Chapter thirteen
Darcy and Elizabeth stayed up late Sunday night working out details of what would happen on Monday, the day Wickham expected her to show up alone in his office for an as yet unknown but obvious nefarious intention. They both agreed that they would go to school together in the morning as usual; afterward, Darcy would head to Wickham's garage, claiming Lizzy was visiting her sister out of town, which would in turn back up Lizzy's claim to Wickham that she was meeting with a contact in the Uptown Rider's in secret from Will and their other friends.
In truth, she really would be stopping by Long Marco's garage to say hello, just in case it got back to Wickham, but she was not going to probe anyone for information. Meanwhile, Richard arranged it so that the truck of spare auto parts that was also full of Wickham's shipment of drugs was going to be randomly pulled over. Although Lizzy argued that this would look too suspicious – anyone who was carting around illegal drugs inconspicuously was going to be following all traffic laws - Darcy told her not to worry, that Richard would arrange it so that there was a legitimate reason for him to be pulled over. Hopefully, not only losing a big shipment but having someone on his payroll being questioned by the police would be enough to distract Wickham for the day so Lizzy could skip the meeting without suspicion and give them time to think of a more permanent solution.
"How was the weekend away?" Charlotte asked that morning. They stopped in for breakfast, as they usually did when they had time before class. Although Charlotte was never rude to Darcy, she also basically treated him like he wasn't even there, and only addressed Lizzy. In return, he chose to read his paper and let them talk without interruption.
"Same old," Lizzy shrugged, thinking only of her unwanted encounter with Wickham, and their plan that may or may not get her off his radar long enough for Darcy to find the evidence he needed to take him down. Charlotte noticed her unenthusiastic reply but didn't comment on it.
"Sorry I'm late, boss," Colin, Charlotte's new cook, jogged in. He grabbed an apron from the wall and slipped in on as he moved passed her to the kitchen.
"No one's come in yet," Charlotte shrugged, clearly in a forgiving mood. Lizzy had seen her fire someone on the spot for being late before, and that was when she was having trouble keeping the place staffed.
"Hey," Lizzy protested, feigning offense.
"I mean a real customer" Charlotte clarified.
"Hey," Lizzy repeated. Charlotte smiled. "How's this working out?" Lizzy asked under her breath, gesturing to Colin, who was firing up the stove.
"He's alright," Charlotte shrugged, looking down to wipe the counter. Her attitude was a far cry from the person who had complained almost nonstop about Collins' terrible smugness and unbearable attitude when he was first hired.
"I see…" Lizzy eyed her. Charlotte looked up at Lizzy's tone.
"And how are you two working out?" Charlotte turned the tables with an arch look that rivaled Lizzy's. Lizzy glared at her. "Anything exciting happen this weekend?"
They hadn't had a chance to talk last night, she couldn't possibly know what had transpired between them this weekend; they were best friends, however, so Charlotte might have just been able to read her well enough. Lizzy shook her head; either way, she would not be having this conversation right in from of Darcy.
"We're going to be late for school," she said with a warning look. Charlotte looked smug. They gathered their backpacks and made to leave.
"Hey, wait up," Charlotte said, her tone a bit more serious. Lizzy and Will hesitated, but at Charlotte's pointed look to Will, he sighed and made his way to the door without comment.
"When are you going to cut that poor guy a break?" Lizzy asked, not bothering to point out that he was going to ask what was so important he couldn't say it in front of him.
"I am cutting him a break," Charlotte said with a meaningful look. Lizzy understood what she wouldn't say out loud- she allowed him to go along without blowing his cover, no matter how much she advised Lizzy to distance herself before it was too late.
"Did you hear about Long Marco?" Charlotte asked leaning in close despite the emptiness of the diner.
"No," Lizzy replied, her curiosity instantly peeked, considering her plans for the afternoon.
"He's trying to patch over this gang from Easthill – they call themselves Black Rebels," Charlotte said. "Jay is on edge because it might mean more muscle and a push from the Riders for more territory."
"Damn," Lizzy frowned at the news. "I was about to see Long Marco today."
"I would rethink that," Charlotte kind of laughed, as if it were obvious how crazy that idea was. "In fact, I would keep an eye out for your boytoy – who knows how this will backfire against Wickham's puny little crew."
"I'm surprised Marco didn't just patch over Wickham – they have the same interests," Lizzy commented, referring to chops shops and drug running. Charlotte shrugged.
"All the more reason to keep an eye out. If he's gathering more men he might just take care of the competition," Charlotte pointed out.
"Alright. Thanks for the heads up," Lizzy said.
"Be safe out there," Charlotte waved, turning to head back to the kitchen.
"What was that about?" Will was leaning up against his car waiting for her. She hesitated, but he jumped on her reluctance to answer, "I know that look. You are thinking about not telling me. I thought we agreed no secrets."
"Alright, alright," she sighed, getting into the car and waiting for him to do the same. "Give me a break, I'm not exactly used to spilling everything I know to a cop."
"I'm not a cop," he said a little sharply. "I'm your boyfriend," Lizzy didn't bother pointing out what a loaded word that was when it came to the two of them.
"It looks like Long Marco and The Riders are patching over another gang," she told him reluctantly.
"Patching over?" he questioned.
"Yeah, basically this other gang becomes another chapter of the Riders. They keep their members and do their business, but they run everything through Marco and pay him a fee," Lizzy explained. "Anyway, it means it won't be safe to pay a visit to Marco today, or anytime soon. The whole neighborhood is going to be a little tense, a move like this usually means someone is about to make a push for territory and when that happens, things usually get bloody."
"Well, there's no way you are going to that meeting," Darcy said. Lizzy grit her teeth in annoyance.
"I just said that," she said with exasperation.
"I know, I'm just reiterating it," he said.
"Really? Because it sounds like you are trying to tell me what to do," Lizzy pointed out.
"I'm not," Darcy defended. "You said yourself you wouldn't go, why are you trying to bite my head off?"
"I'm not," Lizzy sighed. "Just… forget it."
They pulled up to the school and sat in silence while Darcy tried to find a parking spot. Once he did, she opened the door and followed him into the school, still frowning. When they almost reached the classroom, however, Darcy surprised her by stepping into an empty room and tugging her with him. He further cornered her by backing her against the wall and putting an arm between her and the door, leaning over her in a way that, if she wasn't so irritated with him, would be a perfect position for him to move in for a kiss.
"Are you mad at me?" he wanted to know. She sighed.
"No. I just… don't like it when you order me around," she told him. "I've survived twenty-six years taking care of myself."
"I wasn't ordering you around," he told her, defensive. "Although, your safety is my priority and if forbidding you from doing certain things means keeping you safe, I'll take the chance that it also pisses you off."
"Forbidding me?" she gaped at him. "Do you hear yourself?"
"Forbidding was probably not the best word," he kind of winced, and clearly began to backpedal. "Obviously I won't-can't prevent you from living your life and making your own decisions, but" here he frowned a little, clearly determined "you also won't be able to stop me from following you into danger to make sure you make it out safely," he told her seriously. She tried to think of a good argument for that but came up short. "And I would hope you know that I am only trying to help you and that you do have a certain blindness when it comes to danger."
"I do not," she frowned. "Help me," she repeated with a scoff. "You think walking down the street is dangerous."
"It is dangerous," he exclaimed, with clear frustration. "Do you know how many people- especially young, beautiful women- go missing or end up dead who were simply walking down the street in this neighborhood?"
"No," she tilted her head to the side, her face exaggerated in an innocent expression. "Is it a lot?" He frowned at her mocking tone. "For the millionth time, I spent my whole life in this neighborhood. I know it's not the suburbs, ok? But if you can't trust me to be smart enough to take care of myself, and insist on hovering over me, ordering me around…"
"I get it," he interrupted her. He looked down, collecting his thoughts for a moment before locking onto her eyes once more. "I know I seem overprotective, but you have to admit that this is a unique situation. You can understand how I feel responsible for you, for putting you into this dangerous situation in the first place, can't you?"
"Yes," she admitted reluctantly, frowning.
"And couple that with wanting to protect you because of how I feel about you," he went on in a low voice, leaning closer to her, putting a hand on her waist.
"Ok," she agreed with a sigh, reaching out to grab his leather jacket and tugging him forward slightly, feeling her irritation slipping away at his sincere manor. "But if the word 'forbid' comes out of your mouth again, we will have words."
"Deal," he leaned down to seal it with a kiss. "I absolute prohibit that word from escaping," he kissed her again before she could comment. "In fact, I put a ban on it, and will do my best to restrain-"
"Alright, alright," she cut him off with a laugh. "Smartass."
"I should disallow such ridicule," he tsked, kissing her again. "But you are very cute when you are pretending not to be affected by my rapier wit."
"Cute, am I?' she raised her eyebrow. "So you can't prevent yourself from caring when I call you names?"
"Sweetheart, you can call me whatever you like," he looked at her with an affectionate smile. "As long as I have your heart, there are no names I will veto," Darcy replied, causing her to smirk at his teasing.
"Well, you do have my heart," she told him with a sweet smile, putting her hand on his chest, above his own heart. "So, I suppose that will hinder me from ridiculing you in the future. "
"I hope this will not bar your teasing nature," he rejoined, ignoring her exaggerated groan.
"Okay, you win," she surrendered. "But only because we are already late for class."
"Whatever you say, dear," he replied with a bit for a smug smile. She narrowed her eyes at him, and then took his face in both of her hands, pulling him down for a kiss. She kissed him hard, pouring her passion into it. She slid one hand behind his head and gripped his hair while her other hand slid down to explore his firm chest. She had just teased a hand underneath his shirt when she suddenly pulled back, releasing him with a bit of a jolt.
"We should get to class," she said with her own smug smile, taking in his slightly slack-jawed expression. "We don't want to be late," she patted his cheek affectionately and slipped under his arm and out of the room.
She had already claimed her seat and took out her books by the time he came into the room. The professor had already begun his lecture, so Lizzy was diligently taking notes and didn't even look up when he slid into the seat beside her. However, she was tense for a few minutes as he took out his own notebook and pencil; to be honest, she was waiting for a counter-attack, or some kind of revenge – like her, he was not the kind of person to let someone else have the upper hand. Out of the corner of her eye she glanced at him, but he seemed completely absorbed in the lesson, making notes and nodding his head.
She had just relaxed enough to truly begin to pay attention once more when she felt his hand on her knee. She jumped, even though his touch was feather-soft. She pulled her knee to the side, but the desks were nothing more than chairs at tables and she was between him and the wall, so she didn't have very far to go; his hand moved with her so it stayed on her knee. They made eye contact, but other than his trademark frown and a slight twinkle in his eye, he gave no notice that he understood why she was shooting him a warning look.
Several more minutes went by with his hand on her knee and besides taking notes in a slightly awkward manner, with only one free hand, he seemed not to be making any more moves. She guessed he wanted to make her uncomfortable and distracted, but she quickly got used to his touch and went back to taking notes without a problem. Either he sensed this or it was his plan all along, but soon she felt his fingers begin to creep higher and higher on her leg. She reached down when he made it to her upper thigh and grasped his hand, flinging it off.
She shot him another warning glare, but he just returned it with a particularly adorable wounded pout. She rolled her eyes to mask any effect it had on her and pointedly went back to writing her notes. Another minute went by and his hand was on her knee once more. She grit her teeth and turned to look at him again, but he was studiously concentrating on the professor. This time, however, he wasted no time before she felt his hand slide higher and higher on her leg, curling into her slightly so his palm was on top of her thigh and his fingers were grazing her inner thigh. She grabbed his hand again and put it on his own leg, holding it down for a second before retracting her hand.
This didn't seem to faze him. He raised his hand to answer a question she didn't even realize the professor had asked. She frowned down at her own notes, a jumbled mess she doubted she would be able to decipher when the time came to study. Was this his ploy – to distract her throughout the class while he somehow managed to pay perfect attention? Well, so far it was working. He had half a page of legible notes while she had several sentences, most of them incomplete. She could fight fire with fire, but she would still miss the lecture and then so would he, and at least now one of them was getting notes. She decided to redouble her efforts on ignoring him then, and pulled her leg far out of his easy reach; she also half turned in the chair so most of her body was blocked from him.
Several minutes passed when she felt his hand leaning on the back of her chair. She tensed, but what could he do, put an arm around her? Ease enough to ignore. She felt his hand move from her chair and expected it to land on her shoulders a moment later. It was a shock, then, when she felt him tug the back of her shirt up a few inches so he could get his hand on her bare skin and run his fingers along her lower back. She leaned back hard against the chair to trap his hand, grateful only for the fact that they were in the back row and the room was full of half-asleep students.
"What are you doing?" she hissed at him under her breath. Unfortunately, she had succeeded in trapping his arm but not his hand, which continued to explore her lower back with his sure touch.
"Shhh," he whispered. "I'm taking notes. What are you doing?"
"Being sexual harassed," she bit back, squirming as his hand wandered higher despite the pressure she was pressing against his arm. He grinned.
"How's that working out for you?" He whispered back, his voice an octave lower. His hand seemed to hover around her bra strap. "Is this a front clasp?"
"Will, don't you dare," she said with a bit of a gasp. "Get out of there," she squirmed more, reaching behind her to grab his arm despite the attention it might call to them. Unfortunately, her sudden movement did catch the eye of the professor. He didn't cease his lecture, but his eyes were watching them with a curious look. She had only managed to pull Will's arm down and away from her before she had to sit still and pretend nothing was wrong. Will's movements were more hidden from his view, so while she sat tensely in her chair pretending all was well, he slipped his hand back under her shirt; this time he grazed her waist, his fingers curling around to her stomach.
As soon as the professor's eyes wondered once more, she slammed her foot down on Darcy's, causing him to jump from both the pain and the shock. While he was distracted, she shoved her books back into her backpack and slipped out of the room. The woman's bathroom was just down the hall and she hurried to it like it was her safe haven. Thankfully, it was empty. She locked the door to prevent anyone else from coming in and used this time alone to take a deep breath, calming her erratic heart.
"Sweetheart," Darcy murmured through the door with a few knocks. "I'm sorry," he seemed to shuffle uncomfortably. "I was only playing around, but I took it took far."
She unlocked and opened the door with speed, he seemed to stumble a little as if he was leaning against it and she grabbed onto his shirt, tugging him in before closing and locking the door once more.
"Yes, you did," she told him reaching behind his head to pull him down for a kiss. "Feeling me up in the middle of the class?" she asked him incredulously before she kissed him again; he slid his arms around her. "I am not that kind of girl, Will."
"I didn't think you were," he assured her, lifting her slightly and placing her on the mercifully dry counter. "I only intended to tease you, I promise."
"Good. Because I'd prefer it if we were somewhere a little more secluded before you try to unhook my bra," she went on, kissing him again while guiding his hand to her waist, lifting her shirt slightly so his hand made contact with skin once more.
"I can certainly find that to be reasonable," he agreed, his voice slightly strained. He kissed her neck as he slid her shirt higher up, using both hands to explore her exposed skin.
"Good," she sighed, running her hand through his hair. "Then that's settled," she waited another moment before she pushed him back slightly, jumping off the counter and straightening her clothes. "I'm glad we're in agreement."
"What?" he asked, clearly confused by the turn of events.
"We both agree that school is no place for this kind of behavior," she replied innocently. He groaned in frustration so she smiled and pulled him down for another chaste kiss. "We should probably head back to my place."
"Your place?" he asked, his expression peaked. "What about school?"
"Come on Will. Its college, we can miss a few classes," she replied. "Unless you' rather-" he leaned down to kiss her before she could even finish her sentence. He took her hand and stepped forward to unlock the door. She had only a moment to grab her backpack before he was pulling her down the hall. She laughed at his urgency and he gave her a rare grin back.
Once they were in the car, she teased him by putting her hand on his knee and sliding it up in the same way he had done to her while in class. He mirrored her actions as well, flinging her hand off when she got too high and telling her it was dangerous to distract the driver.
"So what you're saying," she began, looking down at her vibrating phone to see Jay, Charlotte's twin, was calling her. She hit ignore and continued "is that I should keep my hands to myself."
"While I am concentrating on driving us home safely, yes, that is what I'm saying," Darcy replied, his voice slightly strained as she ignored his warnings and laid her hand casually on his knee.
"I'm putting us in danger by putting my hand here?" she asked with calm curiosity. Once more Jay called her but once more she hit ignore. "Or was it here?" she asked, trailing her hand higher up.
"Lizzy," he took her hand in his and grasped it, placing it between the seats.
"Well, that can't be safe, driving with one hand," she tsked. He ignored her, holding firmly onto her hand so it couldn't stray. Once more Jay called her. "Jesus," she murmured. "Jay, what's up?" she asked, finally taking the call.
"Char's diner got shot up," he said without preamble. She heard sirens and shouting in the background.
"What?!" Lizzy sat up, shocked. Her heart sunk into her stomach. "Is she okay?" she asked, dreading the answer.
"She's ok," Jay sighed. They both paused for a moment as his words sunk in. "Collins is about to be taken to the hospital," he added as an afterthought. "Liz…"
"I'm on my way," she said, hanging up the phone. "Turn around. Charlotte's place."
Darcy didn't need any more instructions than that. He pulled an illegal U-turn and headed in the opposite direction. Through her shock and worry, she told him what Jay had told her.
"Why her place?" Darcy murmured as he sped down the street.
"Jay's going to kill someone for this," Lizzy stated matter-of-factly, ignoring his question. "He said Charlotte didn't get hit, but… someone was most likely trying to get him through her."
"Was anyone else hit, customers, or…?" Darcy questioned. Lizzy shook her head and shrugged.
"He just said Collins was hit, but Charlotte was okay," she replied, then bit her lip. "Darcy, maybe you should just drop me off, it might not be safe for you."
"Are you crazy?" he asked with a humorless laugh. "I told you I won't stop you from throwing yourself headfirst into danger, but you can't stop me from following you."
"I am Jay's friends, and the Family's. Like it or not, people are going to look at you and see Wickham," she told him honestly but he just shook his head.
"I don't care. He has bigger things to worry about than me right now," he replied.
"Yeah, like finding out who tried to kill his sister," she pointed out. "These aren't the most rational people. If anyone from another gang shows up they may see it as taking credit."
"We will cross that bridge when we come to it," he said firmly, pulling to the side of the road where there was a free place. The block was covered in police cars, ambulances, and people trying to get a good look at the action.
Lizzy and Will got out and made their way down towards the diner; Will was either ignored or given hostile looks, but Lizzy was stopped along with way with greetings and news. Several people assured her Charlotte was okay, and that Jay was looking for her. Others asked if she heard anything about who did it yet. She tried to be friendly but had to cut most of them off with the excuse that Jay was waiting for her. Luckily most were understanding, even if some did comment on bringing Will with her.
"Liz," Jay was standing on the outside of the diner and lifted the yellow tape to let her and Will through. She hugged him briefly.
"Are you okay?" she asked. He pulled back looking around to see who was within hearing shot.
"I'm going to get the asshole who tried to kill my sister," he replied with vehemence.
"What do you know?" she asked, expecting nothing less. "Where's Charlotte?"
"The EMT's have to look her over, but she's freaking out, talking about needing to see if Collins is okay," Jay explained looking towards an ambulance where Charlotte was sitting while someone took her blood pressure. "If Collins fucked up and did something to get this place shot up…"
"Collins knew the deal- everyone knows this place is off-limits," she replied dismissively. She didn't want to be the one to tell him there might be something between his sister and Collins.
"This is the boyfriend, huh?" Jay finally acknowledged Will. He stepped forward and shook Jay's hand.
"Will, Jay," Lizzy introduced them briefly.
"I'm sorry about your sister, man," Will said sincerely. Jay sneered, looking him over.
"You work for Wickham. You know anything about this?" he asked, gesturing to the broken glass of the diner.
"I haven't heard anything, besides what Lizzy just told me. " Will replied easily, not taking offense from Jay's aggressive tone.
"And where were you all day?" Jay wanted to know.
"Alright, knock it off," Lizzy ordered grabbing Jay's arm. "He was with me all morning. You done?"
"Someone did this Liz." Jay bit back. "It was either Wickham or it was Marco."
"Char told me you heard Marco was patching over another gang," Lizzy replied. "This couldn't be initiation, could it?"
"So soon?" Jay shook his head but said "Who knows? Have you heard anything through Wickham?"
"We were all together this weekend," Lizzy admitted. "He did say he had something big coming up, but he said it like it was in a couple of weeks and nothing like this."
"Well, find out what he had planned and what he knows," Jay ordered. "And, listen…" he took her arm and pulled her away from Will, who looked less than pleased. "Take this," he pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and shoved it into her hands. "I have everyone out looking for witnesses or snitches but you know if me or my guys approach anyone who was involved in this they will scatter or clamp up."
"You want me to find out what the Riders know?" Lizzy asked, looking down at the money.
"I know you know people you can go to. I will find out what happened here," he said with conviction. "All that remains is how fast. Flash this cash and do what you can."
"Jay, The Riders are going to close ranks when they hear about this. Everyone knows you will look at them first and if they did do it then anyone who knows about it is going to be kept under lock and key," Lizzy said, not telling him anything he didn't already know.
"I know it's dangerous, but I need your help, girl," he told her, letting some of the worry show through his eyes. "This was aimed at me, but I need to know how determined they are to get to Char. Please, Liz."
"Of course, Jay," she replied, squeezing his arm and shoving the cash into her pocket. "I'll keep you posted."
"I knew I could count on you," he put a hand her shoulder and squeezed.
"Mr. Jones?" a man in a suit walked up to them. "I'm detective Giess, I need to ask you a few questions." Jay looked less than pleased.
"I'll call you," Lizzy said, slipping back towards Will. "Let's see Charlotte," Will followed, keeping his comments to himself for now. Lizzy knew she would get an earful when they were alone but was thankful for the momentary reprieve.
"Char," Lizzy walked up, hugging her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she sighed like someone who had answered that question too many times. "You talk to Jay?"
"Yeah," Lizzy looked back to see him still in discussion with the detective working the case. "He's holding it together."
"Keep an eye on him, Lizzy," Charlotte ordered. "He's going to end up started a war over this."
"You think I can stop him?" she asked with serious doubt. "Someone tried to kill you, Char."
"Someone followed Mark and Jace to the diner and shot it up because of them, not me," Charlotte shook her head. "Someone's going after the Family, not me."
"Did you tell Jay this?" Lizzy asked, surprised. Charlotte gave her a look and Lizzy rolled her eyes at her naivety. "Of course you did." Jay knew this whole time that the real target wasn't his sister, but like it or not she had agreed to find out what she knew.
"Someone shot at his sister. He doesn't care if they were aiming at me or not," Charlotte said, then looked distressed. "Has anyone heard if Collins pulled through or not?"
"I only heard he was shot and taken to the hospital," Lizzy replied with sympathy. She didn't know what was going on between the two of them, but Charlotte was worried about her cook. "I'll find out."
"I'm heading to the hospital," Charlotte shook her head. "I have to take tweedle dee and tweedle dumb with me everywhere I go," she gestured to two large, menacing-looking men off to the side, clearly part of Jay's protection squad. "I might as well take advantage of the ride."
"Do you want me to go with you?" Lizzy asked.
"No – keep an eye on Jay," she ordered. "Do what you can to convince him it's not worth it to start a war over something that didn't even happen."
"Well, even if they weren't aiming for you, they were aiming for members of the Family," Lizzy pointed out.
"Alright – so take out these rouge gangsters and move on. Keep the body count down, that's all I'm asking." Char waved to her two new bodyguards to let them know she was leaving.
"I'm glad you're okay," Lizzy hugged her once more. Charlotte lingered a bit. "I'm fine," she said with less conviction than before. "Do what you can for Jay. I'll be back later."
"Jesus, what a mess," she turned to Will once Charlotte had hurried off with her new bodyguards.
"Are you alright?" he asked, putting a hand on the back of her neck.
"This is going to get worse before it gets better," she assured him, taking in the street filled with emergency personal and what looked to be the whole Family. Jay was now addressing about ten members, most of whom Lizzy recognized as the inner circle of the gang. "He's not going to be satisfied with just taking out the people who did this."
"Charlotte seems to think you can convince him otherwise," Will replied with a bit of questioning in his voice.
"She must still be shaken up; I have no idea what she expects me to do," she kind of laughed, shaking her head.
"Speaking of expecting you to do something," Will hedged. Lizzy frowned; she saw this line of questioning coming and, not for the first time, she wished she'd never promised not to keep secrets from him.
"Come on, if you're going to be following me into danger, we have to move fast," she said, taking his arm and pulling him back down the street where he parked.
"O'Mara," Jay called as they passed. The couple paused as he waved his friends off to come over and address them alone. Lizzy had introduced him as Will- now she wondered how long Jay had been keeping tabs on her and her new boyfriend to have remembered his last name. "Keep an eye on her."
"Are you kidding me?" Lizzy commented, but Will just nodded, saying "I will."
"Give me a call, Liz," Jay added, turning to her.
"I will," she echoed Will with a sigh, wanting to call him out for using Charlotte's safety against her to agree to find out who was responsible for this, but not wanting to waste any more time. They parted ways, and once Lizzy and Will got back into the car she explained to him what Jay wanted from her and how she might be able to pull it off if she could find a specific guy and hope he knew something.
"Who's this guy?" Will wanted to know as he drove where she directed him.
"He's harmless," Lizzy assured him. "He's a rider, but he's kind of…neurotic. He does their books, so he's close to the action, but he doesn't ride or participate in any other gang activities. His father and three of his brothers are also in the gang and he grew up watching them go to jail and, in the case of two of his brothers, die. He's kind of got this thing about putting himself in danger, so he'll be reluctant to talk to me at first, but he also has a thing about cash," here Lizzy pulled out the wad of bills Jay had given her. Will whistled appreciatively. "Anyway, he owes me. In his younger and more carefree days, he stole some drug money from a guy from the Family and I covered for him."
"How did that happen?" Will wondered. "I thought you were only loyal to The Family," Lizzy thought about explaining all that had happened for a minute before shaking her head.
"It's a long story. Here, pull over," she instructed. They were outside a sleazy pay by the hour motel.
"I know we had other plans before this happened," Will squinted out the window at the dirty motel. "But I think we would be better off waiting."
"Oh Will," she gave an exaggerated sigh. "That rapier wit is going to be my downfall." They exchanged amused looks before she explained. "This is the least dangerous place to meet up with him; unfortunately, with safety comes the chance he might not show up."
"How certain is it that he'll come here?" Will asked.
"Well, not to go all Criminal Minds on you or anything, but he's kind of a dirtbag, and he comes here all the time, especially when he's stressed out," Lizzy explained. "The only question is will what happened today stress him out?"
"And if it doesn't, we spent all day sitting in front of a motel room for no reason," Will frowned.
"I believe that is what someone in your profession would call a stakeout," she commented. "We can eat donuts, get some terrible coffee-"
"Waste all day sitting in a car when we have our own problems," Will finished, giving her a look.
"Everyone is going to be focused on what happened," she told him with certainty. "The Family is the most powerful gang in the neighborhood, and I think you and I both know Wickham didn't have anything to do with the shooting. That means it has to be The Riders making a push to become number one."
"And even someone as small as Wickham can't afford to be uninvolved," Darcy said with a sigh.
"The only reason Wickham has had such little resistance is that the two big guys have been fighting each other so much they barely gave him any attention," Lizzy told him. "But the Riders especially can't afford to let him grow any bigger. If they're getting new members, they're going to need even more merchandise, and Wickham just happens to deal in their two favorite products."
He eyed her with an unreadable expression. "What?" she asked, a bit self-conscious.
"You certainly are an enigma," he commented with an assessing expression.
"What do you mean?" she asked, still a bit defensive.
"You are as careful as an ex-con with what you say and don't say, but besides a few rebellious flirting with the law, you are as clean as a suburban housewife," he said. She frowned, still not seeing where he was going with this. "You're so integrated with this lifestyle; maybe you should consider a career in gang task force intelligence."
"A cop," she laughed outright. "Sorry," she added. "No offense, but are you crazy? I would never be a cop."
He rose an eyebrow; she wasn't sure if she had insulted him, but he continued as if he wasn't fazed by her laughing out loud in his face. "And why not?"
"Because…" she trailed off, humor and incredulity still in her voice. "It's not who I am. And anyway, it would be such a betrayal," she finally settled on.
"To whom?" he wanted to know. "Your so-called friends, one of who is asking you to put yourself in danger to find a person with information on who tried to kill some fellow members of his gang and wound up almost killing his sister in the process," Darcy paused, before adding "You know whatever names you get out of this guy are going to end up dead."
"Probably," she replied; the humor had drained from her face and now she frowned. "It's not like they are exactly innocent in this. They shot up a diner with a bunch of people in it and could have killed my best friend."
"So you're okay with facilitating a murder, but making an honest living with the skills you have is out of the question?" Darcy asked. She grit her teeth, her anger rising.
"I am not facilitating anything. I am doing a favor for a friend" she bit out. "And if you're so high and mighty about my actions you can just go home," she added, reaching for the door handle.
"Are you crazy?" he asked, seemingly surprised at her anger. He grabbed her hand to stop her. "I'm not letting you hang out here all day alone."
"You aren't are you?" she asked coldly. "So, you forbid me to leave the car?"
"Lizzy," he winced. "Listen-"
"No, you listen for once," she interrupted him. "I don't need you judging me every five seconds for who I call my friends and what I do. You've been here a few months and you're still an outsider because everyone can tell you're not one of them. Maybe I should be a cop because I would know enough not to look down on all the people I'm supposed to be a part of."
"I do not-" he began, but she was on a roll and not ready for a discussion.
"You say you want to keep me safe and protect me from the evils of the world, most notably my 'scumbag' friends," she threw his words back at him. "When I was eight, two kids broke my arm because I refused to give them my lunch money. Jay sent them both to the hospital, and no one ever messed with me again."
"I'm not saying they don't have redeemable qualities," he replied with a frown. "But"
"When I was thirteen, I walked past a bar on the way home from tutoring some kid. This drunk guy tried to get me to get in his car," Lizzy said, shuddering slightly at the memory. "Two older kids I didn't even know tossed him into the trash, stole his car, and took me home, just because I was Charlotte and Jay's best friend," Darcy frowned, his fist clenching slightly. "These people are not just one dimensional bad guys. The Family looks out for each other, and they have always looked out for me. If they want me to find out who tried to kill a bunch of its members, including my best friend, then I'm going to do what I can and help. If you want to sit there on your high horse and look down on me facilitating murder, then do it, but don't pretend you're any better than I am."
She opened the door. "Don't follow me," she told him, ignoring his protests and getting out of the car. She slammed the door and jogged across the street to the motel. She made a quick decision and headed for the stairs on the side of the building. She would be hidden from sight, but have a clear view of the parking lot. Darcy's car didn't move, but to her relief, he also didn't get out and follow her. She didn't think he would leave, but she needed space from him before she said something she would regret.
It was one very long hour, full of no less than four people soliciting her for sex and/or drugs. Each time she imaging Darcy would show up in savior mode and blow her cover, but although his car didn't move, he was apparently taking her order not to follow her to heart. It seemed he may actually be giving her a chance to prove her numerous statements that she could, indeed, take care of herself.
After a discussion where she informed them she did not offer the services they required, they were quickly off to new prospects. Luckily in this neighborhood, one didn't have to go far before they found what they required so once they lucked out with her they left her alone easily enough. A little over an hour later, she heard the mercifully sweet sounds of a motorcycle pulling into the parking lot. She waited until he visited the office and made his way into a room before coming out of her hiding spot. She jogged to the office, making a flimsy excuse about losing her key while handing over a fifty dollar bill and acquired the spare to his room.
She then made her way to his room, sparing a glance towards Darcy's car to see he was still in it. She couldn't make out more than his form, but that's all she wanted to confirm anyway. She didn't bother knocking, but slipped the key into the door and stepped in.
"Shit," she heard him say, standing in the bathroom while drying his hands.
"For such a neurotic, you sure do come to some gross places, Tomas," she commented.
"I don't know nothing," he told her, coming out with his hands in the air in a surrendering gesture.
"Let's not do this," she sighed, crossing her arms and leaning against the door. "I know you have names and you know you owe me."
"I can't. Marco will set me on fire," he said with real fear. Lizzy winced a little, not unsympathetic for the man working for a boss who was trying his best to live up to his crazy father's name.
"Look, no one will know it was you who told. I won't even tell Jay who told me. And you know I know a lot of people in the Riders – it's not like anyone will be able to figure out it was you," Lizzy assured him. He seemed to wavier, so she pulled out the wad of cash Jay had given her, knowing his first love was always money.
"This makes us even," she said, sweetening the pot. He stepped forward and reached for it, but she pulled back slightly. He sighed, sitting on the bed
"I trust you, querida," he said, serious and afraid.
"I know. You have my word – I won't tell anyone it was you, and no one knows we're here meeting right now," she assured him, realizing belatedly that Darcy was outside. He didn't know Tomas by name, but he had seen him. She could only hope he kept his patience and didn't come bursting in.
"We're patching over the Black Rebels," he sighed again, rubbing his eyes. "Marco said for every member that patches, they have to kill a Family. Once news got out this morning that they shot up the head of The Family's cousin's place, he put a hold on it and locked everyone down."
"Who shot the place up?" she prompted.
"There were four of them. All Rebels," he listed off their names. "Marco has them holed up in a safe house, You won't be able to get to them."
"Luckily, that's not my problem, or yours," she smiled, tossing him the money.
"We're even now," he said, looking down and assessing how much he held.
"Yeah," she nodded, heading for the door.
"I never asked," he stopped her. She looked back with a questioning gaze. "Why you covered for me that day."
"Kyle was an asshole," she frowned a bit at the memory. "You and I had advanced math together, remember?" he nodded. "You were friendly to me."
"I was trying to get in your pants," he confessed with a roguish smile. She laughed.
"At any rate – I liked you more than I liked him," she shrugged.
"Yeah?" he perked up a bit. "You still like me?"
"Keep it in your pants, Tomas. We both have significant others," she said, her timing coinciding perfectly with a knock on the door.
"For you, I would blow off my girl," he told her.
"I'll keep that in mind," she winked, opening the door and slipping out.
"Who the fuck was that?" she heard the girl say, but she didn't wait around to see how Tomas would talk his way out of it. She called Jay, who picked up on the first ring.
"Got any news?" he asked without preamble. She listed the names and, carefully, told him what she had heard about how and why this morning happened. He cursed, thanked her, and hung up. As she looked down at her phone and noticed the time, she realized that she would still be in school if this were a normal day.
She jogged back over to Darcy's car, opening the door and getting inside. "You're still here."
"Of course I am," he replied. They were both silent. Lizzy was still angry, but had more control over her emotions than she did last time; that didn't mean she was ready to apologize.
"How did it go?" he finally asked.
"It's over," she replied with a frown. "Are you okay with that?"
"I guess I have to be," he said.
"You don't have to be anything," she replied, frowning.
"Elizabeth, I…" he started with clear frustration, before he hesitated, taking a breath. "I care about you; and a lot of what I admire about you is your convictions and your courage. I'm not going to pretend that I think you're better than this and that someday soon I hope to see you out of this neighborhood and doing something you love to do, safely and happily, but until then, I'm with you."
"You're with me?" she questioned. "Even if it means seeing my friends as people and not just rap sheets?"
"Even then," he agreed, taking her hand and kissing it lightly. "Are you with me, even if it means I want all that is safe and mundane for you?"
"I'm with you," her mouth curled slightly in a smile. "Even then."