4. Char
CHAR
Holy hell, I had to take a piss. I peered over my shoulder at the rusted metal bucket hanging out in the corner.
I wrinkled my nose as the air kicked on because the smell that wafted from that particular point in the holding cell made me retch.
I gagged as I turned my head away. There was no way on God’s great green hellish creation that I’d piss in that goddamn thing.
I was a reckless woman, sure, but not a fucking animal.
I hated to think about what might have caused that smell.
I lifted my arm and sniffed myself just to make sure it wasn’t me.
Because if we were being honest, I couldn’t recall the last time I properly showered.
The door to the holding cell popped open, but I didn’t budge.
Despite the fact that my bladder felt as if it might explode any second, I locked my eyes back to the wall as a shadow crossed my vision.
I studied the metal bars of my cell as Sheriff Nielson came into view in my peripheral area.
The smile on his face made me curious, but I forced my body to remain still as stone.
My lips didn’t budge. My body didn’t pivot toward him.
I made sure not to even flinch. And as he stood in front of me with his thumbs hooked into his belt loops, he drew in a deep breath.
I didn’t know how the fuck he stomached the smell of this place.
“Got that list for ya,” he said.
I brought my gaze to his and he smiled brighter.
“There you are. Hey, Char.”
I didn’t speak, though. I just picked up my hand, unfurling my fingers, and held out my palm for him. I stared him down like a lion waiting on its prey to become distracted. His smile faltered ever so slightly, dropping from his eyes even though it stayed plastered on his cheeks.
Good.
He needed to be scared.
I wasn’t even sure what I was capable of with this kind of anger sitting in my stomach like a lead weight.
He rifled around in his back pocket before pulling out a sheet of white paper. He plopped the perfect little square into my hand, and it reminded me of all those notes I used to pass back and forth in school with my friends.
God, I hadn’t thought about that in so long…
“You gonna take a look at it?” Nielson asked while I sat there, my hand still outstretched toward him.
I took the square and stuck it down into my bra before I went back to staring at the wall.
“Guess not,” he muttered to himself.
“When I know Marcie can’t get to them, I’ll choose someone,” I said plainly.
The rest of Nielson’s smile dropped from his face. “Her people are coming, you know. They’ll be here by lunchtime, according to her.”
I peered over at the clock on the wall. The sun would come up soon.
Dear God, I’d spent the entirety of the night in the precinct.
Somewhere out there, my guys were awake and scrambling.
I knew it in my bones. Gauge with that fury barely leashed.
Dallas trying to crack jokes through the tension.
Deac carrying the weight of all of it. And me in here, unable to do a damn thing about any of it.
More feds poking around wouldn’t be a good thing for anyone.
“Char?” Nielson said.
I cleared my throat. “Let me know when the extra feds are here. I’ll pick a lawyer for myself once someone can actually keep an eye on Marcie and what she does.”
He stepped into my field of vision, and I found myself staring at his chest. “The longer you wait, the worse off this could get for you, Char. You need help, and you need it now.”
I raked my stare up his body until I found his. “Help is what got me into this position, Sheriff. I think I’m good on help for a bit.”
He sighed heavily. “We’re on the same team, Char.”
But as far as I was concerned, that shit was one-on-one. Me and Marcie. My future versus Marcie’s past. And I was going to win.
No matter the cost.
“Charlotte,” Nielson said.
My deadpan stare made its way back to the wall. “Why are you still here, Sheriff?”
He stepped closer to the bars and lowered his voice. “Because I’m on your team, whether you feel that way or not.”
And for whatever the reason, something in his voice made me believe him. “We’ll have to make Deacon and Rat’s release look legitimate.”
“Already taken care of. I had that covered before they even left here.”
I nodded slowly. “Then, you can go now.”
“Well, what if?—”
I turned around on the bench, deciding to stare at another wall. You know, for some variety. “I said, I’m finished, Sheriff.”
He heaved another heavy sigh before his shadow started back down the hallway.
I listened to his boots clopping against the floor before that heavy holding cell door got yanked open.
Voices of all shapes and sizes flooded the small space, causing me to wince as the harsh sound grew louder the more he opened the door.
And after it slammed closed, all sounds ceased once more.
“Finally, some peace,” I whispered to myself.
“Hey! You! Yes, we’ll need a setup in this room. No, that one isn’t big enough, my boss is going to want more room.”
I listened as Marcie barked orders just outside the door, like I didn’t know what the fuck she was doing. Two could play those mind games, though. I learned from the best growing up.
And unluckily for her, I already started mine.
“Deputy. Deput—I know you hear me! Listen, I’m going to need you on unloading duty. When my people get here, there’s going to be a lot of stuff to haul into the building. Get three other people rounded up and meet me outside…”
A shiver of anticipation worked its way up my spine.
Wheels were turning. Things had been set into motion.
And my audience was gathering. I tilted my head toward the ceiling and relished the air conditioning.
I didn’t have to look at the clock to know that the sun was just about to crest the hill of the horizon.
I wondered what it looked like. Did it look like every other sunrise?
Was it tinged with the blood spilled during our chaos?
Was it muted in respect for Bait and Murphy’s lives?
Was it brilliant and bright, signaling the dawning of a new day? A new age? A new era?
I wondered if my boys were watching it and thinking of me.
“And don’t forget to prop the doors open! We’ve got a lot of people headed this way and they don’t need to fool with doors!” Marcie barked.
Good. Monsters always go down harder in front of a crowd.
When the noise outside finally died the hell down, I rolled my shoulders back.
I cracked my neck, trying to unlock my muscles without having to move the rest of my body.
Exhausted didn’t even cover how I felt. The tiredness I felt seemed to seep into my muscles and drip onto my bones.
They were heavy, like lead, but I didn’t let that stop me from pulling that list out of my bra.
From unraveling the delicate square with my fingertips.
The list in front of me housed ten different names, but that wasn’t the only information it had.
Somehow that lawyer managed to figure out how close to the top of their class they were when they graduated, their GPA, and how many times it took them to pass their bar exam.
It was a thorough list, complete with addresses to keep on record and phone numbers for me to call.
I had to admit, I was impressed.
“All righty, then,” I whispered to myself, “who’s the best candidate for taking down a dirty federal officer?”
Because that was the plan. That was the end goal.
No matter what it cost me, so long as she rotted next to me in prison, I didn’t care if I ended up there myself.
Marcie Dickerson wouldn’t walk another day on this planet as a free woman.
Today, everything changed. By the time the sun set on us in twelve hours, I’d have that woman by the balls, if my plan worked.
I wouldn’t rest until Marcie cowered behind bars like my motherfucking father for the rest of her godforsaken life.
I just hoped that my boys could stay quick on whatever uptick I chose.