by Mimi Barbour
Maya watched Nik’s eyes narrow and those sexy lips of his tighten. When he clenched his mouth, the smile lines on each cheek deepened and one side dimpled. Mind you, on a face plastered over with scowls, one couldn’t mistake those grooves for anything but signs of anger.
Good!He’s mad. The asshole had pulled his stunts too often for her not to want to get some payback.
Just then, Henry Lassiter, Max’s favorite drinking buddy, grabbed Nik in a bear hug and gave his back a pounding. “Hey, Max, good to have you back. Gotta tell you, man, ever since you disappeared, Maya has been hitting the streets like a crazy person. She’s driven us a mad, working every angle, calling in favors, paying off snitches. And all for nothing. It was like you’d disappeared in a puff of smoke. We’d about given you up for dead.”
“Hey, Lassiter, how’re you doing? Gotta admit, as ugly as you are, you’re still a sight for sore eyes.” Nik allowed the familiarity with discomfort and forbearance.
“You too, man. Tonight at the place, the drinks are on me.”
“You’re on. See you after nine.” Before Maya could drag fake-Max from his co-workers, they all stepped up to welcome him back. Damn fool was liked by most in the office… there was something about his expectations that others automatically fulfilled.
She’d finally reached her breaking point. “Hey, big shot, maybe you’d like to try and get some work done? It’s why we’re here, why they pay us.” Maya’s biting tone didn’t surprise anyone. They were used to her caustic, dictatorial treatment of her partner. How many times had they seen her nose to the grindstone while Max threw wadded-up papers into a wastebasket, declaring it was his way of concentrating?
Nik, however, wasn’t used to being talked to in this manner and his stiffening was seen only by the woman who watched for it. Yess! Hope I’m getting to you, partner. Now, it’s my turn!
Before Nik fashioned a comeback, Ron roared from the open door of his office. “Maya, Max, there’s trouble at the port, Napoleon Avenue Complex. Check the container terminal at the dock. They found a surprise in one of the containers.” Pointing at two others whose expressions were hopeful, he added. “Backup. Get moving.”
Trailing Maya to where she’d parked their wheels, unlike his brother, Nik said nothing. Normally Max hated her driving. But she’d get pissy if he insisted on taking the wheel. As a hot-headed teen, he’d wrecked a car and put a buddy in the hospital, which had effectively killed the speed monkey that had ridden his back through those early years.
Now, in her estimation, the jerk drove like a paranoid old lady. The reason he owned such a sweet ride, she’d surmised, was for acquiring chicks and creating envy. Whenever he’d be forced to punch it, he clearly suffered every minute his foot rode the pedal.
“So, are you going to tell me where you’ve been?” Maya swung the wheel hard and headed for the busy street.
“So—are you really going to play this game?”
“Game? Not sure where you’re coming from, Max, honey. I just wanted to understand why you left—”
“Maya. Stop. You know it’s me.”
“Nik? Oh my God, you so had me fooled.”
Nik grabbed the handle above his head tightly. His croaked, “Not even for a second,” made her laugh. Seems she’d found a sore spot with the hard-ass. He didn’t like her speeding either. Good! She punched the peddle down further and took another corner too quickly. Little did he know that she raced at the track on her off weekends. In fact, there wasn’t much in the way of wheels that she couldn’t drive. One of her crazy step-daddies had seen to that.
“How did you know I’d made you?” Ignoring her, the man stared straight ahead.
Face pale, wearing a stoic expression, he answered, “You stared at my mouth. Then you sneered. Figured you had no reason to be angry with Max. In fact, just the opposite. If you’ve been searching for him, like the other agents suggested, you’d have been thrilled when I appeared. You weren’t.”
“What did you expect? You know it’s against the law, impersonating an FBI agent, don’t you? No way do I want to get the book thrown at me for aiding and abetting. Far as I’m concerned, you’re Special Agent Max Foster, and no one else.”
“Fine with me. So now, are you going to bring me up to date on what you know about my brother’s disappearance?”
“You mean death?”
Peeling his eyes from the road, Nik’s head whipped in her direction. And he didn’t speak, he barked. What the hell? “Did you find him?”
“Not exactly.”
For a second, Nik had thought Max had turned up dead since the night before. Why that ridiculous thought had entered his mind, he’d never know. After all, both Maya and Bitters had accepted he could be Max just a short while ago. Daunting was the only way he could describe how much he cared for the brother he’d only recently met. It was like, for the first time in his life, he was whole—nothing missing—complete. Heart pounding fast and suffocatingly hard, he tried to relax.
“I finally found his snitch, and he swears Max was beaten so badly he couldn’t have lived through it.”
Rigid with instant rage, Nik said, “Hell, if he saw Max being assaulted so badly, why didn’t the asshole step in?”
“The guy’s an addict, uses every day and has no devotion to anything but the shit he shoots up with. Very little he could have done. Besides, he was terrified they’d kill him too.”
“Does he know who did it? Or who took his body?”
“No. He conked out. Says the adrenalin from the panic did him in and when he came to, Max was gone.”
“Strange coincidence, wouldn’t you say—that he just happened to be hanging out in the vicinity on that exact night.”
“No fluke. He says he’d found some evidence for Max and he needed a hit. Knew Max was good for a twenty, so he’d phoned him. Max had said he’d meet him behind the restaurant, but when the informant showed up, the goons had already started.”
“Evidence? What kind of evidence?”
“Wouldn’t say. Well, actually, he had a memory lapse. Guess he’d only talk to Max, and nothing I said could sway him.”
“Could he identify anyone?”
“Nah! Too dark. Too high. Hell… too stupid.” Maya drove through the open gates of the New Orleans cargo terminal and followed the signal from the uniform who was there to direct regular traffic away from the crime scene. The activity around one container appeared to be the place to stop. She pulled up with a screech of tires and a rattled partner.
Goodie! He’d grabbed the dash and held on. Amazing how much better she felt. Until she saw the body…
Chapter 21
Taking the gloves held out by a member of the forensic team, Maya waited for Nik to don his and then walked in front of him to show him the way. Hopefully, he’d be smart enough to follow her lead in these circumstances.
The woman stepping forward to greet her wore a badge and a scowl. Bessy Halls was a good detective and one of Maya’s preferred officers to work with. There was no one-upmanship with her. Bessy did her job well, passed in the appropriate paperwork on time and could be relied on to be discreet. A hell of a lot better than many of the penis-porters who were out to prove their size.
As a matter of respect, Maya held out her hand. “Hey, Bess, appreciate the call. What have you got for us?”
Bessy smiled a greeting and then spotted the man behind her. “Max!” With a leap of joy, she flung her arms around Nik’s neck and swayed back and forth while pounding him on the back as if burping her little one.
Since the beautiful black lady not only wore a large smile but also sported strong arms and a healthy hold, Nik returned the hug and felt foolish grinning in the way he thought his brother might have done. “Hey, gorgeous, I missed you too.”
Maya knew she was being silly, but seeing Nik in another woman’s arms didn’t sit well with her. Muscles tightened in her tummy and let her know that though her reaction had been visceral it had been no less annoying.
Funny thing—Max could have stripped naked and had full blown sex with the woman and it wouldn’t have bothered Maya one little bit. Well, other than the annoyance of having to arrest two people she liked for indecent exposure and gross lewdness.
She finally snapped. “Break up the love fest, you two. Appreciate you including us on this one, Bess.”
“Yeah, well, I know you’re working on the Trafficking Case and I figured this incident was right up your alley.”
“Thanks, pal. Show us what you’ve got.”
Bessy grabbed both sides of Nik’s face and planted a big smooch on the right-side dimple that was now prominent. “Sugar, you’re a sight for sore eyes. We’ll have to celebrate your return from the dead later.” Her expression turned serious and her voice changed, lowered, becoming emotional. “Can’t tell you how many times I got called out about a deceased male and worried myself sick it might have been you.” With another hard slap on his arm, Bessy swung to Maya and said. “Okay, agent lady, I’m coming.” She led the way to the container that had been taped off and stepped inside where lights were set up so they could sweep the crime scene once the ME had done his initial investigation.
The sickening heat hit Maya as soon as she moved in from the entrance. Good Lord! It was hard to breathe in the putrid, dead air. A person almost had to gulp it; the texture was so thick it punished the lungs.
“Hi, Maya. Figured you’d catch this one.” Stepping away from the body, the coroner, a bald good-looker swung his appreciative brown sparklers in her direction and winked. Reaching over the covered corpse, he held out his hand and shook Nik’s. “Good to see you alive, Agent Foster.”
“Thanks, man.” Max had primed him well. If you don’t know the name, just use the generic “man.” I do it all the time.
Maya crouched down. “May I?”
“Sure, the MEs have finished with her. They’ll transport her to the morgue soon. Wanted you to see the crime scene, though, before then.”
“Thanks.” Maya lifted the shroud and sat back on her heels, away from the stench. She’d never gotten used to the nostril-pinching stink of death. Or the painful reaction she suffered whenever the victim was young—male or female. For the next few nights, she’d be experiencing reactionary nightmares for sure, and her brief crying spells over these cases had never stopped.
Guess she should be glad that she hadn’t become cynical about the heart-rending atrocities. Rather than hardening her like it had so many others, her pervasive streak of humanity demanded she did the best job she could for each victim. Thankfully, her acting skills had also greatly improved. No one knew the gut-wrenching torment she suffered.
Nik coughed, covering his mouth. It drew her eyes to him and she saw that he’d guessed her secret. The flash of sorrow he shared before he’d deadened his own expression had been for her alone. Damned if it didn’t make her feel better.
Surveying the body, Maya surmised that the girl couldn’t have had her fifteenth birthday yet. Nor could she have been any prettier. Poor baby! Maya acknowledged the approaching ME. He’d been waiting to give her the information he knew she’d be asking for.
“Cause of death?” From the look of the shrunken eyes and swollen tongue, Maya had a pretty good idea, but it was best to ask—professional courtesy.
“Dehydration. She might have lasted three days, maybe less, because of the heat. From the look of the shriveled, irritated skin, the poor girl suffered until ketosis kicked in and her kidneys and other organs began to fail.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Looks like she did a number on her arms and legs, scratched herself bloody raw.” Sadness threatening, Maya forced it back as usual. She couldn’t afford to show her reaction. Not yet. Not here.
“She did.” Nik had wandered to the other end of the container and pointed to the wall near where the young girl had made herself a nest of old papers and scraps of wood. “She’s left a message.” He scanned his flashlight over the bottom of the wall where there looked to be distinct letters written in dripping darkened blood.
Maya went to have a look, swaying slightly as she gained her feet. “Can you make out what it says?”
Squatting, Nik aimed the flashlight closer and read the message. “‘Mai 14 help her.’ That’s it.”
Chapter 22
After taking her own pictures with her cell, Nik saw Maya’s gesture that she’d gotten everything she needed. Earlier, the temperature had registered ninety-five in the shade, humid as hell, but he’d never been so glad to go outside.
He’d noticed that Bessy had disappeared, and the rest of the folks working the area were busy. The ME who Maya had called Ray followed them outside. Stopping her with a proprietary hand on her arm that Nik had a primeval urge to break, he asked for a minute.
Easy…Down, big boy!
Not sure what the procedure was, Nik let Maya do the talking while he studied the surroundings. The port looked to be a very busy place. Hundreds of containers, docked ships being unloaded by huge cranes and numerous vehicles crowded onto a small area.
A large eighteen-wheeler caught his attention. Near the back of the now empty trailer walked a heavy-set man. His shifty surveillance of the surroundings spiked Nik’s interest. When the nervous fellow rounded the corner of the warehouse, he stopped dead, his eyes widening from seeing all the cop cars and uniforms bustling around.
Nik sensed something amiss and began to move in the fat man’s direction. Seeing the agent approaching, the prick’s face registered first fear and then panic. Quickly, swinging back in the direction he came from, he headed for the driver’s side of the truck and Nik’s instincts kicked in.
Pushing himself hard, he made it to the vehicle just as the idiot had started the engine and begun to swing the steering wheel. With a leap that he’d perfected in basic training, Nik reached through the open window and grabbed hold of the wheel. With Max’s Luger pressed to the other’s cheek, he forced the runner to make a decision—gas or brake. “You better stop right now, fuckie, or your pea brain will be plastered all over the windshield.” The gun, held by an unbending, hard-eyed Nik, convinced the lowlife that his best choice was to stop.
By the time Nik had flung the quivering, whining sack of shit from the interior and had him on his knees, Maya had run up, followed by the few others. “Get down on the ground. Hands behind your back. Do it! Now!” Her voice snarled the commands before Nik had a chance. Good thing. He had no idea how to give the correct orders to a fugitive. Seems that Max hadn’t covered everything.
Turning to him, Maya grinned. “Good work, Agent Max.”
Obviously, there was a message in her words. The others snickered. But he had no frigging idea why. Another thing Max had left out.
Chapter 23
“You did good today, Max.” Maya drove slowly back to the office. Nik snorted and glared in her direction. She knew very well who he was, and, for some strange reason, he disliked her calling him by his brother’s name.
“Don’t get pissed.” Maya’s voice softened.
“I’m not.” He turned away.
“Yes you are. I can see it in your face. Your dimple is showing from clenching your teeth.”
Swiveling back to face her, he grunted. “First of all, I don’t clench my teeth. And second—I don’t have dimples.” The sneer came through loud and clear, even to him.
“Technically, you’re right. They’re more like laugh lines. Except you never laugh, so they must be there from—”
“When I grit my teeth. You’re nuts. Why are you calling me Max when we’re alone?”
“If I don’t, I’m afraid I’ll forget and call you Nik in front of the others. How about I just call you Swift? That was some fast move you made today. I’ve never seen anyone who can react like you did. Well, there is a certain resemblance to the Road Runner in the Wile E. Coyote films.”
Her teasing grin relaxed his stiff demeanor and he replied, “You’re crazy. But I see what you mean about forgetting in publi
c. Guess you’re right.”
“What? A male who agrees with a female? Watch my heart!”
“Don’t get too used to it.” He grinned evilly and settled back in his seat. Maybe working with the red-headed darling was going to succeed better than he’d thought. He hoped so. Until Max was strong enough to be able to defend himself, and he took up his rightful place, it would be better if he remained in hiding. Considering how Nik had had to use strong-arm tactics to get his stubborn twin to agree with this exchange at all, he’d had to let him call some of the shots. When they’d argued about telling Maya that Max was alive, Max had negated that suggestion instantly… and forcefully. “Bad enough that she’ll be culpable for you acting as an agent and could lose her badge for playing along. But if she knew I was alive, she’d be even more prone to call it in. That woman plays by the book.”
Interrupting his wanderings, Maya questioned. “How did you know the truck driver had something to do with the dead girl?”
“I didn’t. But he looked mighty guilty when he saw all the cops and police vehicles. When he ran for his truck, I just knew I had to stop him and talk to the dude.”
“You have good instincts. Your perp, Al Bard, has a list of misdemeanors a mile long and has been incarcerated a number of times—mostly vandalism, hauling stolen goods and drug possession. The fact that he had a bag of cocaine in his shirt pocket and a couple of stolen guns under his seat gives us leverage. He’s looking at some hard time if he doesn’t talk.”
“You sound gleeful.”
“I am.” She chuckled and he liked the sound.
“Who’ll be interviewing him?”
“We will. They’re booking him and taking him to the field office.”
“Ah! That’s why you’re happy. You get to intimidate the poor bastard.”
“That poor bastard could have had something to do with our young girl being left to die all alone in that furnace with no food or water. Yeah, you bet I want to talk to him.”
