The Smuggler's Gambit (Moonglow Guardians Book 1)

by DK Cassidy

With that, she closes her eyes again and smiles.

  Time to reassess. Grant takes a sheet off the bed, tying it around her and the chair so she can’t run away. The three of us go into the bathroom and close the door so we can talk. Jennifer can’t escape, and we need privacy to speak.

  “I don’t think there’s much more we can do here,” says Grant. “If she screams, the manager will be back. It’s time for me to take her to the station and question her there. Once she starts talking, if she talks, I’ll call you. In the meantime, go home.”

  “Will the police here in New Seattle let you use their facilities?” asks Lucien.

  “It’s not a problem, it’s a matter of professional courtesy. I want to question her some more in front of witnesses. That way she can’t sue me for police brutality.” He looks at me pointedly.

  “I’m sorry I slapped her, Grant,” I say. “My nerves are raw.”

  He shrugs. “I’m guessing she wasn’t going to talk anyway. She’ll probably lawyer up when we get to the station. I’ll talk to the NNY district attorney about asking the judge to set a high bail. Maybe an electronic ankle bracelet. Bottom line is I want her in my precinct. I’ll fly back to New New York with her on a regular commercial flight. It will be safer for the two of you if I don’t put her on your shuttle. I’ll get an officer from here to come with me as an additional escort.”

  Home sounds good right now. I need to get out of this seedy motel and sleep in my own bed. Both of us agree with Grant.

  He calls a taxi to the airport and waits for it while we get packed up. I place Jennifer’s tablet, communicator, and flash drive back in her briefcase and hand it to Grant. The taxi beeps its horn. It’s time to get her outside.

  “What if the cab driver is curious about her?” I ask.

  “In this part of town, cabbies know better than to ask. I’m going to handcuff her again, then go. Be safe, you two. See you in New New York.”

  He leaves with Jennifer. I look out the window of my room and see a cab floating below, waiting for his fare. From this angle he looks like a Jaxiolisan.

  James drives the limo to our door, ready to transport us away from this awful place. I sink into the cushy seats and rub my sore arm. It isn’t until I see Lucien staring at me that I remember I have a black eye.

  “Does that hurt? We can stop and buy another ice pack.”

  “Nah, I’ll be fine. I’ve got some at home. No more stops. Let’s go.”

  James drives us to New Sea-Tac Airport and straight to the hangar with Lucien’s shuttle. When we land, Lucien gives James my address, and he heads in that direction. I’m about to doze off when I realize something.

  “Lucien! Now I understand what bothered me about that cabbie. I think it was Jupzi.”

  “I don’t think so. How would he have any idea Grant would be calling a cab? I can’t imagine Jennifer and her gang are that good.”

  Maybe I was imagining it. The cab driver’s profile looked so familiar.

  “You’re right. That would be one hell of a plan.”

  “Do you want to stop by the office before you go home?”

  My body says no, but my brain says yes.

  “That’s a good idea. We should check up on Judy and see if she’s dug up anything for us. Plus, knowing her, she’ll be worried. I’ll text her now and let her know we’re on our way.” I call out to James. “How long until we get there?”

  “We will arrive at your office in exactly thirteen minutes, ma’am.”

  “Ma’am? Just call me Lily from now on, please.”

  “Confirmed, Lily. I shall do so from now on.”

  It’s getting close to dark, so I can see our office is lit up from the street. Good old Judy. I’m betting she has coffee and snacks for us. Someday, when we start making a lot of uni-chits, I’m giving her a raise.

  We walk up the stairs and are greeted by a smiling Judy. “Good evening, Lily, Mr. McAvoy.”

  I’m surprised by the way she greets us. “Why so formal?”

  “I dunno, I’m feeling silly tonight. Come here and give me a hug.”

  It’s at this point that Judy notices my black eye. Her eyes go wide then she looks angry.

  “What the hell happened to you? Your eye looks awful! Who did this to you? I’ll kill them! Come here.”

  We both move toward her.

  “Not you,” she says, pointing at Lucien. “Only her.”

  We embrace, and I tell her everything about the day. While I’m filling her in, she goes to the mini fridge in her office and grabs an ice pack. Judy is prepared for any emergency. I sit in my chair with it on my eye, a cup of coffee on my desk, and a cookie in my mouth. Life is good for the moment.

  “I found out about who Jennifer owes money to. She’s been placing bets all over the city for the past two years. Her gambling addiction is bad. I’ve set up a file with names and dates of her bets. Not sure if it will help, but I thought it was worth it to compile the information for you.”

  “Thank you, Judy, that’s a lot of work,” says Lucien. “How did you manage to get this information? We appreciate it.”

  Judy ignores Lucien and turns to me, offering me a sandwich to go with my cookie.

  “When was the last time you ate, girlfriend? You’re wolfing down food like you’re starving.”

  The last thing I remember eating is half a muffin this morning before Jennifer showed up. No wonder I’m hungry. “Sorry to be such a pig, but it’s been hours since we ate. I’m going home in a few minutes to get a good night’s sleep. I haven’t had one of those for days. Oh, and tell Lucien about your source. I never mentioned it to him.”

  “If you must know, my brother has a friend who’s a cop. He called him and asked that he look up some things for me. The cop is a great guy.”

  Lucien grabs a sandwich and eats it while Judy tells me about a strange call to the office.

  “Someone calling themselves Mr. White inquired about your services. The strange thing is, he didn’t say what he needed you to do. He wanted to know what kind of cases you do and if you were any good. I answered his questions but had a strange feeling about the call. Also, I didn’t mention your partner. In case you changed your mind about this nonsense.”

  She won’t let go of that. I pretend I don’t hear her. “Did he leave a comm number?”

  “No. After all the questions, he hung up. No goodbye. Very weird.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it. Anyway, I gotta get outta here. See you in the morning?”

  “Of course! Good night, Lily.”

  James is waiting outside the office. We climb in and start driving toward my apartment. We have seventy-two hours to solve the case—the amount of time the police can keep Jennifer in custody after charging her with attempted murder. Grant will stay at the New Seattle police station and continue to interrogate Jennifer, so that leaves the two of us to solve the mystery of who is producing the maxxolonium. But first we’re both going home.

  Sitting in the backseat of the limo, Lucien rereads our notes while I watch the pedestrians on the elevated sidewalks. I hope Grant calls us with some news but can’t count on it. Jennifer is a tough woman. I can’t imagine her giving up any information.

  “We know Jennifer isn’t doing this alone. There’s at least one partner. The question is, who are the other players in this scheme? She’s smart, but the scope of this is too large for two people. I suspect there are more players here.”

  Lucien looks up from the notes and nods. “I’ve arrived at the same conclusion. The problem is where to look next. My gut says we should go to Jaxiolis. You can’t make the drug without Jaxiolisan blood. I have to believe there are clues on that planet. If nothing else, we can warn the police force on Jaxiolis about what’s going on. Hopefully they’re not in on it. That could cause complications for us.”

  Before I can respond, Lucien’s communicator rings. It’s Grant.

  Chapter Twenty

  Lucien answers his comm, setting it to speaker so I can hear the c
onversation. “What’s up, Grant?”

  “Listen, I only have a few seconds before they take away my comm.” His voice sounds weak.

  I sit up straight with alarm. “What’s going on?” I grab Lucien’s communicator with shaking hands. Grant doesn’t sound right. “Are you okay?”

  I can hear a female voice in the background ordering Grant to hurry up. Is it Jennifer? How is this happening?

  “They said you have to go back to Lucien’s empty warehouse in Pioneer Square.” His voice drops to a whisper. “Don’t do it. It’s a trap—”

  The comm cuts off. In shock, I turn to Lucien, unable to speak. He looks at me, just as speechless.

  There’s a lump in my throat the size of a baseball. I’m not going to cry. I can’t cry now. But it feels like this is all my fault. I involved Grant in the Jennifer case, not realizing it had anything to do with the Red Scarf Murders. Now he’s in serious danger.

  Lucien is angrier than I’ve ever seen him. He picks up his communicator and calls the police. “I need to speak with the captain.”

  A couple minutes later, he’s yelling into the comm. “Yes, this is Lucien McAvoy, a friend of Officer Grant Mitchell. He’s been kidnapped! Now put the captain on the line now!”

  After several minutes on the communicator, he hangs up to tell me what’s happening.

  “I finally convinced Captain Gregory that the kidnapping is real. They plan on contacting the New Seattle police and coordinating with them. He said to stay here while he and his men take care of it.”

  “And is that what we’re doing?” I ask, looking at him incredulously.

  “Of course not! I told him we would go to the warehouse to try and rescue Grant, and their help would be appreciated, but we’re not being left behind.”

  We return to New LaGuardia Airport. We’ve only been in New New York for a couple of hours, and now we’re rushing back to New Seattle. Grant is in great danger, and we have to hurry. The flight back is tense; neither of us is talking. I’m worried we won’t get there in time to save Grant. Although this is a fairly short flight, it feels like hours before we get there.

  We land and hurry to Pioneer Square. James is driving at top speed while we come up with a plan. After all we’ve been through with Jennifer, there’s no way I’m going into this without a well-thought-out plan. We’ve been to this warehouse before, which is an advantage for us. Now I have to think like her and try to figure out what she has planned.

  “I want to know how he was kidnapped,” says Lucien. “I’m beginning to think you were right about the cab driver being Jupzi. That would explain how Grant ended up trapped. But I still can’t figure out how Jupzi knew a cab would be called.” He shakes his head. “I suppose that doesn’t matter now.”

  “No, it doesn’t. But if it was Jupzi, at least now we know we can’t trust him. Knowing him, he’ll try to tell us he was forced to work for Jennifer, like poor Jerry. Don’t believe him. He’s a dishonest guy. I learned that the hard way.”

  Not for the first time, I wish I had a gun. And that I knew how to handle one. Jupzi will be armed. He shot at us the other day. Jennifer’s gun was taken by Grant, but she probably has it now, along with his. We need to go in there knowing there are guns that can be used on us. It’s a depressing thought. What can we do to overpower whoever is in the warehouse?

  I shake my head. I can’t get bogged down with what-ifs. I need to focus to be at my best. Grant’s life depends on it.

  “Lucien, do you know if there were any working lights on the first floor? When we were there last time, all the lights were out, but I don’t know if that’s because Jerry turned them off.”

  “There should be. We make sure to keep all utilities paid up and in good order, even in our abandoned buildings. It leaves options open in case we decide to use it as storage.”

  “I don’t suppose you know where the fuse box is?”

  Lucien pulls out his tablet and looks through schematics of the warehouse. He turns it around to show me the plans. The fuse box is just inside the door we’d previously entered. Perfect. In the dark, the playing field is even. Or at least, more even. They still have guns and we don’t.

  I look at James and have another thought. “Is James bulletproof?”

  Lucien looks up. “I don’t know. I don’t remember reading that in his specs. Let’s ask him. James, did you hear Lily’s question?”

  “Yes, sir. I am indeed bulletproof. I am, however, not bombproof.”

  “Brilliant! We are going to require your assistance when we arrive. You’ll be acting as our shield. Do you understand what we need from you?”

  “Absolutely, sir. In addition to shielding you, I can use the firearms built into my hands.”

  “Yes, that’s a good idea, James. Thank you.”

  This makes me feel better. James can protect us, and I don’t have to feel bad for not carrying a gun. He’s proving to be quite helpful.

  “I’m always at your service, sir.”

  I’m excited that we might be able to rescue Grant and stay alive. James should become a regular part of our team. Not just a chauffeur, but a bodyguard. Of course, I’ll have to ask Lucien, but I can’t imagine why he’d say no. If this works out, I’ll let Judy know about the new addition to our team.

  We pull up to the warehouse and park on the side of the building opposite of the working entrance. On this section of the building, the windows are all boarded up, helping to conceal our presence. Quietly, we approach the door, James leading the way. He unsheathes his guns. We’re as ready as we can be without knowing exactly who is inside.

  The door is ajar. I listen for voices and hear Jennifer yelling at Grant. I let out a breath. He’s still alive. Anger flushes my face as I wonder what she’s doing to him.

  “Are your friends coming or not?” she shrieks. “I’m losing my patience with you. Ten more minutes and then I’m killing you. Or maybe I’ll let Jupzi do what he does best, draining your blood.”

  I freeze. Jupzi is her partner? I look at Lucien, my mouth open. His eyes are wide. He drove the cab, but I’d hoped it was under duress and not because he was working for her.

  “You know, he’s never done that to someone who’s still alive. He’s had to make do with the dead women I gave him. What do you say, Jupzi, want a live one to play with?”

  “I would love to try it on a live person, baby. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.”

  I whisper to Lucien and James. “We need to wait and see if there’s anyone else here.”

  Lucien nods, and we all go back to listening.

  Jupzi is talking to Grant now. Asking him if he thinks his friends will save him. Laughing at him when Grant says yes. Then one of them slaps Grant. That’s enough, we’re going in. I motion to James and Lucien.

  Lucien opens the door and enters alone. “Jennifer, let him go,” he calls. “He hasn’t done anything to you. If you want anyone to torture, take me.”

  She looks past him to see if anyone else is behind him. James and I remain hidden behind the door, but I can see everything from my vantage point.

  “Not very smart to come alone, Lucien. You think I’m going to give you Grant without a fight?”

  She points her gun at Lucien and motions for him to join Grant. Lucien doesn’t move.

  “Do you really believe I won’t shoot you this time?” she yells. “You were lucky back at the motel room. I won’t make the same mistake twice. Get over here!”

  Time for me to enter the warehouse. I walk in, and Jennifer swivels her arm to point at me.

  I smile. “Did you miss me, Jennifer? Looks like the whole gang is here. Hey, Jupzi. What’s a nice Jaxiolisan like you doing in a place like this?”

  Jupzi aims his gun at my head. Surely my joke wasn’t that bad?

  “So, Lily, you couldn’t help yourself,” he says. “You had to keep investigating. And now look where you are. Your curiosity is about to get you killed. The two of you are outgunned and about to die.”

  I take
a step closer to Jupzi. “Obviously you two have the upper hand here. Would you please answer a couple of questions for me? I’m really curious about some things.”

  Jennifer moves next to Jupzi. “Don’t answer her. This is the same trick she pulled last time. Either shoot them or I will. I want to finish this and get out of here.”

  “Hold on. There are two of us with guns. I want to hear what she’s got to say. It’ll be interesting to find out how much they know before they die.”

  Jennifer looks angry but nods and steps back. She points her gun back at Lucien.

  “How did you know we’d be calling for a cab?” I ask.

  “That was easy. I got a job with the local taxi service. Once I found out where you guys were, I put in a special request, courtesy of some extra cash to my manager, to take all calls for rides from that motel. Next question.”

  “That was clever. Now I just want to know why.”

  “Do you mean why am I working for Jennifer?” He scoffs. “I don’t care who gets secret formulas or if people die from taking maxxolonium. I know what I’m doing when I take that stuff, overdosing is for idiots. I want enough uni-chits so I can buy all the maxx I want and never have to work again.”

  “I’m disappointed in you, Jupzi. I know you’re a cheater, but this? How can you live with yourself? I can’t believe we were together.”

  Jennifer pushes Jupzi aside. “Enough. You want to know why I do this?”

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure I have a good idea,” I say, unable to hide the contempt from my voice. “From what I hear you’re quite the gambler. Your name is all over town as a big loser.”

  Jennifer looks pissed. Exactly what I was going for. If she’s mad, she might make a mistake.

  “Lies, it’s all lies,” she yells. “My gambling has nothing to do with this. It’s almost time to watch your friend be drained of his blood. After that, I’m sure you’ll choose bullets over a shared fate.”

  I’m repulsed by the idea of being exsanguinated.

  “Jupzi and I have the same motivation. Money. As much as I can get. No deep reasons, just greed. I hope you’re satisfied with my answer. Now get next to Grant. Jupzi will tie you up.”