JANE

 

Having to spend so much time in Ivory, I almost got used to it. The buildings. The people. The obnoxious exhaust from the clubs riding up and down the streets at night. I had to remind myself that I wasn’t here to enjoy myself. I had a job to do. This would be the last night I would have to spend in this damn place before my job was finally finished.

I grabbed the last of my things from my office and put them in my car. I was just about to leave when I saw a familiar-looking old man step out of the station.

“Agent Lieberman,” Sutton said. “I was just checking in on you. Your office is empty.”

“You can have the space back.”

“We don’t have many detectives around here. It’s not like we need the space.”

“I don’t need it. I think my time here in Ivory is over.”

“Finally solved your case, eh?”

“One way or another.”

The old sheriff leaned back and put his thumbs in his belt. When I looked at Sutton, I saw a man who was too old to do his job. There was no way he was capable of keeping all the clubs in this town in check. I figured he knew about everything but he just didn’t care. It was another reminder that my goal, my only goal, was the Chinese. Once they were taken care of, I could leave this town to burn in the fire that Sutton was unwilling to put out.

“My task force will be checking out,” I said. “We’ll be out of your hair by tomorrow night at the latest.”

Sutton gave me a nod and sighed. Then he turned his head up and stared at the sky.

“Ivory is a beautiful town at night,” he said. “When the stars come out like this, it’s the perfect time to do nothing at all and just enjoy it.”

“Do nothing at all and just enjoy it… That sounds like something you’d do.”

Sutton looked at me with a sly smile on his face. The way he smirked made all of the wrinkles on his face more pronounced.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he sighed again. “Ivory’s got some serious problems with all of the clubs riding around.”

“It’s not my problem. I’m here on a case. That’s it.”

“Sure. That doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate this town for what it is.”

“I’ve been here long enough to know what this town is.”

I slowly took a step toward him, my eyes locked on his.

“It’s a town where the inmates run the asylum,” I said. “It’s a town where people are free to do what they want, as long as they keep it under the table. Ivory is so far away from everywhere else, I guess a little lawlessness is expected.

“I’m sorry you feel that way. That’s not what this town is though.”

“What is it then?”

“Home. Home to honest people. People just living a simple life. People who want safety and security. Ask any citizen of Ivory and they’ll tell you that’s what they get living here. You might think I’m not doing my job but my job isn’t what you think it is. It’s to serve the citizens of this town. That’s more important than anything else.”

“…Then I suppose that’s where you and I differ, Sheriff.”

I headed back to my car and opened the door. Just before I stepped inside, I called out to him.

“Just one last thing… I need to ask you something.”

“Sure.”

“You know what they’re doing. The clubs in this town are doling out their own justice. You don’t have a problem with that?”

He smiled for only just a second before putting his head down.

“You’re right,” he said. “You and I are different. I’ve done a lot of things in my life. I’ve lived here longer than most. The one thing I can say for sure is that whenever I’ve put my head to my pillow, I’ve been able to sleep comfortably. Can you say the same?”

“…I suppose I’ll find a good night’s sleep somewhere else. Thank you, Sheriff.”

“Lieberman.”

He bowed his head then started shuffling back into the sheriff’s department. I didn’t bother waiting any longer before hitting the road.

There was nothing left for me to do in Ivory. All of the pawns were in place. Now it was just a matter of letting it play out.

Sullivan could either confess to what he and his club did, leading me right to the Triads in the process. Or he could take his conviction for Cook’s murder. Sullivan wasn’t stupid enough to do something like that though. A man like him spending time behind bars for something he didn’t do would be pointless. It was a no-win situation for him.

As I headed down the road, the last piece started to fall into place.

I saw someone following right behind me. A lone biker that was moving so close to me that I knew who it was.

I kept moving until finally finding a darkened alley to park in. The bike followed me into the alley.

I got out of my car and saw Sullivan sitting on his ride.

“Sullivan… I was just about to report Agent Cook missing. Are you here to discuss his disappearance?”

“Yeah,” he said. “You won’t have to tell them I did it. I’ll give you what you want.”

I didn’t bother holding back my smile. Sullivan knew I was playing a game with him but I made the rules. I couldn’t lose.

“You’ll have to be more specific,” I said. “There are a lot of things I want.”

“First, I want assurances.”

“You’re in no position to bargain with me—”

“But I am. You pin Cook’s murder on me, you might take down the club, but it doesn’t get you anywhere closer to the Triads. I know the higher-ups aren’t eager to let you spend even more time in Ivory. This investigation has gone on long enough.”

“…Interesting. You think you’re in a position to get what you want?”

“I’m trying to put us in the position so you can get what you want and I get what I need.”

“And what do you need, Sullivan?”

“Leniency for the club. It’s the Chinese who have the weight. The Black Reapers don’t spend more time behind bars than they have to.”

It was a concession I didn’t mind making.

“You have my word,” I said. “The prosecution isn’t interested in your club. Their only serious crimes have involved the Chinese. Whatever petty business you have in Ivory isn’t my concern.”

“Okay.”

“Is that all?”

“There’s one more thing. There’s a girl. Once I do what I’m about to do, she’ll need to be protected as well.”

“I can promise you that you’ll have the best protection we can provide. A club like the Reapers won’t be able to lay a finger on you or her.”

Sullivan exhaled a deep sigh through his nostrils. He still seemed reluctant but he didn’t have any other choice.

“Do we have a deal?” I asked.

He waited for a second before giving me a nod.

“Garnet has a meeting set with the Chinese for tomorrow night. I’ll give you the location and you can come in with your task force. Take them down and—”

“Nice try,” I interrupted him. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You think I’m just going to go to that meeting. In all likelihood, it’s probably a trap. How do I know that Cunningham didn’t put you up to this?”

“Nobody put me up to this. I’m just trying to save my club from a war that’ll get them killed.”

“No. My game. My rules. Tomorrow morning. I’ll meet with you. We’ll leave Ivory. Away from the influence of the Chinese and the Reapers. Once we’re out of town, you can give your confession in complete safety. I want all of the information you have, not some meeting you’re setting up.”

He clenched his jaw. The frustration on his face almost made me smile.

“It’s up to you, Sullivan. This is the only way I can guarantee your safety—”

“Fine. Tomorrow afternoon. I’ll give you all the information you want. But you’re only going to be ending up at the same meeting, trap or not.”

“That’s just perfect for me. My task force will be more than prepared to take down the Triads. You should probably give your club a warning. Maybe tell them to not even show up. There could be some… collateral damage.”

“Just do what you have to do.”

I took a step toward him and held my hand out. He looked reluctant but eventually shook my hand.

“This is the right decision, Sullivan. You know it is.”

He sighed a deep breath and yanked his hand away from me.

“Tomorrow morning,” he said.

“I’ll be at—”

“Don’t worry,” he said, revving his engine. “I’ll find you.”

He backed out of the alley and got back onto the road.

I waited in my car for a moment and went over everything in my head.

Sullivan was going to give me all the details on how the Reapers did business with the Chinese. Even better, I was going to get information on a direct meeting between the two groups. My task force would be prepped and ready for anything that would go down.

After more than a year in Ivory, I’d done it. This stupid game with the Black Reapers was finally coming to an end.