Day and Night

by Kaylie Hunter

  She removed his sidearm, setting it in the grass, then pulled his wallet. “He’s a cop. What the hell?” She held up the badge.

  “Local?” I sighed, holstering my weapon.

  “Yeah. What’s this all about?” she asked.

  “Holster your weapons,” I ordered.

  “I’m going to need to see some permits from everyone,” the cop said as he picked up his gun and took his wallet back from Charlie.

  “You’re trespassing on private property. You don’t get to make any demands. You can walk the field to the road and back to your vehicle. And tell your chief that if he wants information, he should find his balls, drive to my house, and ask me. The Feds happen to be visiting right now, so he should be relatively safe.”

  I turned toward the house, crossing the field. Charlie and Tyler jogged over to catch up.

  “You going to tell me what that was all about?” Charlie asked.

  “Our favorite Sadler Creek sheriff called the Kalamazoo chief and told him I was a person of interest in some crimes up his way. A little birdie gave me a warning, but I didn’t think the local cops would’ve been stupid enough to trespass.”

  Tyler snorted. “I don’t think they’ll make that mistake again. Shithead was trembling when you gals walked him out at gunpoint.”

  “Dumbass was smoking.” Charlie snorted. “Gave himself away.”

  Tyler laughed. “I’ll remember that. No smoking when doing surveillance in the woods.”

  “No smoking when you’re doing surveillance at all,” I corrected him, narrowing my eyes at him.

  Tyler grinned, looking sideways over at me. “Sure. Except when shit hits the fan at your house and I’m assigned a fourteen-hour shift to patrol.”

  “He’s got a point.” Charlie chuckled. “You have more security patrols than most people, though.”

  “The smoke will always give away your location. When it’s dark out, you’re also telling a sniper every time you inhale where to aim his rifle. As long as you know that, I’m okay with you using your own judgement about smoke breaks.”

  “Shit.” Tyler sighed, rubbing the top of his head and looking back toward the woods. “Got it.”

  ~*~*~

  We walked around the house and rang the doorbell. Grady peered out around the door before opening it, tucking his Glock back into its holster.

  “Everything okay?” he asked, leaning in for a quick kiss.

  “Just our local police department, breaking the law to get eyes on me,” I answered, following him into the dining room.

  “That was stupid,” Bones said. “He’s lucky it was you and not one of us. We would’ve shot his ass.”

  I raised an eyebrow at Bones. The kids giggled. Bones groaned, dropping for a quick ten pushups, before stomping into the kitchen and pulling a beer.

  “Where’s Wayne and Alverez? I expected them here hours ago. And what about Trigger and Drake? Any word from them?”

  “Trigger called while you were out,” Grady said, trying to hide the smirk that curved his lips. “They found the storage unit. Drake tried bribing the owner for information, and when that didn’t work, Trigger dragged him into a back room, closed the door on Drake, and convinced the owner to confess his sins.”

  “I knew I liked that guy.” I laughed. “Tyler, can you locate a dark colored, older model SUV for me tonight?”

  “No problem.”

  “Don’t bring it here, though. I don’t want the cops to see it. I can pick it up at Headquarters.”

  “Got it,” Tyler said before walking out of the house.

  “Did Drake or Trigger take any pictures?” I asked Grady.

  He handed me my phone. “I swear Trigger’s reading your mind.”

  I flipped through the pictures and smiled at the close-up of the lock. I tucked the phone into my back pocket and turned back to Grady. “What about Wayne and Alverez?”

  Grady, Bones, and Donovan looked in every direction except toward me.

  Maggie, Kierson, and Genie looked directly at me, smiling.

  “What the hell did those two idiots do?”

  “Alverez went after the passcode for the security system, and Wayne followed her,” Sara said from her spot at the other end of the table.

  “Does Alverez know that Wayne is following her?”

  “Not yet,” Grady said. “But we trained the rookies on how to spot a tail last week. She’ll probably figure it out.”

  I may have growled as I sat in the chair next to Carl. Carl grinned without looking up from his computer. “Did you get the bug planted on Alverez?”

  “Nicholas helped me,” Carl said, nodding as he turned his computer toward me. “They’re in Arizona.”

  “Damn it. I wanted to get in the storage unit tonight.”

  “What’s the security like at the storage unit?” Bridget asked as she walked into the dining room.

  “I thought you were working at the store?”

  “They’re closing early. Almost out of inventory. I offered to start something for dinner, but I’d rather do a B&E.”

  “I didn’t hear that,” Kierson said from the other side of the table.

  “Kierson, you’re in charge of dinner. Maggie, you’re in charge of drinks. Everyone’s drink preferences are on the refrigerator. Grady and Bones, suit up for a mission. Bridget, come with me to my lair so I can fill you in on a few details.”

  “What about me?” Donovan asked.

  “Help the kids and Charlie with the rest of this paperwork. And make sure Lisa stays off baby duty for the rest of the night.”

  Donovan looked over at Bones and grinned as he took Abby. “Got it.”

  “I can take her. It’s fine,” Lisa said, holding out her hands.

  “I don’t think so,” Donovan said, holding Abigail out of her reach. “It’s my turn. You just sit there and do non-motherly activities like you were told. Kelsey’s orders. Her house—her rules.”

  “Fine. Then I’m drinking,” Lisa said. “There’s a week’s supply of already pumped breast milk between the two houses. If I’m off momma duty, I’m going to get loaded.”

  I glanced over at Maggie and she winked at me. She’d make sure to keep an eye on Lisa while we were out. Bridget followed me down the hall as I pulled out my cell phone, calling Nightcrawler.

  “Tell me you need me to break someone’s bones,” Nightcrawler said as a way of answering.

  “Not tonight,” I said. “But if you need a little action, I have something illegal that needs some attention. And the prize afterward is the perfect excuse to run into your favorite brunette.”

  “Maggie’s in town?”

  “She is. She’s at my place for the weekend. I’m sending Bridget out on a job, and she could use some muscle. If all goes well, then afterward you can join Bridget for an impromptu Saturday night gathering at my house where I’m sure Maggie will already have had a few drinks.”

  “Where and when?”

  “Meet Bridget at Headquarters in about a half hour to go over the plan.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “And Nightcrawler?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Wear dark clothes, no biker emblems, and bring a face mask.”

  “Got it. I’ve got a club brother who’s bored. Mind if he joins? Sounds like his kind of party.”

  “That’ll work. Bridget and another guy on my team will make it a party of four. We’ve already arranged for transportation.”

  Nightcrawler laughed as he hung up.

  “Bones is not going to like this,” Bridget said, giggling. “I’m totally getting laid again later.”

  I laughed, pulling out the photos of the locks and storage facility. “Trigger reported minimal security cameras, only one at the entrance and one in the office. But verify that and protect your identity.”

  “Got it. What am I looking for when I get inside the storage unit?”

  “I need confirmation that the car is still there, but it’s evidence so keep your pr
ints away from it. I have no idea what else is in there, though. Anything filled with papers or looks to be potential blackmail-related material, load in the SUV and bring home.”

  “In other words, I’m doing damage control so when you take your mother down, she’ll be all out of ammo?”

  “That’s the plan. If you get caught by the cops, call Katie for an attorney. If you run into something worse, head north if you can get away.” I pulled two simple black watches from the jewelry case resting on top of my dresser. I handed one to Bridget and put the other on. “These are Carl’s special jewelry pieces. They have transmitters so he can track us.”

  “Won’t be necessary, but I’ll wear it. Who’s on my team?”

  “Trigger, Nightcrawler, and one of his biker brothers. Tyler’s having an older model SUV dropped at Headquarters. Keys should be above the visor, but check the gas tank. Last time he got me a getaway car it was running on fumes by the time I actually got away. Grady keeps gas cans behind the garage at Headquarters, just for these occasions.” I pulled a pair of black, low-heeled boots from the closet and slid a set of switch blades in the hidden sleeves before pulling them on.

  “Tyler’s good, but he’s still green,” Bridget said, nodding. “What are you guys walking into?”

  Reaching into the bottom drawer of my dresser, I retrieved a dual chest holster, and secured it around me, checking and loading two Glocks, before pulling a leather jacket from the closet to hide the weapons. “No idea. Alverez is naïve to think her brother won’t kill her. And Wayne is an idiot trying to protect her alone. There’s a possibility they’ll both be dead by the time we find them.”

  “Then let’s go,” Grady said from the doorway. “There’s a jet with our name on it, and our bags are packed.”

  “You good?” I asked Bridget.

  “My job’s a cakewalk. Just focus on your own shit.” Bridget sashayed out of the bedroom.

  “You’re right,” Grady said as he watched her leave. “She’s the perfect sidekick for your side of Silver Aces.”

  “Until she walks into trouble, and then I can only hope that whoever I have her partnered with will keep her safe. Otherwise, Bones will skin me alive.”

  “After I cut off your fingers,” Bones said from behind Grady.

  Grady and I laughed, and I led them out the atrium exit. No point in flaunting to the friendly Feds that we were armed and off to break any number of laws.

  Chapter Thirty

  “What are we walking into?” Bones asked as the jet prepared for landing.

  “I’m clueless. Really. Chaves was never on my radar until I questioned the Hell Hounds about Penny’s whereabouts last year. Then I sent the Feds to deal with him and never followed up.”

  Bones winced at the mention of his criminal, power hungry, and very dead ex-wife.

  “What about Maggie? She must’ve profiled him after he was arrested,” he asked.

  “Chaves refused all interviews,” I answered, shaking my head. “The only thing she could tell me is that he seemed confident, in control, every time they brought him in. But he let his lawyer do all of the talking. She couldn’t get a psychological or emotional read on the guy. She couldn’t even get him to make eye contact with her.”

  “Any intel from when he was in prison?” Bones asked.

  “Nope. He was kept isolated in a nice cushy federal prison. I’ve got no connections in the Club Fed prisons, and Maggie said she couldn’t find a snitch or guard who ever spoke with him.”

  “Damn,” Grady said. “Since meeting you, I’m not sure we’ve gone after someone you didn’t already have a psychic read on.”

  “I wish I was psychic. I have no idea what drives Chaves to do the things he does. He could be a power-junky, greedy, or just plain crazy. As I said, I’m clueless.”

  Bones shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We either extract Alverez and Wayne, or we kill Chaves. Knowing what motivates the freak doesn’t change the outcome.”

  “Hear, hear” Grady said as the jet’s tires smacked onto the pavement and screeched when the brakes locked.

  ~*~*~

  After we loaded our rental car, Grady drove as I connected my phone to the car’s Bluetooth. I called Carl, putting him on speaker.

  “Where to?” I asked Carl.

  “I’m inputting the GPS coordinates into your navigation system. Wayne and Alverez are northwest of your location. According to satellite images, they appear to be at a giant house with an octagon-shaped pool in the backyard. I think we should get a pool. Can we?”

  “That would be nice,” Bones agreed from the backseat. I heard the release and snap of his Glock as he checked his clip. “A heated pool.”

  “It would have to be enclosed,” Grady said. “Too many leaves blowing around near the houses. Maybe instead of behind the main house, it should be in the middle of the field?”

  “Or over at Silver Aces,” Bones said. “Then we can swim laps anytime we want, and we’d be less concerned about snipers taking shots at us.”

  “Can we focus for just a few minutes here, boys?” I asked, turning the conversation back to Carl. “What else can you see on the satellite images, Carl?”

  “Hey, Kelsey,” Maggie said over the phone. “I plugged in with Carl when I heard the conversation drifting. Hope you don’t mind.”

  “As long as you understand this is an off-the-books mission, I’m good.”

  “Charlie took Kierson over to Silver Aces, and Carl and I are in your old war room in the basement. We’re covered. And I’m seeing on the satellite that the house is more of a compound. The front side of the property is gated with a guard shack at the entrance. The building itself has three main sections with long corridors connecting them. The wing to the west appears to be for residential use, with the pool behind it. The center structure might serve as a business or more public space and has additional parking off to the side, and the far east structure is an unknown. Seems a bit plain based on the roof layout and the lack of landscaping around it.”

  “Odd,” I mumbled, tilting my head to the side and thinking. “What do you imagine the price tag on such a building would run?”

  “In that neighborhood, at least three million.”

  “So, why have a third of the estate blasé and the rest decked out to the hilt?”

  “No clue.”

  “Can Carl get a signal on what part of the estate Wayne and Alverez are in?”

  “No. He only shows that they are on the property. We can’t even tell if they’re inside or outside.”

  “What’s behind the eastern section? Can we get access?”

  “Drive past the house to the far side of the ridge that runs behind the estate. Hope you have the right gear, because you’re going to be hiking across some rocky peaks.”

  “Crap. Well at least I didn’t wear my high heels,” I complained, looking down at my smooth and unscratched leather boots. They’d most likely be ruined by the time we left.

  Grady grabbed my hand, raising it to kiss my knuckles. “If you get Wayne’s ass out of this mess, I’ll buy you a new pair of boots.”

  “That’s a lot of work for just one pair of boots.”

  “I’ll pitch in for a pair too,” Bones said.

  “Two pairs of boots. Everyone good? Because we have a job to do here, people,” Maggie said.

  We remained quiet, smirking at each other.

  Maggie sighed loudly before continuing, “When you get on the other side of the ridge, you’ll want to head straight up the center and then as you descend, work your way down toward the east. Take a gradual approach. There should be enough shaggy brush to keep your presence hidden, but we have no way of knowing if there are perimeter guards.”

  “Got it,” I said.

  Grady pointed to a set of iron gates to the left side of the road. It was dark out, and the house was set back behind pine trees. I could only see portions of the roof structure illuminated by security lights in the far-off distance.

  “We just pa
ssed the estate. Not much was visible. Anything else we need to know before we go radio silent?”

  “Yes. You still owe me one of your famous pot roasts so don’t even think about dying out there.”

  “Understood,” I said, hitting the disconnect button on my phone.

  ~*~*~

  Turns out, I’m not very good at climbing rocky cliff sides. The ascent on the backside of the ridge was only a success because Grady was in front of me, lifting me past the sharper inclines, while Bones climbed behind me, catching me when I slid, several times, down the ridge. By the time we reached the top they both were breathing heavy, and I was missing several sections of skin where I had scraped against the rocks.

  “You’re taking a climbing class in the near future,” Grady grumbled as he leaned over to catch his breath.

  “What the hell happened on that last incline to make you throw yourself away from the rocks? I barely caught you,” Bones asked, also leaning over as his chest heaved from his breathing.

  “Something crawled over my hand. Like a beetle, but a couple inches long. Freaked me out.”

  Bones and Grady exchanged looks, and each of them grabbed one of my wrists, pulling off my gloves and inspecting both sides and my hands.

  “What are we looking for?”

  “I think she’s good,” Grady said to Bones. “She’s wearing real leather.”

  “Yeah, I don’t see anything.”

  Placing my fisted hands on my hips, I gave them both glares as I waited for an explanation. “Tell me.”

  “We’ll explain later, city girl.” Grady chuckled, smacking my lips with his for a brief kiss. “Put your gloves back on and leave them on.”

  I quickly pulled my gloves back on and pulled my leather jacket sleeves down over the cuffs. I wasn’t sure what kind of giant beetles were around these parts, but if I met another one, obviously the leather was my armor.

  “Let’s go,” Bones said, taking the lead downward toward the east. “Test the rocks beneath your feet with each step. We should be able to walk down, but the ground could be loose.”

  “Sounds doable,” I said, following Bones.