by K. M. Hodge
“Yeah. I’m good.” He stood and straightened his jacket and tie. “I’ll try and make a meeting next week. Can you do me a favor? Can you give all this information to a friend of mine?”
“Yeah sure. It’s your dime, friend.”
“Great. I’ll text you all the info later. Thanks again, Danny.”
“I expect to see ya at the next meeting, man.”
Alex shrugged, eager to get the hell out of there. “I’ll see what I can do.”
The chilly air smacked him in the face as he walked out of the restaurant towards the metro station. As soon as he got on the train, he texted Sally’s phone, asking if she was interested in a new hog—the agreed upon code for their communications. When she didn’t respond right away, his paranoia escalated. He needed to know why she had that asshole lawyer’s card and why it had what looked to be blood on the corner of it.
***
State Senator Scott Mitchel’s Office
Annapolis, Maryland
December 4, 2005
1:00 PM
~~~
Michael sat in the back of the room, leaning against a bookcase in the State Senator’s office, not really listening as the men droned on and on about poll numbers and super PACS. He tried not to scratch his arms and face. Thankfully, the rash seemed to be getting better. But his problems everywhere else seemed to be worsening. Big D had sent his man Pete to check out his townhouse for more bugs. He didn’t find anything more and reported that the one that Michael found was a very cheap model. Who wanted to listen in on him and why?
“Michael. Earth to Michael.” Geoff waved his hand in front of his face. “You alive in there?”
“Sorry. I’m still not feeling very well.”
“Yeah, you’re making me sick just looking at you. What happened to you? Allergic reaction you said?” Geoff grimaced.
“Yeah. I’m on a lot of medication for it. It’s making me tired.”
“You look like shit and you’re not paying attention. Go home. You’re no help to me like this,” the senator said, waving his hand at him dismissively.
“I’m sorry, Senator.” Michael stood and handed Mitchel a set of sealed files. “Here’s the paperwork I filed on behalf of you and the trusts.”
“Seriously. Go home, Mike. You’re ruining my lunch.” Geoff set his salad aside.
Michael grabbed his coat and briefcase and started for the door.
“Wait, before you go,” Geoff said. “That brother, did you work things out?”
Michael nodded. “Yeah, I handled it. He’s not going to cause any more problems.”
“Good. Now get out of here.” The senator waved his hand, not even looking at Michael.
“Yes, sir.” He quickly walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
In the hallway, he pulled out his BlackBerry and shot Sally a quick message saying he missed her and hoped she was doing okay. He wanted to be perfect when he saw her. No one wants to fuck a guy with a rash, even if it isn’t contagious.
Chapter 12
WIC Office
West Ocean City, Maryland
December 5, 2005
8:00 AM
~~~
Alex checked his watch as he walked into the Women, Infants, and Children’s building. The receptionist, a pudgy blonde with caked-on make-up, glanced up at him as he walked up to her desk. Her cheeks pinked and a small smile curled at the corners of her mouth.
She gave him a shy smile and greeted him in a soft-spoken voice. “Hi.”
“Hey there, darling.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his badge. “I’m hoping you can help me out this morning.”
“What can I do for you, sir?”
“Well, gorgeous, you can start by telling me your name.”
“Meghan.” The poor girl blushed so deeply that her cheeks matched her hooker red lips. “With an h.”
Alex flashed his best smile at her, laying it on thick, as he showed her his badge. “Well, Meghan with an h, I’m Special Agent Bailey with the FBI.”
“Oh wow! What can I do for you, Agent?”
“I need to speak with your nine o’clock appointment, Sally Ride. I believe her life is in danger.”
“Oh my!” Meghan touched her ample chest and her mouth hung open like a door with a broken hinge.
“I need a private room to speak with Ms. Ride. Can you do that for me?” Alex held his breath hoping the girl wouldn’t get cold feet and try and get permission from her boss first. “I just need a few minutes with her.”
The woman leaned in towards Alex and whispered, “Her husband…did he—”
“I’m sorry. I can’t divulge any information regarding an ongoing case. I’m sure you understand how delicate these matters can be.”
Meghan nodded. “Of course. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t pry.”
“It’s okay. It’s natural to be curious. Can you get me that room?”
“Um, I…I should probably run it by my boss. She stepped out for a few minutes.”
“It really is a time-sensitive thing, Meghan. A woman’s life is in on the line.”
The girl paused for a beat. “Okay. I can take you to the backroom. “
Alex didn’t feel sorry for the woman even though he knew he should feel guilty for using her to get what he wanted. Instead, he followed her as she led him through the winding halls to the darkened room in the back of the building. Meghan flipped the switch, lighting the room up. Boxes marked “Xerox” were stacked in the corner and an unplugged copier sat next to the boxes. “Just wait here. I’ll send her right back here to talk to you. She’s never late, so it shouldn’t be long.”
Alex smiled. “Thank you, Meghan.”
The woman closed the door behind her without a word. Alex took a seat at the table and tried to catch his breath. His thoughts scattered in his mind. How would he convince Sally to trust him, to walk away from the situation she was in? Manipulating the Meghans of the world was child’s play, but women like Sally were a whole other story.
The door to the conference room opened and his heart hammered against his chest. Sally stood in the doorframe with the receptionist behind her.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” she said as she lingered at the door.
Alex smiled. “Thank you, Meghan.”
The woman’s smile dropped as she stepped aside to let Sally in and then closed the door to the conference room behind her.
Sally crossed her arms over her chest. “Alex….”
Even though he’d prepared himself to see her again, he couldn’t help but be pained at the sight of her still swollen face and the greenish yellow bruises on her neck. “Sit down, Sal.”
She narrowed her gaze at him. “I think I’ll stand. I don’t have a lot of time.”
“Sally—”
“Fine.” She snatched up the chair across from him and sat down with a theatrical thump.
Anger radiated off her like heatwaves on asphalt. He couldn’t imagine what her life might be like, but he wanted to believe that he could help her. “The lawyer Michael David. You know him?”
For a second, her expression shifted—blink and you’d miss it. But he caught the small flicker of recognition, or maybe surprise, in her eyes that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
“The name sounds familiar,” she said.
“It should. You have his card in your purse.”
Sally’s eyebrows drew together and her face reddened. “You went through my purse?”
Alex leaned over the table towards her, ready to poke the hornet’s nest if need be. “The name seemed familiar, so I looked into it, your son, your husband, and you.”
Sally’s jaw muscles tightened and flinched. For a moment, Alex wondered if she might snap and hit him. The pent up rage needed a place to go. Sally’s body seemed to tighten and coil. Alex prepared himself for the strike.
“How dare you!” Sally jumped up from her chair and started to pace.
“You didn’t give me much of a choice.
”
“For what?” She stopped mid-pace, her shoulders dropped and her voice cracked.
Alex rose from his seat and walked towards her.
“Don’t.” She backed away from him.
“You’re in danger, Sally. I don’t know what your dealings with the lawyer are, but he’s got ties to the mob. There’s even some chatter about a mistress of his turning up dead.”
“I know.”
Alex swore his heart stopped beating for a moment. “What do you mean you know?”
“He ordered his mistress killed and that’s not even the half of it.”
Alex stepped closer to her. This time, she didn’t move. “What are you talking about? Are you involved in all of this?”
“No! Not like that.”
Alex clenched his fist. “Then like what?”
Sally met his gaze, sighed and leaned against the wall behind her. “I’m a hired spy. The mistress’s brother hired my organization to get dirt on him.”
“You’re a P.I.?”
“Not exactly.”
“Be straight with me. Are you doing something illegal?”
She bit her thumbnail and looked away.
“Well? Are you?”
“No.”
The hesitancy in her answer worried him, but he had no proof of any illegal activity. “What are you going to do with the information you find on the lawyer?”
She squared her shoulders and looked up at him. “Turn it into the authorities.”
Alex’s breathing became short and shallow. “These aren’t the kind of men you want to piss off.”
Sally examined her hands and nibbled on her thumb nail. “I know.”
Alex closed off the distance between them. Sally’s body stiffened, but she didn’t move. Her breath quickened to match his own. “Sally—”
She interrupted him with a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. This woman wrecked him and his sobriety. Women like her were his heroin and he needed a fix. He rocked his pelvis against hers and she gasped against his mouth.
Sally broke the kiss and pushed him back. “I can’t do this.”
Alex stepped back and tried to catch his breath. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t need you to save me.”
“Your husband’s going to kill you one of these days. You know that.”
“Not if I kill him first.”
Her words sent a chill through Alex. “It doesn’t have to be like this. I can help you and the boy get away. I can keep you both safe.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
Alex shoved his hands into his pockets to keep himself from touching her again. “I hope you do.”
She stepped forward and kissed him softly on the lips. “Trust me.”
Alex clenched his fists inside his pockets and looked away. “Call me if you change your mind. You’ve got my number.”
He turned on his heel and left her without saying another word. If he stayed, he might do something he would later regret. Like fuck her against the wall. Help her break the law. Agree to kill her husband. No. He needed to get away. He saw that now.
***
The door to the conference room closed with a sharp thud. Sally slid down the wall and onto the floor as the tears began to fall in earnest. She couldn’t hold back the floodgates any longer. Five minutes of deep, heaving sobs wracked her chest. And then it was over. Five minutes was all the self-pity she would allow herself. She needed to let him go for good. Now she needed to focus on the goal of stopping her husband and the organization he worked for, and men, like the lawyer, who killed without impunity. But she could still taste Alex on her lips—cigarettes and booze. As much as she wanted to end things between them, she also wanted more than anything to be with him again. She didn’t doubt they would end up in bed together again any more than she doubted she would one day put an end to her husband and his organization once and for all.
***
Capital Building Bathroom
Annapolis, Maryland
December 5, 2005
8:00 AM
~~~
Michael turned on the bathroom faucet and washed his hands. The door behind him swung open and he looked up at the mirror to see Big D lumbering into the bathroom with one of his men standing behind him at the door.
“Should I be concerned?” Michael asked, trying to play it cool.
“I’m just here visiting with my senator about some legislation on the floor. I saw you leave his office and thought I might kill two birds with one stone.”
Michael cleared his throat, picked up a paper towel and dried off his hands. “This meeting have anything to do with Pete and the bug I found?”
“There’s talk, Michael. You need to get your affairs in order.”
The wording of the last statement sent a chill through Michael. It’s the kind of thing you say to someone who’s dying.
“I’m working on that. I have a few ideas about who it might be, but none of it is tied to you or our work together. I assure you on that end. I make sure not to keep records of our work together so there is nothing that anyone could pick up. I’ve been careful.”
“Good.” Big D inched closer and Michael fought the urge to back up. “You got anyone new in your life? Anyone that you pissed off that’s looking to put you away?”
“Yeah, I have a few people that might not be too happy with me.”
“This is your warning, Michael. Get this taken care of or we will take care of it for you. Trust me, you don’t want that.”
“I’ve got it covered. I promise you have nothing to worry about.”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”
Michael swallowed hard and looked away. “Yes, sir.”
Big D turned to leave. “I’ll be seeing you, Michael. And when I do, I hope you’ll be singing a different tune.”
As the door swung closed, Michael bent and took a deep breath. He needed to find the leak and quick Big D and his people didn’t play around. If Big D talked to the men from Virginia…. Well, that wouldn’t work well for him at all. He thought about what he’d said. A “new person” in his life? Warning bells went off in his mind. The only new person, Sally, couldn’t be the person bugging his home. Could she?
Chapter 13
Bag and Grab Grocers
Ocean City, Maryland
December 5, 2005
1:00 PM
~~~
Sally walked from the bus stop to the grocery store at a fast clip. The temperature that morning hovered around the high-thirties and she still didn’t have a coat, leaving her chilled to the bone. For once, she looked forward to going into work even if it meant bagging groceries with one arm in a cast. As she crossed the street to the parking lot, she noticed a black Town Car sitting in the back of the lot. The back door opened and out stepped Michael David.
Shit.
Her step faltered half a step before once again picking up her previous pace. Sally plastered on her best smile and walked over to him, hugging her arms to her body. “You look well, Michael. I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”
“Yes, I’m sorry I can’t say the same,” he said, pointing to her arm.
Sally shivered. “It’s not so bad.”
“You’re freezing. Where’s your coat?”
She could feel her cheeks grow hot despite the bitter cold. The shame of not having such a simple thing like a coat, wounded her pride. “I don’t have one.”
Michael stepped away from his open door and motioned for her to get in. “Here, get in my car and warm up.”
“I’m going to be late for work.”
Her desire to be warm and his charming smile could easily sway her. The remains of the rash dusted his cheeks and neck, making him seem less a killer and more a normal man. In this light, she could see what other women saw in him. But she knew his true nature. Behind his charming smile was a man who wouldn’t think twice about taking her life. As more and more time passed without her gett
ing into his car, she noticed his expression darkening.
“Just a few minutes of your time, please,” he said.
“Okay, but make it quick. I can’t be late.”
She climbed inside the steamy car and her slime ball admirer followed her inside. When the door shut, she realized what a rookie mistake she’d just made. Getting locked in a car with a guy who might have killed his last girlfriend would not be her brightest moment, but a moment out of the bitter cold seemed worth the risk for the time being.
Michael wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rubbed them—careful not to exacerbate her broken forearm. She sighed and leaned into his touch, which he apparently took as encouragement—seizing the moment to lean in and kiss her. Another bad move on her part. But his warm mouth melted against her own and she couldn’t bring herself to stop him.
When he broke the kiss, he said, “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
Michael leaned back and examined her. “How are you feeling? It must have been one heck of an accident.”
She shrunk away from him, not trusting she wouldn’t kiss him simply to stop his questions. “I’m fine. But I really do need to be going inside. My boss will dock my pay if I’m even a minute late.”
“Okay. I’ll let you get away now. But I insist you let me take you out to dinner this week.”
“Sure, that would be lovely. I’ll look at my schedule and let you know.” Sally grabbed the door handle—locked. A claustrophobic anxiety washed over her. “I really do need to get going.”
Michael nodded to his driver who got out and opened the door for her. “Dinner and dessert.”
Sally nodded and made a beeline out of the warm car for the front of the store. She shivered as she ran into the warm, brightly lit store. Christmas decorations and candy decorated the small aisles and end caps. She rubbed her arms and looked back out the front window to see Michael’s car pulling out onto the main road. The lawyer would need to be taken care of sooner rather than later. Kissing was one thing, but she had no intentions of sleeping with the man.
Sally busied herself with her work and soon it was time to go home. Looking out the front door, she noticed a fine white blanket of freshly fallen snow had covered the parking lot. Great. Just great. She clocked out and her boss, Mr. Hart, came running over to her with a medium-sized, white box wrapped in a red bow. “Sally, wait!”