141
2495 Words
Terin
Fifteen minutes later, I was in line at the deli, waiting for the cashier to ring up my order, when I noticed two men walk in. Both were dressed in Devil’s Rangers cuts. Knowing that the deli was far from their Davenport clubhouse, I wondered what they were doing in Jensen. As good as the food probably was at Red’s, I had an inkling that it wasn’t the deli that had brought them into town.
“Pete here?” one of them asked as they stopped next to the register.
“He’s in his office,” said the cashier, looking uneasy.
“Tell him that Ronnie is here and I want to talk to him,” he said, grabbing a mint from the candy dish next to the register. He was tall, thin, and had a dark Mohawk. There were pockmarks on his face and he had a small white scar near his lower lip. As he popped the mint into his mouth, I noticed he had the words “f**k You” tattooed onto his knuckles.
“Uh, sure,” she replied and then hurried away.
The other biker grabbed a mint too, and as he opened the wrapper, winked at me.
“Hey, sweet thing. How are you doing today?” he asked, smiling. He was bald and muscular, with yellow teeth, and plugs in his ears. He had a pot plant tattooed on one forearm and on the other, the Devil riding a horse. Underneath that were the words “Devil’s Ranger.”
“I’m doing fine,” I said, noticing that he smelled like reefer and his pupils were dilated. “How about yourself?”
His eyes wandered past my gray blazer, over my matching wool skirt and to my black pumps.
“You certainly look like you’re doing fine. You here alone?” he asked, grabbing another piece of candy.
Before I could answer, his buddy, Ronnie, laughed. “Really, Chips? Even if she is alone, a classy broad like her isn’t going to give you the time of day, dumbass.”
“f**k you,” said Chips. He turned back to look at me. “Sorry about my friend. He can be a real dickhead at times. Anyway, what’s your name, darlin’?”
“Terin,” I replied as someone else behind the deli counter handed me my order. I noticed that the young man, who was about eighteen, looked a little frightened. “Thank you.”
He nodded and went back to help the next customer.
“Terin, huh? That’s an interesting name. Looks like you have enough food there to feed an army,” said Chips.
“Close. I’ve got some hungry coworkers who love to eat. So, your name is Chips?” I replied.
“That’s my road name,” he replied.
“Why that one?” I asked.
“I eat a lot of chips.” He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “That being said, my lady friends like to call me ‘Box’. I eat a lot of that, too.”
“Is that right?” I answered, rolling my eyes inwardly.
He laughed. “Sure is. So, you going to give me your number, or what?”
Before I could answer, the cashier returned.
Pete coming up here?” he asked.
I stared at the cashier’s face, noticing that she looked even more anxious than before. She licked her lips and told them that Pete wasn’t around.
“Bullshit. His car is parked in back,” said Ronnie, raising his voice.
“Really? Maybe he went for a walk.” The cashier looked at me. “Your total comes to twenty-nine dollars and fifteen cents,” she said, ringing me up.
“Okay.” I handed her my credit card. Her hand shook as she swiped it in the machine.
“Went for walk. Right,” said Ronnie, nodding to Chips. “Let’s go find the fucker.”
They both walked around the cashier and headed toward the back office.
“s**t,” she said, looking frightened.
“What do they want with Pete?” I asked her.
The cashier began biting her nails. “I don’t know.”
“Was he back there?”
She didn’t reply.
Sighing, I pulled out my badge. “Is he in trouble with those guys? If he is, you’d better say something. I can help.”
She hesitated and then confessed. Lowering her voice, she said, “I think so. He slipped out the back when he heard they were here looking for him.”
I was surprised that she’d been courageous enough to lie to the two bikers. I looked around the dining area. Fortunately, there were only a couple of people eating. Some of the other patrons had left when the two bikers had entered the place. “Okay. Just to be on the safe side, tell the rest of the staff and customers to leave.”
Two people who were waiting in line and listening, didn’t even hesitate. They anxiously headed for the front door, not looking back. The cashier spoke to her coworkers and then made her way to the dining room while I crept down the hallway to see what was happening with Pete.
“See, that piece of s**t was here. The coffee is still hot,” said Chips angrily. “Look, there’s back door. He probably ran out that way. Let’s go and get our money.”
Warning bells went off in my head. If Pete owed them money, the situation was just as dangerous as I’d assumed. I knew I should call for backup, but every moment wasted could prove more dangerous for Pete. The Devil’s Rangers were violent and I knew that if the deli owner was trying to run from them, he probably didn’t have their money. I opened up my jacket and unclipped my Glock from the holster.
“Should I get out of here?” whispered the cashier, now standing next to me.
“Yeah. Do me a favor and call the police.”
Nodding, she turned around and disappeared.
Holding my gun, I entered the empty office and found the doorway Chips and Ronnie had exited. Peeking outside, I noticed the bikers surrounding a sedan. Ronnie had his gun pointed at the man in the driver’s seat and motioned for him to get out of the car.
Pete rolled down the window. “I’ve got your money but it’s in the bank!” he cried, looking frightened. “I was just going to withdraw what I owed you.”
“You said that yesterday and never showed up at the clubhouse,” said Ronnie, moving closer to the car.
Pete laughed nervously. “I know you’re not going to believe this, but I ended up getting a flat tire. Once I got to the bank, it was closed and I could only withdraw three hundred dollars from the ATM. I knew you wanted it all, and was afraid that you’d be pissed. That’s why I didn’t show up last night. I was going to bring you the entire amount today though. I swear to God.”
“Always an excuse,” said Ronnie.
“It’s the truth,” said Pete.
“Let’s get in the car with him,” Ronnie said to Chips. “We’ll take a ride with ol’ Pete here and make sure he doesn’t have any more car trouble along the way.”
“Yeah. Sure. You guys can ride down with me. Just so you know, though, I might not have the entire amount,” said Pete. “But, I have most of it.”
“You were supposed to have the entire amount yesterday. You know what happens when we don’t get what’s owed to us, don’t you?” threatened Ronnie.
“I’ll have the rest by Friday. I swear,” said Pete, his voice cracking.
“Friday will be too late. Get in the f*****g car, Chips,” ordered Ronnie.
“What about Gomer?” asked Chips. “We should tell him we’re leaving.”
“Police! Put your gun down!” I ordered, stepping outside.
Ronnie turned and aimed the gun toward me.
“Drop your gun!” I hollered, grateful that the private parking lot was small and deserted. Behind that was an alleyway and a mini mall that wasn’t being used for anything at the moment.
“You drop yours,” he answered, c*****g his.
“You’re a f*****g cop?” called out Chips, staring at me in shock.
“Yes, and if you don’t put your gun down, Ronnie, you’re going to jail,” I said calmly.
“Mind your own business, pig,” said Ronnie, his gun still raised. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“It does now. Lower your weapon,” I said firmly.
A smile spread across his face and someone grabbed me from behind, snatching my gun in the process. Furious, I elbowed the person as hard as I could. I heard a grunt and the man released me, but not before I elbowed him a second time and knocked the gun out of his hand.
“Dammit, Gomer!” groaned Ronnie. “You really are a pussy.”
I quickly scrambled toward my Glock and was about to pick it up when Chips grabbed me around the waist and spun me away.
“Whoa, darlin’,” he laughed and pulled me against his chest. “You’re not having a lot of luck today, are you?”
“Let me go!”
I struggled to break free, but his arm was like a steel vice, holding me still.
“You’re a little firecracker,” said Chips, enjoying himself. “That’s for sure.”
Angry, I did a reverse head-butt, hitting Chips in the jaw, which hurt like hell. He grunted in pain, but instead of releasing me, he pulled out a knife.
“Don’t move or I’ll slit your throat,” he snarled, his fingers wrapping around my bun.
I froze. “Fine,” I muttered, feeling the tip of the knife against my throat. I raised my hands up slowly. “I’m not moving.”
“Good girl,” he said.
“It would be wise for you to let me go,” I said, my teeth clenched.
“Why should I?” he said, pulling my head back roughly. “You’re worth more to us dead.”
“Exactly. We need to get rid of her,” said Ronnie. “We can’t have any witnesses. Especially a cop.”
“I know,” said Chips breathing heavily near my ear. “I’ll take care of her.”
“You sure you can handle her?” asked Ronnie, who’d been watching quietly with his gun poised on Pete.
“I can handle this little fox,” said Chips, sniffing my neck. “Mm… what fragrance is that?”
“It’s called f**k Off,” I muttered in revulsion as he began groping me.
Chips chuckled. “Feisty. I like that.”
“Quit thinking with your pecker and handle this situation,” ordered Ronnie, getting into Pete’s car. “I’ll meet you back at the clubhouse. Gomer, you stay with him and clean this s**t up.”
“Will do,” said Gomer.
“Now… drive, before I kill you, dumb-s**t,” ordered Ronnie to Pete.
“What are you going to do with that young woman?” asked Pete, staring at us with wide eyes.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” said Ronnie. “Just get me my money.”
“I’m sorry, miss,” said Pete, looking ashamed. “This situation is my fault.”
“Drive!” ordered Ronnie, now holding the gun against the back of Pete’s skull.
Pete put the car in gear and they took off down the alley.
“Please. Chips. Just… let me go,” I said in a calm voice. “We can forget about all of this.”
“Too late. We don’t forget and we don’t negotiate. Stupid nosy broad. You should have taken your food and gotten the f**k out of here,” he replied angrily.
The alley was quiet and I began to wonder if the cashier had even bothered to call the cops.
“You’re right. I should have minded my own business. But I still can, you know?” I told him. “We can all just go on our own way and forget we ever met.”
He snorted. “I don’t believe that for a second.”
“We gotta do something with her,” said Gomer, looking around the alley anxiously.
“I know,” he replied. “Let me think.”
It was then that I realized Chips was still attracted to me. I could feel his hardness push against my backside. As disgusting as it was, it gave me an idea. “Hey. Maybe we could work something out.”
He grunted. “Like what?”
“Like… whatever you’d like,” I said in a softer voice. I pressed against his crotch.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m not like most cops you’ve probably met,” I said, wondering if death would actually be better than flirting with the disgusting pile of s**t. “I know when to keep my mouth shut and I know how to make deals.”
“What kind of deal are we talking about?”
“You get what you want and I forget I ever saw you,” I whispered.
“What did she say?” asked Gomer, frowning.
“Nothing,” said Chips, pulling me back a few steps. He lowered his voice. “Why should I believe that you’d keep your word?”
“Because, I’d rather not admit to my fellow cops that I traded s*x for my life. I’d be the laughing stock of the department. Plus, I’d have to go to court and,” I laughed coldly, “what a drag that would be.”
Chips was silent for a few seconds. “Gomer, check the deli. Make sure there aren’t any customers and then lock the doors.”
Holy crap. He’s actually falling for it?
“On it,” said Gomer, disappearing.
“Looks like we’re going to have some private time together, darlin’,” chuckled Chips, grinding his pelvis into my butt cheeks. “I’m not really stupid enough to believe that you wouldn’t rat me out one way or another. Plus, Ronnie would kill me if I let you go. But, I’m still going to have my way with you. At least one of us will be having fun.”
“f**k you,” I replied, swearing to myself that the only fun to be had would be hurting the son of a b***h.
He laughed. “That’s the plan.”
- Writer
