by Lola Drake
Brad tried to move closer to the bed, shoving past him. Jake debated being a dick and blocking this loser, but at this point figured Juliet could handle herself. He went to stand beside Carly, quietly introducing himself.
Free from Jake looming over his shoulder, Brad lowered his voice, but everyone in the room could still hear. “I’m not blaming you. Not at all.” He glanced over his shoulder at Carly then met Jake’s eyes. He couldn’t hold the stare long. “Look, um, can we talk privately?” he whispered.
“Dude, it’s a small room, so whispering doesn’t help.” Jake leaned against the wall, crossing one foot in front of the other. He’d never witnessed a breakup he hadn’t been part of. It was kind of fascinating.
“Come on, Juliet, we need to talk.”
“No, we really don’t. You’re a dick, Brad, and there’s no way in hell I’m going to forgive you for this. I mean, for fuck’s sake, how long have you been screwing that girl?”
“I wasn’t! I barely know her.”
“Don’t lie to me. Get out. Get the hell out.” As her voice echoed around the room, she sank back against the pillows, her energy fading in spite of the anger that fueled it.
Dr. Erosou poked his head back into the room. “This is a hospital, everyone. Any chance you could take it down a notch?”
“Sorry,” Juliet mumbled.
Turning his attention to Brad, the doctor added, “Miss Morris needs to take it easy. She shouldn’t get all worked up right now.”
“This guy was just leaving.” Jake glowered at Brad, although he spoke to the doctor. Dr. Erosou nodded and left them to resolve it.
Brad whirled around to face Jake. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“All right, all right.” Carly stepped between them, putting a hand on each of their chests. “Brad, you heard the doctor. Juliet needs to relax, which means you need to go. And since Juliet doesn’t have the strength right now to throw you out herself, I’m going to do it for her.”
“I’ll help.” Jake smirked.
“Dude, what the hell is your problem?”
“Brad…” Carly started pushing him towards the door. “If she’ll take any of your calls, you can talk to her once she’s recovered, okay? Bye-bye, now.”
She tried to slam the door in his face, but the stupid hospital door had one of those mechanisms that made it close slowly even if you pushed on it.
“I love you, Juliet.”
“Well then you shouldn’t have fucking cheated on me.”
“I swear, it was only this one time…”
“Brad, enough,” Carly interrupted. “Look at her, she’s pale as a ghost. You’re done.”
With one last push to help it along, the door finally closed. Carly leaned back against it with a laugh. “Well, that was entertaining.”
Juliet chuckled. “First a gunshot and now this? What’s next?”
Carly finally had a chance to approach the bed. She took Juliet’s hand. “Are you okay?”
Jake couldn’t help listening, but this time he did move to a chair on the other side of the room to give them a semblance of privacy.
“I’ll be all right. Just try to discourage Brad from coming back, please.”
“I’ll try, but you know how he can be.”
“Tell him I promise I’ll call once I’m out of the hospital. I just can’t deal with him yet, you know?”
“Are you really going to call him?”
She scoffed. “Not a chance in hell.”
“Good girl. Now, tell me, is this the infamous Jake who’s friends with your brother?”
Jake looked up at the mention of his name. He wasn’t sure if the smirks on the girls’ faces were a good thing or not. “Uh oh, should I be worried? How much do you know?”
“Oh, I know everything.” Carly laughed.
Juliet started to yawn again, so he sat beside her once more. “You should go back to sleep.”
“No, I’m okay.”
“Yeah, sure you are.” Without waiting for permission, he pressed the bed control so she could lay flat. Carly gave him a curious glance he couldn’t quite figure out. “Um, sorry, I know you came by to visit, but…”
“It’s okay. I’m glad Juliet has someone taking care of her. I’ll come back later.”
“Sorry I spoiled your bachelorette party.”
“Yeah, the nerve of you, getting shot on my big night. Always trying to steal my thunder.” Carly laughed then flounced out of the room.
Jake tried to sit quietly. He really did. But he had to know the deal between her and Brad. Had she actually loved that guy? Juliet shifted under his stare. She flicked her eyes towards him then turned all her focus to the movie playing on TV.
“What were you watching?”
Jake picked up the remote and shut the TV off.
“Guess we’re not watching anything.”
“That was your boyfriend?”
“Yeah, at least until last night.”
“How did you find out he was cheating?”
A grimace of pain crossed her face. She had cared about him.
“I saw him. I can’t get the image of him groping that giggling blonde out of my mind.” She shook her head as if she could jar the image loose. Taking a deep breath, she gazed back up into his eyes. “That’s why I ran out of the bar and how I ended up on the boardwalk by that gang fight.”
Jake stroked her cheek. He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t seem to stop touching her. “Anyone who would cheat on you is an absolute idiot. You’re better off without him.”
“I don’t know… We’ve been together for five years.”
“Five years?”
Juliet laughed. “Why, what’s your longest relationship?”
“It’s not that. I just can’t picture you and him…” Jake trailed off, realizing he really didn’t want to finish that thought. For a reason he didn’t want to explore too closely, the idea of Juliet in bed with that prick made him want to punch something. He was almost grateful when she interrupted the visions his mind had begun conjuring.
“Come on, don’t change the subject. I need to stop thinking about Brad. So tell me.”
“Um…” The gratefulness disappeared rapidly in the face of her question. Jake found himself trying to figure out what Juliet might like to hear. Should he tell her the truth? “Not long,” he hedged.
“You’re still just like Aaron was before he got married, aren’t you? Partying every weekend, bringing different girls home every night?”
He lifted one shoulder. “Come on, I’m not like that.” Although to tell the truth he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been serious with anyone. Knowing anything he said would prompt more questions, he decided maybe watching TV would be the best thing after all.
****
A few hours later, two detectives arrived. Detective Harris had a slight paunch and receding hairline, but his entire attitude screamed cop. Juliet felt confident he could tackle this investigation with ease. He almost reminded her of Colombo, a little rumpled but probably brilliant.
“Take a look at these and tell us if you recognize anyone,” Harris instructed as he placed an array of photos in front of her.
“You can take all the time you need. There’s no rush.” Detective Reed had a friendly manner. A tall, athletic man, he could easily intimidate suspects. But judging from his youth, he lacked the experience of his partner. His entire attitude also revealed he was probably a complete teddy bear when not trying to look tough.
The identification didn’t take long. Juliet picked out the shooter almost immediately. Harris and Reed exchanged a quick glance at her identification.
“What is it?” Jake demanded.
As he straightened into a stiff, soldier-like posture to pull out his badge and introduce himself, he morphed from her brother’s cute friend into big, bad-ass FBI agent. She held back a snicker.
“It’s Miguel Martinez, better known as Diablo,” Harris told him. From the expression on Jake’s
face, he clearly recognized the name. His subtly shifting positions betrayed his unease.
“We’ll take this to the DA’s office immediately and see how they want to proceed,” Harris assured Jake.
“Think you’ll have any luck finding Martinez? He has to know there’s a witness who can ID him.”
“I’ll talk to the captain about getting Miss Morris some plain-clothes protection for when she leaves. In the meantime, we’ll leave a couple uniforms at her door.”
“That didn’t exactly answer my question.”
Reed shrugged, stepping forward to join the conversation. “We know where he hangs out. Whether or not he’ll be there now or go into hiding remains to be seen. Hopefully his arrogance will make him stick around.”
Harris turned back to Juliet. “Thank you for your help, Miss Morris. We’ll be in touch.”
“Sure, of course.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll catch the guy who shot you,” Reed added with a wink. Harris shot him an annoyed look. Juliet knew from watching Law & Order the cops weren’t supposed to make promises like that. She didn’t know why, she found it reassuring, and obviously she realized it wasn’t a guarantee.
The detectives quickly filed out of the room, leaving Juliet with a now visibly tense Jake.
“Am I in danger?”
“Honestly?”
“No, lie to me.”
Jake stuck his tongue out at her, like they used to do when she was twelve and he was a high and mighty eighteen-year-old. It broke the tension, as Jake probably intended.
“Aaron should be here any minute. Let’s wait until he arrives and I can tell both of you.”
“Aaron’s coming? What the hell is he thinking? His wife is about to give birth. He can’t hang around here worrying about me.”
“I told him the same thing, but you know Aaron. He has to see you for himself.”
“Jake, you know if he hears I’m in any danger whatsoever it will be impossible to get him to leave.”
Jake paused, considering. “Okay, fine. I’ll just tell you. In all likelihood, Martinez and his gang will try to, um, silence you before you can testify.”
“Silence me?”
“Permanently.”
Juliet couldn’t speak. Her one good hand clutched at the blanket while her eyes scanned the room as if the bogeyman would leap out of the shadows. Jake reached over and enveloped her hand within his own.
“Stop fidgeting.”
“I don’t fidget.”
His hand felt so good on hers, big and warm and safe. She couldn’t resist turning her own hand over to entwine her fingers with his.
“Tell me the rest of it.”
“What rest?”
“You got all edgy when Harris told you who I’d picked out of the photos. Who is he?”
“You don’t need to worry about those details.”
“Jake, I want to know. Everything. It’s my life on the line, right? So I should be fully informed.
Jake sighed, seeming to accept the truth of that.
“Miguel Martinez is a key player in a gang called the V Street 13. I first heard about him when I worked on a joint task force with the DEA and some other agencies investigating the local gangs’ connections with the Mexican Mafia prison gang and some of the Mexican drug cartels. They’re all linked in one big narcotics and firearms trafficking ring.”
“Did you catch any of them?”
“We got about twenty indictments, but the actual drug distribution just moved to an affiliated gang and kept going.” Jake ran his hand through his hair. She could feel his frustration like a blast of hot air emanating from him. “What’s worse is these guys have huge influence inside prison. Hell, it’s where they do a lot of their recruiting. Most of the Mexican Mafia’s leadership lives behind bars.”
“How, with people smuggling cell phones and stuff like that to them?” Juliet thought she’d seen an episode on another cop show she watched that depicted something like that. Who knew watching all those shows would give her knowledge she’d need in her own life?
“Yeah, that’s part of it. It lets them arrange business deals with the outside world. Local gangs are also required to pay these so-called ‘taxes’ to the gang leaders in prison, which gives the inmates a lot of authority.”
Juliet found herself growing calmer the more Jake talked. Yes, he painted a bleak picture of the men who probably wanted her dead, but he spoke with such conviction she felt he could protect her from anyone. When she’d been tempted to laugh earlier at his transformation into “FBI mode” she hadn’t understood. It was always part of him, just more imperceptible at times. He carried that power and responsibility with him in everything he did.
“Okay, so tell me how this Martinez fits in with all this.”
“His cousin Luis Hernandez, also known as Peligroso, serves as one of the main contacts to the cartel from his cell in Pelican Bay State Prison. Martinez brings information from his cousin back to the V Street 13 so they can meet with the suppliers and sell the drugs on the street, then smuggle money and information back to the cartel.”
The words “drug cartels” echoed in her ears like a panicked scream on a silent night. It sounded far more deadly than Los Angeles street
gangs or thugs recruiting while locked behind bars. Cartels went beyond the cop shows – entire movies centered on the drug cartels. Movies filled with shoot-outs, cops dying in the line of duty, executions, and kidnappings. Juliet let out a deep breath. She needed to hold on to the confidence she had so recently felt in Jake or her fear would paralyze her.
****
Jake studied Juliet, watching for any sign of the terror he knew she had to be feeling. She stayed remarkably calm. Only her absent-minded fidgeting revealed she may not be as unruffled as she strove to appear. He gave her hand a squeeze, stroking it with his thumb as he studied the stoic expression she fought to maintain. Admiration filled him. He had known new recruits on the force to tremble in the face of danger, yet Juliet seemed braced to handle whatever came at her.
Glancing down at the hand he held he realized how amazingly soft her skin felt. A unique scent, like roses and honeysuckle, wafted up towards his face as he kissed her knuckles. She must use a lotion or something for her hands to stay that soft. As his fingers turned to caress her palm, he wondered if her skin felt just as soft on the rest of her body. Maybe she used the lotion all over, putting it on when she stepped dripping from the shower…
Juliet’s voice snapped him from his thoughts just in time. Picturing her naked had him shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
“What did you say?”
Juliet shook her head. “Never mind. Just worrying out loud.”
“Juliet, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“I know.”
Her big blue eyes gazed up at him, projecting all her trust and faith in his ability to protect her. He stared back. Shades of auburn in her hair shone under the fluorescent hospital lights. He felt himself drawn in, leaning forward without realizing it. Juliet’s lips parted.
“How the hell did you get yourself shot?” A booming voice interrupted from the doorway.
“Aaron!” Juliet reached out her good hand to greet her brother.
Jake felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head. What the hell was he doing? Had he really been about to kiss Aaron’s baby sister?
Hell yeah. And right now he still felt as though he could cheerfully throttle Aaron for disrupting that charged moment.
Jake sighed heavily as the siblings greeted one another. Juliet was injured, vulnerable, looking at him like her proverbial knight in shining armor. He couldn’t take advantage of that.
Aaron gave him a brotherly hug. “Thanks for keeping her company at the hospital last night. I couldn’t get a flight out until this morning.”
“What are you doing here at all?” Juliet demanded. “Tracy could have the baby any minute.”
Both Juliet and Jake snorted at
the explosion of pride that crossed Aaron’s face.
“I’m booked on a flight back home to San Francisco tonight, and she’s not due for another three weeks or so. I had to see you and make sure you were okay.”
“Well, however short your visit, it is good to see you.”
Aaron turned toward him. “Jake, I hate to impose, but do you mind watching out for Juliet a bit longer? With our dad away on that cruise and Tracy about to give birth…”
“Not a problem.”
Of course he’d stay. Too bad he couldn’t spend the time with Juliet the way he kept imagining. Jake had to keep reminding himself that he was here at Aaron’s behest. That didn’t involve Juliet ever getting naked. Or into his bed. Under him. Over him. Her soft hair sweeping across his stomach as she….
“What?” he asked, becoming aware both siblings were watching him. He had to calm down.
“I asked what you thought of the detectives. Are they good?”
“Yeah, definitely. Actually, since you’re here, I want to talk to a few people about the investigation. I’ll be back soon.” Before either of them could reply, Jake made his escape. He had to clear his head before he could handle being around Juliet anymore.
After contacting his boss at the FBI, it didn’t take Jake long to get a detailed background on Martinez. The more he read, the more worried he became. Officially the FBI had no involvement in this specific investigation, since the LAPD and district attorney’s office planned to go after Martinez for first-degree murder instead of complicating the case with his trafficking activities. Then they hoped they could convince him to give evidence on the drug trafficking in return for a lighter sentence.
Unfortunately, that put Juliet front and center. With no murder weapon or other forensic evidence at this point, the entire case rested on Juliet’s eyewitness testimony. Martinez had plenty of nasty connections who could pose a threat, especially if Hernandez decided to help his cousin by reaching out to the cartel for extra insurance. The cartel routinely arranged kidnappings and murders to keep witnesses off the stand.
Jake had accrued plenty of holiday time, so he asked for personal leave to watch over Juliet himself. He would do this for any friend’s little sister, right? He’d known Aaron for years. Of course he wanted to watch out for Juliet, for Aaron’s sake. He nodded to himself, refusing to question his motives any further.