Brutal (10 page)

“I need to head home, to get ready for work tonight. I need to get the guest room ready for you, so how about you go do your thing, and pick me up at nine?” I say, hoping he buys it. I have a meeting I can’t miss.

“Got my bag with me, so I’ll come with you now,” he says, so I pull out the big guns. Guilt.

“I need to decompress a bit, yeah? I’m a pretty solitary person, and I just to need wind down a bit. I feel like shit for what I did to you, and I could really use a few hours to work it out in my head space. Please,” I say, going in for the kill.

“Nine pm,” he says. “Be ready.”

“Thanks for understanding. I live over in Brooklyn Lofts, second floor. I’ll let Boss know you’re coming,” I say, feeling like a dick for deceiving him.

“Venessa…” he starts.

“Hmm?” I say, turning towards him.

“Go straight home,” he says calmly. I can't help but wonder if he sees through my bullshit.

“Where else would I go?” I ask sweetly, then I hustle to my next appointment. I don’t like being late for meetings.

On my way to track Miguel, I place a quick call to Macy to give her the details on my run in with the Detective. She says it's fate, and that if she gets done with her shift on time, she might make an appearance tonight to scope him out. She’s an amazing nurse, but she will make a name for herself in pharmaceuticals someday. She wants to find that cure, and knowing her, she will. Did I ever tell you how Macy and I met? It was in Girl Scouts. I was investigating my friend Amber’s missing cell phone, and I fell out of a tree. She found me and patched me up. She told me she wanted to be doctor, and I told her I wanted to be a cop. We’ve been inseparable ever since. Where I’m below average in height, Macy Kowalski is 5’8 and 130 lbs of perfection. No, really, she is. She’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever known. She can kick your ass, too, but she’d rather not. She leaves that to me.

Macy also has shit luck with men. Guys get one look at her and think ‘arm candy’, but she isn’t arm candy. She’s brilliant, and once they figure that out, they don’t last long. The only decent one in her life is her lab partner, Ben, but that’s because he’s a bookworm like her, and wouldn’t hurt a fly. It helps that she’s not into him, either, although by the way he follows her around I’d say he wants all things Macy, badly. After the showdown with Briggs, she isn’t looking for love. She’s trying to rebuild herself, and since I know what that’s like, I’m giving her the room to do it.

When you grow up a cop's daughter, one thing you learn quick is navigating the streets here. This city has a lot going for it, but there are still places even I won’t go. Mexican town is big here. People from all over Metro Detroit come here to eat and drink authentic Mexican food. It’s also where Miguel has been pulling tricks, because cops stopped coming here. I’ve warned him, nicely, twice now, and my patience has worn thin. He’s living on borrowed time. This is the last warning he gets before he finds himself in an alley as rat food.

From where I sit, I see him sell to a pregnant girl, who can’t be more than sixteen, and it makes me sick. Some of these kids just never stood a chance. Not with guys like Miguel selling temptation on street corners. Around here, a lot of folks are doing things they never thought they’d do, just to survive. Had my family lived, I wouldn’t even know the dark side of Detroit exists, because my Dad never brought his work home. He hid it from us well. But I do know it exists. I live it now, and I owe to them and myself, to make things right. Or to die trying.

I
knew she wasn’t going straight home. Does she think I’m an idiot? I track her to Mexican town and know, right then, it’s a job. She ain’t ordering no carry out. I hear a male voice and, right away, my fists clench with the need to protect her. Does she have any fucking sense of self-preservation? Rounding the corner, I watch her approach with more confidence than what’s healthy. Seasoned cops don’t even approach dealers like this. It’s fucking insane. When you’re on a dealer's turf, you never know what kind of situation you’re walking into. Does this faze her? Not even a little bit. Yep, just as I thought… she has a death wish.

“Miguel, Miguel, Miguel. You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said, have you?” Scanning my brain, I recognize Miguel as ‘Big Dom’, which is funny, considering he’s no larger than a boy. But he is a cagey bastard, and has gotten away with a lot of shit he shouldn’t have. He’s also not one to fuck with, ever.

“I ain’t done nuthin’ wrong, chick,” he says, smiling, which is never good, but she doesn’t seem to notice.

“No? So that pregnant teenager I just saw wasn’t buying from you? Was she lost, then?” she asks. As I round the corner further, I know that I can’t get any closer without her seeing me. If I’m spotted, I’m fucked.

“Not from me. I’m straight”

“I don’t like liars, Miguel. You want to push on adults who know better? I don’t care. But these kids deserve a chance. That was strike three,” she says. I hear the change in her voice, and I realize she’s about to do some damage. Yes, I want to see it, and no, I don’t want to see it. Shit.

“Don’t do it, chick. I like you. I don’t wanna tussle with you,” he says, getting nervous.

“No tussle, we’re past that now,” Venessa says, while I try to find a way to get close in case she needs me.

Just as I clear the corner fully, I see her put Miguel down flat in seconds. If there was ever an inappropriate time to get hard, this would be it. But, damn, violence does it for me. I’ve got no time to think on that, though, because any one of his boys could show up, and by boys I mean grown men, all family, all crazy.

“Fuck, chick, come on” he says, totally humiliated.

“Don’t move, Miguel, and listen carefully. Trouble's coming, and the first thing this new crew is going to do is seek out the little guy. That’s you, my friend. Your boys won’t step up; you know it, I know it. These guys coming in will wipe you out because they can. I’m trying to help you, here, so stop selling. Tell me we have an understanding?” she says. I’m shocked to hear her say this to him. He’s a fucking dealer. He belongs in jail, but here she is negotiating.

“I got kids.”

“No, you don’t,” she laughs.

“But,” he tries to explain.

“If you choose to continue, you
will
die. The decision is yours,” she gives as a final warning.

But I know these types…he ain’t quittin'.

“I don’t know nothin’ else”

“Cut your losses while you can, Miguel. Stay in the game, and know that if they don’t kill you, I will,” she says with authority.

“Thought we was friends, chick,” he whimpers.

“I have one friend, and she isn’t you. Listen or don’t, the DPD has enough problems. I will take you out to save them the paperwork. How do you want to play this? You want to die right here? You’re better than this, Miguel,” she says conversationally.

“Wait! Just wait, okay? I could be your eyes and ears, chick. Real official. Tell you shit, you know?” he pleads.

“What could you possibly tell me that I don’t already know? Make it fast, because I can’t be late for work.”

“Let up and we’ll talk” he says. I edge closer.

“How about you talk, and I listen. Now go on,” she counters.

“I like you,” he says, chuckling. “Word is big shit is coming up from Miami. Real heavy hitters: drugs, girls, weapons, just about everything. Why you still here? Why stay? Why do you care? You should jet while you can. The boys did, fuckin’ puntas,” he says, sounding genuinely curious.

“I care, alright? From here on out, what you know, I know. What you see, I want to see. What you hear, I want to hear. You help me, I’ll help you. That’s how this will work. I work tonight, so you come by and ask for Max. Tell him I sent you, and that you need work. I’ll make sure you get it, yeah? I warned you about your boys, Miguel. Can’t say I’m surprised. You have an opportunity here, prove me right yeah? You gonna take me up on it?”

“Yeah, chick. Yeah,” he says, turning away from her.

She gently turns his face to look in his eyes and I wonder what it is she sees in this dealer's eyes that’s worth a job offer versus jail time.

“What?” she questions him.

“Why do you care ‘bout me?” he asks again, quieter this time.

“I just do,” she replies.

“A real job, no lie?” he asks, sounding hopeful.

“No lie,” she promises. It hits me like a lead brick in the face: that that’s how she gets shit done. Loyalty.

Venessa starts to rise up and remove his ties, and he makes no effort to run. He actually looks relieved.

“See you tonight, then?” he asks.

“I’ll be there. Make sure you are too, Miguel. I want to make sure you make money for them kids of yours, yeah?” She chuckles, turning around, then walks away without looking back. I watch as he just stares at her with awe, and I know that he’s another one in a long line of many that will have her back. You can’t help but want to make her proud of you.

Approaching Miguel with questions of my own, he immediately takes one look at me, hoping to make a quick exit. Knowing he can outrun me, I try to show him I’m harmless with my approach, but I’ll say this: he’s smarter than he looks.

“Miguel, just need a minute of your time, man.” Appear as non-threatening; that’s my goal here.

“I don’t deal with cops. Ain’t done nothin’ wrong here.”

“How’d you know I was a cop?” I ask him, because I’m in plain clothes

“Could smell you comin’” he says. “Stay away from chick, she’s legit”

“I’m a friend of Kharma’s, just need a minute.”

“You ain’t no friend of chick's. She don’t swing with cops, so fuck off.”

“Listen, man, no trouble here, alright? I saw her leave, so I’m wondering what brought her out here.”

“Got work to do, cop, so keep walkin’ before you find yourself hurt.”

“I’m her guard, man, keeping her safe at the club now. Didn’t know she was a friend of yours, so chill. Just making sure she’s okay.”

“Chick don’t need no guard, ‘specially one as mean lookin’ as you. Chick is always okay. She’s tight with me, that’s all you get. Unless you got a problem with chick, then you got a problem with me. You got a problem with me?”

“No problem. Like I said, making sure she’s safe. See ya around, man.”

“We never met, boss, keepin’ it that way.” Pulling his hood over his head, he stuffs his hands in his pockets and walks off.

That didn’t go as planned, but it was as I expected. Loyalty.

All humans understand it, criminal or not, that you don’t fuck with loyalty.

It ain’t easy to get, so when it’s earned, you treasure that shit.

My phone alerting me saved Miguel from further questioning. Making sure he’s out of range I notice she’s on the move, again. She’s already almost four blocks up, and I’m stuck deciding to grab the truck or hoof it. Watching the movement, I decide to grab the truck in case I need to get her out of there.

After she stops, I park about a block away and catch sight of her talking to Ricardo “Ricky” Rios. Law enforcement and civilians alike know you don’t just talk with Ricky. You see Ricky, you keep moving. Better yet, you don’t find yourself in places Ricky might find himself.

She’s on his turf, so it’s his rules, yet there she stands talking, laughing and looking confident. Around here, there’s an hierarchy of things, and like it or not, one of those things is Ricky. He runs everything: you name it, he runs it for a price. Only reason he’s out on the streets is that he keeps crime from rising, and up and comers from starting more trouble. What you need to know about Ricky is he’s a quiet guy; never raises his voice or his hand from what I’ve seen, but I also know you don’t need to do either of things to kill someone. He’s feared for a reason, and we stay away from him for a reason. What I want to know is why she isn’t.

W
alking away from Miguel, I feel fairly confident he’ll show tonight. However, I wasn’t bluffing when I said I’d kill him. That may seem cold to some, but being taken out by me is preferable to the alternative. Thing about Miguel is he wasn’t always like this. Circumstance put him in a position to make a choice. Sadly, he didn’t have anyone to tell him he was making the wrong choice then. He does now, and what he does with that is his decision, but deep down there’s good there. Now he needs to prove it, because if he doesn’t, I’ll keep my promise.