Canary by Tijan

37

Raize

Asquad car was pulled over on the side of the road a half mile from the house, that pissed me off. Hitting my lights, I turned onto an abandoned road and crawled forward, getting out of sight. Considering we were out in the boondocks and the road was gravel, I doubted he saw me or anyone else going past.

This car was the first I’d spotted out here.

I was clearing the car when Jake picked up my call.

I heard the music first.

“What’s up?”

Fucking hell. I was being too nice. We were not friends.

This was Ash’s fault. I liked when people were scared of me.

Now this. Now all this friendly attitude.

“You got a cop staking the house,” I snapped. “What the fuck are you guys doing?”

“What?” He pulled away from the phone and yelled, “Cave Man, hit the music. Any alarms going off?”

I could hear Ash asking, “Who is that?”

A thudding sound came over the phone, and his voice sounded even more distant. “It’s the boss. He’s saying there’s a cop watching the house.”

I could hear Ash’s voice murmur, but couldn’t make out the words.

“The perimeter alarms are flashing,” Cavers said. “I got eyes on the cop.”

I growled into the phone, “I need a name.”

And I waited.

There was murmuring from their end, and whatever that thud was seemed to be blocking Jake from hearing me.

“Fucking hell, Jake!”

“What?” That came from a distance, then another thud and his voice came back, clearer. “What’d you say, boss?”

“Whatever the fuck you just did, don’t ever do it again. I may not be able to kill you since Ash fucking cares about you, but I’ll put a goddamn bullet in your ass. You getting me now?”

“Yeah—I mean, yes, sir. Boss. That won’t ever happen again. What’d you say earlier?”

“I need the cop’s name. After that, get your guns and your ass outside. I’m flushing him up to you.”

“Cavers is looking him up. He says his name is Martinez.”

That’s all I needed. I hung up because my waning patience.

A cop on their front yard and they didn’t know?

I wanted to do damage, but fuck. Needed to deal with this first.

There was good coverage around the house and driveway with thick forest, but I cut through an abandoned field, working my way around. Veering closer to the driveway, but still hidden by the trees, I flashed a light toward the cop.

Any good cop would pull forward to find out what was going on, and he did.

He inched forward, keeping his headlights off, which was smart.

When he was closer, I flashed the light again, farther up the driveway but still in the woods. He turned in, inching forward.

If someone came to the house, the protocol was that Ash would get on the channel and listen. The guns would head out and surround. Jake and Cavers were waiting on the driveway—just standing there with guns in hands. They weren’t raised or aiming, they were holding them.

As soon as the front of the squad car hit the driveway, he got a clear view of them.

If he was going to call for backup, he would be doing that now, but he wasn’t.

Ash would’ve alerted us if he had been. Instead this guy paused, waiting, and I moved in behind him.

Then he shot forward in the driveway, turning his lights on. He let them shine on Jake and Cavers.

He was smart, which I knew from the file I had on him, but I wanted to know what had tagged us for him. He wouldn’t have driven in if he was here for anyone off the books. He was in his squad car, wearing his uniform, and he’d opened his car door and stood just behind it. His gun was drawn, but he kept it angled down a bit. He waited, scoping out Jake and Cavers.

I rounded behind him, right at his trunk. I could’ve rested against it if I wanted, but I held off, waiting to see how he’d start this conversation.

I didn’t wait long.

He raised his head. “I’m here for the girl.”

Jake and Cavers both saw me, both saw I was waiting.

I wanted Jake to talk to him, get information out of him.

Jake frowned, but took a step forward. He kept his voice friendly. “It’s my birthday tonight, and we were doing some celebratin’, so you’ll have to be more specific. What girl are you talking about?”

Barking erupted inside the house. Gus had gotten to the garage door and was clawing to get outside.

The cop straightened and almost took a step back, but instead he raised his gun. “I got a notice that a girl matching a missing person was seen in town. Got another tip that the same girl was shopping in the grocery store earlier this evening. And I’m standing here telling you I’m not leaving until I clear this girl.”

Just then, the screen door opened.

Ash stepped out, her face like stone as she came forward. “That girl looks like me?”

The cop’s shoulders sagged, and he nodded a couple times. “Yeah. She looks like you.”

Jake and Cavers exchanged a frown, and Ash moved past Jake.

“Hey.” He held a hand out, warning.

She only had eyes for the cop. “You got a poster or something?”

Jake and Cavers shared a look.

I knew who was on that poster. And I knew it would send Ash into a tailspin.

Determination flashed in her eyes and she rolled her shoulders back. Her voice got hard. “Show me.”

I could see it on the passenger seat, and after scrutinizing her, the cop holstered his gun and reached for the paper. He offered it to her.

She stared at it, her head bent down.

She was so still.

Jake had locked on her. Cavers frowned in his direction, but to no avail.

Jake moved forward a step. “That someone you know?”

Ash didn’t answer him.

She looked up, her eyes flicking past the cop to me before returning. “Can I keep this? Do you have copies?”

“Ma’am.” The cop was being all gentle now. He nodded to the paper. “Is that you?”

She looked at it again, and I didn’t like the look in her eyes, or the way her jaw seemed to be jerking around. She shook her head. “No.”

“Beg your pardon, ma’am, but…” If he could’ve lowered a hat out of respect, folded it to his chest, he would’ve. His hand moved to the top of his car door, and his fingers curled around it. “You could be the girl’s doppelganger. I’ll need to ask for your identification.”

Ash reached for her pocket and handed over a license. It would’ve been a fake. I watched as the cop added a sticker to the front before handing it back. His move was smooth and practiced. He’d been prepared—that sticker was on the inside of his wrist. Jake and Cavers wouldn’t have noticed anything.

Ash looked at the sticker and without a beat said, “I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t have any water here.”

The cop’s shoulders tensed. He grasped the car door tightly. His voice dropped low. “Are you sure, ma’am?”

She raised the poster again. “Can I keep this?”

He scratched the back of his head. “Don’t know why you’d want it if it’s not you.”

She started to backtrack, but paused and looked at the paper again. Her words were muffled because she wouldn’t look up, away from the poster. “She’s my sister.” Then she did look up, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Her voice was strong. “I didn’t know these went out, but I know who took my sister. I’m trying to find him.” Her eyes got hard. “There’s nothing for you here, officer. I’d suggest you leave.”

Jake’s gaze moved to me, his eyes narrowed.

Cavers watched Ash go back to the house, open the screen door, and slip inside. A second later, Gus moved away from the garage door and a second door closed inside.

The cop reached for his radio. “Now, I don’t know what’s all going on here, but I think—”

Now it was my move, and I did it by cocking my gun.

The sound was clear, distinct.

The officer stopped talking, his hands in the air, and at that moment, I moved in, placing my gun at the back of his head.

“This is the time where you get into your car, Officer Martinez. You call in that you’re off-shift and instead of stopping to see your partner for the usual dip you do with her, I suggest you head straight to your wife and your two sons. I suggest you appreciate what you have because tomorrow, your wife may not get to her shift at the local cafe and your sister may not get to your house where she watches your children.” I let the silence settle a moment. “But if you do as I say, nothing will happen to anyone. In the morning, you can call in a house fire at Mrs. Rominsciez’s home because it will be long burned to the ground by then.”

I moved in closer and reached around him, taking hold of his gun. He tensed, but didn’t stop me as I eased the gun from his grasp. “But I’d like a guarantee, and I think you’d hate to have your gun used in a murder, especially that of your own loved ones, so I’m going to keep this gun. When you return in the morning, it will be wrapped up.” I tapped his left shoulder. “I need you to see where I’ll put it.”

He looked, and his hands flexed in the air where he’d been holding them.

“See the clump of white birch down there?”

He had to swallow before he grated out, “Yeah.”

“It’ll be behind the second tree, so no one else finds it before you get here.”

He couldn’t see me, but his eyes were down. He was trying to see my shoes. I’m sure he was trying to memorize every detail of me that he could get.

“You’re cartel?” he asked.

“Something like that.” I nodded to Jake and Cavers, signaling them to head back inside.

They did, but slowly, grudgingly.

“I know your job is about doing the right thing, and I get that. I do. But you came alone, and you didn’t call for backup, and you knew you had to figure out what to do when you saw my men waiting for you with guns in their hands, because if you backed up, they might’ve started shooting. You knew that, too. So, I’m not saying any of this to stroke your ego, but I am saying you did the best you could in a situation without enough cops to police all the territory.You were smart about it.”

I cleared my throat. “Here’s my very real warning to you, though. In a week, maybe two, you’re going to start rethinking who we are, and you’re going to remember what that girl told you—that she’s the sister of the missing girl. Because of that, I’m telling you right now that you won’t remember her. Ever. Not any of us—not the dog, not the men, not me who you won’t even get a glimpse of. Because if you do, I won’t send men for you. I will come myself. If you disregard this warning, you and your entire family will go to bed one night and none of you will wake up. I’m that kind of killer.”

I waited, letting him process that, and then I gave my last instructions. “You’re going to get in your car, you’re going to wait three seconds, and then you’re going to reverse and go home to your family. No calls except to say you’re ending your shift.”

I started to pull the gun away, and he lowered his hands. “How’d you know I haven’t called in yet?” he asked.

I eased back. “Because you never do until you go home to your wife.”

Yes. I did my research, in every town we visit.

He noted that, an odd look flashing over his face, and then he got into his car.

As his taillights faded, I went into the house.

Jake and Cavers were already packing everything up.

Gus bounded up to me, jumping and wanting attention.

I ignored him. Well. Fuck. I gave him two pats and went to find Ash.

She was in the office, packing as well.

She looked up. “I’m fine. Take one of the guys to go get your truck.”

“What was on the sticker?”

Her eyes flickered. “If I needed help, I was supposed to offer him water.”

That was smart—really smart. I nodded to her.

Jake was waiting for me at the door, his keys in hand. Not one word was spoken as we retrieved the truck.

When we got back, the Suburban was packed. We left two hours later, after clearing everything out and making sure the fire would burn fast. We ditched my truck an hour into the drive, wiped clean.

It was an hour after that when Cavers broke the silence. “Gus needs food.”

“I gotta piss,” Jake added.

“I’m sorry about your birthday, Jake,” Ash said.

Birthday? I hadn’t known.

He shrugged before glancing my way. “Don’t be sorry. I got a different show.”

I’d had enough. “It’s harder being the good guys. Think on that. Everyone else, shut up.”

We rode in silence as Gus’ tail beat against the vinyl.