Wine and Roses

by Ursula Sinclair

  Going out of the room, he went over to the couch and grabbed their mugs, took them into the kitchen and rinsed them out. He made a call to his dog sitter AKA Frank to make sure he’d taken care of little Gunner for him. He didn’t know how he ended up with a six-year-old dog. But his last case, his client’s boyfriend used to own him. And when Simon eventually put the woman-hitting bastard away, the girlfriend was going to put the dog down. Simon somehow got the dog after the man’s arrest, thinking at the time, the woman might want him. He was wrong, so he thought he’d keep Gunner until he could find the dog a home. That was a month ago. He sighed. Like his life needed more complications.

  Turning off the light in the kitchen, he left the lamp on in the corner of the living room. He kept his clothes on and lay on the couch. It was long enough to fit his frame, soft with a few cushions on it, not uncomfortable, he didn’t want to get too comfortable but it would be his bed for the night. Before he turned in, he got up again and went over to her thermostat on the wall by the kitchen to adjust it. That’s when he heard footsteps in the hallway in front of Eboni’s door. It could have been Officer Ryan pacing. It couldn’t have been a neighbor. Eboni’s condo was a corner unit the only one at this end of the floor. Still, he thought he’d check and wanted to let the officer know they were turning in for the night. He’d only made one mistake in his life, and one was all he’d allow himself. Years ago back in the Middle East on his first mission, he’d walked into an ambush, and Ross knocked him to the ground saving his sorry ass. Since then, he’d learned to trust his instincts. If something ain’t right, treat it that way. Footfalls after midnight in front of Eboni’s door ain’t right.

  Simon approached the door quietly; his hearing focused on the faint sounds of movement on the other side and looked through Eboni’s viewer. Officer Ryan had company. Someone stood beside the door against the wall. He could make out a partial view of jeans and an arm, from the height and bulk, a man. The gun in the unidentified man’s hand with a silencer on it drove Simon’s anger to killing level, and he eased his revolver out of its holster. When Officer Ryan attached a silencer to the gun in her hand, he knew they’d been screwed. Fuck! He pulled his cell out of his back pocket and hit two numbers. A code, equivalent to a 911 call, he’d set up these emergency codes for situations like this one. The call would go straight out to all of the Guardian Agents’ phones in town. They’d be able to see the location where the call originated. Whoever was around would immediately head to him, and if he didn’t put in the cancel code in five minutes Frank or Allen would call the cops. Too bad it was a cop trying to kill him.

  He backed away from the door and turned off the lamp. The curtains were drawn tight so the living room lay in darkness. The only light a soft glow coming from the hallway. Simon glanced quickly at Eboni’s open door, but no time to go and wake her up to get her into the bathroom. He swung around in the direction of the door when he heard the soft knock. Moving over to it, he looked out the viewer again. This time only Officer Ryan’s smiling face greeted him. The blued-eyed bitch would pay dearly for this.

  The man with her must have moved out of his range of vision. He waited a few moments before responding to the knock and speaking. Like he’d walked over to the door. “Yeah.” If he was sure the man with her was still on the right side of the wall, he’d just shoot through it. But he couldn’t take the risk, and they’d shoot back.

  “Can you open the door? I need to use the bathroom?”

  Yeah, right. His breathing evened out. He had one chance and no choice. His body and mind prepared itself. “Sure.” He moved to the right of the door where he thought Ryan’s partner would be and away from where they expected him to stand. Stretching his hand, he unlocked the door. The click sound overly loud to him, his senses heightened, yet everything after happened in slow motion.

  Ryan entered the room, and he grabbed her around the neck spinning her so her back rested against his body while pressing his gun to her head. Leaving her no time to respond when, the man Simon must have seen earlier stepped forward. Len Bennis. “Shit!” Bennis said and raised his gun firing it once before turning away. Ryan gasped, and her body went limp, dead weight in his hands, Simon adjusted his grip on the woman. The gun she’d been hiding in her hand dropped from her grasp. He couldn’t see the red against the navy blue of her uniform but he could clearly see the discoloration spreading across her stomach area. She raised her arm grabbed his hand. “He…help me,” she choked out.

  “Simon, what…Oh my God! What’s going on?”

  He glanced up to see Eboni standing in the living room her mouth rounded in horror. “Call 911, go back to your room and lock the door.”

  “But she’s….”

  “Now, Eboni!” he shouted at her. She turned on her heels and rushed into the room, slamming the door. He quickly laid Ryan down on the floor and ran out into the hall and down the stairs after Bennis. He got to the parking lot but the only car he saw moving headed toward the parking area. “Crap.”

  Not taking any chances, Bennis might be lying in wait for him. He went back to Eboni. Just as he got to her door, he heard the sirens approaching and footsteps running up the stairwell. Swinging around, he dropped to a crouching position holding his gun ready to shoot if Bennis’s blond head came up the stairwell. A shiny baldhead he’d know anywhere appeared. Frank. Not wasting any more time, he straightened up and returned to the condo. Officer Ryan lay where he’d left her. He bent over her, and Frank came through the doorway.

  “What the hell happened?” Frank asked.

  “She tried to kill us, and she wasn’t alone.”

  “What the fuck?”

  “Yeah, exactly.” Simon checked her pulse. It was there but faint and her breathing sounded shallow. He heard the bedroom door open, and Eboni’s face appeared in the crack before pulling the door open all the way.

  “Can I come out now?” she asked.

  “You might not want to,” he said standing and moving to block her so she wouldn’t see the wounded body of the traitor. He could hear the thunder of many footsteps galloping down the hallway. Finally, the Calvary arrived; too bad there were enemies in their midst.

  Chapter Seven

  “What the hell happened?” Detective Jackson said. The lines on his brow became more prominent with his anger. The ambulance left to take Officer Ryan to the hospital. Ryan had a fifty/fifty chance of making it. If she did, she would be spending some time in jail.

  Eboni raised her head to stare at the detective, still unsure exactly what had happened. Her life seemed to spiral out of control ever since she’d looked down on that chilling scene from her bedroom window. Sitting in her big comfy chair, her feet pulled up under her, she glanced over at Simon who stood beside Frank. There were three uniformed officers there, along with a couple of Crime Scene Techs. One stood outside the door, and the other two were in the living room talking to Simon and Frank. The techs were gathering evidence and taking pictures. Simon started to answer questions when Detective Jackson walked in.

  “Office Ryan tried to kill us,” Simon said calmly to the detective.

  There it was. He’d made the same statement three times. To the first officer who arrived, later when a second one asked, lastly to the detective. No matter how many times she heard it, it still didn’t seem real. She raised her arms and wrapped them around herself. Trust Simon to notice. He moved to lean against her chair and rub her shoulder. She needed simple human contact from him and raising her hand, grabbed his.

  “Start at the beginning,” the detective said.

  Simon did and with each word spoken out of his mouth the knots in her stomach drew tighter and tighter. While he talked, one of the Crime Scene Techs continued to take pictures of the gun still lying on the floor before picking it up and placing it in an evidence container. The sight of it made Eboni gag.

  “You have a leak in your department, Jackson,” Simon barked when the detective finished.

  Jackson held up one hand as
though to stop Simon’s rant. “Believe me there will be a full investigation.”

  “But I don’t understand,” Eboni said looking at both men. “How would Len Bennis know Officer Ryan, and why would she do this? How could one person cold-bloodedly take the life of another? Even worse, a cop participate in that kind of crime.” She shook her head. “Maybe I am just too naïve. I don’t know.”

  Simon dropped to squat beside her. “No, sweetheart. You are perfectly normal. These are not normal people.”

  “Let me see the weapon,” Jackson said to the officers still in the room. The one who’d collected it held it up. “Not regulation, sir,” the Tech said.

  “Go ahead and take it in, and Timmons, you stay. I want two officers in front of this door on rotation and with Ms. Stiles until this mess is sorted out.”

  The men left, and then she spoke. “How could this happen. It makes no sense.”

  “Bennis obviously knew about the police procedure since it looks like Ryan helped him,” Simon said, standing up.

  “But still how would he know she’d be assigned to me? And to just happen to have someone in that department. This is not a movie.”

  “No, it’s real life but I assure you–” But Simon cut Jackson off.

  “Like you assured me Eboni would be fine, and you all would catch this guy when others can’t.” This time Simon held up his hand when Jackson protested. “Eboni is the sister-in-law of my best friend, a man who saved my life. I promised him and his new wife nothing would happen to her, and I damn well aim to keep my promise. We’re done doing things your way we’re doing them the agency way now.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jackson growled back.

  “Frank 29.”

  “On it.” Without another word, Frank pulled out his cell phone and walked into her bedroom shutting the door behind him.

  “Would you mind explaining that to me?” Eboni said.

  He turned to her and took her hand. “The police can’t protect you, babe, but I sure as hell can.”

  “Now just a minute. What’s that supposed to mean?” Jackson asked angrily.

  “Look, you have a problem in your department. You’re not even sure who the dead guy is, my guess a courier for some country. I think you suspect that, given Bennis’s history, and it’s why you’re so hot to assign protection to Eboni. But more importantly, Bennis has been on the FBI Most Wanted list for the last two years now and rising in status, and they haven’t been able to find him. What makes you think you can?”

  “We don’t have a positive on anything yet.”

  “Don’t bullshit me. This is more than a local matter. You know it as well as I do. And if the feds haven’t been able to catch this guy, I’m betting something might be going on there, too. Look, one thing I do know is all of my people can be trusted. Can you say the same?”

  “She’s a material witness, Simon I give you my word….”

  “Not good enough.”

  “Please, Detective Jackson. I’d like to hear what Simon has in mind.” She turned to look at the man, who, while she wouldn’t trust her heart to him, she would trust him to keep her safe. “Okay, Simon, what do you want me to do?”

  He knelt down in front of her this time and took her hand. “Trust me.”

  Then Frank came out of the bedroom. “All set, Sy,” he said.

  She’d noticed before Frank shortened Simon’s name. She liked it. Eboni would have smiled but what with everything happening in her world, well, she wasn’t exactly up for smiling. “All set for what?”

  “Bennis obviously knows where you live, the habits of the police department, and no guarantee he doesn’t have any more friends or people willing to give information on the force. So we will no longer be using police help to protect you. I’m taking you away to a safe place. Only a handful of people in my agency will know where you are, including your sister.”

  Jackson shook his head. “Ms. Stiles, we cannot protect you if you don’t take the department’s help.”

  “Seems to me you haven’t done such a great job, and if not for Simon, I’d be dead. So pardon me for not having much faith in that statement.” Her own anger kicked in, and she put her bare feet down on the ground. Simon stood up, moving aside to give her space.

  “Eboni go and pack just a weekend bag.”

  “Where are we going?” she asked standing up.

  “I’ll tell you on the way.”

  “So I’ll only be gone for a couple of days?”

  “Probably not. We’ll give the police and the FBI a chance to catch Bennis or force him out of town. Once that’s done, we’ll come back.”

  “Well how long will we be gone?”

  He shrugged. “A week maybe.”

  Her gaze met his behind the dark glasses he’d put on as soon as the cops arrived. “A week? You’re joking!”

  “Nope ‘fraid not. But Bennis won’t stick around longer than that. Anymore and he’s pushing it he’d be caught. What’s worked in the past is to get in and get out quickly avoiding detection.”

  “Simon’s right,” Frank said. He stood on the other side of the couch beside the police officer. “So he’s got a short window to work in and by taking you out of the equation, he’s got more incentive to disappear that much faster.”

  “But I can’t take off from the salon for a week. Not with Shanna gone, too.”

  “You don’t have much choice.”

  “Again, Ms. Stiles,” the detective said. “I can’t be responsible for your safety if you leave with Mr. Blackcat and his associate without a police escort.”

  “Won’t be necessary, Jackson,” Simon said. “The agency is taking full responsibility for her safety.” Simon looked at her. “Go on and pack. Frank, go ahead and drive off a few blocks. Find a spot where we can make a quick change. If anyone’s watching the condo, they probably know my car. I’ll take us outta here but we’ll make a switch to your car.”

  “Okay. But what about Gunner?”

  “Who’s Gunner?” Jackson asked.

  “None of your concern.” He turned back to Frank. “Have Alex grab him, too.”

  “On it.” Frank pivoted on his heel and left the apartment.

  “Then what?” Jackson asked.

  “I want the police to follow us out, no sirens, stay behind, and continue to follow Frank in my car. Frank will drive straight to the precinct, wave you off, and return to the agency.”

  “All right, we can do that. But where are you taking her?”

  “Best you don’t know. But Frank will stay in touch with you for updates.”

  Jackson frowned, raking his hands through his hair. “I don’t like this.”

  “You don’t have to,” Eboni said. “Excuse me, gentlemen. I’ll be ready in five.

  Chapter Eight

  The change went off smoothly. The sun had just risen. It’d taken them longer to get away than he liked but couldn’t be helped. So far, Eboni cooperated; however, she didn’t fool Simon. She kept yawning and tried to hide it. She needed to crash. He’d get her where she’d be safe soon and take care of her. The way he’d wanted to for months. He’d have her to himself. They got to the small airport, parked, and went straight to the private hangers. The agency had an arrangement with a few of the pilots, and Frank called ahead, so one stood inside the entrance near a plane waiting for them.

  The man introduced himself. “I’m ready when you are, Mr. Blackcat.”

  “Thanks, that would be now.”

  Without another word, the pilot led the way into the plane. Simon wrapped his arm around Eboni’s waist and strapped her bag over his shoulder, but she stopped at the bottom of the steps of the plane.

  “Now can you tell me where we’re going?”

  He grinned. “Big Sky.” Turning to watch her reaction to their destination.

  Her eyebrows rose higher toward her forehead, and her eyes opened wide. “Montana!”

  “Yes.” And home. He hadn’t been back in five years but kept the
place up and looked after. Just in case. From time to time, he even leased it out to vacationers or let friends use it. People who wanted to hike or fish. The old house held a lot of memories and ghosts, not all good, but he hoped someday, somehow the twins would remember and come looking for him. He wanted them to have a place to start. They’d be twenty-one now, and with luck, they’d fared better than he. But they all carried those ghosts from their past within their genes. Sometimes you couldn’t avoid returning home. He needed to get Eboni somewhere safe fast, some place if he needed to defend he could. Simon knew every inch of the Bitterroot Valley. The river growing up was his playground. The valley sheltered his roots along with his memories. No matter how far he’d travelled in the years since he’d left for good, it was still home. For better or worse. He must be nuts to take Eboni there, but ghosts couldn’t hurt her there, living in LA could. He could protector her in Big Sky.

  When she spoke again, he focused once more on the beautiful woman beside him. “Why, Montana?” she asked.

  “Why not?”

  “But it’s so far. What if something happens?”

  “Nothing will but even if it does, I’ll handle it.” The involvement of one of the cops didn’t sit well with him, and there could be others. That meant the killer could have been monitoring Eboni for the last couple of days while she’d been in the hospital and only waited until she got home to make a try for her. Men like Bennis needed putting down from birth. Time was on their side. The harder he could make it for Bennis to find her, the more likely he’d give up and do what he’d done in the past and make like a magic act and disappear.

  “Again, nothing’s going to happen, Eboni. I won’t allow it.” He lowered his head and kissed her quickly. It was all he’d allow himself and still the power of their brief touch reached down and grasped his balls in a vise. He shifted himself to make it up the stairs, and as soon as they got onboard, he saw the crate with the sleeping dog in it. Good, he’d forgotten about the sedative. Easier for dogs to fly with one in their system.