Larroca let out a horrible wail and fell onto his back. He writhed around in pain, howling the whole time. I dragged myself to standing. Went over to the body of one of his goons and grabbed a gun. I stumbled back toward Larroca. He’d stopped writhing and was struggling to get the stake out of his leg.
He looked up at me with desperation and impotent fury. I raised the gun, ready to end that motherfucker once and for all.
“No!” I whipped around. Theresa had stumbled out onto the warehouse floor. “Don’t kill him,” she said.
Adrenaline was coursing through my body. I’d been fighting for my life and everything in my body was telling me that the only way to save myself was to blow Larroca’s brains all over the place.
“Please don’t kill him,” Theresa said, coming closer to me. “The law gets to have the last laugh here.”
I studied her. The pale, porcelain skin of her face. The dark wells of her eyes. It brought me back from the edge. I gave her a soft nod and tossed the gun aside.
“You fucking idiots. There’s no way you’re putting me away.”
My foot snapped out across the side of his face. A few of his teeth went flying.
“Shut up,” I said.
Larroca fell silent. I stared at his body.
“He might bleed out before we can get him to a hospital,” I muttered to Theresa.
Before she could respond, I heard sirens.
“The cavalry,” Theresa muttered. “I managed to get a call out.”
“Can we trust any of them?”
“We’ll find out.”
The sirens got loud and close. Then, the warehouse doors smashed open. SWAT teams ran in. Theresa and I threw our hands up.
Next, a large man with a captain’s insignia came charging in. He ran right to Theresa.
“You’re Okay? Thank God.”
“Captain Mallory, I’ve got something for you,” Theresa said.
That was when Mallory noticed Larroca on the ground.
“Holy shit,” Mallory breathed.
“You’d better get him some medical attention, or he’ll bleed out before you can read him his Miranda rights,” I said.
Mallory barked out some orders. Moments later, an EMT crew came rushing in and started seeing to Larroca.
“And Captain Mallory,” Theresa said sharply, getting his attention. “Make sure he actually gets Mirandized, this time.”
“What are you implying, Counselor?”
“Just that we need to be extra careful. Everything by the book.”
“Was this by the book?” Mallory asked, gesturing at the mayhem around us. “Is he?” The officer shoved a finger in my chest.
“Hey, it wasn’t out from under my nose that Theresa got kidnapped.”
“That another implication?”
“I don’t need to imply. Your force is dirty, captain. Maybe it’s just a few bad apples. Maybe it goes all the way to the top. Hell, maybe it’s you. But Larroca’s been able to operate the way he has because you’ve all been fucking up, either because you’re paid to or because you’re just that incompetent. Either way, Theresa’s the one who’s bringing him down. And I’m going to make sure none of you fuck it up this time.”
Mallory swallowed hard. He looked from one of us to the other.
There was a snap as the EMT’s raised the gurney and started wheeling Larroca out on it. Mallory didn’t utter another word to us as he spun away and started keeping pace with the gurney.
We did, however, hear him speaking in a low tone to Larroca.
“You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent…”
Then they were out of the warehouse. I took a deep breath. And exchanged a smile with Theresa.
23
Theresa
The hardest part in any court case is the waiting. At least when you’re talking about a jury trial. You were subjected to the whims of those twelve people, and you could never be sure just how long exactly it was going to take to get a decision.
I had been involved in cases that had taken weeks to decide, jurors asking for more information, asking to go over testimony, evidence and on and on and on.
It could be exhausting. There was no doubt about it. On the flip side, I’d seen cases decided in less than an hour. So you never knew. The human element of jurisprudence was never precise. It took all the time it needed to take.
That was both the beauty of it and the frustration of it. And there was nothing you could do to change it. You just had to wait to out and exercise that most challenging of virtues: patience.
So that’s what I was doing, with Fixer at my side in the courthouse waiting room. I nervously paced back and forth, occasionally taking sips from a cold cup of coffee in my hand.
“You want me to get something fresher?” He asked with concern. “Something to eat maybe?”
I shook my head. “Thank you, but no. I wouldn’t be able to keep anything down even if I wanted to. I’m too on edge.”
“I hear you. Just try to breathe. You’ve got this in the bag,” he said.
I flashed him a look of irritation and worry. “Are you out of your mind saying shit like that? You trying to jinx the whole thing?”
“Theresa,” he said in an even tone of voice, “you have him dead to rights. The evidence is overwhelming. There’s no way that the jury—”
I held up my hand. “I’m stopping you right there. Don’t say another word.”
“But—”
“I mean it. Not. Another. Word. This motherfucker has slipped through my fingers too many times for me to take anything for granted. I’m not making that mistake again. No way. I will just wait patiently. And so will you. And you won’t say stupid shit like that to jinx us!”
I glared at him and he put up his hands in an apologetic gesture, a smile creeping around the corners of his mouth.
I wanted to kiss him and strangle him in the same breath.
“Can I ask this?” He said cautiously.
“What?”
“If the conviction comes down like you want it too, what kind of sentencing is Larroca looking at? Any idea?”
“Well. That’s more of a challenge to say. We recommended life in prison, without the possibility of parole. But it all depends on what the judge thinks of the case, the evidence, the jury’s decision, all of that. So… in other words… I don’t know.”
He nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. “I’m hopeful we won’t have to wait much longer. If for no other reason, then I’m not sure the carpet in this room can withstand much more of your pacing.”
I gave him a sour look as there was a knock on the door. The bailiff opened it and poked his head in. “Jury’s coming back,” he said simply and left.
I looked to Fixer and nodded. “This is it,” I said nervously.
“Let’s go find out what’s what,” he said, gesturing his arm toward the door.
I nodded and we exited together.
I positioned myself back behind the prosecution table and watched as the guards brought Larroca in to hear the verdict. He was handcuffed and his legs were chained together. They weren’t taking any chances with him.