Like Coffee and Doughnuts

by Ellle Parker

  I paused and listened for the sound of Seth crashing through the rubble.

  Nothing.

  I knocked harder, confused. “Seth! Come on, this would be a really bad day to be fucking around with me.”

  I contemplated kicking in the door, but my cellphone rang. I pulled it out and breathed a sigh of relief as I looked at the screen. Seth.

  “Where in the hell are you?” I asked when I flipped it open. “I’m standing here beatin’ on your door.”

  “You remember how we thought it would be a good idea to get our noses out of McCann’s business?” he asked. His voice was gravely, and he sounded tired.

  “What’s going on, Seth? Where are you?”

  “That’s a really good question. I don’t know exactly, but I met some pals of McCann’s. A couple of ’em might be Snake and Tango, but they don’t look smart enough.”

  I heard the distinct sound of the back of a hand hitting someone’s face, and Seth groaned in the background as someone else came on the line.

  “Mr. Martini,” said a smooth voice I instantly recognized. “You’ve been holding out on me. Either you’re not as good a detective as I thought, or you still have information that belongs to me. I decided to balance the scales.”

  Fear shot through me, and I pictured Seth bleeding on the floor of the bar. “Where the fuck did you take him, asshole?”

  “You’re a smart man, you know how this works.”

  “Yeah, I give you what you want, and then you whack my friend anyway. And probably me too, for good measure.”

  “You’ve been watching too many action films. I’m proposing a simple and civilized exchange. No one needs to get hurt if you cooperate.”

  “Tell that to Darryl Serrano.”

  “That was very unfortunate, but it wasn’t my doing. Mr. Serrano was never good at choosing his friends carefully.”

  “Yeah, I can see that,” I said.

  “Are we going to deal or not? I don’t have all day.”

  “All right, fine,” I said, going down to the car and tossing the rolls and newspaper in the backseat. I turned around and leaned on the fender. “What’ve you got in mind?”

  “It’s a lovely day, Mr. Martini. I’m thinking you should take a drive.” He sounded relaxed and friendly, like we were making plans to play golf. “You can come down to Miami and visit me, and we’ll take care of business.”

  “God, I fucking hate Miami,” I said, rubbing my forehead with my fingers to keep calm. It shouldn’t have mattered, but knowing Seth was that far away made the whole situation worse. “Where?”

  “I’ll get in touch with you in a few hours. No sense in clouding your thinking with too many details. You just come to Miami.”

  “Let me talk to Seth.”

  I wasn’t surprised when he chuckled and said, “We’ll see you later, Mr. Martini.”

  The line went dead, and I was left staring at the gravel in the parking lot. I was scared, and I felt like shit. Seth was in trouble because I couldn’t keep my nose out of stuff, and I deeply regretted the day I ever laid eyes on that package.

  The drive down to Miami was uneventful on the outside. No cops to speak of, and nothing else to slow me down or cause trouble, so I made good time. On the inside, my mind was a tangle of thoughts, berating myself for getting us into this mess, concerned for Seth, and steeling myself for what I might face when I got down there. Not even the radio could calm me down, and I finally shut it off and drove in silence, letting the wind whipping around my head numb me for a while.

  I took the turnpike straight into Miami and kept on until I had to pull over to fill my tank. I also put on my holster and gun. When I was done, I stood outside, leaning on the car, wondering what in the hell I was supposed to do next. It was sunny and hot, but a breeze tugged at my shirt and threw the scent of gasoline and exhaust in the air. It had been four hours since they’d contacted me, and I was getting antsy. I took out my cellphone and stared at it, wondering if I’d be violating McCann’s rules if I called him instead. It’s not like I didn’t have the number.

  Fuck it. I flipped open the phone and dialed Seth’s number, assuming they would have his phone right there. I was right, because it was answered in two rings.

  “Are you getting impatient, Mr. Martini? I did say we would contact you.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m here, so let’s get on with this, all right? Where do I need to go?”

  “We’re holding your friend at an abandoned warehouse down by the waterfront. I’ll give you directions.”

  “Abandoned warehouse? What do you take me for? I show up there and Seth and I are fish food. How about we try for someplace a little more public?”

  “This isn’t the old west, Dino. May I call you Dino?” I could hear the smirk in his voice. “We’re not going to gun you down in cold blood. That would merely create unnecessary complications, and I’m too busy a man for that.”

  “Fine then. I’m standin’ right across the street from a big steakhouse called Axel’s Grill. Why don’t you come meet me there? You can do business and take care of lunch all at the same time. Very efficient. You know, for a busy man like you.”

  “Knowing how you think, perhaps I should be worried about walking into a trap,” he said.

  “I don’t give a shit about you and your little penny-ante drug operation. If I did, I’d have already called the cops. I just want to get my friend and get the fuck out of town, got it?”

  “And what about him? He doesn’t seem to share your reasonable nature.”

  “Put him on the phone, I’ll make sure he behaves himself,” I said. “Seriously, though, bringing him to a steakhouse is the best way to keep him in line.”

  There was a pause and faint footsteps, then Seth’s voice. He still sounded tired. “Hey dude,” he said. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m trying to convince them to meet me somewhere a little more in our favor. Our friend there doesn’t think you’ll cooperate. Haven’t you been playing nice?”

  “Fuck no. Someone snatches me at the fucking crack of dawn and doesn’t give me breakfast? I tend to get a little cranky.”

  “Well, knock it off, because it would be nice if we could get out of this smoothly. Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, mostly.”

  “You in any shape to fight if it comes to that?”

  “Sure, if I’m not tied to a chair.”

  That was apparently as much as the thugs were willing to let him share, because McCann came back on the phone. “Do we have an agreement? We’ll come to you if you can assure us of cooperation on both your parts?”

  “Yeah, all right. I can’t help you if you piss him off, though.”

  “We’ll see if we can avoid that,” he said. “I pick the venue, however. A restaurant is a little too public for us to be able to speak freely. I have a compromise I think is sufficient.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “We’ll bring Mr. Donnelly to a hotel, and you can meet us there. I’ll call you with a room number as soon as we’ve checked in. That way, we can do our business privately, but you can be assured of some measure of protection. Although, I say again, if you cooperate, you won’t need it.”

  I considered for a moment. “That doesn’t sound like much protection to me.”

  “That’s the best you’re going to get,” McCann said, getting impatient. “Give us half an hour to work on your friend, and I’m sure he’ll be able to convince you.”

  “No,” I said, cringing at the thought. “I get it, I’ll be there. Just give me the details.”

  McCann told me to wait for his call and hung up, leaving me standing in the parking lot, helpless. I thought about Seth, and memories of him in my bed alternated with ones of him bruised and bloody. I felt sick. Didn’t seem like we could catch a break lately.

  Chapter 23

  Half an hour later, I was headed for the Days Inn Airport, room 115. There was to be a man waiting for me at the side entrance. I still would ha
ve preferred to meet somewhere with a lot of handy witnesses, but McCann was calling the shots, and the fact that I got him to compromise at all was something.

  The Days Inn was about as posh as you’d expect from a hotel located three miles from the airport. Which is to say, it wasn’t at all. I was surprised it had a pool. I pulled into the parking lot and shut off the car, taking a couple minutes to gather my wits and put on my game face.

  When I was ready, I stuffed Rosa’s rolls into my briefcase, got out, and strode toward the side door with as much ass-kicking attitude as I could muster. I waved to a couple getting into their car and said hello. As I approached the door, a garden-variety thug, complete with tight black T-shirt and sunglasses, got up from his spot on the stairs inside and let me in. He had an ugly fresh cut down his cheek and a fat lip, and I thought I recognized Seth’s handiwork.

  I gave him a knowing smirk and said, “You wanna show me the room, maybe let your boss know I’m here?”

  “He knows,” the guy said. “Second to the last door on the right.”

  I walked down the hall with him hot on my tail, which didn’t look remotely suspicious, and rapped hard on the door. My plan was to call as much attention as possible to our presence, so if something did go down, someone might notice. It was weak, but it was the best I had at the moment.

  The door swung open and there stood McCann looking every bit as poised and refined as he had when I’d first met him. He slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “It’s good to see you again, Mr. Martini. I trust you had a nice drive?”

  He stepped back and held the door for me, but I stalled long enough to nod at two pretty girls getting off the elevator. The thug gave me a shove, and I shoved him right back, curling my hand into a fist in case I needed it.

  McCann sighed heavily and regarded us both with a deadpan expression. “Is it possible for any one of you to do so much as scratch an itch without resorting to physical violence?”

  “Isn’t that what you breed ’em for?” I asked, pushing past him into the room.

  My gaze went immediately to Seth, who was bound like a calf and lying on the bed. There were new bruises on his face and blood on his shirt. He had a cloth gag tied in his mouth, and managed to look exhausted and pissed off at the same time. When he saw me come in, the look changed to relief, and he tried to smile.

  The thug caught up with me and grabbed my arm. “You want me to frisk him?” he asked McCann.

  “That won’t be necessary. I have no doubt that Mr. Martini is armed, and given the job he’s about to do, that’s probably just as well for his sake. We’re not going to have any trouble, I don’t think.”

  I broke free and went around the side of the bed to pull the gag from Seth’s mouth, brushing the hair off his forehead in lieu of being able to kiss him. “How are you doin’?” I asked.

  He grinned and said, “I’ve been better. I think one of these guys might be Rick’s big brother.”

  That suggested more injuries I couldn’t see at the moment, and I winced. “You gonna be all right?”

  “Nothing a little TLC won’t fix,” he said with a wink. I marveled that he could be making come-ons at a time like this, but it meant he wasn’t hurt too badly, and for that I was extremely grateful.

  “Untie him,” I said, straightening up and looking around the room. McCann had needed three thugs to get Seth there, even bound, and not one of them looked like they’d appreciate having him loose again.

  “Fat chance,” said the one with the cut on his face. “He stays just the way he is.”

  “Chicken shit asshole,” Seth snapped. “Somebody better fucking untie me, because my hands are numb, and I have to take a piss. Don’t think I won’t just flood the bed if I have to.”

  I cocked my head at McCann and said, “Whatever happened to being civilized?”

  “You did assure me that he would behave,” McCann said, nodding at one of the thugs. “It’s on your head if he doesn’t.”

  I gave a Seth a stern look while the guy cut through the ropes and he nodded at me, wisely refraining from any snarky comeback.

  Once free, he sat up on the edge of the bed with a miserable groan. He rubbed his wrists and tried to stretch, flexing his ankles. It made me ache just to watch him, and I felt terrible. I helped him to his feet and kept him steady while he crossed the room.

  The head thug took up a post by the bathroom. “Door stays open.”

  “He likes to watch,” Seth said to me with a smirk.

  McCann went to the dresser where there was an ice bucket, glasses, and a bottle of scotch. “Can I offer you a drink?”

  “Fine,” I said, following him and looking around, “then let’s get this show on the road.”

  The room was standard discount fare. It had beige everything centered around a big beige bed.

  He handed a glass to me, and one to Seth, who had come out of the bathroom, moving easier as his blood got flowing. Seth looked at it skeptically, but drank some when I nodded that he should. It would dull the aches and pains until we could get something better.

  I took a seat on the end of the bed and sipped what turned out to be some fairly top shelf scotch. Seth came and stood next to me. I asked, “What the hell is this all about?”

  “Don’t play coy, Mr. Martini. You and I both know you found significantly more from that notebook than you reported to me.”

  “What makes you think that?” I asked. “Serrano was pretty small time, and that stash was nothing to sneeze at.”

  “Because I know how much there was supposed to be,” he said, gazing at me flatly.

  I shrugged and reached for my briefcase, pulling out the pages of notes we’d made on the locations of the other wrecked cars. There wasn’t any point in playing cat-and-mouse with him. McCann looked over the sheets, and for the first time, I saw his refinement slip. He seemed irritated and made a pained grimace as he read.

  Finally, he shook his head and handed the pages back to me. “You certainly have your work cut out for you,” he said, taking a sip of his drink.

  That was a new twist. “Excuse me?” I narrowed my eyes at him, afraid I knew exactly what he was getting at.

  McCann gave me a smug, oily smile. “Retrieving all that is going to be a highly dangerous job, and I have no intention of sending my men after it. Unfortunately, they were spotted going after the first stash, and now we are surely being watched carefully. You, on the other hand, are unknown to our rivals and should be able to slip in undetected.”

  “Not a chance,” I said, shaking my head. “That wasn’t part of the deal. There’s no way in hell I’m carting a load of drugs around Miami for you.”

  I glanced up at Seth who didn’t look the least bit surprised. In fact, he looked distinctly apologetic, and I realized he knew what McCann had in mind. I started to do some fast thinking.

  “Listen,” I said, “there’s no way I can pull off a job like that on my own. I’m gonna need Seth with me. It’s strictly a two man deal.” If he wasn’t willing to put his own guys at risk, then he’d have to give me Seth, and that gave us a whole lot of opportunity.

  “I completely agree with you. However, before you attempt to do anything rash,” McCann said, “I think you should have a very clear picture of what’s at stake.”

  He had an ominous look I didn’t like one bit, and something told me he was holding all the cards. He tapped a couple buttons on the cellphone he held, and we heard the ring of a call over the speaker.

  “Yeah, boss?” came the answer with a crackle of static.

  “I’m having drinks with Mr. Martini and his friend, and we’d like to hear a report on your assignment.” McCann held my eye the whole time he spoke.

  The guy on the other end sounded bored as hell. “Them old ladies spent all morning fucking around out in the yard with tables and chairs and shit, and now they got some other ladies there and they’re having some kind of a tea party or some shit.”

  The picture sud
denly became very clear to me and I jumped up, slamming my glass on the table and grabbing McCann by the tie. “If you hurt one gray hair on a single one of those nice ladies, I’m going to tear you limb from limb, you sleazy little cocksucker.”

  All three thugs made a grab for me, but Seth got there first and pulled me back. He said to McCann, “Dino’s very big on chivalry and shit like that. Threatening ladies is about as low as it gets in his book.”

  McCann smoothed out his tie and took another drink. “That was precisely the idea. I find that with the right leverage, you can get anything done.”

  Seth pushed me back down on the bed, and I shot him a glance. “You knew this was coming.”

  “Yeah, I heard them planning it, and there wasn’t a fucking thing I could do about it. It’s a shitty gig, I know that, but we can pull this off. Let’s just get it done, all right?”

  I was so pissed off I had to fight hard to think clearly, but I could see Seth had a point. It didn’t matter to me if we furthered the Miami drug trade or not, and if McCann got what he wanted out of us, I didn’t see why he’d feel the need to hurt any of my neighbors.

  I turned to glare at him. “Do I have your word that you’ll leave them alone if we do this?”

  “They’ll never even know they were involved,” McCann said. “I’ll shake on that.”

  I shook his hand, because some guys get very serious about that kind of thing, and I had the sense he was one of them. I could keep the ladies safe if I was willing to play ball, and I wasn’t going to let them down.

  “Fine,” I said. “Spell it out for me. I wanna know the whole story, so I know what we’re heading into.”

  McCann poured me another splash of whiskey and gave my glass back. He settled into his chair and got comfortable, crossing his legs. “I own a popular nightclub here in Miami, and I make an excellent living at it. Part of the reason for that is I make sure my club offers all the amusements people look for when they go out for a night of fun, as well as an attractive hassle-free setting to do them in.”

  “You mean drugs.”

  “I mean upscale designer drugs, companions, private rooms, secluded spaces for a little romance. All the natural outcroppings of a place where people come to drink and dance.”