Murder in the Tenderloin (Peyton Brooks' Series Book 2)

by M. L. Hamilton

  He shrugged. “Maybe I am. Maybe that’s what I’m asking. I can’t go through another day like today, imagining you dead. I would rather see you do anything else for a living.”

  Peyton swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I can’t do that, Devan.”

  He gave her a sad smile. “I know. I know you can’t, but I wish I was important enough for you to at least give it a thought. You didn’t even do that.” He stepped forward and kissed her on the forehead. Then he walked away.

  Peyton stood, stunned. She fought back tears, but they filled her eyes. She couldn’t believe he was ending it just like that. It had only just begun and he wasn’t giving her any time to make adjustments. She wasn’t used to relationships like this. She needed to learn how to trust someone else, how to share her life. It came easy with Marco and Abe. She’d had years to learn to trust them, but Devan was asking her to change everything overnight. He was pushing everything too fast.

  Blindly, she turned toward Jake’s desk. She took a few steps, then she ran into Marco. She pressed her face to his chest and wrapped her fingers in his shirt, fighting hard not to sob. He enfolded her in his arms and laid his cheek on the top of her head.

  “Man up, Brooks,” he whispered in her ear, but he tightened his hold, rather than push her away.

  * * *

  Marco was waiting for her in the parking lot of the precinct the next morning as she and Jake pulled in. She felt muddleheaded and her eyes burned, but she forced a smile for his benefit. She was through with wallowing. One night was enough. There was a case to solve.

  As she climbed from the car, he handed her a paper cup with a plastic cap on top.

  “Where’s mine?” asked Jake, climbing out after her.

  “Back at the coffee shop.”

  Jake pulled the camera case out and headed toward the squad room. Peyton leaned against the car and lifted the cup to her lips, taking a tentative sip. She expected coffee, but the rich taste of hot chocolate filled her mouth.

  “Thank you.”

  “You okay?”

  She sipped again. “I’ve been better, but I’ll survive.”

  “I don’t know. You’re quoting 70’s disco tunes. Not a good sign.”

  She laughed, despite the sadness she felt inside, and began walking toward the squad room. He fell into step beside her. Maria was waiting for them the moment they opened the doors.

  “Hey, Marco Baby,” she purred, leaning on the counter so her cleavage showed, “Captain wants to see you both right away.”

  A number of insults came to mind, but Peyton just didn’t feel like playing today. She pushed open the half door and waited for Marco to go through. Maria turned, waiting for her to say something.

  Peyton sighed. It was too easy. “Nice bra. Sale at Goodwill over the weekend?”

  “At least these let me keep a man,” Maria answered, boosting her assets with her hands.

  Smiling, Peyton leaned close to her. “Well, all I’ve ever wanted, Maria, is a good woman like you, so I guess it was no great loss, eh?”

  Having taken her lowest shot, Maria wasn’t sure what to say now. Peyton winked at her and moved to Captain Defino’s door, stepping through as Marco held it open. Two other people occupied the office.

  From the dark suits, the sunglasses tucked into the ties at their necks, and the perfectly rigid postures, Peyton knew what they were immediately. Feds. One was male, handsome and brittle as china, tall and slender, broad shoulders, narrow waist, brown hair parted in the middle, Caucasian. The other was female, pretty, Hispanic, long brown hair pulled back in a severe bun. The masculine cut of her suit did nothing to hide the shapely curves beneath it. Captain Defino looked short and stocky by comparison.

  All three were standing, discussing something, but they stopped when Marco and Peyton entered the room. Captain Defino held out a hand, indicating the two suits. “Inspectors D’Angelo and Brooks, I’d like to introduce you to Agents Joe Miller and Rosa Alvarez with the DEA.”

  Yup, Feds. Peyton should have smelled them in the outer room.

  They shook hands with the federal agents, then faced Captain Defino again.

  “Agents Miller and Alvarez have been working on a drug trafficking case here in the City for the last month or so. They have reason to suspect a Mexican drug cartel is trying to move part of its operations here by using a local gang.”

  Suddenly things were beginning to coalesce.

  “Let me guess the name of that gang,” offered Peyton.

  Rosa made a grunt of agreement. “Los Hermanos Aztecas, as you already know. We’ve tried and tried to find the king-pin, but we keep running into a dead end.”

  “We know,” said Marco. “We’ve experienced it ourselves.”

  Captain Defino shifted weight. “Here’s the thing. The presence of a Mexican drug cartel changes things. The DEA will be taking jurisdiction and running point from now on.” She turned her focus on Peyton. “Marco will be working as liaison between our department and the DEA.”

  “And me?”

  “You’re off the case, Brooks.”

  Peyton exchanged a bewildered look with Marco. “You can’t do that, Captain. This was our case from the start.”

  Alvarez turned toward her. “Look, it’s too dangerous for you to remain on the case for a number of reasons. They’ve marked you and once they have, they don’t give up. The shooting yesterday is just the first attempt. Then there’s the connection with your father. You’re now wearing a target on your head.”

  Peyton ignored her. “I’m supposed to question Venus today. She trusts me, Captain. She isn’t going to tell them anything. You can’t take me off this case.”

  “She’s right, Captain,” said Marco. “Venus isn’t going to talk to anyone else. She’s established a rapport with her.”

  Captain Defino considered that. “Okay, Brooks. I’ll let you question Venus, but as soon as that’s done, so are you. You are going to take a vacation and for good measure, there’s going to be a uniform outside your house until this thing is over.”

  Peyton looked away. She couldn’t believe this was happening. The most important case of her career and she was being sidelined. “I don’t want a vacation.”

  “You’ll just be a distraction by staying on the case,” said Miller. “We can’t be worried about your safety while we try to figure out the cartel connection. There’s just no other way.”

  Peyton bit her tongue to keep from saying things that would get her in trouble. She needed this job more than she needed the case, but it was so hard to accept. Who the hell were the Feds to come in and take jurisdiction?

  “Captain, this is ridiculous.”

  “I don’t care, Brooks. Keeping you alive is my job and this is my final decision.”

  Peyton slapped her hand against her thigh and turned toward the door. “Fine. Let’s go then.” She didn’t wait to see if they would follow. She knew they would.

  * * *

  Alvarez and Miller allowed her to go in to see Venus by herself, but they hovered by the door. Marco had sense enough to go down the hall and check on Athena. Venus lay in the bed, a nasal cannula in her nose and an IV pumping fluids into her arm.

  Her blond hair lay lank on the pillows and her face had been scrubbed of makeup. She looked older somehow, more used up, as if a strong wind would blow her down. She opened her eyes when she sense Peyton approaching the bed. The whites of her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were hollow.

  “Hey, Olivia, you look like shit.”

  She choked out a laugh. “This is how you look after they’ve been pounding on you all night, pumping your stomach.” Her voice was husky and rough. “You like my new voice. I sound like a man.”

  “Used to be all the rage among movie stars.” Peyton took a seat in a chair by the bed. “You know this is where they’re keeping Athena too?”

  “I figured by all the crazies wandering the halls. You know what room?”

  “No, but I’ll have the nurse
tell you.”

  Venus looked down, avoiding eye contact with Peyton.

  “How come you took all those pills, Olivia?”

  Venus didn’t lift her head. “Maybe I wanted to die.”

  “Why?”

  “Because my life is a mess and when I find someone who gives a damn about me, I betray them.”

  Peyton tilted her head back. She had hoped Venus wasn’t involved, but she’d suspected that she was. “Why didn’t you stay at the shelter?”

  “I couldn’t. It was too hard.”

  “Why? What was wrong with the shelter?”

  Venus ran a hand over her IV tubing. “They all want a change, to better themselves. Some are taking night courses, trying to earn their GEDs. Others are in counseling for drug addiction. That isn’t for me, and I don’t want to hear about it all the time. So I left.”

  “And the Aztecas found you?”

  She briefly closed her eyes. “You don’t know how brutal they can be.” She pulled back the arm of her hospital gown. On the inside of her elbow were burn marks from a cigarette.

  Peyton looked away. The wounds were raw, but glistened with antiseptic ointment. “That’s why you told them where I lived.”

  Venus lifted her head and met Peyton’s eye. “I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to hurt you. I’m so sorry.”

  Peyton covered her hands with both of her own. “I understand.” She tightened her grip. “But Olivia, I need you to help us. The Aztecas are dangerous and they are only getting worse. We need to stop them. I need you to tell me everything you know.”

  She searched Peyton’s face, then she nodded. “I’ll tell you whatever you want. I owe you that.”

  “Good. Let’s start easy okay.”

  Venus nodded.

  “Do you know Athena’s real name or where she came from?”

  “No, she’d never tell me.”

  “Do you know who runs the Aztecas? Not the small guys like El Griego and El Miedo, but the big ones, the top of the food chain.”

  “I don’t. They don’t tell their putas that stuff.” She let out a shuddered breath. “A lot of rumors went ‘round saying they’re from Mexico, but I never met anyone. El Griego called one of them El Viento, but there were a lot of bangers claiming to be El Viento. It meant nothing.”

  Peyton patted her hand. “You’re doing real good, Olivia. Just a little more.”

  Olivia pushed back her hair. “They gave me something after they pumped my stomach. Makes me sleepy.”

  “I understand.” Peyton resisted the impulse to see if the DEA agents were listening. She was certain they were. “Olivia, what happened the night Athena shot El Griego? I need to know everything. You can’t hold back.”

  Olivia glanced at the door, then back to Peyton. “I didn’t see much.”

  “That’s all right. Tell me what you saw.”

  “It started before that.”

  “Okay. Tell me from where it started.”

  Venus let out another shuddered breath. “Athena had this scheme. She wanted to follow El Griego and see what he was doing all the time. One day we went to that warehouse where you found me.”

  Peyton nodded. “Did you go inside?”

  “No, I got scared. I knew we shouldn’t be there. There was an emergency door in the back with a window in it. We peaked inside, but I freaked out. I made Athena leave.”

  “Did she go back?”

  “I don’t know. Everything went to hell after that.” She gave a grim laugh. “Not like it was great before, but after that, it was worse.”

  “Is that why you went there last night?”

  Venus nodded. “I thought they wouldn’t look there. I thought I’d be safe, you know, hiding under their noses.”

  “I get it. Tell me about the night El Griego died.”

  “Athena was always following him. I was afraid he’d catch her, so I followed them both. They went into that alley where you found us, and up to the back of that abandoned building.”

  “Did she go inside?”

  Venus nodded. “El Griego pulled off some boards, then crawled in. Not too long after that, she goes in. I was so scared. I wanted to go in too, but I was so scared.”

  “So you stayed outside? You never went into the building?”

  “Never.” She picked at the IV until Peyton stopped her. “I stood there and listened at the door. I felt so guilty for not going in.” She rubbed at her throat as if it were sore. “I couldn’t hear anything.”

  “How long did you wait?”

  “About twenty minutes, half hour. Then, all a sudden, I heard two gunshots. Bang, bang.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I thought he killed her.”

  Peyton nodded.

  “I pulled out my phone and called 911, but before I could finish the call, she’s suddenly in the doorway. Scared me so bad, I damn near pissed my pants. She yells for me to run and we start running. The frickin’ rain is coming down so hard, but I keep thinking, if we can get to the street, we can get help.” She came to a panting stop, her hands picking at her bedding. “That’s when he showed up.”

  “El Griego?”

  “Yeah. He knocked us both down and then started choking her. I tried to pull him off, but he grabbed my wrists and started grinding the damn bones together. Next thing I know, Athena is reaching for his gun.” She shuddered in memory.

  “You’re doing real good, Olivia,” Peyton said, running a hand down her arm to comfort her. “Why do you think El Griego wanted to kill Athena?”

  Venus met Peyton’s look. Her eyes weren’t just bloodshot. The entire white was a brilliant red from the induced vomiting the previous night. “I wish I could tell you, but I don’t know. I do know it has something to do with that freakin’ warehouse, though.”

  Peyton rolled her shoulders. The tension made her edgy. “Thank you, Olivia,” she said, rising. “I appreciate it.”

  Venus grabbed her hand and squeezed hard. “I didn’t want to betray you. Besides Athena, you’re the only other person who’s looked at me like I’m worth something.”

  Peyton patted the back of her hand. “I forgive you. Please get well, Olivia. Once again, you have a chance and I want you to take it.” Then she disengaged herself and walked from the room.

  * * *

  Magdalena pulled on her shoes and looked at the man passed out in the bed. She shivered in disgust, then rose, crossing to the dresser where he’d placed his wallet. She took the payment out of it, but as she did so, she found his bus pass.

  She glanced over her shoulder to see if he was still sleeping. Pocketing the bus pass, she made her way out of the motel room and back onto the street. She walked to Venus’ corner and found the blond leaning against a light pole, smoking a cigarette.

  “Hey, girl, how’s your night?”

  Magdalena shrugged. “Look what I found.” She held up the bus pass.

  Venus pulled it into the light to see it. “That’s damn near gold, until your john decides to cancel it.”

  “It’ll get me where I want to go, that’s all.”

  “Home?”

  Athena leaned against the light pole next to her. “No, I can’t go home.” She turned the bus pass in her hands. “Remember the Reverend James from the other weekend?”

  “Yeah.”

  “He said we have to ‘turn aside’ sin. I want to turn aside sin.”

  “What are you talking about?” Venus shifted to face her, rather than looking out over the street for her next john.

  “El Griego goes out all the time and meets with people. We know what he does, but I want to know more.”

  “So you can do what?” Venus asked in bewilderment.

  “Turn aside sin.”

  “How you gonna do that?”

  She waved the bus pass in Venus’ face. “With this. I’ll follow him.”

  Venus gripped her wrist. “He finds out, he’ll kill you. You stay away from him, you hear me?”

  Magdalena tucked th
e bus pass in her bra. “The only way I’ll ever be able to go home is to get rid of the sin. And to do that, I’ve got to rid the world of men like El Griego.”

  Venus made a shooing motion with her hands. “You talk so crazy.” She pointed a finger in her face. “You got to stay alive. That’s all. Forget all this other crap. I wish we hadn’t gone to that church.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “No, I don’t. You want to go home, use that pass and go home.”

  “This is only good for Muni. It won’t get me out of the City.”

  “Get to the edge, then find a phone. That’s all you need.”

  “You won’t tell him I’ve got it, will you, Venus?”

  Venus frowned at her and drew on her cigarette. “What you think?”

  “Promise me.”

  “Yeah, whatever, I promise. Now go. I ain’t gonna pick up no johns with you hanging around.”

  Magdalena squeezed her arm. “Be careful, all right?”

  “Yeah, whatever,” she answered, turning back to the street and searching it for johns.

  CHAPTER 14

  Marco sat at his desk, staring at Peyton’s chair. After talking with Venus, the captain had sent her home with a uniform and told her to stay put. He was torn. The shooting yesterday scared him, the thought that they wouldn’t stop coming after her scared him more, but this was her case, more hers than his. Her father had been killed by these bastards. He knew how he’d feel if he was in her place.

  The conference room door banged open and the two feds came out, moving with purpose. They’d taken over the conference room and Defino’s office. The local cops resented it, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Not only did the DEA send their two field agents out, but they sent out a host of equipment and tech junkies to run it.

  Rosa Alvarez came directly to his desk, while Joe Miller went out the front doors. Captain Defino moved to the doorway of her office and looked out.

  “Let’s go, D’Angelo. We got a drive-by on Utah. Boy, seven, shot, on his way to the hospital. Looks like it’s gang related.”