few minutes as he polished off another beer and sat it on the nightstand.
“The fucking pigs. They are tight on my ass and wanna roast me the first chance they get.”
“I’m sorry, the who?”
“The cops, lady. The cops are looking for me.”
Her jaw dropped. “Why are they looking for you?”
“I’m wanted for murder,” I said. Instantly, the color drained from this girls face and she swallowed hard. “Relax, I didn’t fucking kill nobody. Killing’s not my thing.”
She was visibly shaking. The murder revelation was obviously a little nerve wracking to her.
“Look, I told you it wasn’t pretty. If you wanna know my story, you can’t be fucking judging me until you hear the whole thing. I’m an innocent man.”
“Sorry, hearing the man that’s holding you hostage is being sought after for murder is a little scary to me.”
I lit a cigarette. “Look, you’re not my fucking hostage. If the cops were to come looking for me, I’m not gonna hold my gun to your head or no shit like that. If I were found, I would go down like a man, not like a bitch hiding behind some skirt. The only thing I’m doing is keeping you to myself until the ship docks, where I plan to get off. I don’t intend to lay my hands on you, but I will if it comes down to that. It’s all up to you.”
“Yeah, that makes me feel much better,” she rolled her eyes. “I don’t get it. Tell me why you’re fleeing the country over a murder you’re entirely innocent of.”
“You don’t have to fucking believe me. You’re not my judge and jury. I know what the fuck I’ve done and not done. You asked me a question and I answered it. Your smart ass comments aren’t needed.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I really would like to know your story, though. I won’t make any judgments.”
“Fine, my club is at odds with another club— Aces of Anarchy. They’ve pulled all kinds of shit since they moved in on our turf. They came in and thought they were going to cut into our businesses and we had to put a stop to it.”
“What kind of business does your club run?”
Was this broad serious? She would make a terrible old lady with all the questions she was asking.
“That kind of shit isn’t important and it’s best for both of us that I don’t get into it. Anyway, I was working as the enforcer for my club and went over to send a message. My message was sent loud and clear. I left their biggest dude lying in a heap on the ground in front of their clubhouse. I fucked him up pretty good, but he was alive when I left. I don’t know what kind of shit they’re trying to pull or what’s going on but that motherfucker was alive when I rode off.”
“Do you think maybe you messed him up worse than you thought you did? Maybe he was able to get up but took a bad turn later or something.”
“Look babe, I’ve…”
“It’s Paige.”
“What?”
“My name is not toots. My name is Paige.”
Is she fucking serious? “Whatever, okay. Look Paige , I’ve been doing this shit for a long time. If I wanted to put that motherfucker in a grave, I would have done it. That’s not what I do though. I’m not a mob man. My job is to put fear in the people that cross my path. People might think that if they cross me, they’ll end up six feet under but it’s not my style. I’ve got too much respect for the human life to take one from somebody. No matter what particular kind of asshole a person may be, they’ve got a momma or a kid or somebody that loves them. It’s not up to me when they meet their maker.”
“So if you didn’t kill him, what do you think happened? Do you think somebody else from your club finished the job?”
“Fuck no. You never finish any business you didn’t start, unless your brother’s in trouble. My family knows I can handle my shit. The guys with me were only there for backup. Some of these pussy