by Ellle Parker
“What if we’re wrong?” Seth asked from down by the brake pedal where he was feeling around behind the dashboard.
“Too much of it fits so far,” I said. “There’s no such thing as this much coincidence.”
“What if it’s something really tiny like a jump drive full of secret files or whatever?”
“I doubt it. Too risky to leave something like that to the heat and the elements. Besides, I don’t figure him for that kind of thing anyway. Not enough smarts for computer crime.”
I stretched out on my stomach in the grass so I could look underneath the car. I hoped like hell he hadn’t buried his prize, or something equally obnoxious. I also hoped nothing was crawling into my clothes while I searched.
“Well, fuck me sideways,” Seth said from inside the car.
I sat up. “Is that a request, or did you find something?”
“Can’t it be both?” he smirked.
“I don’t know, sounds painful. What have you got?”
Seth pulled up the front edge of the driver’s seat upholstery to reveal a long, jagged gash in the foam padding underneath. He grinned and raised an eyebrow. Reaching in with his fingers, he felt around carefully, face set in heavy concentration. After a moment, he eased out a slim, gray cashbox about eight inches wide. It had a combination lock on the front, formed by a row of six small tumblers.
He put it on the seat and said, “I’m willing to bet this isn’t a first-aid kit. Can I assume the last part of the code is the combination?”
I took a look at our notes. “Try this,” I said. “One-three-two-two-zero-nine.”
Seth turned the box to face him, dialed in the numbers with his thumbs, and clicked the latch. The lid popped open with an audible snap, and he grinned. So did I. He opened the box slowly and let out a low whistle.
“I’ll be damned,” he said. “Would you look at that.”
I was looking. There in living color were three fat wads of cash and a veritable toy box of various drugs. There were rolled up baggies full of pills, tiny amber vials of things both liquid and powder, and sheets of paper that appeared to be stickers but were far more potent.
“Oh, I fucking hate Miami,” I said.
Seth poked through the drugs and said, “Looks like mostly Ecstasy, K, and acid.”
“You know what you’re talkin’ about.”
He shrugged. “I hang out in clubs a lot, I see what goes on.”
“You ever do any of this?” I asked.
“I’d never have anything to do with acid, but I’ve tried the others. Fun, but not worth all the bullshit. I’d rather get drunk and have a good time the old fashioned way.”
I nodded. I was glad to hear it. Although I’d never had any particular worries, if I had to pick a personality type that would be attracted to drugs, Seth’s was certainly high on the list.
I got up out of the grass and brushed myself off. “Close that up and stuff it back where you got it. We’re done with this.”
Seth snapped the box closed, wiping it clean with the tail of his T-shirt. “Don’t have to tell me twice. There’s enough here to get us both put away for dealing.”
“Exactly. I have no intention of running around Miami with a stash of drugs. Especially not for some schmuck who probably knew exactly what he was sending us after. I’m betting Serrano was a runner for McCann and The Shark Pond, and he double crossed somebody.”
“Yeah, and he got killed for it.” Seth pushed the box back into the seat and pulled his cap off, raking his fingers through his hair. “How exactly are we going to avoid the same fate?”
“By playing stupid. We go back and tell McCann that we’re sorry to have to break it to him, but it looks like dear old Darryl was messing around in the drug trade. We tell him where we found the stuff and suggest that he make an anonymous tip to the cops. Then once we’re out of his hair, he can go pick up his shit and everyone’s a winner.”
Seth held out a hand so I could help him to his feet, and grabbed a quick grope in the process. “Are we planning to call the cops?”
“No, we are planning to put as much distance between this and us as possible. It’s not my job to make up for the failings of the Miami police department.”
“I’m cool with that,” he said.
We walked back to the office and thanked the old guy. I made a point of calling to him through the open door of the auto shop, rather than going in. I didn’t want him getting another good look at our faces on the off chance we got connected with McCann’s deal.
Chapter 18
Back in the car, I took out my cellphone and McCann’s business card, and dialed his number. When he answered, I said, “Yeah, this is Dino Martini. Listen, I’m in Miami right now, and I have a report for you. Is there someplace we can meet?”
“So soon? I’m impressed, Mr. Martini,” he said.
“I know you and your family were very anxious to get things taken care of, so I gave it my complete attention. I understand what a difficult time this must be for you.”
Seth rolled his eyes.
“I appreciate that,” McCann said. “I have a short meeting in a few minutes, but I’ll be free after that. There’s a nice bistro nearby that I like, we can meet there. Say, four o’clock?”
“Sounds all right to me.” I jotted down the address he gave me and told him we’d be there.
After I hung up, we found the spot on the map and figured out how to get there. The restaurant was up in North Miami, on the waterfront, and was actually named Harbor Bistro.
Rush hour starts early on Fridays, so the drive took us every spare minute we had. Even so, we arrived first. We took a table where we had a view of the door. The place was pretty swanky, and the waiter seemed like he wasn’t sure we belonged there, but he was polite anyway. We ordered drinks, and Seth ordered an appetizer of cheese, smoked fish and crackers.
Fifteen minutes later, McCann strode in, looking pleased and relaxed, and not at all like a man in the midst of great personal loss. He managed to plaster that on by the time he got to us.
“So,” he said, after he sat down and ordered a drink for himself. “You’ve made some progress already.”
“A lot of progress, actually,” I told him. “I don’t think you’re gonna like what I discovered.”
He sighed and gave a painful nod. “I was afraid of that.”
“I’m sorry to have to tell you that it looks like your brother-in-law was dealing drugs,” I explained, keeping my voice low. “The codes in the notebook led us to his stash.”
McCann kept a somber face, but his eyes positively gleamed. “Oh, dear, that’s…that’s really very unfortunate. What did you do with it?”
“We left it there,” I said. His eyes stopped gleaming. “As soon as we realized what we were into, we put everything back the way we found it, and called you right away.”
“I see…” He concentrated on straightening his silverware.
I had already put the package back together the way it started, and I pulled it from my briefcase and laid it on the table in front of him.
“This is as far as we’re willing to go.” I set a slip of paper on top of the package. “That’s the address where we found it and a description of where it is. This is a matter for the police now.”
“The police?” he said, picking up the paper and reading it with interest.
“Yeah. My suggestion is that you call the police and explain what you know. They have anonymous tip lines you can use if you’re concerned about getting the family name involved.”
He glanced up at me. “You didn’t notify them yourself?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t feel it was my place, what with it being a delicate matter and all. I’ll let you decide what to do about that.”
“That’s very kind of you,” he said, gleaming again. “You’ve done a fine job.”
“Thank you,” I said. I gave him the hotel bill and gas receipts and he gave me five hundred dollars to cover those, plus the day’s
work. He didn’t even bat an eye.
As far as I was concerned, it seemed like a good idea to get out of there before McCann started asking any more questions. I didn’t bother to give him my notes on the other salvage yards. If I wasn’t doing the cops any favors, I sure as hell wasn’t going to turn around and do it for the bad guys.
We stood up and said our goodbyes as McCann pocketed the package, and left him to pay the bill.
Outside, Seth asked, “Do you think he bought it?”
“Yup. I think he’s a smug bastard who’s too impressed with his own acting skills to even consider that we might have thought he was lying. He’s got no reason to doubt us.”
I pulled McCann’s money out of my pocket and handed two hundred to Seth. “Here, you earned that.”
“Did I earn this today, or last night?” he asked with a dirty grin.
I gave him an exasperated look, but humored him. “If that was for last night, I would have given you all of it.”
“Yeah, and don’t forget it either.” He stuffed the money in his pocket and climbed into the car.
The trip home was quiet and uneventful, which is exactly what you want after a job like that. We took turns driving, with me doing the first half and Seth taking the second. I know I fell asleep at some point, because I was woken up by Seth’s catastrophic music blasting from the radio. He was singing along with it and beating time on the steering wheel. I smacked his hand.
When we got back to Madeira Beach, he went straight to the garage and pulled into the lot. I climbed out and stretched, and Seth came around the back of the car. Without warning, he grabbed me by the front of my shirt and pulled me into a brutal kiss that just about knocked me on my ass. He shoved me against the car and started grinding on my hip. Fortunately, it was already dark out.
When he broke for air and started to suck on my neck, I said, “Driving my car gets you wired?”
“No, fucking you in Miami gets me wired. I’ve been thinking about it for an hour, and I’m hard as a rock,” he panted. He yanked on my shirt and started dragging me after him. “Come on, you’re gonna fix it.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. Where are we going?”
“Upstairs,” he said, pulling me across the parking lot.
“Oh…no way,” I protested, putting on the brakes. “You know I’ve become extremely fond of getting naked with you, but there is no way in hell I’m going to do anything of the kind in your disaster of a bed.”
He snorted and tried pushing me instead. “It’s okay, Dino, I cleaned it all up again. It’s been good since you helped.”
“You’re lying.” I braced myself at the foot of stairs. “You’re just saying that so I’ll go up there, then you’re gonna shove me down and pounce on me and not let me up until you’re done.”
“All of that is true except for the lying part. My bedroom really is clean. We’ll have to kick a path to get there, but I promise the sheets won’t scare you. Now, get the fuck up the stairs.”
The mess wasn’t the only thing I had reservations about. It was Seth’s domain, and I had the definite impression things got pretty wild when he brought people up there. The thought sent a chill down my spine, but also turned me on.
Seth growled with frustration and said, “In about eight seconds, I’m gonna do you right here on the stairs.”
That thought was kind of hot too, but I turned and trotted up to the apartment, Seth right on my tail. He pushed past me so he could unlock the door. Inside, he didn’t even bother with lights, he just dragged me through the mess to the bedroom, shoved me into it, and slammed the door behind us. He grinned at me and kicked off his shoes, and I suddenly felt like a rat in a trap.
He peeled off his shirt as he crossed the room, tossing it and flipping on the stereo, which came alive at top volume. It was like being assaulted. The song had a driving beat, with lyrics screamed out of the speakers, rattling the windows. I’ve heard explosions that were more musical.
I hollered something about turning it down, but Seth shook his head. “No way, man. It’s my rules now.”
“It was your rules last night,” I hollered back.
“Still is, Dino.” He looked wicked and feral, and my mouth went dry. I had no idea what the hell I was in for, but I wanted to find out. I locked eyes with him and pulled my sweatshirt off over my head. He smirked…and attacked me.
Without warning, he shoved me onto the bed and jumped me, pinning my shoulders down and kissing me recklessly. He dug his feet into the mattress and rubbed his hips in crude circles against my groin. The sensation was electric, and I grabbed him by the waist, pulling him down harder. He moaned loud enough to hear over the music.
He got up on his knees, tearing at my pants. I tried helping, but it was clumsy work, wrestling each other between wet, sloppy kisses. We slid off the bed in the process. By the time the song changed to something equally ear splitting, we were both naked on the floor.
Seth made a grab for my cock, stroking it as he panted in my ear, “Get back on the bed.”
Then he was gone, digging through the drawer in the bedside table, while I did as I was told. He climbed on top of me with a condom and plastic bottle clutched in one hand, rubbing our erections together with just enough friction to drive me crazy. I threaded my fingers in his hair and rolled over him so I could claim his mouth. He moaned and humped my leg like a dog.
Before long, he struggled to get free and pushed me onto my back, straddling my hips. He stuck the condom in his mouth and tore it open with his teeth, spitting the wrapper on the floor. It occurred to me I had no idea which one of us he intended it for, and I hoped he remembered I was new to all this.
Whether he remembered or not, it was me he rolled the condom on to, and I was hugely relieved. Among other things, I didn’t want to blow the mood by having to remind him of my inexperience. I could deal with being on the giving end.
The driving pace of the music made everything seem frantic, and I was concerned we were going a little too fast, but Seth was absolutely focused on what he was doing. If I didn’t know for a fact he was stone-cold sober, I would have guessed he was on something. He’d gotten me ready and was fingering himself, eyes squeezed shut. He took deep, ragged breaths. I sat up and kissed his neck, biting and licking his skin the way he did to me.
“Oh, fuck, Dino,” he moaned, shoving me down so we could get on with it.
He slicked up my cock with more lube and moved so he could slide down on it. I held still and watched him, aroused beyond belief, letting him do whatever he wanted. He moved so slowly, muttering, “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck…”
I put my hands on his thighs and stroked encouragement. It was all I could do to control myself.
As he got used to me, he started rocking his hips, barely moving at first. It felt so good I was shaking. He got bolder, and I realized I could join in, which was a good thing because I was on the verge of going insane. I held onto his waist and started to thrust at his pace, following his lead. It was amazing, and I hate to admit it, but the music was the perfect backdrop.
We were getting into it, moaning and writhing on the bed, when all of the sudden he stopped. I got confused and wondered if maybe I missed something, because he actually eased off me and made like he was going to get off the bed.
I grabbed his arm and gave him a questioning look, which he answered by leaning down and saying, “You want more, you’re gonna have to take it.”
“Excuse me?”
He grinned darkly and patted my cheek. “You heard me.”
“You mean like grab you and hold you down and literally take it?”
“Yep, that’s what I mean,” he said, twisting out of my grasp and pulling just out of reach.
He crouched there, daring me to attack him, but I said, “I’m not gonna do that. It’s crazy, you’re not even healed up from your real fight.”
“Do not start with that shit, right now, Dino. I swear, I’m fine.”
“When I can’t see
bruises, then you’re fine.” I know people play those kinds of games all the time, and it wasn’t so much that I was opposed to it, but I didn’t think I wanted to start out with one. It felt like we were skipping huge steps in the process of switching from friends to…whatever we were becoming.
“Are you gonna fuck me or not?” His voice carried an edge of frustration, but he still gazed at me with hunger in his eyes.
That was a challenge I could meet. I took hold of his arm and pulled him to me. “Yeah, I am,” I said, kissing the side of his neck, “but you’re gonna lie down here and let me do it right. My way.”
“Does that include knee pads and safety goggles?”
“Fuck you,” I snapped, but inwardly I was relieved.
He sounded less irritated, and rubbed his cock against my thigh, impatient. “Yes, please, I’m dyin’ here.”
I started to push him down, but he stopped me and said, “No, wait. I wanna be on my knees, so you can actually fuck me.”
“Yeah, sure, I can do that.” I was damn near breathless at the thought of doing that.
He arranged himself while I found the lube and got ready again. When he was in position I pushed into him as slow as I could manage. My efforts were wasted, however, because he shoved back onto my cock with a ragged moan, and tried to start running the show again.
“Harder, Dino, I won’t break. Come on, dude.”
“Give a guy a chance, will ya?” I grabbed hold of his hips and held him still, so I could catch up. He may have been all about fast action, but I needed a little more time. I wanted to enjoy the buildup, and savor the thrill of being inside him.
He clutched at the blankets and gave me about fifteen seconds to appreciate anything before he took up his previous pace, forcing me along with him. I quit trying to fight it and fucked him, matching pace with the music and letting it set the tone. He wanted it rough, and I did my best to give it to him. It worked better than I expected, and we fell into a steady rhythm. He felt great beneath me, all hot slick skin and lean muscle. It wasn’t long before I lost it, driving into him while I held his hips so firmly, I probably added to his collection of bruises. He met me thrust for thrust, and his steady stream of commentary assured me he liked it. I came hard, panting uncontrollably and moaning Seth’s name. The aftershocks shuddered through my whole body.