by Carolina Mac
“Only forty-seven?” asked Travis. “I thought she’d be older for some reason. Is there a picture? How we gonna find her?”
“We’re investigators, remember?” Blaine barked at him across the console. “We go inside the building and we fuckin find her.”
“I have the number here for her campaign manager,” said Lily. “I could call and see where we should meet her. That might be the easiest way.”
“Do that, Lil,” said Blaine. “Save me limping all over hell’s half acre looking for her.”
Lily called and announced their presence. “This is Lily Duke from the Blackmore Agency. We’ve just arrived in San Antonio and Mr. Blackmore would like to set up a meeting with Doctor Rodriguez to discuss her security. Uh huh, that may be true, but I’m sure Doctor Rodriguez has been informed. All right, we’ll speak to him first. Where can we find him?”
“They’re all the same,” said Blaine, “You can’t get within a mile of them to protect them, yet they wouldn’t see a threat if it was pointing a Glock at their fuckin eyeball.”
Travis grinned and kept his mouth shut.
“We have to speak to her head of security first and he’s in the Hyatt restaurant having lunch,” said Lily.
“Okay,” said Blaine. “Let’s go have lunch.”
BLAINE LEANED ON HIS crutches at the hostess station while they waited for a table for five in the restaurant. The hostess returned, counted out the menus and led them to a corner booth big enough to seat them all.
“Can you spot them, Trav?” asked Blaine.
“Yeah, that table over by the window. See that big chunky guy with the two others. That’s probably them.”
“Okay go over and tell them when they’re done eating we want a meeting.”
“Yep.” Travis strode across the restaurant, weaving between tables and stood talking to the men in question.
“They don’t look happy,” said Lily.
“Why would they be?” asked Blaine. “The assholes are being blindsided. We’re here to take over their fuckin jobs and they didn’t see it coming.”
“Will they be our backup if we need them, boss?” asked Farrell.
“Can’t see where they would want to help us out, do you?”
“Guess not. Maybe they’ll shoot us their own selves.”
Mary smiled at Farrell. A girl in love, and she hung on his every word—however crazy that seemed.
“Mary, was your boss receptive to my idea?” asked Blaine.
“He’s become receptive to anything you might come up with, Blaine. Since our circulation has taken a big upturn, he’s one of your biggest fans.”
“Not guaranteeing what kind of stories you’ll be able to submit, but I was thinking more along the lines of a journal type submission that the citizens could follow day by day.”
“Absolutely, like a little serial.” Mary smiled and said, “My boss said to go do it. It would be something the voters would love and something to make them buy a paper every day.”
Travis returned from his mission wearing a smirk. “He basically told us to jack off.”
Blaine shrugged. “Whatever. Let’s eat then worry about who hates us.”
“I’m for that, boss.” Farrell already had his nose in the menu. “What are you having, Miss Mary?”
WHEN THE SECURITY dudes finished eating, the biggest guy sauntered by the table and said, “Suite ten sixty. Fifteen minutes.”
Blaine nodded. “Sure thing.”
Lily put her salad fork down. “They aren’t very polite.”
“Fuck them,” said Blaine. “They’re amateurs.” He took two of his pain killers and downed the rest of his coffee. “Let’s get this over with.”
They took the elevator to the tenth floor and knocked on room sixty. The big guy jerked the door open and Blaine had a good look at him. About two twenty, five ten, mostly muscle, but some of his bulk didn’t look too solid. Travis could take him if he needed to. “Gene Wyman. I know who y’all are, but I don’t have to fuckin like it.”
“No, you don’t,” said Blaine, “and to tell you the truth, we’re not that happy about it ourselves. Now let’s sit down and work something out.”
Wyman pointed to the table in the corner. “You can sit, but I ain’t working nothing out. I’m head of this security team until the woman tells me different and she ain’t said a thing to me yet.”
“Fair enough,” said Blaine. “Where is she. We need to talk.”
“She’s at the salon, getting her hair done for tonight.”
“How long is that gonna take?” asked Farrell.
“You’d do better to ask one of these lovely ladies,” said Wyman, “I haven’t got a clue.”
Blaine grabbed the crutches and stood up. “Thanks for your time. I’ll speak to Doctor Rodriguez and get back to you.”
In the elevator on the way down, Blaine said to Lily: “You and Mary go to the salon or spa or whatever, find her and get a time. I can’t be running around trying to find her.”
Blaine was sound asleep in the RV when the girls came back. “Four o’clock,” said Lily in a whisper. “You can sleep for another half hour.”
DOCTOR VIRGINIA RODRIGUEZ, wearing her best smile, opened the door to her suite at precisely four o’clock. “Please come in, Mr. Blackmore-Powell, so lovely to meet you at last.” She pointed to the seating area by the window. “Please make yourself comfortable and Willa will get you drinks.”
Blaine leaned his crutches against the back of the sofa and sat down. “Thank you for making time for us. I know y’all are preparing for a rally tonight. I want to introduce my team. “This is Travis Bristol, surveillance and recon, Farrell Donovan, dog handler and sharp shooter, Lily Duke is my personal assistant and Mary Polito is my press secretary.”
“You appear to be well-equipped, sir.” She smiled, and Blaine couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was. Her olive skin tone, similar to his own, accentuated by the expensively cut ebony hair and perfect makeup.
Willa served the drinks and Dr. Rodriguez plunked down on one of the bar stools, placing her slightly above the others. “I did receive a phone call from… a friend, but I’m not totally clear on why you and your team have been sent to me.”
Blaine set his Corona on the coffee table. “We’re here to provide security for the campaign.”
“But I already have security. Gene informed me that you approached him.”
“I’m sure he did. Travis tried to speak to him and he wasn’t receptive. I don’t blame him. Our very presence on your tour indicates to Mr. Wyman that his team isn’t good enough.”
She took a long, hard look at Travis before she spoke.
“And is it?”
“No, ma’am.”
“I see. And the decision to intervene was made by…?”
“Not by me, ma’am.”
“Well then, this is interesting, isn’t it?” She checked her watch and from across the room Blaine saw the diamonds sparkle. Cartier. “At six o’clock, we are hosting a dinner for five hundred people downstairs. I’ll have a table set up for your team.”
“Thank you, ma’am. We’ll be in the room at five.” Blaine winced as he got to his feet and tried to get the crutch under his arm.
“Should you be working?” Dr. Rodriguez asked. “When were you shot?”
“Two days ago.”
“She shook her head. That was the State hospital escape, was it not?”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Blaine. “It was.”
“I read about it.” She smiled at Mary, a petite brunette with short cropped hair. “Now I recognize your name, sweetheart. “I always follow your stories in The Statesman.”
Mary beamed. “Thank you, ma’am. I hope I can do justice to your campaign.”
“I already have a press secretary.”
“I work exclusively for Blaine,” said Mary. “Every word I write is from his point of view.”
“Uh huh,” said Rodriguez, “Now that we’re all getting to k
now each other, it would be so much easier if we were on a first-name basis. I hate formality and I’d prefer first names if you don’t find it offensive.”
“Fine with me,” said Blaine. “They boys call me Blacky.”
“I’m Ginny. Happy to have you all aboard.”
Blaine pointed a finger at each one. “Lily, Mary, Farrell and Travis.”
“You have a military look about you, Travis.”
“Major Travis Bristol, US Marine Corp, ma’am.”
“Ginny.”
Travis colored slightly and nodded his head. “Miss Ginny.”
DOWNSTAIRS IN THE LOBBY, Blaine beckoned Lily closer. “Lil, go over to registration and get us a suite. We have to clean up. This is gonna be fancy. Bring me the keys and then get Farrell to take y’all to one of those rental stores. Get us the right clothes and when y’all come back, bring in all the luggage.”
“Yep, I’m on it, boss. I panicked a little when she said five hundred people. I thought black tie.”
“I brought a basic black dress,” said Mary. “It might be okay for tonight.”
“Get whatever for tonight and y’all can shop tomorrow,” said Blaine. “We have to look like we belong.”
At five, dressed in rented tuxedos, Travis and Farrell checked out the huge ballroom. Fifty tables, ten to a table. Gene Wyman and his men were already there and glared at the Blackmore crew rechecking their work.
Blaine sat at their designated table and watched, hoping nothing out of the ordinary turned up.
“Looks clean,” said Travis when he returned. “Should sweep her suite, boss. Wonder if Gene the Machine already did it?”
“If he’s worth a nickel, he should have.” Blaine pointed, “Go ask him, Farrell.”
“Why me, boss?”
“You can take him, Farrell. Don’t let him bully you.”
“I ain’t fighting in a tuxedo. Specially a rented one. Lily had to put up a deposit.”
Blaine chuckled.
THE EVENING went off without a hitch. The ten-course meal was well-prepared and elegantly served, Farrell managed to eat his crème caramel as well as Mary’s, Doctor Rodriguez presented her views and her vision for the great State of Texas to cheers and a standing ovation, and Blaine mellowed noticeably when one of the servers left a carafe of coffee on the table for him.
The crowd wrote checks in support of the candidate, then left when it was politically correct to do so, and the hotel staff rushed in to clear up, so they could go home too.
Doctor Rodriguez held an impromptu gathering for the press in the corner of the room and Blaine sent Travis and Farrell over to be watchful. Mary went along to take notes for her column, and Blaine and Lily remained at the table.
Blaine glanced at Lily’s tiny evening bag. “I guess you don’t have your notepad with you.”
Lily giggled. “Nope, but if you want something done, I’ll try to remember. Tell me.”
Blaine emptied his cup and Lily reached for the carafe and refilled it for him. “I need to know if her staff has been fully vetted. It would also be useful to know if they’d been printed when they joined her team.”
“I’ll find that out in the morning. I’m sure the campaign manager will have a list of staff and all their personal details.”
Blaine nodded. “I didn’t mention it, but you and Mary both look gorgeous tonight.”
“Thanks, boss. It’s fun to get dressed up sometimes and hang with the rich and famous.”
“Since y’all are so dressed up, we should hit the bars for a drink or two before we pack it in for the day.”
“That would be fun. There are bars all along the Riverwalk if we exit on that side of the hotel.”
When the mini-press conference was over, Blaine reached for his crutches and got to his feet. “Let’s get the boys and go out for a beer.”
Gene Wyman glared as Blaine crossed the room towards Doctor Rodriguez, and Blaine wondered if the husky security guard had a thing for the doctor. They were about the same age, but eons apart in a hundred different ways. Oh well, sometimes opposites attract.
Look at Misty and me. Fuck. Don’t want to think about it.
The media dispersed, and Doctor Rodriguez smiled. “All done for today. I think it went well.”
“You were well-received,” said Blaine. “Lots of votes in San Antone for y’all.”
She smiled. “Thank you. Are y’all heading upstairs?”
Blaine shook his head. “I’m thinking we’ll hit a few of the bars on the Riverwalk and have a couple of beers first.”
“Sounds relaxing. Can I come?”
Surprised at her response, Blaine tried not to show it. “We’d be happy to have you join us. Lily, lead the way.”
THE RIVERWALK, a popular place in the evenings, was crowded with tourists and locals alike. The trees along both sides of the waterway were strung with tiny white lights, their reflection twinkling back from the surface of the San Antonio River and creating a magical atmosphere.
As they strolled along—slowly, waiting for Blaine on his crutches—an Irish Pub with a vacant table on their outdoor patio seemed a likely spot. Blaine pointed. “Let’s start here.” He’d already limped along far enough to tire himself out.
Travis grabbed the table and filched a couple of extra chairs that weren’t being used at nearby tables. He held a chair out for the candidate and she flashed him a smile.
Oh, oh. The chick magnet is in high gear.
A waiter arrived at their table moments after they sat down and took their order. An Irish band could be heard playing inside the establishment, although the rowdy patrons were drowning out the vocals.
“This is fun,” said Ginny. “I never get to go out.”
“Gotta have some down time,” drawled Farrell, ex-ganger turned philosopher, “or y’all will get yourself an ulcer.”
“What the hell would you know about an ulcer, bro? All you have is down time.”
“Fuck you, Blacky. You give me plenty of stress.” He rubbed his stomach. “I can feel an ulcer in my gut right now.”
Ginny laughed out loud.
The waiter brought their tray of drinks and as he was serving them, Blaine caught a glimpse of Gene Wyman skulking along the sidewalk alone.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
NEXT STOP: LAREDO. The Rodriguez entourage left San Antonio at nine sharp. Blaine slumped down in the shotgun seat and was thankful Travis was behind the wheel of his diesel. He’d had better days. Between the number of Coronas he’d consumed the night before, and too much activity on his wounded leg, his head was about to explode with two varieties of pain. He’d tossed back more than the recommended dose of pain pills at breakfast and they hadn’t started to work their magic. He put his shades on and closed his eyes as Travis turned onto the interstate.
“Fun time last night, eh, boss? Miss Ginny doesn’t act high class or nothing—tons of fun.”
“Yeah, it was fun. I haven’t been out in a long while. Nice change.”
“Maybe this whole tour won’t be so bad after all,” said Travis. “Might turn out all right.”
Blaine turned his head and stared at Travis across the console, trying to get a read on him. “You ain’t getting any ideas about the candidate, are you, Trav?”
“Hell no. Not that she isn’t gorgeous, fun and only a few years older than me—I’ll hit fuckin forty on my next birthday—going down that road would turn into some kind of politically incorrect disaster.”
He’s been thinking about it. Hard.
Blaine nodded. “Long as you see it that way.”
ANNIE ARRIVED alone at Fayette Memorial at the start of visiting hours, her heart heavy with sadness for Jesse and full of regret for what had happened with Race. The guilt she felt was more than she could bear.
Lost in her depressing thoughts, she barely noticed the nurse at the desk waving her over as she rushed towards the cardiac unit.
“Mrs. Powell, can I speak to you a moment?”
A
nnie turned and stopped at the desk. “What is it?”
The nurse hesitated then blurted it out. “Doctor Quantrall doesn’t want you visiting his brother. I’m sorry.”
Tears burned behind Annie’s eyes and she nodded.
I deserved this, but I still want to kill Brian.
With tears trickling down her cheeks, she retraced her steps, took the elevator down and met Tyler crossing the lobby. He grinned when he saw her, didn’t notice the tears and opened his arms for a hug. “Leaving already?” He whispered the question into her long black hair.
Choking back a sob, she said, “Brian banned me from seeing Jesse. It’s no more than I deserve.”
“Aw, come on, baby, maybe you deserve it in some ways, but is Brian thinking about what Jesse would want?”
“Brian is thinking medically. I’m sure he thinks Jesse doesn’t know what’s best for him. We all know what a terrible patient Jesse has been in the past.”
“Yeah, Jesse isn’t good at following Brian’s orders, that’s for damn sure,” said Tyler. “I’m sure as soon as Jesse is stronger, Brian will let you see him.”
Annie shrugged. “I have to see him. He’s my husband.”
“You’re saying the husband word again, Annie. Are you forgetting that he divorced you?”
Tears spilled from the gray eyes. “How could I?”
Tyler pointed to the seating area in the lobby. “Wait for me over there and we’ll go for a coffee.”
Annie nodded.
JESSE OPENED his eyes when his brother touched his arm. He tried to smile but wasn’t sure if he succeeded or not. “Hey, Ty. How’s our baby?”
“She’s great.” Ty smiled at the mention of Charity. “Brian said I could bring her every day when you get your own room.”
“Good. I need to see her. Where’s Ace?”
“She’s waiting downstairs. Umm…”
Jesse raised his hand an inch off the blanket. “Tell Brian…”