Tap Dance (Dance Series)

by Judy Hornbuckle

  "Pyari, listen to me. I want you to call me after every single one of his calls, okay? Do you understand?"

  "Yes, honey," she breathed. There was relief on that breath. She wouldn't have to go this alone.

  "You know that large purse that you like to use when you come to me?"

  "The tote? The green bag?"

  "Yes."

  "I want you to put your laptop in the green tote and bring it with you, okay?"

  "Why, Ram?"

  "I'll tell you later. Please just bring the laptop but carry the bag it's in like a normal purse, okay?"

  "He's calling, Ram," she said and disconnected.

  Ram made his way back to Agent Grant who was still rocking on his heels but with a self-satisfied look on his face.

  "Almost over, Amigo," the Federal agent said. "Three years, three long fucking years and this may finally be it for me."

  "I thought Steve Quinlan only worked for the Milosevics for two years?" Ram asked.

  "Steve Quinlan? Shit. He's just a little piece of crap who was stupid enough to sign on with a family of turds. He's a tool. But the CDs? Brilliant."

  "How do you plan to get the CDs if they're going to kill him if he doesn't deliver?"

  The agent looked at Ram for a long time before his face finally gave his game away.

  "You didn't have any intention of working with him, did you? You just wanted the information." Ram couldn't believe that anyone would be, could be, that callous.

  "Told you, Patel. He's a tool. And your girlfriend's a hindrance. I will be victorious and bring the scum-sucking family down."

  Ram just looked at him.

  "What?" Grant said. "Were you thinking that justice would prevail? That good would win out? Fuck."

  Grant popped his cuffs and looked up and down the deserted street.

  "You piss poor bastards from other countries are bringing this shit onto American streets, my friend. You need to wake up and…"

  Grant's voice cut off because Grant was on the ground.

  Grant was on the ground because he seemed to have walked into a fist.

  The fist belonging to the Police Chief of Grantham, Colorado.

  And the Police Chief's fist had laid that sorry fucking, federal agent's ass out.

  *.*.*.*.*

  "Pierson, Adler. Need some help here," Ram called. All of his boys were in downtown Grantham in various locations and his heart was glad for it. He hadn't had to call any of them. They had just shown up, maybe not in full regulation gear. But they were here.

  It said a lot.

  It meant even more.

  "Yes, Chief?" Paul asked.

  "Can we, ah, remove the recumbent Agent Grant so he doesn't, ah, infect the scene?"

  Paul's face split into a huge grin seeing the look on his boss' face.

  "Done deal, Chief."

  Ram probably should have stopped Adler to remind him dragging a Federal Agent may not be the best way to transport him, especially across a sidewalk and a road.

  But on the other hand…

  "I'm on my way, Ram. Steve says he knows that Jamison has left his house and got upset I wasn't on the road myself. How does he know this shit, Ram?" Marianne's voice called from the cellphone he forgot was still on and transmitting.

  "Dunno, Pyari. But it's all good. Go ahead and come down. We've got the streets cordoned off, but my guys know to look for you, okay?"

  "Yeah, honey," she said softly.

  They were both quiet but the line was still open.

  "See you when you get here?"

  "Yeah, honey," she repeated.

  Ram smiled as he disconnected. Until he saw Jamison moving swiftly up the block, waving to the officers who were stationed at every block around the downtown area.

  Rather than watch the trundling bank president greet his men like a conquering hero,

  accepting his due from his troops, Ram called Marianne back.

  "Jamison is just getting here. Where are you?"

  "Two streets over, honey. Should I drive or get out and hoof it? Seems to be a lot of cars in front of me."

  "Hold on, Pyari," Ram said and moved the phone from his mouth. "Pierson?"

  "Yeah, Chief?"

  "MG can't get through due to traffic."

  "No worries, Chief."

  "Pyari, Ted is going to get you here, okay?"

  "Okay, Ram," she said softly.

  Hell of a time to sport wood, Patel, he told himself.

  But it was her voice.

  Shit.

  It was her, fucking, full stop.

  "Jeff," Ram yelled. He heard the slap of feet on concrete.

  "Laptops?"

  "Here, Chief," Jeff said handing over four laptops still in their cases.

  There was silence as Ram captured the bags before hearing Jeff's, "Thank God. They're here, Chief."

  Ram raised his eyes and saw his girl, his beautiful, brave girl running full on next to Ted. Ram handed over the cases to whoever was behind him.

  And he found himself moving forward.

  Because running toward him for a moment, just a split second, he forgot why they were there. Just watching the woman he could've only dreamed of having was running full tilt towards him.

  And he realized.

  In full blooming color, he got it.

  He was running toward his future.

  He caught her and in full view of his crew he captured her mouth in a sweet kiss before releasing her and turning them both towards the chubby bank president.

  "No need to fondle people in the midst of a crisis, Patel," the sanctimonious Layton advised.

  "Deniece?" Ram yelled.

  Deniece was one of the new hires but was very savvy in the ways of men as evidenced by her current responsibility in overseeing the downtown jails.

  She was a no nonsense Amazonian who's skin color suggested a mixed heritage but accent didn't place her in any particular place. She was the kind of woman that Ram had learned appealed to Jamison and he'd made sure to have her on hand for distraction.

  She gave a full wink to Ram and Marianne before passing them and presenting herself to the bank president as his 'special police escort'.

  The four of them made their way down to the basement where the safety deposits boxes were held.

  Marianne's phone rang.

  "Yes, yes. Steve, I'm here, okay?"

  All eyes were on Marianne as she disconnected.

  "Now how does all this work?" they heard Jamison say before Deniece snagged the much shorter bank president's arm and turn him away from the vault.

  "But I have to help Ms. Gibson!" Jamison exclaimed, reluctantly pulling away from Deniece's arm.

  Ram used a key and the lights in the Safe Depository came on.

  Jamison nodded.

  Then he used a second key and the grate opened.

  Jamison moved to the side and waved a hand in front of him, his eyes locked on Marianne's chest.

  Ram saw red.

  It'd be one thing if the bank president had dropped his eyes completely, or caught Marianne's eyes as he gestured.

  But, no.

  Jamison eyes were, without any subterfuge, completely ravishing Marianne's chest.

  Fuck, no.

  Ram had already had it up to here with the amount of men that seemed to want to be with the one woman he'd found to love and he fucking was not going to put up with more.

  Ram shot his eyes to Deniece.

  "Why don't you just hand those silly little keys over to Ram, darlin'," she drawled. "And you and me can find a quiet dark corner where we can talk…" her face tilted down, close to Jamison's ear. "Alone."

  Ram fielded the keys and walked with Marianne into the Vault.

  Her phone rang.

  "Steve?" she asked into the phone. "Hello, Steve?"

  But everyone knows that there's no reception in a bank vault.

  Chapter Thirty Five

  Ram and I had the CDs from the safe deposit box in our hands really fast
and then I saw the reason for all the laptops.

  Ram set each one of them up on the floor and plugged a CD in each, authorizing a CD to be downloaded to each and every one of them.

  We probably had fifteen seconds left on the last three when my cellphone rang again.

  "Steve, honey? "

  But I looked at my cell and it had no bars. No reception.

  *.*.*.*.*

  Ram hated, hated that his girl was pandering to the man on the end of the phone. But, at the moment, her 'ass-hat' as she called Steve, was calling the shots.

  "No reception. Just like you predicted ," she said as she disconnected. "How we doing, honey?"

  He glanced up at her thinking that now was not the time to address her calling the ex by the same name she called him.

  But it fucking grated.

  "What's with copying the CDs, honey?" Marianne asked.

  "Hedging our bets, Pyari. The Feds want the information and if Steve is unable to provide the CDs at least we have copies of the originals."

  Luckily each of the laptops popped opened their CD drives in order.

  Ram swiftly snagged each CD and held it on his finger as he moved along the line.

  He pressed the original CDs into her hands before he let his fingers leave hers.

  This was the part he didn't like.

  The part he didn't have any control over.

  He watched as she took the last CD from his finger and then lifted her pretty mouth to his for a brief kiss.

  God, he loved her mouth.

  Then he watched her eyes as she moved away from him.

  She was afraid.

  Oh, hell.

  No.

  She was his.

  She had nothing to fear, ever.

  Ram brought his cellphone up and stabbed the name he wanted.

  "She's moving. She's your responsibility, right? Don't let me down."

  Marianne turned at the first step.

  Pointing herself back at him.

  "May-un-Tum say Hu-may-sha Pea-yar-Karti-Rahoon- Jee," she said slowly and carefully.

  His cock registered her words before his brain did.

  He was still blinking in the place, the last place he'd seen her in, when his brain finally began to work.

  She just told him, in Hindi, that she loved him.

  In no uncertain terms.

  That she loved.

  Him.

  Holy fuck.

  *.*.*.*.*

  I was up the stairs and out of the bank in nothing flat. Ted and Paul were there to meet me.

  "Okay, Mari. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to go to the apartments and act like I'm a regular visitor for one of the other girls in the building. Do you know who might be home at this time?"

  I thought for a minute. "I'm not really sure, but I can call Sara."

  "Okay, call Sara and tell her that I'm coming. Which apartment is she in?"

  "Three. She's in apartment Three." My voice, though shaky, was strong. I handed the CDs to Ted as I scrolled through my phone and called Sara.

  "She's there, Paul, and she'll let you in."

  "Good. I'm taking off now. Remember, I'll be right upstairs. Okay?" Paul said starting to move away. "We've got your back, Mari."

  "Thanks, Paul."

  "Marianne," Ted said, bringing my attention back to him. "I'm going to be on the floor of your car in the back seat. You're going to drop me off a block away and then drive slowly to your apartment. Got it?"

  "Yes, but I left with my computer in a green bag. It's got my keys in it! I left it in the bank downstairs. We've got to have it, Ted."

  Ted looked at me, to gauge how I was holding up before moving back to the bank doors.

  He poked his head in and yelled, "Chief!"

  "Yeah, Ted?"

  "Need the green bag!"

  Ted heard running and Deniece came bounding up with the green bag, shoving it in Ted's hands. Ted turned and grabbed my arm. "Let's go!"

  My cell phone rang and I pulled my arm away from Ted's to answer.

  "I've got the CD's, Steve. I'm on my way back to the apartment."

  "Good," was all I heard before Steve disconnected.

  Ted and I, who was on the floor in the back seat, roared through town. Ted was dropped off a block away and I drove slowly toward my house, pretending to look for parking. After parking the car, I grabbed my keys out of the pocket of my green bag and made my way up the steps of the building.

  I heard footsteps running behind me and turned around before entering the open door.

  "Get in!" Steve yelled from the sidewalk moving fast.

  I could see two men running up the street and one had his gun out.

  Steve pushed me in the door and closed it quickly.

  "Move!" he yelled as he yanked me toward my apartment door as the men outside reached the porch.

  My hands were shaking uncontrollably as I tried to fit the key in the lock. There was a pounding on the front door and I heard the sound of buzzers going off in each apartment as the two outside tried to gain access.

  I finally got the door open and Steve pushed by me.

  "Give me the CDs, Mari!"

  I threw the bag at Steve as I went to step into my apartment. A movement caught my peripheral vision and I saw Paul at the top of the stairs with his gun out and held low in both hands. Paul lifted his chin and quickly moved his head, indicating I needed to get in my apartment.

  As I closed my apartment door, I could hear wood splintering as the heavy front door was breached. I slammed my apartment door and moved backwards to the breakfast bar. I glanced around and didn't see Steve, but heard the sounds of my bedroom window being opened.

  The sounds coming through from entryway of the apartment building were sharp yelps but I couldn't understand the words.

  I moved to the short hall and glanced in the bedroom. Steve was half in, half out of the window and his feet waved in the air, appearing like he was trying to find a way to climb out further. There was a dull thud as he made it through and fell to the ground.

  "Hands in the air, Quinlan," I heard Ted yell.

  I moved back to the breakfast bar and couldn't hear anything from the entryway. I glanced outside and saw the street was filled with black and whites, their red lights rotating.

  Was it over?

  I moved to the living room, staying as far away from the window as I could. I saw Ted bring Steve around the side of the house, Steve's hands held behind him.

  Looking to the right, I saw Paul, Jeff and Tim standing over two men on the ground. The men were belly down on the lawn with their hands cuffed behind them. Jeff and Tim had their guns out and held in both hands as Paul lifted up one of the men and passed him off to Officer Matthews.

  Where was Ram?

  I moved closer to the window, but couldn't see him anywhere. My eyes moved frantically, looking for him, seeing all his 'boys' as he called them, but not him.

  I looked around for my phone and realized it was still in the green tote that I had thrown to Steve, but was in Ted's hands as he led Steve out to the front.

  I ran out the apartment and saw the front door was open, the locks popped again. I stopped on the porch and yelled for Ted. He glanced at me as he put Steve in the back of one of the patrol cars, the green tote still in his hands.

  "Need my phone from the bag," I yelled. Ted held up a hand, which I thought was his way of asking me to wait a minute. I sat down on the steps and continued to watch as the officers worked to get the men in handcuffs in cars. There were a lot of officers on their cell phones as the black and whites, with cuffed men inside, pulled away and drove off down the street.

  Paul and Ted made their way to me. I heard footfalls behind me and turned. Sara was coming down the stairs, her eyes trained on Paul. She made her way outside and sat next to me.

  "You okay, Mari?" Paul asked.

  "I will be," I answered. "Where's Ram?"

  "On his way," Ted answered and handed me the bag. I waste
d no time in pulling out my cell and calling him myself.

  "I'm on my way, Pyari. Okay?" He said without preamble.

  "Yes, honey," I whispered into the phone, and as I disconnected I found my hands were still shaking.

  Paul was talking softly with Sara and Ted was back on his phone as I waited for my man. As soon as I saw his black truck, I was up and off the porch in record time.

  I ran down the sidewalk, into the street watching him get out of his truck and move quickly to me.

  Chapter Thirty Six

  Ram opened his arms and pulled her to him, fisting her hair and holding her secure with an arm around her waist. Her arms wrapped around him, underneath his arms and moving up to his shoulder blades.

  He could've held her forever.

  But, he still had things he had to oversee, reports to write and a debriefing to attend to, so he kissed her softly and walked with her arm in arm back to the apartment building. He did a chin lift to Paul and Ted before turning back to Marianne.

  "You're going to have to call Cait and Jake, Pyari," he said looking down into her beautiful blue eyes. "I'll be tied up for a while but I want you to pack a bag. I'll call and let you know when I'm finished and then you can come to me."

  She nodded up at him before reaching to hug him again.

  "I'll be just a minute, boys," Ram said from over her head. He turned and caught her hand taking her back into her apartment.

  "Is there something wro…" was all she was able to get out before Ram's mouth moved to hers for a slow ravishing, devouring kiss. He kissed her like he would never stop, like they had forever to enjoy the taste and feel of each other's mouths and tongues.

  And when he finally lifted his head, they were both breathing hard.

  "I love you, Pyari," he whispered against her mouth.

  "And I love you, Ram," she whispered back, her lips softly on his.

  "Tell me what you're going to do," he said softly.

  "Call Cait about the door. Pack a bag. You'll call when you're done and I'll meet you at your house."

  "Good." Ram said lifting his head up further and smiling down at her. "You did very good today, Pyari."

  "Thanks, honey," she said softly laying her head against his chest. "I'm glad everything came out okay."