“I think you’re confused,” she says, bringing her eyes back to me. “You were the one hurt. Your injuries are extensive.”
“They showed me a video,” I reveal. “I saw them in my house. She was sleeping…”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Blackie.”
Hearing Schwartz call my name, I turn my head slightly.
“Let go of the nurse,” he orders as he comes into my line of sight. “Lacey is fine,” he adds as he diverts his attention back to the nurse. My fingers loosen around her wrist and relief instantly fills my veins. “Don’t sedate him. I need him lucid.”
“It’s not a sedative. The doctor prescribed morphine for the pain,” she explains, injecting the dosage into the drip line.
“That’s rich considering he just suffered an overdose,” Schwartz replies sarcastically. “Pump him with more drugs.” He steps around the bed and tips his chin towards the needle in her hand. “If you’re done, I’d like a moment with my client.”
“Good luck,” she mutters as she disappears from my bedside. Schwartz drags a chair over and takes a seat, crossing his leg over his knee as he fingers his tie.
“Tell me, did you hire me just to make me richer? Because I almost feel bad taking your money at this point. Almost being the operative word. You’re fucking making my job harder than it has to be, Blackie. I could’ve gotten you off. You just needed to be patient. For fuck’s sake, the district attorney was dropping all the charges.”
“What?”
“Turns out you weren’t the only one with a plan.”
“What the fuck does that even mean? You know what, it doesn’t even matter. Those fucking guys that did this to my face showed me a video of Lacey. They were in my fucking house while my wife was sleeping.”
“They sure as fuck were,” he says calmly, brushing a piece of lint from his blazer. “They painted your walls with pigs blood too, but they didn’t hurt her or Danny. Jack got them out of there and within twenty-four hours we had a new deal in place with Ritzer. The club gave him the cartel and in exchange, he dropped all charges. The club was given full immunity and your case file was sealed. You were free and clear, man, and you pissed it all away for a fix.”
The room starts to spin, and my chest tightens as I absorb his words.
“But, Reina—”
“Guess who made a full recovery?” he reveals.
“I thought—”
“It doesn’t matter what you thought,” he says, uncrossing his leg. Propping his elbows on his knees, he leans forward. “You fucked up.”
Of course I did.
It’s what I do.
It doesn’t matter how good my intentions may be, I’m always making a mess of my life and to make matters worse I take everyone I love down with me until we’re all burning in Hell.
“They were part of Javier’s hit squad.”
“Who?”
“The men that did this to me. I don’t remember all the details, but they wanted retribution because Jack didn’t give them a piece of his territory. They put those drugs in my hand after they showed me the pictures of Lacey and told me they’d kill her if I didn’t push them on the cell block.”
“And you, being the noble soldier, ingested them yourself,” he deadpans, rolling his eyes. “I don’t know if you got a death wish or what, man, but that girl of yours is close to losing her shit so if you give a fuck about her, you’re going to have to cooperate.”
“No, don’t say that,” I hiss, balling my fists. My knuckles whiten and the cuffs bite my skin as I try to break out of them. “She can’t lose it. I’m not there. I promised I’d be there for her and I’m not there.”
“Yeah, well that’s your own fucking fault. Now, she wants to see you and the only way I can make that happen is if you’re transferred to a hospital. She mentioned this isn’t your first overdose, and that you suffered a heart attack before.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Ignoring my question, he cocks his head to the side and stares at my mangled face.
“I spoke with your cellmate,” he starts, rising from his chair. “He mentioned a correctional officer pulled you from your cell and that he didn’t see you after that, that true?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
He bites the inside of his cheek and pushes his hands into the pockets of his slacks.
“Right, so here’s how we’re going to play this. You don’t speak to anyone without me present. We’re going public with this shit. Fuck with me one more time, Blackie, and I won’t give a damn how much money you people throw at me.”
“I just want to get home to my wife.”
“You could’ve fooled me.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Lacey
Blackie overdosed.
Those were my father’s words. I suppose they should’ve brought some sense of relief. After all, it’s better than hearing he died, right? I should’ve been rejoicing over the knowledge they were able to revive him with two doses of Narcan and that I wouldn’t be identifying his body or planning his funeral. That’s what a good wife would do. She’d be happy her husband survived another detrimental mistake.
She’d be grateful.
So how come I’m numb?
“You don’t have to do this,” my father says, forcing my attention towards him. “I’ll go in.”
Lifting my head, I meet his gaze and shamefully contemplate the suggestion. A good wife would want to see her husband. She’d want to make sure he’s okay. I don’t know if it’s because I’m angry or if I’m acting out of fear but the thought of seeing him in a hospital bed after suffering yet another overdose is not something I want to deal with. But a lot of strings were pulled to make this visit possible and with Blackie’s future once again lying in limbo this may be my only chance to see him for a while.
After my father woke me up and told me the news, he provided me with full disclosure and for the first time, he trusted me with his club business, revealing the plan he had put in motion to exonerate Blackie of all charges. You see, my father had given up the Sinaloa Cartel to the district attorney in exchange for my husband’s freedom but instead of getting a call that he was being released, he was informed of his overdose.
The last time Blackie od’d he suffered a heart attack and initially that was all I could think of. I begged my father to figure out a way for me to see him but because he obtained the drugs illegally while incarcerated, they were holding him in the infirmary until he was stabilized. Once he was, they’d likely transfer him back and bring new charges against him. My dad threw more money at Blackie’s lawyer and Schwartz dragged his ass up to Ryker’s. After speaking with Blackie’s cellmate, Schwartz learned something had happened involving a correctional officer. Without knowing all the details, Schwartz declared my husband’s safety was compromised and threatened to stage a press conference and sue the city if they didn’t transfer him from the infirmary to a hospital. Whether any of that is true or not, I don’t know but for someone who was so desperate to see her husband, I’m at a loss as to why I’m standing in the hospital debating if I should stay or if I should run.