Battle Axe

by Carsen Taite

“Luca Bennett. I hear you’ve been looking for me.”

  Geno Vedda motioned for his lackey to stay put, and he walked toward me. The H & K submachine gun in his hand was the only thing that kept me in place. We both looked back at the other car, but if anyone was inside, they were hugging the floorboards. Geno jerked his chin at the Colt in my hand and I set it on the ground.

  “I’m not looking for you, Geno.” I pointed at Shaw, who was completely confused about what had just happened. “I’m in the middle of a job. If you’d like to talk, maybe we could do it when I’m done.” I’d learned to bluff from my dad. He’d be so proud of me right now.

  “That’s not what I heard. I’ll take care of your little job right after I take care of you.” He raised the gun.

  I was all out of bluff. I was going to get blown to bits, in the street, two steps away from having a jumper in custody. I’d spent my whole life living by the seat of my pants, never thinking about the future, never caring about the end. But I cared now. Big-time. What had I texted to Jess? I’m good. Well, I was anything but, and I’d never have the chance to change that.

  “Police! Drop it, Geno.”

  Jess? I glanced to my right and there she was. She’d never looked so good, and it wasn’t just the fact she was holding a big ass gun of her own. As glad as I was to see her, I didn’t want her to be in the middle of this. Her Glock was no match for the submachine gun in Vedda’s hand.

  “Go away, Chance. I got this.” Once again with the bluffing, but she wasn’t buying it.

  “Doesn’t look like it, Bennett. Get down.”

  Vedda looked between us and laughed. “Don’t worry, ladies. I have enough bullets for you both.”

  Ladies. Like I wasn’t pissed off enough before. I spent the next second trying to figure out how to get my Sig out of my holster before Vedda could get off a shot, but another voice, from my left this time, distracted me.

  “Come on, Geno, put it down.”

  John stood at the front bumper of the Bronco with a big ass gun of his own. Geno’s guy started to edge away while his boss tried to figure out where to focus his firepower. He settled on Jess, shouting over his shoulder to John. “Drop your gun, or I’ll shoot your partner.”

  “I don’t know, she’s a pretty good shot,” John yelled back at him.

  “We’ll see.”

  I saw his finger squeeze the trigger and I lunged. As Vedda and I both fell to the ground, I heard gunfire, lots of it and the sickening sound of bullets making their mark followed by a cry in a voice I knew all too well.

  *

  I hate hospitals. I’d counted the ceiling tiles about a hundred times. Read the instructions for the adjustable bed and resisted the urge to turn on the TV because I didn’t want to wake the sleeping patient. The minute Jess’s eyes fluttered open, I pounced. “You realize the only reason they kept you overnight is because you’re a cop, right?”

  “Pay’s for shit, I may as well get some benefits.” She was unflappable, even after being shot.

  “You’re surprisingly chipper for someone who just woke up.”

  Jess looked up at the clock over the hospital room door. “You’re one to talk. How often do you get up this early?” She stared into my eyes. “You look like shit. Let me guess, you didn’t sleep at all. Have you been here all night?”

  I shuffled under her gaze. “No. I took a break to get something to eat downstairs. I expect to be admitted for botulism any moment.”

  She used her good hand to point at her left arm. “So what’s the verdict?”

  “You’ll be fine, but you’re going to have a scar. Bullet grazed your arm. They gave you antibiotics and doped you up on killer pain meds.” I pointed at the door. “John’s outside. He was here last night, but you were kind of out of it. I think they gave you the really good stuff.”

  “See what you could’ve gotten if you’d stayed on the force?”

  Totally like her to make light. I wasn’t quite there. “That bullet was meant for me. If you hadn’t showed up, no telling what might have happened.”

  “Aw, shut up. Besides, if you hadn’t knocked Vedda down, his aim would’ve been a hell of a lot better. You don’t need another scar to add to your fancy collection. This is my first. I hear the chicks dig them.”

  I leaned over and kissed her forehead. “You’re right about that. How did you know Vedda was tracking me?”

  “I tracked Collier down Wednesday night and talked to her about your theory. Cop to cop, she confirmed it, but told me to butt out. Yesterday morning, she calls me first thing to tell me they picked up talk on the wire at Vedda’s place about taking you out. Vedda was on the move and he’d called some of his guys to say he’d found you and where. He must have followed you from your house. Officially, Collier wasn’t authorized to do anything about it since they had bigger plans for Vedda, but unofficially, she wanted me to know. She basically admitted the only reason she’d asked you to look for Amato and Picone in the first place was to stir things up. They had a warrant to listen in on Vedda, but they hadn’t been able to connect Petrov to his operation. You were the catalyst to draw out the players.

  “John and I were at the office when she called. We busted ass getting to you.”

  “I’d be dead if you hadn’t.”

  “Thank John. He drives like a demon.”

  I let her bout of humility go. She didn’t want me to fuss, and I got that, but I’d have to find another way to make up for the fact she’d saved my life. I’d knocked Vedda off balance, but it was her bullet that took him down.

  “Yeah, I definitely owe John one. He took Vedda’s bodyguard down. You want me to send him in? If I don’t soon, he’s going to bust down the door.”

  “Sure, in just a sec.” She pointed to the space on the bed beside her. “You get Shaw?”

  “He was so freaked out, he probably would’ve turned himself in. He may be a thug, but he’s small-time compared to Vedda and his gang. I don’t think he’d ever seen a submachine gun up close. I cuffed him to Vedda’s car and let the cops take him in.” I’d traded cashing in on Shaw for a ride in the ambulance with Jess.

  “I’ll make sure you get credit.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t care.”

  “You will when you’re hungry and you can’t afford to eat.”

  “I’m good.”

  “Are you?”

  “I am. You?”

  “Golden.”

  I was certain we both knew we were talking about more than our health. The air between us was suddenly thick with stuff we needed to say, but neither one of us seemed ready to. I stood up. “I should bring the gang in. If you’re ready for a crowd.”

  “Who else is out there?”

  “Besides John? Your entire softball team and a few other cops.”

  I started to the door, but she called me back.

  “Luca?”

  “Yes?”

  “I think I may take you up on that invite, if it’s still open.”

  Took me a minute to realize what she was talking about. “Mark’s wedding? What changed your mind?”

  “Aw, you know, you’d just get into trouble if I’m not there.”

  “Maybe I like trouble.”

  “Fine. Go by yourself. I was only trying to be nice.”

  “I’m kidding. Go with me. I’ll stay out of trouble.”

  “Maybe we can get into trouble together.”

  I liked the sound of that.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Three weeks later…

  I stared at the bag hanging on my closet door. I’d picked up the tux yesterday. Tried to pay attention to how the guy had dressed me, but I was fairly certain I didn’t remember all the snaps and buttons, let alone how to tie the tie. I took a deep breath and unzipped the bag. The fancy black suit mocked me, but with only an hour until I had to be at the church, it was time to tackle the beast.

  My phone rang and I glanced at the number. I’d expected it to be Jess, but it was a number I o
nly recognized because I’d gotten two other calls just like it when I’d been at the tux place. Wasn’t a local number. I let it go to voicemail, again. I had enough going on today. Didn’t need to deal with phone calls from strangers when I couldn’t even figure out how to get dressed.

  Fifteen minutes later, I’d managed to put on pants and a shirt. Considering how many tiny buttons I’d had to fasten, I was pretty darn proud of myself. I was staring at the dreaded tie and the silver and onyx cufflinks—a present from Mark—when a knock on the door signaled relief was at hand. I opened the door and gaped.

  “Wow.” Someone hadn’t had trouble getting dressed. Jess walked in the room, shaking her head.

  “You’re not dressed yet?” she asked.

  “You look fantastic.” She did. Her little black dress hugged her hips and hit at the exact right spot on her thighs. Tall black heels. Well-toned calves. Breathtakingly beautiful. I’d never seen her like this, and as much as I wanted to savor the sight, all I could think about was unzipping her dress and ripping off all the little buttons I’d worked so hard to fasten.

  She must’ve read the look in my eye because she shook a finger in my face. “You need to get dressed.”

  I ignored her warning, instead touching her half-bare shoulder. “No scar?”

  “Oh, it’s there.” She grinned. “It’s the only reason I didn’t go strapless.”

  “Good thing since I wouldn’t be able to concentrate if you did. I think I’m supposed to be in charge of a ring, give a toast, shit like that. If you were wearing any less, I’d say let’s skip the whole thing.”

  She placed a hand on my chest and pulled me close. Her breath was warm in my ear. “Later, okay?” I answered with a kiss. Slow, deep, the kind of kiss that ends with two people naked, rolling around in bed. Or on the floor. Or wherever. Through the haze of hormones, I felt her push me away. She led me to the bedroom, but she made it clear we had a singular purpose, and it didn’t involve sex.

  “Where’s your tie?”

  I pointed to the dresser. “Over there with the damn cufflinks.”

  “Thwarted by your wardrobe?”

  “I’m thwarted by a lot of things today.”

  She kissed me on the cheek and then started on the cufflinks. She fastened them so deftly, I felt like a complete klutz for all my earlier efforts. When she placed her hands around my neck and started messing with the tie, I felt something completely different. She focused on the errant ends of the tie, but I focused on her. The funny way she held her tongue while she concentrated on the task. The slope of her neck—smooth, kissable, gorgeous. She’d dressed for me, I was certain. She knew how important this day was. How nervous I was at the big role I had to play, at the fact I’d be seeing my nothing’s-ever-good-enough mother for the first time in ages.

  Why should I be surprised? Hell, she’d taken a bullet for me. She’d always been there, no matter what else was going on in her life, no matter how much of a shit I’d been. She was the one who’d sat by my hospital bed, who always answered my late night calls, who knew me like no one else. And still, she stuck around.

  But she wouldn’t always. Deveaux had been a close call. Jess had started to fall and, if Deveaux hadn’t turned into a felon, she might be wearing that slinky black dress for a night out with the doctor. At some point, true love trumped friendship. Even I got that. Would I lose Jess? Was it only a matter of time? Could I, would I do anything to stop it?

  She leaned back to inspect her work, and then she looked into my eyes and said, “You look like you want to say something.”

  I swear she could read my mind. “Do you miss Deveaux?”

  “No,” she answered quickly. “I miss the thought of it. Love, romance, all that. You know what I mean?”

  I did. Probably for the first time ever. Could I have that? Could I have that with her? “Jess, I don’t really know how to say this, but I—”

  A sharp knock on the door interrupted me. I ignored it at first, but whoever it was persisted. I leaned in and kissed Jess on the lips. Light, but with a promise of more. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” I hurried from the bedroom to the door, anxious to get rid of whoever had interrupted what I’d had to say. Maybe the few seconds’ delay would give me the time I needed. I knew what I wanted to say, but I wasn’t sure how to say it without sending Jess running.

  I threw the door open and sucked in a breath. Ronnie Moreno stood with her hand raised to knock again.

  “I need your help,” she blurted. “I’ve been calling, but you didn’t answer, so I took a chance you’d be at home.”

  I stared into Ronnie’s deep brown eyes and suddenly I had no words. Not a one.

  THE END

  About the Author

  Carsen Taite’s goal as an author is to spin tales with plot lines as interesting as the cases she encounters in her career as a criminal defense lawyer. She is the author of seven previously released novels, truelesbianlove.com, It Should be a Crime (a Lambda Literary Award finalist), Do Not Disturb, Nothing but the Truth, The Best Defense, Slingshot, and Beyond Innocence. She is currently working on her ninth novel, Rush, a romantic intrigue. Learn more at www.carsentaite.com.

  Praise for LAMBDA Literary Award Finalist Carsen Taite

  “Real Life defense attorney Carsen Taite polishes her fifth work of lesbian fiction, The Best Defense, with the realism she daily encounters in the office and in the courts. And that polish is something that makes The Best Defense shine as an excellent read.”—Out & About Newspaper

  “Taite is a real-life attorney so the prose jumps off the page with authority and authenticity. [It Should be a Crime] is just Taite’s second novel…but it’s as if she has bookshelves full of bestsellers under her belt. In fact, she manages to make the courtroom more exciting than Judge Judy bursting into flames while delivering a verdict. Like this book, that’s something we’d pay to see.”—Gay List Daily

  “Taite, a criminal defense attorney herself, has given her readers a behind the scenes look at what goes on during the days before a trial. Her descriptions of lawyer/client talks, investigations, police procedures, etc. are fascinating. Taite keeps the action moving, her characters clear, and never allows her story to get bogged down in paperwork. It Should be a Crime has a fast-moving plot and some extraordinarily hot sex.”—Just About Write

  In Do Not Disturb…“Taite’s tale of sexual tension is entertaining in itself, but a number of secondary characters…add substantial color to romantic inevitability.”—Richard Labonté, Bookmarks

  In Nothing but the Truth…“Author Taite is really a Dallas defense attorney herself, and it’s obvious her viewpoint adds considerable realism to her story, making it especially riveting as a mystery. …I give it four stars out of five.”—Bob Lind, Echo Magazine

  “Taite has written an excellent courtroom drama with two interesting women leading the cast of characters. Taite herself is a practicing defense attorney, and her courtroom scenes are clearly based on real knowledge. [Nothing But the Truth] should be another winner for Taite.”—Lambda Literary

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