Chapter 16
"How many times do I need to spell it out huh?!" Tim angrily paced around the bar which was now way past closing time and shut to the public. Blaze stood opposite him, staring down at the ground with little memory of the last few hours. After taking the pill, Blaze ended up passed out in the middle of her dance studio. When she had missed the meeting with Tim's supplier, he sent several officers out looking for her who traced her steps.
"If you're gonna get fucked up on my shit, make sure you do it here!" He snarled.
"I'm sorry, I just needed some time out, alone…" Blaze shrugged with guilt.
"What, is this place not good enough for you?" Tim snapped.
"No, I never said that. It's just…" she hesitated, avoiding his gaze.
"What then?!" Tim tilted his head, drawing in closer to lock eyes with her.
"You said that we would find more members of the gang a long time ago. I feel like I'm fighting on my own again…"
Tim shook his head. "How many times do we have to go through this? And when are you just gonna let it go?!" Tim took a deep exhale as he hit his palm against his forehead. When the two of them had first got together, Tim's guilt drove him to help Blaze in setting up some of the lower ranking gang members who tried to kill her. They were a successful duo at one point where he delivered the criminals and she took out her anger on them. Tim fought alongside Blaze and helped her to cover up the evidence so that his colleagues on the police force would turn a blind eye.
As time went on however, Tim began to show his true colours. He made Blaze feel like she owed him for everything and the drugs got worse whilst their relationship became more and more volatile.
"You promised me we'd bring their leader to justice after what he did to me! I didn't sign up to be your drug mule and I want out! I'm not doing this anymore!" Blaze argued. Her remark had hit a nerve in Tim that was now starting to push him over the edge.
He reached for his baton behind the bar then started to break glasses and bottles, swinging the weapon. The sound of shattering glass dominated the room for at least thirty seconds.
Tim caught his breath then slowly walked forward towards Blaze, still holding onto the police weapon in one hand. His face was reddened and he was livid.
"Let me tell you something sweetheart. Without me, you're nothing!" He hatefully remarked. "You would have no home, no job, no bank account, no dance studio and all of those crimes you committed on the streets acting out as some sorta city hero, would have you locked away in a federal state prison if I didn't intervene. And as far as promises go, I could turn you in like a drop of hat anytime I want. So don't test me", Tim spoke with an arrogant tone, squaring up to her.
"The money, the drugs, the studio, a place to live, all of it! You can keep it! I just want my freedom now, I'm suffocating here, can't you see that?" Blaze pleaded with him.
"Is that why you kept this then?" Tim gave her a distasteful grin as he held up the note that Blaze took out of the drawer back at the studio, written by Axel.
"Give me that!" She demanded as she attempted to snatch it out of his hand, but he refused to let go of it. Instead, Tim swung his baton forward, striking her hard on one side.
Blaze stumbled back for a moment, catching her breath before charging forward to elbow strike him in the face. He then retaliated with an uppercut towards her stomach then a second strike with the baton that threw Blaze back, toppling her over an arcade machine at the back of the bar.
She ignored the pain then quickly kicked up off the ground, charging at him once again like a raging bull. She used her fists and kicks, striking his body brutally with speed. Blaze then delivered a roundhouse kick that knocked the baton straight out of Tim's hand. It ended up bulldozing into one of the lights above, smashing its bulb.
During their power struggle, Blaze knew that she now had the upper hand in the fight. In that moment, she had had enough of being bossed around, used to collect his drugs as well as his violent outbursts towards her. Tim always found a way of making Blaze feel guilty for anything that wasn't her fault. In his eyes, she owed him her life.
Blaze was so angry to the point where she couldn't even control her fists and all she could see was red. Deep down she never wanted to fight with Tim, but he left her with no other choice.
Suddenly, Blaze was caught off guard when she felt a numbing electrical shock pulse agonisingly through her entire body. She froze, standing still and breathless until she collapsed onto the ground. Tim had reached into the back of his belt for his police taser which he drove forward hard into Blaze's stomach.
After the initial shock, Blaze rested on the ground, shaken and weakened. Tim took full advantage as he knelt down behind her to pull her up to her knees whilst locking Blaze's neck into a sleeper hold using his arms. "Don't make me hurt you anymore", he spoke in her ear.
"I'm sorry…." Blaze whispered, but Tim still kept his firm grip around her.
"You know, you treat me like shit too and I hate you for it!" His lips coldly met her ear once again.
"Just let me go, please. I'll sort out the mess I made tonight, I'll get your drugs back…" she promised.
"No, it's not that", Tim slowly shook his head, taking a deep sigh. "I've been with you and fought by your side for almost four years now. Yeah, I could have treated you better, but everytime I told you I loved you, you never said it back once. Hell, everytime we fuck, you're always high! And now I know exactly why that is…." He looked down with regret and disappointment at the fallen note Blaze had kept from Axel.
Soon after, she passed out, falling asleep on the floor for a few seconds.
This gave Tim enough time to stand up then pour the two of them a drink from the bar. He crouched down, passing a glass of whiskey to Blaze once she was awake, but she shook her head defeatedly as she laid still on the ground.
"Suit yourself, I'm going to bed." Tim carelessly stood back up to leave before downing his own drink.
The next morning, Blaze woke up once again on the floor of the bar. It was cold and the place was a mess. By now, the pill she took last night had worn off out of her system and she could feel the full pain from the wounds she had picked up during her fight with Tim.
Blaze wasted no time, physically hurting whilst getting up to her feet. She took one of the brooms to start clearing up the mess they made and the floor that was full of glass. As she attempted to lift up the fallen arcade machine, Blaze couldn't help but notice an old kodak photograph that was stuck to the back of it, so she crouched down to pick it up. It immediately made her smile with the feeling of nostalgia. The crew obtained the flashy arcade machine after they busted one of the local Yakuza joints around 10 years ago. Adam insisted that this particular photograph had to be stuck to the back of the machine for good luck, or in case anybody tried to sell it. This was now official police property that they could have a game on any time they desired to.
In the photograph was most of the precinct, including Blaze, Axel, Adam and Tim plus Max and Sammy who stood by a whole load of cops that were there as backup on the day of the raid. The memory of their victory as a team gave Blaze a warm feeling inside.
"Hey, let me give you a hand with that" Tim entered the bar area.
"I don't need your help," Blaze's smile was short-lived as soon as he appeared. She attempted to lift the heavy machine to standing, which normally wouldn't be a problem however the pain in her chest and ribs was holding her back.
"You sure about that?" Tim replied as he pulled up the machine from the other side with ease.
Blaze walked away, ignoring him as she placed the fallen taser from last night on one of the tables.
"Look, I'm sorry" Tim held his hands out. Blaze turned around, blankly staring back at him.
"It's just, I'm under a lot of pressure right now from this connect. He's threatened to buy out the rest of this bar if I don't shift this weight around in time. Last night was a really important shipment and you missed it. I don't know what else to do…."
"I'm sorry", Blaze sighed. "I'll make it up to you, ok?" She nodded, feeling responsible.
"It's ok, I'll talk to him. Take it easy, go have a shower and get some rest upstairs. I'll clear up what's left of this here" he offered, feeling guilty about starting the fight.
Just as Blaze left to go upstairs, Tim's cell phone rang.
"Hey B, whasup?"
A man with a deep voice and strong East Coast accent was on the other side of the line.
"That shipment last night you failed to collect was stolen. It cost us over 20 grand…" Tim could tell that the man was far from impressed.
"I'll pay you back, all of it! Rest assured."
"We can discuss business tonight at the bar" the voice on the other side replied before he swiftly hung up.
That night at the bar, Tim was dressed sharp in a white shirt and black suit. He waited patiently at one of the tables for his drug supplier to arrive. The rest of the bar was closed to the locals so that the meeting could be conducted in private, however Tim made sure that his officers from the precinct were close by just in case anything kicked off.
Blaze waited patiently behind the bar, armed with an AK47 which was strapped and hidden on the underside of the bartop. The two of them heard several motorbikes rev loudly before they pulled up outside then switched off their engines. Eventually, one hour later than planned, the front door quietly swung open.
A tall man, around 6ft 5 stepped into the bar, supported by two street thugs who followed him. His height and muscular build were emphasised by his high waisted grey pants and a low cut fitted black vest over his chest that was just about covered by a leather jacket. His hair was almost jet black and his moustache was just as thick and dark. The two thugs who accompanied him were much shorter and dressed in scruffy denim waistcoats and jeans.
"Murphy, it's been a long time" a dimple appeared on one side of the man's cheek as he firmly shook Tim's hand.
"It's good to see you again, Barbon. What do you think of the place?" He asked.
"I like what you've done to it, but really man? There's no need for your crew to wait out at the back like a bunch of pussies. I came here to talk business, not to fight." He held out his long arms by his side. "Besides, I don't want to piss off my own boss. As you are aware, we have good relations with your precinct and the police so relax, nothing is going to happen to you…" Barbon innocently shrugged.
"Aight," Tim nodded. He then gave one of his officers a quick call. "Ferroccio, it's ok, it's gonna be a quiet night here…." that was Tim's signal that the officers on standby outside could relax and mingle with the other bikers for now.
"About the money last night, I'll pay it all back" Tim reassured him.
"I know you will, because if you don't, you can think of it as me buying back your share of this place. That's gotta more than cover the amount, right?" Barbon smirked as he glanced around the bar.
"Yeah," Tim regretfully sighed, knowing that he was the one who placed all of the effort and hard work into their business venture.
"Good. So there's no hard feelings then, yeah? Unless you figure out another way to pay me of course. I'll give you two weeks." Barbon winked.
"Right, of course," Tim nodded without a fuss.
Barbon sat back in his seat, crossing one ankle over his other thigh as he folded his arms. "So where can a man get a drink around here then?" He casually demanded.
Tim glanced over towards Blaze in the distance then he gave her a brief nod. Less than a minute later, she brought forward a tray of four expensive glasses and a bottle of bourbon.
Barbon couldn't help but stare up at Blaze, intrigued. "Murphy! You're punchin' above your weight aren't you?" He grinned. "I'd visit my bar more often if I knew there were hotties like her working behind it!"
Blaze heavily placed the bottle down on the table in front of him, almost breaking it. She could see the two other thugs smirking at her over on the other round table adjacent to them.
As soon as Barbon took a closer look at Blaze, his brown eyes intensely glared up at her with surprise.
"Haven't we met before darlin'?" He tilted his head in amusement, giving her a sly grin.
"I don't think so," Blaze shook her head, avoiding his stare. Although the man seemed familiar, she couldn't quite put her finger on where or when she had met him before, so Blaze started to walk away.
"Hey! Aren't you gonna pour us the drink?!" Barbon arrogantly demanded.
Blaze took a deep breath, containing her anger as she turned back towards the table.
"Where are my manners huh?" She forced a smile.
Blaze couldn't help but give Tim a pissed off stare as he sat silently opposite Barbon without saying a word. As she held the bottle, the tall fighter remained sitting back in his chair with his eyes still fixated on her like a hungry vulture.
"Don't worry, I don't bite" Barbon arrogantly blew her a kiss.
As Blaze poured the drink, she 'accidentally' flicked the bottle to one side in a quick motion where the alcohol ended up spilling and staining Barbon's pants near his groin area.
"Oops," Blaze sarcastically remarked with little remorse.
The two thugs sitting on the other table instantly burst into a fit of laughter. "You look like you've peed yourself now boss!" Galsia joked.
"Hmmmhmmmm", Barbon forced himself to heckle along with them.
Just as Blaze turned to walk away, she suddenly felt his hand tightly gripping onto her wrist. Blaze resisted as Barbon tried to pull her back, "this ones a strong girl isn't she? I'm sure you could survive anything…" he laughed towards Tim as he viciously pulled her back.
Blaze's heart immediately sunk into her stomach when she noticed the crimson red arm band he was wearing next to her wrist as well as the red socks peering out of Barbon's shiny black shoes. She played his voice over and over again in her head, instantly recognising who this man was without any further doubt. Then, within a second, Blaze remembered everything about the night when Barbon captured her in that dark alley. Everything including where he took her and the masks he and his crew were wearing flashed back in her mind.
This was the man responsible for the brutal beating she endured, this was the man responsible for the death of her baby and this was the man who spat the words 'leave Axel a message', which was the last thing that Blaze heard before she took the beating.
"Why don't you take a seat next to me huh? I'm sorry I can be a bit heavy handed at times," Barbon loosened his grip, almost having broken Blaze's wrist.
After a short pause of shock, Blaze had to quickly contain herself and her emotions as she pulled up a chair by his side.
"No hard feelings eh?" Barbon saluted his glass in the air as he began to talk business with Tim across the table. Looking him in the eye and keeping her cool was one of the hardest things Blaze had to do.
As their conversation went on, one of the worst realisations that Blaze came to was the fact that Tim must have been in on it all this time. The man that she had trusted and shared a bed with for the past four years, who tricked Blaze into convincing her that he was there to help, was nothing more than a betrayer and their ally. Only one person recognised the number plate of the cab Blaze got into that night. It all suddenly added up as she remembered Tim insisting that Blaze call him when she got home.
She then turned her stare back towards Barbon. The words he spoke that night,
"You can either walk out of here and raise that child without a father, or you can stand here and face the consequences.…"
echoed in Blaze's ears. She remembered that only a small handful of people knew she was pregnant at the time, but despite that, the news had reached the gang fast enough. Neither Estel nor Adam would have betrayed her like that, so all of the fingers pointed towards Tim.
Blaze took a moment to carefully study the two men having a meaningless conversation next to her about 'business'. All she wanted to do there and then was get up to take that gun and kill them. But somehow, fear started to hold Blaze back. Her hands were shaking together under the table. Not only was she outnumbered, but the sheer feeling of being in Barbon's presence once again haunted her and brought back everything, including the fear and pain she felt that night.
"Blaze?... Blaze!" Tim suddenly snapped her away from her thoughts. She quietly stared at him without responding as her focus instantly switched back to the present.
"Would you be a darling and get us the deeds to the bar please?" He requested.
Barbon interrupted, halting Blaze from getting up from her seat. "You know there are other ways that she could pay back the 20K" the fighter smirked.
"Who'd you want dead then?" Blaze hastily replied, avoiding his gaze once again as she looked down at the table. Barbon immediately broke out into a fit of laughter. "Oh no darlin', I was thinking about another kind of work you could do for me. Maybe that's an idea huh Tim? How about I take her for a couple of nights, clear your debts…"
"Just get me the documents, will you?" Tim turned to Blaze, pissed off.
Barbon casually rose to his feet. "No, no need," he tutted. "Like I said, I'm giving you two weeks to clear that 20K debt, otherwise I'm taking this bar and her along with me! Goodnight, and thanks for the drink", he gave Blaze a sinister grin as the three men got up to leave.
During the minutes that followed, Blaze remained seated at the table with her arms folded biting her tongue. She wanted nothing more than to kill Tim after finding out why he set her up that night. But Blaze knew that she had to play it smart and making him pay right now wasn't going to be easy. Tim was right. He controlled everything she owned as well as a large number of officers in their old police precinct who backed him up. If Blaze killed him now, they would come after her with everything they had and she would lose. She wasn't yet strong enough to take down a whole army of enemies by herself, but at least she now knew who her enemies really were.
It made her sick to her stomach that the gang of thugs who savagely beat her were under Blaze's nose the whole time. Tim was a good liar and a great manipulator. Although her team once relied on his backup, something changed down the line and caused him to become the man he now was. Maybe this was Tim's way of getting back at Axel? Blaze could tell that, even though they were once good friends and partners in their police days, Murphy was envious of Axel and even hated the mention of his name around her.
"Why the sulky face huh? You heard the guy, he's giving us two weeks to clear that debt without any trouble. It's better than nothing…" Tim remarked as he brushed past her.
Blaze couldn't help but let out a sarcastic laugh to herself.
"You think you're some kind of big shot don't you? You got your friends in the police on one side fighting your corner, and your gangsters on the other having your back with your drugs. And you're still a coward!"
"Don't talk to me like that!" Tim snapped.
"Or what huh? What am I gonna end up beaten up in a car park all over again?" Blaze snarled, upset as she stood to her feet.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Tim shook his head. "Whatever you still can't let go of, remember who was really responsible for that night. And if you don't like the way things are run in this city, go and fuck off to the woods like Axel did!"
Blaze gave him a pissed off laugh. "You honestly showed me tonight how much balls you really got! At least Axel would have broken that bastard's face for propositioning me like that if that was in front of him. And you say I'm nothing without you huh? Well you're wrong!" Blaze started to walk away from him towards the door.
"If you decide to leave now, I'll have no choice than to send the dogs after you. You're on your own…."
"Believe it or not, I once really cared about you Tim. But now, I'd rather be alone than stay a minute longer here with you. You're lucky, I chose not to kill you tonight!"
"Wise decision then…" he carelessly shrugged. Tim understood there and then that Blaze had quietly figured out his secret and there was no returning back from it.
"You'd better pray you never see me again!" She threatened.
"And you'd better run as fast as you can," Tim responded without any emotion as he held up his phone to dial for one of his colleagues.
"Ferroccio, it's me. Suspect female, 29 years old. 5ft 7, long brown hair. A highly dangerous criminal acting as a vigilante…."
"No! Tim, what are you doing?" Blaze shouted, pleading with him.
He simply ignored her then continued on with his phone call. "Yes, I believe she killed Mr X along with others. There are also a handful of other crimes I have evidence of…"
Blaze knew exactly what he was doing. She gasped for air before running as fast as she could out of the bar and onto the streets with nothing except for the clothes on her back.
She quickly rolled then hid underneath a parked car as soon as she heard police sirens. Blaze waited anxiously there until she was certain that they had all driven past.
There was nowhere to run or hide and Tim and his army of criminals and police had every corner of the city covered. Within minutes, he would have cops showing up at Adam's, Zan's and Max's places to prevent Blaze from hiding anywhere she thought was safe.
If Blaze could miraculously make it out of here safely by sundown, then there was only one person left in the city she might be able to turn to. But reaching out to this individual was high risk move and the odds were now stacked up against her.
