by A. R. Case
“You probably have enough money to do that,” Chris observed.
“From what Alexis says, you do too.” Ellis tried to find a spot to park the car.
“Don’t need to buy it. It’s part of the properties I’m managing.” Chris looked at the building but didn’t get out of the car. The place was a cliché. From the crumbling curb to the shingles missing on the roof, it screamed dump. “It would look better flattened. God, it’s a dump.”
“About those lots downtown, the city council has been after me to put a youth center into the sports facility plans, but I need more land for that. Like a parking lot or something. Are you listening?”
Chris scanned the back of the building. “Front doors to the rooms only. Lots of glass windows in front, but every shade is drawn. Tiny windows off the bathrooms. I bet they don’t react to gunshots around here.”
Ellis scanned the area as well. “Or car alarms, I suppose.” His voice was dry as he pulled to a stop.
“Youth centers don’t make money,”
Ellis Franco shrugged. “But they are well-funded with tax incentives.”
Chris looked at him. “So you get paid back by the government?”
“If you do it right, no risk. Lots of good branding.”
Chris was quiet. The front office of the motel was dark. The cars in the lot ranged from junked husks to a rare few which looked mobile. One of them stood out, Ghost’s truck. They were in the right place, but it was desolate and had every appearance of being abandoned. This used to be a money-maker for his father’s club. Now it was in disrepair, and a waste of property tax. Weeds predominated the property line and the cracks in the asphalt. He finally spoke.
“Interesting.”
“So are you. I wouldn’t have guessed it, but you’re proving very interesting. I never would have guessed ransoming yourself was a hobby.”
Chris stopped watching the parking lot and looked at Ellis. “You mad at me?”
Ellis shook his head. “On the contrary, if you get Alexis and that agent out of this, I might want to go into partnership with you. I always felt you had more going on than just that sign company.” He tapped the steering wheel. “A man who does the work, but can take risks when needed is the right type person I want to work with.”
“No pressure.” Chris got out of the car, and Ellis followed. Chris looked in a few car windows as they walked toward the motel. “Hey, Ellis, what’s your car insurance like?”
“Expensive,” he answered.
“Thought so,” Chris replied.
~~~~~~~
Mills tapped the heel of his boot against the door as he closed it. He couldn’t check to see if the tracker activated, but if he fiddled with it, Ghost would notice. Correction, he might notice. Alexis was commanding the lion’s share of the attention. He had to admit, she had a way with spinning lies.
“Then he bought me a drink and offered me a job managing an art gallery. You think I should have taken it? I mean, it could have been legit. And if it wasn’t, I bet there’s good money in importing artwork, you know?”
Ghost was looking out the curtain of the hotel room window for the backup he’d called. They were waiting in a room in a fleabag motel with one big window that had a scenic view of the parking lot. The carpet squished.
“What was the guy’s name?” Mills asked. Professional curiosity was going to be the death of him, but if she wasn’t lying, he had a few friends in the city who could check on a few places.
“It ended in a vowel I believe.” She snapped her fingers a few times, then rattled off a few names. At one of them, Ghost glanced at her.
“I know that one,” he said.
“Of course, you do, sweetie, you wouldn’t survive on this coast of the country without knowing that one, but he’s not the one I’m talking about.” Alexis kept playing with the name combinations.
For what it was worth, Mills recognized the name she was skirting around and knew the scam. Everyone knew the scam. “Why didn’t you do it?”
She glanced at him but smiled at Ghost. “Is your investor into art?”
Ghost had looked at him when he talked but answered Alexis. “Probably. He’s got a lot of legit connections, but I could give a rat’s ass about that. I know what I can move, and fancy paintings ain’t on the list.”
“Paintings!” Alexis blew out a stream of air in protest. Her hands stretched wide. “Sculpture. You can hide a lot of shit in their shipping cases. And no one looks twice at extra padding.” Her hands moved as she talked. “Add an over-the-top, fussy museum director or sexy siren gallery manager and no one looks at the crates. I swear, show a little leg and they just fall to their knees. Poor things.”
Ghost stopped looking at the parking lot. For the first time since he rushed them from the truck to this room, he noticed Mills. “Remind me why we brought him?”
Alexis jumped in, not missing a beat. “Because Crank told him to guard my body. Poor Dog wants it so badly, Crank made sure he wouldn’t be in a spot to do a damn thing about it because he has to look at everything else, didn’t he, Dog?”
Mills rolled his eyes and looked at the peeling wallpaper.
“What’s the deal with you and Crank anyways? I thought you were Chris’s.”
The glare she gave Ghost was worthy of an award. “Crank understands money.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Meaning, that four hundred grand is shit. I’m connections, marketing, and a name. We’re talking LA, New York, and who knows? Maybe Tokyo or some shit like that.”
“So?” Ghost’s attention was waning.
“Connections your guy would love to have as a front to move shit all over the globe. You should introduce us.”
That didn’t go over well with Ghost. “How about we just get that money?”
She sighed. “I told you, ATMs don’t hold four hundred grand, and you know damn well they crap out at seven hundred dollars a day. It would take like a bazillion days to get the money. We need to go into a bank, but you insisted on waiting for your friend. One stop and you got your money. But honestly, think bigger. With five hundred grand you could really get something started. Or, simply trade on a name. My name. But I want guarantees. And an introduction.”
“You and Chris talk alike, you know that?” Ghost sat down in the chair by the door. “Always harping on connections and that shit.”
“How do you think the rich get rich? They don’t do it all by themselves. They talk to each other. And they use people. It’s all about the connection.”
There was a noise in the parking lot. Ghost spun to look out the curtain, and backed up hastily. The front of the building crushed in as something heavy came through the wall.
Mills pulled Alexis behind him and dragged her to the back of the room He slid his gun out of its holster.
Chris launched through the gaping hole caused by the car used to create it. The front end was buried in drywall and glass, but wasn’t that dented. He climbed over a particularly large pile of rubble with a tire iron in one hand and tackled Ghost, who was struggling to get out from under the debris. They struggled, and Chris tripped him to get him down again. He swung the tire iron but didn’t have enough room to get a good hit. That didn’t stop him from hooking Ghost’s arm with it and ripping away the gun. Then he rolled off him, switching the iron to his far hand as he moved. Ghost rolled toward him, trying to get on his knees as he went. Chris used his recoil to get a better swing at Ghost and caught him in the temple, knocking him out. His weight landed on Chris. For a moment, he was pinned, but then pushed him off and got up. He added a kick to his ribs to confirm he was out.
Then he frisked him and kicked away the weapon that was on the floor. The agent stood up to take it, and Alexis slid out from behind him. Chris pulled her close.
“You okay?” He checked her for damage.
>
“You almost ran me over. Again!”
“I checked the window before hot-wiring that piece of shit.” Chris pointed at the front end of the Buick which was half inside the motel room.
“You should have come in then. My voice was getting hoarse,” she said.
Chris stroked her hair. “I could hear you. Did I miss a good story?”
“The best.” She snuggled up against him. “Took you long enough, I was running out of lies. I almost had to start telling the truth.”
“Yeah, well, you weren’t supposed to be here, so who’s fault is that?”
Ellis peered through the wreckage. “I’d ask you to open the door, but where is the door?”
Mills checked the lot. “No cops yet.” He sounded disgusted. He fiddled with his boot.
Ellis stepped over bits of drywall and spotted Alexis’s bag. “Is it all still there?”
“Yup.” Alexis handed it over.
He peeled off a few hundred and handed them to Chris. “For the car. I think that should be enough. But I think you were right about the neighborhood. Not a great condo location. Not nosy enough. Let’s pave it and put in a nursing home instead. They’re filled with people who’d call if there was trouble.” He turned to Alexis. “Are you ready to leave?”
“Absolutely.”
“Good. Let’s get out of here, then shall we?” He held an arm out. She took it and left Mills and Chris in the motel room with an unconscious Ghost. He called over his shoulder, “Chris, thank you for not using my car.”
Mills looked at Chris and laughed. “Big wallet trumps a big dick, I guess.”
“Fuck you.”
Mills busied himself by tying Ghost’s arms with a lamp cord.
“What now?” Chris asked him. Waiting to see what the agent would say.
“Well, he’s wanted for murder in Longport.” Mills finished tying him off and pointed at the patch that matched Chris’s. “Does that look like a bloodstain to you?”
“Wouldn’t know.” Chris made to leave.
A siren sounded nearby. Too close.
“Shit,” Mills said. “I hate this part. You’re under arrest, DeSantos. Property destruction and probably assault. I didn’t see you hotwire the car, but I assume that’s how you got it running, right?”
Chris glanced outside. Berries and cherries lit up the lot. Sliding past the commotion was a pricey black sedan. In the passenger seat, a woman with blue hair stared at the mayhem. He sighed, “I’ve got a lawyer on retainer.” He put his hands on his head and ignored the disappearing car.
Chapter 25 — A long story
Almost a year later.
Chris sipped on his drink. The cream of Atlantic City and beyond tripped over themselves tonight. He searched the crowd for a friendly face. It had been a long night. The gossip was thick, and much of it whispered his name. Again. He was grateful the party was beginning to wind down.
“DeSantos!” Ellis slapped him on the back. “Happy Birthday a day early. I’ve got just the right connection for us to talk to.”
“Ellis, can it wait? I’m trying to catch Alexis before the crowd gets her.” He stretched to his full height, hoping to see her bouncing through the throng. She’d wrapped the set at midnight, and he hadn’t seen her come out from backstage yet. Since this was a city charity event, he had to help his new partner, Ellis Franco, out with networking, therefore, he wasn’t backstage like he normally was.
“You really need to meet this one.”
Chris set his drink down and followed Ellis through the crowd. The whispers followed. People recognized him instead of who was on his arm. Ellis steered him toward a crowd of recognizable and influential faces who clustered near the stage. Before diving in, he checked the side exit for signs of Alexis. Ellis pushed his way through, glad-handing a few of the more familiar people in attendance. Chris caught one he didn’t expect. Vi’s father stood off to one side. He’d gained weight and lost money, if the rumors were true. Vi was nowhere to be seen on the party circuit. That was a good thing because the restraining order his lawyers slapped on her wasn’t set to expire for another six months. Those lawyers worked overtime for him at the beginning of the year.
He heard a familiar voice. “I knew he didn’t want to wear the chaps, but he had to because he needed to get into the club. So I broke out the dog collar and put a leash on him. Right before he made the bust, I snapped a picture of him for blackmail later.” Laughter followed.
Chris pushed his way through. “Telling the good secrets again?” He kissed Alexis on the cheek. Her hair was bright pink tonight. It was a wig, the same shade as half the publicity photos for her album release. The other set of photos had her as a blonde. Yet another wig. The label insisted on the shades. But he preferred it when she wore it blue.
“Hi, bad boy.” She had one arm around a city councilman and was petting the lapels of another. But she broke off from them to wrap both arms around him and leave a smear of lipstick on his cheek.
“My job here is done.” Ellis smiled at Chris. “I knew she’d avoided your radar again.”
Chris shook his head at his friend and business partner. “And you didn’t try to steal her? You’re slipping.” He got as close as he could to Alexis. “Hey, rock star.” He snagged a real kiss. “You came out the wrong side.”
“I came off the front, didn’t you see me?”
He looked at the stage the tasteful rope barricade, then her fresh dress and high heels. “You climbed over again, didn’t you?”
“Of course. These lovely people needed me.” She swept her hand indicating the crowd. “Hi Mary, good to see you here.” She broke away from Chris and hugged the downtown district’s councilwoman. That woman beamed, but her attention was on Chris.
“Mr. DeSantos, thank you again for arranging this benefit. The youth center is thrilled to have your company’s support.” The councilwoman’s sentiments were echoed.
“A minute, Chris.” Hammond had made his way through the crowd.
“Not now.” Ellis stepped in front of Hammond.
“It’s okay.” Chris held out a hand. “Did my brother get you the quote?”
“He did. It isn’t as detailed as the ones you used to provide.”
Between the investment properties and managing Alexis’s career, he put his brother in charge of the sign company. There were times he sent in installation ideas, and CAD drawings for the fabricators, but the day to day work was no longer a noose around his neck. “Not as anal. Say it.”
Ellis laughed. “That’s why I brought you on. Once you proved you had some spark of life, I knew you’d be the perfect business partner. You could do all the work, and not drive me insane.” He leaned over and kissed Alexis on the cheek. He stage-whispered, “Thanks for loosening him up.”
“You’re welcome, but he had it in him all along. You should see the tattoo he made me get on my ass.”
Ellis leaned his head to the side. Alexis made a show of sticking a leg out of the slit in her dress. There was nothing but unmarked skin. “Got me again,” he said.
Chris stepped between. “Hey now, that’s all mine. No looking.”
“I don’t see your name on her.”
“That’s because it’s on my butt.” Alexis giggled.
Chris looped an arm over her. He whispered in her ear, “I thought you trusted Ellis.”
She whispered back, “Only you. Everyone else gets the lies.”
He buried his nose in the shadows by her ear.
“Oh, hi, Mr. Hammond. Did Vi ever get out of jail?” Alexis asked it loud enough the city officials heard. A few heads craned over to look.
He flushed red but smiled, knowing his audience. “I sent her to New Hampshire to stay with my mother. Hopefully, she can stay out of trouble there.”
“You are so bad.” Chris laughed while his face was s
till hidden by her hair.
“I know you are, but what am I?” She tickled his side, causing him to jump. He trapped her hand and tucked it close to protect himself.
A waiter passed by with a tray of drinks. Alexis reached for one with her free hand but stopped. “Dylan?”
The smile dropped from Chris’s face and he straightened to confirm it was her former bassist, the backstabbing creep. Chris’s fist clenched. Alexis pulled it open and threaded her fingers through his.
“Hey. You want a drink or something?” Dylan was still thin and pale, but a slight bit cleaner than before. He was waiting tables for a living. It was a good look on him.
“I’m good. Chris, did you want one?” Alexis nudged him.
The tray was over half full. Chris took one from the center and prepared to hand it to Alexis but took a sip of it first. He waited until Dylan walked away. Then he faked a gagging noise and pretended to swoon. “I think he poisoned me.”
Alexis took the glass and set it on the floor. “You going to be okay?” She put her hand on his forehead.
He leaned on her. “I think maybe an allergic reaction.” He gasped for air and started to loosen his collar.
“Chris?”
He leaned just hard enough she had to brace her feet wider. “Front pocket, inside my coat. Antihistamine. Square box.”
“I swear to God, you took that Boy Scout comment too literally.” Alexis patted him down. Feeling a lump on the right side, she located the pocket and reached inside.
There was a small jeweler’s box. “What is this?”
Chris smiled. “Truth antihistamine. Marry me?”
Alexis blinked. “No way!”
“Wait, you’re supposed to say yes.” A nervous laugh escaped from Chris.
“No. I mean, I’m the goof, not you. Dylan didn’t poison you?”
Chris opened the box to show her the ring inside. “Not poisoned. Ring. Put it on.”
She stiffened, and her eyes narrowed, but there was a glint in them. “And if I don’t?”