4.
J ANIS
“Good evening, ladies!” I said as I walked out of the kitchen into the cafe.
The women’s eyes lit up, but I was sure that had more to do with the trays in my hand than seeing me.
“What is that?” Farrah asked. I had never said it out loud, and I probably wouldn’t, but Farrah was one of my favorite success stories, as strange as that sounded.
We first met when she became a part-time employee at the bakery where I worked during high school. She had been in prison over half of her life - first as a prisoner of addiction and then an actual prison where everything was the same day after day until she was released and started trying to find her footing in a world that differed completely from the one she remembered. During her incarceration, the world had changed completely and left her behind. I was more than happy to help her catch up. Unfortunately, the other employees found out that she was fresh from prison and started treating her horribly, which really pissed me off.
Even though she was older than me, I felt a strong protective streak toward her, probably because my father had spent time in prison before I was born and people still tried to hold that against him. Unfortunately, Farrah’s employment at the bakery was short-lived after she violated her parole, but I stayed in contact with her through letters and even an occasional visit when she went back to prison.
It was our relationship that prompted me to start a support group for women who were trying to get their lives back on track after being paroled. Over the years, I’d garnered contacts all over town to help them do that. I befriended business owners and encouraged them to hire the women in my group. I helped them find housing they could afford and got donations to cover what they couldn’t. I asked friends and family to tutor the women so they could get their GED if they hadn’t finished high school and help them register for trade school or college, depending on which avenue they chose to take.
With the help of the women in my MC, The Texas Queens, I helped lift up and support many women over the last decade. Even though I’d become friends with most of them, I was closest to Farrah. When she was released from prison again and ready to restart her life, it was perfectly natural to bring her into the fold.
I’d learned how to help others with the idea of helping her when she was released, and I was proud of that. I was prouder of that than I was of anything else I’d accomplished so far in life, even becoming a business owner and running a very successful bakery that was staffed by mostly ex-convicts who needed a job and the money to afford a fresh start.
“This is my early Valentine's gift to you,” I said as I set the tower of cupcakes and pastries on the table. As I slid it toward the middle, I said, “And not only are there some for you to eat now, but I made a box of treats for you to take with you when you leave.”
“You’re better at this Valentine’s thing than any man I’ve ever dated,” Moe, a woman in the program who had recently been hired to help at my friend Zoey’s flower business, said as she looked at the goodies in front of her. “If you don’t stop, we’re going to need you to find someone to help us exercise, because hanging out with you is like an engraved invitation to the diabetes ball.”
“I’ve got a deal under the table with some doctor friends of mine, so I’m not really just generous because of my understanding and giving nature.” I flipped Farrah off when I heard her snicker and continued, “I’m really just drumming up business for them so they’ll give me kickbacks in the form of free lab work and mammograms.”
“I knew you were on the take,” Moe grumbled.
“Oh my God! I almost forgot! I have to tell you about what happened at the restaurant - unless you already heard it from some of your friends.”
I put my hand up to stop Fiona from starting her story before I said, “Which leads me to today’s subject, ladies. October isn’t the only month you should think about your breast health. For those of you who are old enough to need regular boob scans and haven’t had one within the recommended time frame, I’ve arranged for a mobile mammogram bus to come to Zoey’s Flower Patch and do the exams free of charge. Just in case you aren’t aware, it is suggested that women over 40 get one at least every two years and women with a history of breast cancer in their family should start getting them even earlier than that. If you have any questions about breast health or any of the other many things that affect women, my friends Roscoe and Jewel will be available that night to answer them all, big or small. Roscoe is an OB/GYN, and Jewel is a primary care doctor. And if there’s something you’re not comfortable talking about in the open, Zoey’s and Garvey’s offices will be available for private conversations as necessary.”
“That’s awesome, Jan,” Farrah said proudly. “You’re a good friend and mentor to all of us.”
“I’m trying to give you diabetes,” I said, deflecting the praise as I motioned toward the trays on the table. “Stop being nice to me and fall into my villainous plan while Fiona tells us about what happened at work.”
The women dug in as I ate my own - a new creation I’d come up with a few days ago that was diabetic-friendly but didn’t taste like sawdust and cardboard sprinkled with toasted coconut, a mix of flavors that most protein bars on the market seemed to share.
Fiona started telling her story, and I had to interrupt with questions because from the description of the women she was talking about, I was almost positive I knew them.
“Okay, I know exactly who you’re talking about because those girls love that movie. Diamond, Marley, and Esme have been imitating those characters for as long as I can remember and almost always dress up as them for Halloween. I can’t imagine what their closets must look like, considering all the different outfits they’ve used for costumes over the years.”
“But who was the guy?” Moe, another of the ladies, asked between bites of cupcake. “It had to be one of their brothers for them to sweep in and rescue him like that.”
“It was!” Fiona said excitedly. “It was the white girl’s brother. I heard her say so.”
“Marley is Garvey’s twin sister, right?” Ginger asked cautiously.
“She did look like Garvey,” Fiona gasped.
“Actually, they’re triplets. They have a brother named Corey, who is identical to Garvey. The only difference is their facial hair and tattoos.”
“Oh, thank God. I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to keep myself from killing him during our meeting tomorrow if I found out that Garvey was cheating on Zoey.”
“Fiona’s right,” Moe said with a laugh. “I was already plotting his death.”
“Garvey’s a pain in the ass, but I have faith that he’d never step out on Zoey. They’ve been in love since we were teenagers,” I explained.
“That’s right. He does have a twin. It’s the guy you can’t stand!” Farrah exclaimed. She laughed before she explained to the group, “He’s a cop here in town, and Janis calls him Donut.”
“He’s been my archenemy for as long as I can remember,” I admitted.
“Why? What made you hate each other so much?”
I laughed softly before I said, “It was stupid teenage girl emotions running wild, I guess. After a while, it became a habit to hate him.”
“That doesn’t explain why.”
“You just don’t give up, do you?” When Farrah shook her head, I said, “I overheard some boys talking about me in the hallway at our middle school and then realized it was Corey and Zane.”
“What did they say?” Fiona asked.
“It shouldn’t really matter. We were twelve or thirteen, I think.”
“It was clearly bad enough to cause you to be mean to them for years,” Farrah pointed out.
I laughed through my embarrassment about something that I had only told a few people before and then explained, “We were at a party the weekend before, and someone started up a game of Spin the Bottle. When it was Corey’s turn, it landed on me, so we went into the hall closet to kiss. I had just had dental surgery a few days before and had been fighting an infection from a dry socket, but I wasn’t even thinking about that. I was too nervous about getting my first actual kiss from a boy. Anyway, we went into the closet, he kissed me, and that was it.”
“So, he was telling Zane about kissing you?” Moe asked. When I nodded, she said, “Kiss and tell. What a little asshole.”
“Yeah.”
“How long has it been since that happened?” Fiona asked.
“Let’s see. I’m 29 now, so sixteen or seventeen years ago, I guess.”
“And you’ve held a grudge about it all this time?”
“I’m nothing if not dedicated,” I told her with a laugh.
“What did he say that was so bad?” Farrah asked.
“He said that kissing me was like walking barefoot through a pile of dog vomit.” There was a collective gasp, and I felt my face flame in embarrassment. The women around the table started cursing his name and calling him all sorts of horrible things, and I didn’t like that at all. He was my target, not theirs, so I hurried to say, “But that was a long time ago. I’m trying something new now, and I think that Corey Forrester will be the perfect test subject.”
“Is it going to violate my parole to hear about your plan?” Moe asked hesitantly.
I burst out laughing and threw my wadded up napkin at her before I explained, “Nothing illegal, Moe. Have some faith. It’s going to be much more difficult than committing the perfect crime.”
“Oh, shit. Tell us what you’re going to do,” Farrah ordered.
“I’m trying to teach myself how to be a nicer, gentler Janis.”
There was silence around the table, but Farrah was the first to disrupt it when she burst out laughing. Moe was soon to follow, then the other women joined in. I wondered if I could start this new me thing tomorrow because all I wanted to do right now was tell them all to fuck off. I took a deep breath and was able to resist.
Look at me, putting in the effort to change and all that bullshit. Someone should give a medal. Or a fucking drink because this being quiet when it would be so much more fun to run my mouth wasn’t very easy. I could use a little 100 proof helper.
When the women finally stopped laughing, Farrah asked, “How does Corey fit into this experiment?”
“If I can figure out how to hold my tongue and be nice to Corey Forrester, I’ll be able to do it with anyone. That’s why I chose him. The only person who comes close to pissing me off as quickly as Corey does is Zane Duke, so he’s my secondary target. If I can manage to make nice with the two of them, everyone else will be cake.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re certifiably insane?” Farrah asked.
“I’ve never been diagnosed, only peer-reviewed, but I have heard that once or twice.”
◆◆◆
COREY
“This is my second double shift this week. When I traded so I could go to Lucky and Rain’s party and then have the next day off to sleep in and recover from what I’m positive will be a very long night, I don’t think I considered that I’d be too tired to go by the time it came around,” I admitted to Noble, another officer on the force who was also part of what everyone would consider my extended family.
To be honest, regular people would consider me part of the extended family of the patriarch in the center of the group that included two MCs and half the town of Rojo. However, to Smokey and his wife, Martha, the people that they loved were their family, whether related by blood or acquaintance, and Noble’s fathers were part of that too.
“I was lucky enough to have the party fall on my day off, but I’ve got plans next week and swapped a few days with Casto.”
I looked around at the empty parking lot and then through the window of my favorite convenience store on this beat before I lifted my arms and stretched with a loud yawn. I looked around again as I dropped my arms because something felt off. I felt like I was being watched, which was unlikely considering the store was in an area that shut down after six p.m. and didn’t start bustling until business hours in the morning.
“That’s a new guy,” Noble said as he spotted the store attendant through the glass.
He hummed, and I knew he was feeling it, too, so I asked, “Have you ever talked to Mrs. Martinez about how she runs her store?”
“Yeah. She told me she didn’t trust anyone but family and she’d never let anyone work at her store but her kids.”
I played ball in high school with one of her sons and had met all of his siblings at one time or another, or at least I thought I had. “I’m not trying to make an assumption about their family dynamic, but I’m about 99% sure that guy is not one of her children.”
“You think?” Noble asked sarcastically. “I look more like one of Mrs. Martinez’s kids than he does.”
“It’s funny that you agree with me since you look nothing like Reagan.”
“I don’t look anything like my other father either, and he’s Black!”
“How do you want to play this?” I asked.
“My Spidey sense is already tingling, but we can’t just call in the cavalry on a hunch.”
“I’ll go in,” I said with a smile that was only for show in case the man behind the counter could see me. “Pretend you just got a call.”
Noble pulled his phone out and looked at the screen before he touched it and then put the phone to his ear. He started singing the lyrics to a popular song, and my smile was genuine as I pulled open the door and walked inside the store.
The man behind the counter was sweating, which didn’t fit the situation since the store’s temperature was almost as cool as the air outside. When I saw him glance nervously toward the office, I guessed that he had a cohort back there, probably holding whoever was supposed to be behind the counter hostage until I disappeared. As my gaze passed across the counter and the floor beyond it, I saw a mess that looked like a struggle could have caused it, but the smear of blood leading toward the office was what convinced me my hunch was spot on.
“How ya doin’?” I asked as I walked farther into the store. I clicked my mike three times to alert Noble that we were right and would need backup but didn’t show any signs that I knew something was wrong as I stopped in front of the coffee maker and poured myself a cup. “You guys aren’t too busy tonight, I guess.”
“No. I’m about to close.”
“Well, I guess I made it just in time, didn’t I?” I asked as I moseyed down the candy and carb aisle of the small shop. My radio clicked twice, so I knew Noble had understood my message and wasn’t surprised when the bell over the door rang again.
“Phone call go okay?” I asked Noble as he stopped in front of the counter.
“Esme said she’d bring some friends, but she wasn’t sure when they’d be able to make it. They’ve got something going on across town.” Esme Cardenas was the dispatcher on duty tonight, and Noble had just informed me that she understood we needed backup but couldn’t send anyone immediately. That meant we were in this alone with an unknown number of assailants in the back where we couldn’t see them. “Can I get a canister of those nicotine patches?”
“Um . . . which . . .um . . .” The man turned around to look at the wall of nicotine products behind him.
I had just made it to the end of the counter where whoever was around the corner couldn’t see me when Noble said, “Back up, and let me look around you.”
The man behind the counter did just that, and the second he got close enough, Noble reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder to pull him off-balance. As soon as I saw him start to move, I tossed my piping hot coffee around the corner and heard a splat right before a man shouted. I didn’t give him time to recover from the hot liquid before I rushed around the corner and assessed the situation.
In my peripheral, I could see a woman’s feet bound together, sticking out from around the wall and a large man trying to pull a wet bandana off his face to get the hot liquid off his skin. I hit him like he was carrying a football on his way to the end zone and slammed him into the wall so hard that it cracked the sheetrock. He let out a muffled curse and put his hands up to grab me, but I didn’t give him a chance. I jerked him forward and spun him around so he slammed face first into the other wall, and then I yanked his arm up behind his back as the gun he’d been holding fell to the floor.
I heard Noble yell, “Clear!” just before he rushed around the corner. We made quick work of cuffing the man before Noble dragged him out of the hallway to watch over both suspects. I pulled out my gun and tiptoed over to the doorway, then jumped around the corner and assessed the room to find that the only other occupant was the young woman I’d seen working here before.
She was bound and gagged with her face wet from tears. I knelt down in front of her as I whispered assurances that it was going to be okay as I pulled the hand towel out of her mouth.
She let out a loud sob as I asked, “Are you hurt?” When she shook her head, I asked, “Were there just two men?”
“Just the two. They said they were going to . . .”
“Shhh, honey. It’s okay. We’ve got ya,” I whispered as she fell into my chest, sobbing so hard that it shook both of us. I put my arms around her and held tight, giving her a minute to get it out before I pulled away and said, “Let me untie you, okay? We’ll get an ambulance to take you to the hospital and get you checked out.”
“I’m not hurt . . . They didn’t hurt me yet, but they said . . .” She started wailing again, and I mumbled reassurances as I pulled out my knife to cut the tape binding her arms to her body and around her wrists and ankles. I made sure to only touch it with the tip of my knife before I set each piece on the desk behind her. “Thank you! I was so scared! Thank you so much!”
“No thanks needed, sweetheart. I’m glad we got here in time,” I said honestly, knowing that she would be traumatized by tonight’s events, but it could have been so much worse if Noble and I hadn’t trusted our instincts. “Are you Mrs. Martinez’s daughter? What’s your name, sweetie?”
“She’s my grandmother,” the girl choked out between sobs. “I’m Bianca.”
“Bianca, my name is Corey, and the other officer is Noble. You’re safe now, okay? Call your grandma. She’ll need to be here to speak to the investigators.”
“Okay. Yeah. Okay,” the young woman mumbled as I helped her up from the floor. I nudged her toward the desk chair, and she sat down with a thump before she reached for the phone on the desk with a shaky hand.
“Stay here in the office, okay? I’m going to go check on my partner.”
“Okay. Will you . . . Can I lock the door?” she asked.
“No need to lock it. We’ll be right outside and won’t let anyone through.”
When she nodded, I took off down the short hallway to check on Noble and found him with one hip against the counter as he held a half eaten Snickers bar in one hand and his phone in the other. He looked down at the men laying on their stomachs at his feet before he snapped, “Be still, asshole!”
I stopped less than a foot away from the man I’d hit in the hall, giving him a clear view of the tactical boot that I wanted to use on his head while I pretended it was a soccer ball, and looked out the window as I made a call for an ambulance.
“Is she okay?” Noble asked as he glared at the two very vocal puddles of scum on the tile.
“She’s shaken but uninjured. However, they told her exactly what they were going to do, and she’s understandably upset at the thought,” I ended in a growl. So far, Noble and I had been ignoring the curses and threats from the men on the floor, but when the one Noble had apprehended started giving a detailed accounting of exactly what he planned to do to her, I bent forward at the waist to make sure my body camera caught every single word of his confession. Unfortunately, that was all I could do. I hoped like hell it was enough to get him locked up for a long time because I had no doubt in my mind that he’d make good on his threat if given half a chance.
“Do you know how much these are?” Noble asked as he reached for another candy bar. “I put a five on the counter. Do you think that will cover two?”
“We’ll ask when Mrs. Martinez gets here, but I’m pretty sure she’ll be fine with you eating another one.”
The ambulance pulled up in front of the store since they knew that we had secured the scene, and as soon as they opened the door, I motioned for them to follow me back to the office, where Bianca was waiting. By the time Mr. and Mrs. Martinez arrived, along with Bianca’s parents just a few minutes later, the sergeant was on scene and ordered us to take the two men to the station for booking.
The next few hours were a test of my patience as I listened to the cocky bastards talk shit about me, my parents, and even my grandparents, who he didn’t realize were long dead, before they assured me that the second they made bail, they were going to find me and kill me along with everyone I loved. Fortunately, my camera caught all of that, too, and I knew the video would go a long way in making sure they didn’t get that chance.
But if they tried, they’d be in for one hell of a surprise because there wasn’t a single member of my family who would hesitate to end them.