Glenn got up and leaned over Ted, looking at the bullet hole in his stomach. He took Ted's hand into his own. "It's over, Ted . . . the motors are shot. I'm sorry, buddy. Looks like this is it."
Ted rolled his head back and forth and spoke weakly. "I killed her, Glenn . . . I killed her. I shoulda never let her go with us."
"She loved you, Ted. She wouldn't have left you."
Ted closed his eyes. "It wasn't what I thought it would be, Glenn--killing him didn't feel good. It was all for nothing. . . . Oh God, Bonita, I'm so sorry . . . I'm so damn sorry."
Virgil poked Glenn's shoulder and pointed. "We got a cigarette coming up fast toward us."
Glenn picked up his Mac from the deck. "I guess this is it, Virg."
Virgil slapped in his last magazine and released the charging handle, chambering a round. "I guess it is, Glenn.
Never thought I'd buy it in a damn boat, though. Guess it's okay--at least my mama won't have to worry about no funeral expenses."
Glenn flicked off his weapon's safety. "Better wait till they get close. I've just got what's in the mag, and it's. not much. I've got a frag left--I'll save it for us. I don't want them to get Ted and Ramon."
"That's okay with me. If I'm still standin' just let me know; I wanna shut my eyes and pray a little."
Glenn stood erect and watched the boat approach with his finger resting lightly on the trigger. Suddenly the sleek maroon cigarette slowed and a man climbed up on top of the bow deck with a bullhorn.
"Glenn, it's me, Gee. Do you need help?
Glenn smiled and tossed his Mac overboard. He climbed up to the bow deck and began waving his arms.
Virgil canted his head. "Who the hell is Gee?"
"An angel!" Glenn shouted. "An ugly squid angel!"
Rita Lopez dropped her TV remote when she saw who opened the door and stepped inside the hospital room.
Ashley walked slowly to the bed. "I guess you didn't pray hard enough--I'm back. Miss Rita Lopez, I'm arresting you for obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and one count of murder in the third degree. You have the right to an attorney.
If you cannot afford an attorney you . . ."
As Ashley spoke she took out her handcuffs and slapped them on Rita's wrists. After Mirandizing her, Ashley picked up the remote and tossed it to the floor. "You'd better call your hairdresser and makeup lady; you're going to be making the news instead of reporting it."
Ashley leaned over and whispered in Rita's ear, "By the way, Mendez is a crispy critter--he won't be paying for your lawyer." Ashley stepped back and opened the door.
Two agents and a police officer walked in, followed by an orderly pushing a gurney.
Ashley faced Rita again. "We're moving you to a room across town that has bars." She motioned to the television screen. "Don't worry, I saw it, it's a repeat. The good guys win. Get her out of here before I puke on her clean sheets."
It was almost midnight when Genesse walked into the small, dimly lit room.
Glenn and Virgil rose from their chairs.
Genesse nodded. "The doc says they're both out of danger."
Glenn lowered his head. "Thank God."
Virgil looked past Genesse. "Can I see Ray?' , "Sure, but he's sacked out."
"That's all right--I'll just sit with him awhile."
When the black man left the room, Glenn raised an eyebrow. "You're taking a big risk doing this, Gee."
"Risk? Naw, you guys took the risk. I had a couple guys watchin' the yacht. When Mendez's boys fired up your cruiser, they contacted me. Good thing my guys followed you and kept me informed by cell phone or I never would have found you."
"What about the doc and this place?" Glenn asked.
"No sweat, Glenn, relax. The doc owes me a favor, and nobody lives near his old house. Tomorrow I'll have my guys drop by a big van, a nice one with a foldout bed. The doc will tell ya what to do as far as how to take care of Ted and the little Cuban until they're on their feet. He says a couple of weeks for the Cuban and a little longer for Ted.
The bullet just missed his kidney. He was lucky."
Glenn shook his head. "He wasn't so lucky, Gee. He and Bonita got tight and--"
"I know," Genesse said. "He told me a few minutes ago.
It don't figure, you know. A guy like Ted and a broad like that."
"She was no broad, Gee. She was a lady--Ted had a good thing going with her."
Genesse put his hand on Glenn's shoulder. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been there when you iced that bastard. At least it's finally over."
"Maybe for you and me it's over, Gee, but for Ted it's just begun. He loved Bonita. He never said it, but I know he did.
It'll never be over for him."
Genesse's hand slipped from his former teammate's shoulder. "I gotta go, Glenn. I won't be seein' you again.
Take care, huh?"
Glenn forced a smile. "Thanks, Gee, for everything. Team Two-two was together again, at least for a while. Mendez finally paid."
Genesse nodded and walked toward the door.
It was just past midnight when Ashley heard the door open. Eli entered the hotel room, shut the door, and froze, seeing Ashley seated on the bed.
She got up, took a bottle of iced beer from the bucket on the nightstand, and handed it to him. "Sit down, Tanner. It's wind-down time."
Eli screwed off the top, looked at the bottle a moment, then took a long drink. Lowering the bottle, he sank onto a chair. "God, I need this--thanks for remembering about my wind-down thing."
She sat on the bed again. "Sorry, I looked for a Garth Brooks tape and a Walkman, but Miami isn't into country music. Couldn't find his tape with 'The Dance' on it."
Eli put the cold bottle against his forehead. "You tried, Sutton, that's what counts. You get Rita put away?"
"Yeah, her station came up with a lawyer, but once they heard the facts they withdrew him. Seems they don't like her as much as they thought. What about you? You been to the hospital?"
"Yeah, the dog is goin' to be okay. The vet says the bullet missed the spine. Poor mutt is goin' to lose a rib, but otherwise he's goin' to be fine."
"Tanner, I wasn't talking about the dog. I was talking about Stacy. You go by and see her?"
"I'll do it tomorrow."
"You went by to see the dog but not Stacy?"
"The dog liked me, okay? We kind of hit it off."
"Are you sayin' you and the news lady didn't hit it off out there?"
"It's wind-down time, Sutton. No more questions."
Ashley lowered her head. "So it really was duty . . . I thought maybe you put it on the line for her because you-"
She stopped herself, reached out, and touched his hand.
"Take another drink, Tanner. I have some bad news for you."
Eli shifted his eyes to her. She rose from the bed and walked to the window. "The Coast Guard found one of Mendez's cigarette boats in the mouth of the bay about three this afternoon. It was shot up very badly. From the blood found in the boat, we think the people who had been inside were wounded severely or had been killed. No bodies were found, but the Coast Guard is still searching. Parker is working it. He thinks whoever was in the boat transferred to another. He's checking the hospitals for people admitted for gunshot wounds."
Ashley turned from the window. "I'm sorry, Eli, it doesn't look like Ted and his team made it-you were right; everybody lost."
Eli leaned forward and stared at the bottle in his hand. "I guess I should retire, Sutton. I broke all the laws I swore to uphold. I lied to Parker and will have to keep on lying. It's not my style. I never liked liars, and right now I don't care for me very much." He got up slowly from the chair and sank down onto the bed. "I'd like to be alone, Sutton."
Ashley was searching for the proper words when someone knocked on the door.
Eli tiredly shook his head. "I don't want to answer any more questions. Do me a favor and tell 'em I took some sleeping pills and sacked out."
Ashley walked to the door and opened i
t a crack to see the visitor. She took a step back in shock. Oh, God.
At Ashley's silence, Eli rose and walked toward the door just as Bonita entered the room.
Chapter 23.
Looking as if she'd gone through a car wash in a convertible, Bonita hobbled across the room and fell back on the bed.
Eli closed his open mouth and sank down in a chair, still not quite sure whether to believe his eyes. Ashley stood over the prone woman. "My God, Bonita, how . . . how'd you get away?"
Bonita kept her eyes closed and didn't move as she spoke.
"I saw the speedboat coming. I cut the engine and ran down into the cabin to get a gun . . . then everything seemed to explode in little pops around me. Baby whined . . . poor Baby . . . he didn't understand why he was dying. He lay there looking up at me. So pitiful . . . so helpless, then he was gone . . . just laid his head down and--"
"How'd you get off the boat?" Ashley asked, pressing the woman as tears formed in the corners of Bonita's eyes.
"They kept shooting and I knew I had to get out. I crawled out of the cabin onto the deck. I could hear them circling and firing. I began crawling around the side of the cabin and saw one of Ted's scuba tanks. He had used it the day before and it was still rigged with the regulator. I thought maybe I had a chance. When they were on the other side of the boat, I jumped overboard. Oh, God--I was so scared . . . I couldn't see anything. I kicked and fought to stay under but it was like a giant hand was pushing me up. I finally got the regulator in my mouth and that helped. Once I didn't have to hold my breath, I managed to stay under.
God, the noise of that boat passing over me . . . it was like nothing I've heard before. I knew the propellers were going to tear into me any second . . . it was all going to be for nothing."
Ashley sat down beside Bonita as she continued. "When I heard that horrible sound going away, I put on the straps of the tank but didn't know which direction to go. Everything was just a blur without a mask. I told myself to be calm and think. Then I saw it . . . the brightness. The sun, I guess. I knew it rose in the east and that was the way to shore. I headed for the brightness."
Ashley patted Bonita's hand. "Go on. You got to shore, then what?"
"I made it, but not to shore. . . . I knew I was heading back in the direction of the estate. Once I got close to shore I headed south, and kept going until I ran out of air. I got rid of the tank and kept going south, keeping my head just above water, and walked along the bottom. My feet . . . my feet hurt so bad. Finally I saw some people on a small beach, a family. I came ashore and told them I fell out of my boat and would they please take me to a gas station so I could call my brother. They were nice people . . . tourists from Maryland. They insisted on taking me home. They wrapped my feet in towels and drove me to the safe house off Dixie. I soaked my feet . . . and decided I'd still do what I told Agent Tanner I would. . . . I'm turning myself in."
Eli rose and took another bottle from the ice bucket. He put the beer in Bonita's hand. "Baby is okay," he said.
Bonita shot upright. "What?"
"Your dog is okay. I found him in the cruiser before it sank. He's at a vet."
Bonita covered her face. "Oh, sweet Jesus, I thought he was . . . oh, God, I left him, I left him." She suddenly lowered her hands. "Ted? He and the team made it out, right?"
Eli exchanged looks with Ashley before he wrinkled his brow and lowered his head. "They made it out of the estate okay, Bonita, but they went after the guys that fired you up.
We don't know for sure what happened, but it doesn't look good. The Coast Guard found the cigarette they used. It was shot to hell and the blood inside says most if not all of them were probably hit. I'm sorry."
Bonita's chin dropped to her chest. Slowly, she fell back on the bed and covered her face with her hands again.
"No . . . sweet Jesus, no."
Eli put out his hand to Ashley. "You have the keys to Ted's van."
Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Yes, but why?"
"Give them to me."
Ashley looked at him a moment before leaving the room.
She came back a minute later and handed them to him. Eli sat on the bed beside Bonita. "Bonita, it's over. Mendez is dead. It's not going to happen like you thought. His people won't keep looking for you. He was the glue that kept his organization together. They'll be in a fight for what's left and they won't think twice about you. If you change your name and move out west, you won't have any problems making a new life. You have someplace you can go?"
Bonita spoke between sobs. "Ted . . . Teddy told me .. . to go to Kansas if something happened. He had a friend there who would take care of me for a while."
"Take the keys and go there, then. Agent Sutton will tell you where the van is. Get in it and go."
Ashley eyed Eli, but he lifted his hand. "I made a promise to Ted and I'm keeping it. Get up, Bonita . . . go start a new life."
Bonita gazed at Eli. "I don't care anymore, Tanner."
"You will," he said. "Scars heal." He took her hands and Pulled her to her feet. "Agent Sutton will give you my phone number in Columbus. In a month, call me. I'll have your dog and ship him to you. I'll also tell you everything I've found out about what happened to Ted. Come on, you have to go now. Agent Parker could come over at any time.
Agent Sutton will walk you to your van."
Ashley took Bonita's arm and led her to the door. Bonita stopped and looked over her shoulder at Eli. "Why . . . why are you doing this?"
"Like I said, I made a promise ... a life for a life. Ted gave me a second chance at life, and now I'm giving you that chance. It's his gift to you. Take it."
Bonita lowered her head and walked out the door with Ashley.
Eli lifted his beer bottle toward the empty doorway and whispered, "I hope you can find happiness."
Ashley walked back into the room and saw him sitting on the chair with his eyes closed. She sat down on the bed across from him. "She's gone, Tanner."
He nodded in silence. Ashley fell back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. "She had two million dollars under the backseat of the van, Tanner. Two million."
"Nice way to start over, huh?" he said.
"She wanted to give me a million . . . a million dollars. I refused, of course . . . I didn't even look at it, just shook my head and told her to go. Jesus, Tanner, a million dollars."
"You're a good agent, Sutton."
Ashley turned her head, looking at him. "And you're a good agent, too, Tanner. Just so you know . . . I would have done the same thing if I'd been in your shoes--let her go, I mean. It had to end, and this was just as good as anyplace to start. You did the right thing."
"I hope so, Sutton. It felt right, anyway."
"Your gut tell you it felt right?"
"Nope, my heart."
Ashley sat up and took his hand. "You have a good heart, Tanner, a good strong heart. It's what I like about you."
Eli squeezed her hand. "Thanks, partner. I like your heart, too."
He rose, sat on the bed beside her, and kissed her forehead. "I never kissed a partner before, but it's my way of saying thanks."
He leaned over, laid his head on the pillow, and shut his eyes. "I gotta sleep now, Sutton. Turn the light off when ya leave, okay?"
Ashley rested her head on the other pillow and closed her eye, savoring the feeling of his kiss. "Sure, Tanner, you sleep now . . . I'll turn it off." She began to get up but her heart told her something else. She smiled to herself, leaned over, and turned off the light. Pulling up the blanket, she rested her head again on the pillow and closed her eye again. After a few minutes she knew he was sleeping soundly, and put her arm over his chest and snuggled closer.
Don't worry, Tanner, she said to herself. I'll be gone when you wake up. It's a new start for me, too . . . a new start.
Chapter 24.
One month later, Saturday, Columbus, Georgia.
Eli opened his apartment door and Baby scampered past him and shot out the door. "Dam
n, Babe, just knock me down, why don't you? Hey, get back here!"
Eli watched as the golden dog ran down the walkway with his nose to the pavement. "Those squirrels been in the flower beds again, huh? Yeah, you sniff 'em out and scare 'em back to their trees."
Eli walked to his pickup and unlocked the door. Baby was back at his feet when he opened it and bounded up into the seat.
"Nope, we're not going anywhere, buddy; just got to get this paperwork here. Don't give me that look. Uh-uh, get out. I've got work to do. Come on, I'll give you a treat once we're back inside."
Duty Bound (1995) Page 37