Chapter Twelve #2
Knuckles studied me across the table, his expression unreadable. “Your woman’s smart, Rancor. She’s gonna be good for you.” He gave Cora an acknowledging nod. “Your call, brother. It’s your woman he’s using as a pawn.”
I felt Cora tense at those words but kept my eyes on our president. “I’ll do it,” I said. “Let him think he’s got me backed into a corner. His ego won’t let him pass up the chance to rub it in.”
Knuckles gave a sharp nod. “Get on it.”
Knight passed me the button-shaped device across the table. “Battery lasts a week of continuous recording. Secure it to your vest and the bastard will never know it’s there.”
Minutes later, after a quick test to make sure the device was working the way Knight wanted to, I reached for my phone. I thumbed open a new message to Reeves, knowing he’d kept my number all these years, probably hoping I’d slip up and give him something to use against me.
We need to talk. Tonight. Just you and me. The old Byers warehouse district, loading dock three. 9 PM.
I hit send, knowing he wouldn’t refuse. Not when he thought victory was within his grasp.
Cora found my hand with hers under the table, her fingers cold against my skin. I squeezed gently, a silent promise that everything would be OK. Whatever happened next, I would bring Reeves down. For her. For us. For the future I was only just beginning to believe might be possible.
The spot was one meeting place of many we had set up throughout the city. This particular one was close to the compound. The location alone would be irresistible to Reeves. Any chance to get close to the compound would be one he’d take. Add to it I’d be out in the open and Reeves couldn’t resist.
I’ll be there. Leave your whore at home.
Oh, he’d pay for that remark. But not until I was ready. To do this, I needed a clear head. I couldn’t afford to be so blinded by anger and hate I lost my cool.
* * *
Now, the warehouse district stretched before me like a giant’s graveyard.
Abandoned loading docks and empty buildings looming as silent witnesses to what was about to unfold.
I pulled my bike into a shadowed alcove next to the meeting point, my boots crunching on broken glass and gravel as I dismounted.
The night air carried the scent of rust and stagnant water, fitting for the rot I was about to confront.
I checked the recording device disguised as a button on my jacket, waiting until the tiny red light in the back switched to green and blinked three times before going dark.
The tiny earpiece Knight had insisted I wear sat snug and nearly invisible.
“We ready?” I murmured, knowing Knight and Cora were listening from the surveillance van parked several blocks away.
“All good.” Knight’s voice came through. “Audio-visual’s crystal. We’re tracking you without interference.”
I moved through the shadows. My heartbeat remained steady, my breathing controlled. This wasn’t rage driving me now. What I felt was colder, more focused. More dangerous.
Loading dock three stood half-collapsed at the far end of what had once been a textile factory.
Moonlight sliced through broken windows, casting prison-bar shadows across concrete stained with decades of industrial spillage.
I positioned myself in the center of the open space, refusing to hide in darkness like Reeves surely would. Let him see me waiting.
I didn’t have to wait long.
“Wheeler.” Reeves’ voice echoed against corrugated metal as he stepped from the shadows, exactly as I’d expected.
He called me by my last name. His face looked older than I remembered, deep lines carved around a mouth twisted into what he probably thought was a smirk of victory.
“Or should I say Rancor? That’s what your little gang calls you, isn’t it? ”
I kept my expression neutral, giving him nothing. “Reeves.”
He circled me slowly, keeping distance between us. He was stupid, but not that stupid. “I was surprised to get your message,” he said, voice dripping with false casualness. “The mighty Rancor, reaching out to the cops. Must be desperate times at the compound.”
“You know why I’m here.” I followed him with my gaze only, refusing to turn my body as he circled. “It’s not the club you’re after. It’s me. Always has been.”
Reeves stopped his circling, his smirk widening into something ugly.
“Not just you anymore. Your little delivery girl is quite the prize. Who’d have thought you’d give me such a perfect weapon?
” He laughed, the sound bouncing hollowly off concrete walls.
“You think you can protect her? I own her future now.”
I let my shoulders tense, giving him the reaction he wanted.
The more confident he felt, the more he’d reveal.
The best part was, it didn’t look like I was going to have to try very hard to get him to admit what he’d done.
Give him enough rope, and I was confident he’d hang himself.
“Leave her out of this. She’s innocent.”
“Innocent?” He barked another laugh. “Not according to the evidence. Did you know she’s been moving product for you for months?
That she’s been laundering money through that cute little delivery service?
The photos don’t lie, Wheeler. Neither do the financial records.
” He pulled out his phone, swiping through images I knew were fabricated.
“By this time tomorrow, she’ll be in booking.
Day after that, arraignment. By the end of the week? Just another inmate number.”
My fists clenched at my sides, rage building despite my efforts to contain it. “Those are fake. You manufactured all of it.”
“Prove it.” He shrugged, pocketing his phone.
“That’s the beauty of digital evidence these days.
Once it’s in the system, it might as well be gospel.
And I’ve spent months building this case, making sure every pixel is perfect, every document properly filed.
” His voice grew louder, more animated as his excitement built.
“You think anyone will care when she cries frame-up? They never do. System’s designed to crush people like her. ”
“Why?” I asked, needing to get him to specifically admit to the fabrication. “Why target her?”
His eyes narrowed, something feral flashing across his features.
“Because you took something from me. My son. My only son.” Spittle flew from his mouth as his control slipped.
“Six years wasn’t justice. It was a fucking vacation.
Now you get to watch while I take apart your life piece by piece, starting with that bitch who thinks she’s in love with you. ”
There it was. Now all he needed was a little nudge. “So you’re falsifying evidence to frame an innocent woman.” I kept my voice level, despite wanting to rip his throat out. “Planting bugs. Threatening civilians. That’s not police work, Reeves. That’s a vendetta.”
“Call it what you want,” he snarled, stepping closer.
“I call it justice. I’ve spent years watching you, waiting for the perfect moment.
I tried putting a target on you in Terre Haute, but someone on the inside managed to shut down the contract.
But when she showed up at your compound, all wide-eyed and trusting when you came around, I knew I had you.
She was exactly your type, and she made it easy by thinking she could fix you or some shit.
She took you on and I had you both right where I wanted you.
” His voice dropped to a vicious whisper.
“You can’t protect her, Wheeler. I own her now, just like I’ll own you rotting in a cell, knowing you couldn’t save another woman you loved. ”
“How were you planning on getting evidence to back your doctored photos?”
“I’ve got a warrant application in the works. We’ll raid that little clubhouse of yours and get the evidence I need to put both you and your little whore away for a long fucking time.”
“No, you won’t. Because we don’t have anything in there to find. We’re all ex-cons who have no interest in going back to prison.”
Reeves shrugged. “Oh, once I get inside, I guarantee you there will be enough evidence to put everyone in the whole Goddamned place in prison.”
I snorted. “You’re not seriously considering planting evidence. No way you’re good enough to make a whole SWAT team look the other way while you carry out your vendetta.”
“SWAT will do exactly what I tell them to. Which you might want to keep in mind since they all have big guns and are itching to use them. I doubt any of them would think twice about accidentally shooting a bunch of murderers.”
I tilted my head inquisitively, hardening my expression to one I knew Reeves would recognize as me meaning business. “Let me get this straight. I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings.”
“I’m all ears, Wheeler. Ask me any fucking question you want.” The smirk on his face said he knew he’d won. He was practically celebrating. Arrogant prick deserved every fucking thing he had coming.
“You’re saying your SWAT team would have no problem shooting first and asking questions later if you told them to?”
Oh, yeah. Reeves thought he had me. The threat was clear.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, you stupid fucking cunt.
” He bit out the words between clenched teeth, getting as in my face as he could, given he was a good head shorter than me.
If I’d wanted to kill the son of a bitch, I could have easily done it.
But I’d promised Cora I wouldn’t. At least, not yet.
Knight’s voice whispered in my earpiece: “We have it all. Get out.”
I gave Reeves a cold smile, one that made even the hardest cons step back. “Thanks for the information,” I said, turning to leave.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Reeves demanded, confusion replacing his triumph.
“He’s going home, Detective Reeves. You, however, are coming with me.
” The new voice cut through the cavernous space like a blade.
Detective Mercer stepped from a side alley, flanked by two uniformed officers who remained a respectful distance behind her.
Her expression was professionally blank, but I caught the satisfaction in her eyes.
“What the hell are you doing here, Mercer?” Reeves spat, his face contorting with shock and rage.
Mercer ignored him, addressing me directly. “Mr. Wheeler, we have enough. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Reeves looked between us, understanding slowly dawning. “Cooperation? What the fuck is this?”
“This,” Mercer said calmly, “is the conclusion of an eight-month Internal Affairs investigation into your misconduct, Detective Reeves. Specifically, your harassment of civilians, fabrication of evidence, and abuse of police resources for personal vendettas. And personal gains.” She gestured vaguely toward my jacket.
“What you just confessed to ensures you’ll be fired and likely serve prison time. ”
Reeves’ face drained of color before flooding red with fury. “You fucking bitch!” He lunged at Mercer, but I stepped between them, instinctively protecting the woman. The uniformed officers moved quickly, restraining him before he could reach either of us.
“I’m happy to add assaulting an officer to the charges,” Mercer said calmly as they cuffed him.
She turned back to me. “You’re free to go, Mr. Wheeler.
We may need a formal statement later, but for now I suggest you return to your compound and reassure Ms. English that the threat against her has been taken care of. ”
I studied her face, looking for any sign of deception. Finding none, I nodded once and walked away, Reeves’ cursing fading behind me. I didn’t look back. Didn’t need to see him broken. The recording in my pocket was enough.
A block away, Knight’s unmarked van sat in the shadow of a defunct water tower.
The side door slid open as I approached, revealing Cora’s pale face, Knight beside her with headphones around his neck.
I climbed in, and Cora immediately threw herself against my chest, her arms wrapping around my waist.
“You heard?” I asked, holding her tightly against me.
She nodded against my chest. “Everything. God, Marcus, he was going to --”
“But he won’t,” I cut in gently, tilting her face up to mine. “It’s over, Cora. Reeves is done.”
“And Mercer?” I asked Knight as we pulled away from the curb. “You trust her?”
“Yep,” Knight said without hesitation. “She’s working with Lana Thompson, the lawyer who helps women at the shelter. I called her when we set up the meet with Reeves.”
“Well, you could have warned me, you motherfucker,” I grumbled.
“Now, what would have been the fun in that?”
I pressed my lips to Cora’s forehead, feeling her trembling subside. “Bit cool but the bike’s waitin’ if you want to ride with me.”
She grinned. “Yeah. I think I’d like that.”
“Good. Let’s go home.”