Page 45 of Tooth and Nail

“You’re right, ma’am.”

“Good. I genuinely hope this is the very last time we have to have this conversation, Brown. I want you to stay with us but if you fuck up on a massive scale like this again, you’re out. With something this important, you’re not putting your own life at risk, you’re putting Sapphire’s.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She abruptly stood. “Good. Now, get out of my office, both of you.”

“Ma’am, what about Ralphie?” Ari asked.

Eoghan rolled his eyes, wishing his partner would keep his mouth shut.

“He asked me to pass along a message,” she said, surprising Eoghan. “He wanted you to both know that the—” she hesitated only a moment before smiling. “He wanted you to know that the BMA was alone. He’d been the same one terrorizing their colony on his home planet and also that he and his family are ready to relocate to Mohave where there are some nice caves several miles from a grove of fruit trees. He asked me to pass on his thanks. Without you, his people would most likely have been completely wiped out. He’s very grateful to you both.”

“Thank you, ma’am. That’s good to know,” Eoghan said. He looked over at Ari. “Let’s go.”

“Thank you, Chief,” Ari said.

They walked out of her office side by side. As soon as the door shut behind them, Eoghan stopped them in the hallway. “I’m not done with this. We still need to have a talk.”

“You know, I’m damned tired,” Ari said. “I still have to call an Uber and to be totally honest, Eoghan, I’m not so sureanything you could say to me would make me feel any shittier than I already do. Can we do this tomorrow?”

Eoghan shook his head. “No, we’re not doing this another time. I have things of my own to say to you.” As something dawned on him, he frowned. “Why do you need to call an Uber? Where’s your car?”

“I woke up this morning and I guess—” He looked a little embarrassed. “Maybe I’m living in the wrong neighborhood. When I woke up this morning, my car was up on blocks and all four tires were gone.”

Eoghan stared at him open-mouthed, just long enough for what he said to truly sink in before he started laughing. By the time he finally caught his breath, Ari had his arms crossed over his chest and he was frowning at him. He waved his hand.

“I’m sorry. It’s just…where do you live?”

“I took a room in a house on Hunter Street in East L.A.”

Eoghan puckered his lips as he pictured the neighborhood. “Hunter Street. That’s in Boyle Heights?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Ari replied.

“Well, that’s just perfect. Did you intentionally mean to move into VNE territory?” Eoghan asked.

“Should I know what that is?” Ari asked.

“I should say so. You didn’t wonder why you saw so many gangsters walking around?”

Ari scoffed. “I’ve lived in worse places, Eoghan. There’s plenty of gangs all over.”

“Not like the VNE. They were founded in Boyle Heights in the 1940s and are still one of the most vicious Chicano criminal street gangs in Los Angeles. They have a rivalry with White Fence, a gang that claims to have been founded in 1900, as well as El Hoyo Maravilla whose feud with White Fence goes back to the 1930s. You’re right in the middle of all that shit.”

“What does VNE stand for?” he asked as they started walking back to the bullpen.

“Varrio Nuevo Estrada. They have old ties to the Mexican mafia and are huge within the California prison system which is how I know about them. All the marshals in L.A. get regular briefings about the vast majority of prison gangs because a lot of the time, we’re given jail duty. Just because I’m in the I.S.R. now doesn’t mean I didn’t have to go through regular Marshals Service training. I don’t suppose the marshals in Lexington, Kentucky would have any reason to understand California prison gangs, though,” Eoghan said.

Ari shook his head. “No, until just now, I never knew any of this.”

“Needless to say, I’m surprised they only took your tires. In fact, you should take protection when you go back for your things tonight.” Eoghan sighed. “Fuck it. I’m going with you and we’re moving you out tonight. If what’s left of your car is still there, we’ll have it towed but you’re not spending another night there.”

Ari stopped walking, taking Eoghan’s arm and pulling him to a halt as well. “You can’t just decide things like that. This is my life, Eoghan, not yours. I’m completely capable of taking care of myself.”

“Not inthathood, you’re not. I guess you didn’t notice that you were the only black face down there, right?”

“I—I didn’t see any others, I guess, but I don’t look at color or race or things like that.”

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