by Taylor Lee
Pointedly swinging her stool away from Gray, Ruby focused on the frowning bartender.
“I understand this is the highest-priced joint in this dirt bag town of yours. Tell me the truth. Can a girl make a living here without putting out? Trust me, I’m no prude, but after living with that possessive freako for six months, I need a break. If you know what I mean.”
The bartender shrugged then sneered. “Let me put it this way, dolly. If you are willing to give up a little snatch, yeah, you can make a few bucks. Your best bet though is to hold out for the big money. With that body of yours and if you can put a lock on your smart mouth, you have a shot at the boss man. Like I said, he is a world class cunt con-ness-sewer. You hook up with him and you could change your fucking life.” The giant’s shifty eyes sparkled with mischief. “Now you might get a few bruises in the process. I hear ol’ Clay is a bit rough in the sack.” He glanced down the bar at Gray who was glaring at them though narrowed eyes and added, “But if you was able to handle that rattlesnake for six months you might make it for a few with Clay. In the meantime, you could rack up enough bread to retire that Bimbo routine you got goin’ on and live right purty.”
Ruby nodded thoughtfully then turned her brightest smile on the sweating giant.
“Okay, Tiny, on to the required dress. Go ahead and break it to me. I can tell from the décor that your waitress uniforms will be on the scanty side. Not that I mind, you understand. My mama was a stripper before I was born and if the drugs hadn’t got her, she’d probably still be climbing the pole today. Which only means that I learned a long time ago that a little skin goes a long way towards filling the tip jar.”
The big man grunted in what could have been appreciation.
“Yeah, as you can tell, our owner goes in for the Wild West look. Only thing I can tell is that somewhere in his long dark past he read too many McMurtry and McCarthy novels and saw Tombstone a couple dozen times too many. Anyhow, he’s got a notion of what a turn of the century saloon should look like. A turn of the last century that is.”
Staring at Ruby’s chest, he snickered.
“The one thing he did get right was how to dress the serving sluts.”
Ruby pressed her lips together in mock dismay. “Something tells me I’m not going to like his taste in uniforms.”
For the first time since she’d met him, the bartender momentarily seemed genuine, not the sweating oaf he’d presented himself as.
“No, coochie. I gotta say, if anyone was made for the ‘uniform’ our boss man likes, it’s you. You got the rack and the ba-donka-donk to pull it off. I’m tellin’ you, sweet cheeks, you play your cards right, and you may have just found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”
With a pang, Ruby remembered Noah saying that Stuart wouldn’t know the gold at the end of the rainbow if it hit him in the face. Shoving aside her dismay at the thought of the two men conflicting her life, Ruby forced herself to pay attention to the bartender who was frowning at her. She quickly forced a smile on her face.
“Tell me, Tiny. What time do I have to be here? From the looks of it now, this place doesn’t start swinging until nightfall.”
“You’re right about that. Most nights we bring the girls on about nine and keep ‘em here til we shut it down which is usually around 2 a.m. But tonight the boss has a big dinner. Seems like some asshole from D.C. has been sent in to clean up our county.” He snorted a harsh laugh and swiped at the sweat on his brow. “If I hadn’t heard it from Darrell over at the sheriff’s office, I’d never of believed it. But, at least according to Darrell, the guy they sent in is a nig... I mean a black dude. And full-growed at that.”
Spike huffed a harsh, disbelieving sigh. “Ya know, sometimes it seems as though them big shot government assholes couldn’t pour piss out of a boot with the instructions written on the heel. Jesus fucking Christ, how many brains does it take not to send an Ace of Spades in to clean up a bunch of skin heads? And hell, that doesn’t begin to describe the affiliations of most of the members of FAN, not to mention their leadership.” The bartender reached for a bottle of Jack Daniels and poured himself a tumbler full. Throwing back the potent liquor in a couple of swallows he shook his head.
“The more I think about it, who the hell would even think about sending a Boogat into this county, much less to take on the FAN?”
He shook his head and reached for the bottle again. “Fuck, I don’t know if I even want to stick around to see the Coon go down. All I can tell you, sugar booty, is that the whole fuckin’ thing is gonna be over quicker than a knife fight in a phone booth.”
Ruby did her best to swallow the bile rising in her throat at the disgusting man’s racist, but accurate, forecast about what Noah was facing. Apparently not noticing her revulsion, Spike gave her another leering once-over and grunted in appreciation at what he saw.
“You be here at 6:30 sharp, sweet cheeks. You’re exactly what the boss man needs to show those Washington D.C. motherfuckers what they are up against. Any man that can attract a woman like you is no one to mess with. I’m tellin you, girlie, if you play it right, tonight could be the beginning of the biggest and most lucrative payoff of your short life. All you gotta do is flash those titties of yours and shake that curvy ass and you’ll have the whole damn bunch of them fightin’ for a piece of you.”
Spike scowled at her warningly.
“Just remember, honey, which man you’re after. My boss is without a doubt the most possessive and powerful son of a bitch you’ll meet. He doesn’t do well with rivals.”
Ruby nodded as if in agreement then closed her eyes to shut out the sight of the coming scene. Clay Drechsler wasn’t the only man who’d be here tonight who was possessive and powerful. In fact, Drechsler’s competition was so powerful that he had Ruby questioning whether her life-long determination to hook up with an “ordinary guy” was in fact the silliest and most unrealistic goal she’d ever set for herself.
Chapter 13
“Okay, buddy. “I’ll start with a quick sit-rep and then go on to the juicy details.”
Noah punched on his Bluetooth and began pacing the floor in his hotel room.
“Go for it, man. But know that this time I want all the details. Not only about your situation, but our other agents as well.”
Gray’s chuckle was audible. Noah didn’t have to see his buddy to know that he was grinning. But then, Gray was always either smiling or grinning which could be deceptive as hell. Noah had often asserted that Gray’s amiable personality was his most potent weapon, particularly for those unwary adversaries who mistook the surfer boy’s smile for weakness. Those who knew the fierce warrior, who was his best friend’s alter ego, never underestimated the ferocious agent who could appear at the least provocation. Which didn’t mean that Gray’s extravagant geniality wasn’t often annoying as hell. Of course it didn’t help when Noah’s personal fuse was as short as it was tonight. It didn’t take a crystal ball to know why. Gray had texted him earlier. Ruby would be at the dinner tonight. It was the first time he’d see her since their altercation in Arizona. Need he say more?
“Okay, buddy, lay it on me.”
Gray quickly described his and Ruby’s arrival in Cedartown.“It won’t surprise you, man, that we had gawkers from the minute we arrived. It was a ten-stroke to have us come in together. Kudos on that one, commander. Gotta say, you are always thinking. It gives us the opportunity to watch each other’s back and get info we wouldn’t get otherwise. For example, Ruby was able to give that ape of a bartender at the Saloon inside dope on me that he’ll pass on to Drechsler. She painted me as a true believer in their distorted, fucked up world view. While she was making me into John Rocker with a hard on, Ruby was also able to indicate that if the bad boy Spike got any ideas about shagging her, he’d have to go through me.”
Noah emitted an audible breath.
“Okay, Agent Webb. Skip to crux of the issue. How is she?”
“Hmm. Since we apparently are going to forego d
iscussing the op and talk about what has my commander’s tail in a knot, by all means let’s discuss the best part of this mission. That being our fiery-haired fellow agent.”
Noah spoke quietly but didn’t bother to hide the cold anger lacing his voice.
“Dammit, Gray, I don’t have the time or energy for this. You know damn well that Ruby and I have been struggling. I haven’t seen her since our last meeting. I need to be sure that she is up for the mission.”
“If you’re asking if our little hotshot is as feisty and provocative as ever, the answer is affirmative. Just ask the overgrown elephant who works the bar and is Drechsler’s man Friday. The goon made the mistake of thinking that he could come on to Ruby and leave with his pride intact. As we both know, not an option. She walked all over him, making a point of stepping on his tongue which he couldn’t keep in his mouth, slurping over her. In the process she got a boatload of information that will help us and in return made sure Drechsler got the goods on us. She did her job so well that Spike, or Tiny as Ruby tauntingly renamed him, insisted that she be one of the ‘slutty servers’ at the dinner tonight. But then, I already texted you that news.”
Noah sighed, acknowledging that information was the reason he’d been pacing the floor since he’d checked into the hotel. Not wanting to give away any more of his angst, he changed the topic.
“Did Spike/Tiny give you any more insights about Drechsler than we already have?”
“Not a lot we don’t already know. Did say that our man Clay is a ‘cunt con-ness-sewer’ and would go apeshit over Ruby’s ‘rack and ba-donka-donk.’ Gotta say that’s the first time I’ve heard her curvy little ass being called a ba-donka-donk, but you can be sure I will use it to razz her for months to come.”
Fighting the anger that had his gut roiling at the ugly names the bartender had called Ruby, Noah kept his tone non-committal. “I’m sure you will, Gray, but, for the moment, can we stay on point and focus on the villain we’re here to take down?”
“Sure thing, boss. First, on a personal note, it appears that you’re already big news in this hapless burg. The headline being that a black guy is heading the posse that’s come in to shake up the FAN. By the way, I don’t have to tell you that ‘black guy’ is the least of the things you’re being called. Know that if we planned to put a burr under their saddles by having you lead the mission, we succeeded. But, before we leave that issue, let me tell you, listening to the things Spike casually called you, it was harder than hell not to rip that fucker a new asshole big enough to drive a tree trunk through.”
Noah said dismissively, “Comes with the territory, dude. You get used to it.”
Gray clearly didn’t agree. “I dunno how you do it, Noah. I’m telling you I had a hard time keeping from kicking that asshole’s nuts through his gut. And from the look on Ruby’s face, I’d have had company gutting him.”
When Noah didn’t respond, Gray added, “You know how much I admire you, Noah. But listening to the crap that they spew so carelessly, I don’t know how you maintain your cool. Christ, you’re the epitome of charm and sophistication in the face of nauseating ignorance. I truly don’t know how you do it, my friend, but I admire the hell out of the fact that you’re able to.”
Noah allowed himself a disparaging guffaw. “Rest assured I didn’t learn that restraint from my father. You’ve only met the Senator a couple of times and he puts on a good act. But if anyone is seething with resentment, it’s my dear old dad. I think early on as a kid, I decided I would take a different path. My father could barely tolerate MLK, Junior. Thought he was too soft. Reared me to follow Malcolm X’s teachings instead. The Senator never could understand why I admired them both. But, to me, both Malcolm and Martin were striving for the same end. They just saw the means very differently.”
Noah smiled remembering his father’s temper tantrums at his son’s latest travesty and how he, as a kid, would look for ways to trigger that temper.
“Just to annoy him I would find quotes from the two great men that could have been said by either one of them. For example one of King’s most famous quotes is, ‘The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.’ Interestingly, Malcom comes at the issue in almost the same language. He said, ‘I have more respect for a man who lets me know where he stands, even if he’s wrong. Than the one who comes up like an angel and is nothing but a devil.’ ”
He paused for a thoughtful moment then added, “There is real truth to that, Gray. I would rather deal with an openly racist bigot like Clay Drechsler than a limousine liberal who uses his wealth as a lever to ensure that his children never have to go to an integrated school. Unless of course the token blacks in that school are people like me.”
Knowing that Grayson couldn’t have missed the bitterness in that last remark Noah aimed for humor.
“As you can see, buddy, I’ve had a lot of opportunities in my life to deal with racists of all stripes. Like any kid with an overbearing parent I decided I would watch carefully to see how my father reacted in similar situations then I would do precisely the opposite.”
Noah was relieved when Grayson laughed then struck a surprisingly serious note.
“I gotta say, Noah, I’m more of your father’s school of thought. For example, my favorite Malcolm X quote is, ‘Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.’ ”
Noah laughed. “Why doesn’t that surprise me, buddy? But since we’re on a philosophical bent, I’ll confess that’s the quote that convinced me to drop out of grad school and go in the Army. I wanted to be damned sure that if it came down to it, I could kick anyone’s ass and never run from a fight. But unlike my father who’s mad at everyone, I decided to focus on the world’s evil men. The men who kill, maim and torture for the fun of it. The terrorists. The ones we fought in the sand pit and the ones we’re gonna take down here.”
Gray gave a fervent cheer. “Amen, brother. Know that I’ve got your back, just as I know you have mine.”
Noah sighed, “Don’t think I don’t know what we’re all up against, Gray. Drechsler is as evil a man as we’ve encountered. I despise everything he stands for including the way he disgraced the uniform. Nothing will bring me more pleasure than taking him down. Whether that results in his spending the rest of his miserable life in ADX Florence, the federal supermax prison, or as Malcolm suggested, we send him to the cemetery. Either one works for me.”
“Once again, I say Amen to that, brother!” Gray added, “I didn’t have a chance to tell you earlier, dude. But after Ruby left, Spike hit me up. I thought he was going to ask how to get into Ruby’s pants but to my surprise he was interested in me. Seems as though the word I’d been planting around town and Ruby’s nonchalant mention of my dishonorable discharge and allusion to illegal arms dealing had put me on Drechsler’s radar. After Ruby left, Spike and I chatted it up for a while and I thought that was the end of it. To my surprise, none other than our UC Ned Angler and that redheaded henchman of Drechsler’s walked in and invited me to sit with them. A couple glasses of Jack later I found myself invited to the dinner tonight. Obviously Ned’s been working at putting out my creds because they seemed to know all about my little ol’ down and dirty M.O. Amazing—especially considering that Ian created my cover less than ten days ago.”
Noah whistled.
“Jesus, man, that’s fabulous news. I thought it would take at least a couple of days to get you in front of Drechsler. I gotta say, Ned Angler may be one of the best UC’s I’ve worked with. Still, it worries the hell out of me that he may be in real danger, especially if we are right about the mole.
“Well, buddy, seems like I’m gonna be inside that pack of rats earlier than we expected, starting tonight.”
Noah let his relief about Gray’s success wash over him but it didn’t take long for his anxiety to raise its ugly head. Having ambled around the issue as long as he co
uld, Noah went for the money ball.
“Look, Gray, I know you said Ruby is up for this mission. I’d expect nothing less. She is as professional and talented an agent as LOTN has and, as we know, those women set the standard for excellence.” He couldn’t squelch his sigh. “Tell me—how does she seem otherwise? You know what I mean, man. Is she—?”
Grayson broke in and for once didn’t try to needle Noah.
“If you’re asking if she’s our same ol’ Ruby, cracking one joke after another, usually making herself the butt of the joke, the answer is yes, pretty much. She’s great, as she always is, just a little on the quiet side. That said, she is sharp, funny and perceptive. Spike never knew what hit him. He called her every misogynistic name in the book, some I’d never heard, and she didn’t so much as wince. She’s done her homework on Drechsler and, as we’ve all agreed, she will make a play for him. Spike seems to think all it will take for her to capture the boss man’s interest is for him to see her in her Saloon ‘uniform.’ ”
Noah forced himself to ask the question.
“Does it at least have a top and a bottom?”
Gray chuckled. “I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing it yet, but apparently Drechsler is a Wild West wannabe. According to Ruby who’s now seen her ‘costume,’ he grooves on 1890’s saloon wear. Ruby actually seemed happy with it. Said for once she didn’t feel like an LOTN step-sister. Rather, it makes her look like a real woman.”
Noah groaned. “Dammit she just doesn’t get it. She could be wearing a burka and all the men in the room would be looking for ways to loosen their jeans. I don’t understand how she got all those self-defeating tapes in her head. Christ, I know the kind of childhood she had. But, dammit, Gray, all she has to do is look in the mirror to know that she is gorgeous.” He added with a snort, “I can tell you one thing for sure, that asshole she’s engaged to marry doesn’t help. If he had his way, he’d strip her of everything that’s real, everything that makes her the extraordinary woman that she is.”