Out of the Black Read online

  Jay climbed into the back and unzipped the gym bag. He took out the ski masks, handed one to me, and we slipped them over our heads.

  “Okay,” he said. “Let’s go.”

  I checked my mirror then pulled out onto the street. Jay moved over and crouched next to the sliding side door, one hand on the handle the lighthos out of , ready to move.

  I drove slow, watching the front of the salon the entire time. Once the door opened, I sped up and stopped hard out front.

  The woman who walked out looked to be in her fifties, younger than I’d expected. She had dyed black hair covered by a gold scarf, and she wore a long red coat with a fur collar turned up against the wind.

  She crossed the sidewalk toward the street and didn’t seem to notice the van until Jay opened the door and jumped out.

  Then I heard her yell.

  I looked over at the Town Car parked across the street. The driver was still inside, and the newspaper was still open in front of him, but he wasn’t reading it anymore. He was watching us.

  When he noticed the mask, I saw the understanding pass over his face like a shadow. He fumbled with the paper, tossing it aside, and opened the door.

  “We’ve got to go,” I said.

  I looked over at Jay. He had the woman by one arm, pulling her toward the van. She didn’t scream or call for help. Instead, she reached into her purse and took out a red tube of pepper spray.

  I started to warn him, but Jay saw it in time. He grabbed her arm before she could use it.

  Across the street, the driver was out of the car.

  “Now,” I said. “We have to move now.”

  Jay took the pepper spray from the woman and dragged her off the curb, toward the van. This time, she turned with the momentum and swung her purse, hard. It connected with the side of Jay’s head, and I saw his knees buckle under him.

  For an instant, I thought he was going to go down, but it didn’t happen. Somehow, he steadied himself. He let go of the woman’s coat, bent down, and grabbed her around the waist, lifting her off her feet and throwing her into the van.

  She landed hard.

  Jay climbed in after her. “Go!”

  As we pulled away, the driver ran after us, reaching out, screaming for us to stop. I watched him in the mirror, standing alone in the street with his hands on top of his head, watching us go.

  The highway was only a few blocks away. I could feel the adrenaline buzzing through me, and I had to force myself to drive the speed limit. I didn’t see any cops, and I didn’t think anyone was following us, but my heart was beating so hard that my chest ached.

  I tried to focus on my breathing, deep and slow, and did my best to stay calm.

  It helped a little.

  Behind me, I heard the familiar click of handcuffs, and I looked back. The woman was sitting on the floor of the van with her head down. Her coat was bunched up around her waist, and there was a wide tear across one shoulder.

  One of her shoes was missing.

  Whatever fight she’d had in her outside the salon, it was gone now. Seeing her broken like that touched something raw and painful inside me, and I didn’t like it.

  “Don’t be scared,” I said. “We’re not going to—”

  “Hey!” Jay hit the back of my seat. “Shut the fuck up.”

  “I was just—” the lightI told himasi b

  “Don’t talk to her.”

  I started to say something else, but I stopped before I got started. Jay was right. I didn’t like it, but it was probably better for all of us if we didn’t talk to her.

  I glanced down at the speedometer and concentrated on my drivTD/xhtml11.dtd

  11

  Twenty minutes later, we passed through the gates and drove down the long dirt road leading to the storage docks by the river. I pulled in alongside the building and shut off the engine.

  “We’re here.”

  I looked back at Jay. He was sitting across from the woman, leaning against the side of the van with his head back and his eyes closed. There was sweat on his face, and his skin looked pale and rough.

  “You ready?”

  Jay pushed himself over to the sliding door and reached for the handle. There was a dark bruise forming on the side of his head, and I asked if he was okay.

  Jay ignored the question and pulled the door open. I walked around to the side of the van to meet him, and we each took one of the woman’s arms and helped her out.

  She didn’t struggle, and she didn’t speak.

  Jay led us across the parking lot to a thick metal door on the side of the far storage dock. He pulled a key from his pocket, but his hands were shaking, and it took a minute before he was able to slide it into the lock and open the door.

  Inside was a long, dark hallway lined with broken bricks and exposed pipes, all covered in a thick layer of dirt. The air was damp and smelled like turpentine and rotted wood.

  After I’d agreed to do the job, I’d made several practice runs, driving from the salon to the warehouse, but I never saw the inside. Now I wished I had.

  Jay must’ve seen it on my face, because he held up one hand and said, “Don’t worry, it gets better.”

  I nodded and held the woman’s arm as I hel the lightouo“How do you know that?”ped her through the door. A few steps in, her foot hit one of the loose bricks, and she stumbled.

  I caught her before she fell. “I’ve got you.”

  The woman turned to the sound of my voice, and I could hear her breathing through the pillowcase. Once again, I felt the urge to tell her that everything was fine, and that no one was going to hurt her, but this time I kept quiet and led her down the hall toward another door where Jay was waiting.

  He unlocked the second door, and we followed him inside.

  The main room was nicer than the hallway, but not by much. There were stacks of plywood along the wall, and a metal desk in the corner. The floor was covered with dust and heavy splashes of paint and wood stain. Along the top of the walls, just below the ceiling, was a row of small square windows. The glass was caked with dirt, and the light slanting through into the room was the color of rust.

  Jay pointed to a red metal chair in the far corner next to an exposed pipe. “Put her over there.”

  I led the woman to the chair and helped her sit. Jay knelt behind her and unlocked one of her wrists. He took the open cuff and secured it to the pipe.

  “Did you get her purse?” he asked.

  “Still in the van, I think.”

  Jay pushed himself up, slow. He walked outside and came back a minute later with her purse. He set it on the desk and opened it.

  I stood next to him. “Are you doing okay?”

  “That bitch almost killed me.”

  “No, she didn’t,” I said. “Besides, we made it.”

  “Yeah.” He started digging through her purse. “But I still need a fucking drink.”

  “First we make the call,” I said. “I want to get this over with.”

  “We have to wait for Roach.”

  “Why?”

  Jay glanced back at the woman, then leaned in close and whispered. “She’s staying at the salon in case the police have questions. Once it’s all clear, she’ll meet us here and then we’ll call the old man and set up the exchange.”

  “How long?”

  “However long it takes.” Jay took the woman’s wallet from her purse and pulled out several bills. He counted them and slid them into his pocket. “Did she have anything else on her?”

  “I didn’t check.”

  “Maybe you should.”

  “What happened to just driving?”

  Jay looked at me. “You want me to do it?”

  He dropped the wallet back in her purse and started toward her, but I stopped him.

  “Forget it,” I said. “I’ll do it.”

  I walked back to where the woman was sitting and knelt beside her. I checked her pockets, all empty.

  Before I got up, I asked her if she neede
d anything.

  Silence.

  I started to ask her again, but then I heard an engine and the sound of tires passing over the gravel lot outside.

  I got up and looked over at Jay. the lights’as

  He nodded and put a finger to his lips.

  A minute later, a car door slammed.

  I walked over to where he was standing and said, “Who is that?”

  Jay shook his head and opened the top desk drawer. There was a black .38 inside. He picked it up.

  I wasn’t expecting the gun, and it took an instant to register what I was seeing. Once I did, I grabbed his arm and said, “You told me no guns.”

  “First this.” Jay nodded toward the door. “Then we’ll talk.”

  I stepped closer. “Put it back.”

  “This isn’t the time to—”

  Someone knocked.

  For a moment, neither of us moved. Then I started for the door.

  “Wait,” Jay said. “Don’t answer it.”

  I ignored him. I knew if the police had found us, the last thing they’d do was knock.

  Jay followed me to the door.

  I leaned in close and said, “Who is it?”

  A tiny voice. “Open the Goddamn door.”

  I reached for the handle and pulled.

  Rochelle stepped inside, rubbing her hands over her arms. “What the hell is wrong with you two? Don’t leave me standing out there like that.”

  Her dark hair was tucked behind her ears, and she was wearing a thin, silver coat and skirt that ended closer to her waist than her knees. When I looked, I saw that the skin on her legs was almost blue.

  “Next time get dressed before you go outside.”

  “Are you being funny, Matt?” Rochelle’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not like you.”

  I turned toward Jay and pointed at the gun. “You want to explain? I thought we talked about this.”

  Jay lowered the gun, never taking his eyes off Roach. “You’re not supposed to be here. What about the cops?”

  “They didn’t show.” She walked past us into the main room. When she saw the woman in the corner, she turned back and spoke softly. “The driver made a call, then drove away. I stuck around for twenty minutes then told everyone I felt sick and needed to go home. I don’t think anyone saw a thing.”

  Jay smiled at me, and I could see the relief in his eyes. “Did I tell you?”

  “What about the driver?” I asked. “Did he follow us?”

  “He went east into town.” She pointed to the woman’s purse on the desk and looked at Jay. “Did you check?”

  Jay nodded.

  “How much?”

  Jay reached into his pocket and handed her the money he’d pulled from the woman’s purse. Rochelle’s lips moved as she counted it. When she finished, she put her arms around his neck and whispered something to him that I couldn’t hear.

  “Just hurry,” he said.

  Roach folded the money and slid it into her jacket pocket. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

  She started for the door.

  “Wait, weX away., Matt. have to finish this.”

  “Oh, right.” Roach reached into her pocket and took out a prepaid cell phone. She tossed it to Jay. “Wait until I get back. Let him stew for a while longer.”

  “You got it.”

  Roach blew Jay a kiss then walked out.

  Once she was gone, I turned to him.

  &# covering half

  12

  After an hour, I looked down at my watch and said, “Where the hell is she?”

  “She’ll be here.”

  “He’s going to call the police,” I said. “If he hasn’t already.”

  “He won’t.”

  “We have to make the call, now.”

  Jay was sitting at the desk, leaning forward with his head resting on his arms. He didn’t say anything.

  “Did you hear me?” I asked. “We’re running out of time. We’ve waited long enough.”

  Jay exhaled long and slow, then pushed himself up and paced the room, ignoring me.

  I watched him for a minute, then shook my head and said, “Jesus, look at you.”

  It was hot in the warehouse, but Jay was shaking. His arms were folded tight in front of his chest, like he was trying to stay warm, and there were tiny beads of sweat on his skin, running down his face.

  “I’m fine,” he said. “Just cold.”

  “Goddamn it.” I leaned against the workbench. “I knew it.”

  “I said I’m fine.”

  I turned and slammed my fist against the top of the bench. The sound was loud, and Jay jumped.

  The woman in the corner didn’t flinch.X want to “How do you know that?”

  “I’m done waiting,” I said. “Give me the phone.”

  “Hold on.” He held up his hands. “We’re on schedule. It’s just now starting to get dark. We can’t do anything until then anyway, so—”

  “I can’t believe I trusted you,” I said. “I knew you’d find a way to fuck this up, but I bought into it anyway.”

  “Once Roach gets back, we’ll make the call. Everything will work out, you’ll see.”

  “She’s not coming back.”

  “She’ll be here.”

  “If you think I’m just going to sit here and wait for the cops to show up, you’re out of your mind.”

  Jay stared at me, his eyes darting back and forth between mine. “You want to make the call?” He reached into his pocket and took out a white business card and held it out. “The phone’s on the desk.”

  “No, you call and I drive. Like we agreed, remember?”

  Jay slipped the card into his pocket. “I’m not calling until Roach is back.”

  I bit down hard on the insides of my cheeks to keep from screaming, then looked over at the old woman. She hadn’t moved in a while, but I knew she was listening to every word we said.

  I turned to Jay and shook my head. It took every bit of self-control I had to walk away.

  “Where are you going?”

  I didn’t answer, and I didn’t look back. I was afraid if I did, if I had to look at Jay’s face one more time, I’d end up killing him.

  I walked down the hall to the front door and kicked it open. Once outside, the cold wind coming off the river cut through me, clearing my head.

  I had a decision to make.

  The longer we waited, the more dangerous the situation became. If the driver didn’t call the police from the scene, it was safe to assume the cops weren’t involved, at least not yet. That meant the old man was expecting a call.

  He was waiting, but for how long?

  I crossed the lot to the van and leaned against the far side, out of the wind, and cursed myself for not seeing this coming. Every part of me had known signing on with Jay was a bad idea, but I went along anyway. I gambled with my life and my freedom, but worse than that, I gambled with Anna.

  If I got caught, I wouldn’t see my daughter again until she was an adult, a completely different person. They’d take her childhood from me, and I’d only have myself to blame.

  No matter what, I couldn’t let that happen.

  I stayed outside for a while longer, fighting the urge to climb in the van and drive away. In the end, I decided to stay and make sure the woman was safe. Everything had to go as planned, and if that meant stepping up and taking charge, that’s what I was going to do.

  When I went back inside, Jay was sitting at the desk, rocking back and forth in the chair. When he saw me, he stood and smiled. “I thought you left.”

  I took the cell phone off the desk and held out my hand. “Give me the number.”

  “Roach isn’t back yet.”

  “I’m not came around the corneranasi b waiting.”

  “This is my call, Matt. Remember, we—”

  I stepped closer. “Give me the number or I’ll take it from you.”

  Jay looked up at me but didn’t move.

  “You know I can do it,
” I said.

  For an instant, I thought he was going to take a swing at me. Part of me hoped he would. My muscles were wound so tight they felt like they were going to snap, and after all that’d happened, it would’ve been a pleasure to take some of that tension out on him.

  But he didn’t.

  Instead, he reached into his pocket for the card. Before he took it out, he turned toward the door, cocked his head to the side. “Listen.”

  At first I didn’t hear anything, then I did.

  Someone was pulling up outside.

  “See?” Jay smiled. “I told you.”

  Jay met Roach at the door. I stayed by the desk, turning the cell phone over in my hands. I could hear them talking in the hallway, but it was all whispers, and I didn’t catch anything.

  When they came into the room, Rochelle pushed past me and sat at the desk. She had a brown paper bag in her hand. She opened it and took out a thick blue rubber band and two thin syringes.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I looked over at Jay. “This is what we’ve been waiting for?”

  Jay was leaning against the wall, his face wet with sweat. Every part of him seemed to tremble.

  I crossed the room and pulled him away from the wall, then slammed him back against it again, hard. A thin mist of dust fell around us, and when I let him go, he lost his balance and slipped to the ground.

  “Jesus, Matt.”

  I walked back to the desk. Rochelle was staring at me, and when I got close, she stood and stepped away, her hands out in front of her.

  “Don’t touch me.”

  I looked down at Jay. “You told me this wasn’t going to be a problem.”

  “It’s not.” He stumbled over his words. “I mean it won’t be, it isn’t—”

  “Do you know the kind of shit we’ll be in if we’re caught? Do you have any idea what’s at stake?”

  Rochelle laughed.

  I turned on her. “This is on you. This has always been on you.”

  “He’s a big boy. He can make his own decisions.” She looked me up then down. “When did you get so uptight? I don’t remember you being this bad.”

  “Junkies put me on edge.”

  “Fuck you.”

  I stepped closer to her then felt Jay’s hand on my arm. I shook it off. “Get your hand off me.”