The Decoy

Regaining my senses I pulled Jessica to her feet and she went limp almost immediately making me hoist her up and practically toss her into the truck. Next I pulled a pair of leather work gloves from my truck bed and put them on before ripping officer Stanley's radio and body cam off of his limp motionless corpse.

"Why Jonathan why?" Jessica began to wail hysterically. "He was gonna let us go. He didn't even really have nothing on us."

"Bullshit Jess." I grunted as I quickly rifled through the dead man's pockets. "That gun I got in the glove box is hot, Cameron got it off some bum years ago. You got a large sum of unexplainable cash in that giant fucking purse of yours. Not to mention the drugs you have on you at any given time."

"They keep me sane." She quipped, calming down. "Take his jacket and wrap all his electronic shit in it and grab his gun belt too, we'll smash everything and toss it in the river. Snatch his wallet too so it will look like a robbery."

"As dirty as this fucker was I'm sure he was on somebody's radar and they'll assume he got what was coming." I flipped open his wallet and froze at the sight of a portly woman with a stern face holding two crying toddlers. Poor bitch was fighting to keep it all together and this is who she hitched her wagon too.

"C'mon stop jerking him off and let's get the fuck out've here." Jessica barked, popping a pill and then lighting a cigarette.

We made it to the Walmart on the other side of town after tossing Officer Stanley's personal effects into the Cumberland River. Jessica made a brief trip inside where she pocketed a travel sized Listerine and went to the lady's room to quote, "rinse the taste of pork out of her mouth." She also brought me a pack of baby wipes to clean myself up a little. I would have gone in and rinsed off in the men's room but she warned against us getting caught on camera together. If they used the exterior cameras for any reason she would just claim to have borrowed my truck. She walked me through the clean up and disposal process as I clearly didn't have the brain for it. I typically followed the law and flew under the radar with only a few of the rarest moments of me becoming unhinged. Come to think of it she had been there to help then as well in her own crotchety way.

"That was something huh?" I tested her mood, pushing a lock of hair out of her eyes.

"Whatever Lurch did you enjoy the show?" She asked kicking her boots up on my dashboard which she knew I hated. "We're running out've time let's just get to the party Cameron is supposed to meet us there."

"Remind me again why isn't he answering any of my calls?" I asked starting the truck up. "He never ghosted me before."

"Because that asshole Curtis smashed it earlier tonight at my mother's house remember." She snapped, lighting a cigarette and blowing smoke out into the cold, sharp night air.

"Oh." was all I could manage while watching her internally fight to hold it all together just like that woman in the photograph.

Looking up at a cold bone white moon she closed her eyes for just a moment. "I just want this night to be fucking done already."

Jessica squeezed my hand during the elevator ride up to the penthouse suite. She had changed into a teal maxi dress down in the truck forcing me out while she did so. I had seen her don that same dress at the club a few times and knew she had a way of letting it slink off her body in a very seductive way. Plus I know she removed her panties tonight because she left them on the dashboard of my Chevy.

"Wait Jess." I pulled us to a stop after we stepped off the elevator and stood in front of the room where our destiny awaited. "I know those assholes are not paying you thirty thousand to strip at this party. Hell they wouldn't pay thirty thousand for you to fuck all of them. So what's the real play here, tell me before we get in there."

Her eyes softened but never moistened and I knew that was the closest she would ever get to expressing any sympathy. "Oh Jonathan I was hoping you would of figured it out before we got here."

I dropped her hand and backed into a wall to brace myself as my entire body went cold with anxiety. "I fucking knew it. I fucking knew it!"

"It's not as grim as you might think hon, I don't hate you that much." She smirked grabbing both my hands and holding them to her chest. "Besides you jumped off with that crazy shit earlier all on your own. So this should be nothing."

"Just fucking tell me." I growled.

"Well Monty has himself a ton of enemies due to his success in the marijuana business. One of them being less well known..."

"Curtis Barlowe." The name tasted bitter in my mouth.

"Right. He said he'd wipe the debt if me and Cameron helped him rob this party and show Monty he's the new swinging dick in town." She dabbed at the sweat on my forehead. "C'mon now Jonathan stop being a pussy. You know there are fewer things that get under my skin more than sissies, and those nineties porn movies with the slick shiny white dudes with pony tails. Yuck."

"What do we have to do?" I asked pulling away from her.

"You and I did our part, we're here." She said, straightening my Carhartt jacket. "I really go in there and dance for these degenerates while you really watch my back like a normal show. Wait by the door though because Cameron had to run another errand and he'll be here soon. Just let him in and help him when he gets here then we call Curtis and wait on his black ass to get here so he can kick off the robbery. Kay?"

Monty was, I think the word is gregarious. I know he was festive in his ugly Christmas sweater and gaudy diamond rings on almost all of his fingers. He greeted us both with huge warm embraces and praise for our punctuality.

"Look boys I went and got you the hottest slut in Nashville right?" He announced to a mulling crowd of maybe thirty people while holding Jessica's arm up and twirling her to excited cheers.

She told me no more than fifty but it was generous to say thirty with an odd mix of ethnicities and even a few women sprinkled in. Who brings a date to a bachelor party? Scanning the crowd not many faces were familiar to me but I did notice Black Mike in the corner talking to Kung Fu Harry the china man who sold coke to the wealthy elites in Metropolitan Nashville. It sounds racist but I think Harry gave himself that street name. But some of the other hoods still mockingly referred to him as Chow Mein Charlie.

"I'm gonna go freshen up in the bathroom keep an eye out for Cameron." Jessica tapped my cheek lightly, knowing how much I hated it.

I just grunted acknowledgement as she walked off grabbing a drink on her way. Monty sidled up to me clapping me on the back. "Johnny it's been ages. You still kicking asses over at the Foxy Hole?"

"Yeah. I'm second in command now under Doug." I told him.

"You know I would love nothing more than for you to jump ship and come with me." He side eyed me while handing me a cold beer. "But of course you would have to kick ass at my discretion and as you know I thrive in the gray area of legal ambiguity."

"So I've been told." I took a sip of beer.

"You know I still move product on the street level but the real success came when I got into stocks after that shit was legalized in other states." Monty chuckled. "But I could use a strong back like yours for some less than savory assignments. Promise me you'll think about it."

"I don't know I've been at the Foxy Hole for a while now and it's almost paying off."

"What, playing second banana to that chode Dougie? You could knock his shrimpy ass into next week if you wanted to." Monty schmoozed on. "Hey where's Cam you guys came without him?"

"No." I sputtered my beer. "Jess forgot a few of her props and he ran back to grab them. He should be here any minute."

"Props? Ooo..." He fake shuddered. "Try not to work too hard tonight, have a little fun for a change."

The room lights went out suddenly and then a single strand of white Christmas lights lit up, wrapped around Jessica as Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas filled the room. I know, I warned her to drop that overplayed track a hundred times but she wouldn't budge. She wrapped the string of lights over her shoulders while shaking her hips and running her hands over her body suggestively. Still wearing the teal maxi dress, she had added a Santa hat and turned and bent over flashing everyone as they sang aloud to the chorus. They all whistled and cheered at the quick peek at her pretty pink pussy. One of her dress straps slipped off of her shoulder, exposing her left breast, she quickly gave a look of surprise and pulled it back up. She teased them with her dance routine and quick flashes of bare flesh until the song finally ended.

There was a hurried knock on the door as the room went silent for a minute between songs. Then some hip hop instrumental started in slow with heavier bass and Jessica obliged her audience by turning and twerking her bare ass at them. I nodded at Monty to let him know I would get the door and he just raised his glass in appreciation before turning back to the woman bent completely over and lightly rubbing her moistening pussy. Logic predicted that it could have been any straggling guest but I just assumed that it was Cameron out of desperate hope. The short twitchy black kid was a complete shock though. It was possible that he was invited but if so he clearly hadn't bothered to dress up for the occasion with his stained hoodie, wrinkled jeans, and absurd house shoes.

"Aye what up?" He greeted scratching at the day old stubble on his neck. "Aye is this that bachelor party?"

Me being used to rejecting undesirables from the club I naturally fell into that role. "You got an invite? If so you should know there's a dress code."

"Naw my nigga Curtis asked me to drop something off for him." He explained. "Shit my ass was dead sleep. Smoked good and my girl made me this meatloaf and shit."

"Sounds tasty." I said not really caring. "what you got for us?"

"Oh I just wanted to come up and make sure I got the right place before I brought it up. But shit you can bring yo big ass downstairs and help me get it since you here." He looked past me into the room. "Damn ya'll kicking it, got bitches in there wit' they titties out and shit. Maybe I need to stay for a minute."

I turned to catch Jessica with the top of her dress pulled down with her breasts fully exposed, dancing up on the host rubbing her fingers through his gray thinning hair. That sick feeling twisted my gut again as the current situation didn't really make sense to me. Was the robbery jumping off? I pushed the shorter man out into the hall and shut the door behind us.

"Who the fuck are you and where's Cameron?" I asked growing impatient.

"My name Trey nigga and you better back yo big ass up." He reached for the small pistol he had tucked into the sagging waistband of his pants. "They call me Trey Day and I don't know who the fuck Cameron is. So calm yo hyper ass down and come with me downstairs I'm try'na drop this shit off and get back to the crib. Tameka might still be up and let me hit one more time before I go back to bed."

Trey Day just turned and walked off assuming that I would follow him blindly. He led me to an aging Nissan Altima near the top of the parking garage.

"My girl's car." He explained, pulling the keys from his pocket. "Go around the passenger side right quick."

A bundle of guns, gas masks and smoke grenades maybe is what I expected. Not a woman bound, gagged and semi-conscious in the back seat.

"Aye grab that bitch legs and pull and I'll push from this side." Trey suggested, popping the locks.

Anxiety quickened my heart rate again and I felt like I couldn't breathe as I stepped back from the car. Things were beginning to spiral and that usually meant down, down the proverbial drain. I shoved my shaking hands into my jacket pocket and found the grips of my revolver and just held it for comfort and surety. Not wanting to but fully capable of popping off if I had too.

"Yo nigga you good?" Trey asked, twisting his face up with more annoyance than concern.

"What the fuck is this shit." I asked trying to calm myself back down and reclaim some semblance of control. "This isn't a package or delivery, it's a fucking person."

"You ain't never seen the Transporter?" He asked genuinely confused.

"What?"

"That movie where that white dude drove muhfuckas around and..."

"Stop." I interrupted him. "I thought Curtis was supposed to be robbing everyone at this party. Where is he and who is this woman?"

"No shit that nigga Curtis 'bout to hit a lick?" Trey asked, brightening up. "Look I told yo monkey ass already I was at the crib sleep when Curtis called and woke me up. He told me make a run for him real quick to pay off some money I owe him."

"You too?" I asked. "He pulled that same shit on my friend Cameron and his girlfriend. Made them agree to set the host of this party up to get robbed. Cameron was supposed to show up not you. Not this."

"Wait is he that goofy white dude with the mullet and all them damn tattoos?" Trey asked snapping his fingers to bring back the recollection. "That's who I got this bitch from. Went to a budget inn to get her she was already doped up and everything."

"What?"

"That gap toothed muhfucka said he had to run up and snatch her ass out the nail salon. Said he was lucky they wasn't busy 'cause it was right before they closed." Trey explained. "He had to watch her 'til I got there I guess. Told me Curtis was making me drop her off so the two of them could link up. Tipped me a couple dollars too feeling sorry for me, said that bitch had a couple bands in her purse."

I ignored the derogatory remark about my friend because he indeed did have a couple teeth missing from previous brawls, as the picture began to settle and clarify for me. That was probably where they found the twenty grand.

"Ain't none of my business but if you don't feel like this a set up than you a goofy too." Trey warned. "You said that's yo man's right? You trust him?"

"That's my brother." I stated factually. "Is it just the two of them coming because it's maybe thirty people in there and they're all probably packing?"

"Curtis got some shooters on deck but I don't know what the plan is outside of me dropping this bitch off and stabbin' back to the crib." Trey said pulling on a pair of jersey gloves and opening the door to grab the gently stirring woman.

"How are we going to..."

"Look nigga I didn't watch no tutorial on how to kidnap bitches either, so shut the fuck up wit' all these questions and get this hoe out my car." He barked, growing impatient with my hesitancy.

It took a full minute to shake her awake enough to unbind her legs and get her standing. Trey Day sacrificed Tameka's throw blanket from the trunk to throw around the woman's shoulders and shuffle her to the elevator under my arm. To the casual observer she was just heavily intoxicated, and with a raging Christmas party going on upstairs it was very much expected. Trey only followed us as far as the elevators before wishing me luck and offering another grave warning to just get the fuck out. Oh if it were only that simple I thought while gently lowering the slowly waking woman into a corner outside the penthouse doors. Brushing her hair out of her face it was obvious who she was, I knew the moment I saw her in the backseat of the car. Officer Stanley was very accurate with his description of her. Soft delicate Japanese features like in those manga books Cameron sometimes read, but with wide Western hips and a thick, toned American ass.

"Hey." I gently patted her smooth porcelain cheek. "Wake up please."

She stirred opening her eyes and immediately vomiting all over my shoes and pant leg. Sucking in a huge breathe she fixed her mouth to scream. My large hand was bigger than her face so I tried to muffle her cries for help with just my palm.

"No, no, no. I'm just here to help you." I told her unsure if that were really true or not. "Look we're right outside your hubby's door."

"Monty?" She whispered hoarsely pushing my hand away. "Where's Monty?"

My heart ached at the sight of such a beautiful girl crying. "He's right in there but I need to ask you something first okay?"

"I want my Monty." She wept with her trembling lower lip.

"Can you tell me about the man who took you." I asked, fumbling a wad of tissues from my pocket and wiping her tear streaked face.

"What, I was taken?" She asked, completely oblivious to her current predicament. "Why was I taken? Who took me? Where did they take me?"

I bit my lip in frustration as it became clear that she was still under the influence of whatever drugs they used to subdue her, and would be of no real help to me. There was no way I could let anything happen to this gorgeous blubbering woman, but I couldn't just cut her loose yet without knowing how that would affect my brother. Vainly looking up and down the hall nothing came to me. Too risky to take her back to the parking garage and stash her in my Chevy, also way too cold. I couldn't be sure that Trey Day wasn't still lurking to make sure she made it inside the penthouse, he was pretty adamant about it. Unable to afford a room at the Hyatt my options were narrowed drastically to keep this woman safe and close by. I couldn't abandon Jessica, and Cameron was on his way.

"Hey what's your name beautiful?" I tried to cajole her wiping mascara from beneath her eyes.

"You think I'm beautiful." She purred.

"Yeah. Now tell me your name." I helped her to her feet.

"Rylee." She chirped.

"Rylee? That's really pretty." I told her while resituating the blanket around her shoulders. "Listen we're going to go in here real quietly and sneak into the bedroom

to surprise Monty okay?"

"Monty." She cheered clapping her hands.

"No." I grabbed her dainty little hands in one of mine. "No loud noises okay? Monty has his friends over for a very important meeting and we don't want to bother or embarrass him."

"Right." She bounced and those perky 38C breasts hypnotized me. "I'm thirsty too and my head feels funny."

My stomach clenched with anxiety as I reached for the door knob only taking comfort in the fact I didn't have a choice. "Straight to the bedroom Rylee and I'll bring you a drink."

Pausing for a moment the next song started up and the crowd's volume rose letting me know that was as good as it was going to get. The front door swung open and there in the center of the mob was Monty on his hands and knees with Jessica's legs wrapped around his ears, face buried in her tight bald pussy.

"Fuck!" Was all I could get out before the beautiful siren beside me snapped out of her stupor and erupted with anger.

"Monty you son of a bitch!" She wailed snatching a bottle of bourbon off the table and hurling it at him.

It crashed and startled poor Monty who jackrabbited behind the nearest couch.

"Rylee?" He squealed, mortified and utterly confused. "Baby how'd you get here?"

"Someone took me." She shouted tossing a champagne glass in his direction. "I was kidnapped and now you do this? I'm a baddie I don't deserve this bullshit."

There were a few amused giggles as the music abruptly stopped. Monty smoothed his aging hair back and threw his hands back up defensively, mouth working soundlessly as he couldn't comprehend the situation unfolding.

"You know how many men I got lined up waiting for this?" She raged on storming into the living area of the massive suite. "I just turned down this rapper in my DM's yesterday because I thought nooo I got me a real boss who has his shit handled."

"Baby please." Monty began to openly sob. It was quite a gruesome spectacle. "I'll give you whatever you want. I'll make it right."