Hers to Protect

by Nicole Disney

  “But they have heavy artillery, Anna, and they give us ours,” Celeste said. “They’re not going to now.”

  “There are plenty of people who sell guns. We’re fine.”

  “Marco was right, though. Why would they want her dead? Kitchen wanted to turn her in. Now he can’t prove himself.”

  “I don’t know,” Anna admitted. “We’ll keep digging, but Marco had to go. He was a traitor.”

  “What about the cops? They’re still looking for you.”

  “I don’t give a fuck anymore. Anyone who wants to come at me can come, but I’ll be shooting.”

  * * *

  Adrienne opened the door of the creaky house on Sixty-Second. It felt like years had passed since she’d escaped out the back door with Gianna on her heels promising to kill her. She knew Kaia wouldn’t want her here alone, but she wanted the moment of quiet, one last moment alone with her past, with Gianna.

  The house was in even worse disrepair than she remembered. She felt the sickness of the relationship she’d left, the misery she’d grown numb to. The walls were punched through, trash littered the floor, drug residue dusted every surface, graffiti marked the walls. She timidly walked into the kitchen, listening for signs of anyone crashing here. There was still a splatter of blood dried to the floor from when Adrienne had cut Gianna. She knelt down and touched it, tears welling in her eyes. She couldn’t fathom how everything had gone so wrong. Gianna had been her first and only ray of happiness since the day her mother dragged her out of Kaia’s arms. She’d thought she’d never breathe again, and Gianna made her smile. Had she changed or had Adrienne just been blind?

  Adrienne went to the bedroom and into the safe. The money was gone, but the pistol remained. She put it in her waistband, but it felt wrong and she took it back out. She gathered the things she couldn’t bring herself to leave, pictures, a few clothes, her laptop.

  She heard the front door open. She stood, pistol ready, unsure how the gang would react to her now that Gianna wasn’t around to hunt her. She contemplated hiding or sneaking out, but she could tell it was only one person and she knew it wasn’t Anna by the soft walk. She went into the living room. Celeste was on the couch with her face in her palms. She looked up when Adrienne entered. Their eyes locked. Finally, Celeste stood up. Her eyes were red and swollen. She walked over and hugged Adrienne. Adrienne hugged her back tightly, surprising herself with how badly she wanted it. She needed to hold someone who loved Gianna, who didn’t just see the criminal who beat Adrienne, someone who wasn’t secretly trying to hide relief and even happiness.

  Celeste shook with sobs, and Adrienne felt herself losing her hold on the emotions she’d felt the need to suppress. She’d felt so conflicted around Kaia. She needed to mourn Gianna, but through no fault of her own, Kaia made it impossible. When she looked at Kaia, Adrienne hated Gianna for nearly killing her. She saw all the gentleness Gianna could never give her. With Celeste, she remembered Gianna’s fierce loyalty, her laugh, her protectiveness, the way Gianna had made her feel so alive. They finally released each other and sat on the couch. The broken frame sank to the floor.

  “I’m glad you came,” Celeste said. “I would understand if you didn’t, but I’m glad you did.”

  “I’m glad it’s you I ran into.”

  “Christina misses you too.”

  “Anna not so much,” Adrienne guessed.

  “Not so much. She hasn’t said much about you, but she’s dangerous right now. For anyone.”

  “Is she okay?” Adrienne never liked Anna, but she didn’t want anyone to hurt the way she knew Anna must be now. She and Gianna had been friends their entire lives. In many ways only they understood one another. It was a relationship that used to make Adrienne jealous. Even though she knew there was nothing romantic there, Anna saw parts of Gianna even she wasn’t allowed to.

  “I don’t know,” Celeste said. “Not really. Things have gotten…” she paused. “I probably shouldn’t tell you, should I?”

  “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

  “She’s gotten scary. It’s like she absorbed Gianna. She’s twice as ruthless as she’s ever been. I never realized how much they balanced each other.”

  “You be careful then.”

  “I’m trying,” Celeste said. “What about you? Are you okay? Are you better?”

  “I think so. Just sad.”

  “I won’t tell them I saw you.”

  “Do they still want to kill me?”

  “It’s come up.”

  Adrienne couldn’t help but laugh at the bluntness. What else could she expect? Snitches sometimes fell to the back burner, but they were never forgotten.

  “Anna probably wants to for Gianna,” Celeste said. “Honestly, I think they have bigger issues right now, though.”

  Adrienne embraced her again. “I better get out of here.”

  “Take care of yourself.”

  “You too.”

  Adrienne went down the porch steps, took one last look at the house. She knew she’d never come back. Part of her mourned it, felt the need to honor it with a moment of reflection, but the rest couldn’t wait to put as much distance as possible between herself and the hell that had happened there.

  * * *

  Adrienne moved the few belongings she was keeping to Kaia’s apartment and let herself in with the spare key. She felt out of place being there alone. It was one thing staying in a hotel with Kaia while they were in hiding, but this felt like moving in, which was crazy. She hadn’t had time to think about realities like her new need for a job and a place to live. Even if she wanted to go back to drug dealing, the streets were no place for her now. She was too hated.

  The pressures bubbled up, making her anxious and agitated. As much as she needed to focus on those things, Gianna was still consuming her. She couldn’t stop worrying about being caught and replaying the whole thing, searching for things they might have missed. It had been hours since Kaia left for the gas station and Adrienne checked out of the hotel. How long could it take?

  She couldn’t stop herself from looking around the apartment. There were a few pieces of art, but no pictures. It was clean and simple and spoke of no attachments. It seemed to match the way Kaia described her life, but it was still surprising. Kaia was so warm and charismatic. It was hard to believe no one had made their way into her life in a meaningful way. Surely they’d tried.

  Kaia finally showed up after ten at night. She hurried in, setting things down as she went, looking for Adrienne and finding her in the bedroom.

  “Marco is dead.”

  “What?” Adrienne bolted upright.

  “Him and some other guy. An Hijo de la Santa Muerte.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Consensus is leaning toward retaliation for Gianna.”

  “Do you think that’s true?” Adrienne’s heart hurt at the thought of having caused this.

  Kaia shrugged. “Not sure. Could be. I don’t have a better answer.”

  “But why would they think Marco did it? He’s one of them.”

  “Don’t know. Maybe something to do with the other guy who was there.”

  “Wow,” Adrienne said. “So we really did this. We’re in the clear?”

  Kaia came and sat next to her on the bed. “I think so, yeah.”

  “Is it just me or was that too easy?”

  “I’m not complaining. If they jumped to Marco there must have been something going on to make them suspicious. Wonder who’s in charge now.”

  Adrienne hadn’t thought of that. “It would be Anna.”

  “What’s that going to look like?”

  “Not good. Celeste said she’s losing it.”

  “Celeste?” Kaia’s face filled with concern.

  “I got some things from the house. Don’t be mad. I have nothing of my own anymore. I had to go.”

  “I could have gone with you. Anna could have been there.”

  “It was fine.”

  Sh
e knew Kaia wanted to argue, but it had already happened, so she didn’t.

  “Kaia, I don’t know who I am now. I have no job, no experience, no home, no stuff, no money, no friends.”

  Kaia’s eyebrows softened and she rested her hand on Adrienne’s leg. “We’ll figure it out. I can help you with a lot of those. Give yourself time. You’ve been through hell.”

  “That’s already feeling like a cop-out.”

  “You haven’t had time yet.”

  “I shouldn’t be staying here. I should be able to take care of myself.”

  “Adrienne, you will get on your feet. And I don’t mind that you’re here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Oh, I’m sure.” Kaia leaned over and kissed her. It was soft at first, but they both quickly tumbled into the sensation. Adrienne felt swallowed by her feelings, powerless against the force of her desire. She pushed Kaia to her back and got on top of her, spreading Kaia’s legs with her knee and pressing against her with her thigh. Kaia’s hands were under Adrienne’s shirt, moving up her back and pulling her closer. Adrienne pushed harder. She smiled as Kaia arched and kissed her exposed neck. Kaia breathed into her ear; a gentle moan made Adrienne tremble. She unbuttoned Kaia’s pants and pulled them down enough that she could fit her hand inside. Kaia’s breath caught as Adrienne pushed inside her. Kaia’s nails raked down her back and Adrienne pressed deeper, letting her own moan escape.

  Kaia flipped Adrienne on her back and straddled her, never letting Adrienne’s fingers escape, grinding slowly against her, stealing the control. Adrienne smiled and gently pressed her hips into Kaia’s rhythm, watching her intently as she took what she wanted.

  Soon Adrienne was surprised to find herself on the verge of coming. She sat up, seeking more contact, feeling Kaia’s body against her chest and stomach.

  “Come with me,” she whispered.

  Kaia pressed against her harder and faster. She spun her fingers through Adrienne’s hair and kissed her with abandon. Adrienne pulled Kaia’s hips closer, desperate for release but waiting. Kaia’s body tensed in the first waves of orgasm. Adrienne tightened her grip, pulled her closer, and joined Kaia’s climax.

  Kaia’s skin was hot and glistening. Adrienne wrapped her arms around her and rested her head on Kaia’s chest, listening to her racing heart. She gently lowered Kaia to the bed, holding her tight to her body as she drifted to sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Anna was used to being paranoid about being followed. Cops had followed her many times. Sometimes they got her, usually they didn’t. With the kinds of warrants she had right now, she knew if they spotted her they would pursue her no matter how many cars she smashed or lives she endangered. If it was an undercover unit, the black Escape that had been behind her for five miles should have lit her up by now, or at least called in a second car, but it hadn’t.

  She led him to Christina’s house, taking the long way while she called Christina and told her to get people together and ready. She expected it to drop off when she pulled into the neighborhood, but it didn’t waver in following her all the way to the driveway. She threw her car into park and got out. She pointed her gun at their windshield, but it was too dark to see inside. Christina and five other members she’d rounded up came out the front door of the house. The Escape idled.

  Christina came down next to Anna, shotgun in hand. “You got a problem or what?” She leveled the shotgun at the vehicle. All four doors opened at the same time and the driver eased casually out. He halfheartedly raised his hands.

  “Easy,” he said. It was Kitchen. He wore all black except for his silver chains. His hair was jet-black, slicked back. Everything about him seemed exceptionally clean and neat. Three others in similar clothing got out, each armed but guns pointed down.

  “I like your style.” He pointed at Christina, who still had the shotgun aimed. “You the one that killed my boy?”

  “I’ll kill all your boys if you don’t back the fuck off.”

  He whistled. “You trying to make me fall in love? Look, I just want to talk to whoever’s in charge around here, no need for things to get messy.”

  “What do you want?” Anna asked.

  “You the boss?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Kitchen. This is my crew.” He gestured at the others.

  “I know who you are.”

  “Good, we’re old friends then.”

  “We’re not friends.”

  “That seems to be the case these days,” he said. “I don’t know why you took out Marco, but I don’t see why it has to bring our business relationship to an end.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “We give you guns, you give us money, it’s been working out, I thought. For both of us.”

  “Are you fucking serious? You killed Gianna. If you think we can still work together you don’t understand who she was.”

  “I’m familiar with the infamous Gianna. She and I got along fine. I asked Marco not to send her to pickups anymore since she carried a high chance of being followed. It was a common sense decision to protect our secrets. I don’t see why it’s being taken personally.”

  “You wanted to arrest her to pick up a gold star from your detective friends,” Anna said. “Then she turns up murdered. Then I walk in on Marco having a secret meeting with one of your boys. Explain that.”

  “Made good sense. She was heading to prison one way or another with those warrants, might as well get myself in the clear and both our businesses back on track in the process. You have to understand that. But like you said, I wanted to take her in, not kill her. If Marco took out a hit, I don’t know why and it had nothing to do with us. We didn’t want cops at our door, and that’s the end of it. Why should I care who he has in his crew?”

  “Because you saw her as a risk. Because of what she knew.”

  “Gianna was well known for her ability to stay quiet. Renowned for being uncooperative with police. I had no concerns about what she knew reaching the wrong ears. I know it was her girlfriend that mouthed off. I still have people who believe I’m loyal. They tipped me off.”

  “Revenge for Adrienne snitching, then,” Anna said. “Blamed Gianna.”

  “That made her a good target for arrest, sure, but a body doesn’t help me.”

  “Then what was your guy doing with Marco?”

  “Dropping off your new identity,” Kitchen said. “So you could run the show when Gianna was in jail without getting picked up.”

  Anna felt truth in the easy way he answered, but she didn’t want to. It felt like being pumped full of cold chemicals; a sick chill crawled through her skin.

  “Yeah, the way I see it, it’s actually your people that did us wrong.”

  “Why would you want to work with us then?”

  Kitchen leaned forward. “Money, of course. What you did was wrong and we have to deal with that, you and I, but I understand what happened and I’m a reasonable enough man. I’m sure we can work something out that will keep us rich and you dangerous.”

  “You still double-crossed us with that wack ass plan.”

  “I worked it out with your leader, that’s not double-crossing. Your issue is with Marco and I see you’ve handled it.”

  Anna had to admit he was making sense. “What do you mean deal with it?”

  “If I may have a word with you alone.”

  “Like hell,” Christina said. Anna scanned him again. He was calm, but that didn’t mean anything. She’d seen Marco shoot people with hardly a pause in conversation.

  “Just me and you,” he said. “We’ll both leave our guns and we’ll stay in sight.”

  “Fine.” She felt Christina look over in shock but didn’t acknowledge it. She had to make these decisions and she did still want the guns.

  They both put down their weapons and Anna followed Kitchen down the street, out of earshot.

  “All right,” Anna said. “What is it?”

  “You killed one of my people unjustly,”
Kitchen said. Now that he was closer, she realized how tall and built he was. “I meant it when I said I want to keep working with you, but I can’t let that slide unanswered.”

  “Fuck you, you’re just a dirty cop,” Anna said. “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “You’re going to have to let the cop thing go. I’m the leader of Los Hijos de la Santa Muerte now. My affiliation with the Chicago PD is being used to all our benefits, and when that’s no longer possible I’ll be going dark.”

  “How can I believe that?”

  “I made real friends, family, out of this gang. I could no more betray them than my own kids. The detectives put me too deep and they lost me. Sure, it started with a little extra side money, but that’s not it anymore. I found love, loyalty, riches, and power. You think I could have climbed the ranks if I hadn’t filled my people in a long time ago? If they weren’t absolutely certain I was one of them?”

  “How’d you convince them? There’s nothing you could do that—”

  “I killed an officer,” Kitchen said. “It came down to them or my members and I chose. I don’t tell many people that, but I want you to trust me and I want to work together. We can make this right.”

  “What do you want?”

  “A Wild, of course.”

  “You want me to kill one of my own people?”

  “Of course not,” he said. The light reflected off his slicked back hair and he smiled. “We’ll kill them. I want your agreement that this is fair and your word there will be no retaliation. No war.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Let me be clear, we will kill one of your people either way.”

  “Fuck you. You do that we’re taking all of you out.”

  “You can try, but we’re both going to lose a lot of people that way. My way has us one for one.”