Tipsy, p.17
Tipsy, page 17
I circled around the town for a while, keeping an eye on my rearview mirror, watching the traffic and being sure that I wasn’t being followed. I knew the possibility was slim, but I wasn’t going to leave anything to chance.
Finally I turned onto the street of Razor’s Edge Salon. I pulled into the parking lot quickly and drove around behind the building so from the street it appeared no one was there.
Julie’s car was still sitting in the lot and my stomach tightened thinking about how close to this mess she was. All the more reason to get this case closed.
I let myself into the salon using the keys and crept through the darkness quietly. I paused, listening for the telltale signs that anyone else was in here. The place was still and quiet, and after several long moments, I did a quick sweep of the place just to be sure.
Once I was certain it was all clear, I went into the back room and moved into the open door of the storage room. Inside, I clicked on the single bulb overhead (there were no windows in here for the light to be seen at the street) and whistled between my teeth as I took in the boxes of drugs stacked all around, pretending to be innocent.
A little moment of satisfaction rippled through me because I had gotten here first. It seems the boys in blue at the station managed to keep Julie’s arrest under wraps after all. Thank God.
The fact that I was here doing this wasn’t really protocol for this situation and this amount of drugs, but it was necessary for closing this case. Seizing the drugs and splashing this all over the media would slow down the crew’s operations, but it wouldn’t stop them. Dom wouldn’t pay for everything he’d done. The crew in Myrtle Beach wouldn’t pay for the things they’d done either.
I didn’t just want these drugs off the streets. I wanted the bastard scum who brought the drugs on the streets gone too. The fact that Watson agreed to this (and bending the rules) proved to me how badly he wanted the same things I did.
I hefted several of the boxes into my arms and made my way out to the truck. It took quite a few trips, but I moved quickly and managed to get all the drugs stacked into the bed of the old truck. I filled the entire bottom up with short stacks so no one would even know there was anything back there unless they physically approached the truck and looked.
After making sure the salon was the way I found it, I pulled out of the lot and didn’t look back. Not too long later, my cell phone went off. I glanced at the screen and noted who was calling.
Show time.
“Dom,” I answered. “What’s up?”
“What are you doing right now?” he asked.
“Cruising the streets.”
“It’s time to move the shipment. Get here so I can take you to the stuff.”
I agreed and then hung up. I couldn’t help but wonder about the timing of this. Yeah, I’d been on standby for days now for the call to deliver the drugs. But the cop in me wondered if it wasn’t a coincidence. Did he know the cops found the stash? Did the owner of the salon call him and brag she’d turned him in?
No. That would just be stupid. Susan Highland might be in bed with drug dealers, but she wasn’t stupid. Hell, if she’d set up anyone besides Julie to take the fall for those drugs, it probably would have worked without an issue.
But she did set up Julie.
And Julie was more involved in this than people realized.
It didn’t matter anyway. It didn’t matter if Dom suspected anything because this was my shot, my clear shot at getting these guys. I was going in. I’d keep my eyes open, but I wasn’t backing down.
I drove to the back street where the Mustang was parked. After sitting in a vacant lot across the street and watching the traffic (or lack thereof) and making certain there was no suspicious activity near my car, I steered the truck to the very end of the street and parked it beneath a broken streetlight.
I decided not to carry the Ford’s keys with me. It would seem odd if someone in the crew saw me with more than one set of car keys. Instead of jamming them on my person or stashing them in the glove compartment of my car, I reached up under the wheel well of the back tire and found a small area to place the keys.
Yeah, it was crazy.
Crazy enough to work.
I mean, who in their right mind would leave the keys to a truck secretly stashed with millions of dollars worth of drugs in the back?
Me.
Without a backward glance, I drove away, heading straight for Dom’s place.
His house had an attached one-car garage that was on the side of the house. When I pulled in, I noticed the garage door was open so I figured I’d just go in that way.
A few steps up to the garage and I realized my mistake.
My muscles tensed as my brain registered I wasn’t alone.
The first hit came out of the darkness. His fist slammed into the back of my head, sending me stumbling forward into another punch that knocked my head back on my shoulders. Pain radiated from one side of my head to the other as I stumbled to catch my balance.
Three guys stepped out of the darkness, forming a triangle around me, closing in. Three against one. They weren’t great odds. But I was pissed. I was tired and a fight didn’t sound like a half-bad idea.
Shaking off the pain as best I could, my feet planted solidly on the concrete floor of the garage and I reached out, grabbing the front of a man’s shirt with a great yank. I pulled him off balance and sent him flying into the bumper of the car parked in the garage. The man hit and I saw his back bow against the metal frame. He made a groaning sound as one of the others punched me in the jaw.
I struck out, my fist connecting with his gut, and he doubled over and I brought my knee up into his face. The sound of crunching bone gave me satisfaction. Using my leg, I swept out the broken man’s feet and he fell back on the ground.
Preparing to knock him out completely, I yanked my arm back to throw down a punch, but someone caught it and spun me from behind.
The darkness swayed a little as I spun, and my stomach lurched. I caught another fist to the ribs and all my breath whooshed out of my body. Pain lanced through my chest and I bent over at the waist, fighting the urge to hurl.
Arms caught me from behind, linking through my biceps and twisting my arms back so I was rendered useless. The second man approached, and I kicked him. The kick didn’t keep him down and he came back to deliver a series of blows that caused blackness to swim before my eyes.
I felt the warm ooze of blood as it trickled down my face, tracking a single line over my cheekbone like a tear. I twisted, catching the guy pinning me off guard, and fell to the side out of his embrace. I hit the floor, my knees taking the brunt of the fall, but I pushed up, not allowing myself to feel the sting of pain.
I grabbed the guy looming behind me and slammed his face into the side window of Dom’s car. The glass didn’t break, but the guy crumpled to a heap on the floor.
I squared off, facing the two remaining men. I knew they were both hurting, but so was I. This wasn’t a fight I was going to win. We started at each other, throwing fists, taking hits, and I felt my skin swell as blood gushed from cuts on my face.
Several minutes later, the overhead light clicked on and the three of us drew back, blinking as our eyes adjusted to the new harsh lighting.
The sound of footsteps behind me caused my feet to move quickly, twirling my body around to see who was there.
It was Dom. “Maybe I should have sent more than three guys out here.”
“Do I not looked fucked up enough for you?” I asked, squinting through the dripping blood and swelling facial features.
“You’re still standing,” he said, flat.
“It’s gonna take a hell of a lot more than three guys to put me down and keep me there.”
“I saw something today that was very unsettling,” he said, ignoring my remarks.
I swiped at the mess on my face. “You look in the mirror?”
He lunged, snapping out his arm, connecting with my face, and then composing himself like he hadn’t moved at all.
The insult was worth it. He disgusted me so much that I knew if I was packing heat, I would already be holding him at gunpoint.
“You should have told me the hot little piece you like to keep to yourself worked for one of my employees.”
“What hot little piece are you referring to?”
“The one you so kindly let me know was off-limits.”
I wiped at the blood on my lip. “You telling me you keep a hair stylist on your payroll? Do you not like making appointments like everyone else?” I snapped.
“You want the beating to continue?” he threatened.
“If you wanted me unconscious, I already would be.”
He stared at me for long moments. Finally, the silence broke. “I want an explanation.”
“Am I supposed to know what the hell you’re talking about?” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.
“Don’t play stupid with me!” Dom yelled, some of his composure slipping a bit. “What are you, some kind of narc?”
I stiffened, like the term offended me. Then I lunged at him, hammering my ready fist into the side of his jaw. “I’m no narc!” I yelled.
“You might not be a narc,” he said, dabbing at the corner of his busted lip, “but you are a traitor.”
“How do you figure?”
“You trying to cozy up? Ingratiate yourself to me and the crew so you can edge me out and take over my neighborhood?”
“You invited me into the crew. I didn’t come looking for you.” I reminded him.
“Doesn’t mean you won’t take an opportunity when one is presented.”
I didn’t reply because he was right.
“So what? You have your bitch spying on me? On my business?”
My back teeth came together when he spoke of Julie like that. My body was stiff and sore, my face burned, and I was getting really, really cranky.
“I don’t have time for this,” I spat. “I did what you asked. I stole you a transport vehicle. I agreed to make the delivery. I went out on the street to deal. You even got my credits from LeBraun himself, and that ain’t good enough.”
I shook my head.
“Fuck this shit. I’m out.” I turned to walk away.
“You’re not out ‘til I say you’re out,” he said quietly from behind.
The two men jumped me again and forced me to my knees. Anger burned through my veins, so hot and so putrid I wondered if perhaps it would burn holes right through my skin.
The door to the house opened and Slater came out behind Dom. He assessed the situation quickly, barely giving me a second glance. Before I knew what he was doing, he strode across the room, around Dom, and belted me in the face.
It was a low blow considering I was being forced down by two men already.
“What was that for?” I spat.
“For messing with Dom.”
Dom clapped Slater on the back and stepped forward. He shoved his face close to mine, so close that I could smell the warm beer on his breath. “Do you know what happened to the last guy who tried to edge me out?”
I knew Slater was listening carefully.
“Why don’t you tell me?” I invited.
“He also tried to use his woman to screw me out of millions of dollars.” I stayed silent, looking straight into his eyes. “So I killed him.”
Slater slipped, his body going completely rigid as the news—the confession—he’d been waiting for all this time was handed to him. Dom must have noticed the change in him and began to turn, but I couldn’t let that happen.
“How do I know you aren’t just bluffing?”
Dom swung back around, pinning me with a cold stare. It was the first time I saw the lack of conscience in his eyes. “You’ll know for sure once I kill you and dump your body where I dumped his.”
“I’m flattered you took the time to plan my burial.”
Dom grunted. “No plan. Just taking out the trash.”
I didn’t dare look at Slater, but I hoped he got the message. Dom dumped Milo’s body at one of the local trash yards.
From somewhere on his person, Dom pulled out a black Glock. It didn’t appear so threatening, but I knew that one well-placed shot would end my life here and now.
I thought about Julie. About how my last moments with her would be at the police station, where she was dragged because of her involvement with me. I wanted to make it up to her… but now I wouldn’t get the chance.
The gun leveled at me.
Then I remembered.
“Go ahead.” I challenged. “Kill me. You’ll never see your shipment again.”
The gun jerked in Dom’s hand. “What did you say?”
“I said I’ve got your drugs. All of them. You ever want to see them and your millions, you better not pull that trigger.”
I could see him measuring my words. Weighing them against truth and bluff.
“Pretty genius idea disguising them as women’s hair color and stashing them at a local salon. It’s the last place anyone would think of.”
His nostrils flared when he realized I really wasn’t bluffing. A series of foul language dripped from his lips.
I smiled.
A phone started ringing. Dom lowered the gun, still keeping his eyes keen on my face, and answered his phone. “What?” he demanded.
His eyes turned cold and a calculating glint came across his features. I didn’t like that look. I didn’t like the calmness that came over him.
“Wait for my word,” he instructed and then disconnected the call. “It appears we both have something the other wants.”
“You ain’t got nothing I want,” I spat, my shoulders burning from being held down.
“Oh, I think you do. My men say she fought like a little hellcat and screamed until she was hoarse.”
Julie.
Cold fury washed over my body. My reaction was so physical that I surged to my feet. Not even the two men holding me could keep me down. “What the hell have you done?” I spat.
“It seems I found your weakness and my bargaining chip to get back what belongs to me.”
27
Julie
Dee and Craig pulled up in his black Hummer just a few minutes after I left Watson’s office. The tail lights glowed in the dark as I pushed open the glass doors of the station and trudged wearily toward the curb.
The passenger-side window rolled down to reveal my best friend in all her pajama glory. They were blue with white clouds all over them. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun and her eyes were alert.
“I’ve officially seen everything there is to see in life,” she announced. “The least likely person on earth to be arrested has gone and been arrested. It’s a sure sign the apocalypse is coming. Craig, better swing by Sam’s Club on the way home so we can stock up on beans and SPAM.”
“That’s disgusting,” I said as I climbed into the back seat. The interior of the Hummer was warm, and I sank into the black leather seat. “Remind me to never come to your house when zombie’s take over America.”
“That was me being hospitable-like. Beans are vegetarian.”
I smiled as Craig pulled away from the curb and out onto the empty street. Dee peaked around her seat at me. “What the hell happened?”
I groaned. “It’s a long story. I’m too tired to explain it.”
“You think you can call me in the middle of the night to pick your ass up from the slammer and then not tell me why you got arrested in the first place?” she asked incredulously. She made a sound in the back of her throat. “I don’t think so.”
“Basically it was all a huge misunderstanding. They dropped the charges.”
“What were the charges?” Craig asked.
“I can’t really say. It’s an ongoing investigation.” Oh, that was good. Good job, Julie, I told myself for coming up with such an official response.
“Does this have anything to do with Blue?” Dee asked. She was like a dog with a bone. She wasn’t going to give up.
“No.” I lied.
I didn’t really want to lie, but I had to. The less Dee knew the better. I didn’t want her getting dragged into this. Not to mention, I really was told not to discuss this with anyone. I wasn’t about to open my mouth and mess something up for someone. Blue was out there right now and the thought of him getting hurt literally made me feel like someone was ramming nails into my eyes.
Yeah, that was a gruesome image… I’d had a long night.
“I don’t believe you,” Dee said.
“You really should become a private investigator,” I muttered.
“I knew it!” she burst. “You’re such a lousy liar.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I lied again, this time around a yawn.
“Uh-huh,” she intoned. “You can tell me now or you can tell me in the morning when I show up at your front door.”
I was saved from telling more lies she would never believe when Craig changed the subject as he gazed off to the side of the road. “Not a good time of night to be out on the road by herself,” he muttered.
I looked around the seat and out the windshield at a car parked on the side of the road with the hood up and smoke rolling out from beneath. Leaning against the car was a woman wearing a pair of jeans and a too-large hoodie. She had long dark hair and a small build.
Craig slowed the Hummer and pulled several yards behind her car. “I’m just going to make sure she has a phone to call for help.”
The woman looked at the Hummer warily, no doubt scared of who might be inside. If I were her, I wouldn’t even have gotten out of my car. I would have locked the doors and called for help. But maybe Craig was right; maybe she didn’t have a phone. Leaving her out here at this time of night wasn’t right.
“I’ll go with you,” Dee offered. “Maybe seeing a woman will quell her thinking you’re some kind of sicko who preys on women.”
“I do not look like a sicko,” Craig defended, and I laughed.
“That’s the point,” Dee said. “Most sickos look like normal guys.”
