“It’s a job, Red,” Morgan said out of the darkness. His partner’s confidence was shaken more than he expected. “We signed a contract. Besides, nobody sends me out to the woodshed for a whipping. Let’s not have any talk of dropping the case. I just want to know how we get to Anaconda from here. These people ain’t no joke. They’re dangerous.”
“Well, I’ve got an idea.” Felicity’s foot seemed to gain weight, her speed increasing on the freeway. Morgan opened his window a crack and took a deep breath. She was showing more than just a loss of confidence. Something was really wrong, but what? He might expect this feeling if she was hurt, but was it physical or emotional damage? He would simply have to wait for her to tell him, and deal with the moment at hand. Right now presented enough danger.
“Well, let’s look at it,” he said. “The Escorpionistas got a lot of influence over the Hispanic population. There must be about three hundred thousand Latinos in L.A. East L.A. is a city all to itself. No way to crack in there. However, this is a widespread organization from what we were told. So, maybe the place to get at these guys…”
“Is in Texas,” Felicity said. “That’s what I figured. We check out the shipping line and find out how the drugs are brought in. I’m betting when the payroll dries up, the power of South American voodoo hoodoo dries up too.”
“I take it you don’t believe the boy’s prediction,” Morgan said.
“That we can’t harm Anaconda? I don’t buy into crystal balls. But the situation there is kind of spooky, huh?”
“I read it a master-slave relationship,” Morgan said. “Kid’s so dominated he probably just says whatever he figures will please the woman.” The words “I hope” got left off his sentence.
When they climbed out of the taxi in front of their Manhattan Beach office building, Morgan and Felicity scanned the area carefully. They could see no one watching them. Still, they knew he was out there.
Once in her apartment, Felicity checked her bedroom telephone for messages while Morgan picked up the living room’s cellular phone. He heard three rings before a Haitian voice answered.
“Allo.”
“Claudette. Hi.” Morgan sighed in silent in relief. They had not targeted her. At least, not yet. He wanted to tell her all about the dangerous evening he had just had, but he saw no point in scaring her. “Listen, doll, this case is getting a little complicated.”
“Where are you, mon cher?”
“At Felicity’s. Look, her place is being watched. I don’t think mine is, but these people we’re mixed up with play the game kind of funny.”
“Will you return here?”
“I don’t want to lead them to you.”
“Then I should go.”
Pause. “Yes, lover, I think so. It might not be safe right now. Catch the first plane to Europe. I’ll call as soon as the dust settles.”
“I’ll fly evasive, just in case,” Claudette said. “The long route. If you get no answer at my place, don’t worry. Just leave a message with my service. Je t’aime, mon cher.”
“I kind of dig you too,” Morgan said. He waited until she hung up to do the same.
“Oh, tell the girl you love her,” Felicity said, returning to the living room.
“Any messages?” Morgan asked, dropping his jacket. “Mark says he’ll call again around two our time on a secure line. He’s in contact with Chuck.”
“Excellent,” Morgan said, pulling his shirt off. “I’m taking a shower to clean out all these cuts and bruises. They didn’t hurt you, did they? I mean, need any first aid?”
“Nope,” Felicity answered, turning her back to him. “Never touched me.”
“Good. Then you get some rest. I’ll watch the phone. After the call, I’ll hit the guest room.”
“Twist my arm,” Felicity said, smiling. “I’m beat. Let’s plan on a late breakfast and an afternoon flight to Texas. I’m tired of doing things the hard way.”
-11-
Felicity’s eyes popped open, her face tense with anger. Why wasn’t Morgan answering that phone? He said he would watch the phone. Was he just watching it ring?
Then she realized how light it was. Her all blue bedroom was positioned so her wide windows received the sunset, but she could still see the darkness was lifting outside. Her internal clock told her it was twelve minutes before seven in the morning. Surely Mark Roberts called long before this.
Maybe it was Chuck. Pushing only her right arm out from under her thick blue comforter, she reached for the phone on her side table.
“Hello.” Felicity’s voice was still slurred from her recent deep sleep.
“I know what you want,” the voice at the other end said. “You can save me. I will do anything you ask.”
Felicity’s slender form snapped upright, and she filled her lungs with the cool air pumped into her apartment. In an instant she was completely alert. She knew that voice. She had heard it pronounce her doom in Anaconda’s mobile office.
“Frederico? What is this?”
“I ran,” the boy said. “Take me away from her. I lied and saved your life. Now you must help me.”
How could he have escaped? Was this a trap? “Are you in danger?” Felicity asked. “Where are you?”
“The sign says Alameda Street,” Frederico said. “I passed City Hall a block ago, or maybe two. I can see signs I can’t read. It’s not English or Spanish. Senora, she will kill me if she finds me. I ran away.”
Felicity’s mind moved like a race car. If it was a trap, they would just have to chance it. Having an insider in hand would certainly make breaking the Escorpionistas easier, and less risky. “Listen closely. There’s a restaurant not far from you. I’m going to give you an address. Go there and stay until I get there. Okay?”
Four minutes later, Felicity, in jeans, Reeboks, and a blouse over a tee shirt, was shaking Morgan awake. His sleepy smile faded when he saw her expression.
“No time for questions,” she said. “Somehow Frederico found my number and he’s hiding from Anaconda. We need to go get him. Get dressed!”
Morgan didn’t question his partner’s urgency. On their way out the door he had one question.
“If this deal is legit, you think the kid can hide from the Escorpionistas in this town?”
“Don’t know,” Felicity said, “but he made a good start. He at least found a place he’s got a chance. One place where Hispanics won’t be able to disappear in the crowd. He’s holed up in Little Tokyo.”
-12-
Felicity rolled slowly down the streets of Little Tokyo in her black Corvette ZR-1. She felt confident, but could sense her partner’s coolness in the passenger seat. Right then, she knew he wished he was holding a desk phone instead of her car’s cellular one. A desk phone he could slam down. The best he could do with the receiver he held now was stab the disconnect button as hard as he could.
“I am not happy,” he said through clenched teeth. “We’re heading into a potential combat situation in broad daylight with no backup.”
“I take it Alvarez was no more use than Conrad.”
“Refused to even admit he knew me,” Morgan said.
“Guess they want Chuck to be their only contact with us. Mark told me he’s already in Texas.”
“Yeah, and neither of them can offer much help that far away.”
Felicity did not share Morgan’s feeling that they needed help. She had watched him in their office that morning, picking up new weapons. He preferred a basic Browning Hi-power as a fighting pistol, but he only kept a stainless steel model there. Its magazine held fourteen rounds, one more than the gun Anaconda took.
He slipped the gun into his shoulder holster, and another Randall model One knife went into the right side sheath. He slid a throwing knife into his right boot and a short double edged dagger into his left. His black denims covered both, just as his lightweight tan blazer concealed his shoulder holsters.
The environment comforted Felicity as much as Morgan’s armament. The st
reets were almost entirely populated by Japanese Americans. There, Frederico could easily spot and evade Anaconda’s Latin soldiers. She had not seen a Hispanic face in ten minutes, and they were closing in on Tanaka’s, one of her favorite Japanese restaurants.
Aromas crowded the street, reminding Felicity they had missed breakfast. Her ears strained for any snippets of conversation in anything other than an Asian accent.
They approached the entrance of Tanaka’s, easily spotted by the ornate lions and dragons capering up and down the door and its casing. A face poked out. Frederico. He recognized Morgan, glanced both ways, and darted for the car, carrying a small case. He wore only shorts, a tee shirt and tennis shoes without socks. When Morgan opened the door the boy dived into the back. No one had to tell him to stay down. Felicity powered through the intersection, barely making the light.
“No followers,” Morgan said after they drove for two more minutes. “Let’s head for Alvarez’s hotel room.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Felicity asked. “You know that place is being watched. That’s got to be how they got onto us. If they’d really hurt the kid, we can’t take him there.”
“Don’t worry,” Frederico said to the back of Morgan’s head. “She is a woman of great power. I saw it in her eyes. She can take me away from Anaconda’s evil. That’s why I lied and saved your lives.”
“Saved our lives?” Morgan pivoted, so he could look at their young charge.
“The vision came,” Frederico said. “The puma, you, and the hawk, your mistress, pull the flying serpent from the sky. If I had told my mistress that, she would have killed you instantly.”
“My mistress,” Morgan repeated, breaking into laughter. Felicity resisted as long as she could, but soon she started chuckling despite herself.
-13-
Morgan sipped his coffee, trying to stay calm. Felicity had not stopped driving until they were down near Long Beach. They had found a small diner, and now sat in a corner booth behind three plates covered with eggs, hash browns and calamari.
Morgan had chosen this place, at the corner of a long strip mall. He sat so he faced both Felicity and the door. The place’s front wall was glass from knee height to the ceiling. Frederico sat between Felicity and the wall. Frying grease clogged their noses. The juice was fresh, the coffee strong, the conversation strained.
“It’s nuts to take him with us,” Morgan said, as if Frederico were not there.
“If we abandon him, he’s dead,” Felicity said. “No way he can defend himself. Those clowns Chuck was working with certainly can’t protect him. He’s an illegal alien, for God’s sake. And he’s our best tool to crack this dope gang.”
“If he’s that important to her…” Morgan began.
“I am her talisman,” Frederico said, all the time staring at Felicity. “I see more than my brother. And I am a symbol of her power. No enemy could reach her as long as I predicted trouble. She could always strike before they were ready. Men died if I told her they would oppose her.”
“No wonder she rose up the ranks so quickly,” Morgan said.
“And I am her possession,” Frederico continued. “She will not tolerate my leaving.”
“If he’s that important, she’ll be watching the airports,” Felicity said, starting to squirm under Frederico’s stare.
“And the trains,” Morgan said. “And the border. Ports. Bus stations. Her network’s pretty extensive. Not just Hispanics. Everybody who needs the ice can be a pair of eyes for her.”
“You are not Mexican,” Frederico said.
“No, dear, I’m Irish,” Felicity said with a smile. “This is the real me, red hair and pale skin. The other was a disguise. Was that why you thought I was so powerful?”
“No.” Frederico spoke as if he was about to tread on sacred ground. “It was your eyes. When I saw you, after my trance, your eyes were different. Only one was green. The other was black.”
Felicity’s smile broadened. “I get it. It was after Anaconda slapped me. You see, one of my…”
“They change color,” Morgan said, interrupting. “A sign of her power.” He glanced at Felicity, and she held her words. He knew about her contact lenses, but he feared Felicity might lose her hold on the boy if he recognized her as a mere mortal woman. For a woman to hold sway in his culture, she had to be something special.
“So where to now?” Felicity asked.
“The body of Christ,” Frederico said, without hesitation. “Where the ships take the drugs.”
“Christ’s body?” Morgan asked, staring out the diner’s window.
“Sure,” Felicity said. “Corpus Christi. In Texas. We’ll link up with Chuck and let this lad lead us to the ice.” Her eyes locked on Morgan’s and her smile disappeared. “Something’s wrong, and it’s nearby.”
“Right,” Morgan said. “Spanish guy outside looking at your car a little too closely. Wearing a windbreaker. Only one reason in this weather.”
“Your play,” Felicity said.
“Wait two minutes, pay the check and walk out to the car slowly.”
Morgan wiped his mouth, stood and went to the men’s room at the back of the diner. The smell would stop him from using the facilities but he didn’t plan to anyway. Standing on the tank behind the commode he had no trouble climbing out the single narrow window.
Back at the table, Felicity stood up and dropped money on the table. Frederico rose with her, following like a faithful puppy. She moved toward the exit, looking through the glass door and the man on the other side of it. Outside, the Latin man had almost reached for the door. As Felicity approached it he stepped back, turning to avoid her view.
Behind him, at the edge of the building, another man flicked a switchblade open. Felicity read his eyes, his body language and, through them, the situation. He was back-up. Taking the boy was their sole intent. They thought they would find him alone, but they did not anticipate any real trouble from his new friends.
The knife carrier grinned at Felicity until an arm reached around the corner of the building and a strong hand gripped his jaw. His eyes bulged as his head was rammed into the brick wall. His partner turned at the sound of the impact. He stared up into Morgan’s grim face. He watched his partner sliding to the sidewalk, leaving a red smear on the bricks. Behind him, Felicity and Frederico stepped through the diner’s door. Her face showed an easy calm. Frederico’s reflected something close to panic.
“Get in the car,” Morgan said. Felicity grabbed her charge’s hand, running into the parking lot. The Latin man reached under his jacket. Morgan rushed at him, trapping his hand against his chest. The stiffened fingers of Morgan’s right hand thrust deep into the man’s stomach. With a sharp twist, Morgan spun the man around and shoved him through the restaurant door.
Glass exploded into the diner, some of it speckled red. As the body hit the floor, an alarm began to batter Morgan’s ears. The man laid still, blood trickling from his left arm and neck. Some diner patrons stood up for a better look but most of them screamed and scrambled to the back of the building. Morgan sprinted for Felicity’s car. The door stood open, waiting for him. He leaped inside and the door had not quite closed when Felicity stomped the accelerator, leaving black patches of rubber on the parking lot asphalt.
“Where?” Felicity asked.
“Texas,” Morgan replied after only a short pause. “Only safe play. But we’ve got a couple of stops to make first, if we’re going to travel in peace.”
-14-
It was Felicity’s first smile in three hours, but she could not help it. The two men walked out of the department store looking much like father and son. Morgan’s exasperation showed in the lines in his face. Frederico grinned like a seven year old after his first day in Disneyland. He was brand new top to bottom, from the simple blue cotton shirt to the jeans, socks and tennis shoes. Knowing Morgan, he probably had new underwear too.
They climbed into their newly bought car, Frederico as usual in the back. While Morgan
put a new suitcase in the back seat, Felicity wrestled the column shifter into the “D” position and pulled away from the curb.
“He give you any trouble?” she asked. Behind dark glasses, her eyes laughed.
Morgan grimaced in apparent disgust. “You’d think the boy’s never had clothes on before. He couldn’t have attracted more attention. The faster we’re on the road the better I’ll like it.”
“I have worn clothes before,” Frederico said. “Just not new clothes. These are all new.”
It felt good to relax for a bit. Their morning had been hectic. From the diner Felicity had driven in a random pattern for a few minutes until she was certain they could not have been followed and their destination could not be guessed. Then, at Morgan’s direction, she pulled into a low key strip mall.
“This parking lot is a good choice,” Morgan said. “You’ve got good visibility in all directions and easy access to the street. We passed a used car dealership three blocks back. That’s where I’m headed. Sit tight, but if you see anybody even a little suspicious, or if you get a nervous feeling, you get the hell out of here, understand?”
Morgan had started walking while Felicity and Frederico stayed in her Corvette, alert but trying to look relaxed. While they waited, she called her office to check in.
“Stark and O’Brien, how may I help you?”
“Sandy, good morning. It’s Felicity.”
“Ms. O’Brien, so good to hear from you.” Sandy Fox’s voice went from professional cool to personally concerned. “Mister Stark hasn’t been in yet, and he’s always here by seven-thirty. You can set your watch by him, except of course when he’s on one of his special assignments.”
“He’s with me,” Felicity said. “Sandy, I need you to listen closely. Mister Stark and I are on a job, undercover. Neither of us will be in today. Actually, I don’t know when we’ll be in.”
Ice Woman Assignment Page 6