Tainted

by Kallie Mathers

“Will do. Bye DJ.”

  “Bye fuck face.” And we hang up the phone.

  Once the phone is in the console, Chase hands me a bag of food.

  “So, how is the smartass?” Chase chuckles.

  “He’ll never change. But he wants to come by and see us up at the hotel. It feels like I haven’t seen him in forever.” Yes, I chat with him every other day, but it isn’t the same as seeing him in the flesh.

  “It’ll be good to see him,” Chase mumbles as he demolishes a taco. So much for telling me ‘I’m’ the pig. He ate just as much as I did at dinner time.

  “It sure will.”

  Once the food is eaten, we continue to sit back and watch the motel.

  “One of us needs to be in that room,” I blurt. I know it sounds beyond dangerous, but I believe it’s our only option.

  “I told you, it’s far too dangerous,” Chase deadpans.

  “Listen to my reasoning, and then we can debate it. Fair?” My brow arches in question. I know he won’t agree, but I can at least try.

  Chase rolls his eyes. “Proceed, moron.”

  I ignore the ‘moron,’ comment, and I press on. “If we’re in the room, we have a better chance of making sure he stays there long enough for the cops to arrive. But if we sit back here and he’s such a long distance away from us. If we’re not careful, he will have the chance to run and never have face any charges. I want to keep him in place.” It’s the only way.

  “I’ll agree to it under the condition that we call the cops now and we both wait inside the motel. Deal?”

  It’s not what I was hoping to hear, but it’s far better than staying in the car. “Deal. Get the cops on the phone. Tell them what’s about to go down.”

  Pulling his phone from the centre console, he calls the local police department, and he explains the situation at hand.

  When the one sided conversation is done, he hangs up the phone, and he turns in his seat to face me. “They don’t want us to go into the room. They think they know the dealer we’re trying to get busted and apparently, he’s always carrying and will do ‘anything’ to avoid being taken in, including murder. He’s been to jail for attempted murder, Carter. It’s not worth it.”

  Fuck me, my insides are twisting. I want the asshole to go down; I want to wrap my hands around this Derek assholes neck and watch as his face turns red with lack of oxygen until he loses consciousness and his body becomes limp, falling to the ground, but I also see Chase’s side.

  Chase wants us to be safe so we can be in one piece for when Mia is released from rehab. My heart is dead set on the fact that if she sobers up, she’ll remember how much we loved one another and she’ll once again let me into her heart, but I need to be at my best both emotionally and physically. It’s not like it will take overnight, I’m not that stupid, but I need to be there for her.

  “Counteroffer. We stay here ‘if’ the cops get here in time. But if it looks like he’s going to run, then I’ll be over there like a bolt of lightning to stop him. Got it?” Even if he says no, I know what I’ll do.

  “I’d say no but I’ve known you long enough to know that stopping you isn’t something I’ll be able to do, especially since you’re bigger than me.” He smirks.

  “Good move.”

  It isn’t long before a 1969 black Cadillac De Ville pulls into the motel parking lot. “A hundo says that’s Derek,” I bet.

  “Hell no. I’m not taking that bet, I’m sure to lose,” Chase tells me as we continue to stare at the car across the road.

  “Get the cop back on the phone and ask him how far out they are. I’m not risking letting this piece of shit get away.” My hand is on the handle and I’m ready to run if needed.

  While Chase is dialling the cop’s number in the background, I force myself to stay in the car, every muscle tense with anticipation.

  “Got it, Bye.”

  Without looking away, I ask, “How far off are they?”

  “Four minutes.”

  Quickly, I glance down at my Watch and see that it’s four thirty-three AM. “Fuck! He won’t stay that long; he’s going to know something’s off when she doesn’t answer the door.” An African American man who looks to be in his early thirties with a slim build exits the car. Holding my breath, I sit, and I observe his movements.

  My heart thumps as he reaches up and knocks on the door. He waits a good thirty seconds before he takes hold of the handle, and to my surprise, the door opens. “Shit, did we forget to lock the door when we left with the paramedics?” I question as this Derek character looks around the parking lot before he heads inside, closing the door behind him.

  “I don’t remember locking it. I was so focused on Mia that locking the door didn’t register with me.”

  “How long have we got?”

  “Two and a half minutes.”

  “Screw this,” I say as I exit the car.

  “Dickhead get back here. He could have a gun! Chase yells, but I ignore his hollering.

  As I jog across the road careful not to get hit by any cars passing, I pull my wallet out of my back pocket and I head for the vending machine located two doors down from Mia’s room.

  Standing in front of the snack machine, I pull a ten dollar note out of my wallet and I pretend to look over all the goodies on offer, all while keeping my ears open and thanking all that is mighty that I have perfect peripheral vision.

  “Yo, Mia! Where the fuck are you, bitch?” My gut churns with anger as I hear the asshole yell.

  Looking at my watch, I see it’s four thirty-seven am. The cops might just make it before this joker leaves the room.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Chase whispers from beside me, causing me to jump.

  “Just pretend to look for snacks, dude,” I whisper.

  As we continue to stand in place, I hear Derek mutter to himself, “Stupid ass white bitch. Fucken whore, when I see her, I’m gonna beat the fuck out of her.”

  Before I have time to react, Chase races past me like a flash of lightning. Quickly I turn and when I do, I see him pounce on Derek, forcing him to the ground.

  Straddling him, he pins the man’s hands on the concrete.

  “Who the fuck are you, mother fucker? I’ll kill you!” Derek spits.

  “I’m your worst nightmare. You piece of shit! If I ever find you dealing to anyone, I ‘will’ kill you before you ever get the chance to come after me.” He leans in until his face is close to his. “I ‘will’ tie you up and I’ll slowly cut you. I will let you bleed out and before your heart stops beating, I’ll rip your insides out and feed them to you. Got it?” Chace seethes.

  Just then, I see the squad cars pull into the motel parking lot and before they come to a stop, the passenger side doors of both marked vehicles open and out comes two male officers in full uniform pouncing towards us.

  When they reach Chase, they tell him to back away as both men pull out their guns and point them at Derek.

  “Roberts, get your ass up! I told you if I caught you dealing again, I’d make sure you were locked away for good,” the tall blond male officer yells at Derek.

  Derek then stands, his hands in the air. “Fuck you, Watts! You ain’t got nothin’ on me,” he spits.

  “So if pat you down you won’t have anything illegal on you?” Watts yells in return.

  Derek doesn’t respond other than spitting in the officer’s direction, which wasn’t a great idea because it got him slammed to the ground. “You’ll never change,” Watts yells as he holds Derek down and another officer pats him down.

  “Lookie What we have here,” the officer chirps as he holds up two baggies. Ones filled with pills while the other has white powder.

  “It’s your third strike, idiot. You’re going away for a long time,” Watts seems positively giddy.

  Once Derek has yelled out a few obscenities and the officers have him safely locked up in the squad car, then two officers who arrived on the scene first come strolling over in our direction.

&
nbsp; “Are you the men who called this in?” Watts asks.

  “Yeah, I was the one to call the station,” Chase returns.

  Reaching out, he shakes both of our hands, and the unnamed officer does the same. “I’m Detective Connor Watts and this here,” he points to the bald, burly man who looks like he could take me out with only a look, “Is Detective Jake Parsons. Thanks for calling in. Derek has been a thorn in our sides for some years now. He won’t be seeing the light of day for quite some time. So, how’s your sister doing?” He asks. Chase must have filled the cop in when he called the station.

  “We’re only on day one, so there isn’t much news available. We won’t be allowed to see her for another week, at least,” Chase explains.

  “I’m glad you were able to make sure she, by law, has to stay in treatment. You have the number to my direct line. If there’s anything you boys need while you’re here, don’t hesitate to call.”

  “Thank you.”

  Once the officers had left, it was tone for us to head back to the hotel to get some much-needed sleep.

  Chapter Seven

  Mia

  Damn, I don’t know what pills she gave me, but they were good. I can’t feel a thing and my eyes are so heavy I can’t open them.

  “Ms Masters, Ms Masters,” a male voice calls and eventually, I do manage to open my eyes and when I do, I smile. Damn, whoever this guy is, he is drop dead sexy. Not Carter sexy, but still sexy. “Yoooo,” I slur.

  “What did you take?” He questions.

  “I dunno. A bunch of pills I managed to sneak in,” I grin. The last thing I need is to be separated from the girl that can smuggle drugs inside the facility.

  “I need to know if that’s the only supply you had on you? I’ve got the staff searching your room as we speak.”

  I have no idea if there are more pills in the room, I hope that if there are, Raine would have been smart enough to find the perfect hiding spot. “There aren’t anymore. It was a last hoorah. If you will,” I shrug.

  “I hope you’re telling me the truth. Now that we know you’re okay, we’ll send you down to the therapist’s office. It’s clear you need to begin with therapy now rather than start tomorrow.” He takes my hand, and he helps me sit up.

  “I don’t need therapy. I can handle myself and getting high, is what I do.” Assholes, I thought this was a free country. Apparently, I was mistaken.

  “It’s mandatory. Sorry,” he smiles.

  “Yeah, so you should be,” I mumble as I slip my ass off the table. As my feet hit the floor, I look back to the sexy blond man. “Anyway, who are you?” I don’t have patience for pleasantries. No matter how hot this guy is.

  “Peter McAlister. I’m the doctor that is overworked, under paid and who spends his life here at the facility. I’m hoping you won’t be my worst patient because I’m already exhausted,” he smiles, and his dimples are adorable.

  “Look, I can’t make any promises, but I will try. I want to get this over and done with so I can go home.” I can’t stand this sterile environment.

  “Can I ask, where home is? Because on your chart all we have is an address to a dingy motel. I hope you aren’t planning on going back there.” He questions as he takes a hold of my elbow, helping sturdy me.

  “I don’t know how things will pan out. I don’t know where I’ll end up living, but it isn’t my main priority at the moment.” I don’t want to be drug free.

  Being sober is the worst feeling there is because the bad things that have happened over the last year creep to the forefront of my mind.

  “I know you think this process isn’t worth your time, but if there is just one thing you can take away from this experience, I want it to be the fact that you ‘are’ worth something. You ‘are’ deserving of good things to happen. You don’t have to live the remainder of your life as an addict. You hear me?”

  “Nice try. Can I leave now?”

  “You may. But I highly recommend you go and visit the councillor.” He urges.

  “Yeah, that won’t happen. I’m going to go and sleep the pills off,” I tell him as I open the door.

  “Just remember, if this happens again, you will be placed in lockdown, and believe me when I tell you that after a couple of days in that room. You will become frustrated and you’ll be forced to face your demons head on.”

  He warns.

  “I’ll be fine,” I assure him, and I leave the room.

  Once I’ve made it back to my shared accommodation, I find Raine sitting on her bed reading a book.

  Keeping my voice low, I ask, “You took more pills than I did, how are you sober?” Then again, I don’t know how long I was unconscious for.

  Raine puts the book down, and she looks up at me. “I’m a pro. So, I’m guessing you didn’t turn me in since no one has come to punish me?”

  Taking a seat on my own bed, I cross my legs under me. “I told them I snuck the pills in. I’m not a nark.”

  “Very good. Next time, I’ll give you less because you do ‘not’ want to be caught out twice.” She shakes her head.

  “Yeah, that McAlister guy said something about being put in solitary confinement. Surely it can’t be as bad as they’re making it out to be.” This is a treatment facility, not maximum security. It would violate my civil rights.

  Raine stands and she comes over and takes a seat on the edge of my bed. Leaning in, she tells me, “I’ve never been put into solitary, but I know others that have, and they assured me it’s a scary experience. The only time you are let out of the all-white, padded room, is when you’re allowed five minutes to shower, every second day. Then there’s the fact that you’re all alone, and that makes you think of all the bad things you’ve been trying to bury with the drugs and alcohol. I sure as shit don’t want to go in there because I know I’ll go insane. And I don’t know what it is you’re running from, but with the amount of pills you downed tells me it’s bad.”

  “How do you know I’m trying to hide something from myself. I could just like pills and booze,” I shrug. I will not tell her my secrets. I can’t face my past; I don’t want those feelings to work their way up to the forefront. And without my vices, I won’t survive.

  She pulls away and offers me a smug grin, One I would like to punch off her perfect face. “The only people that down pills and booze like we do, are people with fucked up pasts. You can admit it and face the shit you’ve been through or you can die at twenty. It’s up to you.”

  My brows bunch. “Umm, shouldn’t you heed your own advice before you try to smother me with it?” Hypocrite.

  “Hey, I’ve already dealt with my shit. Yes, I still pill it up, but I ‘can’ say with certainty that talking about my past, sure as shit helped me. Like you, I fought the process when I arrived here. But eventually, they managed to get me to open up. I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. But now, I feel like I ‘will’ be able to move on.”

  “You’re a superstar, like, a ‘mega’ superstar. Everyone loves you. What could he do bad for you to seek drugs?” This girl is worshipped in Hollywood. How could anyone think that was so much of a burden they feel they need to rely on booze and pills.

  Her brow arches, and she shakes her head. “Not everyone likes me. I’ve got trolls, and they don’t play fair. The worst one occurred a week before I came into rehab of my own fruition, was from some asshole that told not only me but all my fans that I’m a disgusting money grabbing bitch that should do the world a favour and kill myself.” Her head falls, and she looks down at her nails. It’s clear she doesn’t want me to see her emotions, that’s something I can relate to.

  “Fuck those assholes.” How could someone say such a thing? Hell, I detest my mother, but I would never wish death upon her, let alone a celebrity I’ve never met.

  “My manager keeps telling me to ignore them, but it’s come to a point where I can’t even hop into social media anymore because of the abuse I cop. I guess staying off social media doesn’t have any i
mpact on me, it’s not like I have any friends left to keep in contact with.” She shrugs, but I know she’s doing all she can to fight the tears from falling.

  Surprised, I ask, “What? How the hell is that even possible? You’re a highly talented actress. Hell, whenever I see a short to a film and your name comes up on the screen, I always make a note to go and see the movie opening weekend.” Truth. I’ve always admired Raine, and my respect for her is raising little by little.

  Her head snaps up and I see that her eyes are welling with tears. “Really? You aren’t just saying that to cheer me up?”

  “Do I come across as being someone who goes around throwing compliments about just to make a person feel better,” I give her a sideways glance.

  Raine chuckles, and her smile lights up the room. The girl is gorgeous. “No, you come across as a bit of a bitch. That only makes me appreciate your comment even more.”

  “I ‘am’ a bitch but I’m also a realist and I’m honest.” I reach over and I rest my hand on her thigh. “So, why don’t you have any friends? I just can’t believe that could be the case.”

  She takes a sharp intake of air before letting it go. “In the beginning of my career I was swarmed by people, but it wasn’t long before I realised they were only hanging around to use me for my money, and nothing else. I had an entourage of fake assholes, so I decided to use them in return for their drug connections. And as I stopped paying for their drugs, one by one they disappeared. I guess the garbage took itself out,” she chuckles, but I can tell she’s hurting.

  “You’d think at least 1 of them would care about you. That’s sad, but, and don’t take what I’m about to say lightly, but when we manage to get the fuck out of here, I want you to call on me. I can’t say I’ll be the best person to talk to, but I ‘am’ honest.” Hell, I’m not even sure I like this chick, but everyone deserves to be listened to.

  Carter

  The next day, after I got a few hours’ sleep, there’s a knock at the front door of the suite.

  As I enter the shared living area, I catch sight of Chase who is also headed towards the door.

  “You expecting someone?” I question.