by Nadirah Foxx
Bu-bap, bap, bap, bap!
The punch to my jaw caught me off guard. I stumbled backward. It wasn’t enough to knock me down. Stun? Hell, yes.
Lidia grinned. “You didn’t expect me to go easy on you?”
“Not hardly.”
“Good.” She hit her gloves together. “Because I’m just getting started.” There was a definite edge in her tone, but I didn’t give it the attention I should have.
Bu-BAP-BAP-BAP! THAK!
The blur of movement caught me in the jaw. I had the sensation of falling. Thankfully, the mat broke my fall. When I looked up, Lidia held an ungloved hand out to me.
“Sorry about that. I couldn’t resist.”
Rubbing my jaw, I asked, “Did I say something wrong?”
From the corner of my eye, I noticed a slight nod from Darius before he headed toward the exit. Once he was out of sight, Lidia spoke. “You honestly don’t remember me, do you?”
“Not really.” Too bad that hook didn’t knock the memory free.
She removed her other glove. “On the second day of your classes at the Academy, I was the instructor. For everything I told you to do, you gave me a snippy reply. You were the arrogant beauty queen who thought she knew more than me.”
Beauty queen…
Those words flicked on a lightbulb in my head.
Dark-haired Latina dressed in standard-issue navy-blue Academy sweats. A room full of recruits. Josh and I stood toward the back since we weren’t part of the recruit prep. We were only there because the captain thought the education might be beneficial to us.
“We learn Krav Maga here. If it’s good enough for SWAT, it’s good enough for us. Everyone partner up, and we’ll go over some basic moves.” She looked around the room. “King, come on up and partner with Menendez. You’re about the same height.”
“If it’s all the same, I’d rather stay here.”
The woman looked at Josh and then me. “Maybe for some of the other exercises. For now, I want you to learn with someone your own height and size.”
“It’s more practical for me to train with someone that might be an attacker in the streets. Menendez would pose no threat to me.”
The officer smiled like the cat who was ready to eat the canary. “Then you’ll train with me. Do I pose a threat, Beauty Queen?”
“Not much,” I shot back.
That earned me a few laughs and a narrow stare from her.
Every time I trained with Lidia it was always the same. She’d bait me, and I’d fall for it. Eventually, I asked for another instructor. It took three requests before I was able to train with someone else.
If Detective Da Silva thought she was going to have her payback, she should think again. “If this is going to be a problem, we don’t have to do this. I’ll find someone else.”
“There is no one else.” She smirked. “Nobody in the department would even bother training you.” Lidia returned the gloves to a crate alongside a wall.
“What the fuck does that mean?”
She turned around. “It means you’re fortunate to have Josh in your life. If you’d come to the precinct looking for help, no one would have volunteered. You’ve been labeled a problem. Or have you forgotten about your little night exploits near the Stadium?”
Ouch!
“Well, you don’t have to be here,” I said, crossing my arms.
She laughed and then yelled out, “Darius!”
He jogged back into the garage. “Shit! I have to pay up!”
“What the fuck is going on?” I demanded.
Darius said, “Josh came to me about training. I told him Lidia should help. After all, she knows weapons.”
“I told both of these fools you would be pissed,” she said.
I was a fucking bet? “I’ll be fine without either of you.”
“Please!” Lidia said. “You won’t last an hour without better training. We’re here to help in spite of your winning personality.”
Darius added in a kinder voice, “I knew your husband. He was a good man who didn’t deserve to die that way.”
Finally, Lidia said, “It doesn’t hurt that I once dated Josh. He has a way of persuading anybody to do something.”
Josh dated the Ice Princess?
Oh, I was definitely asking him about that one.
26
Disagreeable Discoveries
Barging into Debbie’s office, I asked, “Why didn’t you tell me about Lidia?”
I didn’t notice that my trusty assistant wasn’t at her desk until I was in the center of the room. Then, I saw Josh huddled over a monitor in a corner.
Glancing up at me, he said flatly, “Would you have accepted her help had I told you?”
“Hell no!” I plopped down on a chair beside him.
He chuckled. “So how was training?”
I touched my still-throbbing jaw. “Painful.”
A smirk crossed his handsome face. “I think you earned that one. You were always Lidia’s toughest student.”
“I don’t appreciate being left out of the loop,” I complained. Amusement at my expense didn’t sit well with me either.
He ignored my comment and said, “Well, how about I fill you in on Walter Puckett?”
Sitting up taller, I asked, “That’s his last name?”
Josh nodded. “It seems Mr. Puckett isn’t who he would like us to believe.”
“Let me guess. He’s an impostor.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Josh stopped typing. “Honestly, I’m still doing the research, but it looks like he’s lying about being from France. He’s been there enough times according to his passport, but he’s a U.S. citizen.”
Interesting. “What else have you dug up on the man?”
Josh’s fingers flew across the keyboard. When he stopped, he angled the screen so I could see it. “Did you know he was an employee for the Martin Company?”
The Martin Company was an aerospace slash international defense corporation, which did a lot of work for the government and military.
“I wondered if Ryan contacted anyone there.”
“Don’t wonder too hard.” Josh moved the mouse, and the screen advanced. “Walter was his contact.”
“Shit!” I shoved to my feet.
“Kerrie, where are you going?”
“To find out how well Walter knew my husband.” Before I could step away, Josh grasped my wrist. “Let go!”
“No! I won’t have you make a fool of yourself or worse. You can’t just go and accuse someone of something. You need proof.”
“You said—”
“I said Walter and Ryan knew each other. According to the phone records, Walter called Sentinel on numerous occasions. Ryan contacted him as well. That’s the only proof they knew each other.”
I plopped down on the chair. “How do I get proof?”
“Use the suit. Maybe Lidia could help us with backup?”
Hell, no!
The last thing I wanted was to involve that woman. Problem was, she knew weaponry better than I did. Plus, I needed someone who could help me out should things go south.
“Will you ask her for me?”
Josh shook his head. “This is your show, Kerrie. If you want Lidia’s help, you’re going to have to go to her. Perhaps you could ask her tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow morning?”
“She’ll be here at six for training.”
“Are you fucking…” I let the words die on my tongue.
It suddenly occurred to me arguing with Josh would get me nowhere. He was doing his best to keep me safe from my own recklessness. I didn’t have to push back so hard. Instead, I stood and headed to the door.
“Kerrie?”
“Yeah, Josh?”
“Don’t do anything foolish.”
“I can’t promise you that.” With those words, I made a beeline for the secret entrance to the bunker. I had to find out more on Walter.
◆◆◆
The Martin C
ompany was located in Golden Harbor, a posh suburb south of Liberty City. Essentially, the company created Golden Harbor. When the CEO first established the site, he wanted his employees to live nearby. So, upscale housing was provided.
Eventually, the town grew and offered a relaxed lifestyle for anyone who wanted to live there. Those who didn’t want to own had their choice of fabulous high-rise apartments and trendy townhouses. When Ryan and I were looking for our home, we considered the area, but I didn’t care for its cookie-cutter appearance.
The company was on a sprawling complex and didn’t allow anyone to set foot inside without an appointment or an employee badge. All visitors were detained at the main gate where credentials were verified before entry was permitted. The suit was my pass. Just to be on the safe side, though, I held my breath as I slipped behind the guard who was inspecting someone else’s identification.
Once I passed through the checkpoint, I stopped at a large blue-and-white sign. To the right was a map with the various locations. The administrative offices were to the left at the end of a dead-end road. From what I could gather, it would be a bit of a hike to get there.
As I ran, I thought about the likelihood of Walter’s involvement in Ryan’s and RJ’s deaths. First off, he knew Mom. There was a good chance my mother could have given him our security codes. All it would take was for her to enter the cipher while Walter looked over her shoulder. That might explain how the criminals entered the house undetected. If Walter was in a high-power position, he would have known about Ryan’s research. After all, my husband had a big heart—trusting far too many people. If Ryan had believed Walter was a good guy—the way Josh did—he could have inadvertently drawn the target on his own back by sharing too much info.
I was well aware that employees stole secrets. Ever since the dawn of the Industrial Age, there had been a worker willing to give up knowledge for a price. What baffled me was why someone would murder for the information. I was fairly certain if someone had threatened Ryan’s life, or RJ’s, Ryan would have gladly turned over the prototype along with anything else the bastards wanted.
As it stood, no one gave my family that opportunity. When I found the culprits, I wouldn’t give them a choice either. They didn’t deserve it.
After a few minutes, I crossed a massive parking lot and stopped in front of a monolithic smoky glass and steel structure. The building towered over me, and I could see vague images of employees walking along the corridors. Until someone stepped out, I couldn’t enter, so I positioned myself beside the sliding doors and waited.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long. A group of employees crossed the threshold, and I slipped around them. Next question—where should I begin my search? A security desk sat to my right. The placard with office numbers behind it seemed like a good place to start.
I scanned the names. Toward the middle of the list was what I needed—Walter A. Puckett, Senior Vice President of Corporate Engineering, Technology and Operations, sixteenth floor.
Damn!
There was an excellent chance that Walter was involved. But how could I be certain? I couldn’t risk going to his office. The suit made me invisible, but it didn’t hide things around me. All I had to do was open a drawer and somebody would become suspicious. I’d have to come back in a few hours, possibly bringing someone with me. In the meantime, I had to return to Sentinel, ditch the suit, and then pay someone a visit.
◆◆◆
My mother was a creature of habit. On Sundays, she could always be found in the same pew at St. Christopher’s Catholic Church. On Mondays, Mom went to the Liberty Heights Flea Market—whether she needed to buy something or not. She always did her grocery shopping on Wednesdays. Her errand day, for items other than groceries, was Thursday. Fridays were either spent tending her garden or putzing around the house taking care of chores. Sometimes, she volunteered on Saturdays. Thankfully, it was Friday. She was right where I needed her to be.
“Hi, Mom,” I said as I exited my car.
She was busy pulling weeds from the flower bed in front of the house. Over her shoulder, Mom said, “I didn’t expect to see you today.”
“I realized I might have been a little disrespectful about Walter,” I lied.
Mom sat back on her heels and dropped her mini trowel in the grass. “Really? What brought this on?”
I crouched beside her. “You were right. We all get lonely. I feel like I’m losing my damn mind these days without Ryan and RJ.”
Not a lie. I missed my family terribly.
“I know, sweetie.” Mom reached up and squeezed my hand. “Want to have some tea and talk? I made cookies last night.”
“Of course.” I was also counting on there being tea and a sweet treat. Like I said, my mother had a routine that she never broke.
I helped her to her feet, and we walked through the garage and into the kitchen. The layout of Mom’s house was similar to mine just on a smaller scale. While she washed her hands in the sink, I rummaged through the cabinets for teacups and saucers before removing a box of oolong tea.
Mom dried her hands and faced me. “What is it that you want to know about Walter?”
“Who said—”
“Kerrie Ann Walker King, you are the world’s worst liar. The only truth you gave me was about Ryan and RJ. Now spill it.”
I blew air through my cheeks and leaned against the kitchen island. “How long have you known him?”
Mom pursed her lips as her gaze flickered toward the ceiling. “A couple of years. I met him at church one Sunday.”
“Did you know he worked for the Martin Company?”
She nodded.
Another deep breath. I didn’t want to accuse my mother of impropriety, but I had to know. “Mom, did you ever give him the security codes to my house?”
Her jaw dropped. “I’d never do that! Nobody other than your late father, may God rest his soul, knows that information.”
I pressed on. “Is it written down some place?”
She shook her head vehemently. “It’s in my phone, Kerrie Ann.”
“Okay, Mom.” Walter worked in technology. He could have easily cloned her device. “Indulge me for a moment. Let’s take a look at your phone.”
“Seriously, Kerrie Ann?”
“Mom.”
“Fine.” She walked out of the kitchen and returned seconds later with her phone. She unlocked it and handed it to me. “I don’t know what you think you’ll find.”
“Just give me a second.”
I scrolled through the screens until I found her settings folder. I clicked on the Find My Phone app. Within seconds, a map popped up. An icon displayed her phone in two locations—one in Liberty Heights and one in the Warehouse District. Sadly, I couldn’t be certain the second instance belonged to Walter.
Rather than give her back the compromised phone, I pocketed it. “Mom, your phone’s been hacked. We can swing by the mall and pick up a new one.”
“Kerrie Ann, I don’t have time today. We can go next Thursday.” She returned to the sink with a kettle and filled it with water.
Not wanting to argue with her, I offered, “Then, I’ll do it myself. Do you want the same type?”
“Actually, I’d like one of those new iPhones.”
I smiled. Leave it to my mother to request an upgrade on my dime. “Sure, Mom. I’ll drop it by the house later.”
“Don’t leave yet. Let’s have that cup of tea.”
Honestly, I should have gone to the Warehouse District and confirmed whether Walter was there. With the app, however, I could find him anytime, provided he was the one who cloned Mom’s phone.
“What type of cookies did you make?”
“Chocolate chip. You know where the container is.”
I sure did. The cookie box occupied the same spot for years—the cabinet to the right of the sink, second shelf up. As I grabbed the tasty morsels, I said, “How did you get over Dad’s death?”
Mom gave me a sad smile. “Baby, we never g
et over those we lose. Time helps us heal. If you recall, I didn’t do so well with William’s passing.”
Understatement.
Mom retreated to her room where she stayed most of the time. It was why I had such difficulty coming to grips with losing my father. I needed my mother, but she couldn’t help me.
“I meant after…” After her depression lifted… After she accepted the situation and returned to the land of the living.
“You can say the words, Kerrie Ann.” The kettle whistled, and she removed the pot from the burner. As she prepared the tea, Mom said, “After my breakdown, I spent a lot of time with a shrink. You remember, don’t you?”
“Yeah, Mom.” I remembered being alone and the frequent notes left on the kitchen table. Gone to see Dr. Marin again. Dinner is in the fridge. Just heat it up. Thankfully, Josh was always there. If it hadn’t been for him, I would have eaten those meals by myself.
“That doctor helped me get past everything. She helped me see I was stronger than I believed. Those sessions, along with going to church and volunteering in the community, got me through a very difficult time in my life.” Mom carried the cups to the table in the breakfast nook. “Kerrie Ann, maybe you should go back to the doctor? It might help.”
I shook my head as I took my seat. “No, Mom. I refuse to go down that road again.”
“Understood.” She sipped her tea.
Prying into my life was the one thing my mother wouldn’t do. She knew my history with shrinks and considered it a closed subject. I appreciated it.
“Then, can I suggest you throw yourself into your work? You have Sentinel Security. Give up the position with the LCPD.”
“Already done, Mom.”
She patted my hand. “Good for you.” She reached for a cookie. “How’s Josh these days?”
Naturally, Mom would mention him. “He’s fine.”
Smiling, she said, “Yes, he is. Try to remember that.”
I rolled my eyes and bit into a cookie. How long would she keep trying to push my best friend and me together?
27
Reckless Abandon
