Pedal to the Metal

by Jesse J. Thoma

  She turned around just in time to see what Dubs was wearing for the evening. One look at her and there was little doubt she would be anywhere but by her side all night. If this was Dubs’s idea of toning it down and giving her a break, Max thought she needed to work on her definitions.

  “I thought you were going to take it easy on me tonight,” Max said, her voice squeaky.

  “What?” Dubs said. “This is easy. You’ve seen my other dresses. I have another one, but I don’t think you’d like it.”

  “I’m sure I’d love it,” Max said. “But we’ll go with the safer one.”

  “Put your tie on and let’s go,” Dubs said. Max didn’t think she looked at all sorry that Max was suffering.

  Max was getting used to fancy meals with a beautiful woman on her arm. She felt herself puff out her chest a little when she walked in with Dubs holding her hand. More than one patron looked their way and took a look at Dubs.

  “What was it like in prison?” Max asked once they were seated. “I can’t imagine what you put up with in there.”

  “It wasn’t so bad,” Dubs said. “Not having any freedom sucked. But it was dorm style sleeping, not individual cells, and the other women were nice enough. The jumpsuits were comfortable. They didn’t do much for you looks-wise, but they were good to lounge around in.”

  “I don’t know that they have fashion high on the priority list,” Max said, teasing.

  “I didn’t have anyone to impress either. Although they have all kinds of people to talk to you all the time. There are researchers coming in all the time, and AA volunteers for those that need it, doctors, social workers, nuns. I liked to flirt with the researchers. They were usually so young, and I was bored.”

  Max fought off a wave of jealousy. She didn’t like the thought of Dubs flirting the way she flirted with her, with anyone else. “How did they handle a full dose of you?”

  “I was like a job competency screening,” Dubs said. “Some got flustered and couldn’t even finish whatever they were doing with me. Others were annoyed with me, and the really good ones didn’t even miss a beat. One woman was really amused by me, but never stopped asking her questions. I couldn’t even get an eyebrow raise.”

  “That must have been crushing for your very healthy ego,” Max said.

  “It was,” Dubs said. “I knew you’d understand. The worst part of prison was always having to watch your back. Most of the women were fine, and most of the officers were cool, but some of them were nasty business. All the women were grouped together, from pot dealers to murderers, so there was quite a range of personalities.”

  “It’s no wonder you were so independent when you started working with us,” Max said. “I would be too, after something like that.”

  “I’ve got you to impress now,” Dubs said. “I’m cleaning up my act.”

  “I’m not the one you have to impress at work. Holt is,” Max said. “But outside that arena, I have to say you clean up well.” She gave Dubs an exaggerated look up and down.

  “Pig,” Dubs said with a huge smile on her face.

  “Don’t think I’m only interested in your hot little body,” Max said. “You’re also probably the smartest woman I’ve ever met.”

  “Max,” Dubs said, her cheeks pinking, “I already told you I’m in love with you. You don’t have to prove that you’re practically perfect.”

  “I’m so far from perfect,” Max said. “But I wanted you to know that I think you’re pretty amazing. And sexy.”

  “I do have a real question. It’s important.”

  “I can’t wait to hear it,” Max said.

  “Just how slow are we going? Because I’m flashing back to taking your tie off and unbuttoning your shirt, and it’s got to be one of the hottest things I’ve ever done.”

  “We didn’t even have sex that night,” Max said.

  “Something to look forward to,” Dubs said.

  “Focus on the task at hand,” Max said, pointing her fork at Dubs’s entrée.

  “I think I am,” Dubs said.

  “Well, I’m not really in the mood for dessert tonight. I’m not promising anything, but my back is getting a little sore from sleeping on the floor.”

  “I give excellent massages,” Dubs said. “But you can’t have a shirt on for that. I’ll have to take it all off. I promise it will be worth it.”

  “I’m sure it will.” Max hoped she was doing the right thing.

  “Look,” Dubs said. “I don’t want you to sleep with me just ’cause it’s fun. I mean, I want it to be fun, but I’m not into sex just for sex. If that’s all it is for you, tell me. I know we talk all the time about the physical side of stuff, but I’m the only one who talks about love.”

  Max cringed slightly. She didn’t want Dubs to think she was only attracted to her physically. That felt horrible. The emotional connection she felt for her was so deep and so strong, it scared her, especially since she still didn’t fully trust it, or Dubs. The past couple of weeks had helped that a lot, but she was still a little wary.

  “Dubs,” Max said. “I hope you know me better than that. What I feel for you sometimes scares me so much I don’t want to let myself feel it. I’ve never only viewed what we had or have as purely physical. If I haven’t made that clear to you, I’m sorry.”

  Dubs took Max’s hand. “Pretty Girl, you can feel those things. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Max wanted to believe her, but she wasn’t sure how.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Holt walked through the colonial just behind Isabelle. She took in as many details as she could, but was finding it hard to not get carried away picturing raising her family here. This was the second time they had seen the house. They both loved it. Their realtor was pointing out things that needed fixing, and highpoints of the property, but she was picturing small feet running along the gorgeous hardwoods, and making breakfast for Isabelle and their son on a lazy Sunday morning in the large airy kitchen. She knew she was breaking every rule in the home buying-manual, but she didn’t care. Isabelle and the realtor were the level-headed ones.

  “Holt, babe, did you hear me?” Isabelle asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Really?” Isabelle said. “You have experience reroofing a house and installing a new boiler?”

  “Oh,” Holt said, totally busted. “My mind might have wandered.”

  “I guess so. But the kitchen is beautiful.”

  “How do you always know what I’m thinking?” Holt asked.

  “For someone who has the rock hard abs you do, you think with your stomach an awful lot of the time.” Isabelle let her hand drift across Holt’s abdomen.

  “I work out a lot,” Holt said a little defensively.

  “I don’t want to pressure you,” the realtor said, “but the market on the East Side is very hot, and this house is in superb condition. I know there are at least two offers already. If you’re interested, we should probably jump in now.”

  Holt looked at Isabelle. She knew she loved the house and the neighborhood. It wasn’t the industrial, slightly more worn around the edges neighborhood they lived in now. This one had trees every couple hundred feet on the edge of the sidewalks, plenty of young families, farmer’s markets, and local small businesses within easy walking distance. On top of that, there were two playgrounds Holt could think of that were quite close. It would be a huge change for her, but was much more similar to the neighborhood Isabelle had lived in prior to meeting Holt, minus the swimming pool.

  “I love it,” Isabelle said. “What do you think?”

  “I love it too,” Holt said. She did love the house, and she could see them being quite happy there, but more than anything, she loved the way Isabelle’s eyes lit up every time they walked in the door, or entered a new room. She wouldn’t have said yes to a house she hated just based on that, but it was enough to sell her on this house. “What’s it going to take for us to get it?” she asked the realtor.

  “Wel
l, the asking price is competitive,” she said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the other two offers are at asking, or even a few thousand above.”

  “Fine,” Holt said. “Our offer is thirty thousand above asking and we’ll pay cash.”

  Isabelle laughed out loud at the look on the realtor’s face. Holt saw very few advantages to coming from a wealthy family, but this was certainly one of them.

  “Will that get it done?” Holt asked. “If not, raise it. And see what you can do about the closing date. We’d like to be in as soon as possible.”

  “Don’t mind her,” Isabelle said. “She’s used to getting her way.”

  “With that much money above asking, and a cash offer,” the realtor said, “you will probably get whatever you want. If you want to walk up to the coffee shop, I’ll write up the offer sheet and send it over. We might be back here this afternoon.”

  Holt’s cell phone rang. “Holt,” she said. It was Max on the other end. She listened to Max’s excited update. “Send someone to get me.” She gave Max her location. “I’ll call my friend at the state police and give him a heads up. You gather the troops. We’re going in big.”

  Holt made the second phone call, which didn’t last long. Isabelle didn’t look too pleased when she got off the phone. “Amy’s car just got stolen,” Holt said by way of explanation.

  “I’m so sorry,” the realtor said.

  “Believe it or not,” Isabelle said, “that’s actually good news.”

  The poor realtor looked confused, but didn’t ask more questions.

  “Can I sign some paperwork now?” Holt asked. “I’m going to have to leave a bit earlier than anticipated.”

  “Sure.” The realtor pulled out an offer sheet and had Holt sign it blank. Isabelle would make sure it was for the amount they talked about.

  Isabelle walked Holt outside. “I know you’ll be careful and not take any unnecessary chances,” she said, “but I didn’t like the sound of ‘going in big.’”

  “We’ve got to catch these guys,” Holt said. “They’ve come after Dubs three times now, and they’re getting more aggressive and reckless each time. They haven’t stopped stealing cars, and it’s probably tied up with all kinds of other nasty stuff. You know I’m always careful. My top priority every day when I leave for work is coming back to you at the end of the day. Goal one-A is getting the rest of my team home safely too.”

  “Don’t you want to break your rule and take a machine gun or something this time? Maybe a tank?” Isabelle asked.

  “You know my rules,” Holt said. “Besides, I don’t have a tank, and even if I did, I don’t know how to drive one.”

  “I’m sure Dubs would be happy to steal you one if you asked,” Isabelle said. “And Jose can drive anything. He’d love to show off his tank driving skills for Moose.”

  “We’ll be careful,” Holt said. “I love you.”

  “I love you too. You better call me after you’re done and tell me you’re in one piece. We’ve got a baby on the way, and I love you too much to lose you over some stupid stolen cars.”

  “God, I don’t think I will ever get tired of hearing you say that,” Holt said.

  “Which part?” Isabelle asked.

  “All of it.” Holt pulled Isabelle to her and kissed her, pouring everything she was feeling, which was quite varied and deep, into their kiss. Isabelle clung to her, digging her fingers into the T-Shirt on Holt’s back. When Moose pulled to the curb, he had to roll down the window and call her name before Holt finally let Isabelle go. “I’ll call you soon. Go get us a house. I can’t wait to hear about your victory on that battle. Go as high as you need.”

  “Be careful. I love you,” Isabelle said.

  “I love you too.”

  Holt climbed into the passenger seat and Moose pulled away from the curb. “Everything set?” Holt asked.

  “Yep. We’re ready to move out. How are the Staties taking being second fiddle?”

  “They’re fine,” Holt said. “They’re still pissed about Dubs’s wild adventures through town, so I think they’d be fine if we get there and there’s nobody home. I don’t blame them. If one of their guys did something like that to us, I’d hold a grudge too.”

  “Guess we better hope the Wonder Twins actually found something then,” Moose said.

  When they got to the office, most of Holt’s crew was huddled around Max’s computer. Dubs was sitting on Max’s lap. Holt chose to ignore that. After all, there was a lack of seating with all the people around. The crowd parted to let Holt and Moose through.

  “Update,” Holt said when she got behind Max’s chair. Dubs flew off Max’s lap and stood next to her. Holt tried not to laugh at the look of mild horror on Dubs’s face.

  “Amy’s car pulled out of her driveway at seven thirty this morning,” Max said. “I couldn’t get a hold of her to confirm it wasn’t her driving until eight forty-five because apparently, she and Superman had walked somewhere to get breakfast and then went to the playground and her phone was on vibrate. She was a little surprised when her car wasn’t in the driveway when she returned. The GPS tracker is working perfectly. The car moved across town and has been in an abandoned old mill building on the Pawtucket line.”

  “Why do all the bad guys in this state choose old mill buildings?” Holt asked.

  “There are a lot of them,” Moose said. “It’s a good spot for a creepy lair.”

  “How easy is the approach? Can we do it without being seen?”

  “They must be bringing the cars in here,” Dubs said, pointing to the blueprints Max had on her computer monitor. “That was the route Amy’s car took, and it’s the only one that makes sense. That means they’re probably chopping them in this location, or prepping them for resale.”

  “So unless we come in through the building, or are sneaky as fuck, they’re probably going to know we’re there pretty quickly,” Holt said.

  “Too much open space,” Moose said. “But we can do sneaky as fuck.”

  “I’ve never seen you sneak anywhere,” Lola said. “Sheer size alone means you’re not sneaky.”

  “I could try it out,” Moose said.

  “Look,” Holt said. “We’re going to have plenty of police backup. We’ll get as close as we can. We need to catch them in the act, confirm they’re running a chop shop, or doing bad things to good cars, and then we can all move in. The police can do the arresting, get their photo op for the media, and we can all go home, happy and safe. No heroes today, okay? I want everyone in one piece. Watch each other’s backs. Protect each other. No unnecessary risks. Everyone understand?”

  The entire crew mumbled their understanding.

  “Gear up,” Holt said. “We move in ten.”

  Max got up with the rest of the crew to get ready to move out. Holt stopped her. “Max, I know you’ve been working this case hard from the beginning. I put more on you than was probably fair. I want you to know, you did a great job.”

  “But, H, we don’t know if we’ve caught the bad guys,” Max said. “You can’t judge my performance yet.”

  “Yes, I can,” Holt said. She was proud of what Max had done. She’d grown by leaps and bounds on this case. She’d made mistakes, like they all had on their first case in the field, but she had come through at the most important time. Holt had learned a lot about Max, and she liked everything she saw.

  “Thanks, H. But if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to reserve judgment until we get these bastards.”

  “Suit yourself,” Holt said. “Let’s go get ’em.”

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Dubs couldn’t remember ever having an adrenaline rush quite like this. The moment Holt said “gear up,” her heart rate shot up and she had been riding the high ever since. She felt like she was in a superhero action movie. She didn’t believe this stuff actually happened in real life. What were they going to do when they got there? She didn’t have a gun. Neither did Holt or Max. She didn’t know about anyone else, but it seeme
d unlikely that they were going to be going in guns blazing.

  She didn’t have long to wait. Nothing was far away from anything else in Rhode Island. They parked a few blocks away from the building they were targeting. The state police were there too, in unmarked cars. Dubs knew some of them were SWAT. She had grown up being forced to learn to recognize police officers in crowds. Her father made her practice at the mall, movie theaters, restaurants, anywhere there were crowds of people.

  “You two are with me,” Holt said to Max and Dubs. “We’re moving ahead together and scouting. We’ll radio back what we see.”

  Dubs could tell Moose and Lola weren’t happy with that plan. They didn’t seem to want to let Holt go off on her own, particularly with novices. She admired their loyalty to their friend. It was the kind of dedication to each other that she had been observing over and over since she had joined this team. She and Levi had that kind of bond, but outside of that, there was no one she felt connected to, and she and Levi had been practically family. But now, she was a part of this crew, and integrated into its inner workings. She understood, or at least thought she was starting to understand, what it meant to feel like she belonged to something important and meaningful. She liked the feeling, and she liked watching how each crewmember cared for each other and was completely dedicated to Holt.

  They made their way to the mill building, first along the sidewalk, then picked their way through an alley, then crawled carefully across an overgrown field, and Dubs was glad Max hadn’t insisted on the handcuffs today.

  She tried to follow Holt and Max’s lead and stay low to the ground and behind as many natural obstacles as possible, but this was a skill set that didn’t come naturally to her. Luckily, there were plenty of natural barriers, and when they reached a decent observation point, it seemed as though they had made it without notice.