Take Me, Outlaw(7)

I strapped on my helmet, revved the engine, and blazed out into the night. It took six blocks for me to realize I was laughing like a loon. I had my freedom, I had my Rosie and soon, I'd have my revenge.



A quick search online at an internet cafe gave me the address for Maggia's on Grand Avenue, near LaSalle. It also gave me a chance to grab a couple cups of black coffee and sober up after the whiskey shots I'd taken at the Nest. My plan was to track Angelo back to Jester, and that kind of stealth meant I'd need to stay sharp.



I parked my bike about five blocks away from the restaurant so they wouldn't hear me coming. I knew Jester had kept tabs on me while I was inside, which meant he almost certainly knew I'd been let out today. I figured it was a stretch for him to guess I'd show up at Maggia's to stalk Angelo, but I couldn't afford to take any chances.



The good news was that I knew what Angelo looked like. I'd seen him a few times when I was dating Abby. He and Jester would usually hang out in corners whispering to each other, and everyone knew they were talking about the gangland assassinations they'd done or were going to do. Angelo had been friends with Jester since they were kids and it was common knowledge that they played cards and drank together until dawn almost every night. So it was almost a guarantee that if I tracked him, I'd be within shooting distance of Jester by midnight.



The bad news was that Angelo knew what I looked like too, which would make following him without being noticed a real pain in the ass.



Going in through the front door seemed like a bonehead play. Even without the Reaper patch on my back, I still looked like a biker, which meant someone might figure out that I meant trouble and tip off Angelo that I was there. I figured my best bet was to try to find a back way in so I could stay unnoticed, scope the place out, and make sure Angelo was there so I could follow him later.



As I walked up to the alley next to Maggia's, I saw a woman approaching it as well. Thanks to the streetlights, I could tell that she was in her early twenties and extremely cute, with long brown hair pulled up in a ponytail and a gorgeous pair of tits tucked snugly into her tight blouse. The pleated skirt she was wearing made her look a little prim and stuck-up, and I figured she probably worked in an office somewhere, but the legs under it were long and lovely. Her pale, delicate hands looked like they'd never done a hard day of real work. She was walking quickly with her eyes staring straight ahead.



Good idea, sweetheart, I thought. You don't want to pay too much attention in a shitty neighborhood like this. You just trot on home to your doll collection or your six cats, or whatever the fuck your deal is.



I hung back and lit a spare cigarette I'd gotten from one of the Reapers at the party, giving her a chance to get some distance. She looked like the type who'd scare easily and I didn't want to spook her by making her think I was following her or something. She seemed too mousy to panic and make a scene that'd draw attention, but again, I wasn't in the mood to risk anything tonight.



I'd waited too long.



I heard a couple of guys' voices yelling in the alley. One of them sounded like he was crying, and the other seemed to be cursing angrily, but I wasn't close enough to make out the words. It looked like the woman ahead of me could, though, and they were scaring the hell out of her. Her spine stiffened and she started to tremble. I figured she'd forget about passing the alley and just make a run for it instead, but she kept moving toward it, one step at a time.



Holy hell, sweetheart, what the fuck is wrong with you? I thought. Life's not exciting enough for you? You wanna see some guy get beaten half to death by a bunch of Mancusos for trying to skip out on the bill? Go on and get your ass out of here!



Ordinarily, I wouldn't have given a fuck about some strange girl risking her safety like that. But if she saw something scary enough, then what? She might call the cops, and if they showed up, that could seriously fuck up my plans. Angelo could end up spending the night answering questions at the local precinct instead of leading me to Jester.



But there was something else, too. Even though she looked like the kind of girl who couldn't look at someone like me without wrinkling her nose in disgust, I still didn't feel like watching something bad happen to her. She was hot and curvaceous, and what the hell, she probably deserved the chance to get on with her boring-ass, college-educated life.



Suddenly, a series of gunshots echoed from the alley. I saw the girl's shoulders jump with fright.



No, sweetheart, don't look, just run away, I silently begged. But even as I did, I knew she'd turn her head to peer down the alley, probably without even meaning to. It was human nature. When a person hears a loud bang, they'll always turn to look in the direction it came from, even if it scared the fuck out of them.



Sure enough, she turned and looked.



I tossed my cigarette aside and pulled the handgun from my waistband, jogging over to her. As I did, I heard more yelling from the alley. This time, I was close enough to hear the words clearly. “Jesus, who the fuck is that? Grab her! Now!”



I recognized the voice as Angelo's and my heart sank. So much for my clever fucking plan. There'd be no following him to Jester now. The only thing I could think of was dragging the girl away from the alley before Angelo's next few bullets went into her chest.



She was still standing there, too shocked to move. I grabbed her shoulder and her head jerked around. Her eyes were as wide as tires as she stared into my face, her lower lip trembling.



“Come with me,” I said.



Her legs seemed to unfreeze and she let me drag her away from the alley just as Angelo stepped out of the shadows, firing his gun again. His first bullet hit the pavement where the girl had just been standing and the second went wild, shattering a window across the street.



I broke into a run and the girl followed close behind, kicking off her high heels. From where I was standing, that seemed like the first smart thing she'd done all night. Angelo chased after us, along with a younger guy wearing a sharp suit and sporting a shaved head.



Probably Angelo's personal bodyguard and flunky, I thought. He must have come up in the world since I got put away.



I heard rapid footsteps behind us and a few more gunshots, but I knew better than to stop and try to return fire. As long as they were running and we stayed moving targets, I knew they wouldn't be able to aim for shit. I glanced over at the girl and saw that she was zig-zagging as she ran, which was definitely smart move number two.



The other people on the street were ducking behind cars and mailboxes to avoid the stray shots, and I saw that some of them were whipping out their cell phones to call the cops. That gave me another reason to blow out of here fast, before some bystander told the police I was carrying a gun and I got busted for violating parole.



There was no way I was going back to Potawatomi. If Jester wanted to come at me out here, fine. I'd take my chances. But I'd be goddamned if I was going to be a fish in a barrel for him to fuck with again.



I saw Rosie just a block ahead and ran even faster, pushing myself to the limit. The girl started to fall behind, but I could already hear sirens getting closer. I couldn't hear the footsteps behind us anymore, though, so I stole a glance over my shoulder.



Angelo and his bald pal had given up on chasing us, and were sprinting back to Maggia's. They probably realized they looked like total psychos running down the streets firing guns, especially since the civilians all around us might be taking snapshots and videos with their phones. I'd have bet anything that Angelo was already on the phone with his lawyer, trying to get his story straight before the cops pulled up.



The girl stumbled, falling behind. I thought about leaving her to make her statement to the police, since she wasn't in immediate danger anymore. The last thing I needed was having to worry about some random chick.



Except I knew once she gave her statement to the cops, she'd be dead within twenty-four hours of leaving the precinct. The Mancusos would never leave her alive to testify against one of their own.



So what? a voice inside me asked. Her problem. You've got your own to deal with, like making Jester bleed. What are you, a fucking good samaritan all of a sudden?



But there was something about her. I couldn't let myself leave her to get wasted by some Mancuso scumbag.



Besides, as a way to get to Jester, Angelo was toast. The cops would be on him like flies on a dumpster, and until things cooled off, Jester wouldn't let Angelo anywhere near him. He'd be too smart for that. But what if she'd seen or heard something in the alley that could lead me to Jester?



It was a slim chance, but I had to take it. Otherwise, I could still be trying to find Jester a year from now, provided he didn't find me first.



All this stuff went through my mind in less than a second. I bent down and put my arm around the girl's waist, lifting her to her feet. I couldn’t help but notice her delicious ass as I did.



The bike was just a few feet away and I grabbed the helmet, tossing it to her. “Here! Put this on and climb on! We're getting out of here!”



She fumbled the helmet and it clattered to the ground. She quickly picked it up and fumbled with the helmet's strap until the buckle clicked into place.



“Hang on!” I said, revving the engine. I felt her arms squeeze my torso so hard I thought she might crack a rib. We sped away just as the squad cars pulled up in front of Maggia's.