High Voltage (8 page)

~ Minka ~

Playing Heroes

D
ino and I watch an episode of
Deadliest Catch
while he tells me that he can’t fish because of his deep-seated fear of
boredom. I pretend to be turned on by the dirty men on the show, leading Dino
to change the channel.

“They’re not your type,” he says, looking for
something else to watch.

I’m laughing at his ridiculous jealous nature when
the phone rings. I answer and hear Hayes growling before he even speaks. Dino
immediately gets a possessive glare on his handsome face, and I roll my eyes at
him.

“Pay attention, fuckwit,” Hayes demands.

“This better be important.”

“You talked to Ruby at the titty bar, right?”

“The bartender?”

“Yeah, dumbass, the bartender.”

“You seem tense. Is something wrong?”

Hayes growls so loudly Dino finally rolls his eyes.

“Ruby called me to ask for help since Black got
nervous about you talking to her. He sent his deputies after her. She’s hiding
out and wants me to save her ass. If I say no, she’s planning to turn to the
Serrated Fuckers.”

“I’ll be honest and admit I don’t know what the
hell you’re talking about.”

Hayes exhales loudly. “Ruby lives in Hickory Creek Township and knows those Rutgers shitheads. If she calls them for help, they’re
going to take an interest in Common Bend. While I don’t give a shit about them
taking out Black, I’m sure your boyfriend does. That means you need to go to
the Bend Over Bar and help Ruby.”

“I think you’re confused about the boyfriend thing.
I’m dating Dino, not Johansson.”

“Are you trying to piss me off?”

“Is that a real question?”

“I’m hanging up now. You do whatever the fuck you
want.”

Once Hayes hangs up, I look at Dino.

“I’m your boyfriend. Interesting,” he says,
smirking.

“Don’t get excited. I consider anyone who fucks me
more than twice a boyfriend.”

“So, what was that about?”

“We need to find that bartender from the strip
club. The cops are after her. Apparently if we don’t save her, she’ll call the
biker club from Hickory Creek.”

“So, let her call?”

“That’s bad for Cooper Johansson,” I say and then
add when Dino shows no concern, “The guy paying us.”

“Oh, yeah, the paycheck thing. I have a nice nest
egg, so one less payday won’t kill me. Let’s stay in bed.”

“Ruby might end up dead before her biker friends
show up.”

Dino sighs. “I guess I don’t want to get a pretty
girl killed.”

Laughing, I slide out of bed. “Was that an attempt
to make me jealous?”

“No. In fact, you ought to get used to me calling
women pretty. I like to flirt.”

“We’ll see if I care in a week.”

“Kneepads.”

I flip him off before running into the bathroom to
pull on clothes. Returning to the bedroom, I find Dino dressed like he’d spent
an hour getting his hair just right.

“Men suck.”

“Don’t we?”

I switch on the cameras in the room and grab Dick
Richey’s phone before following Dino out of the room. We make our way down the
stairs and use the back exit. Before we head to the bar where Ruby’s hiding, I
decide to stop and pick up a few bottles of whiskey. Dino grins at my stash,
understanding we’re about to make a mess for Sheriff Black.

I dial the Sheriff’s Department and leave a message
for the man in charge, who is conveniently unavailable to take calls.

“Dick Richey wants him to know the bad people have
a video of the bad stuff. They put it in an envelope. I don’t know what to do.
I’m going to light a cigarette and think about it.”

I hang up and smack a laughing Dino. “What?”

“Was that accent supposed to sound Australian?”

“Yes.”

“Good thing you’re beautiful.”

“Shut the fuck up and get us to the bar before they
kill that girl.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Dino presses down on the accelerator as we race
into Common Bend’s city limits. We both put on ski masks and gloves. On the way
to the bar, I spot a parked cruiser. Dino sees it too and slows down.

“My brother played with fire,” Dino says as I light
up one of the Molotov cocktails. “He burned down our garage and ended up with
scars on his forearm and leg. Lucky he didn’t end up crispy.”

“Did you have a point?”

“No.”

Grinning, I lean out of the window and throw the
flaming bottle at the bottom of the cruiser.

“Nice shot,” he says, speeding away as the cop car
goes up in a blaze.

“I played softball in high school.”

“Glad to know you changed teams before we met.”

I frown, not understanding. Once I get the softball
equals lesbian thing, I punch him in the arm.

“Don’t be a pig.”

“Yeah, no promises there.”

The Bend Over Bar is as classy as the name implies.
We spot an empty police cruiser parked halfway down the block. I assume the
car’s owner is at the bar. I suspect he’s parked so far away to keep Ruby’s
disappearance off the books.

Once I set the cruiser on fire, Dino pulls into the
bar’s lot and parks around the back.

“No way will we get out of this without firing a
shot,” Dino says, checking his weapons.

“No, but let’s try to avoid civilian injuries.”

Dino gives me a nod before we leave the SUV. Slow
and sneaky won’t work in this situation. We need to get inside and control the
situation.

Keeping his gun visible, Dino pulls open the bar’s
door, and I hurry through. The heat and stink of the strip club hit me first.
Next, I hear the sounds of people arguing. Turning a corner, I recognize the
cops from the files given to us. The off-duty officers argue with the
bartender.

“She ain’t here,” says the grizzled man.

The taller cop crosses his arms. “I heard
different.”

“You heard wrong.”

“We’re going to look around.”

“I pay my bills. I don’t need to be hassled.”

The officers turn away from the old man who I
suspect is fiddling with a weapon behind the bar. He’s thinking about
challenging them. I think they feel it too because they reach for their
weapons.

“DEA!” I holler, aiming my gun. “Everyone freeze.”

The cops keep their hands in the open. Clearly
unsure, they’ll try to go for my gun soon.

Dino approaches them and points his Glock in the
first cop’s face.

“Where’s our witness?” Dino asks the old man.

The bartender likely thinks Ruby has a better shot
of surviving with us than the cops. He gestures towards the bathroom.

“Asshole,” the cop says to the old man.

The bartender glares hard at the cops. “She’s got a
kid, assholes.”

While Dino holds his weapon on the two cops, I move
quickly through the bar to the bathroom.

“Ruby, it’s Jane from the other day. We’re here to
help you get home.”

A head appears at the top of the stall. “You’re the
reason I can’t get home.”

“No, those fucking cops are the reason. Now do you
want to see your kid again or not?”

Ruby’s dark glare eases before she jumps down from
the toilet and opens the door.

“Let’s go,” I say directing her from the restroom
and out of the back of the bar.

Hearing a gunshot nearby, I decide to remain with
Ruby. Dino is a pro and more than capable of handling two small-town cops. I
fucking know he is, but I’m scared they got the drop on him. Or maybe someone
else showed up.

Ruby gets into the backseat and crouches down like
she knows the drill. I use my extra keys to drive the SUV to the front where I
honk and wait for someone to appear. If the cops show up, I’m making
crotch-shot, so they suffer a little before the final face shots.
I think
Dino would approve.

Rather than cops, Dino hurries outside with his gun
at the ready. He opens the passenger door and slides in.

“Who fired?” I ask, hitting the accelerator.

“One of the pigs. I only wounded him,” Dino says,
glancing into the back where Ruby hides. “The fucker cried.”

“Where did you shoot him?”

“Balls.”

“Well, that would do it.”

Ruby sits up and frowns. “Did you actually shoot
one of those fuckers in the balls?”

“Yeah, princess.”

Her frown eases, and she finally laughs. “Man, I
would love to have seen that.”

“Here’s the thing,” I say, racing down the dark
streets towards White Horse, “I don’t know where to drop you off.”

“I’ll give you my address in Hickory Creek.”

“Won’t the cops just show up there?”

“No, not unless they want to go to war with the Serrated
Brotherhood.”

Dino asks, “Are you tight with them?”

“If I was, do you think I’d have called Hayes?”

“You took a big chance calling him.”

“Not really. I figured you two wanted an excuse to
start shit. I also guessed you’d want less in return than the Brotherhood.”

“So, what exactly happened?”

“Black showed up at Lollipops and wanted to know
what I said to you. I was completely honest, but he didn’t believe me. He was
sweating, and I got scared and attacked him and his deputy with beer bottles.
They couldn’t start shooting in the open and tried to grab me, but I got out
the back and ran. They’ve been looking for me for the last few hours. I thought
about calling one of my sisters to get me. Then I heard Black put a bounty on
my head, and half of the town was looking for me. That’s when I called Hayes.”

The car falls silent while I follow the GPS
directions to her place in Hickory Creek.

“You have a kid?” Dino asks.

“Yeah, a daughter. She’s seven.”

“What’s her name?”

“Chevelle. It’s Jamaican after my dad. We call her
Elle,” Ruby says, sounding tired.

She gets quiet as the reality of her near-miss
today sets in. “Do you two have kids?” she asks, regaining her composure.

“We’re not together,” I say instantly.

Dino glances at Ruby and grins. “She’s a strong woman,
so being my sex slave bothers her.”

Ruby leans back in the seat. “You’d make pretty
kids, I bet. I have a way of telling.”

Nudging me, Dino sighs. “I want a bunch of kids.
Boys and girls. Lots and lots of them. I hope one has curly hair like my ma.”

“Elle has curly hair,” Ruby says, sounding tired
again.

Twenty minutes later, we arrive at the Lush Gardens Trailer Park without incident.

“Are you sure you’ll be safe?” I ask, turning
around to look at Ruby.

Her dark eyes are wary, but she nods. “I’ve lived
here all my life, and we’re a tight-knit community. There’s no way those guys
can show up without us knowing immediately. In fact, Missy Topper has already
told everyone about the strange SUV out front.”

Ruby shows us the message sent out to the Lush Gardens
Residences Facebook group.

“I’ll be fine except for how I have no car or job,”
she grumbles before shaking out her shoulders. “I’m alive, and that’s all that
really matters. Thanks for coming.”

“Here’s our direct number if you need help again,”
I say, handing her a business card. “We aren’t leaving the area until Black is
dealt with. We’ll also see about getting your car back.”

“Thanks,” Ruby says, giving her first real smile
since hearing one of the cops was shot in the balls.

Watching her walk into the park, I feel uneasy.
“Black is going to fuck with her.”

Dino reaches over and caresses the back of my neck.
“She’ll be safe for the time being. If Hayes says the bikers are a threat to
Black, then the sheriff must know they are too. Why open that can of whoop-ass
on himself?”

“He likely knew where Ruby lived and how he was
opening that can anyway. He’s paranoid.”

“He ought to be. The guy is a guppy swimming in
seas of sharks. If the bikers or Hayes knew how weak Black was, they’d have
made a move by now.”

Grumpy now, I lean into Dino’s massaging fingers.
“Let’s get rid of him so Cooper can get back his territory and Ruby is in the
clear.”

“If we kill a cop, the feds and state assholes
might notice. It’s the only reason I didn’t kill the deputy tonight.”

“True, but maybe the stress of his job gets to be
too much for Black, and he takes his own life. No feds or state assholes will
care about that,” I say, imagining putting the gun to Black’s head and pulling
the trigger.