He nods at her, all polite smiles. “Detective Banks. We have to stop meeting like this.”
Her jaw tightens. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Protecting my clients,” he says smoothly. “Your Captain already reviewed the report sent over by your Sergeant. No contraband, no exchange, no usable evidence. Just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“He was there,” she snaps. “That’s enough.”
Briggs adjusts his cufflinks like he’s got all day. “Not in this city, it’s not.”
A door creaks open. Her Captain steps out, disdain on his face as he takes me in.
“Banks. Let him go.” His tone leaves no room for argument, but Londyn has never been one to give up without a fight.
Her head whips toward him. “Cap, we had eyes…”
“Eyes aren’t evidence,” he cuts in. “You know that. We don’t have enough to keep him, so turn him loose. That’s an order.”
I see the moment defeat settles in. Her shoulders tense, breath catching. But instead of arguing, she simply reaches for the key on her belt and unlocks the cuffs.
“Guess I was right,” I tease.
She steps in close… close enough I can feel the heat of her breath. “You get a pass tonight. Next time, I won’t just be the one taking you in, I’ll be the one making sure you don’t walk back out.”
“Still got that fire, huh, Lolo?”
Her eyes narrow. “Get… the fuck… out!”
Briggs touches my shoulder, guiding me toward the door. “This way, Malcolm.”
Turning back, I take one last look at Londyn, and I can tell by her stare that this isn’t over. We’ll cross paths again… soon.
Outside, the air’s thick and cool. Turbo, our resident hacker, leans against his black Charger, cigarette burning low between his fingers. He flicks it away when he sees me.
“Damn, brother,” he says, shaking his head. “What the fuck happened?”
“I’ll explain back at the clubhouse,” I mutter, rubbing my wrists. They’re raw and red. “Briggs got here hella fast, ” I comment, changing the subject.
“He was already downtown when Mav gave him a heads up.” Turbo’s eyes scan me, checking for bruises. “You good?”
“Yeah. Just didn’t expect to see them tonight.” It comes out flat, but inside, I’m tore up.
“Them?”
I don’t answer. He doesn’t push it, just nods his head in understanding and walks to the driver side.
Just when I ‘m about to climb in, I pause.
“Wait. Briggs said clients…”
“Hound, Buck, and Steel were brought in, but Mav already left with them. They’re waiting for us back at the clubhouse.”
“Damn, Briggs is worth every penny we pay him,” I say, sliding into my seat.
“With as much trouble as we get our asses into, he better be,” Turbo laughs, buckling his seatbelt.
The Charger growls to life, and the city starts sliding past in streaks of neon and shadow. My head’s a mess, memories flashing in double time. I just don’t get how shit spiraled so out of control with my friend.
Graduation night. Tyrique and I sat on the patio, cap and gowns still on, talking about his plan to play college ball. Londyn was dancing barefoot in the grass, laughing like the world couldn’t touch her. Me, listening, but dreaming about my own future. We had it all.
