“Yes. This can bring you the closure you need. This can get your sister the justice she deserves.” Domino looked me in the eye as he said this. He was trying to get it to sink in that this could end. I could get justice for what happened to my sister all those years ago. I knew what he was saying, but I still wanted this target dead.
“The target should be dead so he can never do this again. That will be justice.” Eye for an eye. Even though her body had never been found, it was assumed she was dead. I’d never had her declared dead. I always would hope.
“But we can’t be the ones to do that. We just have to find the girls he has now, find him, and turn him over to the police, then get the girls home.” Domino was getting puffed up. He wanted me to agree and share all my notes on the investigation I had been conducting for the past sixteen years, then let the police handle it. I wanted to find him and kill him for what he did to my sister.
“Domino, I will make you no promise that I won’t kill him. I will help you however I can. But I will protect myself and any others from him.” I stood up. I needed to get my laptop so I could share all my research. “I’ll be back.”
I stalked out of the room, turned the corner, and ran down the two flights of stairs to my armory. I had a desk set up so I could do my paperwork comfortably. I grabbed my laptop and box of USB sticks that held my backups of the info I’d collected over the years. I ran back up the stairs. I would need a good workout after this to blow off the steam this was creating. Hopefully Tarzan would be around. He was a good sparring partner for me, and the leader of Team One. He was also the one I was closest to. We had been SEALs at the same time, though not on the same team.
I took everything upstairs. I set the USB sticks between Hack and Gena. I sat with my laptop open. “So, what do you want to know about Moses?” I asked the group.
Chapter 4
Mary
“Mary? You here? I got your dinner!” Rosa stuck her head through the doorway. She had used her key since I was lost in my sewing project.
“Oh, Rosa. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lose track of time,” I said, getting up so I could take my dinner off her hands. “Thank you for dropping this off. What did you make today?”
“A little of this and a little of that,” Rosa said, smiling at me.
“Thank you. I have no idea what I would do without you.” I gave her a hug. Taking my plate from her, I set it down on the counter.
“You would eat whatever takeout you could find, not my good home cooking,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Too true,” I said.
“Are you coming for dinner on Sunday? Or do I have to send Hector to get you?” She was watching me for my answer. Rosa was about fifteen years older than me. She was shorter and had black hair, brown eyes, and dark skin. Rosa had decided, when she first moved in, that I would join her and her family for Sunday dinner since I couldn’t cook and didn’t have family around to eat with. I always looked forward to it. It felt good to be a part of something.
“I will be over at 4. Hector won’t need to get me. I promise,” I said. Hector was her oldest son. He and his younger brother, Andres, cooked with Rosa at the restaurant. Her oldest daughter, Julia, was mine and Rosa’s accountant. Her youngest daughter, Lita, short for Rosalita, was Rosa’s right hand. She kept the front of the house running perfectly. Rosa’s husband, Abe, was the neighborhood handy man. Her family was wonderful, and I was so grateful for them. Before Julia graduated high school, she’d helped me with my taxes. Now that she was a CPA, she took care of all of it for me. Abe took care of everything that needed a handyman around my house. “I’ll be there. Thank you for adopting me all those years ago,” I said, giving her a hug.
“Ah honey, how could I not? Your parents retiring to Florida and leaving you here all by yourself? I couldn’t let you fend for yourself. You would have burned down this house and the rest of the block if I didn’t.” She laughed at me.
I laughed with her. It was no secret that I couldn’t cook. I had no patience for it—no talent. When my parents left, I ate salads, sandwiches, yogurt, and take-out. That was it. Then Rosa and her family came up from Texas to be closer to Abe’s family in Chicago. Rosa bought the restaurant around the corner and the house on the corner. It was wonderful; it meant I could get a hot meal whenever I wanted. After eating dinner there for two weeks straight, Rosa confronted me and found out I didn’t cook. We made a deal. She would feed me dinner and I would come to Sunday night dinners for a very reasonable price. Once she figured out, I could embroider her logo on all the uniform shirts, that also got worked into the deal.
“So, when are you going to go out for a date again? It’s been a while. Sitting here sewing is not going to get you babies,” Rosa said.
We had this conversation at least once a week. I wanted to date, but it was not easy to find someone decent to even talk to. I was hoping that the man I had talked to would be different, but I was not ready to get my hopes up yet. I was only twenty-eight. I had time. “I don’t know, Rosa. I’m not even looking right now. After the last one and his mother, I just needed a break. Maybe a nice man will find me if I’m not looking for him.”
“Well, I hope so. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she said and left.
After I ate my dinner, I walked around my house, straightening up. I loved the colors I had chosen for the inside. Dark hardwood throughout with white trim. I had kept much of the original woodwork through the house and had it stained dark. I had chosen a light, medium, and dark teal to have painted throughout the house. It was my favorite color. I had a Chicago bungalow. It was a craftsman-style house that had been in my family for three generations. My grandparents had built the house. My parents had added a garage. We had an alley and it was nice to have my car back there, rather than fighting for parking on the street.
When my parents first moved out, I had hired a contractor to remodel and update the house to accommodate me. I’d had the living and dining rooms combined to make my sewing room. I’d had the kitchen redone so I had a peninsula to eat at. There was room for two. The rest of the rooms had been redesigned to give me a large bathroom, a large bedroom, and a sunroom that I used as a TV lounge. One of Abe’s cousins and his wife took care of my yard and made it a showcase to show off to their potential clients. They had given me a great deal. How nice your yard looked was a big deal in my neighborhood.
In my sewing area, I had a desk up against a wall, and my huge sewing table for the machines took up the middle of the room. I had a few task chairs around the room to use at the desk and at the machines. I had a TV and recliner in there too. There was lots of storage, as I had fabric and notions everywhere. It was where I spent most of my time. I could also have clients over and take care of their needs comfortably.
Chapter 5
Ammo
“Ammo, I’m done.” Tarzan was trying to catch his breath. “Talk to me instead of trying to kill me, will ya?” He was sprawled out on the mat where I’d just planted him. He had agreed to spar with me. He knew I was trying to work through everything that was going on with this case and my sister.
I was also sprawled out on the mats. We were in the Forces gym. It was the floor above my armory. It had everything but a track to make sure we all stayed in top physical shape. Free weights, weight machines, treadmills, and a sparring space. Gena and some of the Forces ladies really liked Zumba, so I had a TV set up so they could do that in the space. I also found a yoga instructor who would come every Saturday for the group who liked that. I was catching my breath and sat up. I was sweating and my T-shirt was soaked. I kept my legs out in front of me and leaned back on my hands.
“I still can’t believe after all this time, he hasn’t been caught, and I haven’t heard about her since the last asshole who bought her.”
I didn’t like sharing this. I had found it was better to keep my own counsel so others could not see how obsessed I was. Tarzan was still lying on his back. He had thrown his arm over his eyes. He was over
six-five, and heavy with muscles. He was a good six inches taller than me but that didn’t matter. He was the one who could take my moves and really fight with me. Most of the guys could not keep up. A SEAL through and through—until an IED took his lower left leg. Most never knew though. I could tell when it bothered him from overdoing it.
“Ammo, I’m really sorry that you have no idea what happened to your sister. I wish you had closure with that. As for Moses, from all the research you have on him, he’s good. But we’re better. You’ve done an amazing job on your own for the last sixteen years, but now it’s time to let your friends help you. Can you do that? Can you let us help?”
“I’m trying. He needs to be stopped. He has destroyed thousands of lives. He must be stopped before he can destroy more.” I had caught my breath. It was then that I realized that I’d never checked my phone to see if Mary had contacted me. I ran my hand over my hair and slid it down my face. Ugh, how was I going to do this and get to know Mary? I would just have to tell her that the timing was wrong.
“Ammo, talk to me. You just thought of something—what was it?” Tarzan had sat up and was staring at me.
Great. I sighed. “I really don’t want to talk about it.” I hoped he would drop it.
“Too bad. I’m not going to let it go.” He smiled. Shit, he would make it a mission until I told him.
He got up and started looking around. He took off towards the benches where we had left our things, including our phones. I scrambled after him, but he grabbed mine before I could reach him. He could be so fast. I was glad to see that, after the work he put into his recovery.
“Hmm, let’s see. What would your passcode be?” I thanked my lucky stars that I had it locked. He wouldn’t be able to see the messages.
“I wonder …” He typed something in. “Ammo, that was too easy.” Ugh, I lay back on the floor and threw my arm over my eyes. Here we go. “Your sister’s birthday should not be your passcode, my friend. Think of something else. Now let’s see here. Oh, what’s this? Hope you have a good day. I’m about to start mine. I didn’t catch your name. And a smiley emoji. Ammo, is this a girl? Oohhh! It is. Her name is Mary. Wait … Mary. Is this the seamstress who helped with Eve and Hunt?”
I just growled at him. I was trying to decide if I should just go lock myself in my training room or if I could take him down and get my phone back.
“I will take that as a yes.” He closed my phone and held it in his hand. He sat down next to me as I still lay on the mat. He put himself within my reach, I could not believe he was going to make it this easy for me to kill him. “Ben, I really want you to listen to me. You’re my best friend amongst many other things. You have the toughest, gruffest exterior out of all of us. Eight years ago, when you took that leave to see if you could find your sister and Moses, you almost didn’t come back. If Moses had not gone silent, I don’t think you would have. We’re approaching a similar road now with hunting Moses. I really don’t want to lose you, and I don’t want you drinking like that again. But I think you have the solution right here. Ben, hold onto Mary and let her connect you to the real world. From what you told us as you investigated her, she’s a good person. Let her pull you back from jumping off the deep end.” He put the phone down on my chest. I was thinking about what he said. “I know it seems easy to say to her, ‘hey, something came up and I can’t do this right now,’ but don’t. You’re going to need her. And I think you really like her. I have never, in all the time I’ve known you, seen you converse with a woman.”
I didn’t say anything. He was right. I’d never had a relationship with a woman. Sure, I’d had some Frog Hogs, they were women who hung around certain bars in specific hopes of sleeping with a SEAL. I had planned to tell her “not right now,” but he was right. As soon as I started hunting Moses, I would lose myself. Just like I did eight years ago. Maybe she could be that connection to keep me from losing myself. Maybe this could work. Ugh, how was I going to make this work?
“Stop overthinking it. Just go for it. What’s the worst that could happen? You find out you don’t mesh and then move on. Or it could be the most amazing thing ever.” Tarzan smiled. I was sure he was thinking about Jenn.
“John, thanks, man. I will try. It’s all very new for me.” It was time to give this a chance. He put out his hand to give me an assist up. I took it, but I was not going to let him go that easy. I pulled him, flipped him on to his back, and pinned him. “Don’t touch my phone again.” I got up, took my phone, and left him on the mat. He was laughing. I was going to take a shower, then call Mary. First though, a text.
“My name is Ben. Is it all right if I call you in an hour?”
I sent it off and walked upstairs. A few of the teams were still going to be working out, and the last ones out would clean everything up.
“Hey, Ammo!” Domino called as I hit the top of the stairs.
“Yeah, what’s up?” I asked as I walked into the hall to catch up to him.
“You better after your spar with Tarzan?” He was heading out the office to his home next door. I got in front of him to hold the door open, so he didn’t have to fight it and the chair. I kept telling him to just spring for automatic openers. He declined, saying it was better not to depend on something that was not always available.
“Yep.” I let the door close and opened his door for him. I followed him in and shut the door behind me.
“Good. Ammo, I need you to be honest with me about everything with this case. The second I feel you aren’t; I will pull you.” He looked me in the eye when he said that.
“I know.” I looked back at him, holding his gaze.
“Okay. I plan on relaxing tonight. Tomorrow morning, the norm?” he asked.
“Yep. See you bright and early.” I nodded at him and left to go back to my apartment above our garage. With Domino’s disability, he preferred if I was in the house when he was showering. The one time he’d tried when I was not there, he had fallen. He had split his head open and bled everywhere. After that, we had decided it would be best if he waited for me and didn’t play Macho Man. We had a two-car garage next to the house. It held Domino’s accessible van and my car. I walked up my stairs and went straight to the bathroom. Mary had sent me a smiley face again, so I assumed she was expecting my call. I wanted to shower, change, and throw something together to eat.
Chapter 6
Mary
“Hello, Mary?” He sounded nervous.
“Hello, Ben?” I giggled.
“Yeah, how are you?” He chuckled a bit.
“I’m good. How are you?”
“Better now that I’m talking with you.” He sounded relieved.
I laughed. “I am glad I could make your day better.”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “How was your day?”
“I had a client this morning. He was a bit creepy. He constantly watched me. But I was able to finish everything and got home by three. I worked on a quilt I have been piecing together for a while until Rosa brought my dinner over. I ate, then went back to my quilt until you called. How was yours?” It was nice to share.
“Well, I got a project that I’m not happy with at work. Then I had a great workout with my best friend,” he explained.
“Why are you not happy about the project?” I asked. I tried to project my feelings of concern in my voice.
“The project stirs up lots of things that hit very close to home. It’s hard to deal with.”
“I see. Do you want to talk about it or talk about something else?” I asked. I wanted to keep him on the phone. It was so nice to have someone to talk to. I really liked his deep, gravelly voice.
“Something else for now,” he said.
“Okay. I started sewing when I was a young girl. My aunt Helen taught me how to piece fabrics together to make quilts. Even though I sew all day long, I come home and work on my quilts. I’m piecing together a quilt for myself right now. I also have to finish working on one for my friend Rosa’s daughter.” I picked a to
pic that I hoped was far removed from whatever he was working on.
“You have mentioned Rosa twice. Who is she?” he asked.
“She owns the Mexican restaurant on the corner. She, her family, and I all live on the same block and we all help each other. She makes sure I don’t have to eat my own cooking. She has four kids who help too. Rosa’s husband is the handyman; his cousin is the landscaper. We’re all very close. She adopted me when my parents retired to Florida,” I explained. I was sure I’d bored him to death, but maybe it would take his mind off things.
“That is really special—having friends who are as close as family. It’s nice to see you have a hobby that you can enjoy even after sewing all day. So, you don’t cook?”
Wow, he was paying attention and catching details. “No, sadly, I never could. The biggest problem is I get distracted and then forget about it. By the time I remember, it’s burnt to a crisp. So, Rosa and I worked out an agreement and it’s perfect for us. What do you do for a hobby?” I wanted to see if I could get him to talk about himself a little.
Ammo and Mary Page 2