Mission: Irresistible

by Sharon Sala

  Freddie began to smile. “You know, if my last girlfriend had been half as smart as I suspect you are, we might still be warming the sheets.” He winked at East and turned toward Ally, leaning back on his stool and folding his arms across his chest. “Say, if you get tired of old Easty boy, you come on back here. I’ve got all kinds of toys for you to play with.”

  Ally laughed out loud. From anyone else, the rude, sexual innuendo would have been insulting. But coming from this tall, skinny reject from the seventies, it was comical, and they all knew it.

  Freddie pretended to frown. “Am I to take that as a refusal?”

  “Pretty much,” Ally said, “although I have to say it’s the best offer I’ve had all day.”

  Freddie pursed his lips and tugged on his beard as he swiveled the stool around to stare at East.

  “What’s the matter with you, Easty boy? Looks like your son isn’t the only thing you’ve lost. I can remember the days when you would have—”

  “Butt out,” East muttered, as Ally glanced at her watch.

  “The program,” she said. “It has to be finished by now. Maybe we got lucky there, too.”

  “What program?” Freddie asked.

  “I’m running a match on a fingerprint we found in Jeff’s apartment.”

  Freddie’s eyes rounded and then squinted as a wide grin began to spread.

  “You hacked into the FBI system to run a print?”

  Ally pursed her lips. “I didn’t exactly hack,” she said. “I have clearance, you know.”

  He grinned. “Yeah, but not from a civilian PC. I’m impressed.”

  She smiled primly.

  East sighed and then grinned. “You’re right, honey. One step at a time.” He glanced at Freddie. “Old friend, you don’t know what this means to me.”

  Freddie’s smile faded. “Oh, I think I do.” He hesitated, thoughtfully eyeing Ally, then added. “You’re both going to Idaho, aren’t you?”

  East nodded.

  Freddie stood abruptly and strode to a nearby cabinet, took something from a shelf, and then handed it to East.

  “What’s this for?” East asked, eyeing the set of keys Freddie had put in his hand.

  “Baby. She’s in storage, but I was just there last week and everything is operative, including a new battery under the hood.”

  “Baby? Who’s Baby?” Ally asked.

  “You’d have to see her to believe her,” East said, then looked at Freddie. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Freddie squinted, as if unwilling to show the emotion welling in his eyes. “Well, yes. Wouldn’t have offered, otherwise. Besides, you got to get that kid back and get him through the rest of his school. Never know when I might need some free doctoring.”

  East clasped the key tight in his fist, then cleared his throat. “We’ll take good care of her.”

  “It’s the kid that matters most,” Freddie said. “You just find him.”

  The two men embraced briefly then stepped apart. Freddie winked at Ally as they started to leave. “I’d give you a hug, too, except I don’t think old Easty boy would appreciate my generosity.”

  “I field my own hugs,” Ally said.

  Freddie laughed and swooped.

  Ally found herself momentarily nose to beard, felt a swift kiss on her forehead and then was set aside as abruptly as she’d been held. A little embarrassed, she smoothed at the front of her blouse and then patted her hair.

  “Thank you,” she said, primly.

  Freddie laughed again. “You’re welcome.” Then he looked at East, who was trying not to frown. “Man, you’re done for and you don’t even know it.”

  They could still hear him laughing as he shut the door behind them. The sound of voices and videos drifted up the stairwell, mixing with the dust and gloom in which they were standing. East gave Ally a long, slow look.

  “Am I?” he suddenly asked.

  Her eyebrows knitted. “Are you what?”

  “Done for?”

  Her eyes widened, then focused on his mouth before she abruptly looked away.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she muttered. “Let’s get back to the apartment. I have a good feeling about that print.”

  He followed her down the stairs and through the arcade, watching the sway of her hips as she strode purposefully through the crowd—so certain of her skill and intelligence, and yet so unsure of herself as a woman. Never in his life had he been more confused, or as certain that he was falling in love.

  “We’ve got a match!” Ally shouted.

  East dropped the keys onto the table and ran toward the kitchen.

  Ally had dashed through the door the moment he’d unlocked it, bolting ahead of him to see if the program she’d been running was finished. From the tone of her voice, it was good news.

  “Please tell me it’s not one of his friends,” East muttered, as he leaned over her shoulder to look at the screen.

  Ally shook her head. “Not unless he’s running with a crowd you don’t know about.” She pointed. “Elmore Todd. White male, forty-six years old, two hundred and thirty-four pounds, six feet two inches tall. Priors—assault and battery, armed robbery. Sentenced five to ten, served two and a half years in Soledad, released in 1988. Picked up for possession of an illegal weapon in 1993, but the charges were dismissed.”

  She kept scrolling the information, reading the arrests and dispensations without comment until she came to the bottom of the page. Suddenly, she gasped. “East! Look at this!”

  He leaned closer, reading where she was pointing.

  “Born in New Township, Idaho. Ties to three known militia groups within the state—America’s Freemen, Sons of Glory, and the Brotherhood of Blood.”

  “Son of a bitch,” East muttered, trying not to think of what people like that might do to his son. “But why them? What would a militia group have to do with trying to bring down a man like Jonah? Their agenda is usually broader than that.”

  “You’ve been out of the loop too long,” Ally said. “It’s well known within SPEAR that some of those groups are little more than mercenaries, willing to hire out to the highest bidder.”

  East stood abruptly. “That fits in with my theory that the man who wants Jonah is not in the same place as the people who took Jeff. If you’re right…if he hired some right-wing militia group to snatch Jeff, then we’re in big trouble, aren’t we?”

  She shook her head, disinclined to admit she was scared. “Maybe not, although there are so many off-shoots of known, organized groups that it may be very difficult to find the one that this man is connected with now.” Then she added. “But not impossible.”

  “I’ve got to talk to Jonah,” East said. “The kidnapper is going to call soon and when he does, I’m going to need some bargaining power.”

  “You’re going to give the kidnapper real info?” she asked.

  “No, but it’s going to look that way. By the time he figures it out, I have to have Jeff safely in my possession.”

  “That’s risky. What if we don’t find him before—”

  “We’ll find him,” East said. “We have no choice.” Then he pulled Ally out of the chair and grasped her by the shoulders. “I said you were my lucky charm, and I meant it. It would have taken me days, even weeks to get this much information by myself.” Then he added. “Hell, I don’t even know if I would ever have gotten this far. You’re right, I’ve been out of the loop too long.”

  “Actually, your instincts are still there, and you’ve got one thing going for you that neither Jonah or the kidnappers have.”

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “Your love for Jeff. A parent’s love for a child is stronger than any force on earth.” Then she sighed and her voice dropped. “At least it should be.”

  East pulled her into his arms and held her close. “I wish I could change the way you were raised. There are people who should never have children, and even though your childhood was not ideal, I�
�m really glad you were born.”

  She smiled against the fabric of his shirt and closed her eyes, fighting back tears.

  “Me, too,” she said. “And I’ll do everything I can to help you find Jeff.”

  He lifted her chin until their gazes met. His eyes were dark with warning.

  “I’ll take your help and gladly,” he said. “But when this is over, prepare yourself, because I’m going to ask something more of you than just help.”

  She shivered suddenly, uncertain of what to say. Then he was coming closer, blocking out her vision of everything except the want in his eyes.

  Mouths merged, opening gently to the pressure, tasting the sweetness of trust and the beginnings of love.

  Chapter 11

  Night came to L.A. It had been eleven days since Ally had appeared at Condor Mountain, and four days since the phone call about Jeff’s disappearance. East’s stomach clenched. Time was running out. Tomorrow they would retrieve Freddie’s Baby and head for Idaho. After that, the plan was vague. All he could do was hope that the threads of this mess would keep unraveling as they went, because staying stationary was no longer an option.

  East came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of sweatpants and nothing else. His hair was still damp and spiky from his shower and his bare feet made soft splatting sounds as he came down the hall, intent on telling Ally that the bathroom was free. He rounded the corner with her name on his lips and ran squarely into her. She staggered backward as the stack of papers she was carrying went flying.

  “Ally, honey! I’m so sorry. Are you all right?”

  She rolled her eyes and pressed a hand to her midriff. “Except for the fact that you scared me senseless, I’m fine.” Then she dropped to her knees and began to gather up the papers.

  East knelt beside her. “Let me do that. It’s my fault they fell.”

  “No, I’m perfectly capable of—”

  He grabbed her hand, then tugged. “Ally, look at me.”

  She looked up, a slight flush on her face.

  “I know what you’re capable of, probably better than you do,” he said gently. “Now go take your bath and relax. I will pick up the damned papers. Do you understand?”

  Her lips pursed.

  “Aren’t you going to tell me to go to hell?” he teased, trying to make her smile.

  She stood abruptly. “Why should I tell you something that you seem perfectly capable of figuring out for yourself?” she said, and stepped around him, striding down the hall with her head held high.

  He rocked back on his heels and started to laugh.

  “One of these days, Ally, girl. One of these days,” he called out.

  The bathroom door slammed shut.

  He was still chuckling as he gathered the last of her papers and put them on the dining room table, then stood in the quiet until he heard water running in the bathroom down the hall. Only then did he move to the terrace. As he did, he was surprised to feel moisture on his face. He hadn’t even known it was raining. He stood for a moment in the shadows, taking shelter from the shallow overhang and listened to the sounds.

  Raindrops peppered upon metal surfaces like the tinkling sounds of a player piano, clinking, dripping, running, pouring. Water fell in gushes from the down-spouts onto the concrete below, mini-cascades that ran fast and free. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest, relishing the fresh breeze and mist upon his bare arms and chest. Then he closed his eyes, wondering if it was raining where Jeff was being held—worrying if he was cold—afraid he might be hungry. Ah God, he couldn’t face losing Jeff and live knowing that again, the death of an innocent would be on his shoulders; and this time his own son.

  Time passed. He never knew when the rain stopped, or that Ally had been standing in the shadows of the living room for quite some time, watching the changing expressions on his face. All he knew was for the first time in years, he was scared.

  He shivered, but was reluctant to go to bed and face the ghosts of his past. Finally the chill of the night got to him and he pushed away from the wall and turned to go inside when he saw Ally.

  She was standing in the dark wearing that same over-size T-shirt with her hands clasped at her waist as if she was about to recite a lesson. But it was the expression on her face that stopped him flat.

  Sweet heaven, hadn’t anyone ever told that woman not to let a man see her vulnerability? He frowned, then moved inside, closing and locking the patio door behind him.

  “It got cold.”

  She swallowed, trying to find something insignificant to talk about, but when he looked at her like that, she couldn’t think.

  “Want something to drink?” he asked, and took a step toward her.

  She flinched, then shook her head.

  He had to give it to her—she had guts. She looked scared to death and yet held her ground. His sigh deepened. This had to stop. If they were going to find Jeff, they had to work together, and not just during the day when there were clues to unravel, but all the time. Trust was a twenty-four hour emotion or it wasn’t there at all.

  “Are you afraid of me?”

  She hesitated, and it stunned him to realize how much that hurt.

  “Damn it, Alicia, I would never force you into anything you don’t want. Don’t you know that?”

  It was the pain in his voice that made her find her own.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “It’s not that. It’s not even you.” She lowered her head. “It’s me.”

  He moved toward her, touching her face, then tilting her chin and forcing her to look at him when she talked.

  “What about you?” he asked.

  “I don’t know how to handle all of this.”

  His voice softened. “All of what, honey?”

  “You. Me. Us.”

  He smiled gently. “Is there an us?”

  She blushed. “See. That’s what I mean. I don’t know. I can’t read the signs. I don’t know the rules. All I know is when we get like this it’s hard to catch my breath. Is that just lust, or is it something else?”

  Her naivete and honesty shamed him. It was time he stopped pushing her. He took her hand, then pulled her closer.

  “I don’t know how you feel. I can only tell you how I feel about us, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Her eyes were wide and fixed upon his face, and then he took her into his arms, burying his face in the soft curls at the crown of her head.

  “I see your smile in my dreams. Hearing you laugh makes my stomach knot, and the trust in your eyes makes me humble. At any odd moment of the day, I wonder what it would be like to make love to you, and I don’t want to think of the day we say goodbye.”

  “Oh, East,” Ally whispered, then pulled away from his embrace and covered her face with her hands.

  East’s heart dropped, but he tried to make light of his disappointment.

  “Dang, honey, is making love to me that hard to face?”

  She shuddered, then looked up. “It’s not that. Oh no, it’s never that.”

  “Then what?”

  She took a deep breath. “I’ve never made love. I don’t know how.” And before East could comment, she added. “Oh, I’ve read books. Lots of books. But something tells me that there’s a lot more to it than the act itself.”

  East was stunned, and yet when he thought about it, realized he should not have been. Struggling to find the right words that wouldn’t make all this worse, he smiled and cupped the side of her face.

  “As always, honey girl, you’re right on the money. There’s a lot more to making love than the act itself. But being an expert doesn’t matter. In fact, saving yourself is something to be proud of. The man you marry is going to get quite a prize when he gets you.”

  A slight frown appeared between her eyebrows as she considered his words. “I don’t know. Do you think that maybe, when this is all over of course…that you might show me?”

  East felt as if someone had just p
unched him in the belly.

  “Show you?”

  Her frown deepened. “Yes, you know…show me how to make love?”

  “But I just said that being a virgin for the man you marry is a special—”

  “I know all of that,” she said shortly. “But I’ve found that experience is preferable to fumbling folly.”

  “Fumbling folly.”

  She sighed. If he kept repeating everything she said, they would get nowhere.

  “Ineptitude then, if you prefer.”

  He started to grin. “I think I prefer.”

  Her eyes brightened. “Oh! Well then, is it a deal?”

  He nodded. “Oh yeah, it’s a deal.”

  She pursed her lips slightly as she considered his pledge, then folded her hands in front of her in that funny little way and smiled.

  “I believe I’ll go to bed now,” she said, then added, “If that’s all right with you.”

  He nodded again, all but speechless.

  “Okay then,” Ally said, suddenly unsure of this silent behavior. “Uh…good night.”

  East found his voice enough to answer. “Yes, good night.”

  She stood uncertainly for another moment, then finally left the room.

  As East watched her go, his love went with her. She didn’t know it yet, but right in the middle of her crazy reasoning, he’d fallen the rest of the way in love. Somehow, someway, he was going to make it all work between them, because there was no way in hell he was letting another man touch her.

  The storage lot where Freddie kept Baby was huge; row after row of bunker-like buildings with identical doors and locks. The only difference between any of them were the numbers above the door.

  “What number are we looking for?” Ally asked.

  “Two hundred and twenty-eight.”

  Ally peered out the window to the nearest numbered building and rolled her eyes.

  “This is stupid,” she muttered.

  “What’s stupid?” East asked.

  “They’ve built the entrance at the back of the lot. This is number 1420. That means we need to go south.” She pointed toward the other end of the lot, past the endless stream of chain-link fence.