Shallow Grave-J Collins 3 (28 page)

Somebody had seen you and me together in Too Tall’s and ratted us out. Roland made me call you. Sorry.”

“My own stupid fault. I never should’ve gone to his house in the fi rst place. Th

ink he’ll come after me again?”

“Wish I could say no, but I ain’t sure about nothin’

as far as to how Roland’s warped mind works.”

319

M M M

Kevin showed up in record time. Between the two of us we patched Denny up and fed him.

I quizzed Denny on the truth of Roland’s claim about Bonita’s sister. He admitted Roland hadn’t been lying about Maria. She’d been causing family problems for years and had her mother completely snowed. Th at

piece of information added a new wrinkle to the case.

Not a judgment on Maria’s character; rather maybe there were others she’d crossed who might want to see her dead. Far fetched? Stranger things had happened.

Denny shuffl

ed off to the guest bedroom to crash.

Kevin and I sat in the kitchen and drank beer, more out of habit than need. “What can we do about Denny?

He can’t go back to White Plain. Although I can’t fathom why Sharon Dove wouldn’t take him in.”

Kevin fi nished his beer. “He can stay with me.”

My cigarette stopped halfway to my mouth.

“What? You’re the only one who’s allowed to have a social conscience? I have an extra bedroom, and frankly the company would be nice.” He cracked a fresh Coors.

“I couldn’t live with myself if I let him go back to that shitty life. I hated being so . . . fucking powerless when you were in that situation.”

Shame made the tips of my ears fi ery red. Good 320

thing they were hidden beneath my hair. I coughed.

“You knew?”

“Yeah. You weren’t a very good liar.” He studied me with that unnerving intensity he was so good at. “You’re still not very good.”

“What?”

“Call Martinez. Not only does he need to know what that piece of shit Roland has done to you,
twice
, but also this personal problem with him is eating you alive, Jules. Call him.”

Kevin sacked out on the couch.

I didn’t call Martinez. What would I say?
Hey, come
take care of me because I’ve been making bad decisions? I
can’t think rationally when you aren’t around?

Screw that.

I’d get by fi ne on my own, just as I always had.

321

Denny agreed to stay at Kevin’s place temporarily.

I was an emotional and physical wreck, so when Kevin suggested we take the day off , I didn’t argue. I curled up in bed, burrowed to the safe place deep inside myself and didn’t stir until the phone rang late afternoon.

Ugh. Crystal asked me to fi ll in for Megan. I think she forgot I wasn’t an actual employee.

Which reminded me: I was almost offi

cially done

with my favor for Martinez. Maybe I should buck up and report in. I scrolled through my phone book until TM was highlighted. Impulsively I hit Dial. My heart raced as I waited for him to pick up, but the busy signal buzzed in my ear.

At least I tried.

Yippee. My heart heaved with joy to see Charity 322

and Dave when I slunk into Bare Assets. I grabbed my cash tray and opened the bar by the front entrance. First time I’d worked this section. Had Crystal put me there because she suspected my suspicions about Dave might hold truth?

All in all it was a shitty night, made worse when Jimmer strolled in and plopped front and center at the main stage. Stupid me. I’d known he was a regular and I should’ve had a plan in place for when our paths crossed. Th

e best one I came up with on the fl y? Avoidance. I kept my back to him, hoping the mousy posture and the fake glasses would throw him off .

No such luck.

Jimmer approached when no other employees lurked nearby. His massive chest shadowed the width of the counter.

“What the fuck you doin’ workin’ in here, little missy?” His brows drew together. “Th

at son of a bitch

Wells payin’ you shit wages so you gotta schlep drinks in a hole like this?”

“No, Kevin is paying me plenty.”

He gave me ‘the look’ and I cracked like ice.

“Okay, I’m working undercover for Martinez as a favor.”

“Th

at don’t make me any happier, Jules. In fact, it pisses me off even more. Th

at dickhead has no right to

use you or expect you to do shit for him for free. You 323

deserve better than that.”

I was ridiculously touched by Jimmer’s loyalty. It made me a little misty-eyed. “Th

anks. But this is a tem-

porary gig.”

“No matter. If Martinez cared about you, he wouldn’t have even asked.”

Pathetic, and humbling, to realize Jimmer had a better understanding of my situation with Martinez than Martinez did.

“Don’t worry, little missy. I’ll take care of it.”

My immediate panic stirred visions of Jimmer using Martinez for target practice. “Umm. What are you gonna do?”

“Have a very personal, very detailed chat with Tony.

Be seeing ya.” He chucked me under the chin and ambled away before I could protest.

And so it went. Th

e ‘B’ team was stripping and even

the customers couldn’t muster enthusiasm for the performances.

I returned from the cooler to see Charity had littered the bartop with every dirty glass and empty bottle from her section.

I’d had it. With this place, with her, with Martinez.

I stormed up to her at a table and towed her back to the bar. “What the fuck is this? I am not your goddamn busboy. Get this shit off my bar right now.”

324

Her glossy mouth drew into a fl at line. “Dave made me clean up the back booth because the big b—”

“I don’t care. Your mess; you clean it up.”

“Or what?” she sneered. “Little mouse gonna go cryin’ to Crystal?” Charity pressed her nose to mine.

“I see your mouth moving but all I hear are little tiny squeaks. Clean it up yourself.”

She fl ounced away.

I could’ve let it go. I should’ve let it go.

I didn’t.

I seized her hair in my fi st, twisted one arm behind her back and sent her tray fl ying like a Frisbee. Th en I

rammed the side of her face into a sticky pool of maraschino cherry juice on the bartop.

“Crazy bitch! Let me go!”

“Not until you understand you
will
clean up that mess.”

“Ow. You’re hurting me.”

“Th

at’s the point.”

Charity tried to kick me with her stilettos. I stomped on her toes.

“Last chance. Clean it up or I’ll keep your ugly face pinned to the bar until your beak breaks.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll clean it up. Now lemme go.”

I straightened her up before I released the death grip on her tacky mane. I retreated but not fast enough.

Charity swung and her haymaker connected with 325

my jaw.

Fuck. Th

at stung. My pride more than anything.

In warfare mode, I lunged and knocked her on her ass. She screamed as I pinned her spineless body to the tiled fl oor.

Bar patrons came running from every direction.

Wasn’t twenty seconds later, after I’d landed a good hard blow to her empty head, that I was airborne, a meaty fi st clutching the back of my shirt.

But the bouncer wasn’t smart enough to secure my hands. I landed two solid punches to a soft head. He dropped me like a stone. I whirled and saw Dave holding his ears.

I didn’t have time to feel smug because my arms were jerked behind my back. I recognized the mouth breather right off : Bo-Bo. He buckled my wrists until my shoulders nearly popped from the sockets.

Breathing hard, I managed, “Get your fucking hands off me.”

“You’re in no position to be makin’ demands.”

“You’re starting to piss me off .”

He whispered, “Not so tough without that stun gun, are ya?”

Bo-Bo detained me as Dave shuffl

ed closer. I had a

nightmare fl ashback to another time when one bouncer immobilized me while Dick Friel punched me in the 326

stomach. No one jumped in to save me that time either.

Never again. I threw my head back and connected with Bo-Bo’s chin. My fake glasses slid down my nose.

I kicked, distorting my body to break his hold.

I heard, “Jesus Christ, Julie, stop struggling.”

Couldn’t be. I froze.

“Let her go right fucking now.”

My arms were released so fast I stumbled. Th en

strong hands gripped my biceps and I was hauled to my tiptoes.

“Look at me.”

I slowly lifted my head.

Martinez was as mad as I’d ever seen him.

I blurted, “She started it.”

“Save it.”

“But—”

“Not another fucking word. I hate these things.”

He plucked my glasses from my face and hurled them on the fl oor.

“Hey—”

“My offi

ce, blondie. Right now.”

Shit.

“Can’t we—?”

“No.” He circled one hand around the back of my neck and squeezed a warning.

Th

e crowd of customers and employees, including 327

Crystal, parted as Martinez marched me through the bar. Th

e macho jerk even stomped on my glasses. He unlocked the door near the storage areas, revealing a narrow staircase. I trudged behind him up the stairs.

Th

e second Martinez unlocked the door to a dark room I blew past him. Keys jangled behind me and I heard the locks click.

Damn security measures; I was sick of them.

My heart thumped, my body was fl ushed, and per-spiration coated my skin. I didn’t know where we were.

He’d said his offi

ce. I’d be pissed if he’d dragged me to

a private room used for lap dances.

Impatient, I waited in the darkness.

For what?

Footfalls sounded to my left. A click, then light from a small banker’s lamp glowed green across plush white carpet.

I crossed my arms over my chest and sucked in a quick breath at the sharp pain. Damn. I’d forgotten Bo-Bo had twisted my arms into a pretzel.

“Does your jaw hurt?”

My fi ngers poked the spot where Charity had hit me.

I couldn’t believe she’d actually made contact with that wild girly swing. “Not too bad. She can’t hit for shit.”

“Lucky for you.”

“No, lucky for her.”

328

“Yeah? How do you fi gure?”

“Because if she’d tried to infl ict any real damage on me I’d still be down there beating on her dumb ass.”

No comment from Martinez.

I was strung tight as a new barbed wire fence; he was a master at the silent treatment.

Th

e adrenaline rush from fi ghting hadn’t faded.

But when that feeling of power waned I wanted to crash alone. Breaking down in front of him wasn’t an option.

“What were you thinking taking after her like that?”

“Gee, Martinez, I guess I wanted her to shut her stupid mouth and do her job.”

“You should’ve let it go. You are supposed to be working undercover, remember?”

“Are you actually taking her side?”

“No.”

“Good, because she asked for it.”

“Th

at’s not the point.”

“Th

en what is the point?”

“Your goddamn temper, Julie!”

“
My
temper? You’re the one who practically dragged me away by my hair in front of the whole fucking bar, Martinez!”

His leather vest creaked. I fi gured he’d probably thrown up his hands in frustration. He did that a lot around me.

329

“What was I supposed to do? Stand there and let you beat the shit out of my employees?”

“Your goon Bo-Bo got a shot in before you jumped in the fray.”

“Is it true you zapped him with your stun gun a couple of nights ago?”

I was surprised Bo-Bo admitted I’d won that little contest. “Yes. It was his own damn fault since he was hiding out by the Dumpster. He scared the crap out of me.”

“You’re a fucking menace with that thing,” he snapped. “Tonight Beau was doing his job. You should have been doing yours.”

“So fi re me for screwing up.”

“Not a chance.”

“Th

en I quit.”

“Nice try, but not an option.”

“Here’s where I remind you that you aren’t paying me.”

His pause cooled the air in the room. “Do. Not.

Go. Th

ere.”

“Why not?”

“Because you don’t understand what’s really going on.”

“Th

en tell me.”

Another one of his tough guy silent moments.

Jesus. Th

e man made me want to scream. “Fine. Let

me tell
you
something. I went against not only my better judgment in taking on this assignment, but against my 330

partner’s express instructions.”

“Wells knows about this? I thought I told you—”

“Kevin is my partner, so yeah, I told him about this
favor
. He’s not happy since he’d made me promise my relationship with you would be strictly personal.” I laughed cynically. “Relationship. What a fucking joke.”

“Explain that bullshit
joke
remark.”

“No. I shouldn’t have to spell out the obvious.”

“Do it anyway.”

“We don’t
have
a relationship, Martinez. I did this favor to help you out. End of story. And I’m done.”

“No, you’re not. I’ve never known you to do a half-assed job; that’s why I hired you. I’m counting on you to fi nish it.”

“Tough. I hadn’t counted on having to put up with every nasty, half-naked chick on your payroll who wants to be in your bed.”

“Jealous?”

“Yes. I mean, no. Shit.”
Just breathe. In. Out.

“Goddammit, the bottom line is Charity has been baiting me for the last three shifts, and I lost it. Beau threatened me on Dave’s behalf, so I zapped him. I’m pretty sure Dave is the one who’s been ripping off the tills, but Crystal doesn’t want to believe it because he’s been such a model employee.