Page 59 of The Perfect Accomplice

“Oh yeah?” Lenny challenged, taking a step toward him.

“Yeah,” Hank said calmly.

He didn’t wait for the guy to reach him. Instead he picked up his barstool by the seat and swung it at the guy’s legs. Lenny tried to leap over the thing to avoid tripping. While he was briefly in the air, Hank stepped forward and punched him in the neck just before his feet hit the ground.

Lenny's legs crumbled, and he hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. His body had barely stopped flopping when Hank was on top of him, punching him in the face with rapid, vicious blows. Lenny’s face was a pulpy mess when Hank brought his right arm up over his head, ready to deliver a final, brain-damage-inducing strike.

“Don’t,” someone said firmly from behind him.

He glanced around to see Trevor Tinsley, an old cohort from Valley Bureau. He’d heard the guy had recently been named Deputy Chief of Operations. Gray-haired and craggy faced, the man was scowling. Hank would have happily taken him on too, but Tinsley didn’t seem interested in that. When he spoke again, it was in a harsh whisper. “Come with me.”

He walked toward the back of the bar, near the “employees only” area. Hank, surprised at the man’s reaction, lowered his raised fist. He glanced around the bar. There were about a half dozen guys there. All of them were staring at him in shock, but none of them made a move toward him. He got up and followed Tinsley, ignoring Lenny’s dull moans.

Tinsley walked through the employee entrance to the back, past the small kitchen and stock room until he reached the back door. He turned around just as Hank caught up.

“Nice to see you again, Hank,” he said with a crooked grin.

“You too, Trevor.”

“I see you’re doing all you can to get thrown back into lockup.”

“Are you planning to arrest me?” Hank asked.

“No, I’m trying to help you. Decker’s guys, the ones who are parked out front, assigned to keep an eye on you, are going to get suspicious when an ambulance shows up in a few minutes. They’ll probably ask a few questions. Don’t worry. Once I go back in there, no one will have seen a thing. And I’ll convince Lenny that he isn’t able to come up with a description of his assailant. But you should still go home out this back door, and while you’re at it, wipe the blood off your fists.”

Hank wasn’t sure what to say. Tinsley didn’t seem bothered by that as he continued.

“Were you paying with cash, or did you have a tab going?"

“Tab,” Hank said.

“I’ll get your card and cover your drinks. Eli, the bartender, is a friend and he’ll keep quiet too. This won’t turn into anything, but can I give you a piece of advice?”

“You can try.”

“You need to cool it for a bit,” Tinsley said. “Word is out that you’re trying to recruit people who aren’t fans of Hunt. They are out there. Hell, I don’t love the chick. But she’s extremely popular these days. If you want to knock her off her pedestal, you’ve got to be patient. Lay low for a while, at least for a few months. Maybe Chief Decker will lose his clout or get tossed. The mayor loves him, but I’ve heard some city council members don’t like how hard-charging he is. Once he’s in political trouble, you can dirty her up a little. But right now, you’re headed down a dangerous road.”

“What if I like that road?” Hank asked.

Tinsley sighed.

“Get out of here,” he said. “Go down the alley and wait at the corner. Give me two minutes to clean up this mess. Then we’ll call your guard dog officers inside. When they come in, you can hop in your car and get out of here.”

“Thanks, Trevor,” Hank said. “You’re the first person to show me any love since I got out.”

“I’m afraid this is as far as our romance goes, buddy,” Tinsley said before patting him on the shoulder and heading back into the bar.

Hank stepped outside into the cold and walked down the alley to the corner, just as he was told. He peeked around the corner and saw that the officers tailing him were still sitting in their sedan, parked two cars behind his. While he waited, he thought about Tinsley’s recommendation. He could follow the guy’s advice and wait it out, hoping that Chief Decker lost some power and could no longer protect his star student.

But he knew he wouldn’t. It just wasn’t in him. If he couldn’t get anyone else to help him, then he’d just have to take down Jessie Hunt on his own. Of course he’d think it through so whatever plan he came up with made sense. After all, he didn’t intend to get caught. But it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he did.

It wasn’t his favorite place, but he’d survived in prison before, and he could do it again. One of the things he'd learned from his decades on the force was that if a man was willing to pay the price, he could do just about anything. And Hank was willing to pay.

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

Jessie looked at the clock again. It was almost 9 p.m. She should be home by now.

Instead, she was stuck in this hospital waiting room, hoping to get word on Charlie Warner’s status. He’d been in surgery for a couple of hours, and they’d supposedly get an update soon. Once they had that, they could leave him in the care of the medical professionals and the officers who would watch him until he could be transferred to the infirmary at the jail.

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