by A. R. Case
Susan took the magnets from Tony and rolled them in her hand. “We cut these out of a toddler. Good thing we didn’t throw them away.” She frowned as she put them back on the refrigerator. “Crank is in recovery. You can’t go in, because he needs to rest.”
“I’m taking Alexis home,” Chris said.
“How you getting there?” Tony asked.
“Cab or something. Don’t care.” He looked at Mills. “You got your in, huh?”
The agent nodded.
“Then you don’t need me. Fuck off.”
“What’s this business venture I heard about?”
Chris glared at him. “None of your fucking business.”
Mills frowned. “Hey, what about the dogs? They’re still in the truck, and my car is still on 322.”
“Chris? Can we take them home? Please? They protected me, and Fritz needs to be checked out by a vet.” Alexis moved back to look him in the eyes.
He rubbed his hands down her arms. “What happened to your shirt, and…your coat?”
“Ghost.” She shrugged. “At least it was the crappy black one this time.”
He shook his head, the motion brushing against her. He whispered, “I need you home.”
“I know, but can we please bring Snick and Fritz?” she whispered back.
He kissed her. “We’ll take the dogs.” Chris swallowed his pride. “Tony, can I borrow your truck?”
~~~~~~~
An hour later.
Mills settled into the crappy cushioned chair. Tony left with his wife when Susan’s shift ended. Chris no doubt was buying dog food or at the vet because there’s no way Alexis would let them suffer. And him? He was waiting.
The storm was going to break soon. Only the DeSantos brothers and their women knew Crank was here. Not his boss, nor the Brigands. They were clouds on the horizon. Closer still, was the fallout of Alexis’s kidnapping. If he read Chris correctly, there would be a point either tonight or tomorrow when all that anger under the surface came out. When it did, it would point at Ghost. He was sitting here in the half-dark, trying to remember why that would be a bad thing.
Crank stirred.
Mills filled a glass with water. There was a handy paper straw for it. “You thirsty?”
“Did I talk?”
“No. You were out.”
“You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”
“I try not to lie,” Mills answered. That might change with his new role, but it hadn’t officially started yet.
“Good. Give me that water.” He opened his mouth and let Mills hold the glass. “Ah.” His head sank back into the pillows and he spoke even though his eyes were closed. “Need you to call some folks. Tell them I said you are one of my dogs in case they ask. I pick up strays if they’re useful.”
“Why?”
“I told you, you’re useful.”
“How, then?”
Crank sighed. “Things are going wrong. I’m setting them right before I die, otherwise, all I did don’t mean shit.”
“Wrong how?”
“Nosy fucker, ain’t you?” He groaned and tried to turn to his side but couldn’t.
“You need to rest.”
“Not arguing with you, but I also need you to make those calls. You need them, too.”
“I need to call my boss, get this cleared.”
“Do what you need. First call, Redd, Philly.”
Mills shook his head. “You just got out of surgery.”
“And I’m high as a kite and in fucking pain, so it’s no fucking fun. Call, Dog.”
“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”
Crank opened one eye. “Damn straight you are. But not as much as you’ll regret not going undercover.”
Chris must have told him a whole lot. Right now, that little voice telling Mills to let DeSantos go after Ghost was taking over his better judgment. He made the calls he needed to, and the one to his boss. That one was a long one. By the end, his conscience was working again.
~~~~~~~
The dogs explored the condo. Fritz found the food and water in the kitchen. He slobbered the kibble outside his bowl. Snick sniffed the corners and was now sniffing under the door.
“She smells Tot from next door.”
“Mrs. Wheldon’s dog?”
“Yup.”
Chris looked from Snick to Fritz, who was now drooling on the carpet, still chomping away. “You couldn’t be smart like her, so you’re what? Pretty?” The dog opened his mouth in a doggy grin and some of the half-chewed food dripped to the floor.
“Aw, big sweetie.” Alexis patted the dog’s head as she rummaged in the kitchen. She came out with a dog biscuit in hand.
Fritz watched her, his tail wagging and hitting everything in its way, including the garbage can, which teetered as it got shoved farther from where Chris tucked it next to cabinets.
He followed her to the door and Snick, who was still sniffing under the door. “Snick.” Alexis held the treat close to her nose. The dog, temporarily distracted, sat waiting for the treat. Alexis made her wait. “I know you can’t understand this, but you are the smartest, bravest dog I’ve ever met. This,” she wiggled the small bone, “isn’t nearly enough for what you did today.”
She patted Fritz’s head while Snick chomped down the treat. Another treat came out and while Fritz didn’t sit nearly as well as Snick had, he got one with his praise, too. Alexis ended up sitting on the floor between both dogs, looking a bit lost.
“He drool that all over the floor in there?” Chris craned his head, already knowing the answer. Alexis swiped her eyes before answering.
“You didn’t mean to drool, did you, big guy? You just have the wrong type of lips to hold the food in.” To prove it, she coaxed the monster dog around with a pretend treat and managed to get her fingers positioned around his mouth. Her voice pitched to match a cartoon dog voice. “If I’b dibint hab lipsh, I’b wunna tawk like thibsh.”
The dog ruined her game by sitting in her lap, nearly knocking her over. Both dogs sniffed her, and Fritz was gobbling up the attention and licking her face.
Chris smiled, not quite ready to laugh yet. She was smiling but holding the dogs close. He’d seen the tears she tried to hide. The relief in her eyes when that lock clicked open hurt. Not physically hurt, but the pain made him rub his chest now. He couldn’t make it stop. What’s more, he didn’t know when she’d crumble again. When she did, he had to be ready, but he wasn’t ready. Nothing he’d known would make him ready for that, not even the pain he went through when he was shot. This was a completely new pain.
She pounced on him. Both dogs thought this meant they could be on the couch too, so he was being attacked on three sides. Snick, at least, didn’t slobber, but Alexis peppered him with kisses as Fritz’s tongue hit his ear. “What’s this for?”
“You looked lonely.” She switched back to her silly dog voice, “So we habz to lick you.”
“Ack! Stop.” They didn’t right away, not until he grabbed her and picked her up. Snick started barking. Chris froze.
“It’s okay, Snick.” Alexis made soothing noises to the dog.
“I don’t think that’s a good bark.” He took a tentative step toward his room. Alexis kept talking to Snick as he took another step.
“She’s being protective,” Alexis said between sweet noises.
“I thought that was just for Crank.”
“I don’t think so. I think it’s anyone she sees as pack. She went a little crazy when Ghost kicked Fritz.”
“I’m glad the vet said he’s okay.” He moved her into his room. Fritz bounded past to sniff more corners. Snick was quiet but didn’t take her eyes off him.
“Me too. You know, I think you’re being pretty protective right now, too.”
The side-eye he gave her spoke
volumes. “I wasn’t there.”
She slipped out of his arms. “You didn’t have to be. Crank had it covered.”
Chris sighed and sat on the bed. “What I don’t get is, why didn’t Mills arrest him?”
Alexis stared at him for a second. “There were at least eight against two, well four if you count the dogs. And only one cop. I think he did pretty well under the circumstances.”
A fist hit the bed. “No, he didn’t. He could have but didn’t. He’s more concerned with getting his fucking undercover assignment than keeping you safe or arresting Ghost for what he did. I mean, fuck!” The fist hit the bed again, making Alexis flinch. Snick made an unhappy noise. “He knows I didn’t kill Whitehead. He’s seen Ghost twice now, once in the middle of a felony, and not done jack shit.”
“Chris.”
“No, Alexis. Mills is bad news. He got my cousin’s boyfriend killed, and Crank got stabbed. He’s more interested in his fucking case, whatever it is, than protecting people. He’s not a good guy or even a good cop. What good is a fucking cop if they let the bad guys just do what they want?” He put his head in his hands. “Why even try?” The last part was mumbled into his hands.
Alexis trembled. “Chris, he did his best, and I’m here. I’m safe.”
He didn’t move.
“I’m safe, Chris.”
He pulled his head out of his hands. “No. You aren’t, not while Ghost still breathes. And it’s all my fault.”
Chapter 21 — Secrets
Redd made the trip from Philadelphia to visit Crank in the hospital.
Both men were deep in discussion. Mills held the newspaper Crank asked him to retrieve.
Asked being a relative term. More like ordered, like one of his dogs. It was part of the assignment, he told himself. He needed in. This was his in, and he’d deal with any non-felonious order Crank gave him. The orders, the errands, all got him close enough to listen.
“I don’t think he has enough of his father in him to murder someone,” Redd said.
“Love makes you stupid,” Crank groaned as he shifted in bed.
Daniel Mills set the paper down and straightened the sheet so it wasn’t under Crank’s hip.
“Good dog.”
Redd side-eyed Mills. “Stupidity aside, we put a man on him to keep him from doing it.”
“One ain’t going to be enough. He knows how to drop a tail. Doesn’t he, Dog?”
Mills glanced between Redd and Crank to try to read their faces. He knew the old man was fully aware of his profession but didn’t know if Redd had been looped in. That was the problem with this case. Too many people knew who he was here in Atlantic City.
“You had him tailed?” Redd saved him from answering.
The look Crank gave him before answering indicated the old man wasn’t going to let him off the hook. “Not me, this one. He’s got an interest in the club that ain’t healthy.”
Redd laughed. “Healthy or not, if we knew where Ghost was, this wouldn’t be an issue. Chris could stay home and take care of his little blue princess, and we’d have one less asshole shitting on our lawn. Don’t know where that kid went wrong. His father wasn’t such an idiot.”
“Except he couldn’t ride for shit.” Crank glared at Mills. “Another one who can’t ride for shit, right here.”
“How do you know?” Mills tried not to glare back at Crank.
“Do you ride?” Redd asked.
“Too cold right now. I have a Dyna in storage.”
Crank’s eyebrow rose. “When the weather gets warmer, you bring it out. I want to look at it, see if you’re shitting me.”
“Solid bike. It’s better than getting your tailbone shoved through your collar like some of those scooters the kids prefer,” Redd stated.
“Jap is crap.” The old man hit the button on his morphine. He let out a sigh. “Whew. This shit’s good.” He went quiet. His legs twitched a bit and his fingers curled up. “Riding. Remember that poker run we took to Marietta?” He smacked his lips. “Best burger I ever tasted. Waitress was fine, too.” His fingers twitched.
“Let me take Dog here off your hands for a bit, old man. I’ll get him and one of my boys to tail Prince and try to keep him out of trouble.”
Crank nodded. “Don’t let him know your secrets, though. He’s got too many ears. Big ears, like Dumbo.” He started mumbling a song.
Redd shook his head. “Get some rest.” He patted Crank’s hand. “He’ll be out of it for a while. Let’s go, Dog.”
~~~~~~~
Alexis was trapped between dog and man. Whether the dog was Snick or Fritz, it didn’t matter. She slipped her hand under the cover and felt the skin of Chris’s hip. The old scars there were hardly visible, but she could feel the ridges where he’d been cut open to replace shattered bone. Under her thumb was the dimpled, round hole where a bullet had gone in. Farther around, there were a series of scars. Two small incisions, and a larger jagged exit wound.
She’d gotten lucky, again.
A cold chill ran down her spine. Old fears were being stirred up by her unsettled mind. She started a riff in her mind to drown out the crazy.
“You okay?”
“I’m good. Got an idea for a song.”
Chris leaned away and turned on a light. He had two lamps, one on each matching nightstand. Each nightstand was pristine, except for his cell phone, and on her side, her cell phone. The dresser across the room had a tray for his watch and cuff links and other stuff like a bar he put on his tie. Everything had a place. She had her place, the right side of the bed, the right nightstand, the right lamp.
“You need paper, pen?”
“What?”
“To write it down?”
“Write what? Oh, the song.” She tried to remember the riff. It slipped through her mind’s fingers like sand. She felt like an idiot. He was looking at her. Now she felt guilty. She hated feeling guilty. “I’ll get it. You go back to sleep.”
She shoved Fritz off the bed. Surprisingly, Snick was down by Chris’s feet.
“I thought she didn’t like you.”
“She likes not being jostled when someone is having a bad dream.”
He could only mean her, and that meant she’d been having a nightmare, again.
“How long have you been up?”
He yawned. “I don’t think I slept yet.”
“Really? Why?”
His frown wasn’t pretty. “I remember how Ghost was back when we were probates. From what Mills told me, he’s been to prison since then, which means he’s gotten worse.” He went from staring at the comforter to glancing at her. “I’m so fucking glad you are okay. I’m really glad Crank got there with Mills. I’m pissed as hell he was the one there, and I’m even more pissed he didn’t just arrest all of them.”
“Are you pissed at me?”
“No.”
She had to ask. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” He moved closer. “I’m worried about you.”
“I seriously don’t need worrying about.” Her tone was deliberately indifferent.
He stared at her.
“You’re staring.”
He kept staring.
“It’s creepy.”
The dimple made a brief appearance. “Trying not to be creepy, but I’m also trying to figure out why you are lying to me.”
Damn him. “How do you know I’m lying?”
“Your voice gets higher, but it is always the same pitch.”
“You are wrong. I could lie to you and you wouldn’t know.”
And he was back to staring at her. One eyebrow lifted up. “Try me.”
“It won’t work if you’re expecting it.” Just to prove him wrong she tried to keep her voice near the same pitch she just used. “It’s not like you would know if I wore boy’s und
erwear in high school or something.” Dammit. Her voice did go up. She tried again. “Or, that I broke my leg falling out of the tree house when I was six.”
He smiled. It had gone up. Same pitch.
“Dammit. You’re not supposed to be able to do that.”
“Why not?”
Oh, God. She didn’t dare tell him. In her twenty-nine years, she’d told one person, other than her family, that she loved them. Maybe there was a bit of fear left over from that trauma, or maybe it was just self-preservation. Either way, he’d have to torture it out of her before she’d say it. “Because if you know my kryptonite, it makes you Lex Luthor, and he’s a villain, so cut it out.”
The dimple came back. She’d been aiming for that.
“Now I’m trying to remember every conversation we’ve had so I can figure out what was a lie and what wasn’t.”
“You are evil.”
“You didn’t lie when you said the Cave was your home address.”
Their eyes met. “It is…was.” Is, she wanted to add, but didn’t. That inner lying bitch who sabotaged every relationship she’d ever had kept her fool mouth shut. Maybe that was a good thing, but then again, if Chris had figured her out, she’d have absolutely no defense against him. That was scarier than any dream boogeyman.
Her mind shied away from the real reason that scared her.
“You have a scary-good memory if you can remember how I said stuff, Chris.”
He frowned, then covered it up. “I’m going to get a glass of water. Do you want something?”
“World peace?”
He laughed. “Lie. You don’t want world peace.”
“Of course not. I’m just as evil as you are, Lex.”
The laugh got harder. “It’s funny you think that is the truth.” He swiped a hand across his face. “If you only knew.” He shook his head. “Water?”
“I’m good.”
“Lie.”
“Oh, that shit is going to get old. You’re going to wake up one of these days and find yourself dead. And I’mma a-gonna tell the cops it was all your fault.”
He kissed her. “You’ll never do that.”