“Were the cops called?” I doubted it—who would do that at an illegal underground fight?
“I don’t know. Everyone was in crazy panic mode, trying to get out of the building. I’m just glad the cops didn’t show up before I left.”
“So, the cops were called in?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah—I think so. I heard sirens when I was a few blocks away from the warehouse.” Maya dipped her chin down and sniffled. “I was so afraid, Regi. I should have gone home with you.”
“How did you get home?” I asked, as guilt at leaving my best friend in that terrible mess swamped me. But I’d had no choice. Not when he was there.
“After I realized Jess wasn’t coming for me, I ran until I was several blocks away and then called an Uber.”
I wanted to tell her that her boyfriend was an utter douche bag for leaving her alone there, but I kept that opinion to myself.
“Tell me what you were dreaming about.” Maya straightened and moved away from me. “I need to think about something other than the bullet hole in Kane’s skull, or if Jess is safe.”
“I… umm, don’t remember now,” I lied.
Maya’s watery eyes narrowed on me. I was sure she knew I was lying, but my friend didn’t call me out on it.
“Okay.” She hugged me and got up. “I’m going back to bed since I have to work tomorrow morning. Whenever you want to talk about it, you know I’m here,” she added with a slight touch to my arm.
“I know,” I replied calmly. “Get some rest. And don’t worry about Jess. I’m sure he can take care of himself.”
Maya’s brown eyes flashed with a hint of ire. “Yeah. That bastard just left me there.” She went to her room and closed the door.
I didn’t say anything. Though, I’d called it. Another boyfriend bit the dust.
I guess it was a good thing I left the fight when I did. I certainly didn’t need another violent incident in my life. Seeing someone shot—someone I knew personally… Even though I thought Kane was a certifiable ass, I hadn’t wanted to see him dead.
I sat there in the shadows thrown by the hallway light, trying not to envision Kane with a bullet hole in his forehead. Then the darkness of my nightmare crept back in, which left me shivering. I slumped back against the sofa cushions, covered my mouth with both hands, and silently cried until I had no more tears and their tracks had faded away like ghosts.
It had become crystal clear that, no matter what I did to make myself feel safe, I was never going to really be safe, now that Teke was in my city.
Glancing at the wall clock again, I drew in a long, tired breath. I got up and refilled my glass, then headed back to my bedroom. Desperate for a few more hours of sleep, I pulled open my underwear drawer and rummaged around inside it until I found the bottle of prescription sleeping pills.
Normally, I didn’t mix medication, but tonight of all nights, I needed the extra kick. I uncapped the bottle, took out a pill and popped it into my mouth, then chased it down with water. “Dreams, dreams go away. Never come back another day.”
Chapter Six
Decker
I knew Krew was wrong about the cops. Someone would call the Chicago PD, and once they discovered Kane’s body, they would have every patrol car canvasing the area for persons of interest.
Since Krew refused my direct demand to leave, my only choice was to point the gun at his head. The anger and shock on his face had cut me to the marrow, but it was for his own damn good. He went to juvey for his piece of shit brother; I still cared too much for Krew to see him embroiled in this fucking mess.
I watched Krew disappear into the dark shadows of the alley. My soul screamed for him to come back. Instead, I bit my tongue until the outline of his perfect form vanished from my sight. Then I fled on foot toward the vehicle I stole yesterday and parked in a dark alley a block away from here.
A nondescript minivan, with dull red paint and heavy rust on the bumpers—the vehicle was old, but it ran. For added insurance, I had switched the plates with those from a different minivan with a similar appearance.
After I’d put on my gloves and placed my gun case in the back seat, I slid in and drove the speed limit all the way to Waukegan. The suburb was far enough away that the Chicago PD wouldn’t track me—which was unlikely anyway, since this wasn’t my first hit and I knew not to leave any evidence behind.
I drove to the edge of a park in a residential neighborhood and pulled over by a row of dense shrubbery. I scanned the area, making sure no one was around. Once I knew the park was clear, I grabbed my gun case and ditched the vehicle. Then I hoofed it several blocks, tossed the gloves in someone’s garbage can and continued on until I arrived to where I’d parked my truck.
Finally in the driver’s seat, I sat there in the dark for a moment as the adrenalin settled in my blood stream. Craving nicotine, I retrieved an open pack of cigarettes from the glove box, pulled one out and lit the tip. I sucked in a deep drag and released both the smoke and the energy bouncing throughout my body.
With an exhale, I started the engine and took a roundabout route, driving through several town to make sure I wasn’t being followed, before heading to a motel several towns away.
Once in the room, I dropped my duffle on the bed and fished out my old personal cellphone—the one I’ve had since high school, and its charger. Despite using burner phones, I’ve paid to keep my old number active, and carried the phone around like a sad sack, because it had old messages from Krew and Regina.
