by Bella Juarez
“Yeah? You can read now?” Gavin quipped.
Captain O’Malley smiled and stood. “I had to learn when I took this job.”
The two men shook hands and Gavin took a seat in front of Captain O’Malley’s desk.
“So? What can I do for you?” Rock asked.
“I guess Mac filled you in?”
“Yes, he did.”
“What can you tell me?”
“Nothing, you know that.” Rock sat back in his chair.
Gavin had fully expected this answer. “How about a trade?” Gavin offered.
“Depends on what you got,” Rock said.
“Ramirez-Merles is working with the Mexican Mafia now. He visited one of their bigger guys at a Federal Prison in Beaumont about six weeks ago. He didn’t use his name. He used an assumed name, Marco Lima, remember him? Facial recognition at Beaumont Federal Prison ID’d him, afterward. I’ve got a few other bread crumbs he’s left the last couple of years,” Gavin said.
“I thought La M’ie was pretty loose, a bunch of gang bangers banding together when it’s convenient. I’ve got nothing to do with that,” Rock said.
“My guy that he went to visit has made some pretty interesting friends. The guys he hooked up with should be at Gitmo, not Beaumont. I was the one that sent them to jail. They were involved in a kidnapping that happened in Virginia. The one JG Gamez tipped me off to. They were the two running an engineering company that had managed to get a GSA contract and get access to the Marine ForceRecon personnel office as well as the FBI school at Quantico. The engineering company was a front. They were scoping out Quantico for a terrorist attack. The plan was twofold, a cyberattack and then a physical attack on the FBI school or the ForceRecon building. We didn’t find anything on the cyber thing. Since Ramirez-Merles is a hacker and tied with my boys, I need to know if they somehow got unauthorized access to some data,” Gavin said.
“Really? Who are his new playmates?”
“Omar Abdul and Krazi Mummar. They’re Pakistani nationals. Can you find out why they didn’t get sent to Guantanamo?”
Rock sat forward. “Gitmo is full right now, so they were probably sent to Beaumont to wait.”
“How do these guys all tie together?” Gavin wondered aloud.
“I can’t help you right now. I’m not operational yet. Technically, I don’t even exist,” Rock said.
“I don’t need your backup, I need your intel.”
“I can’t give you any official support without a direct order from the commander of Navy Special Warfare or the commander at SOCOM,” Rock officially informed Gavin.
“I understand, Captain.”
“But, let’s say you might have something that ties in with what I’ve been charged to do, say, hacking of sensitive government information…at a Marine base in Virginia…let’s say it’s Quantico, for instance…and all of a sudden a known unfriendly foreign national that so happens to be a cybercriminal is also dealing with suspected terrorists…” Rock said.
Gavin smiled. If anyone could find a loophole, it was Rock.
“Well, then, we’ll just have to see where this goes. Can I ask why you’re here, Rock?” Gavin asked.
“To support the new Joint Cyber Command out at Lackland. We’re the hammer and, of course, whatever SOCOM tells me to do,” Rock answered.
“When are you standing this thing up?”
“Officially? Not until September of next year. Hell, I’m still looking for an XO.”
“Really? I see you found a command master chief.” Gavin smiled.
“That was a no-brainer.” Captain O’Malley smiled.
“Who you looking at for XO?” Gavin asked.
“I wanted Cobra, you know, outta Little Creek, but Shane won’t let him go. So I’m talking to Rafe Wilson next week,” O’Malley said.
“Fucking ring knocker!” Gavin swore.
“Yeah, well, Academy grad or not, he got through BUD/S like the rest of us and he’s pretty effective. I just did a remote with him in Afghanistan. He’s one mean motherfucker.”
“I’ll bet he was pissed when he was passed over for this job. Watch your back, Rock. I don’t trust fucking ring knockers. I especially don’t trust Rafe Wilson,” Gavin warned.
“That’s what I’ve got Mac for,” Rock said with a smile.
Gavin and Rock talked and bantered with each other for a few minutes longer until Gavin’s cell phone rang. Jimmy had found a new dog and needed Gavin’s signature on paperwork. He left and drove back to Lackland Air Force Base on the other side of San Antonio to retrieve him and his new pet.
Jimmy was waiting with his new best friend, Kaiser. Gavin signed the requisition as well as the financial paperwork and Jimmy and Kaiser got into the vehicle and the group went home. Jimmy talked most the way home. He was proud of the dog that he had found and was looking forward to training him. He was a whole different person around dogs. Kaiser was mostly trained and almost ready to go. Kaiser, however, could not cut the strict standards that the military had. He apparently had a little digestive problem. Jimmy had figured he could work around it. When they returned from San Antonio, David Ortiz was waiting.
“Well?” Ortiz questioned.
“Well what?” Gavin asked.
“What did you accomplish?”
“We recruited a new K-9. After he passes the certification test, he can get his badge issued to him.”
“That’s it? You were in San Antonio and you didn’t go to the field office?”
“No. Was I supposed to?” Gavin questioned.
“I figured you would be looking into your boy,” Ortiz said.
“No. I found out what I needed with the information you gave me.”
“What was that, exactly?” David demanded.
“I’m still working on it, Chief.”
Ortiz turned and left. Since Gavin had arrived, he never felt like he had to always lay his cards on the table. No one person had to know everything he was doing. And his so-called boss did not always need to be in the know. Ortiz had a habit of getting in the way.
Gavin went home and relaxed in front of the TV. His mind drifted to Amy. He was looking forward to seeing her tomorrow night. He smiled to himself. She wouldn’t be his typical date. She was classy and one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. It was a miracle she had even said yes to him. He knew she wouldn’t be jumping into bed with him on their first date. He had figured that out on their quasi date last night. Despite their first encounter, she really was a lady.
* * * *
Amy got home later than she should have. Unexpectedly, she had had to close the library tonight. It was a quarter to ten when she got home. She hadn’t been prepared to stay that long. She decided to have a light snack before she went to bed. She was attempting to diet again. At a size fourteen and five four she was overweight. She never stopped trying to lose weight. She had been this way her whole life. She yo-yo dieted all the time. When she and Tim had been married, he had practically starved her on a regular basis. She would lose weight and then quickly gain it back, most of the time doubling the gain.
Amy was really stressed out about her date with Gavin tomorrow night. She was a little suspicious that a guy like him would want to be around her. She wondered if it was because of the show he had gotten the week before. She worried about how she would handle any advances that he might make. He had been a perfect gentleman on Wednesday, but in her mind that didn’t mean anything. Tim had been a gentleman for the two years they dated and turned out to be a monster in the end.
The more Amy dwelled on it, the more she wanted to cancel the whole thing but remembered she didn’t have Gavin’s phone number. By the time she went to bed, she had convinced herself going out with him was the worst thing she could do. Her mind made up, she decided she’d simply call the station in the morning, find him, and blow off the whole thing. She was saddened at having to give Gavin the brush-off. She wanted to share her life with someone, and she seemed to connect with Gav
in, but the risk was too great. She didn’t want it to end up the way it had with Tim. She shook her head. It’s better this way.
The next morning Amy arrived at the library and started her day. She had a couple of things to do before she would call Gavin. Lynn walked into her office in back of the circulation desk and smiled.
“You ready for your hot date tonight?” Lynn chided.
Amy didn’t answer. Lynn frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Lynn asked.
“Nothing,” Amy said, continuing to log in to her computer.
“No, girlfriend, something is wrong,” Lynn insisted as she sat down in front of Amy’s desk.
“No, really, it’s nothing,” Amy said as noncommittally as she could.
“Amy, did he call and cancel?” Lynn asked.
“No. Would you please log the computers in up front?” Amy asked Lynn politely.
The library closed at 5:00 p.m. tonight. Fridays were usually slow days, and the clerk was still sick, so it was just Amy and Lynn. Lynn went about her routine, logging in the computers. They unlocked the doors and had their usual slow flow of patrons. There was a homeschool group that came in every Friday and checked out and returned their books. Most were using the public computers that the library housed. Some were book patrons, not in any hurry.
They had a lot of downtime on Friday. They did the usual chores, and at two o’clock, when the library was virtually empty, Amy walked to her office. She had been working up the nerve to call Gavin. She was almost there when Lynn hounded her again.
“What’s up? You don’t seem excited about this date with this hot guy at all,” Lynn said.
“I’m not going.”
“What? Why not?”
Amy turned away and started arranging books on the cart behind them. The library page would be in tomorrow to shelve them.
“Amy, why not?” Lynn asked again.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Amy said quietly.
“What? Don’t you dare do this!” Lynn exclaimed.
“Do what?”
“Chicken out!”
“I’m not,” Amy said defensively.
“Then why is this not a good idea?” Lynn demanded.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Amy said, turning away and gathering the books that had been dropped in the circulation desk book drop.
Amy started to check in the books when Lynn grabbed them and slammed them down on the desk. She grabbed Amy and pulled her into her tiny office behind the circulation desk.
“Oh, hell no, Amy! You’re not doing this! You need to go out with this guy at least once. You said you had fun with him the other night. What happened?”
“I don’t want to go now. I’ve changed my mind.”
“Why?” Lynn demanded and answered for Amy. “Because you’re scared.”
Amy started to walk out but Lynn blocked her way.
“This guy is something else, Amy. I saw him, remember? You can’t do this!”
“Look, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Amy, not every guy is like Tim. And a guy like the one you’re seeing tonight isn’t desperate for women. So obviously there’s some chemistry there, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked to see you again,” Lynn said calmly.
Amy said nothing. She knew Lynn was right. There had been some chemistry. She felt it the night he had come to her door. Amy felt it the night he sat with her at the gala and later at dinner. Those feelings were driven home when she closed her eyes and saw Gavin in her dreams. It wasn’t just a little chemistry. This reaction was on the verge of being explosive. She felt it when she looked into those steel-gray eyes. She had seen something in Gavin’s eyes she had never seen in any man, desire. This man was doing things to her she had only read about in sappy novels. She didn’t want to get her hopes up only to get hurt again.
“Amy, one date, it doesn’t mean you have to marry the guy. And this time you call the shots. If you don’t like him then don’t see him again.” Lynn checked in the books from the book drop.
Amy let out an exasperated sigh, her resolve now shattered. She said nothing as she turned and went back to her office. Lynn was right. It was only one date.
* * * *
Gavin set up the surveillance schedule and briefed the team on what they were dealing with. He knew at some point they would have to raid wherever this guy decided to set up shop. He hoped it wasn’t at Rivera’s mother’s house, but these guys never seemed to be concerned with who they threw under the bus. It was almost six when he finally looked up. He had a couple more chores to do but he could be gone before seven and ready to pick up Amy by seven thirty as promised.
“Gavin?” he heard a soft, feminine voice call him.
Gavin looked at the doorway and smiled. “Hello, Mrs. Ortiz. What can I do for you?”
“I thought I would drop by and give you an invitation to our house for Thanksgiving,” Irene said.
“Thank you, Mrs. Ortiz. But that should be time you spend with your family and I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“You are family. You’re police family.” Irene smiled.
“Thanks, but uh…” Gavin looked away.
“Amy will be there.”
“What can I bring?”
Gavin was usually very controlled with his emotions and expressions, but his words were out of his mouth before he realized it. It was scary how Amy affected him in such a short time. He was sure if he could just get in between her legs it would all get better and she wouldn’t have this kind of hold on him.
“Whatever you want to drink. Dinner will be at three, so you can come any time after noon. I’m sure David could use help frying the turkey,” Irene said with a knowing smile.
This little lady seemed to read him like a book. Gavin sat back in his chair. Am I that obvious?
“Thanks for the invite, Mrs. Ortiz. I’ll be there.” Gavin smiled.
“Good! We’re looking forward to having you. Amy really is a nice girl, Gavin.” Irene turned to leave.
Gavin chuckled and shook his head. Irene Ortiz was a sly one. She had to be. She was the principle of the one of the high schools in Victoria. She had to be smart to stay one step ahead of the kids nowadays.
He refocused himself and finished his day.
* * * *
Cheryl walked up the sidewalk to Amy’s house. Apparently, she had been home for an hour and was in a panic about her hot date. When she walked into Amy’s bedroom, it looked like a bomb had exploded in her closet and had blasted clothes all over her bedroom. Amy was so frustrated. Cheryl noticed Amy seemed about ready to cry in her frustration because she had worked herself into a frenzy about this evening.
“What the hell happened in here?” Cheryl asked as she looked around.
“I can’t find anything to wear!” Amy cried in near hysteria.
Cheryl led Amy to the bed and sat her down.
“Okay, okay, calm down,” Cheryl said.
“I–I can’t d–do this,” Amy whispered with a wild expression.
Cheryl turned and started picking through the clothes.
“Yes, you can, and you will. Where did he say he was taking you?” Cheryl asked.
“A movie and dinner.” Amy looked down at her hands.
Cheryl picked up a very nice and soft chenille sweater. You couldn’t help but run your hands over the soft fabric when you saw it. If he was indeed a real man, he would be very tactile, and he wouldn’t be able to resist touching Amy. Cheryl smiled a knowing smile. Yes! That will do the trick.
“Girl! You need to get laid by a man that knows what to do with a woman. Ease up some of that tension,” Cheryl mumbled. “Put on something sexy underneath. It’ll make you feel better. Let me see if I can find some slacks.” Cheryl handed Amy the sweater.
“Cheryl!” Amy cried.
“‘Cheryl’ my ass! It’s a good thing I got rid of all that frumpy shit you had.” Cheryl rummaged through Amy’s lingerie drawer.
Cheryl
held up a lacy lavender thong and push-up bra set. It would set Amy’s assets off very nicely with that V-neck sweater.
“Here, get to it!” Cheryl demanded as she lifted Amy from the bed.
Cheryl shooed Amy into the bathroom to shower and change. She continued rummaging through Amy’s clothes until she found some nice trousers. As Amy bathed, she picked through her jewelry and set it aside. She also looked through her makeup and picked the colors that would be best for a casual evening out. Amy came out of the bathroom in her robe.
“Come on get over here so I can fix you up,” Cheryl said.
“I’m not you. I still don’t know why he asked me out.”
Cheryl gave Amy a withering look through the mirror.
Cheryl owned a women’s clothing shop in Victoria and had recently expanded to Corpus Christi. She designed the clothing line as well as the lingerie she stocked in the store. When she went on buying trips she was very particular and sometimes returned with nothing. She never settled when it came to fashion. She especially paid attention to the curvy women, making her store wildly popular. It had really taken off in Corpus Christi.
The fashions for bigger women could be so frumpy, especially the lingerie. Cheryl’s mission was simple. Every woman, no matter what her size, had a right to feel beautiful and sexy. She went out of her way to stock lots of stylish clothes just for them. The majority of women in the state of Texas were a size fourteen or bigger. She had done her market research and it had paid off. Anyone who was anyone in Victoria shopped almost exclusively at Cheryl’s Boutique. Amy was Cheryl’s personal project. It was her goal to make Amy see that she was a very beautiful woman, despite her dress size. Now a very strong and attractive man had seen it, too. It was a mission almost accomplished.
Amy sat at the dressing table and allowed Cheryl to take over. She noticed the attention she paid Amy seemed to calm her. It was seven twenty when she finished with her. Amy looked up and obviously couldn’t help but smile.