Long, Lean and Lethal

by O'Clare, Lorie

  “It’s just because—”

  He pressed his finger over her lips. “No excuses. Now let’s go.” He turned on the car and pulled a U in the middle of the road.

  They passed the college cop, who apparently had parked himself at the end of the block, and Noah saluted but then kept driving. Let the cop wonder who in the hell he was and how he rated being with the hottest cop in Lincoln, Nebraska.

  Turning the corner, though, to leave campus, he slowed quickly when the little Miata pulled in front of a pawnshop that was across the street and at the end of the road. If he pulled to a stop at the intersection, they could be spotted.

  “Pull over right here,” Rain instructed.

  But he acted as she spoke, pulling quickly to the curb and letting a car behind them pass. The driver flipped them off, his stereo loud enough to violate any noise ordinance, and then gunned his engine so that he could skid to a stop at the intersection.

  Rain grabbed the equipment still set up on the dash as Noah stopped the car.

  An explosion of street noise filled the car from the headset when she turned on the switch. “How do we cut this out? Susie is getting out of the car … by herself.”

  “Damn.” He tried aiming the satellite directly at her and adjusted the volume.

  The car whose driver had flipped Noah off skidded his tires when he took off. His sound faded and Susie’s voice broke through the speaker.

  “I’ll be right back,” Susie said, slamming the car door and moving faster than he’d ever seen her move as she headed into the pawnshop.

  “Crap,” Noah hissed. “Stay here. Call for backup.”

  “Wait one minute,” she demanded, grabbing his arm when he opened the door.

  Noah pulled out of her grasp quickly but then looked into the car at her pissed-off expression. “Scoot into the driver’s seat. Call for backup. I’m heading around and if there’s a back door, I’m going to hear what is going on. Either way, if Joanna purchased a gun here, we need information on that gun.”

  Rain stared at him and he knew she understood. Depending on who was working at the pawnshop, they possibly would need a warrant to go over the store’s records.

  Noah closed the car door and then sprinted down the street, thankful that Joanna’s attention was pinned on the store and not watching the other direction. He ran past her toward the end of the block. If he was lucky, the pawnshop had a back door that was unlocked. If not, it was time to play cat burglar.

  TWENTY

  Noah pulled his cell off his belt as he hit the dark alley. A dog or cat, or maybe even a rodent, crashed through a few trash cans when Noah violated its dark sanctuary. He jumped at the crashing sound but then ignored it and broke into a run, counting the buildings as he held his phone out in front of him.

  He started to call Brenda but then canceled the call and called Rain instead. Knowing she was safe would make all of this a hell of a lot easier to do.

  Rain answered on the first ring. “I don’t appreciate being left behind,” she hissed into his ear.

  He grinned in the darkness, at least now knowing she wasn’t hurt. “Next time you can play in the dark with raccoons and cats and trash, okay?”

  “Deal.” There was a clattering noise in the background and he frowned, trying to figure out what she was doing while slowing as he came up on the back side of the building. “There’s two doors,” she said quietly into his ear. “The second door is the one you want.”

  “What?” He stared at two unmarked doors, both of them identical, spaced evenly apart on the building in front of him. “How the hell did you know that? And how did you know where I was?”

  “I’m good,” she purred into his ear. “That and I put one of your little toys in your cell phone and I’ve pulled up our Google Earth program that we use at the station.”

  “Son of a bitch,” he cursed, impressed as hell and stunned that she had managed to bug him without his knowledge—not that he would let her know either. “I’m going to remember how good you are, my dear.”

  “You better.” She sounded pleased as hell. “Go inside. There’s a back room. Two people are in the store, probably Susie and the clerk. Both are up front.”

  Noah stared at the back of the building and the two doors, both of them identical and unmarked. Shaking his head, feeling an odd sense of pride at Rain’s abilities, he walked across the uneven pavement, glancing up and down the alley. There wasn’t anyone else around as he reached for the door. He turned the cold, wet knob and pulled. It opened easily, not even squeaking, and a glow of light spread over the damp, broken asphalt in the alley.

  “I’m going in,” he whispered.

  “I’ve got your back.”

  “What?” Noah started to walk in the back door and froze, putting his hand over his forehead as he scowled at the dull wooden floor. “Don’t leave that car.”

  The line went dead and he cursed, then stepped inside and held on to the door so that it closed quietly. A terrible sensation twisted in his gut that Rain had a plan running through that pretty head of hers that he wouldn’t like. But dwelling on it would only make matters worse. All he could focus on right now was what was going on inside this store.

  Standing with his back against the door, Noah stared at the doorway leading into the shop, not daring to move while listening and deciding where the best spot to hide might be. There wasn’t much that impressed him as he took in his surroundings: shelves with a variety of supplies, lightbulbs, register tape, some cleaning supplies.

  As solid and well-built as the old building was, when he stepped around several boxes, the floor squeaked. He could hear Susie and the clerk talking but wanted to see them without being seen. Unfortunately, it didn’t appear that was going to happen. If he moved around too much, the squeaky floorboards would give him away.

  Strong, bright light flooded half of the storage room from the front half of the store. If he stepped into it he’d be seen. But as he stood in the dimmer shadows, he could see the layout of the store and the shelves behind the counter where the clerk paced. As Noah watched, the clerk came into view.

  “We don’t get a lot of college kids in here. Some of them trail in, but they want more money than what their shit is worth, usually.” The clerk, a tall, heavyset man wearing a T-shirt that hung loosely on his large frame and fell damn near to his thighs, stopped with his back to Noah. With his legs spread, holding a stance like he was ready for action, the clerk turned his head, apparently watching Susie move through the store. “Your kid hock something that you’re looking for?”

  “Do I look old enough to have a kid in college?” she snapped.

  “Couldn’t say,” he grumbled. “I don’t even try guessing ages. That’s what IDs are for.”

  “You make people show their IDs on all purchases?”

  “What are you? A cop?” he sneered.

  “Have you had cops in here lately?”

  “Damn. What do you want to know for?” He rubbed his closely shaved head, and wrinkles creased in his thick neck when he turned and looked down the counter. “If you want one of those guns you’ll definitely be giving me your ID.”

  “I don’t want one of these guns; I want to know about a gun you already sold.” Susie sounded like she believed the sales guy should already know this.

  The clerk put his hands on his hips, obviously oblivious to the fact that Susie expected the world to treat her like a goddess.

  “Why do you want to know?”

  A buzzer sounded and Noah felt a rush of cold air when someone walked into the store. High heels clicked across the floor and Noah knew who entered the store even though he couldn’t see.

  “I told you to wait in the car.” Susie’s tone was venomous.

  “It’s scary out there.” Joanna wasn’t whining. In fact, she didn’t sound like she was scared, either. If anything, her flat tone implied she simply had said the first thing that came to mind. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m having a convers
ation with the clerk. A conversation I thought was private. Thanks for respecting my wishes,” Susie added, her tone dripping with enough sarcasm to make it weigh heavy in the air.

  “Go right ahead,” Joanna said, sounding way too sweet. “Why are you looking at guns? If you wanted another one because yours is missing, you should have told me.”

  “What I want is for you to return to the car,” Susie demanded in a low whisper.

  “Why don’t you want me to be in here while you buy a gun?”

  “Do you want to buy a gun now?” the clerk asked.

  “I’ll talk to you in a minute,” Susie hissed.

  “If you didn’t want to buy a gun, why can’t I be in here?” Joanna demanded.

  “What I’m doing is none of your business.”

  “Then why did you make me come with you?”

  “Joanna, go sit in the car.”

  An uncomfortable moment of silence followed. Someone moved, walking toward Noah. He straightened against the wall next to the doorway, his hand instinctively reaching for his waist where his gun was. Patting the cold, hard metal always added reassurance during life-threatening situations. He realized the action was habit, especially since he wasn’t in any danger. Nonetheless, Noah fingered the weapon, his gaze fixed on the light flooding into the dark back room, watching a shadow grow and slowly steal the light away.

  A tall, thick man, somewhere in his early twenties, filled the doorway, his expression disgusted and subdued. Noah didn’t move, holding his breath as half of his body hugged the wall next to him, and watched the man’s profile until he stepped completely into the darkness.

  Waiting out the moment for the store clerk’s eyes to adjust to the darkness seemed to take forever. Slowly, the clerk turned his head, his expression remaining placid, until he spotted Noah.

  And Noah was ready for that point in time when he would be spotted. He pulled his hand off of his gun, reached for his badge in his back pocket, and pulled out the slender leather case. As the man’s mouth opened, ready to speak and blow Noah’s cover, it was time to move quickly.

  But if he moved with too much haste and made noise, the ladies out front would grow suspicious. Especially when both of them were already so close to the edge. It was imperative this scene play out if he was going to learn exactly why they were here in the first place.

  Noah held up his badge with his right hand and put his finger over his lips, indicating the man remain quiet. The clerk cursed under his breath, walked farther into the room, then turned around, glaring at Noah.

  Obviously either working in the pawnshop enabled the man to adjust quickly to unique situations or his nature was one that he was able to handle himself without losing it under extreme circumstances.

  “Go back out there,” Noah ordered, whispering. “Don’t reveal that I’m here.”

  “You better have a warrant,” the man hissed, and then left Noah standing in the darkness as he stalked back behind the counter.

  “I don’t appreciate being walked out on,” Susie snapped the moment the clerk reappeared.

  “You don’t like it, you can go somewhere else,” the clerk informed her, his voice on edge.

  “I can’t go somewhere else. Unless you keep your paperwork somewhere other than in your store.”

  “Paperwork?” Joanna asked. “Paperwork? Oh my God, Susie. Don’t tell me you’re trying to get paperwork on these guns. Who owned them before doesn’t have anything to do with how good the gun shoots.”

  “I want to know who owned the gun that you used to switch barrels with my husband’s gun,” Susie said, her voice suddenly so flat that the silence that followed seemed normal.

  “Why in the world do you care where that gun came from?” Joanna’s shrill tone sent shivers down Noah’s spine.

  The bell rang on the door and he strained his eyes, willing the ability to allow him to see through the wall to come forth. It didn’t happen, but nonetheless, the slow-paced stroll, with steps confident and quiet and paced far apart, proof the individual who entered wasn’t a heavy person or short, gave Noah a mental picture of the new party on the scene.

  “What are you doing here?” Susie demanded.

  “I was going to ask the same of you.” Rain spoke calmly.

  But hearing her voice shocked the crap out of Noah. He dropped his badge, then cursed under his breath when he squatted, picked up the leather-bound badge, and straightened, shoving it into his back pocket. What in the hell was she doing?

  Noah imagined the glare Susie blessed Rain and Joanna with before speaking. “You two will leave this store so that I can speak with this clerk.”

  “What paperwork do you want to see?” the clerk asked quickly.

  Susie made a gasping sound. “You will wait,” she hissed. “Don’t speak until I’m ready to talk to you.”

  “You want to see paperwork? On a gun?” There was movement that sounded as if Rain walked to the counter next to Susie. “Why do you want to see paperwork?” Rain asked. “Is there a problem with something? Maybe I can help you.”

  “You can’t help me if you don’t work here.” Susie sounded resigned to dealing with others knowing her business.

  Noah still didn’t get why Rain came into the store, though. He’d keep his position and play this out, but she better have a really good reason to getting close to blowing her cover. They were too near the end to get sloppy. As frustrating as it was that he didn’t know her mind, he would deal with her later; right now he had to cover her ass and make sure whatever harebrained idea she’d come up with didn’t get both of their asses into deep shit, or worse.

  “What exactly do you expect to find out?” Joanna asked. “Is something wrong with your gun? I thought you didn’t even like it in the house.”

  “I didn’t. And I don’t,” Susie added. “But there is something wrong with it. Do you know what that is, Joanna?”

  Again Noah stood, pressed against the wall next to the door, and waited out the silence. His skin started itching, anticipation making it damned hard to stand still.

  “Do I know what what is?” Joanna asked the question slowly.

  “Do you know what’s wrong with Steve’s gun?”

  “If something’s wrong with your gun, why do you want to see paperwork?” the clerk asked. “Did you buy the gun here?”

  “No.” Susie moved, her small feet barely making a sound as she walked farther from Noah. He still heard her clearly when she continued in her condescending tone, “She bought a gun here, and replaced the barrel on my husband’s gun with the barrel on the gun you sold her. I want to know who owned it before she bought it.”

  “Good grief, Susie,” Joanna immediately complained. “If I’d known you would throw such a fit about a used barrel—”

  “I don’t remember selling you a gun,” the clerk interrupted.

  “And if you’d listened to me like you’re supposed to, you wouldn’t hear me throwing a fit,” Susie hissed, emphasizing her last words and sounding very pissed. “Now if you’re going to stand there, be quiet and stay out of my conversation.”

  “Do you know how to put a new barrel on a gun?” Rain asked.

  “Sure,” Joanna said, sounding like it was nothing. “But I didn’t know she would get so upset.”

  “Lady, when did I sell a gun to you?” the clerk cut in. “I would have remembered seeing you in here.”

  One of them cleared her throat, sounding disgusted with the sales guy’s comment. Noah listened carefully, though. He agreed. Joanna wasn’t a lady whom a guy would forget easily.

  “It doesn’t matter. I’ll go wait in the car.”

  “It’s about time,” Susie snorted.

  “Wait a minute. Are you telling me that you bought a gun from here and then used the barrel from that gun and replaced the barrel on Steve’s gun?” Rain pressed. “How long ago did you buy the gun from here?”

  “Lady, this woman hasn’t bought a gun from me.” The sales guy sounded very sure of himself. “I h
aven’t had help in here in well over a month. I might be working long hours, but I know who I sell guns to. Paperwork or not.”

  “I did, too, buy a gun from you,” Joanna yelled. “See, I’ll prove it.”

  Noah inched closer to the doorway, fingering his gun while his skin itched and adrenaline started pumping hard and furious inside him. There was something in Joanna’s tone that unnerved him. Without looking, he knew that hateful glint was in her eyes, a piercing glare that totally changed her image from that of a sultry seductress to that of a deranged possible killer.

  He heard papers rustle and his heart pounded harder when someone slapped the counter.

  “There. My fucking receipt.”

  “Hey,” Susie snapped. “What are you doing?”

  “You bought a gun in here two months ago?” Rain questioned. “This barrel wouldn’t fit on Steve’s gun. How long did you have his gun? You had to be pretty creative to put a new barrel on.”

  “I’m out of here.” Joanna made a squealing sound.

  “Oh my fucking God,” Susie wailed. “You’re a goddamned cop!”

  “You’re not leaving yet.” Rain sounded colder than Joanna did a moment before. “You’re going to answer my questions. And if I don’t like the answers, we’ll discuss it further down at the station.”

  “Susie!” Joanna wailed. “Do something!”

  “Good girl,” Susie said, and slowly started clapping. “Take her and release my husband.”

  “Release your husband?” Joanna said, sounding breathy. “What do you mean? You said he was at the dorm. Where is Steve?” she demanded, practically screaming her final question.

  There was a quick shuffle and Noah flattened his hand against the wall, ready to jump into the next room.

  “Not in my store, damn it!” the clerk bellowed.

  “Steve is in jail.” Joanna suddenly sounded deflated. “That can’t be true. Tell me it isn’t true,” she wailed. “He can’t go to jail. He can’t.”