C15 Chapter 15

Zane arrived back in Hurstville after dark. He felt better after meeting Sanchez. He’d had time to think on the journey back and knew he had to keep his distance from Hope as much as possible.

He would try to steer things through Brian and the other officers as far as possible. He was the chief after all.

His phone buzzed with a message. Talk of the devil…

It was Hope.

Why so quiet?

He looked at the message. He was tempted to answer it but decided not to. He needed to cut ties. Sanchez had let him know he could still get through this with his job and badge intact. But continuing with what he had done with Hope wasn’t going to help him. He was sad at having to cut ties.

He had not felt like this with any woman for a long time. While he hadn’t spent much time with Hope, there was something more than he had felt for other women he had briefly dated since his ex-fiancee. He wasn’t quite sure what it was that attracted him to her. It was something unique, something that made her stand out more than most other women.

He had met many women like Hope before. They all had that something. A ... a ... joie de vivre. That was it. But they were always unattainable. Not that he had tried his luck. And

Hope had that same joie de vivre and she liked him. But she was a criminal and so, in essence, she was unattainable.

His phone buzzed again.

Not talking to me? Are you angry with me?

He ignored the messages and focused on the road until he got home. Once the garage was closed behind him he stepped out of the car and drew his gun. He wasn’t going to be ambushed again in his own house.

He opened the door from the garage to the kitchen and pushed it open. He listened for any sound but was greeted with silence. He decided to leave the lights off since turning them

on would announce to anyone hiding in the house or watching from outside, where exactly he was. He moved through his house slowly checking every room. Finally, satisfied that he was alone in his house he relaxed. He went to the kitchen and filled Flunker’s bowl with food. Then he put a microwavable dinner in the microwave and once it was heated, he seated himself in the living room in the dark.

An idea had come to him on the flight back. He thought it was a long shot but on the other hand, he told himself it might work. It was his last chance.

As he sat in the dark, he pondered the idea and asked himself what could go wrong. The risk was high but not necessarily for him. Nevertheless, the risk could be high for others and that was even worse as far as he was concerned.

He didn’t bother to turn on the television or any lights in the house. When he was finished with his dinner he placed the dishes in the sink in the kitchen and made his way to his bedroom.

He was disappointed that he had become so paranoid in a matter of days, even hours.

Hope had not sent any more messages. He hoped she realized he was trying to stay away from her. He was sorely tempted to reply to her though and tried desperately to talk himself into a reason why he should be answering her.

Maybe she wanted to turn herself in?

Maybe she was in trouble?

Maybe she had some information for him?

He resisted his urges and longing and did not reply despite rereading her messages again and again.

Hope looked at her phone again. She wished Zane would reply to her. She missed him. She wanted to see him but she also knew she had already done enough to ruin his reputation. She didn’t want to ruin it further but she did want to see him. She knew she was being selfish and was tempted to go to his house again.

She knew she had to stay away. The fact that he hadn’t answered her meant that he was probably ready to arrest her the next time he saw her. He must have realized that he might be able to save his reputation and career if he stayed away from her.

She couldn’t blame him. She had been less than transparent with him and what she had alluded to with him had been just the tip of the iceberg. But she liked Zane. She had never known a man like him.

Strong, kind, a fighter but a man at peace with himself and his life. A man with integrity. She hadn’t known many men like him in her life and those that she had she had pushed away or only been able to admire from a distance.

But now, more than ever, she wanted a man like him. But when she told herself she ‘wanted” a man like him she asked herself why?

Did she believe that he could help her? Could he save her from her desperate situation? Did she truly have feelings and care for him the way she had initially cared for the loser father of her daughter regardless of whether he could help her or not?

She had to be honest with herself. She had a choice to make. Toe the line with the people that held her daughter or tell Zane everything. If she told him everything would it be because she

truly cared for him or wanted to use him? If she told him everything would he mess it up in the process of trying to fix her problem and bring people to justice? Would her daughter die because of his good intentions if she leaned on him for help?

It was too risky. She could not take the chance. If she had to make a choice, she would choose her daughter. Every time. To be honest, despite being as attracted as she was to Zane, she hardly knew him.

Hope’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. She had moved from where she had met Zane last time. She was surprised that he had found her there. She had no idea how he

had found her but she knew she couldn’t stay after he left. She had moved to a new motel closer to the city center.

The motels were more abundant in the city center. As long as she stayed out of Zane’s way, she could get on with doing what she had to do. Nevertheless, she had no idea who could be knocking on her door at this time.

She peeped through the peephole and felt her blood run cold. She opened the door and peered out.

“Damn bitch. You want me to stand out here all night?” the man on the other side said irritated.

Hope opened the door to let him in. She closed the door behind him once he had entered. He looked around the room assessing the comfort it offered.

“What’s this place set us back per night?” he asked.

“Less than the other one,” Hope said bluntly, referring to the place she had vacated after Zane had found her there. “How’s Lisa?”

“She jus’ fine Hope. Jus’ fine.”

“Let me talk to her then,” Hope said.

“Well ain’t we just full of demands,” the man said sarcastically.

“Listen Aaron. I don’t know what you’re doing here. There’s no need for you to be here. Everything’s on track.”

“Really? We gettin’ more reports from others than from you. The word is, we hear is you cozyin’ up to the chief of po-leece,” he replied looking at her coldly.

“You told me, to get close to him to take him down. What other way am I supposed to take him down? You’re not going to get him on corruption charges. He won’t bite. He’s not even answering my messages anymore.”

“So you figa cozyin’ up to him gonna git you in wid a shot to take him down?”

“Look, Aaron, if I can get close to him, when the time comes all you have to do is arrest me publicly with him and he’s finished.”

“I figa we kin plan’ some drugs in his house. That’d be better dontcha think?”

“There’s no need to send him to prison Aaron. He hasn’t done anything. Ruining his career is enough.”

Aaron stepped closer, his brown eyes almost black in the poor light of the room. He reached out and took her arm in his hand.

“Yo’ fogettin’ who run da show, girl. I call the shots. I say what happens. An’ if I say we put drugs in his house then we gonna put drugs in his house. Got it?”

Hope tried not to show emotion. “I won’t do it Aaron.”

“Well then you bes’ work something out ‘cos I’ll see that it happens. Yo fogettin’ who got yo girl. Yo’ ain’t free yet. An’ neider is Lisa. Yo’ both still mine an’ yo’ do as I say ‘til I let ya go.”

Hope was short of pleading. “I have it all planned. Just like the other times. Only this time, take the chief down with me for no other reason than he was sleeping with a suspect. Bail me out like always and I disappear. I take my money, I take Lisa and I’m gone. Fo’eva,” she finished mimicking his accent.

Aaron smiled then giggled. “Yo do a good impressun of me. Yo think it’s funny?”

“No, just trying to lighten the mood is all, Aaron,” she sighed then paused. She tried taking some deep breaths without making it obvious how stressed she was.

“Have a seat, Aaron,” she said as she sat on the edge of the bed. “Let’s just talk decently.”

“Okay,” he replied and sat down beside her. There wasn’t much distance between them.

“Do you want a beer?” Hope asked.

“That’s better,” Aaron smiled. “I’m likin’ yo’ ho’spitality,” he snickered.

Hope ignored the insult and removed a beer from the bar fridge. She opened it and gave it to Aaron. She opened one for herself and sat down on the bed again.

“Here’s my plan. And so far it’s worked pretty well. “Get arrested and escape. Which I did. Just like all the other cities. I met the chief and he likes me. Right now his two heads are giving him hell. He can’t decide if he wants to catch me or fuck me. I know which one will win. As long as I keep him on a line when the time comes, he goes down just because he slept with me. That’s it. He’s up for re-election later this year so when this hits the streets, he’s done. There’s no need to waste good shit on framing him. Once he’s gone, your people get to install their puppet just like they have everywhere else. Game over. I get Lisa and I’m gone. Everyone’s happy.”

Aaron sipped his beer. He was quiet and appeared to be thinking.

“Now, can I speak to my girl?” she asked.

Aaron was silent for a few moments then sighed. He pulled out his phone and placed a call. When he was connected he spoke.

“Yo’ Marlin. Put the girl on.”

He waited and when Lisa came on the other end of the line, he said, “Hold on girl.”

Aaron handed the phone to Hope. Hope took the phone and eagerly pressed it to her ear.

“Lisa baby. Are you okay?” Hope immediately started crying as she heard her daughter’s voice. “Are they treating you okay?”

Hope nodded and cried as she listened. Lisa sounded positive and that allowed Hope to relax a bit.

“Mommy’s going to be finished here soon, okay? When I’m done, I’m coming to fetch you and then we’re going on a long holiday. Okay, honey? Where do you want to go?”

Hope listened as Lisa mentioned a few places. “We’ll go, baby. We’ll try to do all of them okay?”

Aaron took the phone away and ended the call.

“That’s enough,” he said as he put his phone away.

“Where is she?” Hope asked.

“She’s still with her old man. No-one wants the brat around them so she stays with him. Hope was of a mind to argue about him calling Lisa a brat but she decided to leave it.

Aaron looked at his watch again as he had done a few times since he arrived. As if satisfied that the time was right, he finished his beer and tossed it in the bin at the door.

“There’s someun’ you gotta meet,” he said getting up and moving to the door.

“Who?” Hope asked.

Aaron ignored her and opened the door. “What impeccable timin’,” he whined as he opened the door on a group of men who stood at the door about to knock.

“C’mon in,” he said standing aside and opening the door wider. Three men entered. They were well dressed and Hope had never seen any of them before.

“Who is this?” Hope asked.