āGo get the door for the policemen I can see outside,ā I called. āAnd tell them you have a DEA Agent in your house so they donāt try to shoot me when they enter.ā
āI already did,ā I heard Annie say as she got closer.
I saw her only a few seconds before she disappeared around the edge of the hallway into the entry way beyond it.
Then the door was unchained, unlocked, and swung open.
Three cops were the next to enter, and I nodded at the one I knew.
āHey there, Officer Kirkpatrick,ā I called to my good friend.
We had drinks every week, sometimes multiple times a week.
I had to do some creative thinking to get away from my wife, and Officer Kirkpatrick, a.k.a. Bullseye, was one of them.
Well, I didnāt do himā¦but I hung out with him.
Often.
And Bullseye had a hell of a wife that didnāt care if I was over there as much as I was.
āWhatās shakinā?ā Bullseye asked.
āThese two men here decided to break into Annieās house. Iām just here making sure that they donāt get off with anything valuable,ā I answered.
The other officer, Antonio Juarez, I didnāt know very well.
He was new, and hung out with the youngāuns instead of us old folks.
Well, I was thirty-four, which wasnāt āoldā per se, but it sure as fuck wasnāt young, either.
āWhatās that in his hand?ā Juarez asked.
I looked down at Howard Ryanās hand, and narrowed my eyes.
āThatās Annieās purse,ā I answered.
Annieās āpurseā was more of a beach bag, and I didnāt know how the hell she found anything in it.
But I wouldnāt know what to do with her if she didnāt have it with her.
Sheād been able to supply me with an ice pack, and a water on two different occasions, so I wasnāt one to complain when it was beneficial to me.
āWell, boys, letās go for a ride downtown,ā Bullseye said, walking behind Howard Ryan and handcuffing him.
Ryan shot me an evil look as he left, promising retribution, and I smiled at him.
Bring it, little boy. You canāt handle this, my look said.
Forty-five minutes later, the cops were leaving with both men in the back of two separate cars, and I was left standing on Annieās front porch with her next to me.
āThank you,ā she said, looking up at me with all sorts of promises in her eyes.
I touched my fingertips to her cheek and smiled down at her.
God, she was beautiful.
Long, wavy brown hair that went down to her mid back. Beautiful, full lips.
A smokinā ass.
Light brown skin that was nearly the color of mine.
She wasnāt Italian like me, though.
She was Puerto Rican, and she wouldnāt let anyone call her otherwise.
Iād give anything to be with her but my life, and name, belonged to my wife.
God, if there was any way I could rewind a year, Iād do it in a heartbeat.
I wouldāve never invited my now wife, Jennifer, to the club party.
Jennifer was the exact opposite of Annie.
Rude, opinionated, and selfish.
Now she was six months pregnant with my child, and I hated every fucking second of my life.
āYouāre welcome,ā I said roughly. āIām gonna have a few men over here in the next few days to install an alarm and make sure nobody can ever do that to you again.ā
āMig, what the ever loving fuck are you doing over there?ā My wife screeched.
I winced and slowly dropped my hand, looking over at Jennifer like one would a pile of fish heads and vomit.
Then I turned around when I saw she was dressed in little to nothing.
How not surprising.