by Kara Parker
“What’s the deal?” Grace asked and he could hear the excitement and interest in her voice.
“I don’t want to talk about it over the phone. I want to talk to you in person. Business only, like you want. But I’m putting a lot on the line here, Grace, and you have to meet me halfway.”
“Fine, the normal spot?”
“No,” he said. He glanced out of his window, pushing the curtain aside. He could see a grey car sitting outside on the street. Was there someone in there? Was that the glow of a cigarette? “I’m being watched. Something is up with the gang, I don’t know if they’re jealous or on to me, but I can’t leave tonight. It would look too suspicious.”
“Well, having a cop show up might look suspicious, too...”
“Then don’t look suspicious.” He closed the curtains “Be here in half an hour,” Falcon said as he hung up his phone. He forced himself to stop looking out the window. He needed to stop trying to figure out what the Screaming Eagles knew and focus on what he knew. He was about to embark on a huge operation and he would need to work closely with Grace in order to pull it off.
Except Grace didn’t want anything to do with him. He had to admit it hurt. He had been thinking about her nonstop and she wanted nothing to do with him. She didn’t want them to be together like that and Falcon had to be okay with that. He wasn’t okay with it, but he would have to pretend to be. Besides, there were other stakes, bigger stakes. The Screaming Eagles could not find out he was working with the cops.
In less than a thirty minutes Falcon heard a loud knock on his front door. He walked to the door and opened it and then his jaw fell open. It was Grace, all right, but it was not Detective Santiago. Detective Grace Santiago was a strong and tough woman who busted bad guys for a living. The woman in front of him looked like a prostitute.
She looked phenomenal. Her long hair had been blown out and it hung in thick curls around her neck. Her green eyes were lined with dramatic black and blue eyeliner and eye shadow. She was wearing a low-cut, short, tight, leopard-print dress and a pair of black stilettos that made her as tall as Falcon.
Falcon’s jaw fell open and he took a step back. His eyes kept moving all over body. He started with her eyes and then he couldn’t help himself and looked down at her well-supported breasts that were pouring out the dress; he could see a lacey black bra peeking out. He looked down at her long and luscious legs and had to resist the urge to reach out and touch her.
“You gonna let me in?” she demanded, putting her hand on her hip.
“Yeah,” Falcon muttered stepping awkwardly aside to admit Grace through the door. He glanced across the street and saw the grey car was still there, but he still couldn’t tell if someone was in there. Stop looking, he ordered himself and he closed the door firmly behind him as he walked inside.
“Why?” It was all he could say as he stared at Grace, taking her all in as she stood in the middle of his apartment.
“I didn't want to arouse suspicion,” she chided him. “I know how bikers think, I know what they want, what they like.”
She needed to stop talking like that. He couldn’t stand there with her dressed like that as she talked about needs and wants and likes.
“Holy shit, your face looks terrible,” she said as she tossed a purse on Falcon’s faded couch.
“Yeah,” he said, reaching up to touch his tender nose. “It was fight day.”
“Does the other guy look worse?”
“Definitely,” he answered with a nod.
“Well, I can’t talk to you like this,” she said shaking her head. “Where’s your bathroom?” She grabbed Falcon by the wrist and dragged him to the bathroom, which happened to be connected to his bedroom.
With just a few steps they could be on his bed tearing their clothes off of each other. But that’s not what Grace wanted; she had said so herself and Falcon wanted Grace to want him. He didn’t want to pressure her. He wanted to let their natural passion drive them to satisfaction.
Falcon put the lid down and sat down on the toilet as Grace dug through his medicine cabinet and pulled out gauze, alcohol, and bandages.
“Wow, you certainly have a lot of drugs in here,” she said as she rifled through a series of prescription bottles covered in different names. “Jerry Howell, Jake Berenson, Cassie, who are these people?” She asked.
“Believe it or not motorcycle gangs don’t have the best medical coverage,” he said with a shrug. “So, sometimes we help each other out. Plus, the fights are really hard on us, but people want the fights to continue, so the painkillers are like an added bonus.”
“Good to know,” she said as she took an oxycodone out of the bottle and with a little shrug and a smile she swallowed it quickly.
“Bad girl,” he said with a shake of his head and without thinking he reached out and stroked the top of her thigh where the dress ended. It was so short he wasn’t sure how she could sit down in it, but he was eager to find out.
“No,” she said, pulling away from him. “We can’t do that; it’s going to destroy this investigation.”
“We’ve had this argument,” Falcon said with a sigh. She had stepped out of his reach so he just stared at her with naked longing. “Why are you fighting this? It’s not going to ruin anything. And we both know that when it comes to me, your resolve isn’t that strong. So why don’t we go to my bedroom so I can give you one last taste of what you’re saying no to.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Grace shook her head and sighed as she ran the bathroom tap. Once the water was warm she ran a washcloth and rinsed it out. Falcon was obsessed with the movements of her long fingers. He watched as she ran her hands under the warm water and the droplets left trails along her skin; he wanted to follow those trails with his tongue. But she had said no and so no it had to be.
She tilted his chin up and gently wiped the warm, wet rag along his skin. The cloth came away faintly stained with blood. She continued to clean him, her fingers moving from his chin to his arm as she finished cleaning his face and then moved on to his arms. Falcon closed his eyes and let himself relax. He had never been touched like this. He had never been cared for. Her hands were gentle and delicate and her movements were slow and patient.
She turned his chin this way and that as she blotted his cuts with alcohol and when Falcon winced she blew cool air over the cuts to soothe the pain. She cared for every inch of him. When she was done, Falcon opened his eyes and looked up at her. In that moment he realized how hard he had fallen for her. She caressed his cheek before carefully putting all of the first aid supplies away and washing her hands.
“Drink?” Falcon asked as he stood. He took a deep breath; it was a struggle to keep his eyes open. He felt pleasantly exhausted; it was normally a sensation reserved for post-sex bliss, but here it was. Just being around Grace made him feel better. He wanted to touch her, even something as chaste as a hug or a kiss on the cheek would have been enough. He wanted her more than he wanted anything else.
“Sure,” Grace said. “Do you have any whiskey?”
“Do I have whiskey?” he demanded as he walked to the kitchen. “If there’s no whiskey in this house it means I don’t live here anymore.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw her smile and his heart swelled. For the moment an image of her smile was the only thing he needed. He loved it when she smiled or laughed, he loved being the person who got that reaction from her.
He poured two generous glasses of whiskey and pushed one towards Grace who took a delicate and lady-like sip. It took all of his energy to not stare at her. He could have watched her all day, adjusting her skirt, or glancing at her reflection in the mirror; these little moments made her seem that much more real to him. She was a real person with a real job and dreams and ambitions; she existed outside of Falcon. Every girl he had ever been with, other than his ex, was shallow and solely focused on drugs. They had no life beyond the club and their next score. The only friends they had were fellow junkies and their families had
written them off years ago. But not Grace, she was almost larger than life.
She was the one woman who could finally tame Falcon. If he could be with Grace, he would never want to be with another woman again. He would spend his life figuring her out, listening to her as she unwound the story of her life. It would be enough to just be with her; it would make him happy in a way nothing else had. He would wait for Grace, forever if that was what it took. There was no one else like her and she was worth it.
“So, tell me about this big score coming up. Who’s in charge?” Grace said as she sat down at the scratched-up kitchen table across from Falcon.
“I am,” Falcon responded.
“What?”
“I told you I had big news. You were the one who took forever to call me back.”
“What’s the deal? What’s happening?” Grace demanded, ignoring Falcon’s accusation.
“The boss has set up a backup warehouse outside of Echo Park. I need to get the truck to the docks without any issues. I can use all the resources I want.”
“What are you moving?” Grace asked, taking a long sip of her drink.
“The same stuff as always: MDMA, meth, and pseudoephedrine, plus some lab grade equipment. But it’s a lot. The boss wants to clear the warehouse and I know he needs the cash.”
“How much?” she asked breathlessly.
“About four million dollars worth.”
“Holy shit,” Grace said sitting back in her chair as her eyes went wide.
“And I’m giving it all to you,” Falcon said. He looked into her eyes and he held them there. He wanted her to know how much of this was for her and her alone. He was giving this bust to her; it was for her. “But there is potential bad news.”
“You think they suspect something?” Grace asked, breaking their eye contact and looking down into her almost empty drink.
Falcon stood up and grabbed the bottle of whiskey, pouring them two more drinks before sitting down again.
“Things were weird after the fight. Normally when I win the guys are all over me, congratulating me and thanking me for winning their bets for them. But today, it was like a was tainted or something. No one would talk to me.”
“It doesn’t mean they suspect anything,” Grace said, shaking her head and sending her curls cascading over her shoulders. “They might just be jealous of your success, or maybe they had bet on someone else this week. Don’t start looking for problems, Falcon. You need to act like you’re on the level, and hunting around and trying to figure out if people know your secret is the worst way to keep that secret.”
“Yeah,” Falcon said with a nod, but he wasn’t quite convinced. What she said made sense, but Falcon wasn’t sure if he could do it.
“You don’t need to worry, Falcon,” Grace said, and she reached across the table and took his hand in her own. She squeezed his finger and when she went to pull away, he held on tightly.
“What if it’s a setup?”
“My team will protect you. I promise. Anything happens or anything goes wrong we will come in and we will get you. I promise you, Falcon. We’re going to make this bust and get you out of there.”
He liked the feeling of her hand around his. He didn’t realize how much he had missed her touch until her skin was on his. He couldn't help himself; he ran his thumb over her knuckles, feeling her soft skin under his rough touch. She didn’t pull away. She stayed where she was and they both watched the movement of his finger as if they were hypnotized.
Finally, she pulled her hand away and Falcon let her go. But he missed her touch the second it was gone. He wanted her to be in his arms, he wanted to run his hands through her hair, and hear her moan from his touch.
“It’s funny,” he said. “This was what I wanted for the longest time. I used to rant and rave about how unfair it was that the boss never noticed me or the work I did. Now that I have it, I don’t really care, or want it.”
“You might not want it, but I sure as hell do,” Grace said giving him a smile. “This is a huge deal for me, Falcon, and you, too. This could be enough to get you out. And then once you're out and safe we could do some real damage against the gang. We could bring them all down.”
“Wait,” Falcon said. “What do you mean once I’m out and safe. I thought we were bringing down the Screaming Eagles together?”
“We are,” Grace said. “But there’s no way you can go back to the gang after we bust this shipment. That’s three times you’ve been associated with a deal that went sideways. They won’t be able to overlook it again. It will be too dangerous for you go back.”
“So, what then? I help bring in other gang members, work with you? What?”
She looked down at the table as she weighed her words, finally after a long silence she looked up at him and said, “after this, we’ll need to move you into witness protection.”
“What about Sophie?” Falcon asked. He felt sick and lightheaded and he knew the answer to the question before Grace even opened her mouth to speak.
“We think it would be better if Sophie stayed with her mother. We would fake your death, so the Screaming Eagles would have no cause to go after them.”
“You’re asking me to leave my daughter behind?” Falcon demanded, ripping his hand away from Grace’s. What she was saying was impossible. He couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Falcon, just listen to me,” Grace said, reaching to grab his hand but he pulled away from her.
He abruptly stood up, knocking his chair over as he backed across the living room until he ran into the counter.
“Falcon, I can explain this.” Grace said as she stood and walked towards him, her arms outstretched in an appeasing gesture.
“Witness protection was never part of the deal!” Falcon screamed as he slammed his fists down on the counter.
“Keep your voice down,” Grace hissed at him as she glanced towards the window. For a moment they both froze and stared at the window, waiting to see if anyone outside listening was going to come bursting in. But after a few moments of silence they both relaxed.
“I am not going into witness protection.” He stood tall. Grace had slipped out of her tall shoes and she was now a little shorter than he was and he loomed over her. He was twisting his fingers into fists, clenching and unclenching his hands as he searched for anything he could hit or break or smash.
“Why not?” Grace said. “It would protect you and your daughter forever. You would never have to worry about the Screaming Eagles again.”
“I did this so I could be with my daughter. I did this so I wouldn’t be another deadbeat loser in jail. I don’t want to be her absentee father that she never sees. I did this so I could watch her grow up and be there for her when she needs her father, and now you’re telling me that you want to fake my death and put me in witness protection? No! We had an agreement and witness protection was not a part of that.”
“Falcon, I cannot guarantee your safety. We can get a lot of the Screaming Eagles, but there’s no way we can get all of them. Word will get out that you helped us and there are limits to the protection we can offer you.”
“So, I put my life on the line, I betray my gang, and I get nothing!? Why would I help you now?”
“You are in too deep now to back out, so don’t try and threaten me, Falcon. Do you think it was easy for me to put you in witness protection? You’re an ex-biker gang member with a rap sheet a mile long and a connection to over half a dozen unresolved homicides. I’ve been working my ass off to put this together for you. That’s why I’ve been so hard to reach. I’ve been dealing with endless layers of bureaucracy to keep you safe, and I’m not letting you walk away from it.”
“No, Grace. It’s the one thing I didn’t want. I want to be there for my daughter. I can’t disappear on her and Kelly. I don’t want her growing up not knowing her father.”
“Then you need to get a time machine and go back fifteen years and not join a biker gang. This is
it, Falcon. We don’t have a lot of choices. I don’t want to keep you out of jail just so you can die from a hit in a back alley somewhere. For better or worse, Falcon. You joined a gang and you’ve done a lot of illegal, jail-worthy stuff. You could easily look at a lifetime in prison. You have the deal clearing you of all charges, but if something else comes up, something not related to the Screaming Eagles or this investigation, I might not be able to help you.”
Falcon shook his head and walked away from Grace. He leaned against the counter, pressing his palms into the cheap counter top. He shook his head as he tried to find some other solution. He couldn’t leave Sophie; he couldn't leave his life. He couldn’t let her be that girl who didn’t have a dad.
“You have money saved up for Sophie and we could send more her way, as well,” Grace said softly.