Fallen Angel

by G. K. Parks

  “What do you want to do?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I need to save up some money before I make any decisions. Mr. Almeada said I should be able to get back to work in a couple of days, but you moved me here for a reason. At work, I’m a sitting duck. Scott’s probably waiting there for me to show up.”

  “That’s why your lawyer is offering Scott a truce if he agrees to leave you alone. We’ll see what he says. Meanwhile, I just hired a dozen bodyguards who are undergoing training at the moment. Depending on how well they do in class, I might field test them. Would you mind being my guinea pig?”

  “Actually, I’d feel better knowing someone was around.” She looked at me with big doe eyes. “I thought you might guard me.”

  “I would, but since Scott’s figured out you came to me for help, it’s not in your best interest.” I didn’t go into the details of all the precautions I had to take just to get to the apartment. Like Almeada reminded me, my duty was to protect my client. So I was protecting her from the gruesome facts.

  We fell silent, drinking our tea. I let my head fall back against the plush cushions and closed my eyes, feeling a constant buzz beneath my eyelids. Jade remained silent beside me, and I opened one eye to find her watching me.

  “Do you have any clue how Scott found out you came to me for help?” I’d exhausted the most likely possibilities.

  She shook her head. I waited, figuring if the question made her nervous or upset, she’d fidget or stir her tea, but her hands remained steady. “I did everything you said. Do you think he saw your car outside the apartment or maybe he checked with the people at the airport?”

  “Could be.”

  “Is this a problem?”

  “Not really.” My four popped tires would disagree. “It just complicates matters.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault. Stop apologizing.” I rubbed my eyes. “Do you know if there’s any aspirin in the bathroom?” Depending on the clients this apartment entertained, a few vials of coke or a bottle of oxy could be stashed somewhere inside. Neither of those would help matters in the long run. Short-term, they might do in a pinch, but I still had to stop by the precinct. And I didn’t need to give Scott any reason to arrest me. I’d have to be squeaky clean until this was over. Plus, drugs were never my scene, minus an occasional recreational night here or there when work and play blurred into days without sleep.

  “I’ll check.” She uncurled from her spot on the couch and disappeared down the hall before I had time to protest. A moment later she returned with a bottle of OTC pain relievers. “Migraine?”

  “Just a headache.”

  “I used to get migraines a lot. Stress probably.”

  “Do you know if you ever had a concussion?”

  She shook her head, uncomfortable with the question. “Probably not. I never hit my head.”

  “Concussions make migraines more likely, or so says an article I read.”

  She slipped behind the couch, and I tilted my head up and looked at her. “When I was little, my mom used to rub my temples whenever I was sick.” Slowly, she reached for me, unsure if she should touch me. I didn’t move or speak. I didn’t want to frighten her. Her fingertips brushed against the sides of my face, and gently, she rubbed small circles with her pointer and middle fingers.

  “Why didn’t you go back home after things went south with Scott?”

  “I was ashamed.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you apologizing?” she asked, hoping to tease me, but her tone wasn’t convincing. It wasn’t her fault, but no matter how many times someone told her that, she felt guilty, embarrassed, and ashamed for not standing up for herself, for not stopping it, and for letting it go on as long as it did.

  “No one should have to endure that. I’m sorry you did.” Gently, I took her hand, and she stopped rubbing my temples.

  For the first time since we met, she didn’t pull away from my touch. She came around the couch and sat beside me. And then she hugged me.

  Twenty-three

  After I left Jade’s that night, the chauffeured car took me back to Reeves and Almeada where I collected my rental car, glad to find it with four fully inflated tires. I stopped by the precinct and filed a complaint against Sgt. Renwin for unprofessional and belligerent behavior. No one would take the complaint seriously since Renwin didn’t actually do anything I could prove, but we needed to start a paper trail.

  On my way home, a patrol car pulled me over. The officer wanted to search my vehicle, but I refused to comply. He had no grounds to conduct a search, and at this point, I feared what he might plant inside my car. He stared at my license and the rental agreement.

  “Your name looks familiar.” He hoped to sound menacing and make me squirm. Instead, I turned the tables on him.

  “It should. My last name, anyway.” I cleared my throat as the ‘oh shit’ look erupted on his face. “That’s right. I’m that Lucien Cross.”

  “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to inconvenience you. Make sure you report that messed up turn signal to the rental place when you return the car. And drive safe.”

  “Will do.”

  He handed back my documents. “You have a good night. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.”

  “You and me both.”

  I planned to make another trip to KC’s and drive by Scott’s place to see what the bastard was up to, but after the day I had, I was too tired to do anything but sleep. The next morning, I found Scott parked outside my building. He didn’t do or say anything, but he drove his truck so I would notice him. He wanted me to know he was watching and waiting. He was planning something. And that’s when I realized he thought I stashed Jade at my place.

  On the bright side, he wouldn’t be motivated to look elsewhere. So I set my lights to go on and off at certain times while I was out to convince him his assumption was correct. The longer I maintained the ruse, the safer she’d be. Plus, he didn’t have a chance in hell of gaining access to my apartment and learning the truth. Or so I told myself.

  The rest of the week moved at a crawl. Cross Security remained empty. I fielded calls and signed a fourth client. I started on the background checks and combed Mr. Rathbone’s servers for data breaches, completing the simpler tasks weeks ahead of schedule. Pleased, Rathbone assigned me another task, assessing his firewall and anti-hacking protocols. Though I’d already tested them when I checked his data security, I did it again.

  Thursday, I dropped by the training facility and spoke to the instructor I hired. The security personnel passed all recommended requirements, fitness, firearms, first-aid, and crisis training. Since they already possessed the necessary skills, this was just a refresher and an introduction to my standards. I briefed them on their upcoming tasks.

  The best and brightest would spend the next several weeks providing security for Miranda’s tour. I spoke to her and said I’d send them over Saturday, so they could get acquainted. That left me with six people to guard Jade. Deciding to rotate them out to avoid Scott or another police officer recognizing them, I doled out assignments and called it training. I showed them a photo of Scott Renwin and told them to keep their eyes peeled. I also made them painfully aware that they should not consider any police personnel who happened to wander into the diner as an ally, and if a situation arose, they should call 9-1-1 and let dispatch know they were reporting a crime on my behalf. Scott might have wanted to turn the entire police force against me, but my reach was far greater than his. It was one of the few perks of being a Cross.

  On my way back to the office, Almeada called. “Renwin doesn’t want any trouble.”

  “Do you believe him? The bastard’s been lurking outside my apartment and office all week. I caught him going through my garbage yesterday.”

  “Did you confront him?”

  “No.”

  “Do you think he’ll be able to piece anything together?”

  “From the confetti I discarded, defi
nitely not.”

  “Have you encountered any other problems? Car or otherwise?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” Almeada paused. “The complaint you filed must have scared him. Your name carries weight. By now, he must have figured that out. I think that’s why his attorney gave me his word Ms. McNamara would have no further contact with his client. They don’t want trouble. And you, my friend, like to cause trouble.”

  “That’s why it’s not good for me to get twitchy. And Scott makes me twitchy.”

  “Take some diazepam and get over it. It looks like we’ve finally put this thing to bed. I reached out to the women’s shelters in the area. They have funds and a network set up. They’ll help Jade find a safe place to live, and they offer free counseling.”

  “Do you think she needs it?”

  Almeada chuckled. “You tell me.”

  I did, but that wasn’t my decision. It was hers. “Forcing it on anyone who isn’t open to it is a waste of time, except in Scott’s case. I don’t give a shit what he wants. Since he still possesses a badge, he needs to learn the right way of conducting himself in public.”

  “That’s the second time you’ve talked about therapy. I never thought Lucien Cross was this enlightened.”

  “Why not?”

  Almeada practically choked. “It’s because you’re a little fucked in the head.”

  “That’s called drive and ambition.”

  “That’s called a chip on your shoulder.”

  I shrugged and parked the car. “I want it on record that I don’t trust Scott Renwin.”

  “Noted. But you don’t have to trust him, you just have to stop firing shots at him until we find out if he’s serious about keeping his distance from Ms. McNamara.”

  “Only time will tell. Right now, she’s focused on going back to work and overwhelmed by the possibility he might show up. Until we know for sure Scott’s backing off, we need to focus on that. I’ll have people watching her at the diner. If Scott or any of his buddies shows their ugly faces at the diner, there will be hell to pay.”

  For the first time in days, I didn’t see the oversized pickup or a police car outside my office. I should have been relieved. Instead, not knowing where Scott was made me panicky. I didn’t do well with twitchy, and panicky was far worse.

  Twenty-four

  Days went by. No one spotted Scott at the diner. Jade didn’t see him or any of his friends. I kept tabs on him from a distance, not wanting to poke the sleeping beast. Since the hearing, he kept to himself.

  I sent Justin into KC’s to find out what was going on, but my assistant reported back Scott hadn’t had a drink in almost a week. According to the agreement, he’d gone to every anger management session. Maybe they told him to stop drinking. Too much alcohol often led to heightened emotional responses and violence, so perhaps that would solve the problem. However, I wasn’t optimistic.

  I recalled my receptionist and assistant back to the office. Despite this hiccup, we still had a business to get off the ground. I scheduled a dozen meetings with potential clients and three interviews with tech-savvy applicants. At some point, I’d need more security specialists and analysts, but for now, overextending my resources could be disastrous. Even though I wanted to go from zero to sixty, new businesses thrived with baby steps, and since I didn’t have any financial backers, I had total freedom to do what I wanted. But I had to pay for it myself. I wanted it all. Everything. Right now.

  “Patience. Patience,” I mumbled like a mantra.

  “Mr. Cross, Sara Rostokowski is on line two,” my receptionist called from the outer office.

  “Thanks,” I yelled back. “Next time, use the intercom.”

  “Sorry, sir.”

  I picked up the phone and pressed the button. “What’s wrong, Sara?”

  “Hey, I just thought you should know Sgt. Renwin resigned today. He cleaned out his desk and left.”

  “Any idea why?”

  “According to the lieutenant, Renwin’s tired of the city, so he’s going home.”

  “But he’s from here.” I reached into the drawer and pulled out the dossier I made.

  “Well, sort of. He grew up in the suburbs. His mom still lives in his childhood home. He wants to be close to her.”

  “It’s twenty minutes away.” It didn’t make sense.

  “Hey, I’m just telling you what I heard. The point is you wanted him off the force, and he’s gone.” She lowered her voice. “Did you have anything to do with that?”

  “Not me, unless he came under pressure because of the TRO.”

  “I don’t know. I heard there was a discussion about allowing him to continue to carry. But I don’t know what they decided. Without a gun, he couldn’t leave the station. He’d have to work dispatch or stay behind a desk. Maybe fulfill a civilian role. I think that’s why he quit.”

  “He did it to himself.”

  “If he’s as bad as you say, then good riddance. The last thing any of us needs is another misogynistic asshole beating up women.”

  “Thanks for the heads up.” The news left a bad taste in my mouth. I called the security specialist stationed at the diner and told him to remain vigilant. Then I asked Justin if I could borrow his car and headed to Scott’s apartment.

  Parking a few blocks away, I remained crouched in the seat, watching the former police sergeant load boxes and furniture into the back of the pickup. He dragged Jade’s futon to the dumpster. Then he loaded a few more boxes into the cab and got behind the wheel.

  Once he drove away, I went to his apartment and knocked on the door. No one answered, so I tried the knob. The door opened without protest. The apartment was empty. No furniture. No boxes. Nothing. He took everything. He wasn’t coming back.

  After speaking to the landlord, I was assured this wasn’t a ploy. Scott quit his job and gave up his apartment. On the way back to the office, I made several calls to area storage rentals. Scott didn’t rent a unit. He actually left the city.

  But I didn’t believe it. I called Almeada, who promised to look into the matter. Since Scott had a change of address, he was required to notify the court since he had mandated anger management sessions. If nothing else, Scott’s lawyer would have his forwarding address.

  However, I wasn’t one to wait. Call it impatience or attributes of a workaholic, but I’d find the answers faster on my own. Plus, I’d have to see it to believe it. I returned Justin’s car to the office and scoured the internet until my vision blurred.

  Around ten that night, I drove to the suburbs. Mrs. Renwin lived in a quiet neighborhood. Scott’s truck took up the length of the small driveway. The furniture and boxes had been unloaded. Despite the time, the blinds remained open, and I could see Scott and a woman sitting at the kitchen table.

  Two thoughts formed simultaneously. First, Jade was finally free. And second, that bastard better not lay a hand on his mother. Unwilling to accept the win, I found a house for rent at the end of the street and parked in the driveway. I kept my eyes on the Renwins’ place until Mrs. Renwin left the next morning.

  Starting my engine, I followed her to the supermarket. I didn’t have a plan. In fact, I had no idea what I was doing. I parked near her car and peered into the windows as I passed. I didn’t know what I hoped to find, but it wasn’t here.

  Following her through the store, I pushed a cart and spent a lot of time reading the ingredients on a box of cereal. She didn’t notice me. I went down the next aisle, grabbing some paper towels and a box of matches.

  “Excuse me,” I said, bumping into her cart.

  She looked up, smiling warmly. A gesture her son appeared incapable of performing. “It’s quite all right.” I turned up the charm and asked her if she could tell me where I could pick up some flowers. “They have a floral section near the bakery.” She pointed to the other end of the store. “Are you shopping for anyone special? Your wife or girlfriend?”

  “Actually, I was on my way to visit my mom. She doesn’t ge
t out much, so I bring her groceries every week and thought I’d get something to brighten her day.”

  “You’re a good son.”

  “I try.” Quickly, I assessed her, hoping to find an opening to ask about her own son. “Do you have any idea what she might like? I can’t decide between a plant or flowers. The plant will last longer, but flowers are prettier.”

  “Whatever you get, she will love.” She stepped closer, and I crouched down to hear her better. “I’m not much of a plant person. My Scottie usually just brings something sweet for us to eat.”

  “It sounds like he has the right idea.”

  “The cakes here are delicious, especially the rocky road one, if you like chocolate. In fact, Scottie brought one over last night.”

  “I’ll have to check those out.” I turned back to the shelf, grabbing a box of tissues and glancing up to read the signs. “It sounds like the two of you are close.”

  “I have a lot to make up for. I’m lucky we have this time to catch up.”

  Twenty-five

  The following night, I went to KC’s and spoke to Will, Melody, and some of the regulars. As far as they knew, Scott was gone. He wanted to start over and reinvent himself. Their stories differed, as one would expect from rampant rumors and gossip, but everyone agreed he left and didn’t plan on returning.

  When I spoke to Almeada the next morning, he said, “According to Scott’s attorney, all future correspondence will be sent to his mother’s address. It looks like we won.”

  “What did we win?”

  “Don’t be so literal. Jade gets peace of mind, and you can get back to your plans for world domination.”

  “Scott’s not that far away. Without traffic, he can get back to the city in twenty minutes. This doesn’t mean a damn thing.”

  “You don’t get it, Cross. Sure, he’s close, but he won’t be getting his coffee or bagel from his usual spot. He won’t be riding the trains or buses. It’s unlikely he’ll cross paths with Jade now that he doesn’t live in the city.”