“He would wear a hood around me and come from behind, so I never saw his face. But one time, the day I heard the sewing machine in the air vent, he forgot to put his leather gloves on. He tried to keep a blindfold on me, but I fought that. At that time, it was loose, so I saw his hands. They were of a white man. I am pretty sure they were manicured too.”
“Does this mean we have been looking in the wrong place the whole time?” Joey asked.
“How in the world would an affluent white man be mixed up with Mexican and Hispanic gangbangers?” Oatmeal was just as puzzled as I.
Throughout all my searching, I’d never come across a description. I’d never thought that he would not be Mexican or Hispanic since that was who did all the dirty work. I wasn’t sure what to think. Mary had taken out her phone and was calling who she needed to. The others were discussing the news we’d just gotten. I decided I needed to go. I wanted to pound on something. I kissed her head and left.
Chapter 26
Mary
I called Clarisse and explained what was going on. She said to forget the dress; she would find something else. She knew Ari would be up for the challenge, and that he would be helping save girls from a terrible fate was even better. Before my call ended with her, he was calling me to find out what he needed to do. I looked at Domino. He said to invite him here so they could prep him, and I did. He would be there later that afternoon. I called my other clients, canceling their appointments.
Gena came over and sat next to me. There was a stack of papers she laid on the table. She waited till I finished up the last phone call.
“Hey, Gena.”
“Hi, Mary. Crazy morning, huh?”
“Just a bit.” I bit my lip. I wondered what all the papers were.
“I have lots of things for you to sign. You will feel like you are signing your life away, but it will do a lot of good things for you. I will also take your picture for some IDs. You ready?”
I picked up the pen. “As ready as I will ever be.”
She kept placing papers in front of me and pointing to where I had to sign. I stopped listening to what I was signing. I know I should have read everything I was signing, but I trusted her. By the time I was done, my hand was cramping.
“So, you have your FOID card application done; a waiver saying Doctor Lachlan, Lach, can treat you; health insurance will be provided by Forces until we have your marriage certificate and can send the TRICARE paperwork, I had you sign. Passport, done. All that is left is the will. This is a very basic will just so, in the event of your death, the state does not get your estate. I do suggest that you and Ben see a lawyer and fill out more in-depth ones, but this will serve until you can. You have to fill out beneficiaries here, percentages of what they get here, specific items here, and sign here.”
My will? What did they think was going to happen? I took a deep breath and filled it out. I would take Gena’s advice and talk to Ben about this and get this taken care after we were married.
“All right, I am going to get these all sent off. Any questions?”
“How much does the health insurance cost? And do I keep or cancel my current?” I knew what mine cost per month; it was daunting. But if I was carrying a baby, I would need it.
“It costs you nothing. I will have your cards in a few hours. I will be canceling your current one today. We take care of our own, Mary. Ammo made you his, and while doing that, he made you part of this group. Any other questions?”
I shook my head.
“I know this is overwhelming, but it is all done out of care. We care deeply here.” She was getting up to go take care of everything she’d just had me sign.
“Thank you, Gena. You are amazing.”
“You are welcome. Tell that to Domino; he needs the reminder.” She laughed.
I looked for Ben, but he had left the command center and had not come back. I realized where he was. I had my keys in my pocket so I could get into his apartment. I ran up the stairs and let myself in. I went to his clothes and found a T-shirt and a pair of shorts with a drawstring. I looked around and saw his laundry basket overflowing. I picked it and took it with me. I was hoping the key I had would work on the garage door. It did. I went to the driver’s door and popped the truck, placed the laundry in, and went back into the locker rooms. I changed into his T-shirt and shorts. They were so big and long on me, I couldn’t help but laugh. I went down to his training room. I could hear the smacks on the punching bag along with loud metal music. I opened the door and was blasted with the music. I quietly shut the door behind me. He did not slow his rhythm as he beat the bag.
I walked to where I would be in his vision. He had seen me, as he slowed down. The song came to an end. “Alexa, turn off music,” he said, and silence followed. He stood there, shaking out his arms. He had worked up a good sweat and was catching his breath. He never looked at me.
“Everything will work out,” I said.
He looked at me. His eyes were hard. He took off his gloves and left the room.
I sighed. I didn’t know what to do for him. I wanted to get him talking, but I didn’t think he was ready. Before I could figure anything out, the door opened, and he strode back in.
“We will train, and train hard. Tell me when you need breaks.” He walked over to me with some various handguns in his hands. “These are all unloaded.” He held them so I could see for myself. “We will work on you disarming me for now.” He placed all but one of the guns on the ground around the room. He went to a storage bench and pulled out a piece of protective equipment. He put it around his waist, and I realized it was a well-padded groin protector so I couldn’t hurt him. When he was protected, he turned to me and started training.
We worked for about three hours and I was able to disarm him and turn the gun on him not only by a low blow, but head blows, wrist twisting, and even from behind. I was getting tired. I wasn’t hungry but needed food. “Ben?”
“Do this again,” he ordered. He wasn’t really listening to me.
“Ammo!” I yelled out.
“What?” he growled back.
“Ammo, I need a break. It’s around lunchtime. I need food.” He was finally listening to me.
“Oh.” He took off the protective equipment and stored it. He collected the guns and we left the room. I grabbed two towels on my way out. I watched him replace and lock up the guns we had used. He finished and I handed him a towel. We wiped off our faces. “Are you hungry or just know you need fuel?” he asked.
“Know I need fuel,” I answered.
“Okay.” He took up his phone. He sent off a text. A response came in quickly. “It will be here in less than twenty minutes.”
“Thank you. Ammo, thank you for working with me. I feel more confident with keeping myself safe.”
He pulled me to his chest and hugged me. “No thanks needed. Come on, let’s go to Domino’s. We can eat there.” We walked over, to find a kitchen full of people.
“Did you order from Kamon?” Domino asked as we sat on the benches.
“Yup,” Ammo answered. He did sit right next to me and had ahold of my hand. At least that part of him was still Ben.
Domino nodded. I guessed they ate from Kamon’s restaurant on a normal basis.
“Ammo, I got Mary all signed up. I will just need a copy of your marriage certificate when you get it.”
“Thanks,” he grunted.
I shook my head. I said nothing since I didn’t know what to say. I just let the conversations flow around me.
“So, what happened to Greta?” Ammo asked.
“Ape will be taking her home. She didn’t want to be alone. She seemed comfortable with him. She said she has no family in Chicago. She was very insistent about getting home. Something about a neighbor,” Sarah answered.
Ninja nodded. “Probably the best thing for her. I hope she will heal quickly.”
“She is a spitfire and that alone told me she would weather this just fine. I figured I would check on them la
ter.” Sarah had been with the CIA and had the most psychological experience out of all of us.
Soon Manoj walked through the door with a couple huge takeout bags. “Lunch is here!” he called out. Joey, Lego, and Oatmeal got up to help him. They unloaded the bags and soon Manoj was telling them who got what. After everyone had food in front of them, Manoj left, and we ate.
Ammo had gotten us soup that had meat, vegetables, noodles, and a little heat. It was just what I needed: fuel. There was light conversation going on around us, but I was not really listening to it.
“Who is this?” Lego said, looking out the door.
We all looked out to the parking lot. I knew who it was immediately. The sparkly black Mercedes was his trademark. Ari was here. He got out of his car. He was wearing a black suit with a crisp white shirt on his slim but toned body. He was casual today, with no tie or pocket square. His dark hair was up in its normal pompadour. “It’s Ari.” I stood up to go greet him.
“Hey, Ari, over here.” I held the door open for him.
“Oh, Mary! How are you, girl? What the hell are you wearing?” He looked me up and down, horror creeping over his features.
“Ben’s clothes because I needed something to move in.” I laughed. He was just so over the top.
We walked in and he stopped in his tracks. “Mary, what have you been doing? You have a harem of beefy man hunks and you have not been sharing?” Ari exclaimed.
“No, Ari, just one is mine,” I corrected him
“Well, more for me then,” he said, looking at all the guys and appreciating them.
“Everyone, this is Ari Rosenberg, you have probably seen him on the news at some point. Ari, this is Forces. We, I, need your help,” I said.
“You have it. Auntie Clarisse told me what you told her. How could I not help? No one ever deserves to go through what these women are going through.” He was serious about this.
“Great. Ari, I am Domino. Welcome. We are just finishing lunch, then we were going to get started back up again. Did you eat?” he asked.
“Before I came.”
“All right, give us a few minutes and we will get started,” Domino said.
Ari came and sat with Ben and me. “Ari, this is Ben or Ammo. Ben, this is Ari.” I gave them an introduction. They greeted each other.
“Someone is going to be in trouble with Auntie Clarisse.” Ari snatched my hand and looked at my ring. “This is stunning. I am very happy for you. Have you decided on your dress yet?”
“No.”
“I am doing it.”
“Ari, no,” I started to protest.
“I am, that’s final.”
“Fine, it’s at Rosa’s. I want simple. Plain and simple.”
“Ari, I want her legs shown off, and lace,” Ben quietly said.
“Oh, your wish is my command, sir.” Ari looked at me and Ben. “Were you going to wear your uniform or a suit?”
“Undecided. Your thoughts?” Ben answered.
“Uniform. Full dress blues. You two will look stunning,” Ari said.
Ben nodded.
“Mary, have your measurements changed from the last dress I made for you?”
“I don’t think so, but we will have to fit it a week before as they might have changed by then.” I wanted to give him a heads-up without saying too much.
“I see. Well then. What is on the agenda for this afternoon?”
“You and Mary are going to be training with me to make sure you don’t get killed,” Ben said as he stood up and cleaned up our lunch.
“Oh, Mary, he’s hot!” Ari gave Ben a good look. “Would you look—”
I grabbed his face and turned it toward mine. “Ari, he’s taken. Watch yourself.”
I heard Ben chuckling as he watched Ari and me. I smiled. I loved that chuckle.
“Let’s go,” Ammo ordered. We stood up and stopped at Ari’s car so he could grab his gym bag. We went downstairs and went back to training. This time I was the bad guy and Ari was the victim. Ben watched us and had Lego and Joey join us as the bad guys and Ari and I as the victims to see if we could work together to escape.
“Done,” Ben called out. “It’s after six; let’s call it quits. Ari, what are your plans for tomorrow?”
“Anything you want them to be.” Ugh, he was still Ari.
Ben chuckled. “I am taking Mary to the gun range. I would like you to come as well. Can you meet us here at 10 a.m.?”
“Sure thing.”
Ben extended his hand to me. “Would you like to shower here or at home?”
I took it. “At home, please.”
He said his goodbyes and we headed back to my house. He held my hand the whole way. “We really need to move the stuff around in the garage. I need to get you the other clicker, too.”
“We will get it all done after we take this asshole down,” he said as he found parking. “Ready to relax tonight?”
“We have laundry to do, and yes.”
He gave me a questioning look.
“It’s in your trunk. Bring it in and I will do the laundry while you find food.” I smiled at him. He grabbed his laundry and I had him leave it by the washer as I grabbed mine. I started sorting and got the first load started.
“You ready to eat? Rosa left us dinner in the fridge. I heated it up,” he called from the kitchen.
“Yeah! I am starting to get hungry.” I walked in and found a plate of tacos waiting for me. “Thank you.” I kissed his cheek. We sat down and ate. We agreed to take a shower then lie down and watch some TV. I was asleep before the first show ended.
The next day we met up with Ari and spent about four hours at the firing range. Ben was impressed with my clustering. Ben ended up telling Ari he could use a Nerf gun instead. We stopped for some burgers on the way back to Forces. Ben was going to have Gena join us for an afternoon session of training. Before we could get started, it was decided that I should call Mr. Greyson and see if I could set up an appointment with him for Thursday to meet this designer, I’d lined up for him.
I dialed and waited for him to pick up. “Hello, Mr. Greyson?”
“Yes, Mary, what can I help you with?” he answered.
“Mr. Greyson, you had asked me if I could make your shirts and suits. Well, I did some research and made some calls. I got in touch with a friend of mine. A designer friend of mine. He is interested in meeting you and showing you what he has to offer. He would be handling the bulk of the construction, and I would make sure the final product fit you. Would you be interested in meeting him? He has Thursday free.”
“This is definitely interesting. I am free after 10 a.m. Where would this meeting take place?”
“In your home Mr. Greyson. We would bring swatches to you. It would the designer, his assistant, and me. We will be there at 11 a.m., Mr. Greyson. I am quite excited about this.”
“Very good, see you Thursday.” He hung up.
I looked across the table at Domino and Gena. They seemed pleased. I turned and looked at Ben. I could not read the expression on his face. He took Ari, Gena, and me down to his training room and set us through our paces. We were doing well working as a group. At five o’clock he called a halt to it and said we would meet back here tomorrow at 10 a.m. and work in the command center, learning the coms and whatever else we needed to know. We all left, and he drove us back to my house. We had the same routine as the night before, but tonight I tried to talk to him. He told me he loved me, but he was tired. I fell asleep hoping I could get him back.
The next day, Ari and I sat in the command center all day, going over how the coms worked, getting used to listening to them without reacting. Ari and I also coached Gena on how a designer’s assistant should assist, what would be expected of her, and how she needed to dress for her part. “Um, I only own hoodies, T-shirts, jeans, and Converse. I don’t know how to be a girl like that,” she explained when Ari said she should wear a suit.
“Oh, just come over to my house in the morning. I will dress
you. You should come around 7, so I have enough time to fit the suit to you,” Ari said. After that was decided, we broke up for the day. I was tired and wanted to go home. But I wanted to go home with Ben, not with Ammo. I headed down to his cave. I was seeing why Charity called it that.
I walked in and he had the loud metal music on again. I sat on the mats in a place he would be able to see me. I waited for him to stop on his own.
Chapter 27
Ammo
I saw her sit down. I didn’t want to stop punching. I was mad about everything. I was mad about my sister and the women who were taken. I was mad at myself for not keeping an open mind about who Moses could be. I was not being myself. I was mad at that too. I was mad, heartbroken, devastated. I didn’t even want to think about Jenn and Tarzan. And then, tomorrow, letting Mary be a part of the op. I couldn’t put into words how I felt about that. I was not being very good to Mary; I was treating her like a team member, not the woman I want to marry. I really needed to talk to her, but I didn’t know where to start. I had been punching on the bag for a while. Even though I had my gloves on and had wrapped my hands, I was pretty sure I had blisters or worse to my knuckles on my left hand.
Ammo and Mary Page 14
