In a Cold Sweat (4 page)

Jackie looked around the truck for something to put over that wound. She took a deep breath and unhooked her bra.

Travis smiled.

“What?” Jackie asked, and folded the cup.

“It’s been a minute since I’ve seen the twins,” Travis commented as Jackie placed her bra over the wound.

“Whatever, Travis,” she said as she struggled to tie what was left of her blouse around him. “Sit back and keep pressure on that.” With that done, Jackie turned her attention to his leg. She took off his belt and wrapped that around his leg.

Jackie climbed back in the front seat and turned off the interior light. She put her jacket on and started up the truck. “You okay?” Jackie asked as she drove away.

“Sad that the twins are gone,” Travis managed.

“Yeah, you’re all right.” Jackie laughed and drove away. “What do you think I should do, go drivin’ down the street with the twins hangin’ out? Wouldn’t be a good idea,” Jackie said and got on the Expressway.

It wasn’t too long after that when Freeze called. “Where you at,” he asked once Tammy was in the Navigator with him.

“About to get on the Major Deegan,” Jackie said.

“How’s Travis?” Freeze asked.

“He’s okay.”

“Get off at 179th Street. You know where Roberto Clemente State Park is?”

“No,” Jackie answered and frowned.

“Like I said, get off at 179th Street and turn right on Sedgwick Avenue then make a sharp right at Cedar Avenue.
 
Park by the bridge and wait for us there.”

“On my way,” Jackie said.

Once Freeze arrived at the park, Tammy wasted no time in redressing Travis’s wounds. “You did a good job with this. Probably saved his life,” Tammy told Jackie.

A short while after they arrived at the park,
a silver
, four door 2006 Acura RL pulled up and parked by the bridge. Jackie began to reach for her gun, but Freeze grabbed her arm. “He’s with me,” he told Jackie.

The man had come to pick up the Hummer that Jackie was driving. He would take the vehicle to a chop shop and Jackie could take Travis in the Acura. Once Travis was transferred to the Acura, Jackie took him home and put him to bed to rest.

“Jackie,” Travis said. “Thanks for tonight.”

“No problem.” Jackie squeezed his hand a little tighter. “I thought I was going to lose you, man.” Tears began to flow from her eyes.

“You saved my life tonight, Jackie. I’m never gonna forget that.”

“You would have done the same thing for me.”

“Yeah, I know.” Travis looked away from Jackie and tried to decide how he was going to say what he had to say.

“What?”

“It’s just that I coulda died out there, and for what? We didn’t even get the processors, so it was all for nothing. Eddie died in there, died for nothing.”

“What are you trying to say, Travis?”

“I’m out Jackie. That was my last job.”

“What?”

“I’m done. Finished with this shit.”

“What are you talkin’ ’bout, Travis. You can’t quit now,” Jackie told her wounded partner.

“Yes I can, Jackie. I don’t need to do this anymore. I got enough money saved and my house in Connecticut is paid for. The economy is getting better, I could live
good
with a job and the money I got saved.”

“
Wow,” was all Jackie could muster at the time. She let go of Travis’s hand and sat back in the chair next to the bed. She
wasn’t liking
the sound of this at all.
He can’t be serious,
Jackie thought
. He can’t just quit.
“Quitin’, huh?”

“Yeah, Jackie, I’m done with all this. I mean I got no real reason to keep doin’ it. I just don’t need to do this anymore.”

Jackie stood up and bent over to kiss Travis on the forehead. “You get some rest. I’ll be right outside if you need me.” She had reached to door when Travis called out to her.

“Jackie.”

“Yes, Travis.”

“Thanks again.”

“Get some rest and we’ll talk in the morning.

Jackie went into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Out of reflex, she picked up the remote and started flipping channels. Not that she was watching or even cared what was on; her mind was on what Travis had just said.

In her mind, Jackie replayed the conversation over and over again.
I’m out. That was my last job. I got enough money saved and my house in Connecticut is paid for. The economy is getting better, I could live
good
with a job and the money I got saved.

“Yeah, but what about me?” Jackie asked herself. Unlike Travis, who had a long-term plan for the money they had stolen over the years, Jackie spent all of her money on gambling, clothes and her Porsche Cayman S that she dropped fifty-eight grand on.

Jackie rolled a blunt and poured herself a tall glass of Henny and thought about what she was going to do next.

It had been a long time coming. With all that had gone on over the last year, I needed a night out. I hadn’t been out in a while. Unless hangin’ with Bobby counted, it had been some years. I’m talkin’ about out with a woman. Have a good meal someplace nice, take in a show, do a little dancin’ maybe, get some pussy; yeah, I was down for all that.

So I decided that we’d go to my favorite restaurant, McCormick & Schmick's on 52nd Street and the Avenue of the Americas. She ordered Tilapia with roasted pepper and Cajun cream sauce. I had the Swordfish with sun dried tomato butter. The shit was off the chain.

After dinner we went to see
Les Miserables
. When it ran on Broadway the first time, it ran for sixteen years. Now it was back with a new cast, and we were both pretty hyped about seeing it. The story was about this guy in nineteenth century France, who was always pursued by a righteous police inspector. Sorta reminded me of Kirk and the way he’s been trying to lock me up for years.

After the show, we hit the club and danced until the lights came on. I hadn’t had a night like that in years, so I decided to tell her. “I really had a good time with you tonight,” I said as we got to the car.

“Is that so? Well then maybe we’ll do this again real soon,” she said as I opened the car door for her.

“You won’t be able to keep me away from you,” I said with my lips close to hers.

“We’ll see,” she said, without kissing me and got in the car. I shut the door and came around to the driver’s side thinking that she was right. Tomorrow would come and I’d back to doin’ what I do and not thinkin’ ’bout dinner, the theater and dancin’.

I started the car, but before I put the car in gear I turned to look at her. “You are so beautiful,” I told her, because she was. I drove off thinking that she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever met, and I’ve met and had some beauties. “I can’t wait to get you home, baby.”

“I don’t want to go there. Why can’t you just stay
here
with me?”

“It’s cool, baby, trust me.”

“Michael, what’s going to happen when we get there?”

“I’m gonna ease you out of that sexy black dress.”

“That’s not what I’m talkin’ about and you know it. What’s going to happen when we get there?”

I gripped the stirring wheel tighter. “You let me worry about that.”

“I don’t wanna go.”

“Why not?”

“You know
what’s
gonna happen when we get there.”

“
Nothin’s
gonna happen when we get there.”

“Not right away, but
it’s
gonna happen.” She put her hand on my face. I love it when she does that. “Bart is gonna be there, baby. And he is gonna kill me.”

“No he’s not. I got him this time,” I said and kissed her hand.

“That’s what you said last time, Michael.”

“I got a plan this time.”

“You had a plan the last time and he still killed me. Let’s not go home, baby. We could have so much fun if we . . .”

“I have to do this, baby,” I told Cassandra as we pulled up in front of our house. The television was on in the living room and I could see what looked like Bart's silhouette standing off in the corner. I got out of the car and came around to let her out.

“Why can’t you stay here with me? Why do you keep doing this, Michael? Why do you keep dragging us back here?”

 
I took my beautiful wife in my arms and kissed her; kissed her like it was the first time. “Can’t you see? I gotta keep goin’ in there until they’re all dead.”

I felt cold all over and I shook it off.

“Havin’ the dream again?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah,” I told him and ran my hands over my face. I looked over at
Bobby,
he was seated in his usual spot, in his recliner, in his basement. I had fallen asleep on the couch and was having the same dream I’ve been dreaming since Cassandra was murdered. I don’t have the dream as often as I used to, but every time I do it changes. But Cassandra was right; he always kills her. It doesn’t matter what I do, he always kills her.

This all began when I came back from Todos Santos, an island located near the Tropic of Cancer in the southern portion of the Baja Peninsula off the coast of Mexico. I had gone there to kill Diego Estabon. A year before that, Diego had been the mastermind behind the kidnapping of my wife, Cassandra.

For that he had to die.

But when I got home I found Cassandra dead. Brutally murdered and the cops arrested me for her murder. I remember seeing her lying there on the floor and immediately dropping to my knees.

Both of her eyes were blackened, nearly purple; there were blotches of blood on her cheek. Her face was swollen so much I could hardly believe I was looking at my wife. My beautiful baby.

I remember there was so much blood, and there were bullet wounds in her back. Why would somebody do that to her? Every time I have that fuckin’ dream I swear that I will find and kill everybody who I think was involved.

I really believe Kirk knows something. He’s a good cop, and if it weren’t for him, I’d probably still be in jail. Kirk may not know who hired the men who killed Cassandra, otherwise, they’d be in jail, but he knows something. I’ve tried talking to him about it; he said it was police business. Like I give fuck about what’s police business. Somebody knows who hired them, and I’ll find them, and I’ll kill them all. “How’d you know I was havin’ the dream?” I asked Bobby.

“You always wake up in a cold sweat,” Bobby replied.
 
“Go ahead and say it.”

“Say what?”

“About how you’re gonna find the people responsible and kill them all.” Bobby said the words to me that I always say.

“
You doubtin’
me?”

“No, I
ain’t doubtin’
you.”

“Then what are you sayin’?”

“That you always say that; that’s all I’m sayin’. Shit! Why you gotta get all defensive and shit like a bitch?”

“So now I’m a bitch, huh?”