Brutal (25 page)

“I’ll take care of it,” I say. “He won’t bother you again.”

“Thanks. I don’t need another cop sniffing around me.”

“No, you don’t. I’ll break his nose, how’s that?”

“Sounds heavenly. What are you doing tonight?”

“I’m meeting Tony in a few, then chilling at home,” I say. “Why? What’s up?”

“Um,” she starts. “It’s just that I think he’s following me, too.”

“Shit, Macy that’s my fault. I asked him to, but he wasn’t supposed to approach you. I’ll handle it. Any trouble getting time off work?”

“No, I had time saved up,” she says. “So it’s all good for a week or so. We’ll discuss him following me behind my back, later.”

“Keep your phone handy, stay in, and I’ll call you later.”

“Okay, be careful,” she says. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” I say. “I will.”

“V—?”

“I’ll be okay, Macy.”

“The Detective?”

“No, it’s not him,” I say. “It’s me. He finally figured out who I really am, is all.”

“You’re a prize, nothing less.”

“Thanks,” I say. “But I’m really not, and now he knows it.”

“Then he’s an idiot.”

“He’s smart,” I say. “I gotta go.”

“Venessa,” she says. “Wait…Don’t give up on him, yeah?”

“I gave up on myself, Macy. There’s a difference.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I’ve accepted myself for who and what I am, and he hasn’t. To be honest, he shouldn’t have to.”

“Venessa, come on,” she pleads. “He wants to take care of you, is that so bad?”

“He wants to fix me, there’s a difference.”

“He wants to help you,” she says. “You’re supposed to be helping each other right?”

“He wants me to leave the heavy lifting to him, while I sit in a corner and knit, and that isn’t me. It’s not just the shit at the club, now it’s about you, too, and I want answers. I told you I’d handle it, Macy and I will.”

“But you shouldn’t have to do it alone,” she says. “You love him, don’t give up on him, or your relationship.”

“I do love him.” I sigh. “But I love him enough to let him go, if that means saving him from me. Because, let’s be honest here, all my shit will ruin him, it is ruining him and that’s just not fucking fair.” And with that, I disconnect, not able to justify myself any longer. I’m tired. I just want to crawl into a hole and be left alone.

But, disappearing isn’t a possibility right now, so I head to the club on my fucking day off to meet Tony. He better have answers, or I’m going to get hostile. I use my key to let myself in the back, and I see the bar's been ransacked. Tables, chairs, liquor and oh, fuck! My platform! I immediately mourn the loss of my equipment, and then I hear yelling so I take my 9mm out of my back holster, following the voices. I duck around the corner and hear Tony giving orders, but since I’m technically early, I hang back to listen.

“You can’t fucking tell her,” says Max.

“We can’t keep this from her,” says Tony.

“She wouldn’t like it.” This from Blu.

“Nope,” says Cory.

“She’s already in danger, Tony,” says Max. “We can’t protect her if she goes crazy.”

“She won’t go crazy,” assures Tony. “We’ll tell her what happened here, but not who we suspect caused the damage to the bar and your face.”

“No,” says Max. “We don’t tell her, I’m fucking serious.”

“You think I’d put the woman I crave in danger?” asks Tony. “I’d protect her with my life.”

“Yeah? Well if this shit keeps up, that’s exactly what’s going to happen, my friend,” says Max. “I’ve known that girl since she was a minor, sneaking in here to listen to the music. I love her, too. It isn’t safe for her here anymore, and you know it. They came here looking for her, how long until they find her? We can’t protect her from everything, and we should have never let this shit continue. Too many people know about her.”

“She won’t leave,” says Tony. “Not willingly.”

“Let me and Cory stay with her on stage, and she’ll have us plus the giant, Miguel, and the entire fucking club,” says Blu.

“Yeah,” says Cory.

“You boys would kill for her?” asks Tony.

“Yes,” they say in unison.

“You think she’d do the same for you?” asks Max.

“Yes,” they say again.

“God dammit,” says Max. “I need to jet before she sees my face.”

“No time,” says Tony. “She’s here. Go let her in, Cory.”

I walk in to watch Max turn away from me, and I know it’s bad. It must be if he won’t allow me to see his face. He’s right, we are a family, for better or for worse. Whoever dared come into my home and put their hands on my family will pay. I won’t ‘go crazy’ per se, but I will fuck some shit up. Tony is tense, and the boys look primed, too. Instinctively I know how I handle things now will dictate how things go later. I holster my 9mm, ignore Tony, and head straight for Max.

“Max, look at me.”

“Venessa, don’t.”

“Max.”

When he turns to look at me, I knew on the inside I was screaming, but on the outside I probably looked bored. Max needs medical attention. Someone went to a lot of trouble to bust his face apart in an effort to find me.

“Venessa, I’m okay.”

“Who did this?”

“We need to talk, baby.” This from Tony.

“Talk,” I say, trying to hold in my anger.

“We don’t know who, we just know they were looking for you,” he says.

“How?”

“The feed shows them paying special attention to your gear. They didn’t start on the bar until they were done, and only started on Max when he showed up to see what set the alarm off. They specifically asked for you.”

“Show me,” I say pointing to the monitor.

“Later,” says Tony.

“Now,” I say.

“Where’s—?” Max tries.

“Not sure,” I say, cutting him off. “Show me, Tony.”

“Cue it up,” says Tony, pointing to Cory.

I watch for about two full minutes while three men go to work on my platform. I want to vomit. I want to scream. I want to punch someone. However, I remind myself those things can be replaced. When I see Max walk in and the men turn their attention on him, instantly I’m in a killing rage. I don’t recognize these men. But now I know their faces. Whatever they want has to do with the missing girls and Macy, I’m fucking positive of it. I knew, eventually, someone would come for me. I guess I should find comfort in not having to wait anymore. Now, I can strategize.

“Get the doc here,” I say. “Get him patched up.”

Tony catches up with me in the hallway.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Out.”

“Here’s the thing, baby,” he says. “Max doesn’t want you in on all the gory details. I, on the other hand, feel like you have a right know. Therefore, you aren’t running out of here half-cocked.”

“Tony,” I say. “Now is not the time to mark your territory. I’m leaving, now get the fuck outta my way.”

“No,” he says. “I can’t do that.”

“I won’t ask again,” I say, easing forward.

“You want answers, I have them, and I’ll share them with you,” he says, smiling. “For a price.”

“Name it,” I say, suppressing the need to kill him.

“Dinner,” he says. “With me…tonight.”

“You mother f—“

He shushes me with his finger. “Think of the missing girls. Think of Macy.”

“Time.”

“Now works for me,” he says. “And I happen to have my car out back.”

“Fine.”

This has clusterfuck stamped all over it. I know I’m going to regret this, but if it saves Macy, I’ll endure dinner.

For Macy, I’d endure anything.

I
knew it. I fucking knew it was a matter of time before she would lie to me, going to dinner with that fuck just because we had a fight. I don’t give a fuck if it is under duress. She’s still fucking going, now I’m here, going insane. This tracker is a fucking nightmare, and I should have never left it on, but I’m glad I did because now I know. Having the means to know what she’s doing, who she’s talking to was great when it worked to my advantage. Right now? Not fucking working to my advantage.

Gallo knows exactly what he’s doing, too, using information as leverage. But she should know better than to trust him by now. Then I remind myself they have years together. Fuck. Calling Rafe is my only option, because I can’t show up at Gallo’s house and drag her back, although the thought holds merit. A lot of thoughts hold merit right now, not one of them legal, neither.

“It’s me.”

“No shit,” says Rafe.

“I need you at my place, ten minutes ago.”

“We killing somebody?” he asks, and I can hear his Ram roar to life.

“If you ain’t here in the next five minutes, I will.”

“Who we offing?”

“Gallo,” I say.

“'Bout time,” he says. “Does this have something to do with your woman?”

“Yes.”

“I’m down,” he says. “Be there in two.” Click.

After her talk with Macy, I realize my fuck up where she’s concerned. I realize that she isn’t the type of woman to sit back and do nothing, and I shouldn’t have pushed her so far. One of the things I love about her most, is her fight to survive, to make things right. She wants to protect me, like I want to protect her. I also know she wasn’t hiding from me and I took my anger toward Gallo too far with her. She can’t understand what it’s like for me to have to listen to another man try to steal her away, constantly.

Despite her constant reassurance, Gallo is everything I’m not. I know Gallo’s game and she does, too, no doubt. I also get why she had to go, but she went without my protection and the only positive here, is once she arrives I’ll have the fucker's location. I wanted to trust her, I really did, but if it just takes that dick dangling info to make her give in, I never stood a fucking chance.

“What’s the sitch?” he asks walking through the door within three minutes of my call.

“We had a fight, which I’ll admit was my fault, I walked out to clear my head. Macy called, which we’ll hit in a minute. Gallo texted her to meet at the club, which was hit hard with thugs looking for her. They messed Max up pretty good, she watched the surveillance, but before she could leave Gallo stopped her, dangling information about the girls and Macy in front of her in exchange for dinner. She’s en route to the fucker's house now.”

“How do you even know this?”

“I just do, leave it at that,” I mumble.

“You have two choices then,” he says. “Call her with an emergency so she’ll leave, or wait and hear what happens.”

“Don’t have her number,” I say. “I can’t fucking call her.”

“How do you not have her number?”

“I’m supposed to be with her 24/7, so I never got her number.”

“That’s fucked up,” he says. “So we listen then.”

“When they stop, I’ll have his location.”

“What about Macy?”

“You approached her.”

“Couldn’t help it.” He laughs.

“She called Venessa, so let’s just say you’re on her list, too,” I say. “I told her you wouldn’t break cover. Macy doesn’t trust cops, asshole, you knew that.”

“I’m not a cop,” he says, smiling. “I’m a detective.”

“Do you really want to fuck with me right now?”

“Handle your woman,” he says. “I’ll handle mine.”

“She ain’t your woman Rafe.”

“But she will be,” he says. “Where are they right now? Royal Oak?”

“Fucking figures.”

“Since we’re waiting, and she’s giving him the silent treatment, what’d you do to piss her off?”

“I opened my mouth, that’s what I did”

“You love her right?” he asks. “You trust her?”

“Yeah.”

“She loves you and trusts you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then it’ll work out,” he says. “She doesn’t want Gallo, because if she did, you wouldn’t be here. If you’re giving her shit about him, stop. Is she encouraging him?”

“No.”

“Then lay off,” he says. “You’re using her for info. It’s not fair of you to bitch about how she gets it. If she’s not leading him on, then back off and let her do her thing. She’s been in with him for a long time, man, they have history. Quit trying to compete with the guy. Is she lying to you?”

“Fuck no,” I say. “She’s been nothing but honest with me.”

“Then what’s the fucking problem?”

“I’m fucking jealous, alright?” I groan. “He’s obsessed with her, and its killing me! She’s mine. I don’t give a fuck about their history. I’m the only one who gets to touch her, ever. She can’t stand to be touched by anyone else. Just me. But the guy is rich and good looking, into the same shit she is—“

“Who does she come home to?”

“Me.”

“You,” he says. “She comes home to you because she wants to, man. She tolerates Tony because she has to. You need to focus on the difference, before you lose her for good. I may not know her very well, but I do know she’s the type that will bail if you interfere with her end goal. You are not the lead detective of the DPD here; you’re the guy who loves the female he was supposed to guard and get info from. The female, who isn’t a normal female, but a straight up killer. If she wanted Gallo, she’s had years to act on it. She may be fucked up, but she isn’t the type of female to run around on you, either.”