Squeeze Play

by Pierce, Nicolette

“I don’t drink,” he said, testing the lock. “The door works. I kept the same locks so you don’t need to remake keys.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “Will you give me your number? I really do need help getting into an office.”

  “I don’t have a phone,” he said.

  “Why not? They’re cheap enough that anyone can afford them.”

  “It has nothing to do with money,” he said. “I’m off the grid. I don’t have a phone, a license, credit cards, or anything that can be tracked.”

  “Can a person just hop off the grid if they choose?” I asked, wondering if that was a future option.

  “What grid?” Mya asked. “Are you talking slang again?”

  “I’m sure you hear a lot of slang from David,” I said. “He probably has a whole arsenal of slang words.”

  “He’s different with me,” Mya said shyly. “He protects me from everything, including himself.”

  Huh.

  For the first time, I caught an unfiltered glimpse of their relationship. It would be in David’s nature to protect Mya to the point of editing his own vocabulary. And even with all his protection, she was continually in danger because of the people around her. Including me. I wasn’t prepared to go the lengths that David did to protect her, but having her here suddenly made me nervous. It was time for Rat to leave and for Mya to go home.

  “How can I find you?” I asked Rat.

  Rat tossed his tools in a bag. “When will you be ready?”

  “Tomorrow night,” I said.

  He gave a nod. “Be ready at midnight.”

  “Thank you,” I said, amazed he was willing to help.

  He looked up. “Don’t thank me. If there is any sign we’ve been spotted, I will desert you. Like I said, I’m rarely detected, but others haven’t been as lucky. Also, if you tell Remy, consider yourself on your own.”

  “I understand.”

  Rat headed out the door. “Midnight. Wear black. Bring something to cover your face.” The door closed behind him without the customary click.

  I crossed the room and slid the bolt in place, relieved that he was gone.

  Maybe this was a mistake.

  Mya dug through her purse. “How come my phone always falls to the bottom of my purse, and the things I don’t need are at the top?”

  “It is a puzzle,” I said, taking a sip of wine. “You could always get rid of unnecessary items.”

  “Get rid of unnecessary items?” she repeated as if I spoke Greek. “Everything in my purse is necessary. Just not right this moment. Where is Frankie?”

  “He should be back soon. He went to pick up a few more things and dinner.”

  “Finally!” She held up her phone in triumph. “Oh, it looks like both Greyson and Caleb called.”

  Both?

  Her blue eyes pinned me. “Have you been avoiding them too? Are they calling me to find you?”

  “I’m lying low,” I repeated the excuse, dodging her stare.

  “That’s an excuse and you know it. Is it because you can’t decide?”

  I shook my head. “No. It’s because I have decided.”

  A smile brightened her face. “Who?”

  “I’m not saying who. At least not until I let the other one know.”

  “When are you going to do that?” she asked.

  “Soon.”

  Or never.

  “Should I text them? They should at least be told you’re okay. I was really frightened when I saw the news.”

  “Yes. I’d appreciate it.”

  “How did you decide between Greyson and Caleb?” she asked curiously. “I don’t think I could decide between two men I loved.”

  “I didn’t decide, not really anyway. When the apartment exploded and the door pinned me, his face was there. I knew right then he was the man I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. It’s not that I don’t love the other just as much, but it’s a different type of love. I can’t explain it.”

  “You don’t have to. I understand. I’m just happy you were able to decide. But why aren’t you with him now instead of sitting here in an empty apartment?”

  “It’s not so empty anymore.”

  She nailed me with the look again.

  “Since Rat is gone, I’ll tell you. Someone is trying to kill me. I don’t know who and I don’t know why. David and Remy are out looking for possible leads right now.”

  “Why didn’t he tell me?” she asked, hurt.

  “David protects you. He doesn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

  “This isn’t about my feelings, although they are hurt. It’s about you. That explosion did a number on you,” she said, taking in my bruises and broken wrist.

  “Actually, this was the result of a different attack. Amazingly, I walked away from the explosion with minimal damage. However, I am still coughing up black stuff.”

  “Two attacks?” she squeaked.

  “I better explain,” I said. “Do you want some more wine?”

  “I still have most of my bottle left.”

  I looked at my empty. Another one wouldn’t hurt. They’re small, I reasoned.

  * * *

  “I have pizza and two hot men!” Frankie announced upon his entrance.

  Greyson and Caleb? Here? Oh, no! I scurried from the chair, toppling it over in my escape. I landed on my hands and knees with a thud. I gasped as pain shot up my broken wrist.

  “Still as graceful as ever,” Remy said, his lips tugging up at the corners.

  “Oh. It’s just you two.” I sighed a breath of relief.

  “I think we should be offended,” David said, stepping around Remy. He froze. “Mya, what are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here.”

  “Oh? And where should I be?” she asked in a deceptively sweet tone.

  “At home!”

  “But I’m not. I’m here with my friend,” she said with the same sweet tone that almost defied argument with its simplicity.

  “I said I would take care of everything,” he said, gauging his wife.

  “Or, you could have told me the truth. You knew Nadia was here the whole time.”

  His eyes accusingly shot over to me.

  “She already knew I was staying here,” I said, tossing the look back at him. “If you had told her the entire story, she wouldn’t be here right now.”

  “I thought she’d want to come over and end up hurt.”

  “Well, she did and she is hurt.”

  His assessing eyes raced over her body.

  “I’m not physically injured!” Mya’s hands fisted on her hips. “You’re what hurt me.”

  David looked confused. “I was only trying to protect you.”

  “Well, now I’m doing the protecting,” Mya stated.

  “What do you mean?” David asked.

  “Until Nadia’s attacker is behind bars, I’m going to be at her side,” she announced with stubborn determination.

  “That’s not necessary,” I said. “You’d be safer at home.”

  “I’m staying here with you,” she stated. “If David can help you, then so can I.”

  “This is ridiculous,” David said, running agitated fingers along his jaw. “I only wanted to keep you safe.”

  “I’m ridiculous?”

  “I didn’t say you were ridiculous,” David backtracked then realized he didn’t want to. “You’re coming home with me. Someone tried to kill Nadia twice. If you were with her, you could have been killed. What if they attack again?”

  “Then you better find the killer first, because I’m staying with her!”

  Veins throbbed in his neck until he visibly forced himself to relax. With a decisive smirk, he asked, “What about your clothes and shoes?”

  She paused and her hands fell from her hips. David continued smiling, confident that he had won, until she glanced up. “Nadia survives without them. I can survive too.”

  “The whirlpool tub?”

  “I’ll survive.”

  “The soft mattress
?”

  “I’ll make do with an air mattress.”

  “Me?”

  She hesitated and then took a steadying breath. “I survived before without you. I’ll survive again.”

  Chapter 17

  I watched as Mya slept on an air mattress. Her blonde curls tumbled around her small face. She looked peaceful even though I knew she wasn’t. After David and Remy left, it took three mini bottles of wine before she finally stopped crying and passed out.

  She was a welcome distraction. Thinking about her problems allowed me to forget my own. It had taken five more minutes of arguing before David realized his normally docile wife wasn’t giving up the fight.

  Good for her.

  I wrapped a blanket around myself and settled onto my own air mattress, wishing the copious amount of wine I’d guzzled down would have the same effect on me as it had on Mya.

  An excavator and a bomb. He obviously has some skills.

  When will he attack again?

  * * *

  “Do you think we should paint our faces black?” Mya asked the next night.

  “I don’t like the fact that you’re coming,” I said, watching her pull her hair into a ponytail. “David will have a coronary if he finds out.”

  “He won’t find out,” Mya assured. “You and I won’t tell anyone, and we know Rat won’t tell either. He’s too afraid of Remy to let anything slip.”

  “I wonder why he’s afraid of Remy,” I said. “I mean, I’ve told Remy on several occasions that he has the mannerisms of a caveman, but otherwise I don’t find him scary.”

  “David’s told me a little about when they served in the military together. I wouldn’t say Remy is scary either, but according to David, Remy has had to get out of worse scrapes than David ever had to—which is saying a lot considering everything David went through.”

  “Did David tell you what kind of scrapes?”

  “Not really,” Mya said with a shake of her head. “You know he’s always protecting me. Sometimes I wonder if he thinks I’m a child. He always tells me the G-rated version of things, never the R-rated. At this point, I’d settle for PG-rated.”

  “Tell me some of the stories David told you.”

  “Well,” she said thoughtfully. “I know that Remy was doing reconnaissance work. I’m not really sure what that is, but he was led astray. By the time he was able to finish his assignment, he wasn’t able to make it to the meet-up point in time and had to cross through enemy territory on foot with hardly anything to protect himself. And we both know how Remy stands out. I’m surprised he wasn’t captured.”

  “How frightening,” I said, wondering about Remy’s escape. “But it still doesn’t make me afraid of him. If anything, I’d think he was a hero.”

  “That’s what I think too. But it’s the things David doesn’t say that make me wonder how much really happened. Do you know they can have an entire conversation with just one look? It’s true,” she said. “I’ve seen it happen several times.”

  “They’ve been on missions together. I’m sure it’s something that comes with the job.”

  “True. I just don’t think Rat would be the type of person who would be afraid of just anyone. There’s a part of Remy’s past that we don’t know and David won’t tell.”

  “You wouldn’t want to know,” a voice said behind us.

  I jolted and swung around to find Rat leaning against the door.

  “You could’ve knocked,” I scolded, clutching my heart.

  “I don’t knock,” he stated simply. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, but what do you mean we wouldn’t want to know about Remy’s past?” I asked.

  “I’m not here for storytelling,” he said.

  “I didn’t ask for storytelling,” I said.

  “Yes, you did,” he said, crossing his arms with a bland look. “Remy’s past is his, not mine. If you want stories, then ask him. Anyway, it’s not his past I’d worry about.”

  “Then what should I be worried about?” I asked.

  “The fact that you’re going to break into an office would be a start,” he stated. “Listen, if you want to know why I’m willing to help Remy, then ask him. I don’t help just anyone.”

  “You’re helping me,” I said.

  A sinister smile darkened his face. “You should worry about that instead of worrying about Remy.”

  * * *

  Rat pulled alongside the accounting office of Adam Worshen. Just as would be expected, it was dark at quarter after midnight. The street lights were the only illumination on the quiet street.

  “Give me a minute to check the place out,” Rat said, easing out of the black van.

  “I have a bad feeling about this,” Mya said. “I don’t trust him.”

  “I don’t trust him either, but so far he hasn’t done anything wrong.”

  “I know. I just get this feeling.”

  “He was upfront with us. He said he’d get us in but then we’re on our own. He also said if the cops show up, he’s deserting us. If Rat was completely untrustworthy, he wouldn’t have warned us.”

  “True. But why is he helping us to begin with? There’s nothing in it for him.”

  “I think it has to do with Remy. What better way to snub Remy than by leading us into possible trouble? Rat has no faith that we’ll be able to get in and out without being caught. I’d bet the pot that he’s counting on us to get busted.”

  Our conversation ended as Rat slipped back into the van.

  “There is an alarm on this building,” Rat said. “I can get you in, but you’ll only have five minutes to do your thing. Maybe less.”

  “Only five minutes?” I asked. “That’s not long enough. How am I going to find anything in that time?”

  “Pros do it all the time,” Rat stated.

  “I’m not a pro.”

  “Either you do it or you don’t. I’m not going to wait here all night while you decide.”

  “Mya, you stay here,” I said. “If I can’t find Caleb’s file in the first two minutes, then I’ll run back out. That’s well before the five minutes are up.”

  “If you’re going in, then I’m going in too,” Mya said. “We can both look and quit after two minutes. But I still think this is a bad idea. Why are we doing this anyway?”

  “Because Adam stole Caleb’s money. If it was your money, I’d do the same for you.”

  Mya gave a nod. “Let’s go.”

  Rat gave us the order to be quiet as we followed him to the door. “I’ll silence the alarm but it will still be activated. As soon as I open this door, the clock starts ticking. I’ll wait for you at the end of the block. I’m leaving in five minutes with or without you.”

  “Okay,” I whispered.

  I watched the street as Rat did his thing. It took him less time to unlock the door than it takes me to tie my shoe. The alarm blared as we raced in. He headed to the alarm to silence it while Mya and I ran to filing cabinets.

  “I’ll look under U,” I said. “Mya, look on Adam’s desk for a calendar or contacts. Anything that might help us locate him.”

  This is such a bad idea, I thought as I fumbled through the file drawer. Caleb would kill me if he knew I was here. David would kill me if he knew Mya was here. I just bought us a ticket to jail.

  I flipped through all the U folders using my cell phone as a flashlight. Nothing on Caleb Usher. I glanced at the time. A minute gone. I quickly refocused my search on a filing cabinet with no label.

  A siren wailed in the distance. Mya and I both scurried to the door.

  “Where’s Rat?” she squeaked.

  “He took off as soon as he silenced the alarm,” I said, yanking open the door only to find police lights descending upon us. “Is there a back way out?” I asked.

  We scrambled to the back room. There wasn’t a door, but there was a window. I flipped the lock and heaved the protesting window open.

  “Quick, get out,” I said to Mya.

  I followed after s
he shimmied through. We raced behind a string of buildings until we came to a side road.

  “Rat said he would wait for us here.”

  “I don’t think he waited,” Mya said, glancing at the deserted road.

  “I didn’t think he would. Let’s get as far away from here as we can,” I said, listening as more sirens made their way to the crime scene.

  We ran a block before I heard a car racing up behind us. Tires skidded to a halt.

  “Freeze! Police!” a man shouted.

  Mya and I froze in our tracks. A red flashing light bounced off the shadowy buildings.

  Damn! This isn’t good. This is bad. Horribly, horribly bad. I willed my heart to keep calm, but it kept slamming against my ribs.

  “Hands where I can see them!” he ordered.

  Mya and I lifted our hands in the air.

  “Turn around!”

  We slowly turned around and were blinded by a flashlight. I winced and squeezed my eyes shut.

  “Walk slowly to the car,” he ordered.

  “Can you aim the flashlight down?” I asked, with bravery I didn’t feel. “I can’t see one step in front of me let alone your car or a badge.”

  After a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to lower the flashlight. He finally did. I followed Mya to the car. Her head was held high and, thankfully, her eyes were free of tears.

  “I’m so sorry, Mya,” I whispered.

  “No talking,” the man ordered. “Put your hands on the car and spread your legs.”

  “Not until I see a badge,” I said. “This isn’t a real cop car. Anyone can stick a light on their car.”

  “Keep your hands up,” he said gruffly as he stepped closer to show me the badge hanging around his neck.

  I glanced at the official Las Vegas Police badge and then up at him. “Peter?”

  The dawning of who I was registered on Peter’s face. “Son of a bitch! What the hell were you thinking breaking into an office?”

  “I didn’t break into an office,” I said, innocently. “I don’t have the slightest clue how to open locked doors.”

  “That’s true,” Mya said. “She didn’t do it.”