“You really think he’s gonna show up?”
I answered my brother’s question without taking my eyes off the open roll-up. “I know he will. I’m just not sure what he’ll do when he gets here.”
“How can you be so sure? He’s a detective, right? Why would he risk his career to come here and start problems?”
“Because I know him.”
Jack snorted. “You’ve met the dude… what, twice?”
I shook my head. “You are misunderstanding. I may not know David personally, but I knowDavid. You see, brother, when you’re in prison, you have two options. You can join a gang and try to fit in with a certain clique or crowd to protect you, or you can make yourself look as mean and intimidating as possible and keep your fucking mouth shut.” I shrugged, “I went with the second option. Now, part of thatlooking mean and shutting the fuck upinvolves being very observant. I’ve met fifty Davids in the form of half-cocked correction officers and POs. They’re all the same. It’s not about thejob;it’s about holding power over others. For years, David held power over Avery. He’s not just gonna let that go.”
Jack clicked his tongue. “So much for you being delusional. Are you going to tell him Avery is with you? Or that you know where Avery is?”
“I think I’m gonna let him do most of the talking, bro.”
Half an hour passed. Jack and I had dug into our respective projects for the day when I heard him nervously say my name. I wheeled out from underneath the car I’d been working on. As soon as I cleared the car and was able to sit up, I saw him.
Keep it cool, JR
I got to my feet and grabbed a shop rag off the bench to wipe some of the grime off my hands as I took a few steps forward to intercept David.
“You know, grease monkey, I’m getting pretty fucking tired of having to come up in here,” he said by way of greeting, his shiny badge glinting in the overhead lights.
“And I’m getting pretty fucking tired of you entering employee-only areas. The customer entrance is around the front. I’ll be happy to assist you up there.”
“Where’s Avery?” he said, hands on his hips.
“Who?” I replied innocently.
“Cut the shit, or I’m gonna burn this place to the ground.”
I chuckled. “Oh, would you? We could really use the insurance money.”
David cocked an eyebrow, accentuating the red-and-purple lump on the side of his forehead.
“That’s a nasty little bump you got there, Officer,” I mused, gesturing up at his forehead. “Must be one hell of a story. Did you get it stopping a bank robbery? Or a sex-trafficking ring, maybe?”
David scowled, and I could see a shiver of rage course through him as he adjusted his stance. “If Avery isn’t home tonight when I get off shift, I’m going to fucking destroy you. You’re a felon, and I have evidence of your shop cleaning parts. Who knows what else I might find when I’m here. You don’t want to fuck with me, asshole.” He turned and got about halfway back tohis cruiser when he glanced back and repeated himself. “Tonight. I mean it.”
Once David had peeled out of the back lot, Jack grabbed my arm. “JR, are you nuts? God only knows what kinds of problems that piece of shit could cause!”
I put a hand on each of Jack's shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. “Is the shop clean?”
Jack hesitated, but then nodded.
“Jack, seriously. Don’t fucking lie to me. Is the shop clean, right now, at thismoment.”
“No, it’s not exactly clean at this moment.”
I let go of his shoulders. “Jack!”
Jack put his hands up defensively and took a few steps back to his tool chest. He opened the top drawer and pulled out a half-smoked joint.
I sighed, trying to cover the laugh that escaped. “Other than that?”
“I swear to God that’s it. Just my after lunch head-change.”
“Swear to me that’s it, Jack. I’m betting on a long shot here, and our only chance of it working is if we’re squeaky clean.”
