually did have a spot for me. From the looks of it, he’d been strung up like this for some time. Which meant when I called, she held the phone to his ear and knew I was coming. The way she was eyeing me in victory pieced it all the events together and I went fucking nuclear.
“It was you,” I accuse trying to buy us both time until I figured this out. I mean, I didn’t want to kill her. At least I didn’t think I did. Honestly, I was on the fence. But I had a gun and fuck me did I want to put a few holes in her.
I could afford the kid’s therapy…
“The gunfire, my boat, my bar?”
“Yes, it was me.”
“Why?”
“You perverted my son,” she says clutching that book close. “Psalm 18:26, to the pure, you show yourself as pure and to the morally corrupt, you appear to be perverse.”
“Yeah,” I say moving closer to Shane in protection. “I must have skipped that class.”
“You mock the Lord?”
“Let’s be clear here, I’m not mocking the Lord, I’m mocking you.”
With startling speed and strength, the woman cold cocked me with the good book sending me face first into the wall. Grabbing my hair, she drags me, putting me in front of Shane, who was terrified of his mother’s wrath.
Scratch that: of his abuser’s wrath.
“Do you beat him with your hands or with that book you love so much?”
“Proverbs 13:24; The one who will not use the rod hates his son, but the one who loves him disciplines him diligently.”
“Can you speak for yourself or do you seriously spew quotes all day?”
The kidney shot, let me tell you, was not appreciated one bit and I was getting real tired of letting this bitch wail on me. “Shane?” I snap and when his eyes meet mine I was brief. “I’m going to handle this my way, okay?” His pained eyes closed giving me the all-clear. Breaking her hold, I backhand her sending her away from Shane.
No one touches the kid on my watch!
The look of shock on her face made it clear she was unaccustomed to being hit back.
As in, it’s probably never happened before.
“I’m not real fond of jacking you in front of your son, but I will if you come at me again.”
“I am filled with the power and glory of Christ!” she shrieks like a banshee wearing an apron. Charging me, and right before she makes her grab, I shift catching her left side, giving her the best upper cut I had.
She-could-go-all-the-way!
With an oomph, she crashed onto the carpet. Unmoving, and wiping the blood from my mouth, I knelt down next to her and say, “Yeah, well I’m filled with the power of Folgers dark roast, bitch.”
Since she was out cold, I ran to the kitchen grabbing a knife to cut Shane down. Having no strength to hold himself up, he hit the floor and curled into a ball.
Reaching into my pocket for my phone, I dial Aaron to send a unit and Officer Willis home. Taking a seat next to Shane, I say nothing. I was speechless, pissed, and heartsick for him.
This will fuck the kid up for, I-don’t-know, EVER!
“Drew,” he whispers hoarsely, gripping my hand. “Thanks.”
“You played me, Shane,” I say softly because now was not the time to let my angry out. “I get why you did, but I don’t much like why you did either. You weren’t helping her by lying.”
“She’s sick,” he says pitifully. Like he’d rehearsed it. “She can’t help it.”
“No excuse, Shane.”
“Will she go to jail?”
“I’m not a cop, I don’t know.”
Sirens blared nearby so I sent Axle a text giving a heads up shit had hit the fan, but that I was okay and even included the address in case he wanted to pop by. He texted back he was on his way and leaning back against the wall, I asked Shane, “Do you plan to tell the cops the truth?” At his silence I stated my own intentions. “Because if you don’t, I will. I can live with you hating me for it, but I will not give her an opening to hurt you again.”
Moving up to rest his head in my lap, I put my hand on the top of his head and whisper, “I take care of those I care about, Shane and I care about you, a lot.”
Wrapping his arms around my waist he rests his head on my stomach and says, “I’ll tell the truth.”
Willis was the first to charge in. First, he took a look at Shane’s body molded to mine, then his wife out cold on the floor before his face went red and his body coiled to strike. He looked murderous, as in wanting to murder me. But that didn’t happen. What did happen was he knelt next to his son and asked, “You okay?”
“No, he’s not okay. Betty-fucking-cracked-out strung his fucking body from the ceiling by his wrists, Willis, what do you think?”
“You saved my boy then.”
“Someone had to,” I growl in his face and then cops flooded the place. A medic was looking crazy pants over and when she came to, she wasted no time getting back to insane in the mom brain. Her head all but spun around, and
if she started projectile vomiting I was running for it.
“Nancy, stop,” Willis begs the nut bag.
“He needs to repent!” she wails as veins popped out in her neck. “The spirit of the Lord is – ”
“Will someone knock her out, please?” I ask politely and then she zeroed in on me touching her son.
“I will kill you and send you back to Hell!”
“Is she always like this?” I ask Shane, who was now sitting up. Likely in hopes of calming her crazy ass down.
“Yeah.”
“If I have any pull with the design of her straight jacket, I’ll get a nifty cross embroidered on it just because I’m sweet.”
When two uniforms called me into the next room, I left Shane in his dad’s care to give my statement.
Nancy Willis never took her eyes off me or her hands off that bible.
“What’d that guy do to piss you off?” she asked handing me a rag with ice in it.
“He said some shit I didn’t like,” I mumbled flexing my hand.
“What kind of shit?” she asked taking the rag and placing it on my knuckles.
“Just shit, Drew, don’t worry about it, I handled it.”
“Shit about me?”
“I just said – ” I was about to snap but went with, “Yeah, about you,” instead.
“Okay,” she said quietly. “I trust he learned his lesson, Axle.”
This police shit was taking forever.
Now that the adrenaline had worn off, she was safe, and I had time to stew, I was stewing like a motherfucker.
Drew ran headlong into danger without telling me.
She put herself at risk.
One phone call, a God damn text, something…But no, I wasn’t there to protect her.
This was Drew’s way, indefuckingpendent as always and it grated.
We’d be discussing this shit in detail later. Right now, my focus was on the scene playing out in the family room.
Being that Willis was a cop, a really shitty cop apparently, he was getting grilled harder than the crazy mother was. No one said it but everyone in this room was wondering how this went on without her getting any help. As they fired questions at him, you could see him retreat. He was lost, embarrassed, and not all forthcoming.