Short story collection

Tin Man - Part 6

Denying a Fixer of what was rightfully theirs was a death sentence. If not that, then excommunication. You would be shunned, an outcast. And depending on who it was, you wouldn't sleep a night in the city without leaving one eye open.
  The mere idea of throwing everything away for one woman made Y/N sick. But he fought to be here and now he was in a corner with the biggest opponent he knew, himself.
  Tin Man would have more than likely dropped her on the side of the road. But now all of a sudden it was no longer business when it needed to be.
  The line on the other end rang three times until Rogue picked up. And as much as it pained him, he had to cut through the warm greetings.
  "The Fixer who green-lit Stella Ramos's hit. Who was it?"
  "Stella Ramos?" Rogue said, confused. "I did. Why?"
  "Fuckin'..." Y/N pounded his fist on the dashboard in a fit of rage, startling the police officer beside him. "And who took it??"
  "It's an open contract, why?" The Fixer grew an edge over her words.
  "She's Sasha's sister."
  "I thought you two didn't hit it off."
  "And I thought you had business with her!" Y/N shouted.
  "Not anymore." Rogue sighed. "She's Faraday's now."
  "Faraday." Y/N's grip tightened on the wheel. "Explains why she's left me in the dark for so long..."
  "What's it matter to you, anyway?" Rogue asked, her temper flaring. "Stella's dirty. You'd be doing everyone a favor kicking her to the curb."
  "Yeah, and I'd mind as well put that bucket back over my head. Fuck that." He growled.
  It was so long as she was Sasha's sister that he was forced to help her. He couldn't turn her away now, not after everything he'd been through.
  "Listen," Rogue blew a puff of unseen smoke. "As long as you keep your head down and keep it that way, no one'll be the wiser."
  "No..." He took a deep and shaky breath, calming his nerves. "Got a better idea. You tell everyone that she's under my protection. Pass it off as business."
  "Biz or not..." Rogue said with a solemn shake of her head. "That won't stop most of 'em from taking the money."
  "I know..."
  "The hell are you planning?" She asked, worried.
  "Gonna have to kill the clients." His voice softened considerably, implying the risks. "Then send a big enough message to keep others off her tail."
  "Right." She scoffed. "You don't need a fancy CPU to know the odds are against you."
  "We'll see about that." He sighed. "Have some faith in yours truly..."
  He hung up, leaving a painful and tense silence to take over. Stella couldn't say anything, not in her current position.
  "Disconnect from the Net." He suddenly ordered. "And don't message or call anyone."
  "R-right." She gave a small nod. Her nerves had taken hold for so long that she forgot to do that.
   "When we stop you're right behind me, got that?"
   "Y-yeah."
   "Don't mistake me for a bodyguard." He said coldly. "I'm helping you leave the city. So you better kick it into gear. I'm in this mess because of you."
   "I got it." She shrunk away from his words, obviously ridden with guilt.
   "Can't fuckin' believe this." He murmured to himself before his eyes flared amber.
   "Tin Man." Dakota greeted him with a pleasant smile. "I thought you were outta the game."
   "I am." He sighed. "But listen, I need a favor."
   "Hmm." That didn't surprise the Fixer. "You've done my people good, and I treat my friends better. Tell me what you need."
   "You'll hear it sooner or later, but I need to get a Stella Ramos out of the city."
   "Ramos, yeah, I've heard of her." Dakota practically dismissed the danger altogether. "Lemme ask you this. You have any idea who she is?"
   "A dirty cop." Y/N said, fixing Stella with a momentary glance.
   "Then you know why I have to decline. I'm sorry."
   "Dakota, please." Y/N held the wheel in a death grip and anxiety took its hold over their hearts. "She's—the sister of someone close. You know how many of your people I helped. And never did I question what got them hooked into bad business or why they needed help. You said they were good people and that's all I had to hear. Believe me when I say this, her sister is good people. Now, I'm... I'm getting Stella out of the city even if it kills me. If that doesn't mean anything to you then I don't know what else to say."
   Dakota took a long moment to herself. She mulled it over and fought an unknown battle within. Her reluctance may suggest that she had a bad experience with cops, or maybe they just had an even worse reputation in the Badlands.
   So many things went through Y/N's mind as they came to a stop and he grabbed the pistol from his waist. He was more than willing to stick to his words.
   "There's a car meet over in the Glen." Dakota said with a heavy sigh. Every syllable she uttered emanated reluctance and thinly veiled furry. "Get her there at 8:00 sharp. One of my girls will get her out."
   "Thank you." Y/N exhaled with the grip on his gun loosening. Belt felt sweat begin to bead down his temple, tickling his newly found flesh. "I... I owe you one."
   "Yeah, you do." Without anything else to say, she hung up.
  [Time]
  5:59 PM
  Two hours.
   And that was it. He'd come out of retirement in just a matter of seconds and said retirement was more like a vacation. Everything he had been working toward was gone and he knew it.
His lips curled into a snarl before he slammed a shaky fist into the steering wheel, cracking the plastic framework.
   "FUCK!"
   Seething anger flowed through his veins, clouding his vision and decision-making ability. He'd lost his cool and his focus was beginning to wane.
   He punched the expensive frame of plastic and leather once, twice, then three times. He punched it until his knuckles bled and the bone underneath was threatening to break.
   There were so many things to throw the blame on but he didn't. The thoughts writhed in his mind, picking at his brain with things he wanted to say but wouldn't mean.
  You should've just left me alone. Why'd you have to go and visit me? Whatever gave you the idea that I was still human? It should've stayed strictly business between us... You ruined my life.