Tony chuckled, saying, “Don’t tell me the great Vincent is going to break hearts all over Richland by looking for love?”
Throwing his blond head back, Vinny laughed. “You got no worries on that score, boss. There is still plenty of Vinny to go around. Haven’t found the woman yet who can make me want to give up my ways.” With that parting shot he left as well, leaving Tony standing in the driveway.
As he turned to head back into the house, a voice came from behind.
“Lot of activity goin’ on over here.”
Tony saw Bernard walking over from his yard. “Yes, sir. Sherrie had a little accident and our friends were just checking on her.”
Bernard’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “She okay? You all need anything?”
Tony smiled at the older man’s concern. “Nah, we’re good.” He started to move back toward the porch steps, then called to Bernard’s retreating back. “Bernard?” The older neighbor turned back around. “If you don’t mind, keep an eye on Sherrie’s place here. I don’t expect anything, but just in case.”
Bernard smiled and admitted, “Always do, son. I always do.”
Tony acknowledged with a nod and jogged back into the living room. Sherrie had slid sideways on the sofa, her pain medication finally taking effect. He picked her up carefully, carrying her up the stairs to her bed. Lying her down gently, he once again pulled the covers over her. Stepping back, he finally allowed the emotions of the past twelve hours to sink in. Too fuckin close. I was too fuckin’ close to losing her. That’s not happening, he vowed. Whether she was in the wrong place at the wrong time or someone specifically after her. Not happening.
*
The next day, Sherrie had had enough of laying around and was glad when Tony went to work, even if he had declared that he was coming home early. Running the tub full of bubbles, she sank into the warm, scented water and tried to take her mind off of the past day’s events.
But the pull of her assault was too strong as she became pissed again. Focus, Sherrie. Focus. Was there anything that tied it to Valesquez?
No. The man didn’t mention Betina, or Valesquez, or anyone. Could I have just stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time?
Determined to take her mind off of her trauma, she popped in her ear buds and finally allowed the soft music to soothe her soul as the warm water soothed her body.
*
That morning, Tony asked Lily and BJ what they had found on Hernando Valesquez.
Lily’s face openly showed her defeat as BJ growled, “So far nothing. He runs an ethnic grocery store, a convenience store a few blocks away, and has three laundry businesses. He pays his taxes, none of his employees have ever filed a complaint, and his bank accounts look like they have the normal deposits that you would expect to find with his businesses.”
Lily continued, “The businesses are all very successful, but that doesn’t show criminal activity either.”
“Do you think that this might not be connected to him at all?” Vinny asked.
Tony sighed, the effects of two nights with little sleep starting to show. “I don’t know. I don’t want to assume that Sherrie has gotten herself unwittingly in the middle of something but, sure as hell don’t want to ignore her instincts.”
“We’ll keep after it, boss,” Lily vowed.
The meeting quickly ended after the assignments were handed out and Tony headed back to his office. He finished a few items that needed attention before driving back to Sherrie’s. She was determined to get through the day without pain medication and he wanted to make sure she was all right.
Letting himself into the house, he called out but received no answer. She must be asleep. Heading up the stairs, he found her in the bathtub, soaking in bubbles with headphones on. The memory of weeks earlier in the cabin when he saw her just like this washed over him. His dick jumped at the sight of her naked body, breasts peeking through the bubbles.
She opened her eyes and her smile lit his world.
Pulling the earbuds out, she softly called, “Hey, sweetie.”
He walked over and knelt by the tub. The bruising around her mouth was faint, but the idea of some man with his hands on her nearly choked him with anger. Tamping down the fury, he forced his voice to sound as normal as possible. “You ready to get out, baby? I’ll help you.”
Placing his hands under her carefully, he stood pulling her warm, wet, naked body from the tub. Trying to tell his aching cock to behave, he placed her gently on the floor being careful of her shoulder as he wrapped her in a huge towel.
She glanced down at his crotch before lifting her gaze back to his. “Got something for me, sailor?” she joked.
“Baby, don’t get any ideas. You’re not ready for anything strenuous and you know it,” he admonished.
Pouting, she whined, “Sweetie, I can just lay there and you can do whatever you want. I don’t have to do anything to hurt my shoulder. And Tony…” she purred as her hand reached out to press against his swollen cock. “It would take my mind off of things.”
“Sherrie…” he growled, but before he could object, she dropped the towel, presenting herself to him.
His breath caught in his chest, staring at her beauty. Her long, blonde hair was piled into a messy knot at the top of her head but, with a quick jerk on the clip, it tumbled down. Her breasts were full and the rosy nipples peeked between the blonde strands of hair. How can someone so short have such long legs? Her body was toned, with a perfect hourglass shape. His fingers clasped into a fist as he held onto his control by a thread.
She lifted her uninjured arm, placing her hand on his chest…right over his heart. “Tony,” she whispered. “I need you.”
That was all she had to say to break his control into a thousand pieces. Sweeping her into his strong arms once again, he stalked into the bedroom laying her gently on the comforter. Her naked body, still glistening with a few water droplets, captured his gaze.
Bending quickly, he pulled one nipple deeply into his mouth, teasing the rosy bud until it was tight with need. His fingers found the other one, tugging until it stood taut as the first. His lips found it as well, and he spent several minutes feasting on her breasts.
Her fingers moved through his hair, pulling him closer. When her shoulder gave a twinge of pain she tried to hide it, but was unsuccessful. He moved off of her but she quickly objected.
“I’ll lay here keeping my left arm still, I promise. Just please, don’t stop Tony. I couldn’t bear it if you did.”
“Woman, you make me go against everything I should be doing right now.”
“Don’t think. Just do,” she cried, her need pulsing through her core.
Rising from the bed, he gently lifted her, placing her feet on the floor. She looked at him, but he silenced her unspoken question with a kiss.
Turning her so that she was facing the bed, he gently placed his hand on the middle of her back, saying, “Bend over baby. Put your good hand on the bed and I’ll do the rest of the supporting.”
Holding her carefully by the hips he entered her from behind, careful to move slowly. His erection pushed against every inner muscle feeling them grab and clutch. Fuck, I gotta keep this slow and controlled. Years in the Special Forces had taught him control and he reached down deep inside to maintain that control as his body fought to pound into her tight pussy.
Slowly, torturously, he moved in and out, both feeling every inch of their body’s connection. Looking down to make sure her injured arm was protected, he kept his strong arms around her to keep her from bearing too much weight on her good arm.
In just a few moments, he felt her inner muscles begin to clamp down on his aching dick as she panted, “Tony, I…need…”
Still holding her with one hand, he moved his other hand to her clit, swollen with need. Fingering it slightly, teasing it before giving it a pinch, she threw her head back, screaming his name.
That was all it took to throw him over the edge as well, his orgasm ripping
from his body as he felt the tingles all the way down to his toes. Pumping until every last drop was gone, he continued to hold her sated, limp body as he pulled out reluctantly.
Carrying her to the bathroom, he cleaned between her legs with a warm washcloth. Fitting her sling over her arm again, he helped her dress before they moved downstairs. The tantalizing smell of Chinese food greeted her as she rounded the corner into the kitchen.
“Hmm, what did you bring?” she asked excitedly.
“Didn’t figure either of us felt like cooking so I brought sesame chicken and fried rice.”
Looking into the bag, she exclaimed, “Crab rangoons and spring rolls too. I love you!”
Laughing, he kissed her forehead before reaching for the plates. “Hell, if I’d know that was all it took to get you to love me, I’d have brought you Chinese a long time ago.”
Stopping him with a hand on his arm, she looked into his eyes, a soft smile on her face and said, “All I need is you.”
Dropping the food back to the counter, he took her face in his large hands kissing her once more. “Same here, babe. All I need is you.”
*
Hernando Valesquez sat in his small grocery office, listening to the man babble on the other end of the phone. He could not believe the fucking moron had threatened Ms. Mullins. The last thing he needed was for the police to start poking around his businesses. He had worked hard to make sure they were legitimate. Rubbing his hand over his face, he knew what he had to do. Get rid of the mistake and report to his superiors. Getting rid of the mistake would be easy. Telling his superiors? That would take some finesse, but if the man was taken out first…then it would make the news easier to explain.
Cutting off the babbling, he kept his voice steady and even. Setting up a meeting behind a local bar, giving the excuse of needing to talk where no one was around was the bait. Hanging up his cell, he headed out into the night to catch the rat.
Slipping into the alley early, he waited behind the dumpsters. He did not have to wait long. The punk who had taken it upon himself to go after Ms. Mullins after seeing her outside the laundry was walking down the alley. Why she was there was something that he intended to get Betina to find out tomorrow. But for now?
With a quick movement, the man’s neck was slit. Fast, without a squeak from the victim. Tossing the body forward so that none of the blood touched him. Eyeing the security cameras he smiled. He was outside their viewing perimeters.
Slipping back through the night, he grinned to himself. He had not worked his way up to be a successful businessman to allow anyone to threaten that.
Now, to keep Ms. Mullins from suspecting him. The smile left his face. That may take more thought.
The next morning, he walked into Quentin’s office, glancing around nervously. Quentin looked up, coal-black eyes boring into him. Hernando licked his lips nervously, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants.
“You seen coming here?”
“No, no. I came in the back way. No one saw me. No one at all,” Hernando babbled, but Quentin had already looked back down at some papers on his desk.
Unsure if he should talk, Hernando stood shifting from one foot to the other.
“You got something to say, then say it. Otherwise, get the fuck out of my office.” Before Hernando could begin speaking, Quentin interrupted, “And, I don’t want any fucking bad news.”
“No, no. It’s all good. The idiot that tried to assault the court worker has been taken care of. I did it myself.”
Quentin’s gaze looked at him steadily. Unblinking. “Any blowback?”
“Oh no, sir. No blowback. She’s got no idea who threatened her and he’ll never talk,” Hernando chuckled, his eyes imploring Quentin to share the joke with him. Silence was all that greeted him.
“What about the court worker?” Quentin asked. “She gonna be a problem?”
“I’m keeping an eye on her and I’ll make sure she’s no worry to you or me. It’ll all be good. You’ve got my word on that.”
Quentin quirked an eyebrow as he continued to stare. “You’re word? What the fuck makes you think that your word is worth anything?”
“I’ve never done you wrong, sir. That ought to count for something,” Hernando protested.
Nodding, Quentin agreed. “So far, you’re right. Make sure you keep it up. I want to know the instant that court bitch is a problem.”
“Yes, sir,” Hernando said, turning to hurry out of the room. Taking a deep breath, he willed his nervousness to go away. Sucking in another deep breath, he walked out of the front door of the building before realizing that he parked on the back block. “Damn,” he muttered. “Gotta walk around.”
*
Terrance called into Tony’s office. “Chief, been watching Quentin’s building and I’m seeing some people come out that never went in and others go in that don’t come out. You think there’s some other entrance?”
Tony immediately called BJ and asked him to pull up the floor plans to the old building. Thanking Terrance, he headed out to the main room to see what BJ could find.
“This block of old buildings have been around for a long time, but it looks like they may have some connections underground.”
Several of the others gathered around, watching the screen. BJ showed underground connections between several of the buildings in a two block area. Lily walked over, having quickly pulled up more information. “The buildings didn’t have large passageways but did have tunnels large enough for men to install and work on the water and steam pipes, so they’re plenty big enough for a man to walk through.”
BJ confirmed, “Yeah, it looks like there are possible tunnels between the building where Quentin’s office is located, the old apartment buildings down the street and then the club in the back.”
Tony called Shane, reporting what they had found. While he was on the phone, the others traced the path of the tunnels to see what else they may be connected to, before looking up when Tony approached them again.
“Police can’t get a search warrant without probable cause, so…looks like we may have a black op mission,” Tony announced with a grin.
The whoops sounded as Gabe, Jobe, and Vinny broke out in shouting and fist bumping. Lily rolled her eyes, as BJ smiled knowing he would be able to be on his first clandestine assignment. Tony headed to the conference area saying, “Let’s go. We’ve got planning to do.”
*
Dressed in skin-tight, black, long-sleeved shirts and black cargo pants, the men slipped out of the van heading toward their destination. Terrance, as driver, and BJ, as computer expert, stayed in the van making sure everything from their end would go like clockwork.
Tony, Gabe, Vinny, and Jobe moved silently down the alley two blocks over from Quentin’s building. The dark, rainy night provided the best cover, keeping most people indoors, while these men barely noticed the rain.
Making their way into one of the buildings, they quickly found the entrance leading down to the steam tunnels. The tunnel initially appeared unused for many years but, as they made their way toward their destination, the evidence of use was easily seen.
Coming to Quentin’s building, they easily determined which set of stairs went to his office area. Gabe secured a small camera, checking with BJ to make sure it was operational. Moving along, following the tunnel map that Lily had discovered, they made their way to the entrance of the strip club that the police were watching.
Giving a curt nod, Tony motioned for Vinny to secure another camera at that junction. Noticing the next turn of the tunnel, he wanted to see where it led as well, since it was apparent that it was being used.
Within several hundred feet, they came to several run-down apartment buildings with two entrances to the steam tunnels. This time, Jobe secured the camera, before he and Tony re-traced their steps. Picking up Vinny and then making their way back to Gabe, the four men exited the tunnels as stealthily as they had entered.
Within minutes the six men were heading back
to the agency building. Vinny looked over, asking, “What do you think, Tony?”
“Quentin’s definitely using the tunnels to move some people around. Could be people he doesn’t want coming in his front door. Could be his way of keeping his involvement in the club secret since his name isn’t actually on the ownership papers. The apartment building has me concerned. Don’t know why that part of the tunnel appears to be used.”
“When we get back, I’ll patch these three camera into the main feed and add them to the bank of cameras for the surveillance crews.”
Terrance chuckled, adding, “Looks like I just got more to watch.” The others grinned, having put their own time in front of the bank of cameras. Tony always started new hires, even licensed Private Investigators, in the surveillance room. It was a good lesson in weeding out the ones just looking for glory jobs and gave everyone a chance to share in the duties.
Pulling into the underground garage, the men piled out, securing the van and the equipment. BJ immediately went in to set up the camera feeds while Tony called Shane, letting him know of their success.
Driving home in the early hours of the morning, he looked forward to just that—driving home. For years after calling the Army home, he had simply driven to his empty apartment, stripped and gone to bed. Now there was someone, in a little blue Victorian house, waiting for him. She had asked if he wanted to stay. “It seems silly for you to keep paying rent on an impersonal apartment when you are here most of the time.” Chuckling to himself, he realized that he never thought he would be living in what looked like a life-sized doll house. Turning into the driveway, he parked, but stayed in the vehicle staring at the vision in front of him. Yeah, he thought, warmth flooding through him. This is home.
Chapter 15
Since putting off the party for another week, Tony decided to take Sherrie on a little trip; she was definitely tired of being indoors and coddled. She had gone back to work on Thursday but Mr. Marks has fussed over her so much that she felt strangled there as well.
Tony: Alvarez Security Series Page 16