A Night in the South Pacific 19

Rating: NC17 for violence, murder, gunplay, adult themes. For safety’s sake, this will apply to ALL chapters. There will be no smut in this fic. There will be references, but references only, to rape, murder, mutilation in places

Ch 19

Marcus got up silently and disappeared into the back like a predator at the crunch of gravel behind the diner. It was most likely Holloway and Hernandez, but I told Candice to stay very quiet and followed Marcus out back, getting into position to cover him if I had to.

A knock on the back door. Let me know that not only was this planned, but that it was customary. It also let me know that it could be no one other than Hernandez and I lowered my weapon, but not until Marcus had. Marcus scanned the back alley even once he knew it was Hernandez, nodding once to Holloway.

Holloway lit up a cigarette when he was inside. Dressed in dark grey this time, he was a shadow in the darkened back room, his lighter and the dull sheen from the butt of his gun in a shoulder rig the only way you could tell he was there at all.

Hernandez nodded to me before he went to the back of the storage area, towards the small room that Hernandez used for an office. Marcus followed a step behind. I didn’t want Candice to panic at being left alone for long so I walked back out front where she could see me, stopping just at the edge of the swinging doors into the kitchen to look at her. She was glassy eyed with fear, her knees pulled up to her chest.

I made her another cup of coffee, and leaned in to her, resting my hand on her shoulder. “We’ll be right back.” Candice looked terrified, thinking that we were leaving, and I sat down next to her and held her arm gently. “We’re not leaving you; I’ll be right over there. Marcus will probably be out in a couple of minutes.” I told again that she would be safe. Holloway stayed where he was; I guess he didn’t want to spook her. Her eyes searched mine; there was no wariness in them, just this hope that nearly made me stop breathing, so desperate to believe. I pulled her into another hug and just held her for a moment. Telling her again that it would be okay.

Marcus had slipped out the back door while I was gone, and Hernandez and Holloway stood just to the inside of the kitchen door. I had told Candice that Marcus would be out to see her again, and I debated telling her otherwise.

“Marcus said he’ll be right back, he had to get some things together if he’s going to be driving.” Hernandez spoke quietly before he pushed open the doors to get a cup of coffee. “It would be best if they started out right away. We saw the first of the feds show up when we were driving back here. This place is going to be knee deep in black suits before the day’s out.”

So it was done then. Finally over. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My eyes still closed, I spoke quietly. “Will the feds be able to shut the place down in time to stop the other women from being transferred anywhere?”

Silence answered me. I opened my eyes as a look passed between the two of them. Hernandez had moved to stand beside Holloway, and after another look between them, Holloway answered, as he pulled out two sealed envelopes from inside his coat. One I recognized as the snuff tape that he had sealed up earlier. I had no idea what was in the second one. “The feds won’t have to shut the bar down, or the trailer court for that matter.” He paused to open up the second envelope, another video tape. “Rodriguez confessed, to everything.”

I glanced at Hernandez, who had changed out of the shirt he had worn when he had come in. A bloodstained shirt. I doubted that Rodriguez confessed freely. This is what they had planned, to work over Rodriguez, who was at the center of all that happened at the trailer court. Neither of them elaborated on why the feds wouldn’t have to shut the bar down, but I would find that out soon enough on my own. The tapes disappeared back inside Holloway’s coat. I had no doubt that they would show up wherever they needed to show up, to the person best disposed to use them.

Neither of them was very forthcoming about the particulars, but I asked anyway. “The lawyer?” Hernandez moved away to open the door for Marcus as he returned.

Holloway eyed me carefully again, and lit up another cigarette. “Rodriguez turned over the lawyer, with some persuasion. Rodriguez is a shitbird, but the lawyer, now that’s another matter altogether. I’ll hand this over in an hour or so, let the feds play hardball with him.” He looked out over the swinging doors at Candice. “Is the girl okay?” I nodded, letting him change the subject. There was nothing I could really say to explain it. She was okay, and she would never be okay, ever again.

He looked at me again, his face serious. “You can’t be involved in any of this, Alvarez.” I looked back over the door at the girl; a girl I had killed to save. That I had murdered to save. Holloway meant that I couldn’t be officially involved. If I stayed out of it, the feds would leave me out of it. They didn’t want to roust a DEA agent, no matter what good came out of what I had done.

Holloway and Hernandez wouldn’t say a word, and neither would I. None of us could, ever. “I was on leave, after the death of my partner. At home. Sent the wife and kids to stay with her mother until I got my head sorted out.” Complicated alibis never cut it with anyone. Most people really were at home, asleep or watching TV by themselves, and most of them couldn’t tell you what they were watching. Anyone that had a solid alibi probably had a reason to have one. So I was home alone.

Holloway looked at his watch, it was nearly 5 o’clock. “Almost time to wake up the feds.” It was one of the few times I had seen him smile, a small tug at the corner of his mouth.

“Civilians.” Holloway let out a small snort, maybe someone might have thought it was laughter; I don’t know if Holloway ever laughed, but it was close enough. The door closed behind him and left Hernandez and me in the back room.

Hernandez and I looked out into the diner, at Marcus and Candice. Marcus sat across from her with a cup of coffee. He pushed a small bag across the table to her and we watched as she opened it up and burst into tears as she took out a pair of new shoes. I had no idea where he had got them at that time of the morning. Marcus looked down at his coffee and stayed still until she had put them on her feet. Her burst of tears was over just as soon as it had started. Marcus reached out and took her hand again, as he had before. I had never pictured him as charming either, maybe it was hard to get past the idea that he was terrifying, but he soon had her laughing quietly.

“He’s a good kid.” Hernandez pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked back into the dark of the storage room at him.

I grinned at him. “He scares the shit out of me, Hernandez.”

Hernandez laughed and came forward, his hand on the swinging door. “Yeah, he’ll do that.” His face was serious when he looked back at me. “Lots of people aren’t what you expected at first.” He walked out front to get a cup of coffee. It was a compliment, but one he didn’t want an answer to.

Candice got up slowly as I approached the table, looking almost shy, blinking back tears. Her face got very serious and she took a deep breath before she spoke, quietly, politely. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough…I…”

I stopped her before she could continue, another hug, her frail body pulled close. Marcus’ dark eyes watched me as I held her, and stayed until I let her go. He would protect her, to his death if he had to. We nodded to each other as I let go of Candice and passed her back into Marcus’ care.

“You should leave soon, before this place goes nuts.” Candice could never thank me enough, and I could never thank Marcus enough. A hard handshake, pulled to the chest, a hard tap on the back. Nothing said, not in words anyway. Eye contact, and then Marcus held Candice’s elbow to help her out back into the car, to take her back home.

Hernandez had turned on the flattop while I had stood with Candice and Marcus, and soon the diner filled with the smell of hash browns and eggs. I was starving and joined Hernandez out back on the milk crates for breakfast. We didn’t say much, until we were done. I tried to thank him, but he wouldn’t let me. His son would always be between us.

I drove back to Danno’s apartment for the last time; his place looked so much smaller, with all his stuff packed in boxes. I left a note under the door for the super, to sell the furniture, do whatever he wanted with it. I carried the rest of his belongings down to the car, loaded them into the trunk, and got behind the wheel. To drive home.

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