“What exactly is going on here? I know James Harrison has been arrested. I know Bruce Watkins has been cleared.”
“James Harrison is involved with a huge crime ring.”
“Crime ring? I’m so confused here. I thought James Harrison was simply bribing people so he could get his way and make lots of money. I’m still unsure how Sierra is tied in with this?”
“Have you heard of the Gottis?”
I nodded, remembering the well-known—and dangerous—crime family.
“James Harrison and his crew make the Gottis seem like the Brady Bunch. It’s more than bribing people in power. They’re also smuggling drugs, involved in prostitution rings, extortion, racketeering, public corruption. You name it, they’re involved with it.”
“And Sierra?”
“She’s alive. But she’s disappeared. I don’t know where she went.”
“Why was she working for you?”
“James Harrison’s nephew is someone named Tree Matthews.”
“I’ve met Tree.”
Broken Arrow scowled. “She was trying to get some inside information for us. We thought Tree might know something.”
“So this was never about his ties to ecoterrorism?”
Broken Arrow shook his head.
“So why did you hire Sierra of all people?”
“When I met Sierra, I knew she’d be perfect to get me some inside information. And she was. But in the process, she became a target. I’ve been keeping her hidden in protection until the past six days. That’s when she disappeared and apparently has been trying to track down some answers on her own.”
“Sounds like Sierra.” Sounded like me.
“Gabby, if one of James Harrison’s men finds Sierra before I do, they’ll kill her.”
His words hit my heart and froze it. I was hanging on to getting a happy ending. But what if things didn’t work out that way?
“Did his men kill all of the people at those crime scenes?”
“They claim they didn’t.”
I shook my head, confused. This was bigger than anything I’d imagined. But was the worst of it behind us?
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Thanks to some crazy driving on Broken Arrow’s part, we beat Chad and the rest of the gang back to my apartment. Broken Arrow checked out my place for me before he left.
As I sat there by myself, some random factoid nagged at my subconscious. What was it? There was something I was missing. I was sure of it.
All of the clues and facts of the case twirled around in my brain. The wildlife refuge. The antique cars. Tree Matthews. Lydia Harrison. Helena from Paws and Fur Balls.
The house I’d attempted to visit before the Guardian gang had shown up. I’d never investigated that property any further.
Out of curiosity, I called the tax assessors office for the City of Norfolk. I told them the address of that property and requested the owner’s name. Five minutes later, thanks to public record codes, I had the information I needed.
I stared at the name I’d just jotted on some scrap paper.
I had a feeling I knew exactly where Sierra was.
***
I stepped into the hallway and pounded on Riley’s door. I’d heard him come in while I was on the phone, so I knew he was back.
His eyes widened when he answered, but I didn’t give him a chance to say anything. Instead, I grabbed his neck and pulled him toward me, planting a firm kiss on his lips. His hands seemed to instinctively wrap around my waist.
I wanted to enjoy the moment, to make it last longer. But I had other things I had to do at the moment. So I stepped back, instantly missing Riley’s closeness.
“What was that for?” Riley asked.
“It’s because I love you. I do. I know I have a weird way of showing it. And I know I have a lot of faults that I’m constantly trying to work through. But I had to tell you.”
“Gabby, what are you doing?” He said it so quietly that I could hardly answer.
“I have to do something. I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out.”
He stepped out and closed the door behind you. “I can’t let you go alone.”
“I can’t let you go with me.”
“Why not?”
“Because what if you get killed and it’s my fault?”
“Gabby, that’s the exact way I feel about you when you go off investigating these cases. I can’t stand the thought of something happening to you because… because I love you, too.”
My heart softened. “You do? Even after I broke up with you and accused you of those ugly things?”
He nodded. “Yeah, even after that. That’s what love is, isn’t it? Loving the good and the bad?”
I nodded, tears rushing to my eyes—again. I wiped my eyes with my shirt sleeves, and pulled myself together. “Can I have your keys now?”
He started toward the stairs. “Nope. You get me with the keys or nothing. What will it be?”
“Are you sure, Riley? I’m really not sure how this is going to turn out.”
“I’m sure. But you have called the authorities, haven’t you?”
“I’m going to call them on the way.” I grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.”
I filled him on what I knew after I called Parker and Broken Arrow. They both, of course, told me to stay put. They had to know that I would never do that, though. Not when my friend’s life was at stake.
“This is a bad neighborhood, Gabby.”
“I know.” I remembered last time I was here. I hoped the gang didn’t show up again. Please don’t let them show up again. Let them be… in school? At work? I had a feeling those guys were at neither of those places, nor had they been for a long time.
We sat in Riley’s car for a few minutes. I tried to wait for someone else to arrive. But what if Sierra was lying inside the building, suffering and hurt? What if she needed me?
I made a quick decision. I put my hand on the door and unlatched it.
“What are you doing?”
“I can’t wait, Riley. I have to see if Sierra needs my help.”
“I’m going with you.”
Instead of going to the front door, as I’d done last time, I went around back. The back door was nailed shut. How had Sierra gotten inside?
“How about down there?” Riley pointed to a window at the bottom of the split-level home. The wood covering the orifice had been pulled back.
“It’s worth a shot.”
“So is this where your friend is hiding?” The voice wasn’t Riley’s. I looked up and saw Mark Daniels standing there, a gun in his hands. Three other men stepped from around the house—one of them was Tree.
What was this? Gabby against the Gottis?
“I knew you’d lead us to her eventually,” Mark said. “It was just a matter of time.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Mark sneered. “You think your friend is here. We’re going to find out after we have some fun with you.”
I appealed to the younger of the two. “Tree? You’re involved with this too? What is this—save the environment but destroy people? That’s messed up.”
He lowered his gaze a moment. “It’s complicated, Gabby.”
“I thought you were Sierra’s friend.”
“Sierra knows too much. She has too much information.”
“Information that will bring down your crime ring?”
Tree’s nostrils flared. “She was collecting evidence against me to turn in to the feds. That’s not cool.”
“I agree. It’s not cool. But is killing her or me going to do any good?” I locked gazes with him. “You’re the one who wrote those manuals for the National Federation for a Cleaner Earth with Bruce Watkins, aren’t you? The ‘T’ was for ‘Tree’ and you used Bruce’s last name.”
His glare said it all.
Mark Daniels pointed his gun toward the window. “Why don’t we go inside and talk?”
“I’d rather not. I say we
talk out here.” Riley edged his shoulder in front of mine. He did care about me. I knew he did.
I had to keep talking until the feds got here.
Where were they? I’d called them. They should be here by now. For once in my life, I’d tried to play it safe and playing it safe was getting me to nowhere right now.
“So, this is all about a fight between you and your half-brother?” Jacob and Esau had nothing on those two.
Mark sneered. “You don’t know anything.”
“I know your dad died and left everything to James. But you rose above that, Mark. You’re successful. Why go through all of this? Revenge?”
“Partly. James didn’t deserve everything, but he was the favorite son, I suppose. I wanted to expose him and bring him down.”
“Were you the one who left those notes for me?”
His sneer turned into a smirk. “I like playing head games with people.”
“You’re good at it. But destroy your brother’s business? Really? Let me guess. You got a huge government grant for your ‘green’ solar energy work. But you squandered it, and now you have nothing. Meanwhile, your half-brother is one of the richest men in the area.”
“You think you’re so smart.”
“You killed those men to make your brother look guilty. You wanted to destroy him.” This man was a psychopath, I realized. A cold-blooded killer without conscience. I shivered at the thought. I hadn’t met too many people that I actually thought were evil. But Mark Daniels, by all accounts, was destined to be a case study.
Voices mumbled from around the corner. Were the feds here? Why were they being so noisy? Didn’t they learn better than this up at Quantico?
I looked over my shoulder and my stomach sank. The Guardians. They were back and they had vengeance in their eyes.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“I was hoping you’d come back, Buttercup,” the ringleader called out. Hatred glimmered in his eyes.
I took a step back—but a step back meant a step toward the mob. Choices, choices. “Yep, here I am.”
“Gabby, you have a street gang mad at you too? What’s next—the Mafia? A drug cartel? Al Qaeda? Is there anyone else you can possibly upset?”
“The possibilities are endless, I suppose.”
“You sprayed me and my boys with that cleaning solution of yours.” The leader stepped closer, close enough that I could count his gold teeth. “We didn’t like that.” He called over his shoulder, “Did we boys?”
A round of “Nah, that was just wrong,” “she out of line,” “my eyes still be hurting” followed.
“What’s going on here?” Mark Daniels asked behind me. He sounded annoyed and testy—probably not a good combination.
I shrugged as a quick—but unlikely—plan formed in my mind. I looked at the leader of The Guardians. I had no other plan at the moment, so why not? “If you mess with me, you mess with my boys back here.”
The leader’s gaze flickered over my shoulder. “These are your boys?”
“Yep, and they’re armed and loaded. I wouldn’t mess with them.”
“Your boys?” Mark Daniels coughed, looking bewildered for a moment.
I kept going before too much time settled and people could think too much.
“We got guns, too. Right boys?” On cue, the Guardians pulled out their weapons.
Rats. The only bad part of my plan was that Riley and I were now in the middle of this potential gun battle.
The Guardians took the first shot at Mark Daniels and his crew. Mark Daniels didn’t hesitate before firing back. His bullet chipped the brick corner of the house, sending debris flying. Men on both sides scrambled, not quite mirroring an old west showdown.
I grabbed Riley’s hand. I dodged T-bone, who had a new object of fury. Riley and I ran toward the side of the house, desperate for shelter as more shots pierced the air. Shouts ensued behind us. Gunpowder tinged my nostrils.
As we rounded the corner, Broken Arrow’s sedan jerked to a stop. He rushed from his car, gun drawn.
I could hardly breathe. “What took so long?”
“Accident on the interstate.” He paused only a moment. “What’s going on?”
“Gun battle. Mark Daniels. The Guardians.”
He looked dumbfounded. “You really have a knack for trouble, don’t you?”
“So I’ve been told.”
He nodded toward his car. “Get inside and stay there. Backup is on the way.”
He disappeared into the fray.
And Riley and I sat in his car like sitting ducks. These windshields would be no match for a bullet if the bad guys came this way. And there were a lot of bad guys out there, so the possibility was good that one of them might end up here.
Or that Broken Arrow might end up dead.
Or that I might never find Sierra. Was she inside the house? Was she okay?
“Don’t even think about it, Gabby.”
I swung my head toward Riley. “Think about what?”
“Sneaking inside the house. You should just stay put.”
I nodded. I couldn’t even argue his point, not when I considered what was going on in the backyard.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement in the distance. I jerked my heard toward the commotion. Mark Daniels stepped from the side of the house.
His gaze found me, as did his gun.
Just as I sucked in a breath, Riley threw himself over me. Glass exploded around us. Crystal pellets rained all over the car’s interior.
My heart stammered in double-time, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up straight. Would Mark find us? Would he reach the car and finish us off? Did I dare peek and see what was happening?
I didn’t have a choice. Riley remained over me. It was just as well—fear seemed to paralyze me.
Just then, another car rumbled up the gravel driveway.
Good. Backup was here. Back up was finally here.
***
An hour later, everyone was either arrested or in an ambulance or both. Riley and I still hung out in Broken Arrow’s car. I continued to pick pieces of the broken windshield from my hair. But we were alive and relatively unharmed.
I hoped I could say the same for Sierra.
“Gabby?” Riley turned toward me and cupped my face with his palm.
My heart raced. “Yes?”
“I’m sorry if I acted like a jerk. I didn’t mean to smother you. I was just worried—”
“Don’t apologize. I’m sorry that I’m so selfish. I didn’t want to listen to anyone and I could have gotten you killed.”
His lips covered mine. I missed those kisses. I’d missed Riley, and I never wanted to lose him again. And I was going to tell him that—
Before I could, someone rapped at the window. I looked over and saw Lydia standing there, staring at Riley. I gave my boyfriend a pointed look. “What’s going on?”
Riley opened the door—since the car wasn’t running, he couldn’t put down the window. He greeted her with a certain familiarity that got my hackles up. “It looks like it’s all over, Lydia.”
I squinted in confusion, trying to put some puzzle pieces that had seemingly appeared out of thin air together. “All over? What does that mean, Riley?”
He turned back to me and grabbed my hand. “Lydia traded our auction date in for a legal consultation with me. She was an informant also.”
I blinked in surprise. Clifford had said she was in on the bribery. Was she simply a part of this mess as a cover? Understanding slowly spread over me. “So you knew some of this?”
He nodded. “I did but I couldn’t say anything because of confidentiality. That’s why I wanted you to stay out of it. I knew what you were up against.”
Lydia peered into the car, looking as polished and beautiful as ever. “I told Riley because it was the only way I could figure out to keep you away. I knew that if Riley knew what was going on, he’d do everything he could to make you stay out of it.”
I tilted my hea
d, my processor whirling at full speed. “Why did you want to keep me away? You don’t even know me.”
Her expression remained unchanged. “No, but I remember what it was like to be young and to have dreams. I didn’t want to see those taken from you.”
“That’s … kind of you.” And unlikely…
She looked over us at the slew of police officers and feds swarming the area. “Well done, Gabby. You brought down the mob and a gang in one fell swoop.”
Had I? Bringing them down had never even been my goal. I’d simply wanted to find my friend.
I looked beyond Lydia. Neither Broken Arrow nor Parker would let me go inside the house and look for Sierra. They were inside now, combing the place for evidence. Had they found my friend? Was she really alive? Or had someone else gotten to her first?
Please, Lord, help her to be okay.
I wished all of my prayers weren’t quite so selfish, but that didn’t change the fact that I desperately wanted my friend to be safe. I hoped that God understood.
I blinked when I saw someone coming around the corner from the backyard. Was it really Sierra? Yes, it was. I knew it was.
I popped the door open and sprinted across the grass. Sierra took off in a sprint also and, when we reached each other, I threw my arms around my friend.
“Sierra. You’re alive!” I stepped back and looked at her. She had a cut across her forehead and she looked dirty and disheveled. But she was alive. There were no bullet holes in her forehead or any of the other terrible scenarios I’d conjured up in my mind.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Sierra wiped her eyes, and I thought I saw a tear there. It was the first time I think I’d ever seen my friend cry. “I knew you’d find me, Gabby. I knew if anyone could do it, you could.”
Riley appeared behind me and also gave Sierra a hug. “Good to see you.”
“You better believe it. I’ve been on one wild ride.” She looked at me. “How’d you know I was here?”
“I saw where you’d written down this address at your office. Then I did a search on the property and find out it was owned by your friend Helena.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t write down this address.”
Organized Grime (Squeaky Clean Mysteries) Page 21