Bullets and Beads

by Jana DeLeon

  “I agree that going anywhere tonight isn’t the smart move,” Mannie said. “We can reconvene tomorrow and assess our options again. In the meantime, if you ladies need me, I will be right next door. Arm the system as soon as I leave.”

  He left and I locked the door behind him and armed the security system.

  “I’m really sorry, guys,” I said as I slumped onto a barstool.

  “About what?” Gertie asked. “You didn’t do this. Your father is the big stinker this time. God knows, you have more reason to want him in handcuffs than anyone else on earth. No one else suffered more loss at his hands than you did.”

  “I doubt the federal government sees it that way,” I said. “In the big scheme of things, I don’t matter. Not as his daughter, anyway. Even as an operative, I was only as good as the mission I was currently on. People are numbers to the government.”

  “Well, some of those numbers are more important than others,” Gertie said.

  “To us, of course,” Ida Belle said. “But I’m afraid she’s right when it comes to the big whirling machine that is our government.”

  “So what do we do?” Gertie asked. “We can’t just sit here and wait for something to happen. That’s not how we operate.”

  “No, it’s not,” I agreed. “But unfortunately, I don’t have an answer.”

  “Are you going to tell Carter?” Ida Belle asked.

  “I don’t have a choice,” I said.

  “I meant tonight,” Ida Belle said.

  I nodded. “I think I need to. It’s not fair for you guys and Mannie to be in the loop and to leave him out. Plus, he needs to be on alert in case people come looking for me in Sinful.”

  In a rare loss-of-control moment, I picked up my shot glass and hurled it across the apartment, where it shattered against the fireplace. Ida Belle’s and Gertie’s eyes widened but they didn’t say anything. I got off the stool and headed across the living room.

  “I’m going to call Carter and then try to think of what to do,” I said as I walked.

  I had zero idea how I was supposed to accomplish either with any success.

  Carter didn’t answer, so I left a message asking him to call when he had an opportunity to talk. I didn’t tell him it was an emergency, because at that very moment, it wasn’t. I was safe in Big’s apartment, with a great alarm system, excellent dead bolts, two roommates armed to the hilt, and Mannie just next door. The governor probably didn’t have security that good.

  I flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. What the hell was I going to do?

  When I’d had my showdown with Ahmad, my biggest fear was that someone close to me would get caught in the cross fire. And when it was over, and my side suffered no casualties, I was thrilled and thankful.

  I never thought I’d be facing the same thing all over again.

  And it wasn’t just Carter, Ida Belle, Gertie, and now Mannie who could get caught in the fray. Anyone in Sinful could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And if the enemy got desperate, they might even take someone close to me to extort information. For the first time in a very long time, I thought about packing a bag and disappearing.

  I kept a decent amount of cash on hand, as well as fake identifications, including Social Security cards, passports, and driver’s licenses. I’d had some issued by the CIA, of course, but these I’d acquired on the side. The CIA could easily track what they’d issued, and as I’d learned the hard way, sometimes the enemy was in your own camp. So I’d created an out for myself and kept them handy and updated, just in case I needed to become a ghost.

  I sighed. From spook to ghost. Was that going to be my life?

  I couldn’t remember the last time I was this angry. It might have been when my mom died. Then, I was angry at everyone—God for taking her, the doctors for not being able to save her, and her for leaving me. When my father was presumed dead, I was sad and scared, but not angry. Not even at him, even though he was the sole parent to a minor child and continued to put himself in jeopardy.

  But boy was I mad at him now.

  I thought I’d experienced the worst of my anger when Morrow called and told me he was still alive. I’d ranted most of the night to Carter, who was a sympathetic ear and not only in complete agreement, but angry on my behalf. But when I saw my father on that street corner, staring at me, every feeling of dismissal, apathy, and neglect from my childhood coursed through me, sending me over that railing and after him without a thought to anything else but making him answer for what he’d done.

  Making him answer for ruining my life a second time.

  I was an hour into thinking and still no closer to a solution when my phone rang.

  Carter.

  I took a deep breath. This was going to be bad.

  “I assume since you called me from your cell that you managed to stay out of jail,” he said.

  I cursed my father again for rendering me unable to appreciate the joke and for having to spoil Carter’s seemingly good mood.

  “We’re all handcuff-free and in for the night,” I said.

  “Did you find a place close to the Quarter?”

  “Even better. We stopped to chat with Big Hebert on the way to New Orleans, and he lent us his apartment, which is right on the parade route. Huge balcony and all.”

  “You stopped just to chat with Big Hebert?”

  “Yes. We chat sometimes. He likes me. Why else would he lend us his apartment? He could probably be getting a million dollars for this place right now. The master bathroom shower is bigger than my living room. But I also wanted to check in with Mannie and fill him in on my father.”

  “I think that’s a good call.”

  “Yeah, well, something’s happened.”

  “What?” His voice was immediately tense.

  “I saw my father.”

  He must have moved the phone away from his mouth but I still heard the cussing.

  “When and where?” he asked. “Give me all the details.”

  I told him the entire story, down to a somewhat modified version of Mannie’s arrival. I did tell Carter that Mannie was staying in the apartment next door. I just didn’t reveal that his arrival had been somewhat before I’d ever caught sight of my father. When I was done, he was silent for so long that I checked my phone to make sure we were still connected.

  Finally, I heard him exhale.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  I blinked. It was the absolute last thing I expected. Where was the yelling, the admonishments, the outright what-the-heck-were-you-thinkings? Just when I thought I knew Carter LeBlanc, he surprised me. I blinked again, this time because I was getting a little teary.

  “I’m all right,” I said finally. “I mean…I don’t even know.”

  “I can’t even imagine. How do you settle for one thing? Surprised. Angry. Sad. Confused.”

  “All of the above and a few more. I’ve got a pretty good case of whiplash.”

  “Yeah. Well, at least you guys are safe. I have no doubt Big Hebert installed the best security system available and despite my misgivings about your odd and sketchy friendship, I’m glad you’re in his place. And even more glad that Mannie is watching out.”

  And there he went and surprised me again.

  “So am I,” I said. “More eyes are never a bad thing, especially when they have Mannie’s résumé. I told you he’s going to have Ida Belle’s SUV checked out and remove the tracker we figure is on it, but that’s almost symbolic. You know what this means.”

  “Your father knows where you live.”

  “Exactly. So what do we do about that?”

  “Honestly? I have no idea. I have to admit that even though I figured a man with your father’s connection and skill set could easily locate you, I never really thought he’d come looking for you.”

  “Neither did I,” I said. “I was sorta expecting the other side, you know?”

  “Me too.”

  There was silence again and I knew Carter was
trying to process everything. Given that I’d just spent over an hour lying here and still hadn’t made sense of any of it, I doubted he was going to come to a revelation during our conversation.

  “What could he possibly want?” I asked. “No way will I ever buy a father-daughter reunion. Dwight Redding has never been sorry for anything a day in his life. I don’t care what he’s been doing for the last fourteen years. Nothing changes a person’s character.”

  “Maybe he wants to warn you that people will come looking. There’s a huge gap between ducking out on being a father and letting your child get hurt on your account.”

  “I was in danger from Ahmad. You think he wasn’t aware of that? I never heard a peep out of him then.”

  “Since we don’t know what he’s been up to, we can’t be sure he was in a position to get information to you. And besides, the threat from Ahmad was well known. It wasn’t like you needed to hear it from him.”

  I sighed. “Look. I appreciate what you’re trying to do but it’s not going to work. And you don’t have to try to cushion the blow for me. There’s nothing to cushion. I figured out who my father was a long time ago. All these latest events do is up the ante.”

  “I’m sorry, Fortune.” His voice was low and broke just a little when he said my name.

  I felt my heart clench because I could feel how much he meant it. This man loved me and would lay down his life for me. Of that, I had no doubt. It was a little overwhelming and yet at the same time, I couldn’t imagine how I lived before this.

  “I’m sorry too,” I said. “Morrow can deal with my father. He’s the CIA’s problem as far as I’m concerned. But I won’t be able to live with myself if this falls out on the people I care about. How can I protect them? That’s my priority.”

  “Our priority. For starters, when you get back home, I’m moving in for a while. When I’m not at work, I’ll be with you.”

  “What about Tiny?”

  “He and Merlin can hang out.”

  “That might be worse than the terrorists gaining entry.”

  “Fine,” Carter said. “He can stay with my mom for a while. But you know we’re going to have to introduce them sooner or later. Unless you plan on living in separate houses forever.”

  “I, uh…I guess I hadn’t thought about it.”

  Good Lord, I’d only just gotten used to being in a serious relationship. And yeah, we spent some nights at each other’s houses. But officially cohabitating was a place my mind hadn’t gone yet.

  “You plan on breaking up with me?” he asked.

  “We’re not sixteen, Carter. Adults don’t ‘break up.’”

  “They do on those reality shows.”

  For the first time in hours, I felt a smile tug at my lips and I knew I was on my way back from the dark side.

  “You watch reality shows?” I asked. “I wasn’t planning on breaking up before, but I might have to consider it now.”

  He chuckled just a tiny bit, probably more for my benefit than because what I’d said was actually funny.

  “Nothing is going to happen to you or the people you care about,” he said. “You can trust me on that.”

  “I know.”

  And the best part was, I wasn’t even lying when I said it. Not even a little bit.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was close to midnight when I walked into the living room. Ida Belle and Gertie had moved from the barstools to the couch and were drinking hot chocolate.

  “I can make you one,” Gertie said.

  “That would be great,” I said.

  “We stayed on the barstools for a while,” Gertie said as she stood, “but then our heinies went to sleep so we had to opt for the couch.”

  “I think it’s fine,” I said, and sat in a recliner. “I was just reacting like my training told me to. And Ida Belle is right. If the guys looking for my father were watching us, I’d know. I’m sure they’re not far behind, though.”

  “There’s a cheerful thought,” Gertie said and popped a cup in the microwave.

  “What did Carter have to say?” Ida Belle asked.

  “He was shocked,” I said. “But what can he say—‘sucks your father’s a butthole and came back from the dead to ruin your life’?”

  “That’s a little more polite than I would have put it,” Gertie said.

  Ida Belle nodded. “Did you tell him about the tracker on my SUV and Mannie being here?”

  “I told him everything he needed to know but not necessarily in the order they happened,” I said.

  “Meaning you didn’t tell him Mannie was already here before we called,” Ida Belle said. “Or that you gave him the lowdown on your father in your kitchen last night.”

  “No. I told him I filled Mannie in when we stopped to chat with Big.”

  “Smart,” Ida Belle said. “We need Carter at 100 percent. We can’t have even one ounce of him focusing on his aggravation over your relationship with the Heberts and Mannie.”

  “I don’t think he’s focused on it at all for a change,” I said. “In fact, he said he was glad Mannie was here and that we were staying in Big’s place as the security would be top-notch.”

  “Did he have any thoughts?” Ida Belle asked.

  “Nothing that we haven’t already considered,” I said. “How could he? We don’t really know anything. Not where my father has been for the last fourteen years, what he’s been doing, or more importantly, who he’s been doing it for. It’s all a black hole. And without more information, I don’t see how we could do anything but speculate.”

  “And unfortunately, most of the speculation is bad,” Ida Belle said.

  Gertie returned with my hot chocolate. “And the only person who can give us information is the one man we can’t just pick up the phone and call.”

  Ida Belle shook her head. “I just don’t understand what he could possibly want from you. If he needs to tell you something that badly and refuses to do it by phone, mail, carrier pigeon, or whatever, then why did he hide when you went after him? That was the golden opportunity for a face-to-face with no one around to back you up.”

  “I wish I knew,” I said. “I’ve thought about it until my head hurts, but I can’t think of a single reason that he has any use for me. And no way do I believe it’s personal.”

  My cell phone signaled an incoming text and I pulled it out, figuring it was Carter.

  It was Mannie.

  Are you still awake? I have some information for you.

  I sent a reply.

  Yep. Still up. Come over and fill us all in at the same time.

  I didn’t get a response so I took that to mean he was on his way. I jumped up from the couch and headed to the door, then realized I’d left Ida Belle and Gertie sitting there, slightly startled and wondering what the heck was going on.

  “Mannie’s on his way,” I said.

  His knock sounded by the time I reached the door. I looked through the peephole to verify it was him before turning off the alarm and letting him in.

  “We should establish a code word,” I said.

  “Agreed,” Mannie said.

  “Why would you do that?” Gertie asked.

  “Because people can be easily summoned, then shot through a peephole,” I said. “Please don’t ask me how I know.”

  Gertie’s eyes widened and she nodded.

  Mannie sat with us in the living room and looked at Ida Belle.

  “I found the tracker on your vehicle,” he said.

  “That was fast,” Ida Belle said.

  “You’re good!” Gertie said, and I added a nod of agreement.

  “I appreciate the compliments, but it wasn’t that difficult,” he said. “For a device to be well hidden, you need time, and since Ida Belle keeps her SUV in the garage at night, that only leaves opportunity when she’s parked somewhere else.”

  “Can we shoot it?” Gertie asked.

  Mannie smiled. “Despite everything that’s going on in the city right now, I think
a round of gunfire in this neighborhood would still stand out.”

  Gertie looked a bit disappointed. “The police are always in the way of good fun.”

  “In cases like this, you don’t want to destroy it,” Mannie said. “It’s better to misdirect. So this is what we’ll do. Since we have to assume you’re under visual observation, Redding will know when you leave but he won’t follow because he doesn’t think he has to. When you ladies leave New Orleans to return to Sinful, I’ll remove the device from your vehicle and place it on one of my people’s cars. They will leave the city when you do but once they reach the interstate, will head in the opposite direction.”

  “Can we reverse that?” Gertie said. “Your guy can go to Sinful and we’ll just continue on down the interstate to Florida.”

  “Either can be arranged,” Mannie said. “But I’m going to hazard a guess that Fortune isn’t up for a vacation at the moment.”

  “Gertie doesn’t even need to show her face in that state after our last vacation,” Ida Belle said. “They’ve seen enough of the rest of her as well.”

  “So I’ll play down my sexy and buy a one-piece this time,” Gertie said.

  “As much as I am tempted to go flop down on a beach for a while, we’re not taking a vacation,” I said. “My father aside, in case you’ve forgotten, we have a murder in Sinful and we can’t be sure another isn’t forthcoming. We need to get as much information as we can on that.”

  Mannie frowned. “Yeah, that’s the second thing. Since we had surnames, I made some calls about Natalia, Annika, and Katia. All three were recruited out of college to work for the same corporation—Natalia in marketing, Annika in the internal training department, and Katia in sales. It’s based in Russia but has offices internationally.”

  “What’s the line of business?” I asked.

  “I found several—commercial and residential properties, hedge fund investing, some film and television interests, a marketing branch that handles advertising for their own lines as well as for other corporations, and a sales department for unloading the real estate when they were ready to turn it.”