On the Rocks

by Mia Gold

  “He got left in the bar last night,” Kristiano said, coming in from the back alley where he had been emptying the trash.

  “No one took him home? Poor little guy.” The monkey got lonely in the darkened bar at night.

  “Neville was too preoccupied and I had a date.”

  “You can’t take Zoomer on a date?”

  “Last time I did that he jumped into bed with us. That girl never talked to me again.”

  Ruby turned her head to look at Zoomer, clinging like a toddler to the back of her neck. “That was very naughty, Zoomer. You want to come home with me?”

  Zoomer screeched and pawed at Ruby’s bag, trying to get the bottle.

  “Later. I have something to do first.”

  For Ruby, the day wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot.

  Now she had to pry information out of someone who didn’t want to talk to her.

  And Ruby had no idea how to do that.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Ruby was getting sick of waiting. It wasn’t the sort of neighborhood where a thirty-year-old woman could just hang out at two o’clock in the morning. She had had to say no to three different proposals and give a roundhouse kick to a guy who didn’t want to take no for an answer. He had staggered away, holding his jaw. Ruby was pretty sure she had fractured it. That would keep him from saying filthy things to innocent young ladies for a while.

  Zoomer waited up a nearby palm tree, watching Ruby with expectant eyes.

  “You just have to be patient, buddy,” she told him. “I’m itching for that drink too.”

  At last she saw Bimini come out of the strip club. She walked erect and quickly, her high heels clacking as she made a beeline for the nearest bus stop.

  “Bimini,” Ruby called, following her.

  The woman frowned. “Not you again. What the—”

  Zoomer had climbed down the palm tree, scampered across the road, and climbed up onto Ruby’s back.

  “He’s the bar’s mascot,” Ruby said with a smile.

  “Well, keep it away from me. I don’t want fleas.”

  “Don’t worry, we bathe him regularly. He really likes playing with rubber duckies.” Ruby glanced around the darkened, nearly abandoned streets. “I’ll walk you to your stop and stay with you until you get on.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  Nevertheless, Ruby walked beside her.

  After a moment’s silence, Bimini said, “I told you I don’t know nothing.”

  “A man’s dead.”

  “I don’t want to have anything to do with it.” Bimini glanced over her shoulder.

  “The bouncer already promised me he wouldn’t say anything to your boss, and I waited out of range of the CCTV.”

  Bimini’s face softened a little, but she still didn’t speak until she got around the corner.

  “That woman who hired you rich?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I figured as much the way her husband threw money around. Give me two hundred.”

  “What? Why?”

  “So I’ll talk.”

  Ruby stopped, her jaw dropping. She couldn’t believe her ears.

  “Richard Wainwright was murdered and you’re asking for money?”

  Bimini gave her a hard look.

  “That man was a no-good cheater and a piece of trash.”

  Ruby shrugged, confused, and gestured back the way they came.

  “Aren’t most of the men who go in that place cheating on their wives?”

  “Sure, after they’re been married for a while and the fire’s cooled. It ain’t right, but it’s normal. This scumbag was cheating on his wife on their damn honeymoon. He bragged about it. If you want to know more, that rich wife of his can pay up.”

  “All right,” Ruby grumbled, fishing the money out of her pocket. She glanced around to make sure no one was looking and counted out two hundred. Bimini looked surprised Ruby was carrying that much on her.

  They continued walking to the bus stop, Bimini telling the tale in a quiet voice so no one would overhear. It paid to be careful in this neighborhood. Even Zoomer kept quiet, clinging to Ruby and looking around them.

  “Yeah, I met the dude. Not here, though. I do a bit of work on the side if I see a good thing. It’s better to do it in a house like this, because it’s safer, you know? But raising kids is expensive, and a friend of mine found a good thing. A rich guy who wanted a two on one.”

  “Richard?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Who was his friend?”

  Bimini looked at her like she was stupid. “No, two on one on him. My friend, never mind her name, is a streetwalker here in the neighborhood. This tourist picked her up but wanted two girls, so she called me.”

  “And this was Richard.” She wanted confirmation. This could be important.

  “Yeah. We went to a short-time hotel we know and did the thing. I won’t go into details but he was pretty out there. He asked for things I wouldn’t do, and stuff my friend wouldn’t do, and she does everything.”

  Ruby looked away, suddenly embarrassed. She thought she was streetwise and knew the ways of the world, and to some extent she did. She never had Bimini’s ugly world shoved in her face, though.

  But if she was going to investigate Richard Wainwright’s secret life, she knew she’d learn a lot more about the darker sides of Nassau.

  Bimini went on.

  “When we were done he wanted to stiff us, only give us half since we hadn’t given him all that he asked for. My friend got threatening, saying she knew a guy who would straighten him out. Eventually we made a deal. He wanted to know some stuff and would pay us the full amount if we’d tell him.”

  “What kind of stuff?”

  “He wanted to know about blood sports.”

  Ruby felt a chill despite the warm tropical night. She had an idea where this was going, and she didn’t like it at all.

  They reached the bus stop. A couple of other people stood there—a drunk who leaned against one of the pillars holding up the roof of the stop, and an older woman who sat at the end of the bench, as far away from the drunk as possible. The woman gave them a glance, stared at Zoomer for a second, and then looked away. The drunk remained oblivious. Bimini and Ruby stood a little apart, and the prostitute finished her story in a whisper.

  “He had been prowling around Nassau the last few nights looking for action, and he had overheard two guys talking about bare knuckle boxing. He asked if we knew where that happened. We told him it was illegal and he just laughed and said that would make a better show. So we told him that there were fights in the backroom of some place in the Maze.”

  So there it was. The reason he had taken out money at ATMs near the edge of Nassau’s worst neighborhood for two nights in a row.

  “Where is this backroom?”

  Bimini shrugged. “I don’t know and I don’t want to know. You think I’d go to that neighborhood? The only working girls who go there are strung-out junkie streetwalkers, and they don’t last long. It’s the end of the line. We warned him not to go. It’s no wonder he ended up dead.”

  “You warned him not to go?” Considering everything Bimini had told her, she was surprised the prostitute would care.

  “You think I want his death on my conscience? Sure, he was a cheat and a perv, but I’m not going to miss out on my shot at heaven by leading a man to his death.”

  Ruby blinked. This woman thought of going to heaven. As down and out as she was, she still held out hope for something better.

  Ruby hoped she’d find it.

  “Do you know someone who could lead me to this place?” Ruby asked, her skin prickling at the thought.

  “No, and if I did I wouldn’t tell you. He asked the same thing and we told him the same thing. He said he’d go anyway and find someone. Typical tourist. Thought his money could buy him anything. Well, it couldn’t buy him safety.”

  “And this was five days ago?”

  Bimini cocked her head. “Yeah,
how did you know?”

  “Because he started going to the Maze the night after he met you. Did you only meet him that one time?”

  “Yeah.”

  The low growl of an engine made them turn. The bus was approaching. The older woman stood up from the bench and stepped to the curb. The drunk lurched to get in place too. Bimini put a hand on Ruby’s arm.

  “Don’t go. Leave it be. The man’s dead and even if you find the killer that won’t bring him back. I’m sure he got killed by some thug in the Maze. Those people never last long. Someone will avenge him sooner or later.”

  “I can’t leave it be. The police are leaning on me, trying to pin me with the murder so they can close the case.”

  “Jail is better than death, Ruby. You keep on pushing this, you’ll end up dead. I can feel it.”

  Ruby stared at her, unable to find the words. The bus stopped and the doors opened with a whoosh of hydraulics. Bimini stepped on board. The doors closed and Ruby watched the bus go, the prostitute visible in the lit interior, looking back at Ruby with fear and pity in her eyes.

  Ruby watched as the bus dwindled into the distance. She shook off a sense of foreboding, squared her shoulders, and patted the bottle of Bahamian Gold in her bag.

  “Time for a nightcap,” she told her primate friend. “I think we’ve earned it.”

  Zoomer let out a delighted screech.

  Ruby walked down the street and took a left down a narrower, darker lane that would, after a couple of blocks, lead to a busier street and a taxi stand. She was liking this new life of taking taxis. Reduced her evening commute. Increased her drinking time.

  She imagined Charles tut-tutting and chuckled. He was cute. He’d be a pain in the ass, though. Better to forget about him.

  Zoomer gripped her shoulder harder, his long nails digging into her flesh. His usual chittering and constant motion had stopped, replaced with silent stillness.

  Ruby tensed. Cocked an ear. Were those footsteps she heard behind her? She reached up to pet Zoomer, as much to comfort herself as the animal. She felt along his furry chest and up to his head, but instead of a fleshy face and damp muzzle, only felt the fuzzy dome of the back of his head.

  Zoomer was watching something behind them.

  Suddenly the street was lit by a car turning onto the lane behind her. The shadow of a man wavered crazily across the road, then disappeared as the car passed whoever was casting it.

  The car sped up and passed Ruby. Estimating the time it had taken from passing the man following them to passing them, Ruby judged the guy was about ten yards behind. Hard to tell for sure, though.

  As casually as she could, Ruby took a left onto a smaller side street.

  As soon as she got out of sight, she pressed herself against the wall right next to the corner. Zoomer leapt off her shoulders and clung to the iron railing of a second-story balcony.

  The instant she was free of his burden she set down her bag and got into a fighting stance, legs wide, arms up, every sense alive. She prayed that Zoomer would keep quiet. He didn’t make a sound. Sensing danger, the monkey had gone as silent and watchful as she had.

  Ruby figured this guy—a mugger or a pervert probably—would peek around the corner, keeping himself hidden while he spied on his intended prey. Then she could rearrange his face. If he was some innocent bystander—and her gut told her otherwise—he’d simply walk past.

  Wrong on both counts.

  He came the long way around the corner, a good five feet out of reach, cautiously peering down the lane. When he saw Ruby standing there he immediately got into a fighting stance.

  Reflexes took over. Ruby rushed him, arms up for defense, and snapped a front kick that was supposed to give him instant gender reassignment surgery.

  He twisted to the left, Ruby’s foot kicking nothing but air, and replied with a roundhouse Ruby barely had time to block. She grunted as the impact sent a jarring pain up her arm.

  This was someone with combat training.

  This was someone who could actually beat her.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Ruby backed up, buying time to gauge her opponent. White. Built but not buff. More wiry strength and speed. She couldn’t see his face clearly in the poor light but she’d guess early thirties. With a kick like that he couldn’t be much older. Wearing a loose dress shirt and slacks, the kind seasoned fighters wore when they wanted to look presentable but always stay ready to get it on.

  Zoomer screeched from somewhere above, a loud, grating sound in the night. The man didn’t even glance upward, intent on the fight. That showed his experience.

  That was all Ruby had time to see, because the next instant the man rushed her.

  He led with a right to her solar plexus that Ruby batted aside, only to find it was a feint for a kick to her thigh. Ruby grunted as the pain sparked in her muscle, then shot back a right jab that the guy took square in the face.

  It only slowed him down for a second, time enough for Ruby to take half a step back and sweep the guy’s legs.

  He stumbled, and turned that stumble into a spin kick that got Ruby backpedaling again. His heel glanced off her ribs, making her stagger to the side. If she hadn’t stepped back, he would have landed a direct hit that would have probably cracked a rib or two.

  Good thing this guy isn’t aiming for my head. He could have killed me with that one.

  Ruby skipped back and to the left, arms up to protect her head, legs wide, bobbing from side to side, ready to kick or block.

  He came in again with a flurry of punches to her chest and side. He was slightly slower than her, and she managed to block all of them, but he was so aggressive she didn’t have time for a proper counterstrike.

  She managed to land a weak front kick to his shin that broke his rhythm, and popped him another jab in his face.

  That face …

  It sparked a memory in her that was so sudden, so strong, she missed his next attack.

  A fist driven into her stomach woke her up to the here and now. She doubled over, and felt strong arms grab her underneath the shoulders.

  Good thing this guy didn’t drive a knee into my face, or I’d be dead right now.

  Why didn’t he?

  He spun her around, slamming her back against the wall. Her head would have slammed against it too, but he stopped it with his hand.

  Saved my life again.

  That didn’t stop him from punching her in the stomach a second time.

  This time Ruby was ready for it, and managed a weak block that deflected most of the force. She followed up with an uppercut with her elbow that got him square in the jaw.

  Her opponent staggered back. Instead of pursuing like she should have, she wasted one precious second to stare at him, double-checking that it really was who she thought.

  Tim Harris. One of Senator Wishbourne’s bodyguards.

  Oh hell, they’ve found me.

  Ruby lashed out with a front kick that Tim caught, spinning her around with her foot as the fulcrum. She yanked her foot free and turned the spin into a kick with her other foot, aimed at his head. He ducked and she missed by a mile.

  When he came at her again, fists raised, she was more careful. She scampered back a couple of steps, dimly hearing Zoomer screeching above her, then blocked a couple of punches before smacking him with one of her own.

  A blur of gray. A surprised yelp. Zoomer had landed on Tim’s head and raked at his face with his nails, sinking his teeth in his neck.

  Tim bellowed and smacked the monkey off. Zoomer bounced off the brick wall like a rubber ball and went after him again.

  Ruby beat him to it, clocking Tim a good one in his bloodied face.

  He bolted. Zoomer rushed after him.

  “Zoomer! No!”

  The monkey stopped, stared at her quizzically, then followed as she grabbed her bag and ran off in the other direction.

  Ruby glanced to either direction. Tim didn’t have any backup that she could see. None of the senato
r’s other old guards, no cops. No one.

  Why would he be down here alone? Why attack her? What the hell was going on?

  She kept running until she made it to a bus stop, confused, in pain, and out of breath. A bus was just pulling up. She climbed on board, not bothering to see if it was the right one to get her home. Getting away was the main priority.

  The driver stared at her. “Hey, you can’t bring a monkey on the bus!”

  “Here’s fare for both of us,” Ruby snarled, smacking some money down on the tray. The bus driver lurched back, too shocked to object.

  She stomped past the astonished passengers to sit in the back, constantly looking out the windows to see if any cars were following. Just how she could judge which car might be following out of all the cars on the street was beyond her. What was she supposed to look for? At least the cars all passed the slower-moving bus, or turned off on other streets. That meant they weren’t following, right?

  She noticed several passengers staring at Zoomer, who had settled on her shoulder once again and gripped her tightly around the neck for security. They kept on staring, and yet nobody said anything to the obviously frightened white woman with the deepening bruise on her forearm. Tim Harris had a killer roundhouse.

  What the hell is he doing here? Did he come down to arrest me? He didn’t bring the cops, or even say I was under arrest. Did he come down to kill me? He’s not CIA.

  Or at least he wasn’t when I last saw him.

  But if he came down to kill me, why not hit me in the head where he knows I’m vulnerable? He actually avoided doing that.

  Do they want me alive? Stick me in some supermax federal prison where I’ll never see the light of day again?

  After a few stops she got out and hailed a cab, paying no attention to the stares she got for hailing a cab from a bus stop. Her mind was a whirl, shocked by the significance of who she had just fought with.

  How had they traced her? Did they know where she lived? Had the stalker from the previous night been Tim as well? If so, why had he run off at her threat of calling the police? Wouldn’t he be working with the police?