Bull’s mouth tightened as he gripped the steering wheel hard enough for the whites of his knuckles to practically glow in contrast to the dark lined wheel. “I need you on this, Peace. I can only think of tearing pieces of this guy off until he stops breathing.”
“I’m with you till we see this through. That was clever coming over to Ed’s with Holly. He thought to take suspicion away before it even started. Did you see his face when Holly asked to talk to you alone?”
“Yea, damn-it! It seems clear as a bell now.”
“Ken doll hadn’t planned on that, and you didn’t see how nervous he was in the bar getting a drink. He practically ran back to you two.”
“What the hell could he have threatened to get Holly so upset, that she’d go along with it, Peace? That’s the part I don’t get.”
“I don’t know, Bull,” Peace admitted. “I’m a little confused on the why, myself. Let’s not read anything into it until we find out more. In a way, I…”
“You hope it’s all just a change of heart on Holly’s part, and this guy has put his past behind him,” Bull finished with a sigh. “I’m not sure what I wish now, except for a way to get her back. What is all this mystery about? You’re a pro at this, Peace. You at least ought to have a theory.”
“Hey, I’m 007, not Sherlock Holmes, remember? I can’t think of a single thing Holly could do for Ken doll, if he’s really into some drug scam. All she could do is complicate things.”
“He could be just a devious son-of-a-bitch, who saw Holly, and remembered what he lost. If her dumping him caused ol’ Ken to go half as mental as it’s making me, he’ll be tough to deal with.”
“That’s a good thing to keep in mind,” Peace agreed. “It’s always best to stick with the obvious first. One thing’s for sure: Holly was not happy with dumping you. Do you know the area Ken’s address is located? I noticed you just nodded when I showed it to you.”
“Yea, I dated a girl who lived in one of those gated apartment complexes a couple of years back,” Bull acknowledged. “I know how to get to his place.”
“Gated apartment complexes?”
“They’re swank, and protected, buddy. I doubt we can do much recon if he lives in one of those condominium sized palaces. They have patrolling security guards, motion detectors, the whole nine yards. I needed a passport, and a character reference from the President, to get in to see the girl I dated.”
“That complicates my little plan,” Peace said, leaning back. “I wanted to get in to his place, while he’s gone, and see what’s on his computer, among other things.”
“We have about an hour before we have to be at Ed’s. Maybe we can think of a way to get you in. I saw you brought your camera,” Bull said, gesturing to Peace’s digital camera with telephoto capability, he had placed on top of his laptop on the floor, between his feet.
“I’ll get some pictures, and then we’ll figure out what we want to do. If we do this quickly enough, maybe we could go over to Holly’s dorm room, just to check on her. We can invite her over for dinner just as a way to say no hard feelings. It might save us a lot of fooling around, acting like we’re on a covert op.”
“As much as I hate looking like a love sick puppy, I think you’re right,” Bull replied, nodding in agreement. “If she really looks like she’s just fine, we can let things play out the way she wants them to with Ken.”
“No matter how happy she looks, Holly likely knows very little about Ken doll’s past. He set up an alter ego for his little college career with more than a simple education in mind. Maybe he’s the go to guy for drugs on campus for all we know; but there’s something else going on with this: that much I am sure of.”
“It’s going to look awful petty when we start telling tales on her new boyfriend, especially if she already knows about them,” Bull pointed out.
“I could go tell her by myself. I’ll keep you out of it. In fact, I’ll tell her you told me you’d kick my butt if you found out I told her,” Peace offered.
“Nope, you can do the talking, but I’ll be right there with you. I don’t think we can make it up to the boyfriend’s place in Del Mar, and still stop by San Diego State on the way to Ed’s.”
“Okay, we’ll stop by Holly’s after my gig at Ed’s.”
“We won’t be rushed so much then. His place in Del Mar is still fifteen minutes away, even using Route 5.”
“Just so we can get a good look and some pictures,” Peace said. “I’m glad you have tinted windows. I don’t really want Ken doll to see us tooling around his area by accident.”
“I just started thinking about a future other than the Seals, and reality up and smacks me right between the eyes,” Bull commented, looking over at Peace.
“Yea, well I think reality had a little help this time.”
Fifteen minutes later, Bull exited Route 5. Five minutes after he turned onto Camino Del Mar from Fifteenth Street. Bull slowed as they drove by the condominium complex, enclosed in a series of decorative walls and gates.
“This is nice,” Peace commented.
“Yea, the boy knows how to live. You said he inherited three mil, right?”
“Makes you wonder what the hell he would be doing back in the drug trade.”
“If he’s in the drug trade,” Bull replied. “I’ll turn around, so you can take a few pictures from this side, and then we’ll try and drive into the complex. We’ll tell the guards we’re thinking of moving in there. They must get buyers looking around all the time.”
“We’d probably need a real estate agent with us,” Peace added, readying his camera. “I’m not sure it would be a good idea to even let any of the security people see either the car or us.”
“I guess you’re right,” Bull agreed. “What would you suggest?”
“Let me find out some more information on this complex. I can make up some credentials, and get permission to show places in the complex to potential buyers.”
“How long would it take you to do that, Peace?”
“I’ll have a dummy real estate business, complete with references by tomorrow,” Peace replied, snapping pictures of the outer complex.
“You’re beginning to scare me, my friend,” Bull smiled over at him, as Peace finished taking pictures, and began transferring them onto his laptop.
Peace looked up at Bull from his computer, and shrugged. “I’m cursed with being able to envision the worst case scenario for just about everything.”
“Tell me about it. I thought I was a pessimist on Seal missions until you came along. You take paranoia to the undiscovered territory.”
“Exactly,” Peace admitted. “Now that I’m going to be a father, I can envision Jill having a little girl, who grows up, goes to college, and gets involved with a scumbag like Ken doll. I can practice for later by doing what I can for Holly.”
“So this is a training mission for twenty years in the future?” Bull shook his head. “Peace, you are one sick individual, but you’re all I got. Can you take me along with you as a client when you check out his place?”
“If you’ll let me make a few wardrobe suggestions, and give you a slightly different look, I would welcome some backup. With your size though, you stick out like a sore thumb. We’ll make it so you stay in the car until I really need you.”
“You’re calling the shots on this op. I guess we may as well head over to Ed’s.”
“Yea,” Peace nodded. “I have the address, and the name of the complex. I’ll be able to find out the name of the outfit running this operation. You can bet these folks pay big bucks every month to someone coordinating upkeep, and security.”
“Thanks Peace, I won’t forget this.”
“Save the gratitude for when you think about riding me uphill.”
“I’m sorry, little buddy, but we must keep our civilian activities separate from our Naval training duties,” Bull explained patiently, with a straight face. “I cannot be blackmailed into special treatment for your transgressions on the ba
se.”
“You cold hearted prick,” Peace replied, leaning back in feigned disgust.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Bad Business
Three hours later, Bull sat at the bar in front of Ed, while Peace bussed tables in the back room. Although there were some customers still eating late meals in the restaurant, the barroom was empty. The only waitress, who had stayed after Peace finished singing, helped Nancy in the restaurant.
Ed quietly washed dishes, leaving Bull to himself. He had already figured the two Seals would be going somewhere together after Peace finished. Bull had not drank anything with alcohol the entire evening, opting to drink only an occasional soda. Polasky thought the team had been business as usual with their impromptu computer class. Bull had participated openly, and had joined in the usual kidding around with the others.
“Where are you and JB going after he gets done in the back?” Polasky asked, deciding to make conversation.
Bull looked up as if seeing Ed for the first time. The jukebox had been playing oldies, with Bull absently tapping his hand on the bar to the beat of an old Temptations’ song. “Huh? Oh… we’re just going over to Holly’s dorm to see if she’s okay.”
“Are you going to tell her about that jerk she was with?”
“Yea, Peace thought I’d be a hell of a lot sorrier if I didn’t let her know about Landry now. If it all turns out to be a false alarm, or she already knows, I won’t be any worse off.”
Ed nodded his agreement. “I’m with you. As your Rod Serling host to our evolving Twilight Zone, I counsel full disclosure.”
Bull laughed. “Holly was engaged to him last year, so she probably does already know, but at least I’ll be able to see if she looks okay tonight.”
“Are you going to call first?”
“Peace thought we ought to take a chance and just show up. I know she had class today.”
“Don’t leave me out of the loop. This is better than the daytime Soaps. Instead of As The World Turns, we can call it As The Seal Yearns.”
“Oh, that’s cute,” Bull shook his head, grimacing as if he had bit into a sour fruit. “I shouldn’t tell you anything after that remark.”
“What remark?” Peace asked, coming up behind Bull with a tray full of glasses.
“Take my word for it, you don’t want to know,” Bull replied, taking the tray from Peace, and handing it to Ed. “Can Peace come out and play now?”
“Yea, get going, I’ll clean up the rest. I guess Peace made me enough to allow him to split a little early tonight. Your new Seal Ballad was a hit with the guys.”
“That was awesome,” Bull agreed. “Even that smart-ass Nick liked it.”
Peace had taken off his apron, and handed it to Ed. “The music’s a little of a rip off from about five different ballads floating around in my head, but since I’m not selling it to anyone, I don’t think it matters. We’ll see you around, Ed. Don’t wait up.”
Bull and Peace both laughed as Polasky answered him with his middle finger.
On the way to Holly’s dorm, Peace sorted the notes in his folder, which would back up what he and Bull would say to Holly. Bull glanced over curiously from time to time, with a disapproving look on his face.
Peace smiled, when he noticed Bull’s face out of the corner of his eye.
“You don’t like the idea of my bringing along proof?”
“It’s not that, Peace, but Holly might look at it like overkill. She’d come to the pretty much accurate conclusion we’ve been digging up dirt on Landry from the time she introduced him to us.”
“Okay,” Peace leaned back, “I’ll take the folder in, and we’ll play it by ear. It’s just so annoying when you tell someone something, and they get that pissed off, you’re full of shit look on their face. Holly would have every right to think that way. I thought maybe we could just walk in, exchange pleasantries, see how she is; and then hand her the folder.”
“That’s about as subtle as an M60 burst, you dweeb,” Bull replied. “If we clue her in on Landry, and she already knows, we’ll look a heck of a lot better to her if we had just told her, rather than shoving your file folder in her face. If she doesn’t know about him, then let her face him with it.”
“I see,” Peace laughed, “we cover our asses in both directions, so at worst, we just come off as concerned citizens.”
“Exactly,” Bull said, and then a moment later, he looked over at Peace, who was still looking at him, smiling. “Pretty lame no matter what we do, huh?”
“Yea,” Peace agreed, “but I do like your thinking better. Let’s leave the folder in the car.”
“What’s her roommate’s name again?” Bull asked, as he turned into the San Diego State campus. “I keep getting her mixed up with the other girl they both pal around with.”
“Connie is her roommate, Deirdre… ah… DeeDee is the friend they go out with,” Peace answered. “Connie was the one she went to the Rave with, so maybe if Holly isn’t there, we could ask Connie about what went on there.”
“I hope Holly’s there,” Bull said, turning off his car’s engine in the dormitory guest parking lot. “I miss her already.”
Peace nodded, and a moment later the two Seals were walking towards Holly’s dorm. Some of the students they passed along the walkway gave Bull more than a curious look. Peace shook his head.
“You will definitely have to stay in the car till I get us very near Ken doll’s place. You draw more attention than Elvis.”
“I noticed,” Bull sighed. “I would be an even more pathetic secret agent than you, 007.”
“Ouch,” Peace replied. “I’m not sure you could get too much more pathetic than my performance over the last couple of months.”
Bull led the way to where they could get visitor passes at the security desk inside the dorm. After showing their military ID’s, the older security guard on duty nodded his approval.
“Thanks for your service to the country, boys,” the older man said. “Do you know how to find who you’re visiting?”
“Yes, Sir,” Bull replied. He held out his hand, and the older man shook it. “You look like you did some time on the line, Sir.”
“Yea, fooled around in country back in 68’,” the older man smiled, shaking Peace’s hand after releasing Bull’s. “Have a nice visit, boys. Don’t get too close to the brainwashed little lefties you pass on the way.”
Bull and Peace both laughed appreciatively, promising to hug the walls all the way. When they reached Holly’s room, Bull knocked, glancing around uneasily at all the loud activity.
“This place make you uncomfortable, Chief?” Peace asked, looking around with Bull at the heavy foot traffic going by.
Bull nodded. “I’ve been in a few dorms over the years, and I always feel like I grow horns and a tail the moment I enter. I guess it doesn’t bother you as much.”
“I’ll have to take you up to Cal Berkeley one of these days. If you think this place makes you feel weird, wait until…”
The door opened, and a tall, muscular, dark complexioned man answered the door with a scowl on his face. He wore a tight black sweater, and Peace could see recognition in his eyes. The man stood, leaning on the door for a moment, grinning a little.
“Well, well, well,” the man said, before calling loudly into the apartment. “Hey, you guys, look who’s here. Ken was right.”
Three other men came to the door from somewhere inside, as Peace tried to get a look into the room. Bull kept his eyes on the man who had answered the door. The man’s friends came up behind him, to see what he was talking about. They were all muscular looking young men, and were dressed as if they had popped off the pages of Gentleman’s Quarterly. They laughed together when they saw Bull and Peace standing outside.
“We don’t have time for this. The show’s on,” one of the man at the door’s friends said, gesturing his two other friends back to what they were doing.
“Ken told us you’d probably be over, nosing around,” the man
said to Bull. “Why don’t you and your little friend just mind your own business? Holly told you the other night she didn’t want anything more to do with you, Bubba.”
“Man, I hate being predictable,” Peace said in disgust.
“Excuse me, Sir,” Bull said, before the man could close the door. “Is Holly, or her roommate here? We don’t intend to bother anyone, or mind anyone else’s business.”
“Sorry, boys,” the man who answered the door drawled. “Holly’s living with Ken now. She moved in yesterday.”
“Then could we speak to Holly’s roommate?” Peace asked, as he saw resignation flow over Bull’s features.
The man looked back into the dorm room with a smile, in the general direction of where the three other men went. “Connie’s kind of busy right now. Come on back in a few days when she has some spare time.”
As the man started to close the door, Peace put a hand on it, clamping it in place. Anger flooded over the man’s features as he tried without success to close it on Peace’s hand.
“Look, we just want to speak to Connie for a moment,” Peace reasoned.
“Fuck you, asshole!” the man screamed as he drew back his right fist to hit Peace.
Bull caught the man’s right wrist, as he threw the punch, with his left hand, sighing, and looking over at Peace with a tired look. Before the man could move either way, Bull pulled him up out of the doorway with his other hand by the throat, while forcing the man’s left hand up behind his back. Peace forced his hand over the man’s mouth, looking around to see if they were drawing attention. Bull lifted the red-faced man back into the room. Peace made a shushing gesture, and when he saw the man nod, his eyes bulging in their sockets, he took his hand away from the man’s mouth. Bull eased the chokehold he maintained, and the gasping man began to speak; but Peace motioned him to be quiet. Peace closed the door, and patted down the man for weapons before continuing.
“What’s your name, genius?” Peace asked quietly.
“Br… Brian.”
“Are your friends armed?”
“No… at least I don’t think so.”
Peace - A Navy SEALS Novel (DeLeo's Action Thriller Singles Book 3) Page 36