Seven Books for Seven Lovers
Page 87
The Italian smiled more broadly. “You see, Ms. Carter, you are more than welcome to fire at me, or my friends. But then your boyfriend gets it.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” she said with a clenched jaw, letting the gun drop. “In fact, he’s a total idiot. Chas, what the fuck? I had this under control.”
“Oh, did you now?” he said, eyeing the three other men around him. “Did you think you’d disarm them all yourself?”
“I’m not a little porcelain doll, Palmer. I can take care of myself. Even when a douche bag like you tries to break my cover and smear my reputation. I can still do my job.”
“Yes, of course you can, Susannah. I just wanted to protect you, to get you out of there, that’s all.”
“By calling me a whore?”
“No—yes—I was really just trying to protect you.”
“I don’t fucking need protection! I need a goddamn partner!”
“Well, this is all very charming,” the Italian said, clearly done with them both. “Bruno, get Antonio out of here. Throw him out on the street. Che palle! Salvatore, please restrain our friends here, but don’t hurt them. Much. I’ll deal with Palmer. You may enjoy the girl. Later.”
“Wait a minute, Bruni,” Chas said, standing up. “You said you wanted to talk to me. Let Susannah go. She had nothing to do with this.”
Susannah felt her face redden. She could take care of herself. And no way was she going to leave Chas there alone. “Wait, Chas—”
But Chas cut her off. “Let her go, and we can talk all you want.”
“Talk?” the Italian spat. “About how you are double-crossing me? About how you are working with an undercover agent to expose me? Oh, no, Palmer, I think we’ve had enough talking. You are just like your traitor of a father. The best day of my life was when I slit his throat.” Chas’s face flushed red as the Italian turned to his men. “Bind them both together, now.”
A scuffle ensued, and Chas meaningfully said, “Fingers . . . SOS.” Susannah gasped in understanding, and then they were bound together, back-to-back, under the stern gaze of the Italian.
‡‡‡
AJ SAT IN MISSION control in Harlem. She couldn’t see into the panic room—it was the only room with no camera—and was forced to be all ears. As soon as she got Chas’s SOS she responded with “Roger that, Palmer. FTP is on the move and will be at your location in five.” Then she enabled the earpieces so everyone could hear each other as well. “Bossman? This is Fingers. I’ve just connected us all. I couldn’t see what happened, but Chas and Susannah are now bound together in that room. Also, there are two other men with the Italian guy, probably armed and ready for battle. How quick can you get in?”
The Boss replied instantly. “Fingers. Boss here. I’m dressed as a cop at the entrance of Heavenly Balls, Lisa Bee is parading as a tourist trying to find another way into the building, and Jackson is going to deliver a pizza in ten. We’ll be in ASAP. Hold on, Chas. We’re coming.”
“Why on earth would Jackson be delivering a pizza to a restaurant?” AJ asked. “How will that help?”
Jackson jumped in on the conversation. “Sometimes, baby, the stranger the thing, the easier the entrance. And I’m all about the easy entrance.”
“Well,” replied AJ, “I’ll keep that in mind. Get in there, guys. Our girl’s life depends on it.”
‡‡‡
THE BOSS ENTERED the meatballeria and walked over to the counter. It was just about noon, and the place was already hopping. The boy at the counter looked up at him. “May I take your order?”
“I need to talk to your boss,” he said. “It’s about an inspection issue. Tell him I need to close the place down for the day.”
“For the day? Yikes! He’s not going to be happy about that,” the boy said. “Wait here, and I’ll call him.” After a quick run to the back the boy returned. “He’s sending his associate right up.”
Great, the Boss thought, one of his hired guns. But at least that was one he could get out of the way. He’d occupy him, and hopefully Jackson could make his way downstairs. In the meantime, he raised his voice loud and held up his badge. “Police. We’re going to need to close this joint down for inspection. Make your way out immediately. Staff members, too, please.” The place was empty within two minutes.
The hired gun emerged, and suddenly the Boss was intimidated. This man looked to be about six feet tall and just as wide. And who knew what he had strapped under the jacket. The Boss swallowed and said, “Hello. I’m Detective Johnson with the NYPD. We need to talk to you about an inspection issue.”
The man approached him, and towered over him. The Boss could smell his meaty breath. “Listen, buddy, I don’t know who the fuck you are, but I know every cop on this beat. The inspection is fine. I know. I ran it. I just put a call in to my friend on the force, and they don’t know what this is about, but they’re on their way. Now you wanna get the fuck out or wait to be taken down?”
At that moment, timing perfect as always, Jackson entered. “Somebody order a pizza?”
‡‡‡
TYKA HAD MADE a rather massive error in judgment. She believed she’d have a better vantage point from one of the apartments above Ludlow Street and was scaling up the side of a building from the alley. She was halfway up when she saw someone she recognized down below, searching for an open window. Using the zip cord she had hooked on to the roof, she slid down, landing a foot behind Lisa Bee.
“Holy Batman!” Lisa Bee said, whirling around. “Are you a superhero or a lunatic?”
“Neither, unfortunately,” Tyka said with a smirk. “But we have the same interests. I’m looking for Chas Palmer. I’m his self-appointed bodyguard. And I’ve been watching him for some time. He called for my help. And I believe his girlfriend works with you?”
“Well, my stars.” Lisa Bee chuckled. “You’re the blonde Chas was making out with in Paris.”
“He did that to keep my cover,” she replied. “That was why he compromised the redhead. He was protecting me. But now we are all on the same side. How about I help you do what I do best?”
“And what might that be?”
“I’m an assassin.”
The earpiece crackled. “She’s a damn fine assassin, too, one of the best in the biz,” said AJ with awe. “Methinks this is just what the doctor ordered. Bee, tell the lady there’s a window to her left. If she has a lock pick she can scurry in, and she’ll be near the front right air shaft. Tell her—”
“Hang on,” Lisa Bee said, “tell her yourself.” She removed the earpiece and offered it to Tyka. “Here, Wonder Woman. It’s for you.”
‡‡‡
BACK IN HEAVENLY BALLS, Jackson, the Boss, Johnny, and the hired gun were all at a standoff. When the big guy reached into his jacket, Jackson didn’t think twice. He pointed the pizza box at the man and shot him in the heart.
“Whoa,” Johnny said. “Did you shoot him with a pizza box?”
“Old-school trick, kid. Hiding the gun inside a pie. That’s a classic.”
The kid looked scared to death. “They’re down there. Through a secret door in the lock-in freezer. The owner, Mr. Bruni, is terrifying, and I try to stay as far away from him as possible. He knows my uncle, so he gave me a job, but I wish he hadn’t. I’m always scared he’s gonna kill me if I don’t roll the meatballs right.”
“Thank you, young man,” said the Boss. “Now get out of here before he grinds you into a meatball pie.”
The boy burst into tears and ran out.
“Gee,” said Jackson. “Now I wonder why you don’t have kids. You’re so very, er, good with them.”
“Shut up, this is no time for jokes,” said the Boss. “I’m good with them when I want to be. Now let’s get down there and help the team out.”
“Roger that, Bossman.”
‡‡‡
CHAS AND SUSANNAH were bound in chairs back-to-back, and the Italian and the second bodyguard had run out when they heard the shot. Chas was able
to hear everything that was going on through the earpiece and relayed it to Susannah. They then tried valiantly to get out of their restraints, but to no avail. Chas thought it was time to take the bull by the horns. “Fingers? How much time do we got? And are we safe?”
“Looks like you’re safe, cowboy, if a bit tied up,” she said drily. “What do you need?”
“Just turn everyone else off and give us a moment, would you?”
“Turning people off is not my strong suit,” she replied. “But you can have your moment. I’ll let you know when you need to make a move.”
“Thanks, Fingers,” he said. “I owe you one.”
“In all fairness, you owe me a whole lot more than one.” Then there was a click, and the noise over the earpiece went dead.
Chas took a deep breath. There was an odd silence in the room now, and all he could hear was Susannah’s breathing, and he could feel her back rise and fall against his. “Susannah,” Chas began, wanting to look her in the eye but being stuck back-to-back, “I am so sorry for everything—”
“Why the fuck did you blow my cover?”
He let out a long breath. “I was stuck in a tough situation. It was my only option at the time. And I thought I could save you from that kind of life, let you do something you’d rather be doing, like art history or—”
“No,” she said, cutting him off. Chas could feel her spine bristle against his. “Let me speak. I have several things I need to say.”
Now Chas was glad he didn’t have to look her in the eye. “Okay,” he said, “shoot.”
“First off,” she started, “I don’t need saving. I don’t need anyone to tell me what I should be doing. It’s my life, got it? And if you ever lie to me again, I’ll rip your balls off and wear them as earrings.”
“Wow,” he breathed, “not the romantic moment I was hoping for—”
“Second,” she cut him off, “if you don’t stop treating me like a little girl who needs protecting and start telling me every goddamn thing about whatever the fuck is going on here, I’ll shoot your dick off and wear it as a necklace.”
He swallowed, knowing when to shut the hell up and listen. “Duly noted.”
“Thirdly,” she continued, “I love you, you goddamn prick.”
Before he had time to react to that, Chas heard a beeping from below. He realized, with something between horror and relief, that it was twelve noon and his watch was about to blow. He must have turned the timer on by mistake when setting the clock. Shit. Angling his wrist to point as much toward him as possible, and away from Susannah, he waited, panicked, hoping he had the correct side of the watch pointed toward the floor. Then there was a pop, and the tiny bullet shot clear through their handcuffs. Making use of their newfound freedom, Chas and Susannah helped each other remove their restraints. “Stroke of luck,” Chas murmured.
“That looks like one of Scrubs’s inventions. From Lisa Bee?”
“That’s right. We’re all on the same team now.”
Their eyes caught. He was startled by how deeply he wanted her. He wanted to kiss her, but was waiting on her go. “I like the dark hair,” he said, hoping to break the ice.
“That all?”
“No. That’s not all. You’re it for me, Susannah,” he said, his voice even and true. “You’re the one.”
“Well, finally,” she spat. “Now get the fuck over here, Tex, and it better be good.” She grabbed him and pulled him to her and their lips met. And everything melted away. The tension of the moment. The fear of losing each other. The pain they had both endured in the midst of this crazy cat-and-mouse chase that left them bound together in a basement on the Lower East Side. It all poured out of them, through their souls, past their lips, and into each other. And if any kiss on earth could have created a spark that turned into fireworks that burned down the entirety of the Heavenly Balls Meatball Emporium, it was this one.
About two minutes in, when Susannah was so hot she was about to ignite and Chas was only seconds away from ripping her clothes off and taking her right then and there, his earpiece came back to life. There was a pause in which AJ clearly got wind of what was going on.
“Hold your horses, cowboy,” said AJ. “We’ve got a few things to take care of before you can let ’em out of the stable.”
“Sorry, Fingers,” Chas said, breathing heavily and trying to regain his balance. “That was just what the doctor ordered. Talk to me. What happens now?”
“Time to make your way out. FTP is closing in fast.”
“Am I clear out of the panic room?”
“You’re clear, cowboy,” she said. “Go left and you’ll meet a couple of ladies who’re here to save your fine ass.”
Turning to Susannah, he said, “Come on. Let’s bust out of here. And when we’re out, I’m going to make you the happiest woman who ever lived.”
She quirked a smile. “You already have, Tex. You already have.”
‡‡‡
TYKA AND LISA BEE had crawled the equivalent of half a block through an air shaft when they got to a vent, Tyka leading.
“Stop there, Tyka,” AJ directed. “And be as quiet as possible. The men are just outside the door.”
Silent as a cat, Tyka dropped to the ground. Lisa Bee attempted the same, but as she wasn’t used to being in the field, she got caught in a piece of the air-conditioning vent. Cursing, she took it down with her, and it caused such a profound clattering that Tyka imagined the entire city now knew where they were. They walked out of the room carefully and found they were between the exit to the restaurant and the men coming to investigate. One of the men, the Italian’s second bodyguard, fired off a round of shots, but Tyka and Lisa Bee took cover behind the metal door. Tyka had her pistol in her hand and was about to take a shot when suddenly, from the exit now to the left of them, something flew threw the air and knocked the gun out of the bodyguard’s hand. Then he was shot dead.
Lisa Bee peered around the side of the door to see the Boss holding a gun and Jackson holding a tub of frozen meatballs. Jackson eyed the Italian, who was left standing alone. “You wanna behave, or you want a meatball in the head?” Then he laughed. “I always wanted to say something like that.” He put a meatball in his hand and waited for a response.
‡‡‡
CHAS AND SUSANNAH made their way down the corridor toward the scene unfolding before them. Neither one of them was armed, and Chas was casing out every step they made, protectively sheilding Susannah with his body. As they cautiously walked forward, Chas said, “I can’t wait to hear how you figured all this out. It seems you’re one step ahead of me, Legs.”
Susannah smiled and moved around him to stand by his side. “Actually,” she said, “I’d like to be standing next to you.”
“Sorry,” he said, “overprotective apish male instinct again.”
She laughed. “I like it. I just want to keep it in check. Actually, the real hero here was your father. He was one step ahead of you all along.”
“How?”
“It was the clue he gave you—about the bride and the weather. The painting.”
“Oh god!” He exclaimed. “It’s my favorite! I spent my whole life looking at that Kokoschka painting without realizing—”
“That your father had hidden a flash drive and a clue in a small safe in the credenza beneath it, that only could be opened by a family heirloom?” Susannah grinned. “How could you have missed something so obvious?”
Chas beamed. “I love that you figured that out. Blows my mind.”
“Well,”—Susannah smiled—“I had a bit of help.”
‡‡‡
LISA BEE STOOD behind Tyka, trying to use the willowy blonde for cover. She was only partly successful, as Tyka’s thighs were the size of her arms, and Lisa Bee’s hips were twice the size of what passed for hips on Tyka’s adolescent-looking body. She watched on, with a mixture of fear and pride, eager to see what would happen next. This was the beginning of a whole new part of her career, she could f
eel it.
‡‡‡
JACKSON’S EYES WERE only on Lisa Bee as the fight came to a climax. At that moment she turned to face him, and he grinned and winked. She grinned back. That’s how he had to play it around her: like he was always joking. Then he’d never have to actually put his cards on the table.
‡‡‡
SEEING THAT JACKSON and the Boss were in control of the situation up ahead, Susannah and Chas came to join them, noticing Tyka and Lisa Bee in front of a room on the right, Lisa Bee taking cover behind Tyka, Tyka keeping her pistol trained on her mark. The Boss had his gun aimed at the target, as well. Tyka reached into her boot, pulled out a small pink revolver, and slid it along the floor to Chas. The Italian was now completely surrounded.
“This is it, Bruni,” said the Boss. “Time to give up. We have enough to convict you, now that we have a flash drive with documents that link you to every major white-collar crime from here to eternity. That’s one of my favorite films.” He smiled, proud of his ability to work the names of the classics into the least-expected moments. “We also have the numbers of all the members of your cell. Though I understand it was a bit of work to get them off one of the first commercially available flash drives. Nice work, Fingers, by the way,” he said, winking at one of the security cameras.
“Well, trolls do love their treasure.” She chuckled into his earpiece. “And I do like the old technology. Like shopping at vintage stores.”
“And,” Susannah jumped in, “would you like to know where that flash drive came from? It came from Chas’s father. He left it for his boy to find, to expose you. Seems he really did get you after all.”
Chas choked up with pride, and his chest swelled with a fierce need. It was time. He had what he needed. The Italian had started it so many years ago. And now it was Chas’s turn to end it. “If you all wouldn’t mind,” he said to the others, “I’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time.” He pointed Tyka’s pink pistol at the Italian. “Time to say good-bye, Bruni.”
13
THE DEATH OF her father was the event that had marked Susannah’s entire world. She had built her whole life to become the type of person who could understand how her father had died, and why. If her father was indeed murdered, she’d want to avenge his death. And she’d never stop until she had the chance.