Chapter 17 #2
“Shut up, Donny,” Eddie said. “Get your boxes loaded. Dad’ll be pissed if we’re late.”
“Shut up, Eddie,” Donny mimicked.
Victoria couldn’t help thinking they were proving themselves to be the immature idiots she’d always known them to be.
Eddie wheeled his hand truck over to the chain link fence and simply lifted it out of the way.
Damn, she’d never thought to check the fencing.
He wheeled his haul through it to a path on the other side.
And then she saw it. A box truck was parked in the woods.
That’s why that camera had been turned off.
Were Erin and Robby sitting in that truck?
Heading for a big payday? She pulled out her phone and called Erin.
If she heard it ring in the woods, she’d have her answer.
She held the phone tightly to her ear to minimize the sound.
“Hey, Vic,” Erin said. “What’s up?” There were clear restaurant noises in the background. Erin was not in the truck.
Victoria couldn’t answer because that would tip her hand.
But she had to do something. Still on the phone with Erin, she stepped away from the building and stood dead center in the walkway.
She shouted, “What the fuck are you two doing, Donny? Eddie?” It was important to Victoria for Erin to hear her brothers’ names.
“What the fuck?” Eddie said from the woods. “Donny, no, no, no! Don’t fucking do it.”
Donny ran at her, taser brandished.
“Oh, shit.” Victoria dropped the phone to get a better grip on her own taser. She was too slow.
The darts hit her square in the thigh. Pain shot outward. Electric currents scattered through her. The concrete flew up and smacked her in the face. Her entire body locked up. She couldn’t move. She was paralyzed.
“You’re an ass, Donny,” Eddie said. “Drop the taser and let’s get the fuck out of here.”
“What about the stuff?”
Victoria heard no more as her brain refocused on the pain.
Nausea hit her. She emptied the contents of her stomach on the concrete.
She focused on breathing. If she was breathing, then she was fine.
Once she got that under control, she did a systems check.
She was lying on her side. Her head and every muscle in her body hurt like fire.
She tried to open her eyes. Dizziness forced them shut.
“Fuck,” she heard someone say behind her. It was Kimo.
She tried to sit up. Dizziness forced her back down, and she dry heaved.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Vic,” Kimo said and laid a hand on her arm. “Those guys are assholes. I’m sorry this happened. I’m a fucking idiot for getting involved with that family.” He moved to the other side, so he was facing her. “Do you want to try and sit up?”
“Yeah,” she said and let him help her. “Phone,” she said. Everything hurt so much that even speaking hurt.
“Ooh,” he said, “you’ve got a nasty bump on your head there. And some road rash.”
She felt her head throbbing but still didn’t have the strength to do more than sit up. She blew out a sigh as another wave of dizziness overcame her. “Phone,” she said again, pointing.
He had been holding her up in a sitting position but had to let go to find the phone. She found the right muscles to achieve balance. And by the time he’d come back with the phone, she’d been able to take a couple of deep breaths without getting sick again. Erin was talking into the phone.
“We’re almost there, Vic,” Erin said. “If you can hear me or whatever, I’ll let myself in and find you.” There were muffled sounds, and she heard Robby say, “I’m sure she’s okay, babe. She’s tough.”
“Hey,” Victoria said, hearing the hoarseness in her voice. She cleared it and said louder, “Hey, Erin.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Erin said. “What’s happening? Are you okay?”
“Come.”
“We’re almost there, sister-cousin,” Erin said. “I’m going to kill them. I don’t know what the fuck they’re up to, but there will be a double funeral soon. Mark my words, Vic.”
Kimo helped her stand and walk to the security office. She had just sat down after rinsing her mouth when Erin ran in. Robby was right behind her.
“Holy fuck, what happened?” Erin was panicked. “Ice pack,” she barked at Kimo and pointed to the mini fridge.
Before answering, Vic took the ice pack from Kimo and then put her finger to her lips to silence everyone.
She whispered to Robby to bring her the wall clock.
When she showed Erin the hidden camera spying on the security office, Erin’s face blew up in anger.
“Donny did this.” She grabbed the camera and said into it, “You’re dead, Donny. Both of you. Dead.”
Erin’s brain must have been thinking a thousand different thoughts at once because her expressions kept changing. Robby finally made Erin sit down and breathe.
Victoria cut the feed from the hidden camera.
She then showed Erin the extra cameras that hadn’t been broadcasting in the office.
She thanked her good fortune for meeting Lauren and having her explain the recording feature.
She found the recordings and played them for Erin.
On the grainy feed, Victoria watched and heard herself call out to her cousins, then watched herself get tased.
A wave of nausea hit her. It passed quickly.
“Oh, shit,” Kimo said, needing to sit down.
“I don’t know what they’re up to, Erin,” Victoria said. “But I’ve had inklings that something was off. Starting with this guy.” She pointed to Kimo, now sitting on the floor. “They were bringing boxes out of one of the units on the northwest side. The chain link fence is cut.”
“Holy shitballs,” Erin said.
“They store the stuff there or in my unit,” Kimo said. He held up both hands as if warding off an assault. “I’m sorry, Erin. I’m sorry, Victoria. I have kids; I can’t go to jail. I shouldn’t have gotten involved.”
“Tell me everything from the beginning,” Erin seethed at him.
And wow did the songbird sing. Apparently, Donny and Eddie had been hiding items they’d stolen from various cargo warehouses near the airport.
They stored the stuff at Erin’s facility and, when they found the best buyer, sold it.
Kimo said his only role was to distract Victoria.
That was it. He got paid weekly and wasn’t ever going to be part of the bigger cut.
He also told them that he hadn’t been tossed out by a girlfriend, but that he had a wife and two young children in preschool.
He took the gig because he was trying to make ends meet.
Something else came to Victoria’s mind as Kimo was talking. “The tea,” she said out loud when he was finished begging for forgiveness.” She pointed.
Robby went over and brought the assortment of teas over.
“This one,” Victoria said, grabbing the one she’d had most recently. “Fucking jerks.” She showed them the label.
Erin read, “Chamomile infused with melatonin for a relaxing night’s sleep.” She scoffed. “They were drugging you. And me. I’ve had that tea, too. I thought you brought it in.”
Victoria shook her head. “Miguel? Do you think he’s involved?”
“He’d better not be,” Erin said.
“He’s not,” Kimo said. “Believe me, he’s not.
You can ask your brothers. I’m the only asshole that got involved with them.
” He turned to Vic and said for the tenth time, “I’m sorry this happened, Vic.
” He said to Erin, “I’m sorry, Erin. You trusted me, and I…
” he sighed. “I’m sorry for deceiving you both. ”
Victoria watched Erin soften. By this point in the conversation, Victoria knew beyond a doubt that Erin had nothing to do with her brothers’ bullshit. She’d had no direct part in it. She looked so hurt and betrayed that Victoria wanted to pull her into a hug. Erin beat her to it.
Erin held on and said in Victoria’s ear, “I’m sorry this happened.
And I’m afraid you’re going to be out of a job.
So am I.” She stood up and said to Robby, “Colorado here we come, babe. I’m selling.
And as soon as I can unload this place, we’re gone.
We’ll elope or whatever. I don’t care, but one thing I know for sure is that I’ve had enough of them taking advantage of good people. And taking advantage of me.”
She paced the room for a moment while everyone watched. “Okay, so how are we going to play this?”
A grin crept up Victoria’s face. Oh, yes, her cousin was going to be just fine.
Five hours later, Victoria sat on the couch in Erin’s apartment. Erin sat on one of the blue swivel chairs, staring at her.
“I might just leave these,” Erin said, tapping the armrest of the chair. “Maybe start fresh.”
“You don’t have to babysit me,” Victoria said. She adjusted on the couch. No position was comfortable. She was stiff and sore from all her muscles contracting from the taser hit.
Erin groaned in sympathy. “I know I don’t have to watch you. I just, you know, feel responsible. And Robby’s coming back with food for all of us, so…”
“You are in no way responsible for what other people do, Erin.” They’d spent a few hours at the Centra Care getting Victoria checked out after leaving the storage facility.
Kimo had been escorted out first thing after getting his personal effects from his unit.
It turned out not to be his unit at all, and the weights and workout equipment were merely props used to entice Victoria and get her out of the way for a while each shift.
New locks were installed on both units, and Miguel was called in for a debriefing.
He was livid about what happened, but happy for the overtime.
Victoria wanted to simply go home when they left, but Erin had insisted on getting officially checked out by a doctor.
She wanted documentation in case she decided to sue or press charges. Yep, her cousin did like a paper trail.
“I’m sorry this happened,” Victoria said, adjusting her body on the couch to no avail.