by Carsen Taite
Well, I guess she was scared too. Except suddenly, I wasn’t scared anymore. Hearing her say it first had a strange effect. It made me bold. Like I could say it now without risk. And I wanted to say it. My lips even started to form the words.
I love you, Jessica Chance. I think I’ve always loved you. When I heard the words in my head, they sounded right, but not for right now, because if I said it now, it would be like I was just saying it because she had. Right? I mean, shouldn’t I wait and say it without being prompted? Like it was my own idea.
Okay, so I wasn’t going to say it, but I wasn’t going to say something stupid either. I had no idea how much time had passed with Jess waiting while her words hung in the air, waiting to see if they would find their mark or land with a thud. I may not be ready to say it back, but I could show her how she made me feel.
I kissed her. Gently. I took my time, enjoying the way she melted into my embrace. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t rushed. We had all night. We had longer even. If what she’d said was true, we had a very long time. I undressed her and did it slowly, taking time to look at her, feel every inch of her. The scar on her shoulder, the soft skin and the strong muscles just beneath. Her blue eyes were midnight, her gaze hazy. I knew her, I wanted her, I…
Three little words. Should be nothing to say them out loud, but I couldn’t. Not right now.
Just because I didn’t say it doesn’t mean I didn’t feel it. I hoped she knew me well enough to know that was true.
*
I woke up the next morning curled around Jess. I would have stayed that way, but for the insistent paw at my back. I motioned to Cash to be quiet and eased out of bed and into my clothes, wishing we’d gotten a room on the ground floor of the hotel.
Turned out I was grateful for the time spent walking the dog. Away from Jess’s willing body, I had a chance to think, literally in the light of day. I felt like a different person. I should’ve wanted to run away after last night. A few weeks ago, after any kind of discussion about feelings, I would have lit out at the first chance, but here I was, anxious to get back to bed. Back to Jess. She’d told me she loved me. I knew she hadn’t meant the platonic crap she was supposed to feel for a close friend. But even knowing that, I’d stuck around. I amazed myself and I let the new me think about what would happen next. And I made a big decision.
I whistled for Cash who’d found a potential rabbit hole, and he reluctantly joined me to return to the hotel. When we got back to the room, Jess was still in bed, but awake now. She looked a little surprised to see me walk through the door. “You didn’t think I was coming back.”
She grinned. “Maybe. Maybe I just hoped you’d bring coffee.”
I wasn’t great at this having someone around the morning after thing. Even Jess had a habit of taking off while I was still catching z’s. “I’m sorry. I can get some and be right back.”
She patted the bed. “I was kidding. Room service is on the way. I optimistically ordered enough for two.”
I stayed dressed until the guy came and unloaded his tray. Jess had ordered eggs, bacon, and pancakes with an extra side of eggs for Cash. Those two loved each other for sure.
I watched her eat, paying close attention to her tiny quirks like the way she had to have a taste of everything in each bite or how she doctored her coffee. I’d known all this stuff, but I’d never thought it was so damn adorable before. I had it bad.
“Aren’t you hungry?” She pointed at my still full plate.
“Sure, but you look like you might stab me with your fork if I try to eat any of this.”
“Ha. Eat. You’re making me feel like a pig.”
I ate for diversion mostly, but the food was good. Everything about this morning was good.
When her plate was empty, Jess tossed her fork down and leaned back on the bed. “I can’t remember ever being that hungry. So, what’s your plan for today?”
An innocent question any other day, but the morning after she’d said she loved me, the simple inquiry was loaded with innuendo. Luckily, I’d prepared.
“I want to spend the day with you…”
“I hear a big ‘but.’”
I nodded. “But there’s something I need to do first. Before we can…you know…” I’d decided I was going to cut ties with Ronnie. I’d give her my notes—after I transferred them from napkins to regular paper, and I’d add up my time and give her the balance of her money back. Jess wasn’t asking me to, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Curiosity wasn’t a good enough reason to risk what could be, and the way Nancy had been acting didn’t inspire me to stick with it for her sake. I prayed Jess would accept my vague explanation about today and know I’d be back when I took care of business, but I didn’t want to have to spell it out.
Her hand tugged at my shirt and she pulled me back into the bed, then rolled over to top me. I lay on my back while she loomed over. “Okay, but tonight”—she reached down and gave me a maple syrup kiss—“you’ll come over tonight.”
I could see it in her eyes. She was still hungry and not for pancakes. “Fuck yes.”
Chapter Eighteen
No one was answering their phone. Figured that when I’d finally made up my mind to take some action, no one was around to help out.
Diamond, I understood. She rarely ever answered when I called, preferring instead to call back and catch me unaware. Ronnie, on the other hand, I would’ve expected to be waiting by the phone to see if I’d found out anything from Jackson’s ex. When my call to her went to voice mail, I left a cryptic message designed to get her to call me back right away. The sooner I was off this case, the sooner I could figure out what was next between Jess and me.
Thirty minutes later, I heard a knock at the door. Typical of Ronnie to decide to show up in person in response to a phone message. Probably for the best. Our professional breakup would be more challenging this way, but I was up for it. I threw open the door and started in before she had a chance to speak.
Except it wasn’t her.
It wasn’t anyone. I looked around, but there was no sign of whoever had committed the knock and run. I started to shut the door when I saw a plain brown envelope leaning against the doorframe. The last envelope delivered to my door had a big fat check in it so I didn’t hesitate to open this one, hoping for a second win.
No such luck. Whoever had written this message had a flair for the dramatic, but it had nothing to do with finances. The note, spelled out with letters clipped from magazines, was only two lines:
Stop asking questions and stay away from your cop girlfriend if you want her to live.
I would’ve laughed at the crazy threat, but something about the crooked, uneven letters spooked me. It was all so very serial killer. I’d expected reactions like Perez’s—typical protests from the loyal brotherhood, but this? This note came from someone with a screw loose. Normal folks don’t cut out letters from magazines and spend time arranging them into ominous warnings. Cop girlfriend. Had to mean Jess.
Before I could give it any more thought, my phone rang. Ronnie. She started talking before I could get in a “hello.”
“Luca, I need you. It’s Jorge. It’s bad.” She spat out an address, said come quickly. She was off the line before I could process what had happened. I stared at the note in my hand. I wasn’t about to stay away from Jess, but the stop asking questions part? I was all for that, but I needed a few answers before I could stand down.
I poured some food for Cash and made sure he had fresh water. He wove in and out of my legs while I tended to him, no doubt sensing something was up, but I wasn’t taking him this time. For all I knew, I was walking into another trap like the meet with Jackson. I checked out the Colt, put a twenty-two in my boot, and grabbed a shotgun to put in the special compartment in the Bronco.
I recognized the address. It wasn’t far from where Ronnie’s parents lived, and I guessed it was Jorge’s house. That seemed like a good sign. If someone had gunned him down, like they had Jackson,
he’d probably be at the hospital or the morgue, not his own place. If the creepy note hadn’t come within minutes of Ronnie’s call, I probably would’ve blown her off, but my gut told me they were related. I hoped I was wrong and that this field trip would just be a good way for me to see Ronnie and quit the case.
A few minutes later, I pulled up in front of a modest bungalow with a detached garage. There were several cars in the drive, so I parked on the street. I was barely out of the car before Ronnie came running over. She grabbed me by the arm and started dragging me toward the house. I dug in and yanked her back. “What’s going on?”
“Jorge is inside. The ambulance was just here. Mama went with them. We called the cops and they sent some jerk-off who stayed all of fifteen minutes before deciding it was just a kid’s prank. You’ve got to do something.”
I shook her, but it still took a minute for her eyes to lose their wild and crazy and focus on mine. “Ronnie, you’re not making any sense. Who was in the ambulance?”
“Esmeralda, Jorge’s wife.” She took a deep breath. “Someone threw a brick through the window, and she was cut by a piece of flying glass.”
It did sound like a kid’s prank. “Did anyone see who did it?”
“No, but they heard a car speed away. Mama was here, but she went to the hospital with Esmeralda, and she took the baby with her. Jorge wanted to go, but I wanted him here so he could talk to you.”
This wasn’t my territory, but I didn’t want to say it straight out for fear of upsetting her more. “He called the police?”
“For all the good that did. They sent a patrol cop, a mere child. This was probably the first call of his career. He didn’t even take the note with him when he left.”
“Note? What are you talking about?”
“Oh, damn. That’s the most important thing.” She pulled on my arm again. “Come on.”
Once inside the house, she led me to the kitchen where Jorge sat at a small table, his head in his arms. He looked up as we entered and shook his head. “This has got to stop.”
Ronnie took the seat next to him and motioned for me to sit across from them. I watched her pat him on the arm and heard him moan about his troubles. I didn’t want to be here. Jorge should buck up and use his cop training to figure a way out of his own mess. The only thing that kept me sitting was the mention of a note and the fact I’d gotten one myself less than an hour ago. “Let me see the note.”
Jorge pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. Dumbass had probably put his hands all over it. How the hell had he ever made detective? He started to hand it to me, but I motioned for him to put it down in front of me.
When I saw the uneven cutout letters, I gripped the side of the table. Accept your punishment or people you care about will get hurt.
“What’s wrong?” Ronnie asked.
“Tell me everything that happened. Every detail.”
Jorge walked me through it. He’d been sitting in the living room watching TV. Esmeralda came in the room to tell him something, and the brick came flying through the window. It hadn’t hit anyone, but a large shard of glass had struck her in the head. Jorge looked out the window, but all he saw was the back of a dark sedan flying down the street. He called 911 and gave a statement to the responding officer. The officer glanced at the note, but hadn’t asked any questions about motive, and when Jorge tried to talk to him, he said he had all he needed and if there was anything else, a detective would follow up. The paramedics told Esmeralda she’d need stitches, so Mrs. Moreno had gone with her to the emergency room.
Based on his timeline, he’d gotten his ominous warning about the same time I’d gotten mine, the only real difference was method of delivery. It wasn’t a coincidence, and I was sufficiently spooked. I spent the next half hour grilling Jorge, but he didn’t waver. He professed to have no clue about who would have set him up, and he insisted he had no idea why he’d been singled out. I was convinced there was more to it than random selection, and I was determined to find out the common denominator.
I pointed at the note. “Don’t touch that again. Use a glove, something, and put it in a plastic bag and give it to me.”
“What are you going to do with it?” Ronnie asked.
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Shouldn’t we keep it in case a detective calls?”
Damn, she was persistent. I drew Jorge into the conversation. “No detective is going to call, right, Jorge?”
He looked up at me, but I couldn’t read his expression. Lost, angry, scared. The mixture didn’t translate. “Jorge, if you know what this note means, you need to tell me, right now. Other people are at risk, not just your family.”
He shook his head. “I don’t have a clue, other than whoever did this wants me to take the rap and do it quietly. What makes you think I know more?”
“Because no one threatened to hurt you, which means keeping you alive is valuable.” Maybe it was as simple as keeping him around to take the heat, but wouldn’t it be just as easy to blame the fake drug fiasco on a dead guy? I didn’t care so much about Jorge’s safety, but my resolution to walk away from this case was fading in the face of the threat to Jess. The note I’d received had threatened her if I didn’t cut ties, stop asking questions. If I did what he wanted, how could I be sure that whatever whackjob was behind these threats would keep his end of the bargain?
I couldn’t, but I was determined to find out.
*
I sent enough texts to blow up Diamond’s phone and then curled up with Cash to wait. When she finally called, she started talking before I could say hello.
“Luca, what the hell?”
“We need to talk.”
“So talk.”
“In person. I’m fairly certain my place is being watched. Use your super secret undercover skills to figure out how you can talk to me, face-to-face without anyone knowing. You owe me, remember?”
I heard a heavy sigh. “Are you at home?”
“Yes.”
“Stay there and give me thirty minutes. I’ll send you a text with the location.”
It was afternoon, way past lunchtime, but for the first time in forever, I wasn’t hungry. Judging by the amount of food left in Cash’s bowl, he wasn’t either. Since the phone had rung, he kept moving from the door back to the couch and nudging me with his long nose. He wanted me to know he was going with next time.
How was it this dog and I had gotten to know each other so well in less than two weeks, but it had taken Jess and me forever to figure out we were in love?
The text from Diamond was short. 451 Riverfront. In back. Leave now.
Not so long ago, Riverfront Drive used to be called Industrial Avenue. That was before the city decided the nearby swampy Trinity River was going to become a world-class playground with parks and shops and restaurants. Didn’t matter what the city’s plans were, changing the name of a street didn’t change the fact that it was bordered by the huge county jail, dozens of bail bond agencies, liquor stores, and grimy warehouses. The address Diamond had given me was for one of those warehouses.
I drove by a couple of times. There were no cars out front, but since she’d told me to meet her out back, I didn’t think it was a big deal. Still, I was hesitant, the recent shooting still fresh in my mind. “What do you think, Cash? Should we check it out?”
He mumbled a reply, and I decided it amounted to a reluctant yes. I pulled to the side of the building and turned the car off. The car didn’t have time to cool before Diamond knocked on the passenger side window. I unlocked the door and she slid into the front seat.
“Drive around back. There’s a place you can pull in and we can talk in private.”
“I don’t think I was followed.”
“You weren’t.”
Her hard look told me not to ask, but now I knew I hadn’t been smart enough to spot the tail she must’ve had on me. I wanted to know why she’d had me followed, but it wasn’t as important as the reason I’d called her in
the first place. Once I parked in back, I launched into the spiel I’d planned on the drive over. “I think you’re lying when you say you don’t know where Roberto Garcia is.” I voiced an idea that had been eating at me. “I think he may even be working for your side.”
She didn’t blink, so I kept going. “I also think you’re lying when you act like you don’t know anything about Jorge Moreno’s case.”
She started to interject, but I held up a hand and kept talking. “I don’t care about either of those things right now.” I shoved both of the whacko notes at her. “All I need to know right now is whether these are real threats.”
She stared at both pieces of paper for a long time, starting and finishing with the one I’d received. The one threatening Jess. Finally, she looked at me, her expression both serious and sympathetic. “Yes, they’re real.”
“So if I keep looking into Jorge Moreno’s case, if I don’t stay away from her, Jess could be in danger.”
“Yes.”
I needed to hear her say it, but it didn’t stop my gut from twisting when she delivered the bad news. “Do you know who’s behind this?”
“I have a theory.”
“And I guess you don’t plan to share your theory with me?”
“Luca…”
“Just say it.”
“No. I can’t talk to you about an ongoing investigation.”
The inflection was slight, and maybe I was grasping at straws, but I was desperate for clues. Desperate for some sign telling me what to do. Maybe Diamond couldn’t tell me anything directly, but maybe her reactions would give me some sense as to whether I was hot or cold. I held my hand out for the notes, but she held them just out of my reach.
“I need those back.”
“What are you going to do with them?” she asked.
“I know people on the force. Jess is a cop. They protect their own.”
“That’s true. And some will go to great lengths to protect their own.”
Ah, I was starting to get her innuendo. That whatever threat I faced, whatever threat Jess faced, was likely to come from someone she wouldn’t suspect. Was Diamond telling me cops were in on whatever was going on?