Chapter 2-2
1004 Words
I kept a firm grip on Warren’s arm as we rode the elevator to the lobby. From his drooping posture, I gathered he’d resolved himself to his fate.
I caught my reflection in the polished steel doors. My hair was mussed, making me look less like a demigod superhero and more like a wild woman raised by wolves. I did what I could to finger comb it back into place, but it didn’t help much.
“Could you loosen the rope? I’ve lost feeling in my hands,” Warren muttered quietly between the third and second floors.
“Shut up, perv, or I’ll make it tighter.” Never let it be said that I’m one of those TV bounty hunters who gets all touchy-feely once a perp was apprehended.
“I could lose my hands if I don’t get the blood flowing.”
“Oh, wouldn’t that be a shame,” I said with dripping sarcasm. “How would you ever fondle little kids without your hands?”
The elevator doors opened to a lobby filled with the costumed masses of my fellow comic book geeks. Several of them noticed me perp walking Warren toward the hotel entrance and started applauding. Others held up their phones to capture the Kodak moment. I had to admit, getting cheered on by my fellow cosplayers kinda rocked.
Outside, the early December air was cool but not cold.
Phoenix doesn’t have the same four seasons most places do. Autumn doesn’t begin until mid-October and lasts until New Year’s. Winter is a myth. Spring starts in January. By mid-April, summer arrives with temps climbing into the triple digits. In July, the dry heat of summer cranks up into the muggy hell of monsoon season, with spectacular thunderstorms, widespread flooding, and nightmarish dust storms called haboobs.
For now, I savored the all-too-brief cool weather as I guided Warren down the street, while the sapphire sky played peekaboo between the glass-and-steel buildings. A few blocks away, we reached the parking garage.
Warren froze as I tried to lead him up the outside staircase. “I can’t climb stairs with my hands behind my back.”
“Move, asshole! I’m only parked on the third floor. You can make it.”
“Untie my hands first so I can hold the rail.”
“Fat chance.”
He leaned away from the concrete steps as if they were made of lava. “I’ll fall and break my hip.” His voice trembled.
“Fine, we’ll take the elevator.” I punched the call button with my fist. “Big baby.”
On the third floor, I pressed the key fob to unlock my SUV. Nicknamed the Gray Ghost, the seven-year-old Nissan Pathfinder was pockmarked with scrapes, dents, and broken trim, rendering it virtually invisible in most Phoenix neighborhoods.
I shoved Warren into the back seat and secured him with the seat belt. “Comfy?” I asked with a sneer.
“You know what they’ll do to me in prison.”
“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you molested those kids.”
“I’ll pay you double whatever the bounty is just to let me go.” His face looked deathly pale under the dim glow of the Gray Ghost’s dome light.
“So you can hurt more kids? I don’t f*****g think so.”
His gaze fell. “It’s not my fault. I have a problem.”
“Oh, is that what you call it?” I chuckled darkly. “Alcoholism is a problem. Missing your court date is a problem. Molesting children is an abomination.”
“I get urges I can’t control.”
“Maybe your fellow inmates can help you with those urges.” I slammed the side door shut and climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Can’t we make some sort of deal?” he whined as I started the engine.
“The only deal I’m interested in involves returning your sorry a*s to jail. Now pipe down, or I’ll strap you to the bumper. You got me, perv?”
He stayed silent for the remainder of the trip.
I drove north to I-10, then transitioned onto the Loop 202 before taking the McDowell exit. As I waited for the light to change, my phone rang. Becca again.
“Jinxie, did you seriously just arrest Daniel Warren while dressed as Wonder Woman?” She sounded excited and tired at the same time.
“Yeah, why?” I asked nervously.
“It’s trending all over social media with the hashtag #WonderWomanPerpWalk. Hold on. I’m clicking on a video.”
“There’s video?” I felt a lump in my throat.
“Wow! That’s seriously badass. No wonder the local news stations are all over it.”
“The news stations? Seriously? Shit.” I’ve had an aversion to the press ever since the Phoenix Living weekly newspaper outed me as transgender. Bail bond agents around town blackballed me when they read it.
“Don’t worry. Your name’s not mentioned. But folks are wondering who this mystery Wonder Woman is. Most think you’re a cop.”
“Let them keep thinking that. You at the Hub today?” The Hub was a coworking space near Fifteenth Avenue and Grand, where we both worked.
“Yeah, but about to call it a day. Chronic fatigue’s kicking in. I’m done out of spoons.”
“That’s why I keep telling you to switch to knives. They’re much more fun.”
“Ha ha.”
“You need me to pick up anything for you?” I often helped her out whenever her chronic fatigue flared up.
“A friend of mine already did some shopping for me.”
I scoffed. “Hey! That’s my job.”
“You were at Winter Con. I didn’t want to bother you. But you’re still my bestie.”
“Damn straight! I’m headed to Scottsdale lockup to drop off Warren. You need anything else, you call me. Got that?”
“Will do.”
I’d dealt with the correction officers at the Scottsdale Jail for years. All in all, they were good folks. But they weren’t above catcalling, whistling, and otherwise giving me s**t when I walked in.
CO Bennett, a woman with a coppery ponytail and freckles, smirked while she pulled up Warren’s records. “Damn, Ballou, you can arrest me in that costume anytime,” she teased.
My face warmed as I untied Warren. “Thanks, Bennett, but I prefer guys.”
“Oh well, a girl can dream.” She gave me a coy wink.
I had to admit I felt a little physical attraction when she handed me Warren’s body receipt.
“See you around, superhero,” she said.
I waved and walked out the door, hoping she didn’t see my face turning red. Things were getting way too hot in there.
- Writer
