✔Vengeful Valentine

Fifteen: Adam

Late that cold February morning, I hung my head down as I made my way into the alleyway near Magnolia cafe. My nose burned from the stench of my brother's unwashed coat. I just had to grit and bear it for a little longer. Behind me, my colleagues waited in different areas, ready to jump in if things took a turn for the worse.

Leaning back against the brick wall, I pulled my phone out to check the time real quick. I still had about five minutes. Archie promised the White Dragon would show up after contacting her on a different cell phone he couldn't bother to call his family with. It was a cheap flip phone that wouldn't trace jack shit. Dealers were clever in handing those phones out. It helped keep them anonymous and stay in touch with their clients.

A text on my iPhone popped up from Everly, and I couldn't resist responding back. She'd cooked dinner for us. Boneless ribs, mashed potatoes, and macaroni. Just reading it made my stomach rumble. I'd be so relieved to get home to her.

Police sirens echoed nearby. They were awfully close too. It wasn't any of my crew, was it? Nobody communicated with me on my com, hidden in my ear under my beanie hat. Curiosity got the best of me, and I emerged from the dingy alleyway. Where the fuck was my backup? The two unmarked vehicles were nowhere to be found. Was Chris still waiting inside Magnolia Cafe with officer Delilah O'Hara and Lansing? I couldn't tell.

Something bad must've happened to make them take off without a word. Maybe we got an interference in connection somehow? We were in the middle of an important undercover operation. I needed all eyes on me to catch this dealer. I sent a text to my partner, Chris, hoping he knew what was going on.

Before I received a response from him, a young woman came up behind me. Her red hair flowed in the wind as she tugged her leopard-print hood over her ears. She possibly had more freckles than detective Bailey.

"You got the money?" she asked.

Shit. The White Dragon had arrived, and I was out there all alone.

Nodding, I pulled out my wallet and handed her the crisp bills. "Exact amount. Count it if ya want."

She did exactly that. I didn't blame her. I'm sure many addicts tried to get away with cheating them short. The White Dragon wasn't quite who I expected. How did somebody so young and pretty like her become such a notorious dealer?

There was no time to wait for backup. I had our suspect right where I wanted her. Ours coms appeared to be down too, as nobody alerted me of the deviation of the plan and none of them seemed to realize our suspect was there.

"What's your name again?" she asked. "Archie told me but I forgot."

"Dave," I replied, using our fake name.

"You look an awful lot like Archie. Are y'all related by any chance? Cousins maybe?" She thumbed her fingers through the cash in her hands.

"Nah, just friends."

"Cut the crap, Adam. I know exactly who you are." She pocketed my money. "Don't worry. I won't kill you. The cops would come after me in a heartbeat. I'm just here to warn you to back off."

Son of a bitch. My cover was already blown. Craning my neck out toward the sidewalk, I expected my colleagues to come to my rescue. But nobody showed up. Fan-fucking-tastic.

"Why?" I asked her, rubbing at my ear under my hat. "You're putting yourself at risk by showing your face to me. My guys will be here any moment now."

"No they won't. You didn't think I showed up alone, did you? My guys are keeping your people busy, don't worry. We used a jammer to block your coms too, so don't even bother," she explained.