"I don't understand. What the hell are you doing here?" Ford gasps. I try to keep my breath steady. I've found him, that was the first step. But I didn't expect him to be with a wounded Tank, or pointing a gun at me. Shots ring out from the main room behind us, jolting me.
"There's not a lot of time to explain," I say. "But my name's not Beth, it's Marie, and I'm an undercover cop."
"What the FUCK!?" Tank explodes. I ignore him and keep my focus on Ford. There's no time to get distracted.
"The whole time…?" Ford replies, looking dazed, then a dark look comes over his face. "You lied to me."
"No. Everything I told you about was real. Everything. I wouldn't have made that stuff up, I couldn't have."
"You rat!" Ford yells. "Shoot the fucking bitch!"
"You're one to talk," I retort. "Ever wonder how the Death Dealers got so big, so fast?" I ask Ford. "It's because Tank's a mole for the FBI."
"You fucking liar," Tank growls.
"There was a bug in that lamp. I planted it myself. We heard him talking to them. He turned over other criminals so that he could run the Death Dealers with impunity."
"Why should I trust anything you say?" Ford asks, keeping his gun trained right at my head.
"That's how I heard about that Spiders prospect. Ford said it on the phone to the FBI. He turned you in for murder in exchange for information about the heroin shipment." I see Ford shoot a quick glance over at Tank. Tank sees it, too.
"That's insane!" Tank spits at me.
"I swear it's true, Ford," I tell him. "And that's why I'm here. I can walk you out of here. And then we can leave, together."
"That's insane!" Ford exclaims.
"Maybe," I admit. "But I've got all the money I have in the world strapped under my vest right now. It's not much, about six thousand, but it could give us a fresh start in Mexico, like we talked about."
"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Tans says with a laugh.
"I want to spend my life with you, Ford. And if we don't leave right now, you're going to get arrested and charged with drug possession, trafficking, money laundering, and who knows what else."
"Didn't you forget about this supposed murder?" Tank sneers.
"No, I think I took care of that one, actually," I tell him. "Ford, I love you. Run away with me."
"You lied to me," he replies, but the tip of his gun lowers slightly.
"I know. But you're also the only person who's ever really seen me. And I see you. I do now. I should have believed what you told me earlier, but I'm here now. Come with me." His gun lowers a little more.
"Are you seriously considering this?" Tank yells. "We're in the middle of a fucking firefight here!"
"Why now? It's not the most convenient. I mean, you could have called," Ford says. The slight sparkle in his eyes tells me I might actually have a chance here.
"I did. You changed your number."
"Got a new burner."
"I went to your place as soon as I heard about the raid, and you weren't there."
"On a run," he explains.
"Hate to break up this little reunion," Tank sneers, "but this fucking cunt is a liar."
"Deny it, then," Ford says, turning to him. "Deny you're a mole."
"Are you fucking kidding me? Of course I'm not a mole!" Tank yells, his face purple with rage.
"Ford, he killed Brick," I finally tell him. I know they were close. "Brick wouldn't turn and so the FBI offered the deal to Tank. All Tank had to do was get Brick out of the way."
Fury covers Ford's face. "Deny it," he growls at Tank.
"How dare you!?" Tank yells. "I'm your fucking president! What the fuck is wrong with you? You're going to believe this little piece of ass over me? After I'll I've done for this club?"
"You said you could know people within two minutes of meeting them, Ford," I say. "So what's your gut telling you now?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Tank says, rolling his eyes. "Shoot the bitch!"
My throat closes as Ford raises his gun. I thought I could reach him. I thought he would believe me…
Suddenly, he smiles at me. "I've got a good feeling about you, Marie," he says. He turns and points the gun at Tank, then lowers it. "Can't have you getting away," he tells him, and pulls the trigger.
Tank screams in pain as his kneecap explodes. "You motherfucker! You motherfucker!"
"We better get going," Ford says. I smile. "You got a plan to get us out of here?"
"Not really," I tell him. "I figure we just run."
"Sounds good to me," he replies.
We head toward the office door and crouch down. He pulls the door open slightly and peers out. It's mayhem, tear gas still in the air and bullets flying everywhere.
"You ready for this?" he asks me. I put my hand in his.
"Ready."
"You know it's fucking insane, right?"
"Oh, I know."
He leans forward and kisses me, and it's true, I do feel ready for anything. "You never did seem like much of a Beth," he says.