Chapter Four
Thursday, June 5 th .
Riverside District. Austin.
I woke up in a blood bath again this morning, and I had no spare sheets or blankets. My laundry hadn’t been done from the day before and I kind of wished I was in my room at my Aunt Gail’s house where she did everything for me—but that was my other life.
In Cherrywood, I was Lukas Donovan, but not here in Riverside. Here, I was Lukas Weaver, undercover cop—no ties and no family. I was completely on my own.
I had bled a lot during the night and then rolled in my own blood while I was sleeping. Patches of crimson were randomly splattered and dried, all over my body. What a fuckin’ mess.
Like a pig rolling in fuckin’ mud.
Jesus.
I spent an hour in the bathroom cleaning up blood.
After that ordeal ended, I shoved all my laundry into a black trash bag and headed out. I’d find coffee and breakfast first and then sit in the laundromat and rest my broken body until the job was done.
A solid plan.
Riverside Medical Clinic. Austin.
My arm was causing me so much pain, I figured there was a problem, so I drove by the clinic to let the nurse have a look at it.
“How is the healing coming along?” asked the nurse.
“Not so good. Could you have a look at it for me and possibly change the bandage? I’ve been cleaning up a lot of blood.”
“The bleeding should’ve stopped by now,” she said. “Let’s go look at your arm in one of the treatment rooms.”
I followed her down the hallway and she pointed to an empty room. She closed the door and began to remove the bandage. She took the medical tape off and then unwound layers of bloody gauze.
“Too much blood. Some of the stitches must’ve come apart. Were you doing anything strenuous?”
“Honestly, I wasn’t. I made sure I wore the sling most of the time and I was careful not to knock my arm into anything.”
When she was down to my bare arm she frowned. “I’ll clean this mess up and get the doctor to add a few more stitches. This must be painful.”
“Sure is.”
“I’ll be right back. Try to relax.”
“I’m trying.” I clenched my teeth together and tried not to holler out loud and scare the other patients. This gash in my arm was slowing me down too much. I had to get back to work and not sit around on my ass.
The doctor hurried in with the nurse behind him and examined my arm. “This isn’t good, Ranger. Are you keeping this arm immobilized?”
“Swear I was, Doc. I’ve been at home. Didn’t go to work.”
“How could you possibly work?” he hissed out the words and laid a death stare on me. “I’ll have to re-do some of the stitches.”
More freezing went in—three different places—and I was super happy when the freezing did its job, and my arm went numb and stopped throbbing.
While the new stitches went in, I turned my head, didn’t watch and managed to relax and slow my breathing down.
A new bandage from the nurse and a new prescription from the doctor.
No smiles. The doctor was dead serious and tried to make a point. “These are strong, and you’ll want to sleep. I’m asking you to get as much rest as possible and let the healing get started. The gash is deep, and infection will be your next worry if you don’t take care.”
“I hear you, Doc, and I’ll be extra careful. I plan to sleep the rest of the day.”
At the front desk I put more charges on the Agency medical card, thanked the nurse and drove to the laundromat a few blocks away.
Duds and Suds. Riverside Mall.
Keeping my arm as still as possible, I hauled my bag of laundry inside, loaded three machines and sat down for a smoke while the spinning took place. Already a little dizzy, I didn’t watch the machines.
A cute blonde girl in cutoffs started a machine and sat down across from me at the little table where I was checking my messages. She was young. Late teens. Might be nudging twenty but I didn’t think so.
“Haven’t seen you in here before,” she said.
“I avoid doing laundry until I’m desperate, but I have been here a couple of times.”
“I’m Cindy.”
“Lukas.”
“How’d you hurt your arm?”
“Knife fight.”
“Ooh, that sounds scary.”
“Had to get more stitches this morning. Just came from the clinic.”
“Yikes. Does it hurt a lot?”
“Lucky for me, the freezing hasn’t come out yet. Before that, it killer hurt.”
“Jesus. Can I bum a smoke?”
“Sure.” I pushed the pack of American Spirit and my lighter across the table to her.
“Thanks. You live in Riverside?”
“Yep. I like it here. Nice and quiet.” I kept scrolling to see if Regan had left me another message and she hadn’t. Could be I’d already blown that one with my non-participation cop out.
“You a cop?”
I shrugged.
“You have long hair and tats like a ganger.”
“Used to ride with the Eight.”
“Huh. My brother did too.”
I looked up from my phone and gazed into her teary eyes and figured something bad had happened to her brother.
Not up for a sob story. My own life is bad enough.
“You don’t have to tell me.”
“Thanks. I can’t talk about it.”
I thought about texting Regan but decided to wait to see if she was still interested enough to text me first.
“Your machines have stopped,” Cindy said. “You need to put your stuff into the dryers.”
“Thanks. I should’ve been paying attention.”
“Give me some quarters and I’ll do it for you. You shouldn’t use your arm.”
“Don’t bother. I can do it.”
“What am I gonna do for the next hour? Give me your quarters.”
I handed over my mess of quarters and Cindy started emptying my machines and filling up dryers. She came back and sat down when she finished.
“You’re washing lots of bedding.”
“My arm bled all over all of it. A goddamned mess.”
“Aw, that’s too bad.”
“Yeah, made more work for me.” I laughed.
An hour later when everything was dry, Cindy helped me fold my stuff and she packed it back into the trash bag for me. Nice and neat.
At the same time, she folded her laundry. Some were her clothes—not too many—and a lot were baby clothes.
“You have a baby?”
She dropped her head and stared at the floor before she mumbled out words I could barely hear. “I was raped down by the river and now I have Flint.”
“They catch the rapist?” I whispered thinking she was going to clam up and not tell me any more of the story.
Cindy shook her head. “Nope. Never caught him. Saw his cut and told the cops.”
“Who was he with?”
“Had a Dragon on the vest.”
“Wonder why he’d be on River Rats’ turf.”
“Don’t know.”
“I’m sorry for your troubles, Cindy. Can I give you a ride home with your laundry? You helped me a lot.”
She sighed. “Okay. That would make it easier for me to haul my laundry home. My neighbor is watching Flint until I get back.”
We loaded the laundry bags into the back of the truck, and I drove one-handed to the address Cindy gave me.
Rimes Residence. Riverside District. Austin.
Cindy pointed to a battered fourplex on the street next to the river. All visible surfaces were blackened with graffiti. If Riverside had a bad section, this was it.
I parked as close to the building as I could.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“No problem. Can you manage?”
“Sure. I’ve got two good arms.” She laughed as she tugged the laundry out of the back seat. Only one bag compared to my three.
Four or five young gangers were leaning against the wall of the building smoking. Watching and waiting until they could rob somebody for drug money.
I decided to wait until Cindy went inside.
I watched her head towards the back of the building carrying the laundry and a guy in uniform came out to meet her and held up his hand. He wasn’t letting her in the building with her stuff and I decided to find out why.
None of my business and I’ve got more than enough troubles of my own. I should stay out of it.
I turned off the truck and hopped out, holding my wounded arm close to my side. “Want to explain to me what’s going on, Sheriff?”
“Eviction of Miss Cindy Rimes. She’s can’t pay her back rent, and the landlord wants her out. It’s gone through all the legal channels, and she officially can’t enter this building. As soon as her apartment is cleared, he has a new tenant coming in.”
Cindy was close to tears. “But I have to go inside to get my son and his bed and his clothes.”
The sheriff shook his head. Your apartment has been sealed by my office and your goods will be sold to offset what you owe.”
“I don’t have anything worth more than ten bucks,” she said, and I believed her. This kid had nothing.
“Sheriff,” I said, “Let me go in and get Cindy’s son. Her neighbor is watching him.”
“Who are you?”
I flipped open my creds so only the Sheriff could see what he needed to see. “Come with me, Marshal. I’ll show you where the child is.”
Before following the sheriff, I turned and called to her, “Cindy, put the laundry back in the truck and wait for me.” I pressed the fob and unlocked the doors for her.
She nodded, tears running down her face.
The sheriff led the way into the sewer hole of a building and the smell of it made me sick. “The neighbor watching the kid must be in this unit,” he said.
I knocked on the door and an old lady opened it a crack. The sheriff said, “Ma’am, are you watching a child for Cindy Rimes?”
“Yes, her son is sleeping on my sofa. Why?”
“Cindy has been evicted and has to find another place to stay. She wants her baby.”
“Sure. Wait there and I’ll get him.”
The woman came back carrying a good-sized little guy wrapped in a worn blanket. She handed the bundle to the sheriff and said, “Wait until I get you the empty baby bottles.”
She came back and handed me a plastic bag that wasn’t heavy, and I thanked her.
On the driveway, I opened the passenger door, and the sheriff handed the baby up to Cindy. I slid into the driver’s seat trying to come up with a solution that didn’t include her coming to my place.
My cubbyhole over my buddy’s garage was definitely not big enough for another person and a baby, and I was in no shape to deal with a problem this big.
Cindy held her baby and cried quietly to herself while I scrolled through my contacts and called my cousin, Neil.
“Lukas?”
“Neil, I need something and it’s urgent.”
“Sure. What can I help with?”
“I need the address of your shelter, and I need you to call them up and say I’m bringing a young girl and her baby within the next half hour.”
“Sure, I can do that, Lukas. We just got a couple of our girls set up in their own places, so I’m sure we have two spots open.”
“Fantastic. Give me the address and I’ll head there now.”
Neil recited the address, and I programmed it into the GPS. “Got it.”
“I’ll call and get you set up. What’s the girl’s name?”
“Cindy Rimes and her little boy is Flint.”
“The staff will be ready for an intake when you get there, Lukas.”
“Thanks, so much, cuz. Appreciate it.”
“That’s what the place is for, Lukas. We’ll take good care of her.”
“I know you will.”
Cindy turned a tear-stained face towards me, and I winked at her. “Don’t be scared. My cousin has this great place for women in trouble. It’s not a homeless shelter. It’s only for women and he’s going to call and the girls on staff will be ready for you and Flint when we get there.”
“He only has the clothes in the laundry bag. That sheriff wouldn’t let me get his bed and his blankets.”
“They’ll have all that stuff at the shelter, and I’ll get you what you need. You’re not going to live in that hellhole any longer.”
“Why are you helping me, Lukas?”
“I’m not doing that much, Cindy. Only taking you to a place you and Flint will be safe.”
Rosedale House. Rosedale District. Austin.
As we got closer, Cindy said, “This is a nice neighborhood, Lukas. I’ve never been to this part of Austin before.”
“My cousin, Neil, is a lawyer and if you have problems, he’ll help you out. Meantime, I’ll try to find out which guy on the Dragons is responsible for raping you. Anything else you can tell me about him?”
“Just his vest and he stunk of weed. I thought I heard one of his buddies call him by name.”
“What was it?”
“Akito.”
“Huh. But he was the only one who raped you?”
“Yeah. He was first while the other ones waited and watched. Then something happened or they heard something and the rest of them ran off. I was screaming and trying to fight him off and I didn’t hear what they were saying to each other.”
“Uh huh. Good thing they were interrupted.”
She smiled through her tears. “I thought so.”
“Okay, let’s get you inside. I’ll stay until you’re set up and safe.”
“I’m so glad I met you.”
“Same.”
The girls on Neil’s staff were trained and they took the baby and changed him, got him a fuzzy blue blanket and showed Cindy to her room. I could see the amazement in her eyes. She’d probably never met kind people before in her life.
Before I left, I asked if she had a phone, and she said she didn’t. “I’ll bring you a phone and then you can text me and tell me how you and Flint are doing. Okay?”
“Thanks, Lukas.” She hugged me at the door, and she was trembling. She was so damned scared, I hated to leave her.
Riverside District. Austin.
After dealing with the Cindy crisis—and it was a life changing crisis for that little girl—I went home to take my meds and sleep like the doc wanted me to.
I dumped out the bag of clean bedding onto my bed and one-armed the sheets and blankets on the best I could.
I flopped down, let out a breath and got my first text of the fuckin’ day. Where was everybody?
“How are you? Can I see you tonight?
“I’ll drop in for a beer. Best I can do.”
“Fantastic.”
“Okay, Regan. You haven’t given up on me.” I put my head down on my pillow and closed my eyes hoping I would feel a thousand times better when I woke up.
The meds were strong and kept me under for six whole hours. Couldn’t believe how long I slept. Before I jumped in the shower, I wrapped my arm in two plastic grocery bags and duct-taped them so there’d be no leakage. Couldn’t afford another trip to the fuckin’ clinic. The Agency paid all of my medical, but I couldn’t go back a third time and look like a goddamned idiot.
Couldn’t do it.
I shaved a bit of scruff off my face, brushed the tangles out of my mop of hair and headed out for a beer.
After all that sleep, I should be good for a few hours.
Mahaffey’s Bar and Grill. Montopolis.
The stools at the bar were full and I understood why. All the bikers who hung out at Mahaffey’s were hard for Regan, and they wanted to sit close to her.
I did too.
No use getting pissed about it. I wasn’t in shape to knock any one of those fuckers off their stools.
Regan saw me walk through the door and I gave her a little two-fingered wave as I looked for a place to sit. Found a table halfway back and sat down with a groan.
A server came running over with a pitcher of Shiners for me before I even ordered. “Boss sent this over. You want food?”
“Yeah, I could eat. You got a special?”
“Uh huh, and it’s good. I ate it before I started my shift. Chicken fried steak with potato wedges and coleslaw.”
“Sure. Sounds great. Bring me that.”
I was two glasses into my pitcher of Shiners when Regan sat down across from me and smiled. “I figured you were having a tough couple of days.”
“Yeah. Good call. Turned out exactly that way. I had to go back to the clinic this morning for another clean up and more stitches.”
“My God, Lukas. You are pale. How much blood did you lose?”
“Didn’t measure. Probably a gallon.”
She laughed. “Did you order food from Rachael?”
“Yeah, your server sold me on the special.”
“Great. I want you to eat. What did the doctor say when you went back?”
“Sleep and don’t fuckin’ move.”
“Yes, I can see that being good advice.”
“Stronger meds put me in a fuckin’ coma for six hours. I haven’t been awake long.”
“How bad is the pain?”
“Better with drugs and beer.” I winked at her.
“I could drop by your place and look in on you.”
“You can’t. It’s not that simple.”
“You have a wife?”
“Hell no, but I’m working on something, and you can’t come to where I’m living now.”
“Okay, I get it. You’re undercover.”
I nodded, happy she wasn’t stupid, but I didn’t want her to know too much about me. Better for both of us the less she knew.
“When I get a minute and my arm is better, you can come to my Aunt’s house in Cherrywood, and we’ll have a coffee with her.”
She nodded again. “You’re living two different places.”
“Yeah. I don’t have much free time.”
“The picture is a little clearer.”
“I met a little girl this morning at the laundromat.”
“Oh yeah? How little?”
“Under twenty and she has a baby—product of a rape.” I told Regan the whole Cindy story and I was so fuckin’ angry about it, I felt relief when I was able to get it all out.
“And you’re interested in the rapist?”
“I have a lead on him.”
“But you’re not physically fit to grab him?”
I chuckled. “Won’t be the easiest thing I’ve ever done, Regan.”
My dinner came and Regan asked her server for coffee and sat with me while I ate.
“You had a busy, stressful day.”
“Yeah, but I still have shit to do. I need to buy a burner phone for Cindy and take it to her so she can talk to me. She’s so fuckin’ scared being in Neil’s shelter with people she don’t know.”
“Anything I could help with, I’m glad to pitch in. You’ve got a lot on your plate being hurt so bad, Lukas, and you’re still trying to do your job.”
“I’ll sort it all out tomorrow. I have to go home and sleep. I promised the doc.”
“I wish I could go with you and tuck you in, but I’ve got to work for a few more hours.”
“I’ll be okay. You got time to walk me out to my truck?”
She smiled. “I’m making time.”
In the darkened parking lot, I took Regan in my arms—good arm—and kissed her like there was no fuckin’ tomorrow.
She was hot against my body, and I wanted her so bad. “How many guys have you done in your parking lot?”
“None so far, but I’m keen to start tonight.”
“I’d like you to start tonight too.”