Stealing an ice cream truck… now that’s a first. Sure, I’ve technically commandeered it, but outright stealing one is probably a totally new way I’m going to hell. Though, if I know what’s about to happen when I get to headquarters, I probably have much more to worry about than taking my ex-girlfriend’s dad’s ice cream truck without their permission.
I’ll have to tally up and repent later. Right now, I’ve got one thing and one thing on my mind -- getting Alana out of headquarters alive and saving my crew from the fate poor Winston had to deal with. Amy won’t be stopped. Whatever promises she made, whatever tool she pulled out to convince Steel Saints to become hers, didn’t mean a thing when her end game was ultimately me.
There was one huge problem, though. There’s only one of me. If I had my crew behind me, storming some headquarters wouldn’t be an issue. I am used to being followed by an army or at least a squad of trained enforcers. Tonight, I’m going in solo with my back and front exposed. This is where real men earned their reputation, and it was my time to lay it out on the line.
I circle the block a few times when I arrive, trying to lay out my plan. From the few times around, I count about twenty motorcycles, a van, and two or three cars parked. That’s not terrible considering a packed house would be about three times that size. If I figure a quarter of those guys are still, most likely, on my side, I’m only going to have to take down about fifteen guys who are armed to their teeth with only my ice cream truck and sidearm…
Shit. By my third roundabout, it’s dawning on me how perilous this is going to be. Alana was worth a war in her name. She was worth winning at any cost, especially if it brought her back to my arms. But, if I’m going to be honest here, making a choice on if it should cost me my life wasn’t easy. There’s my career to think about, the restaurant, my grandmother… I’m not living my life in some Alana-bubble.
But what happens when I do get her out of there alive? Do we go back to the start? Already the world was catching on that I was not exactly a straight-laced guy with some questionable extracurriculars. Amy’s hack of Alana’s site meant that I was going to have to reckon with the two lives I have been living.
The only solution is to self-combust - to blow this whole thing up with me holding the remote control detonator. And there was only one, sure-fire way to do that. I pull out my phone and begin to dial the one contact I hate having on speed dial for emergencies. I’ve never needed to use him in the past, but today, Detective Aaron Hernandez was my only option.
After getting through the countless amounts of bored, unenthusiastic secretaries, I reach a direct line. I go through my plans quickly, laying out how his office can help me. Frankly, he doesn’t seem as amused as I thought he would. Being in the pocket of a notorious, outlaw like myself isn’t exactly his cup of tea, but I was giving him an offer he couldn’t refuse, a chance to make a name for himself in the Vegas force. I know it’s a “yes” before I even finish.
“Twenty minutes,” he finishes. “Give me twenty minutes, and I’ll get you what you need.” I try to tell him that it’s not enough. He needs to act now. No way when Amy gets word that I am hanging around that she will give Alana more than five, but Alana isn’t anyone or anything to Detective Hernandez. But to me, she was everything. I had to stall until I could get the backup that I need.
So I do the craziest thing I can think of. On my fifth loop around, it’s time for action. I aim my sights on the beaming metal poles of the fence about a quarter mile away, flashing my lights square on the closed up section. I pause the truck just for a second before saying a quick prayer up to my grandfather to look after me as I attempt this. And then, without another breath taken, I press play on the truck’s musical options and then slam my foot down onto the pedal, sending the truck lurching.
It’s not the quick, dramatic start I had thought it would be, but the speed dial moves quickly up the loop. 20 miles an hour. 30. 40… 50… 60… 70… It maxes out at 80 just in time to smash through the metal. The sound of the chiming music and the crunching chainlink stuck to the front rims screeches into the night sky. If they didn’t know I was here, they certainly did now. I press down on the break, causing my speed to dim down before spinning out in a huge circle like a high schooler doing figure eights in the supermarket parking lot.
Finally, I come to a stop and head towards the back of the truck. I don’t know what to expect now. With Amy in charge, I have no idea who is on my side and who isn’t. I have to go on gut instinct, and that pit in my stomach is practically screaming at me to run. But I stay put. I wait until I hear the voices of my former men surrounding the truck. They peer in at me from the front windows and slowly make their way to the back.
Against the metal doors, a man whispers urgently, “Boss. Open up. Quick.” I recognize the voice instantly. It’s Perry, one of the newer members of the club who has always looked up to me. I check myself before I let him in. No hair is standing up. There’s no feeling like I need to keep my gun close to me. This is about as good as it is going to get for me. I open the doors quickly so only he can pass through.
Perry stumbles into the truck with his arms held high. The poor kid is only eighteen, but he looks as if he’s been through hell and back with me. I almost feel some pity. No pledge signs on for this sort of political, petty shit. I lower my gun slowly, still keeping my finger on the trigger for assurance. “I’m sorry, Liam. She just showed up with these guys, and we didn’t know what to do. We didn’t know where the hell you were, and --”
“Slow down. Start from the beginning. Tell me what exactly happened and what’s going on now.” I need to keep the kid calm, but the group outside is picking up. I half expect to see Amy standing there with a gun pointed at the truck.
“We were doing normal business when Amy and the Black Mafia stormed in with Mateo and his boys. There were about forty of them. She said surrender or be killed. Winston got popped right in the head. No one can find Jason. They left and then came back with that girl you go with. She’s inside in the main office with Mateo. Amy’s inside waiting for you -- something about some gems or something… I don’t know. It’s crazy!”
“Who is outside? Are they with Amy or are they with me still?”
He peeks over his shoulder, staring out at some of the faces. He takes a moment before he confidently says, “I’m pretty sure they are with you, boss. Amy’s gone nuts. Her taking down Winston changed a lot of minds back to you.”
I grab onto his shoulder as I say, “Here’s what I need you to do…” I lay out my plan for him as simply as possible. All I need from him is a way to get me inside. Those loyal to me would take the outside. The boy nods his head before grabbing my hand, shaking it firmly, and then heading back outside.
He yells out loudly, drawing attention from the group. “Why are we listening to Amy? What the hell has she done for this club…” His voice rises as a crowd begins to gather from the front of the truck to the back. I grab my gun, holding it tight to my chest as I bound out the front passenger side and round the corner of the truck’s engine. No one seems to pay any bit of attention to me. Luckily, they’re too invested in arguing through Perry’s speech.
I sprint towards the door, constantly checking my back as I go. I manage to slip an arm in, grabbing a hat from a rack before boldly putting my entire body inside. With no one around, I charge my way inside like a bull towards red. All around me, Amy’s voice echoes around me as she screams commands to unknown people floors above. At least I knew she wasn’t going to win any fans like that. None of these guys respond to being told what to do, let alone by a woman.
The offices are a few feet from me, easy enough for me to sneak straight to the first one, opening the door just a peak. Nothing. The second room is dark from the look of the space along the bottom. But from the third door, I hear it. There are two hushed voices inside anxiously talking back and forth. I lean my ear against the door, careful that the rest of my body is up against the wall, away from any possible fire.
“What the hell are we going to do? She’s going to come back and find him here… oh shit. I can’t believe it… oh shit!”
Jason’s voice pops in as I realize that he fulfilled his mission. He found Alana. “I need you to stay calm, Alana. We’re going to get the fuck out of here. You heard that music too. Liam is coming for us. He’ll know what to do with the body.”
“Amy is going to have them kill my dad when she sees him. Then she’s going to kill us both. I need you to tell me what to d--”
There’s nothing more I want to do but storm into the damn room and play the motherfucking hero, but the sound of heels on the stairs above makes me retreat to the empty room next door. I close it shut just enough to see the shadow of Amy’s skirt swish against the wall. She adjusts her top and puffs up her hair before walking in, a wide and red smile across her face.
I bound out of the room knowing I don’t have any time to waste. Whatever happened in that room between Alana and Jason meant there were seconds between life and death, and I couldn’t sit back and listen to it happen. There’s a rush of wind as I throw open the door, my gun raised and pointed outwards.
A shot is fired. The blast smacks against something in my body as I fly back towards the door. I open my eyes just in time to see Alana run for me, my name on her lips as she screams a sound I’ve never heard. Jason stands behind her looking more shocked than terrified. He pushes Alana by the shoulders and charges straight towards Amy. Another shot is fired as I watch helplessly as my friend tumbles down with his hands gripping around his stomach.
I try to speak, but the air is sucked straight out of me. All I can muster is, “No… no… no,” as Amy turns towards the only person without a bullet in them. I watch as Alana’s eyes peel open, those beautiful blue pools becoming as stormy as the sea itself. Flecks of light flicker as tears form around the corners. She pleads desperately for her life, but Amy just laughs the way she does with her head cocked back and her mouth wide open.
The gun lifts again pointed straight at Alana’s head. Alana’s eyes close as she begins to count. In the distance, I can hear the signs of my backup. But it is too late. We are done. I manage to cry out “Alana -- I love you!” I want her to hear it, to know it. We’ll meet again soon in a place where we would never have to worry about these dangers again.
Her eyes pop open again at my shout, just quick enough for her to see me dart towards Amy with my arms outstretched. Amy’s thin body collapses underneath me as I can feel us both falling fast towards the hard cement floor. Amy screams, and there is a crack coming from her knee locked between my thighs. The pain is too much for her as the gun drops out of her hand.
“Alana! Now!” Alana leaps into the action, kicking the gun from Amy’s reach. She leans down as I roll Amy face up to me. Alana places the sharp, blood-covered blade of a pair of rusted metal scissors to Amy’s neck. There’s a long pause when no one moves. It’s as if all three of us have taken a timeout to check ourselves, to catch a breath.
Alana begins to sob; her hands shake as she looks up at me with quivering eyes. “I… I can’t do it, Liam. I can’t kill her.”
“Shh. No. You don’t have to do anything Alana.” With my arm still pressed deep into Amy’s bare breastbone, I place my hand upon Alana’s. She lets go of the scissors, letting me take over. “Go check on Jason, and tell me if he’s dead or not. Can you do that?” She scoots backward on her hands as she wipes away a few tears that have stained her cheeks.
“How sad…” Amy finally spits out. “You’re with a chick who can’t even stand a little bloodshed. Trust me, Liam, you’re going to grow real old of that little whiny bitch sooner rather than later. Don’t make the worst mistake of your life.”
Alana turns back around on her heels and walks over to my side. Grabbing the scissors from my hands, she places the tip of them into Amy’s neck so that a small sliver of skin parts under the tip of the blade. Amy gulps and her hands curl. With one, long breath, Alana drops the scissors and lands a fist straight into Amy’s face, causing the side of her head to reverb back into the tiles with a smash. Alana drops the scissors next to me and stands slowly back on two feet and walks towards Jason as if nothing has happened.
Underneath me, Amy is silent. Her eyes are closed, but I can still feel the shallow breaths beneath my arms. I grab a line of extension cord that’s been covered in smears of blood to wrap around her chest, arms, and legs. It would have to do for now. I can hear the sirens growing louder in the distance. The rest of the building seems to have come alive with men streaming out of their hiding spaces and heading out towards the doors for a getaway. No one even pays attention to us.
“Liam…” Alana grabs my shoulders and pulls me back towards Jason’s cowering body.
He’s pale but still moving slowly. His lips have gone dry, and when he speaks, it’s as if it comes from the deepest part of his body, “You gotta get out of here, Liam. Take the girl with you. I’ll be okay.”
Alana looks back at me, her face completely conflicted. She wants to follow Jason’s order. If Mateo’s butchered body is anything, it looks as if she may have some real blood, outside of Amy’s, on her hands as well. But as I grab her hand, entwining her fingers with mine, that whole look of desperation washes away.
“No. We’re not going anywhere. Hang in there. Help is on its way.”
Alana leans her head onto my shoulder as we wait.