A Taste of Honey

by Tom Benson

  The Scotsman slammed the mugger’s face against a brick wall to knock some of the fight out of him. He then pressed a foot behind the man’s right knee and forced him to drop to a kneeling position. A hard pull on his arm and a push to his shoulders sent him face down on the ground. Jake still had the wrist in a gooseneck, holding the arm vertically, but he placed his right foot between the man’s shoulders to keep him under control.

  Maria wasted no time with the short thug. She thrust her right hand into his throat; her fingers extended and firm. When his eyes closed, and he stopped breathing, he dropped the knife and held his hands out, but that move didn’t protect his groin, and a leather toecap thrust between his thighs. When he dropped to his knees, Maria gripped his hoodie and the hair within, and then rammed her right knee into his face.

  She stood back and glanced at how Jake had managed and then she produced a small black wallet with her badge inside. She held the wallet open in view.

  She said, “I’m an officer with the NYPD.” She took a breath. “You have the right-,”

  “No, they don’t,” Jake interrupted and waited until she turned to look at him.

  Jake maintained eye contact with Maria, pressed his foot hard between the gunman’s shoulders, pulled up sharply and twisted on the tall man’s arm. There was a loud crack as the arm was broken and dislocated from the shoulder socket, but it didn’t match the pitch of the man’s scream.

  As Maria looked on wide-eyed, Jake stepped across to the knifeman. He bent down and grabbed his right arm, which had been wielding a knife at Maria’s face. Jake used a knee to push shortie face down, and then he repeated the break and dislocation exercise, once again to the accompaniment of a scream.

  Jake said, “Now both of you punks listen to me.” He squatted down between the moaning casualties and looked from one to the other. “I’ve just moved into the neighborhood. If I find out that either of you are still here after tomorrow, I’m gonna cut your balls off and feed them to you.” He stood up and gave them both a hard kick in the ribcage.

  Maria had stepped back into the shadows and remained there, watching silently and waiting, just in case somebody should come to investigate the noise. She slipped her badge and un-holstered gun away again.

  Jake stepped forward and raised his right arm slightly for Maria to link her arm in his, and then they continued the stroll to Maria’s apartment block. Neither of them spoke on the few minutes it took to get there. Maria was bursting with pride in her British friend.

  At the front door, Jake stopped and looked up and down the street.

  “It looks safe enough now,” he said, “so you should be okay until I see you for lunch tomorrow. That is if you still want to make it a date.”

  “You can bet that sweet ass of yours I want to make it a date,” she said, and then her expression dulled a little. “There are a few things I think you should know Jake.”

  “About you?” he said, feeling sure that he had managed to break down the barriers.

  “No,” she said, “not about me, about ... Kimberley.” She looked into his eyes. “You could come up for a nightcap, and if you want to stay over afterward, it will save us the bother of finding each other tomorrow.”

  Jake nodded his agreement, before stepping back to let her find her keys and then he followed her into the block. It was late when the conversation ended, and Jake was happy to use the bed previously used by the girl he knew as Kimberley.

  *

  Sunday, June 29th, 2003

  Following an early breakfast, Maria took Jake on a whistle-stop tour of some of the sights of New York City. The day started with light conversation and by late afternoon, they were quizzing each other on their life histories and what gave them a buzz.

  Neither of them told everything there was to know, but they both appreciated that they were doing the same thing, jumping through the hoops. It worked for both of them that way. Jake wanted to return Maria’s honesty about the woman he now knew had become Honey.

  He told Maria about the small unofficial team he’d been a part of in Glasgow, his hometown in Scotland. She listened enthralled as he explained about their leader, Phil, who was an ex-Special Forces soldier. Maria bit her lip and shook her head when she heard about the exploits of the beautiful and deadly assassin, Annabel.

  When Jake told her about his unrequited love for the other team member Rachel, she could tell that he must have had it bad for the girl at one time. He had matured and learned to accept things. It sounded like he would give his life for any of the three of them.

  “In a nutshell,” he said as he summarized, “we operated beyond the law as a team of four.” He explained that he then worked hard at his personal fitness and joined the British Army. She didn’t have to know about his military experiences or special abilities.

  They enjoyed dinner in a restaurant in the city before heading to the top of the Empire State building to see the city from on high. They got back to Maria’s apartment very late in the evening and on the cusp of a new day; they became lovers.

  The pair spent Monday morning strolling in the local area. Before Jake left, he promised that Honey’s secret was safe with him, but in return he made Maria promise that if either she or Honey ever needed help, either one was to contact him.

  There was a feeling that this man would fly across the ocean to help, so Maria agreed. He also suggested that should either she or Honey travel to the UK; they were to get in touch. Jake gave Maria two business cards. One of them had his name and cell number, and the other gave the name ‘Hawk’ and a cell number.

  *

  Monday, June 30th, 2003

  1 Police Plaza

  Lower Manhattan, New York

  “Sherlock,” Captain Kelly said into his intercom. “Please ask DI Delano to drop in whenever she’s next in the building.”

  “I will sir,” Cindy replied and smiled up at Maria.

  “Good morning sir,” Maria said cheerfully. “You wanted to see me?” She was wearing a skirt, blouse, and heels, or as she called it; having a feminine wardrobe day.

  Big John Kelly smiled and nodded at the door for Maria to close it, and then he extended an arm to indicate for her to sit down.

  He said, “I don’t intend to give this information to anybody else Maria, but I thought if anybody deserved to know, then you do.”

  Maria clasped her hands on top of her short skirt and leaned back in her chair.

  Captain Kelly said, “Over the past few hours, I’ve been in touch with a couple of contacts, and I can confirm that our mutual friend is alive and well.”

  Maria smiled and couldn’t help a tear of sheer happiness that her boss was telling her.

  The officer went on to give Maria a little more detail about each case in the series of retribution incidents. He told her a lot more about the perpetrators than anybody would hear publicly. He also explained that a personal journal had arrived in the mail at the DA’s office the previous week, and it contained a short list of names and other details. A married couple went missing, but the others had all recently been paid a punishment visit by a mystery executioner. He winked.

  The mutilated Detective Morgan was under arrest. He would be returned to Indiana from hospital and then he’d be going to prison after a trial. He’d be imprisoned as a man, although he might not look like, or feel like one anymore. Kelly suggested that the deviant detective’s sex life might be a bit more active in prison than it was outside. Captain Kelly didn’t usually use dark humor, so Maria stifled a laugh.

  Maria said, “What about the guy they found in a warehouse down at the ports sir?”

  “I’ve made some discreet inquiries,” Kelly said. “It was Strickland. He was the guy that our girl wanted us to trace a few days ago.” He sipped his coffee. “We received a message this morning with a list of his victim’s names on it, which will clear up several cold cases in different states.”

  She said, “How did you know that Strickland was the right man when we passed tha
t to Honey?”

  “Let’s just say, I intended to call in a few favors Maria, but I gave the task to a very capable person not far away. Somebody had to know where he was.”

  Kelly smiled and shook his head. He lifted his coffee and took a sip.

  He said, “There are two cops missing from Indianapolis, detectives by the name of Fredericks and Perkins. Their precinct would like to question them, and I have a feeling they’re living on borrowed time, if they’re still alive.”

  “Do you think when they’re found and dealt with, that will be the end of it sir?”

  “Maria,” Kelly said without emotion, “I think these people were just the beginning.”

  *

  A few minutes after Maria left his office, John Kelly pressed his intercom.

  “Sherlock, would you step in here a moment, please.” He smiled.

  A minute later, the PA was standing inside Kelly’s door looking down at him and smiling. Her hands clasped low in front of her in the demure fashion that she sometimes adopted.

  “Cindy,” Kelly said deciding to use her proper name, “I wanted to say thank you for all you’ve accomplished recently. I don’t deserve you, and I wish there were some way I could show my appreciation.”

  “Dinner tonight at eight would be a good start,” she said and looked down at him. “That is if you wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen out in public with me.” She gazed at him from under her dark lashes. Her hands were still clasped down below the thin belt of her short skirt.

  John Kelly swallowed hard and for a moment was unable to smile, because of stirrings he thought he would never experience again. He cleared his throat.

  “Cindy,” he said as he stood up from his desk. “Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner this evening?”

  “Yes, but only if you come back to my apartment for a nightcap,” she said, and then she winked at him and went back to her office. She was delighted to have seen the bulge in front of his pants when he stood up, and anticipation of the night ahead gave her a warm feeling.

  *

  Tuesday, June 30th, 2003

  New York

  Later in the evening, when Maria got back to her apartment there was a postcard showing the Golden Gate Bridge in California. It read simply.

  ‘I’ve just got word that at least one man I’m looking for has flown to Europe to avoid me and the other has flown to South America. I’ll visit you before I leave.’

  It was signed, H. xx

  ***

  Endnotes

  All characters and events in this story are fictitious, and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. For the benefit of those who know the USA, or intend to visit there, I have used certain major cities and main routes. This is purely to create a geographical foundation. Certain names, titles, or information is in the public domain.

  *

  A word from the author

  I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for downloading this book. I hope you enjoyed the story and you will be tempted to buy another of my books. I would be grateful if you would take the time to write a short review, which would benefit potential readers and assist me as a writer. Please feel free to visit and browse my website. Tom

  *

  About the author

  Tom was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1952. He joined the British Army at 17 and served for 23 years. His next career was in Retail Management in which he was employed from 1992 until 2012. He has been writing since 2007. Apart from novels, he has published two collections of short stories, written over 700 poems, and had six short stories published in anthologies. He is presently working on another novel and further collections of short stories. He is married with a grown up son.

  *

  Also by the author

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  Ten Days in Panama

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  Pete Harris is 48 and an Investigative Journalist. He has a fear of open water, but will face his demons in the name of the environment. In the North Atlantic in 2009 he was almost killed. One year later he accepts a new assignment, knowing he must once again face his fears.

  Gloria Banderas is a Marine Biologist, who though she has many admirers, is dedicated to her work in a small lab on the Pacific coast of Panama. At 42 she feels in control of her life and maintains her fitness by swimming daily in the ocean.

  In 2010 Gloria receives an email from Pete Harris in England. He requests her help with his next assignment. From the moment they meet, their emotions are on a rollercoaster ride. To complicate things a common adversary tries to kill both of them.

  *

  Beyond The Law

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  In January 1996, Phil McKenzie leads his Special Air Service team, on a secret mission into Kentobi, Africa. An assassin codenamed Chameleon, kills the Kentobi president, but Phil is framed for the murder. He negotiates liberty at a high price; an end to his military career.

  Following a brief secondment to the Metropolitan Police and discharge from the Army, Phil returns to his hometown as Hawk, a vigilante. The term, ‘deniable ops’, finds new meaning as Phil tackles Glasgow’s underworld with his small, unique team. Using stealth, intelligence, and bloody violence, Phil hunts down the city’s Godfather.

  *

  Amsterdam Calling

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  Dan and Crystal meet by chance, in Amsterdam in the summer of 2013. Dan is 35, and a British journalist with reasons to take a break. Crystal is 30, and an American fashion designer, eager to trace her European ancestors.

  There is a chemistry, which develops as they visit many places of interest in the wonderful city of Crystal’s heritage. She traces family heroes from the time of the Holocaust. It comes to light that she has at least one living relative still in the area.

  During their first days together, the couple discovers that a British hit-man is hunting for Dan, and a neo-Nazi group is investigating Crystal, because of her connections to the Dutch Resistance.

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  Give & Take: A Tale of Erotica

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  Nick and Kirsten are an attractive couple in their early 20’s and share an apartment. To the outside world they are perfectly matched, but behind closed doors things are not so straightforward.

  Nick’s appetite for sexual experimentation goes beyond what Kirsten will allow. Kirsten’s love for Nick is pushed to the limit, however, she confides in a friend and takes a course of action that nobody would have expected – least of all her boyfriend.

  The couple find themselves in a world where they will both see fantasy become reality, but at what cost?

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  Beyond The Law: Retribution

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  In early 2004, Martin Cameron is sprung from custody on the streets of Glasgow. The ruthless gangster vanishes, but not before leaving instructions for trusted henchmen. A period of mayhem ensues which includes the murder of two outlaw bikers.

  Phil McKenzie aka Hawk, calls a meeting of his small vigilante team, but will they make allies of the Mental Riders Motor Cycle Club?

  Will the police recall July 1996 and once again leave battle to commence?

  There are turbulent times ahead for many hearts and minds - and Scotland's underworld.

  *

  A Life of Choice: Part One

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  A teenager feels there must be more to life than a dead-end office job and no social life. During his lunch-break one day in 1969, while walking the city streets, he stops to look at the pictures in an Army Careers Information Office window.

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  Smoke & Mirrors: and other stories

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  A collection of 12 short stories which cover a variety of genre. They are twist-in-the-tale, and will have a special appeal to those with a keen sense of justice.

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  Coming
Around: and other erotic stories

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  The 12 stories in this collection contain graphic descriptions of sexual activity.

  Please do not purchase this book, or read the stories if you are any of the following:

  Under 18-years-old, prudish, unimaginative, easily-offended, narrow-minded, or homophobic.

  A ‘dirty dozen’ tales to tempt, tease and titillate, which includes: heterosexual, bi-curious, gay, menage, cross-dressing, transgender, voyeurism, and BDSM.

  If you are honest about your sexual fantasies, even if you don’t talk about them, you’ll find something in here to appeal to you. To those of you now about to purchase - enjoy.

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  The Welcome:

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  In this collection you will find regular people, strange people, astronauts, aliens, the Earth, other planets, exploration and invasion.

  The tales are made interesting by manipulating the situations in which the characters find themselves. Sometimes, all is not what it seems …

  There is a high degree of ‘What if …?’ in the telling of these stories, which is where I believe the sci-fi aspect evolves effectively.

  *

  Poetry Collections

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  Humour

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