Trigger, p.20
Trigger, page 20
The two men exchange aggravated glances. Officer Brant steps up next to the sergeant, but his voice has lost some of its edge. “What threat, ma’am?”
God, I hate being called ma’am. “Please call me Dr. Whittaker or even Evanee. I prefer that to ma’am.”
Officer Brant sighs. “What threat, Dr. Whittaker?”
“Thank you, Officer Brant,” I say in a sweet disarming voice. “There were two men in here earlier, with the Rotti-Great Dane mix. They were very aggressive in their request for me to pass along a message to my boyfriend.”
“And who is the boyfriend?” Sergeant Levine asks with mild disinterest.
“I think the important question is who were the men who made the threat.” I look from Levine to Brant. “They were Blackbeards. You know, the biker gang. I didn’t catch their names, but one was the Vice-president and the other was the Enforcer.”
Sergeant Levine assumes the tough guy pose, thighs spread, hands resting on his gun belt. “You’re associating with known criminals?”
I think about this. He’s clearly referring to the Blackbeards, but whatever the case, the answer is still, yes. “I suppose I am. However, that’s truly irrelevant because I’ve been threatened.”
The Sergeant appears to have had enough. “You want to complain about a threat, then call the police station. We’re not here because a couple of Blackbeards dropped by and wouldn’t leave their dog with you.”
Clearly, I’ve exhausted their patience. “Then why are you here?”
“We received a complaint that you are harbouring a horse on this property.”
Shit. “A horse? That’s ridiculous. Who would suggest such a thing?”
“The source of the complaint is irrelevant. Harbouring a horse within city limits is illegal. If you’re contravening the law by doing so, we’ll have to impound the animal, ma’am.”
The jig appears to be up, so I go into protective mode. “First, Officer Levine, one does not harbour a horse and second, a horse cannot be impounded like a car.”
“It’s Sergeant, ma’am.” He takes a step closer to me.
“It’s Dr. Whittaker, officer.” I take a step closer to him. We’re almost standing nose-to-nose.
Officer Brant inserts himself into the standoff. “A horse may not be impounded, Dr. Whittaker, but it can be euthanized.”
I didn’t see that coming. My hands shake as I grope for the counter to hold myself up. “And who would do that? I am a vet, and I would never do such a thing to a healthy animal.”
“You’re not the only veterinarian in town,” Sergeant Levine sneers.
I suck in a breath. “Dr. Broughton reported the horse?” I can’t believe it. Erik and I may not be on the best of terms, and he can be mercenary, but he would never put down a healthy animal.
“It doesn’t matter who called it in. Are you or are you not harbouring a horse on this property?”
Lullaby inopportunely brays.
Sergeant Levine looks at me blandly as he brushes by me and heads to the back, followed by Officer Brant.
I trail behind them. “Don’t you need a search warrant?” I say, trying to stall.
Apparently, my question doesn’t warrant a reply.
The Sergeant throws open the backdoor and the men step into the makeshift corral.
Lullaby looks up like she’s happy to see them.
“They’re not friendlies,” I tell her.
“Ma’am. This is illegal,” Officer Brant says in dismay.
I stretch my face to sky as I let the ‘ma’am’ reference go. There are bigger hills to die on. “It’s only until I can rehome her. She’s been abused and is still under medical supervision.”
Sergeant Levine turns to Officer Brandt. “Cite her.” He pins me with a hard stare. “You have 24-hours to remove the horse from the premises. If you do not, it will be confiscated and euthanized.” He stalks out.
Office Brandt writes out the citation. “You’ll have to inform us of where you’ve removed the horse to. It can’t be someone’s back yard still within the city limits.” He hands me the paperwork. “Twenty-four hours, Dr. Whittaker.” He looks at Lullaby with regret. “It’d be a shame. She’s a nice horse.”
Tears wet my eyes, but I hold on to them as I show him out. “Good day, Officer,” I say as I shut the door and lean against it.
Once my emotions are under control, I call Erik. “You bastard!” I seethe. “Why would you rat me out about Lullaby? Sure, you’re an asshole, but I didn’t realize you were scum too. How could you agree to put down a healthy animal?”
Erik seems to be confused. “Lullaby? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. My horse, Lullaby!”
“Horse?” Erik echoes. “I don’t know anything about a horse.”
I was with Erik long enough to know that he isn’t a liar. Not even the white lies. It’s another reason our relationship didn’t work. “Someone told the police about the horse I was keeping behind my clinic.”
He pauses. “You’re keeping a horse behind your clinic? Jesus, Evanee, what’s wrong with you?”
I blink rapidly, missing Trigger, wishing he were here, then remembering that I need to talk to him about the Blackbeards. “She needed a home and I’m trying to find her one… why am I even justifying this to you?” My mind is racing. “If you didn’t report me, then who, Erik? Who?”
He sighs. “Who’ve you pissed off lately, Evanee? Think about that and you’ll have your answer.”
He ends the call.
I throw myself into the reception chair wondering what the hell happened to Wendy. I need her here to talk to, to help me figure this out. Who have I made angry lately? I think back to the party and go through the various faces. The ol’ ladies? Well, some were less welcoming than others. Slag, for example, but I doubt she’d go to that kind of effort. Same with Verity. Plus, how would they know about Lullaby? The passarounds were friendly enough, though I know they were faking it, but I put them in the same box as the ol’ ladies. None of them would think to come to my clinic and climb over a six-foot-tall fence to look for a horse.
The Blackbeards? No, they’d come in through the front door. Which they did.
Maybe Trigger’s dad didn’t like… ah. The lightbulb goes off. Not Trigger’s dad. Reporting the horse is something petty; something my father would do. Not to get me in trouble, but to make me second guess my choices. I shiver as I think of the VP and Enforcer who paid me the earlier visit. Did dad have a hand in that too?
I slump into the office chair, knowing how bad it is for my posture, but to hell with it. Today is not the day to worry about who the fuck I want to be.
The ceiling needs painting I observe as I lean my neck on the back of the chair and tilt my head up. I blink my tears away as I think about my father. He knows people, some are criminals, but the high-end kind. He wouldn’t lower himself to associate with the Blackbeards. Would he?
I pick up the phone to call him when Wendy stalks in like a viper about to strike. She’s stopped smoking again and I’m not sure I can handle her moodiness right now.
“Sorry, I’m late. I ran into some buddies of yours,” she rasps.
My heart sinks. Her tone of voice suggests anything but. “Friends?” Maybe the Blackbeards cornered her too.
“Yeah.” She rounds the desk, elbowing me out of the chair, and thumping her body into it. “A couple of guys in suits. They said they were DEA. They wanted to share their concerns about who you were consorting with. They were very persuasive. Bought me lunch and everything.”
Her explanation is so unexpected, I grope for words. “What? Lunch?”
She smirks at my discomposure. “Yeah. They suggested that you needed to be kept safe from Hell’s Jury and thought I’d be a good inside person to report back on activities.”
My heart sinks. “Are you sure it was DEA?” I know Hell’s Jury is involved in criminal activities, but I didn’t think their world would impact mine in any significant way.
“Oh yeah. They had badges and everything.”
“This is ridiculous,” I fume. “First the Blackbeards. Then the cops. They must all be in this together.”
“Doubtful,” Wendy says, reaching for cigarettes that aren’t there. “These guys were acting alone.” She stops as she realizes what I’ve said. “What do you mean, Blackbeards and cops?”
“We’ll talk about that later. Right now, I want to know what’s going on with you and the DEA agents.”
Wendy doesn’t like to be told what to do anymore than I do, but she seems to sense my stress. “They were concerned about your well-being; didn’t think they should approach you directly because of you living with Trigger.” She chews at her thumbnail, then looks at it. “I was intrigued. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy working at the clinic, but it’s minimum wage and I could use the extra cash.”
I get defensive. “It’s slow for now, Wendy! When things pick up, I’ll pay you more.”
“I know. I’m bored too. This seems like fun.”
“It’s not fun. It’s suicide! If Hell’s Jury find out what you’re doing, they’ll kill you.” I’m shaking now. “And Trigger will leave me. They might kill me.”
She sits straighter in the chair. “You don’t have to worry. I won’t fuck this up. I drove a hard bargain; told them that I’d think it over. Asked what kind of money they were talking about.” She reaches into her purse and pulls out an envelope that she hands to me. “Two grand. As a sign-up fee.”
“You agreed?” I’m in shock as I rifle through the bills.
“Took me a while to be convinced, but yeah, I decided to do it.”
This time I can’t control the tears that slip out of my eyes. “Wendy, are you nuts?” I’m on the edge of hysteria. “I love Trigger. I can’t betray him, and I can’t let you do it, either. I don’t want you to die.”
“Cut out the theatrics,” she replies crossly. “What makes you think I’m going to betray him or his motorcycle boys? The DEA are looking for a way inside. They think I’m it. Your boyfriend and his club can feed information through me.” She grins like a barn cat. “Like I said, I was getting bored, and I can use the cash.”
“It’s dangerous.” My tears have stopped and I’m sort of off the edge of the cliff, but I’m still shaking inside. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“I thought I knew you better than that. You’re not spineless and I have no intentions of dying. I need an adventure and this one dropped into my lap.” Her eyes light up. “So let’s get subterfugeing.”
Chapter Thirty
Trigger
Joker, Reaper and I are sitting outside at the picnic table with beers in our hands, planning our strategy on how to let the prez know that Dino is dead through our neglect. He won’t like what happened because I think he wanted to give him back to Crip, but he’ll let it go. The problem is we didn’t get any goddamn information out of the dead fucker and that’s gonna turn Hangman into a raging lunatic.
“I say we blame it on Trigger,” Reaper says with an uncharacteristic grin. He’s not a teaser, at least not sober, but he’s finding something funny about the situation.
“Fuck off, asshole,” I tell him, my sense of humour pretty much exhausted. “Last time I saw Dino, he was in your custody.”
Joker takes a swallow of his beer, staring past us to the high chain link fence that surrounds our property. He looks like he’s thinking about going over the wall. “We gotta rip the band aid off, guys. Tell him we fucked up. Decide what we’re gonna do with the corpse and move on.”
I state the obvious. “Blackbeards are gonna blame this on us.”
Reaper’s grin drops. “Of course they are, asshole. Someone put Dino up to the bullshit that happened at the brothel. Don’t get it though.” He drains his beer and chucks the can towards the firepit and misses. “The odds were slim that he’d be able to grab Kit and take off.”
Joker nods. “Yeah. Beat her up first and then let her scream her head off? If it was me, I’d tie her up and gag her. Or knock her out. Lot easier to get out without raising the alarm.”
I think about this. “Maybe Dino was never supposed to get out. Dumb bastard went in there following orders. Maybe Crip wanted us to grab him.”
We’re quiet for a moment as we contemplate that possibility, then Reaper says, “That makes more sense than anything else. Dino was a sacrifice, maybe placed to feed us information that’ll backfire on us.”
“That’s a fucking big risk Crip’s taking,” Joker concludes. “Thinkin’ we were gonna let Dino come out the other end alive.”
I finish my beer and crush the can. “Would we have killed him? Things between us and the Blackbeards are hot right now. Maybe he was thinking we’d give Dino a good talkin’ to, then let him go.”
Joker raises his eyebrows as he focuses on me. “You’re not such an idiot after all. Well, at least not as big as Dino.”
I shrug off the insult. I’ve been called worse. “Ain’t never heard of Dino, so he’s either a hangaround or new prospect. I suppose Crip told him he’d be a hero. That he’d get some promotion if he took one for team.” I pop the top on another beer. “Dumb fuck.”
The ringing of my phone interrupts the conversation. It’s Evanee. “Hey gorgeous,” I say by way of greeting.
“Trigger,” she says. Her voice is too high.
I jump up from the table. “What’s wrong?” Because something sure as hell is. I’ve never heard my girl this distraught.
“Everything! The police gave me a citation for having Lullaby in town. They say they’re going to euthanize her if I don’t move her in the next 24-hours.”
“They cited you for Lullaby?”
Joker and Reaper are looking at me in confusion, so I cover the phone and say quietly. “It’s one of Evanee’s pets. A horse. Cops found out she was keepin’ it in the back of the clinic. Want her to move it.”
To Evanee, I say, “Don’t worry, babe. We’ll talk to the cops. Don’t know why the fuck they’re messing with you. They should fucking know better.”
“A horse?” Joker repeats. “What the fuck are you talkin’ about?”
I wave my hand at him to get him to shut up so I can hear Evanee.
“It doesn’t matter,” she says. “They’re right anyway. Lullaby needs room to run. She’s too confined here and I can tell she’s getting depressed.”
“I got this, Evanee. You ain’t alone anymore. Me and the Jury will find a solution.”
Reaper snorts. “You bring somethin’ like that to church, Hangman will fuck you up good.”
I scratch at the whiskers on my face. Fucking itches all the time. “We go at it differently. Cops are hassling my ol’ lady. That ain’t right.”
“She isn’t your ol’ lady, though. Is she? You haven’t brought it to church. She isn’t vested.”
Evanee hears everything. “I might not be vested?” There’s a quiver to her voice.
“You’re gonna be vested, babe. You don’t got to worry about that.”
Reaper and Joker exchange glances, but keep their mouths shut.
I glare at the assholes. To Evanee, I say, “Hangman ain’t gonna like that the cops are giving you the gears and he’ll make sure it don’t happen again.”
“But what about Lullaby?”
I’m gonna fuck up the cops who made my girl lose her cool. “We’ll solve it. Find a place with lots of room for her to run.” I look around the compound yard, and a lightbulb goes off. It’s big, barely used, the kids could ride the horse. Yeah, that’d work. I don’t say it out loud because Reaper and Joker are still listening. I hold my hand over the receiver again. “Why don’t you bugger off.”
Reaper grins. “And miss all the fun?”
Evanee’s talkin’ again. “What babe? Sorry, I got distracted by an asshole.”
“I bet he did,” Joker mumbles to Reaper.
“There were Blackbeards here too. The vice president and the enforcer.”
My heart goes into overdrive. “Fuck! Those assholes hurt you?”
“No. Not really.” She’s sounding more composed now.
“What the do you mean, not really?” I’m already thinking about the heads that are gonna roll.
“What that fuck’s going on?” Joker says, looking serious now.
“Fucking Blackbeards,” I tell him.
“They wanted me to pass along the message. Made a few threats. I could’ve shot them, but I couldn’t get to my gun.”
I feel the chill down to my boots. “Evanee, you can’t shoot any Blackbeards. That would cause a war that we ain’t ready to have.”
Reaper’s chuckling despite the conversation. “She’s gonna get vested, no problem.”
“Shut up!”
“What?” Evanee says, her voice strained.
“Not you, babe. Joker and Reaper. What was the message they wanted you to give me.”
“They said you have something of theirs and they want it back.”
Dino, I mouth to Joker and Reaper. “I want you to come in.”
“Should I bring Wendy?”
I think about it. “Was she there when the assholes showed up?”
“No. She was at lunch.”
“Then cancel your appointments, lock up and send her home.”
“I have no appointments.” Again, I hear the stress.
“It’s gonna be okay. Business will pick up.” I try to sound soothing, but I can hear the terseness in my tone. “Get here, baby. Now.”
“Jesus christ,” Reaper says under his breath. “This is longest fuckin’ conversation I’ve ever been involved in.”
I cover the phone again. “No one invited you to stay, asshole.”
“Okay,” Evanee says, starting to sound like herself again. “What about the DEA agents though?”
I almost drop my phone. “What fuckin’ DEA agents?” I shout.
Joker leaps off the picnic table. “Give me the phone.” He makes a grab for it and we grapple over it. I come out on top by knocking him to his ass.
