by H. T. Night
“I’m getting up. I won’t let that bitch keep me down. Besides, if I stay here I may die of dehydration since you still haven’t gotten me anything to drink.”
Chad laughed. “There’s my spunky Moon girl.” He reached into his pocket and handed me my cellular phone. “Guess she took this after she clobbered you. Thankfully, you used your fall to butt-dial me before she snagged your phone.”
The medic stepped inside the ambulance, wrote up a few things, checked my vitals and the small gash on the back of my head. “You’ll be fine. Drink lots of water, don’t sleep for three hours and if you have any head pain, get to your local emergency room.”
“Thank you. I will.” I scooted off the gurney, shaky, and followed Chad out of the ambulance.
“Do you feel up to going now?” He held up a key.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Darlene Michaels’ storage key.”
“Damn right, I am up to going. Let’s see what Darlene Michaels is storing away from her home.”
I ran my hand over my bandaged head and for a moment, was extremely grateful that I didn’t end up in the hospital or worse.
We all made our way to the storage unit.
Two officers stood behind us as I pushed the key into the lock and turned it. The padlock clicked open. My frown turned into a smile as I unlatched the catch and Chad grabbed the string at the bottom, getting ready to roll the door upward.
“Here we go, Moon Shine. Are you ready?”
“As ready and I’ll ever be,” I said, standing back with the other two detectives.
Chad yanked up on the aluminum door and it slid upward until we were standing in front of a 10 x 25 storage unit crammed with glass cases of weaponry and a covered vehicle.
“Holy crap,” I said. “You don’t suppose that’s the red car that was sitting in Andre Michaels’ backyard, do you?”
The four of us slid on white gloves and we stepped inside the large storage unit. Along one wall were five glass cases holding a display of various guns, knives and rifles. Chad and I stepped to the front of the vehicle and lifted the cover. The first thing we saw was the candy-apple red color. As we pulled the cover back further, Chad stepped back and covered his hand over his mouth.
“Good God, do you know what this is?” Chad asked us.
“No clue,” I responded.
The other officers stopped what they were doing and the three men stood gaping at the beautiful sports car.
“This is a 2005 Pagani Zonda,” Chad said. “This was just put out for sale a couple months ago. It’s an Italian sports car worth more than we’ll make in a lifetime.”
“We need to call ATF,” I said, “and get them down here. There’s a whole lot of weaponry here.”
Chad got on the phone and made the call while I opened a few boxes and searched through them. In one banker-size box, I discovered at least five thousand different identification cards, licenses, passports and stolen identities.
When Chad glanced over my shoulder, he leaned down and ran his hand through the legal documents. “This was an entire business. It wasn’t some woman trying to get away with a few things.”
“She built an empire.”
“I don’t think we’re needed much here anymore,” Chad said.
“Nope.”
“And guess what this means for you?”
“It means we both get to go on vacation.” I smiled. “My family thanks you, trust me.”
“Let’s get out of here. We need to check back in with the office and finish a crapload of paperwork before you take off on me for two weeks.”
“Paperwork. Oh, joy.”
Chapter Fifteen
My desk phone rang, “Moon here.”
“It’s Chad. Guess what?”
“You’ve finished your part of the paperwork?”
“Nope, I just received a phone call from Monroe at the Fullerton Police Department.”
“And?”
“Apparently, they found the gun used in the shooting of Detective Shaun Sutton.”
I sat up with a jolt. “Are you serious?”
“Yep, it was in Darlene’s storage unit.”
“I would have bet any money that she’d had that thing shipped back to her grandfather after the shooting.”
“Nope. But she was using Frank Owusu’s shop to run an illegal gun operation. She also had dealers that worked for her. One was her daughter, Lori Hines, and the other was Freddy’s mother, Martha Hernandez, among some that we hadn’t even placed in the mix. Sounds like Monroe and Santino did a great job stacking the evidence against them.”
“Hey, we get to pat ourselves on the backs, too.”
“Damn right. So, what about you? Are you leaving tonight for your two-week vacation?”
“Yep. Fortunato approved it.”
Chad leaned his shoulder against my doorjamb and continued talking into his cellular phone. “I’m going to miss you, Moon.”
I laughed because he was standing right there still talking to me on the phone. “Miss me? Pffft. You’re going to rejoice.”
“In the two years that we’ve been partners, we’ve only taken a week vacation each.” He closed his phone and hung up. Moving into my cubicle, he sat down on the chair in front of my desk. “So two weeks seems like a lifetime.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll survive. Plus, when I return, I’ll be nice and tan and you’ll know that I’m rested and ready to take on our next case.”
“You better be ready. And that goose egg better be gone from your head.”
“I’ll have it looked at if it doesn’t. You know I can’t stay away from this place very long. Hell, I don’t know if I will be able to handle the two weeks’ vacation away from this place.”
“Remember, my first fight is tomorrow night. You’re still coming, right?”
“Is that what you call what you do in your sport? A fight?”
“Well, we’re not exactly dancing, but if it makes you feel better about showing up, let’s call it my first match.”
“Danny and I will be there. Mary Lou’s going to watch Tammy. You nervous?”
“Sure am. I just don’t want to tap out in thirty seconds.”
“If it means he doesn’t kill you, you’d better tap out, Chad.”
“Great case, partner.”
I smiled at Chad. “I think I like mixing it up and not having to focus strictly on HUD cases.”
“What are you saying, Sam? Interested in doing some moonlighting?”
“I don’t know. We will see when I get back from vacation. For now, there is an Appletini with my name on it.”
“Get some R & R. Don’t stress about anything and your desk will be here when you get back.”
“Are you leaving now?” I asked Chad.
“Yeah. It’s Friday. I’d like to get home at a decent time tonight.”
“Wait up. I’m going to leave, too. Tammy is with my sister and Danny is going to meet me at Hillcrest. We’re going to start our vacation with a liberating jog through the beautiful park.”
As I shut down my computer, grabbed my jacket and coffee mug, Chad and I walked down the hallway toward the front door. And for some strange reason, it almost felt like I’d never see this place again. Two weeks was a long time to be away from work—especially for a workaholic.
Chapter Sixteen
It was Saturday night. The night of Chad’s first mixed martial arts match. I gave him a hard time when it came to his new sport that he trained so hard to do. Honestly, in a very protective, sisterly way, I didn’t want him to get hurt. Danny, on the other hand, sometimes was jealous of Chad, so I thought he was secretly hoping that Chad might get his ass kicked.
Danny and I walked through the back of the arena, and I used the directions Chad had given me to find him before the fight.
My work partner stood next to an old man, discussing something that seemed rather important. I thought that we should probably wait until he was finished, but then a couple gu
ys working out accidentally bumped Danny from behind, causing him to shove me forward and into Chad and the old guy.
Chad turned and smiled, greeting both me and Danny with his warm eyes. He wore a baggy pair of MMA shorts and a hoody jacket with his last name Helling across the back. Sweat clung to the sides of his face and I suspected it was because he had been warming up a few minutes prior.
He reached out and grabbed my shoulder. “I’m glad you two could make it. You’re my only fans here tonight.”
“And even that’s questionable,” I said. We all laughed.
“Well, you two and Luke.”
“You brought Luke tonight? I bet he’s loving that.” Luke was in the Big Brothers program. He was a fourteen-year-old boy that Chad treated like his younger brother. It was good for both of them.
“He is. He said he wants to see me beat the guy’s face in.” He chuckled. “His words, not mine.”
“Yeah, we want to see that, too.” I winked at him.
“I’m up next. Your seats are next to his inside the arena. After it’s over, a bunch of us are going back to my instructor’s house. I’d love for you both to meet some important people on the MMA scene. So, don’t go far.”
Danny and I took our seats next to Luke. Although this event wasn’t as large as the one that catered to professional MMA, it was still amazing to watch everything unfold in the amateur setting.
The room was high-strung and anxious—the fighters punching air and warming up off to the side of the ring. I was proud of Chad for taking his training outside of being an agent and stepping up his hand-to-hand combat skills.
Danny leaned into me. “You should be out there. I know you have some training as a special agent. I think you’d be rather good.”
“Yeah, I’d love to, but when would I fit it in?”
The announcer introduced Chad Helling and his opponent. Danny whistled and Luke and I clapped while the rest of the crowd cheered. The bell rang and Chad stormed his opponent with impressive quick hands and feet. His opponent managed to connect a few swings, but in the excitement of seeing Chad move about the ring with determined speed and skill, I jumped up from my seat and threw my hand in the air, more than once.
With each hit that Chad slammed into his opponent, I cheered louder than anyone around us, especially the guy four seats down who was rooting for the other fighter.
When the announcer waved off the fight, claiming Chad had knocked out his opponent, I nearly came out of my skin with excitement
Danny and I decided not to attend the after-party. We wanted to get Tammy home early enough that we might still have time with her before she went to bed.
We met Chad out in front of the arena where he stood talking to that same old man we had seen him with when we had first arrived. Luke stood at his side and listened to the two men talk. When he turned and spotted us out of the corner of his eye, he said, “Well, are you two ready to celebrate?”
I laughed. “Listen, hotshot, congrats on your win. Looks like you won’t grace the wall of shame after all.”
“Prayers answered.” Chad smiled.
“I don’t think we’re going to make it to the after-party tonight, Chad. We want to get home to Tammy.” I leaned into Danny’s arms and he pulled me close.
“Are you sure? It’s just down the street. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Heck, bring Tammy. Luke will be there with me.” He squeezed Luke’s shoulder.
“Being the parents of a young child, our fun consists of singing nursery rhymes and watching Nickelodeon. But you sure did kick butt out there. I’m impressed.”
“Let me introduce you to this awesome guy here,” Chad said about his old trainer. “This is the world-renowned boxer Jacky O’Brien.” He turned to the old guy. “Jacky, this is my partner, Samantha Moon and her husband, Danny Moon.”
“First, don’t listen to him, lass,” he said, shaking my hand and then reaching over to shake Danny’s as well. “I was a wee bit famous in Ireland, but hardly anything to remember. And second, it’s a pleasure to meet you both.” His Irish accent made me lean in a bit to see if I could understand him better, if I was closer. Silly, I knew.
Chad winked at me. “He owns a mostly women’s boxing and kickboxing gym in Fullerton, Sam. You should check it out sometime.”
He nodded. “Yes, of course. It’s an open invitation for you, Mrs. Moon. Any time you’re ready to take on such a challenge.”
Jacky had a full head of graying hair. Although he was powerfully built, he was not a tall man by any means. If I had to guess, I’d say he was around sixty years old. He had a crooked nose, which I assumed happened during his boxing years. There was something in his eyes that made me feel accepted and welcome. If I ever decided to take lessons, I would check out his place first. “Thank you. I will keep that in mind.”
He held up his hand, palm facing me. “Give it to me, lass.”
I glanced at Chad and Danny and narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?” I knew what the old man meant, but I worried that I’d hit his hand, break it and lose the invitation to come to his gym.
“Ball up that fist of yours and put it right here.” He used his finger to point to his inner palm.
“Are you sure? I’ve had some training, you know.”
He chuckled. “Then let’s see what you got.”
“Do it,” Chad said.
I moved into a fighting stance. Moved both my hands up to protect my face and with intense concentration, I jabbed at his palm.
The old man looked at his hand. “You’re kidding, right? Is that all you got?” He stepped back and put his hand out again.
Okay, the old man was asking for it. I moved back into my fighting stance, tightened my fist and this time, I hit him the way I would hit a man attacking my family.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” he said. “Let me show you one thing.” He positioned my hands in another way. Then he showed me a combination I’d never done before. Chad and Danny watched. A part of me felt awkward, but I was excited that the old man took an interest in my ability to fight.
“Like this?” I shot my hands into the air the way he told me to.
“Yes! That’s it. Now, do the same thing but use my hands as your target.”
I threw out the combo of hits and nailed Jacky’s hands with speed and strength. Man, it felt amazing to release that steam, even if it was a five-second release.
“You’re a natural, kid. Come down to the gym and let me show you around. I’d love to train you.”
I nodded and smiled. We said our goodbyes and Danny and I left. I was intrigued by Jacky. I just might visit his gym sometime.
Chapter Seventeen
On the way home, we picked up Tammy from my sister’s house and I also had Danny stop at the local mini-mart. I need to grab some feminine products. I was a few days late and knew it would be coming any day now and my personal supplies were low.
I entered the store, and headed straight over to the feminine product aisle. I grabbed my usual brand and looked over to my right and saw pregnancy tests on the shelf.
A jolt went through me as I began doing the math in my head. Somehow, I had lost a week in there because I was working so hard on the case. I was ten days late over my usual thirty days.
I decided to grab a pregnancy test along with my tampons.
I didn’t tell Danny about the test because I’d had a few close calls and it caused him a lot of anxiety when I was late. I just wouldn’t tell him until I knew for sure. Plus, I wasn’t going to be pregnant.
When we arrived at our house, I placed the bag on the kitchen table and I put Tammy to bed.
I read to her a couple nursery rhyme books. Before I knew it, my little munchkin was out cold. Danny must have needed to use the bathroom because he was nowhere in sight.
I went into the kitchen to retrieve my bag and saw Danny sitting at the table staring at the pregnancy test box. He looked scared as hell.
“I’m just checking, Danny,” I s
aid, trying to reassure him. “You know how when I get stressed, how it pushes my period back. And I’ve had a ton of stress at work lately.”
“Let’s go check,” Danny said. He stood up and marched into the bathroom across the hall.
“Well, hold on. Let me get focused about this. I wasn’t exactly planning on this being a two-person show.”
My hands were sweating as I went into the bathroom. Danny was staring at me so I shut the door between us.
“You’re telling me you’re shy?” he said, the tension evident in his voice.
“I’ll tell you two seconds after I get the results. It takes a few minutes to do the test.”
I set up the test and did what I needed to do. Then I looked at my watch to time it.
Danny’s anxious voice came through the door.
“It says, if an additional line appears in the second box, that means you’re pregnant.”
“I know how a pregnancy test works. This isn’t my first rodeo, Danny.” And a little nicer, I said, “Hang in there with me. Time’s almost up.”
Danny took a deep breath and I heard him lean against the door. He knew better than to open it when he was clearly not welcome to enter.
I closed my eyes. I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. There was a part of me that thought it would be wonderful to raise a boy. I would probably get a second girl and that would equally as wonderful. I was excited about the test results but terrified, too. I just wasn’t sure if we were ready for a second child.
Danny said softly through the door, “Sam, no matter what happens, I love you.”
When I opened my eyes and
stared at the test results, I realized it didn’t matter if we were ready.
Because we were pregnant.
The End
Samantha Moon returns in:
Moon Baby
Moonlighting #2
by H.T. Night
Coming soon!
~~~~~
And read the original series here:
Mother, wife, private instigator... vampire!
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