Chapter 13 #2
“Fuck. That can’t be good.”
“No,” I agreed before answering my phone. “Marcello. What’s up?”
“I have some bad news.”
I rubbed my forehead in frustration. Well, of course. With my damn luck, why was I even surprised?
“Tell me.”
I listened to him in silence. When he finished talking, I didn’t have much to say other than, “Okay. I’ll meet you there.”
“Where is there?” Jordan said after I hung up.
“Grangetown.”
“What happened?”
“Long story short, Santiago escaped from prison. Skull Crusher, too, because apparently, they’re now besties. One of Crusher’s guys faked a heart attack, so they called the paramedics. After the ambulance left, the guards realized that Santiago, Crusher, and Mendoza were missing.”
“So, no day off? When are we leaving?”
I shook my head. “I’m going alone. You will stay here.”
“The hell I will!” Jordan exclaimed.
“They could come here, Jordan.” I tried to reason with him. “You need to keep your eyes on the street and your ears to the ground.”
“Why the fuck would they come here? Bull is here, and he wants Santiago dead.”
“Because they’re criminally insane?” I offered. “Because Santiago is a narcissistic psycho, and Crusher is just a psycho? I need you to hold the fort, Jordan. Please. I’ll be back before dinner.”
He made a face. “There’s no way you can make it back by then.”
“I’ll try, okay? Now help me pack.”
Half an hour later, we left my apartment together. When we reached Jordan’s car, I pulled a set of keys out of my pocket.
“These are the spare keys to my apartment. If there’s any kind of heat, go there.”
It was a lie. I didn’t have spare keys because I had no one to give them to, so I gave Jordan my own set, which was bonkers. What the hell happened to me in that prison? Who did I turn into? A happy person, which was another first.
After that, I kissed his pouty mouth and made him leave, feeling pissed.
What the fuck, universe? Was a day off too much to ask?
Jordan and I could have spent it fucking and eating unhealthy food, but instead, we were back to chasing slime.
Instead of the good stuff, I was on my way to Grangetown, ignoring a bad feeling in my gut that just wouldn’t leave.
When my phone rang, and I saw the caller ID, I smiled for the first time since I left Smitsville.
“Hey,” I said into the phone. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Jordan replied. “Where are you?”
“On the highway. How are things in the LD?”
“The usual mess, with some extra on the side.”
“Meaning?”
“John Smith broke his wrist while running away from the Albanian mobster who didn’t like the postmortem he made.
Maddox is playing a five-finger fillet with his Bowie knife, which is never a good sign.
What’s-her-name came here for no apparent reason, which means she came here looking for you.
Chief Bibb is pissed, and no one knows why. ”
“Wow. Okay. Any news from our informants?”
“Nothing so far.”
“It figures. Fuck my life.”
“Adam?”
“Yeah?”
“I miss you.”
“I miss you too, babe.”
Fucking endearments. Another first.
Jordan sighed. “I… I should go, I suppose. Talk to you soon?”
“Of course. Take care, okay?”
“You too.”
After he hung up, I put on some music to stop myself from thinking when my phone rang again. I picked it up, keeping my eyes on the road.
“Please don’t do this to me, babe,” I said with a sigh. “It only makes me miss you more.”
“What exactly am I doing to you, babe?”
The strange, but strangely familiar voice made my heart skip a beat.
“Who the fuck are you?”
“Don’t you recognize my voice? After all, I saved your life not so long ago.”
The mocking tone refreshed my memory.
“Mendoza? Shouldn’t you be in a non-extradition country by now? Or do you have a burning desire to return behind bars where you belong?”
“Maybe I just wanted to hear you thank me before I leave.”
“Thank you for what?”
“Oh, just for setting a fire in my cell to save your sorry ass, along with the ass of your cute partner.”
“Call him cute one more time, and I’ll kick your teeth in.”
“Someone’s testy.”
“Yeah, because I’m stuck with cleaning the mess you and those two psychos made. Where the fuck are they, by the way?”
“I couldn’t say. We parted ways after Grangetown. I hope you catch them, though. Criminals don’t belong on the street with us regular folks.”
“God, you’re insane,” I said, rubbing my forehead in frustration. “Just tell me what you want? Why are you calling me?”
“I want you to tell Marc that I’m coming for him.”
“Tell him yourself!” I exclaimed. “‘I’m not getting in the middle of your shit.”
“He’s not answering my calls.”
“Not my problem.”
“I can make it your problem. And your cute partner’s problem.”
“Mendoza, say it again, and I swear—”
“Just convey the message, alright?” Mendoza growled.
“Tell Marc that I’m coming for him. Tell him I will make him pay.
Not today, not tomorrow, but soon. Every time he closes his eyes, he should know I’m thinking about him.
And I’m coming for him. Voy a arruinar su linda cara.
I’ll mess up his pretty face… tell him that. ”
“You will mess up his pretty face?” I repeated incredulously. “And then what, Mendoza? After you get your revenge, then what?”
“Who knows?” Mendoza said matter-of-factly. “Maybe I’ll kill him. Maybe I’ll fuck him. Hell, maybe I’ll do both.”
I dragged my hand down my face. “Jesus.”
“But don’t tell him that. I want it to be a surprise.”
“Not funny.”
“I wasn’t joking. I’ve killed men before. I never fucked one, but for Marc… I might make an exception.”