Kiss With a Fist

"What's the matter?" he asked, seeing the beginnings of tears form in her eyes.

"I heard the guys talking earlier. I know you're going to hit a Crips safe house later tonight."

"You know the rule, Darcy. They put one of ours in the hospital, we put ten of theirs in the morgue."

"Those Crips are crazy, Eddie. You could get hurt."

"Me and the boys are going in with Israeli surplus Uzis the boss got. Our snitch inside the Crips camp tells us they have a shipment of drugs coming in. We're going to take them by surprise and make those bastards pay for what they did to Jack."

"It's still too dangerous, Eddie, and you know it."

"Quit worrying," he said nonchalantly, throwing on his leather jacket. "I'll be all right."

Darcy grabbed his collar and looked straight into his eyes. Her blue irises seemed larger than ever, looming so close to his. They shimmered with wetness that she was struggling to hold back.

"I don't care if you fuck Miranda, or anyone else. I just want you to come back in one piece."

They kissed. Her tongue waded inside his mouth and sloshed from side to side and her grip on his jacket did not relent.

"Dad is probably going to be out on parole by Thanksgiving, so we can finally have dinner like a family. You are not allowed to die on me before that."

"I'll keep that in mind," he chuckled. "Although he might not exactly approve of me as your boyfriend. He used to be a cop, after all."

"I don't fucking care about that," she wailed. "He isn't perfect either and he knows it. None of us are. You just promise me the boys won't have to give me any bad news at the end of the night."

"Word," he said, picking up his bat. "Now if you'll excuse me, I had better get going."

"I'm coming too," she said, swinging her legs off the chair and following after him.

"To Uncle Louie's?"

"No, you fucker. To teach that two-bit whore Miranda a lesson. If she thinks I'm gonna give my man up to her without a fight, she's got another thing coming."

Eddie sighed, not having the time or the energy to talk her out of it.

"If you get arrested, let Captain Sullivan know. He's on the take from the boss and will make sure nothing happens to you."

"Got it," she said, striding out with purpose in her stride.

He stood in the doorway and watched her receding form intently, her sumptuous ass swaying from side to side as she walked. She was crazy, she was violent and she was capable of unmatched passion.

... And he wouldn't have her any other way.

****

EPILOGUE

The Sunset Motel on Glenmore street is the archetype of the seedy, no-strings attached, sleazy establishment that suits hookers. No one from the clerk at the counter downstairs, to the many married men with their dates for the night gave Eddie a second look as he and Miranda giggled to each other and made their way to their assigned room.

He shut the door behind them and then sat down on a relatively clean part of the sofa. Miranda sat on the bed at close to him and grinned. Her assets were clearly visible through the minimalist fabric around them.

"What do you want tonight, Miranda?"

"So many things," said the brunette, licking her lips while her appraising eyes roamed over him. "While we're in this room, you should call me Detective Clemens."

"Okay, Detective," he sneered. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"For one, you can tell your crazy girlfriend to keep her hands to herself. She went postal on me at the club earlier. I almost blew my cover when I tackled her to the ground. Thankfully, none of the guys around were sober enough to know what a police tackle looks like."

"I'm sorry about that. Must be her time of the month or something," Eddie lied. "Is she okay?"

"She was so sloshed that one of the bouncers had to dump her outside. I'm sure the cops picked her up. She'll spend the night in the drunk tank before your buddy, Captain Sullivan, lets her out."

"And what the fuck are you thinking shooting up Crips? Our jobs aren't any easier without you starting gang wars. We'll spend the night scraping them off the walls."

"Boss' orders," he shrugged. "I got what you wanted though. The boss has put me in-charge of his arms shipments. I get to be with them all the way from the docks to the warehouse."

"That's great," Miranda said. "Now make sure to find out all you can about the arms - names of dealers, routes, anything."

"Asking too many questions is generally not good for my health. If the boss or any of his guys gets the least bit suspicious, your confidential informant will be fish food."

"Make sure you stay alive, jackass," she retorted. "This is our best chance to take out the entire O'Reilly operation in year. I've got something for you."

"A wire? Are you fucking kidding me? Anybody sees me wearing a wire, they'll cut it right out with my guts."

"We need recorded evidence if anything is going to make it to court," Miranda said, rummaging in her bag. "Take this. It's a button with a miniature recorder. It will send a live feed directly to us."

"It's too risky. O'Reilly has too many cops on his payroll. If one of them is part of your operation, we're done."

"This operation is tight, don't worry about that. Only me, my lieutenant and a couple of other detectives know. We're going to weed out all the dirty cops soon enough, make no mistake."

"What about my end of the bargain?"

"You'll have the fake IDs for yourself and Darcy and a bag full of cash when it's all done. Where would you like to disappear to?"

"Someplace small. Not Boston. Not Chicago. Not Los Angeles. O'Reilly has people in the big cities."

"You got it. Just after we've recorded your testimony, you can be off to wherever you want."

Suddenly, Eddie heard the doorknob turn. Miranda grabbed his jacket and yanked him to the bed beside her just as the door opened.

"What the fuck, Ryan?" Eddie yelled. "Can't you see I'm busy here?"

"Sorry, Eddie," said the young man with a sheepish grin. "The boss wanted me to ask you where to put the drugs we took from those Crips bastards today."

"Just put them in the old warehouse for now. I'll get there and then we'll decide how to split them."

"You got it," the kid said. "Oh and I ran into Darcy earlier. She looked pissed. Now I can see why."

"Fuck off."

Ryan shut the door behind him and walked off. Eddie rolled Miranda off his body and got up. Her hands snaked around him and he felt her warm lips on the back of his neck.

"You know... Darcy already thinks you're cheating on her with me. Correction, knows you're cheating on her with me. There is only one reason you bring a stripper to a place like this. Why don't we have some fun while we're here?"

"I don't care what she thinks or knows," he said, wrestling her grip off him. "I'm not sleeping with someone else. I love her and she knows that."

"C'mon, Eddie. This time next year, you'll be in small town Iowa under another name with Darcy. Why not make a few memories of New York before that?"

"Nope... No way."

He got up from the bed and put the recording device in his pocket. Miranda looked at him longingly.

"In a different world, I'd be all over a guy like you. Darcy's a lucky girl. I hope she knows that."

"Thanks. Now if you'll excuse me, I've 'banged' you for long enough in here. Let's go before we have another interruption."

Eddie went straight back to his place and crashed amidst the smell of vodka, pot and cocaine. A helping of marijuana helped him idly dream of the future. He would take Darcy far away from the pain and misery of her life. He promised himself as much as he drifted off.

He was woken early next morning by a persistent banging on the door. Bleary eyed, he unbolted it and the door burst open, hitting him in the face.

"I knew it. I knew you couldn't resist that whore, Miranda. I met Ryan at the bar and he told me everything."

Eddie Dyer sighed, already bracing himself.

****