“The owner of a little red sports car parked out front left it unlocked and this was just lying there on the front seat, begging to be listened to,” Chuck said laughing
“Ignore their dumb asses. I think it’s a great CD” Tommy said as she approached them.
As she started around Tommy to retrieve her CD from the stereo system, he caught her arm and pulled her up close. He began dancing very inappropriately with her, holding her hips in his hands and forcing her to dance with him. She was shocked at how well he moved.
“Better not let Bobby catch you doing that Tommy. He will lay you the fuck out!” Chuck said.
Dickie walked over to where Chuck stood and smacked him in the back of the head.
“What?” Chuck said.
She couldn’t help but laugh at them as Tommy finally let her go. This past week with Bobby gone, she had a little more time to get to know the guys. She always avoided the garage before because it was where Bobby was and she was never sure how to take him.
Turning the volume down and hitting the eject button on the player she said, “How would you guys feel about cutting out early today?”
“Damn! If I knew all we had to do to leave early was get Tommy here to bust a move, I’d have done it weeks ago,” Dickie said laughing. “Not sure the boss would be too good with that though.”
“The boss is the one who offered it,” she said, turning to face them.
“You talked to him?” Tommy asked.
“I just got off the phone with him and he told me to give you guys your checks and tell you to take off around two or three today,” she replied.
“Will you be leaving early too Miss Lilly?” Dickie said with a wink and a smile.
“Actually, I will be leaving but I have to come back later. I have a meeting with the boss,” she said.
After watching the smiles and looks that passed between the guys she added, “You guys enjoy your weekend. Our meeting will last all weekend and maybe part of next week.”
With that she turned and headed back to the office. As the door closed behind her she couldn’t help but let out a laugh when she heard the cat calls and whistling from the guys.
When three o’clock finally came around and the guys had all left, she grabbed her purse and after locking up the shop headed out to her car. Her stomach did butterflies the entire trip to Sherri’s house. As she walked through the front door, Sherri looked at her from where she lay on the couch watching television.
“You’re home early…and wearing quite a smile,” she sang with a laugh.
“I talked to him today and we are going on a trip when he gets back from his business meeting tonight,” she said.
“Yea!” Sherri squealed, jumping up off the couch and hugging her.
“I guess we need to get you packed. If there is one thing I learned from living with a biker, it’s how to pack a lot of stuff into a small bag. Come on,” Sherri said.
They spent the next couple of hours talking and packing and then went downstairs to make some dinner. She hadn’t realized just how much she missed spending time with Sherri… all those years wasted simply because Darren didn’t approve. Sherri hadn’t initially approved of Bobby either, but she had given him a chance… hadn’t judged him. She had certainly taken a page from Sherri’s book and learned not to judge based on the cover.
After dinner was cleaned up, she went and showered to get ready to go. After hugging Sherri and promising to check in at least once while on her trip, she headed out the door and back to the shop. As she pulled into the lot in front of the shop she noticed an older model Buick parked at the far edge. There was no driver so someone must have left it to be repaired. She decided to go inside and check to see if someone had put the keys in the lock box.
It was pretty dark in the garage bay as she passed through on her way to the office. When she unlocked the office door and started to go through it, someone rushed her from behind clamping a hand over her mouth.
“I don’t care what kind of strings you have to pull… just find her before he does!” Detective Sanders yelled into the phone. Slamming the receiver onto the cradle he grabbed his suit jacket and ran out the door. He had a flight to catch and a witness to save.
Seven hours later he found himself driving around a rundown neighborhood in Florida hoping to either find Lilly’s car or the motorcycle shop she was supposedly working at. He doubted the shop was still open at this time of the evening, but he was willing to try anything at this point, even setting off the alarm since her cell phone went unanswered. The owner would show up and then maybe lead him to Lilly.
Having driven past her sister’s house several times, it was obvious no one was home. Glancing at his watch he noticed it was nearly eight at night. Hopefully he wasn’t already too late. He was so busy focusing on the area, he nearly collided with a motorcycle driven by a young punk. The kid wore slightly baggy pants and a t-shirt with a ball cap on his head. The tattoos up and down both arms gave him away for the shit bag he probably was.
“Hey fucker! You want to watch where you’re going there?” the guy said from his bike.
Desperate, he rolled down his window. “Sorry about that buddy, I’m lost maybe you could help. Have you heard of a repair shop called Bobby’s Custom Chop Shop?” he asked.
“Yea! I fucking work there. Why?” the guy said.
Finally his luck was turning around on this case.
“I am looking for a woman who works there named Lilly… do you know her?” he asked.
“Yea, Lilly basically runs the place. Who are you?” the guy asked suspiciously.
“Detective Sanders, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. Do you by any chance know where I might be able to find her? It’s urgent that I speak with her… her life is in danger. Please…if you can get a hold of her by phone or tell me where I can find her…” he said.
“She was supposed to meet up with Bobby at the shop. They are going away for the weekend. They’ve probably already left. Follow me and I’ll run you up there,” the guy said and turned his motorcycle around headed the way he’d just come from.
Following behind the bike, he prayed his luck would hold out. As they pulled into the lot, the guy on the bike noticed Lilly’s car at the same time he did. The guy killed the engine to his motorcycle and started towards the shop.
“Wait! Let me go in first,” he said.
The guy stopped walking and turned to him. The young man’s face looked both angry and worried. As he started toward the building he heard the rumble of another motorcycle heading up the street. A dark haired man riding a very sweet looking motorcycle pulled into the lot. His guide ran over to the bike as the man sat the kickstand down and killed the motor.
“You two need to wait here, let me check things out. If I’m not back in two minutes with Lilly I need you to call the local Sheriff’s Office.” he said, handing them a phone number he’d written on a piece of scrap paper. “Better yet, just go ahead and call them now. Tell them there is a burglary in progress and the guy has a gun,” he finished after eyeing the Buick parked further out in the lot.
With that he headed in through the side door of the building. He gave himself a couple of minutes for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the large garage bay. He didn’t hear any movement or see anything unusual so he headed first to the front of the garage bay to ensure the alarm on the wall had been tripped and then across to the doorway that had the word ‘office’ painted across the glass in wild flowing letters.
Trying the door he found it locked. “Lilly Warner? It’s Detective Sanders. If you’re in there I need you to say something and then come out,” he yelled.
A shot rang out and splintered a portion of the door next to where he stood forcing him to crouch down.
“Detective?” a man’s voice said. “If you’re still alive I’m going to bring her out there. Drop your weapon or I will shoot her in the head. I got nothing to lose here and I’m not going to prison. I want to see two empty hands h
igh in the air.”
His adrenaline kicked in as he laid the gun down on the cold garage floor. “Come on out. I’m unarmed now… stay cool and don’t do anything rash. I’m going to get you whatever you need to ensure Mrs. Warner’s safety ok?” he yelled back.
The door he had entered through opened and the dark haired man stepped inside.
“What are you doing? Get out of here and stay outside! A man has her and is threatening to kill her. I need you to go back outside and wait for the Sheriff’s Office. Let them know what’s happening,” he said to the man whose eyes never left the office door.
Looking back he noticed the man standing behind Lilly pointing a gun to her head. Raising his hands in the air Detective Sanders backed away from the door. Lilly opened the door and they both shuffled through it. Upon seeing the dark haired man Lilly burst into tears.
Seeing first Detective Sanders and then Bobby standing in the garage bay, her fear erupted in a steady stream of tears. Detective Sanders didn’t appear nervous but the look on his face told her just how serious the situation was. Bobby looked… angry… really angry.
“Special Agent Brower…I thought I recognized your voice,” Detective Sanders said.
“I’m betting a few light bulbs are going off in that pea sized brain of yours right about now huh detective?” the man said. “You can call me Leo even though we’re no longer playing for the same team.”
“You can call me Greg and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you know exactly where the eight million dollars went, don’t you Leo?” Detective Sanders said.
“Why don’t you tell me detective? What do you think happened to that money?” Leo said.
“I just want to know how much of it went in your pocket and if it’s worth your career and eventually your life. You know what to expect on the inside for guys like us…kind of like throwing a mouse in a snake’s cage,” Greg said. “In your shoes I wouldn’t go easily, am I right?”
“All eight my friend and there will be more once I take care of this little problem. Pretty hard to make a case with no witnesses, no matter how bad… or shall we say circumstantial… the situation looks,” Leo sneered.
“How much was there total?” Greg asked.
She noticed Bobby take a couple of steps forward as Detective Sanders and the man talked.
“Eighty… though the Bureau only caught wind of about half that much and was thrilled when I led them down the path to getting a fraction of that back and was more than willing to overlook the last eight million they thought was missing. Getting back even that amount of the victim’s money was considerable in their eyes. Why weren’t you willing to let it go detective?” Leo asked.
“Even if you got back ninety five percent of the money for the victims, I would have gone after the remaining five,” Greg said.
She watched as Bobby made two more steps towards her and Leo. God! Why wouldn’t he just stay back, run out of the garage where he would be safe from this maniac. It was too late for her, somehow she knew that… but not for him.
“Always the good guy huh detective? You and I will never see the kind of money those rich bastards have. Three lifetimes and we still wouldn’t scratch the surface. So you work your beat, risk your neck, watch your friends die and for what? Fifty or sixty thousand a year? That’s chump change my friend. Wake up! I made more than I will in my whole career in one deal…one transaction…in one day!” Leo said.
She could feel the man’s whole body tremble from the conviction he felt for what he’d done. Her stomach nearly heaved but she forced it down. It always came down to the all mighty dollar. It had in her marriage and would now be the death of her. Again, Bobby moved forward and was only a few feet away. As Lilly looked at him, she noticed he wouldn’t look her in the eye. He seemed to be focused on Leo, but from time to time his eyes would move like he was looking in the office.
“So you think taking out me and Lilly will end the trail of fire that’s burning a path to your door? Is that it?” Greg asked. “Well just like you I got friends on the force too… guys who work their beat, risk their necks and bury their friends. Those guys live by the badge and after they comfort my wife and kids they will come after you with everything they have and you damn well know it.”
“Well unlike you detective, when and if they ever do catch up to me… when I die even more than eight million dollars will comfort my wife and kids… hell that kind of money will comfort my grandkids,” Leo said.
“Well if you shoot me first, don’t kid yourself… Lilly here is going to fight for her life. She’s a fighter… a survivor… never a victim. If you shoot her first I guarantee you I will put a major hurt on you before I go,” Greg said.
Leo laughed, “I don’t think so detective.”
Her eyes didn’t process the next few seconds due to the speed in which they occurred. She was suddenly shoved forward and then yanked aside and onto her stomach. Rolling over and scooting back she heard the gun crack on the concrete floor and saw Bobby on top of Leo punching him over and over. Chuck stood to the side of Leo and anytime the man would attempt to curl into the fetal position, Chuck would kick him in the back.
“You don’t touch her you fuck! She’s mine!” Bobby yelled as he continued to punch Leo.
Leo suddenly went slack but Bobby continued to punch him.
“How’s that you punk bitch!” Chuck yelled as he kicked Leo one final time.
“Stop now!” Detective Sanders yelled after picking his gun up from the floor and pointing it at Bobby’s back.
She heard herself scream, “No!” as she launched off the floor and flung herself across Bobby’s back. Feeling her, he stopped punching Leo but held his fist ready for another swing. Chuck put up his hands and backed away.
“Please don’t shoot him,” she sobbed as she attempted to cover as much of Bobby as she could which considering his size wasn’t much.
“I need you to back away from him buddy, I got him from here. Thank you for the assistance but let me do my job. He needs medical attention and then I promise he will be locked away where he can never come after her again.” Greg said.
She watched as Detective Sanders pointed his gun more toward the floor and away from Bobby. Knowing he wouldn’t shoot Lilly looked down at Leo who was bleeding from his nose and mouth. Then she wrapped her arms around one of Bobby’s shoulders and part of his neck.
“Oh God Bobby!” she sobbed as she pressed her face into his neck.
The thought that this night could have ended so differently, took her out at the knees and she collapsed against him. His strong arms wrapped around her and she felt his face against the top of her head as he basically held her up.
“I need you to take my badge, hold it in your right hand where anyone facing you can see it, and go slowly out the side door with your hands in the air,” Greg said to Chuck. “Tell the deputies outside that I will be opening this garage door. We need an ambulance started if one isn’t on scene.”
“Ok,” Chuck replied, appearing to be in shock over what had happened. Detective Sanders handed his badge to Chuck. Chuck bent down and attempted to pick something up off the floor.
“Leave it! It’s evidence, now do as I say. Now!” Greg demanded.
“Ok… sorry!” Chuck said and walked to the door of the garage.
“Slowly!” Greg said.
A commotion outside the garage door was heard along with several voices.
“He’s down and unarmed,” a man’s voice rang out through the closed garage door.
After several moments the talking quieted and Detective Sanders reached next to the office door and hit the garage door opener. As the bay door slowly opened the brightness of the strobe lights from several police cars spilled in along with the cooler night air. Several uniformed officers came into the garage with their guns drawn. An officer dragged Chuck inside with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Seeing Chuck in handcuffs, she forced her way out of Bobby’s arms and walked
towards the officer.
“Stop! Do not move!” one of the officers said to her.
“Please don’t take Chuck, he didn’t do anything wrong. He saved me… please,” she cried and broke into sobs again.
Bobby once again pulled her to him and she pressed her face into his chest. Would this ever be over?
“Hey, it’s ok. I got you now… and I’m not letting go. Chuck’s a big boy and can take care of himself for a few minutes until Greg here explains that we are not the fucking bad guys,” Bobby said into her hair.
“Are you Detective Sanders?” one of the officers holding a large rifle asked.
“Yes,” Greg answered.
“I got a call from Special Agent Brock of the FBI…explained that you were on the trail of one of their own. I take it that’s him there?” the officer asked pointing towards where Leo lay.
Greg nodded and headed over to shake the officer’s hand. Suddenly the garage broke into chaos as Paramedics were shown in to check on Leo and prepare to take him to the hospital. Two other officers and a man in dress pants and a button up shirt loaded into the ambulance along with Leo.
Another officer led Chuck over to a patrol car and sat him in the back seat but left the door open and began talking to him. Detective Sanders began talking to a group of several officers and two other men.
Another ambulance pulled in and two other Paramedics got out and headed into the garage.
“Bobby?” Detective Sanders asked. “I’m going to need you to let the Paramedics take a look at your hand.”
She pulled away from him and looked down at his bloodied hand.
“Oh God Bobby your hand!” she said, looking up at him for signs that he was hurting.
His face was unreadable but his eyes showed…heat as they seemed to pierce her very soul.
“It’s not broke, just a little busted up,” He said, glancing at one of the Paramedics.
She tried to move away from him so the paramedics could look at his hand, but he merely pulled her into his side with his other arm while holding the injured hand out towards them.
Rough Ride (Riding with Honor) Page 16