SHANK (A Wilde Crime Series) (25 page)

The hospital door opened again. Detective Burgess
entered, a half-smile on his lips. “Looks like I’m just in time.”

“What do you want?”
I asked. If he wanted to arrest me, he was in for a fight. I wasn’t going back to the joint, not yet. Not until I knew Frankie was safe from this madman stalking our every move.

Burgess laughed, a grating sound to my burned ears.
“Thought you might want to give a last confession. I hear it’s good for the soul.”

“Bad news. I’m going to live.”
I pushed myself into a sitting position, ignoring the tearing pain of chard skin.

“N
ot for long if you keep playing with the big boys.”

Billy straightene
d to his full height, eyes mean and cold. “Are you here to arrest my son?”

“No
t yet, but I do have a few questions for him.”

“Shoot.” I grinned. This would be fun.

Billy held up a hand. “Don’t be any idiot, boy. Call a lawyer.”

“No.”
I motioned to Burgess. “Let’s hear how I killed Nick.”

“You are no longer the prime suspect in Nick DeMarco’s
homicide.”

“
So who is?”

“That is privileged
information. But let’s just say you know her fairly well.”

I tried to stay calm
. “Frankie didn’t do it.”

“You’
re a fool.” He laughed, a high-pitched whine like a fire engine roaring through Hell’s Kitchen late in the night.

“Fuck you.”

He laughed again. “Here’s your one shot to stay alive. Give me what I need to make the collar in DeMarco’s murder and I’ll make sure you’re safely tucked away.”

“That’s a real generous offer. Sell out my friends
, and you’ll lock me up. What a deal.”

“It’s better than being dead, and from what I heard about y
our last couple of days, it’s only a matter of time.”

“
I’ll risk it.”

“Fine. Have it your way.”
Burgess turned and left.

“She didn’t do it,” I said to Billy.

Billy stared into my eyes as if weighing his next words. “Makes no difference. Either way, you better watch your back, boy.”

The hospital released me two days later, even though my face resembled ground meat. Angry red abrasions covered the left side of my face from forehead to my chin. Worse, the only clothes I had were an odd ensemble of hospital wear removed from dead patients. They smelled of disinfectant and death. Once freed from the hospital, I headed for O’Malley’s for a much-needed change of clothes and a hot shower. Frustration battered my mind, weighing on what little patience I had left. I needed to catch Morrissey before he hurt someone else, someone close to me.

A taxi pulled to the curb, and I got out. Weak sunlight filtered through the gray September day, highlighting the cracking concrete and bullet casings lining the street. I glanced at my watch, not having any place in particular
to go. I pushed the door open. My boots echoed in the empty room as I stepped inside.

“What are you doing here?”
I asked, my eyes running over Frankie’s face. What the fuck good was a safe house if she didn’t use it?

“
I needed to get out,” she said, her head tilted in that stubborn way that both drove me crazy and made me ache in ways I couldn’t explain. “Besides, tending bar all day doesn’t seem all that dangerous….”

“Wh
y not just invite Sal and his goons over? We could play some poker. Get to know each other.” I grinned, picking my way through the tables and to the bar. I reached into the cooler and grabbed a beer. For a brief second I held the cold bottle against my burned skin before popping the top and drinking half the bottle in one gulp. 

“Don’t be a smart ass.
I’m safe enough. It’s Drew’s day to baby sit. I talked to him an hour ago, and he should be here soon.” Frankie ripped the beer from my hand and set a glass of pink juice in front of me. “Doctor’s orders.”

“Thanks.” I
glared at the cup, shook my head, and headed up the stairs for a shower. I stood under the heated water, letting it wash over my battered skin. It felt like the first ring of hell, but I ignored the pain, ridding my body of the stench of chemicals and hospital disinfectant. A smile hovered on my lips. Today at five the crew and I planned to meet at the First National Bank of New York. We’d be millionaires by 5:15. I liked the sound of that.

I turned off the water
and stood naked in front of the mirror, taking stock. My left cheek, just under my eye, looked like something out of a horror movie. Red and raw. The burns spidered along my cheek, disappearing a few inches from my collar. My left arm got the worst of it though. From fingertip to elbow. I grabbed a roll of gauze and covered the worst of the burned skin.

Exhausted by the shower
and a lack of sleep, I wrapped a towel around my hips and sprawled across my bed. Sleep came instantly, but it was an uneasy alliance. Fragmented dreams and memories raced through my unconscious mind. Bits and pieces of the last few weeks. The taste of Frankie’s lips. The feel of her skin. Oscar’s vertebrates snapping. The look of hopelessness in Roxanne’s eyes. I saw Drew, passed out in a hotel room. Neil’s pale face grinning. The sting of Mickey’s fist in my face and the bone crushing pain of Frankie walking away.

I twisted in my sleep, flexing my fist against the sheet. L
aughter broke through my dreams. Frankie’s laughter. I smiled, picturing her blue eyes sparkling with humor. My own eyes opened, and I slowly returned to reality. I reached for my jeans, pulling them on with care. I couldn’t find a clean t-shirt so I made do with one from the laundry. It didn’t smell that bad. Tired and sore, I stumbled down the staircase in search of Frankie. What I saw downstairs stopped me cold. Frankie sat next to Roberto. His hand touched her shoulder, stroking it like a lover. She shot him a smile and his fingers crawled up the naked skin of her neck. When she didn’t smack the shit out of him, I tore my eyes away, disgust warring with rage.

Fucking idiot.
I had believed her when she said she loved me. But twenty-four hours later, she’s fucking some dirt bag drug dealer. I needed a drink. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans and walked out of the door.

An hour later, I sat at a strip club about a block from O’Malley’s. The club, like the strippers in it, had seen better days.
I sipped a whiskey and coke, watching a cracked out girl, probably no older than eighteen, peel away her bikini top. I suddenly felt very old. The girl smiled, scooping up the ten-dollar bill I’d slipped on the stage. She moved closer, shaking pert breasts in my face. I waved her away and finished my drink.

I turned at the tap on my shoulder. “Mickey? What are you doing here?”

He sat next to me. “I called the bar. Frankie said you’d left. She’s worried.”

“No need. Life is good.”
No way was I discussing Frankie with him.

“I have some
news. Beth’s pregnant. I’m going to be a father, can you believe it?” His face split into a grin.

“Congratulations.”
I hugged him, slapping him hard on the back. “Waitress, two tequilas.” After getting the waitresses attention, I turned back to face Mickey. “I can’t believe it, you a dad.”

“I’m a little s
hocked myself. What the hell kind of father am I going to be? The only thing I’m good at is cons and poker.”

“And you’re not real good at the poker part,” I joked. “You’re going to be a great dad. Shit,
you practically raised Frankie and she turned out all right. Plus Beth is born to be a mom. She’ll even out the rough spots.”

“
I want you to be the godfather.”

My heart thumped hard in my chest. “I’d be honored.
” In addition, to being scared and a little unnerved by the whole thought. The tequilas came, and we toasted to the future. I bought another round, ready to lose myself in the bottle. Two dark haired strippers shuffled over, but I sent them away with a quick word and twenty bucks.

Mickey drank the second shot,
glancing at his watch. “Okay, so we have a half hour before we have to be at the bank. Wanna tell me what’s going on?”

I
threw back my shot. “Nope.”

“Is it Frankie?”

“Leave it alone, Mickey. It’s over between us, so you don’t have to worry.”

Mickey’s cell rang. H
e flipped it open. “Baby…slow down…what happened…are you all right?” Mickey listened, his face losing its color. He hung up, and jumped from his seat.

“What happened?” My pulse r
aced. Let Frankie be safe.

“That was Beth…someone firebombed my place. Thank God, she wasn’t inside…someone tried to kill my wife…”

I grabbed his arm and tossed a hundred on the table. “Where is she now?”

“At the neighbors. The cops are there.”

“Let’s go.” I pushed our way through the crowd, and hailed a taxi. Ten minutes later, we pulled in front of what used to be Mickey’s apartment building. Flames shot thirty feet in the air, turning the air around us black with soot. As soon as the cab stopped Mickey rushed out of the door and into Beth’s arms. I moved slower, searching the crowd standing behind the police tape.

A
big man with a gap-toothed grinned at me from the opposite end of the tape. He winked once, and disappeared into the crowd of onlookers. Bastard. Sal had torched Mickey’s place, taking his revenge on me out on those I cared about. Billy had warned me that it would come to this. It was past time to deal with Sal.

I started forward
, ready to rip Gap-tooth to pieces. Nobody fucked with my crew. A few blocks up a Black SUV with tinted windows raced from an alleyway, Gap-tooth at the wheel. The car veered toward me, black glass reflecting the flames from Mickey’s building. I dashed behind a GEO Metro, pulling my .38 and firing a couple of rounds into the driver’s side windshield. Metal crunched as the Metro’s fender shredded under the SUV’s assault. The noise drew some attention from the people on the street, enough that Gap-tooth cut his losses and sped off, sparks and exhaust pouring from the SUV.

Watched the SUV disappear around the corner, I ducked back down the alley toward the embers of Mickey’s life. Boots scraping on concrete warned me that I had a follower. I cracked my knuckles, excited by the prospect of breaking someone’s head. My stalker kept to the shadows, but twice I caught a quick glimpse of him in a passing window. Time to make my move. I stepped into the entranceway of a darkened building and waited. My eyes watered at the stench of urine and wet dog filling the alcove. A few second later a shadow past the doorway. I jumped from my hiding space, tossing the guy’s body against the bricks.

I drew my fist back, stopping just short of rearranging the drug-dealing scumbag, Roberto’s face. “
What the hell are you doing following me?” My grip loosened, and Roberto pushed me away.

He brushed off his jacket. “I’m not.
I saw you and thought Frankie might be close.”

I
took a step closer, every bone in my body wanted to snap him like a twig. “She’s not, so fuck off. Better yet stay away from Frankie all together.”

“I can’t do that. She’s something
special. I’d be a fool to give her up.” He smiled like a snake after a feast.

“You’d be even dumber to stick around.” I backed him against the wall
, tapping a finger against his chest. “I don’t take to kindly to scum like you putting their hands on her. If you want to keep breathing….”

He
laughed, a chilly sound filled with hate. “I’ll put my hands anywhere I want. You don’t scare me. Besides she’ll never forgive you for interfering in her life again.”

“Don’t be too sure of that.” My fist
smashed into the soft flesh of his stomach, and he dropped to his knees. “I won’t leave a mark.” I slammed my boot into his side. “So Frankie will never know.”

“Bastard,” he wheezed. “I’ll get you for this.”

It was my turn to laugh. “You can try.”

An hour later, I rolled up to the First National Bank of New York. The bank resembled a fortress, thick concrete columns and bulletproof glass protected it from criminals like me. The door were locked too, a bad sign. Fuck, I missed the meet. We’d have to wait until Monday to become rich. For some unexplainable reason that thought lifted my dark mood a bit.

“How’s Mickey?”
Andy leaned against the brick building. I’d called Andy, explained the situation, and asked him and Drew to wait for me. They had, neither seeming too upset about waiting a couple of days for the cash. Their concern, like mine, was focused on our survival.

“Freaked out.
I need you to do something for me.”

Andy nodded.
“What’s that?”

“I want you to
check on Roxanne.”

“Why?”

“She’s in danger. Whoever used Billy’s name will be looking to shut her up. Plus, I want you around in case Mike contacts her.”