by SUE FINEMAN
He gave her a long, warm hug and reluctantly sent her home to her family.
<>
After Maria got home, Blade called her. “There’s a cluster of tiny waterfront homes on Colvos Passage. You have to walk across the neighbor’s property to get to the homes. There’s a little house on the water for rent here, fully furnished. What do you think?”
“Is there a tall, steep hill behind the house?”
She heard footsteps and then he said, “Yeah, it’s a big one.”
“Every few years one of those little houses slides into the water. I know it’s pretty, but I wouldn’t want to live there.”
“Okay, scratch this one.” The next place advertised was out by Key Center.
Blade followed the directions to a run-down single-wide mobile home in the middle of several areas of recently logged land. The blue metal house was rusted and dirty on the outside, and the two cars on blocks beside it had weeds growing around them. He didn’t get off his Harley.
A man with a pot belly came out puffing on a cigar, and Blade asked, “Is this the place for rent?”
“Yeah. You want to see inside?”
“No, thanks.” Blade waved him off and rode away. He’d lived in his share of dumps, and he wouldn’t bring Maria to a place like this.
On the way back, he spotted a sign by the highway that said DUPLEX FOR RENT. He turned in and followed the signs back to a community of duplexes. It wasn’t what he had in mind, but it would do in a pinch. He parked and walked up to the front door. A woman greeted him, and Blade asked, “Is this the place for rent?”
“Yes, it is.”
“I’m looking for a furnished place to live in until I get my new house built.”
By the time he left, his wallet felt lighter and he had a place to live for the next six months. The furniture didn’t look like much and the place wasn’t as private as he’d like, but it was clean and the lawn had been mowed this year.
<>
Lucas helped Blade move into the duplex Monday morning. As soon as Lucas left and Blade got his clothes hung in the closet, two old women knocked on his door. They looked a lot alike, except one had bright red hair and the other was a blonde. They were wearing their wigs like some people wore hats—slightly askew.
“I’m Betty and this is my sister, Judy,” the blonde said. “We live across the street, and we couldn’t help but notice your motor-sickle. Now this is a quiet neighborhood and we have rules about noise.”
Blade invited them to come inside and sit down. Betty talked non-stop about all the ‘rules’ of the neighborhood. Judy nodded at everything her sister said, but she didn’t speak.
“I know you young people like to tear through the streets on your motor-sickles, but this is a quiet neighborhood, and we intend to keep it that way.”
Blade bit down on his tongue to keep from laughing out loud. The old ladies thought they’d been invaded by the Hell’s Angels. Okay, he’d play along. “What about sex? Is that allowed?”
“Oh, my, yes,” said Betty, “as long as it’s in the privacy of your own home and you don’t have women running in and out all the time.”
“I usually only have one at a time,” Blade said with a straight face. Judy’s eyebrows shot up and her face turned bright pink. One down and one to go. “I suppose this means no riding naked down the middle of the street.”
Betty gasped. Two down. Blade stood. “Thanks for coming by, ladies. I appreciate the warm welcome.” He opened the door and the women rushed out. As soon as they left, he leaned on the door and burst out laughing.
Maria arrived a few minutes later with sheets and towels, enough kitchen things to get by, and three bags of groceries. Blade spotted two sets of eyes peeking around the drapes in the window across the street and decided to give them a show to remember. He stood in the open doorway and gave Maria a big smooch.
She helped him make the bed, and then they messed it up, their first time together since they stood before an Elvis look-alike and recited their wedding vows. It wasn’t a luxurious bedroom like the one in New York, but it didn’t matter. They were together, and he could kiss her and touch her, feel her loving arms around him, and make love to her.
They snuggled in the aftermath of a very hot session of lovemaking. He thought it would get less intense over time, but every time with Maria was as passionate at the first. “Maybe we should keep this place after we get the house built. It’s nice and private, except for the neighbors. They informed me of the neighborhood ‘rules.’ We can’t tear down the streets or ride the motor-sickle naked, and I can only have one woman in my bed at a time. Otherwise…”
She burst out laughing.
“Hey, what are you laughing at?”
She pulled his towel off and smacked his bare behind.
“Hey, I’m pretty sure that beating on the residents is against the ‘rules.’ You want me to go across the street and ask Betty?”
She looked him over and giggled. “Not in that condition.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Do you suppose two times in one afternoon is allowed in the ‘rules?’“ She silenced him with a kiss and they ended up back in bed.
<>
Before she left, Maria helped Blade get his kitchen set up. Blade seemed content today, and it felt so nice to have him all to herself again. She’d once thought of him as a crude man, but he treated her kids with respect and kindness, and she’d never had a more sensitive lover. He always left her well satisfied. She didn’t know how long their relationship would last, but she’d enjoy it as long as they were together.
The kids should be home by now. Teresa had offered to pick them up from the bus stop today. Maria loved having her and Angelo right down the street.
Maria kissed Blade goodbye and drove home. As she neared the house, she spotted Sunny’s car parked on the street in front of Mom’s house. A flash of panic rose inside her as she pulled into the driveway and got out to face Blade’s stepmother. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the woman from Blade’s house. Maria, isn’t it? Where is Blade?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t you? You’re driving his car. That must mean he’s riding that disgusting motorcycle.”
“Mommm,” Molly called from the doorway. “Blade is on the phone.”
“Tell him I need to speak with him,” said Sunny. “It’s urgent.”
Maria walked inside the house and grabbed the kitchen phone. “Blade, Sunny is here.”
“Aw, shit.”
“She said she needs to speak with you, that it’s urgent. I don’t want her around the kids.” Maria peeked out the window. Sunny was still out front.
“I don’t want her there either. Send her out to the park, and tell her to come alone. I’ll be there in an hour.”
Andy headed for the front door. Maria covered the mouthpiece. “Andy, no. Stay inside.” She didn’t want her kids around that woman.
Before Andy could close the door Daisy ran outside, and Andy ran after her. “Blade, Daisy just got out. I have to go. One hour, at the park?”
“Yeah.”
Maria hurried outside and called Daisy. Sunny squatted beside her car, petting the dog, and Andy stood nearby. “Such a sweet little dog, and is this your little boy?”
A chill washed over Maria as she rushed out to snatch Daisy away from Sunny. She was tempted not to tell Sunny to meet Blade, tempted to go inside and call Angelo and Nick instead, but she did what Blade asked her to do.
“Blade said he’d meet you at the park in an hour and to come alone. Turn right at the main road. It’s about three miles down.”
“Thank you, Maria.”
“Don’t come here again.”
“If Blade does what he’s told, I won’t have to.” Sunny’s words sent a chill down Maria’s spine. This woman knew her name and where they lived, and she’d seen the kids.
Maria took Daisy and Andy inside and locked the door. “Nobody goes outsid
e, not even Daisy.” Surprisingly, none of the kids complained.
“Who is that woman, Mom?” Molly asked.
“Blade had her arrested for stealing his mail before we went to New York. If you ever see her again, tell me or Blade immediately.”
Molly, eyes as wide as Andy’s, said, “Okay.”
Maria couldn’t let Blade go out to the park alone. As soon as Sunny drove away, she called Angelo and told him what happened. “I don’t know what to do.”
“It’s all right, Maria. I’ll hang out in the park and keep an eye on things. Okay?”
“Yes, okay, but I don’t want you getting hurt either.”
“We’ll be okay.”
Maria wanted to believe him, but she didn’t want to put him in danger, too. “Take one of Nick’s guards with you.” The guards were armed, and they knew how to handle themselves in dangerous situations.
<>
Blade worried about Maria’s safety, and he didn’t want Sunny and her friends around the kids. But he couldn’t be in two places at once. He couldn’t protect her while he was at the park, but he knew someone who could. He called Nick and explained the situation. “I don’t want Maria and the kids there alone. Sunny is pissed, and I don’t trust her and whoever she’s working with.”
“They won’t be alone, and neither will you.”
As soon as he ended his call with Nick, Blade called Maria and tried to reassure her. “Stay inside with the kids until it’s over.”
“Don’t go, Blade.”
“If I don’t go, she’ll come back to your mother’s house, and I don’t want her there.”
“Angelo is taking one of Cara’s guards, and—”
“Nick is coming to stay with you and the kids. He said he’d call the sheriff’s office and see if they could have some people nearby, just in case she tries something, but I’m sure she’s just after money.”
Sunny wouldn’t do anything physical to him now. She was about five-six, and he was six-two. It wasn’t Sunny that worried him. It was the guy who came to the house looking for him when Sunny was in jail. She hung out with a rough crowd, and if Jacobs cut her off, she probably owed someone a whole lot of money.
“She won’t hurt you, will she?” Maria’s voice trembled with fear.
“Nah, she just wants money.” But Blade wasn’t so sure. She’d want money, but she’d also want revenge for having her arrested. Or Jacobs could be paying her to lead him into a trap.
Running away from the house hadn’t solved anything, and he couldn’t run away again. He had to face Sunny and take care of the problem.
He stared at his watch, wanting to go and get it over with, but if he went too soon, Nick wouldn’t have time to get his people in place, and if he waited too long, Sunny and the guy working with her could go after Maria.
Ten minutes before the meeting time, Blade pulled on his jacket and helmet. Watching traffic around him, he rode out to the park. He spotted Sunny’s car at the far end of the parking lot. Lucas and Angelo were sitting at a nearby picnic table, sipping soft drinks. Lucas wasn’t wearing his uniform, but he was wearing a nearly invisible headset under his cap and Blade figured there were reinforcements either in the park or nearby. The thought gave him some comfort.
Angelo motioned slightly with his head, and Blade spotted the other car, a white SUV with tinted windows. He rode on past and Sunny motioned to the empty parking spot beside her car. Ignoring her, Blade parked the bike on the dirt behind her car, where he could keep an eye on the SUV.
“It’s about time you got here,” said Sunny.
“How many people did you bring with you, Sunny?”
“Don’t you trust me, Blade?”
“No. What do you want?” Blade scanned the inside of Sunny’s car to make sure no one hid inside.
“Money. I have no income now, and I’m—”
“How much has Jacobs been paying you?” He glanced at the trees and bushes around the parking lot and saw no one.
“A quarter of a million a year, but he cut me off.”
Blade didn’t want any surprises, and he didn’t want any innocent bystanders getting hurt if things turned nasty. But his gut told him that things could turn nasty any second. He scanned the other cars in the lot and the path going down to the beach. Aside from Sunny’s car, Angelo’s, and the white SUV, there were only two other cars there. Between the cool weather and the day of the week, it wasn’t the best time for people to show up at a waterfront park.
The SUV started, and Angelo and Lucas were on their feet. Blade tensed. Lucas talked to someone on his headset, and that bulge under his arm had to be a shoulder holster. There were two couples on the beach below them, and Blade prayed they stayed down on the beach.
“How many men are watching us, Sunny?”
Her eyes darted around. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The SUV backed out and drove toward them. The front window began to roll down and the barrel of a gun poked out. Angelo ducked behind a picnic table and Lucas took aim. Blade hit the ground, knocked his bike over, and rolled under Sunny’s car. Bullets pinged into the car and the pavement around the car. Sunny fell to the ground on the other side of the car, blood running from her mouth, and Blade couldn’t look away.
Angelo yelled, “Blade, are you all right?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Yeah. The paramedics are on the way. Looks like Sunny was the only one hit.”
Blade rolled out from under the car. “What happened to the shooter?”
“The cops were outside the park. I hope they got him.”
Lucas walked over and checked the pulse in Sunny’s neck. “She’s gone, and the cops have her killer in custody. There was only one man inside the SUV. We couldn’t see through those damn tinted windows or we would have known he was armed.”
Blade’s heart pounded like a bass drum. The shooter may have been after Sunny, but she wasn’t the only target or she would have been killed before, in a place the killer wouldn’t have to risk being seen. Jacobs had to be behind this. Had he set up this scenario to eliminate both of them? Thank God Blade hadn’t agreed to meet Sunny at Sophia’s house.
Although he wasn’t harmed, Blade was badly shaken. He thought he’d left the trouble behind when he ran away from home twenty-five years ago, but when Sunny found him, she brought the trouble with her. Yet, he couldn’t blame her for this. Jacobs had not only cut her off, he told her where to find another source of money.
Cops and paramedics swarmed the park, checking the scene and interviewing witnesses. Before Blade stepped away from Sunny’s car, he looked at her eyes, wide open and staring at nothing. He couldn’t forgive her for ruining his childhood and setting him up for failure as an adult, but he pitied her sorry life. Sunny knew he had a family in New York, and she knew he had a mother who wanted him, but she held onto him to get John’s money. If no one else stepped forward to do it after the authorities were finished with her body, he’d have her cremated with a bottle of Jack Black and turn her ashes into fertilizer.
As soon as he finished with the first cop and his hands stopped shaking, Blade called Maria. “Sunny is dead, but everyone else is all right. The guy who shot her is in police custody.”
“Oh, Blade.” Her words came out in a whoosh of emotion.
“Jacobs is behind this. He may not have been the one who pulled the trigger, but he’s behind it. You and the kids can’t stay there, Maria. I don’t know if the shooter was the only one, and we’re not taking any chances with your lives. You have to leave.”
“We’re all going to California next week for Cara’s birthday party. She won’t mind if we stay longer, but I have to be in court May third, and I can’t take Molly out of school that long. This is her first year of high school, and she can’t miss that much and still pass her finals. Robbie could take a year off and pass everything, but not Molly.”
“Talk to Nick. See if he’ll take Molly and your mother. They have guards watching th
e house all the time, so they’ll be all right there. You can take the boys with you. Get the hell out of there before something else happens.”
“We’re not going anywhere without you.”
“Honey, I don’t want to bring more trouble down on you.”
“Cara has a walled estate with armed guards. Unless someone flies over with a bomb, there is no place safer.”
Blade took a deep breath and blew it out. It sounded like a good solution. He didn’t want to hang around and play target. One scene like this was plenty. “Clear it with Nick and Cara. After the cops finish with me, I’ll go home and pack.”
While he talked with the second officer, Blade righted his bike and checked for damage. Except for a bullet in the seat and a ding in the handlebars, it looked okay. Sunny’s car was peppered with holes, and most of the windows had been shot out.
Jacobs must be getting desperate.
Gerry showed up a few minutes later. “Blade, you okay?”
“That son-of-a-bitch tried to kill me.”
“Nick called me, and I’ve been in touch with Mort. He’s taking care of things from that end.”
“I never thought Jacobs would go this far.”
“If he’s behind it,” Gerry said. “The guy they caught is a hired gun from LA. They may have been after her.”
“I don’t buy it. Why didn’t they kill her in LA? Why do it here?”
Gerry shrugged. “Maybe she promised them money and they realized she couldn’t come up with it. Look, Blade, you don’t have any holes in your body. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
He’d rolled under the car before the shooting began, but Gerry was right. If the killer wanted him dead, he’d be dead.
What in the hell was going on?
Chapter Fourteen
Four hours after the shooting in the park, Maria said goodbye to her mother and Molly. Lucas drove her and Blade and the boys to the Tacoma Narrows Airport, where they boarded Cara’s private plane for the flight to California. It wasn’t easy leaving Molly behind, but she was excited about staying with Uncle Nick and Aunt Cara, and Maria knew she’d be safe there. Mom and Cara’s guards would look after her, and they’d all be down for Cara’s birthday party next week.
