“And then what happened?” Cece asked with such genuine interest that even Ace fell under her spell.
“My warehouse burned down. Stanley knew about it. My business involves international import and export of goods. I needed a place to store a particular load until I built a new warehouse. Stanley didn’t even bat an eye. He was a good man and a true friend. I knew that, and I took advantage. He offered his old abandoned barn, no questions asked. I was so grateful that I contributed to his campaign with a cut of my profits, thinking I was helping him. I’d always been a big supporter of his, both personally and financially. If I had only realized the damage I was doing.”
“That’s when Creamy tipped him off, isn’t it?” Cece asked.
Allen nodded. “Stanley freaked out. I’ve never seen him so distraught. I really thought I’d have it all worked out by then, and he’d never even know the details of my cargo. You see I’m addicted to gambling. I was in major debt, but on this particular night, I won the high-stakes poker game I was involved in. My opponent couldn’t pay the exorbitant amount, so he offered a load of illegal firearms as payment. I knew I could find a buyer and sell them for big money. Even more than I owed. To be in the black for the first time in decades was just too tempting to pass up.”
“So you took the deal,” Ace said, “and the senator couldn’t go to the police because if the truth leaked out, he would be ruined. A senator whose campaign stance involved anti-guns and stricter gun control laws to keep illegal firearms off the street can’t be caught with a load of said illegal firearms on his property. It would not only ruin him but also put him behind bars for a long time.”
“Precisely,” Allen concurred. “When Stanley found out and confessed in the church, he became a liability. A price was put on his head, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. I have to live with that for the rest of my life. Why do you think I’ve been trying to make it up to Mary and his kids every damn day? But I can’t take it anymore. It’s all too much.”
“You’re the one who tried to frame the mayor, aren’t you?” Ace asked, trying to piece together everything he knew.
“I knew the hit man smoked Clove cigarettes, so I planted the Clove cigarettes in the mayor’s office. I also knew he was blackmailing Stanley’s father, so I didn’t exactly feel guilty for that. Like I said, Stanley and I were best friends. There wasn’t much I didn’t know about Stanley’s life.”
“But the mayor was never arrested,” Cece said. “He doesn’t smoke, and he had an alibi.”
“I know. I didn’t think things through clearly because I got a little desperate, I must admit. There was pressure on me to make the whole thing go away, so that’s when I approached Mumfry Walker.”
“Pressure?” Cece asked. “Who pressured you? You’re not working alone, are you?”
Allen looked between them, his forehead beading with dots of perspiration, but he didn’t say a word.
“You paid Walker to confess to the senator’s murder, knowing it would take suspicion off the real killer, didn’t you?” Ace asked. “It was your poker buddy, wasn’t it? He didn’t want the gun deal traced back to him.”
“I knew Mumfry fit the bill when it came to likely candidates, and he needed the money,” Allen answered, avoiding the real question. “Like I said, money is a powerful motivator.”
“Motivation enough to kill?” Ace asked.
“It was the worst mistake of my life. I thought I could fix it before anyone found out. I never dreamed they would kill Stanley,” Allen said sadly.
“Who ordered the hit on the Senator?” Cece asked. “It wasn’t you or Mumfry, was it?”
“I’ve said too much,” Allen responded. “Just arrest me. I’ll take the fall. I deserve it.” He held up his hands in front of him.
“It’s not going to be that easy, Allen,” Ace interjected. “If you truly want to atone for your sins, you need to help us catch the real bad guy.”
“I can’t do that. I’m weak, not brave, and I don’t want to die,” Allen pleaded. “I have family too. They will be in danger if I say anything more, but I can tell you where the shipment of guns was moved. Getting them off the streets is the least I can do for Stanley.”
“Well, that’s a start,” Ace said, and for the first time, he felt like he could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Chapter 16
“How much farther, Rutherford?” Ace asked, as he drove to the outskirts of town. Allen sat beside him, and Cece sat in the back, as dusk began to settle. The sky had darkened and storm clouds rolled in. Not quite cold enough to snow, the heavens looked ready to burst open with a thunderstorm.
“We’re almost there. Turn right at the fork in this road, and you’ll come to a construction lot.
They took the fork in the road, and, sure enough, they came upon an abandoned construction lot. It sat on acres of old farmland, with a bunch of empty equipment and several projects in various stages of construction.
“Isn’t this the spot where they planned to build that new mall?” Cece asked.
“It sure is,” Ace answered, adding, “but they had to halt construction for the time being while they work out a glitch in the financing.”
They parked the car and climbed out, following Allen through various pieces of equipment as he spoke. “Every day that construction is delayed, they go over their deadline and their budget, so we knew we were on borrowed time. But for someone wanting to hide a shipment of illegal guns temporarily, it’s the perfect place. No one is due back for another week, and there are all sorts of vehicles to help camouflage ours.”
They came to a stop at the back of a big truck, and Allen pointed. “I had the load stored in this tractor trailer scheduled to ship out tonight at midnight. I would have been long gone if you hadn’t arrived when you did. The guns were to be shipped abroad and sold overseas, with the profit being wired to an offshore account. I would have finally found peace on some tropical island and never looked back.”
Allen opened the back of the truck, and Ace stood in shock over the truckload of weapons and ammo before him. The person responsible had to have some serious connections.
“You might have found peace,” Cece said from behind Ace and Allen, “but I fear your soul never would have.” A streak of lightning lit up the sky.
“And neither will yours,” said a gravelly male voice from behind her, followed by the loudest boom of thunder Ace had ever heard. If he didn’t know better, he’d have sworn it was a warning.
Ace whipped around, drawing his gun all in one motion. His stomach hit the ground and his heart jumped into his throat at the sight before him.
Three-star US Army General Bruce Montgomery had his arm wrapped around Cece, securing her tightly in front of him, with a gun held to her head.
“Drop your weapon, Detective, unless you want another murder to solve,” Montgomery said, looking way too at ease and comfortable with the role of assassin. Even at fifty, he was still in great shape and knew exactly what to do with a gun. He towered over Cece as she trembled before him.
Anger and a healthy dose of fear surged through Ace as his mind whirled with possible scenarios.
“I would do what he says,” Allen said, raising his hands before him, his voice filled with resignation and acceptance like the fight had gone out of him. “He killed his own hit man when he couldn’t finish the job of getting rid of you two. Half the reason I was running was to get away from him. He means it when he says no loose ends.”
Ace had never felt so helpless. He’d promised to keep Cece safe at all costs, yet he’d been stupid enough to turn his back on her. And now he was supposed to sit there and watch her die. He couldn’t let that happen. He had to find some way to stall the man.
“General?” Ace dropped his gun in disbelief and held his hands up before him. “That’s why you said yes to speaking at the senator’s tribute. So you could come into town and finish the job. You’re a war hero. Your job is to serve and protect, the
same as mine. So many people look up to you and respect you. Why would you do something like this?”
The general shrugged. “I’ve seen and done things you three can only imagine, all in the name of serving this great country we live in, but I can tell you it’s not appreciated by most. The American people just go about their days, having no clue what we go through for them and not really caring one way or the other. The way I figure it is, I’m owed at least something in return. You come across all kinds of shady people in my line of work, and all those pretty weapons and ammo were just sitting there, ripe for the taking. I lost big to Rutherford and didn’t have the money to pay him. I figured no one would miss a few guns, and I had the connections to where he could sell them for a big profit. He took the deal.”
“I took the deal because I had no choice. I was desperate. You knew that, but that should have been the end of your involvement,” Allen said.
“You’re right, it should have been, you imbecile,” the general roared, and Cece flinched, closing her eyes; but her lips moved as she prayed.
Ace wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and tell her it would be okay. And then kill the son of a bitch for touching a single hair on her glorious head.
“It was your stupid mistake to involve the senator by storing the weapons on his property,” the general continued. “You involved me by forcing my hand and making me clean up your mess. You incompetent piece of shit. Those people died because of your stupidity, not because of me.”
“You didn’t have to have Stanley killed,” Allen said sadly, his voice hitching on a sob.
“Like hell I didn’t. You’re weak. It’s not like you would have. You knew the deal: No loose ends. No liabilities. Sloan was about to confess to being involved in an illegal arms deal. He couldn’t handle the pressure. You and I both know the confessional was just the beginning. It was only a matter of time before he went to the police. I won’t let you or anyone else ruin my chance at the CIA. I’ve earned that job. Casualties are a part of any war.”
“The only war going on is the war with your conscience,” Cece said bravely. “You must know this isn’t the right thing to do, General. There’s still time for you to do the right thing. Time to save your soul.”
“I sleep like a baby at night, Sister, and my soul’s at peace.” He tightened his hold, his face turning hard as he growled into her ear, “I took an oath to fight the enemy. The enemy is anyone who tries to take away your rights, your freedoms, your happiness. Anyone who stands in your way. And enemies are meant to be defeated. Unfortunately, you have all become the enemy, so now you must be disposed of. Starting with you. You should have listened to Mumfry when he warned you to keep your nose out of places it didn’t belong.”
The general lifted his gun to cock the trigger, and Ace’s intense gaze met Cece’s. Only she didn’t look desperate or panicked or afraid. She looked calm and in control and resolved.
She said, “Let us raise our elbows and pray for you.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Don’t you mean ‘bow our heads’?” the general asked, and it was just enough of a distraction for Cece to act.
Ace couldn’t have been more proud of her. She’d communicated exactly what she planned to do. The self-defense move Patty had taught her: Rising Elbows.
Cece didn’t hesitate. She grabbed onto the general’s arm and lunged with her right foot into a sumo step, then slipped her left foot behind the general’s leg in a C-step so she would be in control. Twisting her body at the hips, she used her left elbow to force the general backward. He was off balance and tumbled to the ground, looking stunned.
She ran hard in a zigzag line as fast and far away from him as she could, with Allen hot on her heels. Meanwhile, Ace dropped to the ground and picked up his gun just in time. The general had recovered quickly, rolling over onto his stomach, and they both fired off a shot at each other. Ace’s shot hit the general in the leg, and the general’s shot grazed Ace’s shoulder, knocking his gun from his hand.
Ace grunted and rolled away, still completely exposed as he scrambled after his gun.
“Not so fast there, Detective,” the general said, up on his knees and in a firing position.
Ace froze, his hand mere inches away from his gun. There was nothing more he could do. The general had him in his sights, and he wasn’t the sort of man who missed. Ace kept his breathing slow and steady as thoughts of Cece raced through his head. He’d wanted to tell her so many things like how he felt about her; to show her what she really meant to him; to hold her in his arms and make passionate love to her all night long. But he’d been too afraid.
Afraid of whom she was—what she was.
And now he’d never get the chance. At least he could die knowing he’d protected her. She was long gone by now. She was safe. She was …
“Ow, shit, what the hell?” the general said. Thud! He jerked back as a second rock hit him in the head, followed quickly by a third rock that hit him in the chest.
Christ almighty, she wasn’t long gone. The crazy lunatic was throwing rocks by the edge of the tractor trailer. She would be in a shitload of trouble when Ace got his hands on her—that’s what he was thinking. The general moved his gun to bring Cece into his sights. Ace cursed and reached his gun, firing off a shot at the general a second before the man pulled the trigger.
The general fell back with a bullet in his chest and hit the ground hard.
Ace scrambled to his feet to see Cece lying face down on the ground.
“Cece!” Ace yelled and bolted over to her. He fell to his knees and rolled her over, inspecting every inch of her body. He couldn’t see that she was hit anywhere.
She blinked open her eyes and stared up at him with fear and confusion. “Stop, drop, and roll, right?”
“If you’re on fire, then yes. Not if you’re being shot at. You were supposed to keep running and not look back.”
“Oops,” she said quietly, the reality of her situation looking as though it had finally sunk in as she began to shake. “Is it over?”
“Goddamn, woman!” Ace yelled in her face, unable to get the images of what could have happened to her out of his head.
She frowned. “God doesn’t damn women, Detective.”
“Well, I sure as hell will if you ever scare me like that again.” He scooped her into his arms, pulled her up to him, and locked his lips to hers, kissing the sense right out of her.
When he finally let her up for air, she stared up at him with eyes misty and so full of an emotion he didn’t dare name and wasn’t ready to deal with. “I’m okay, Alistair,” she said softly.
“You were supposed to be long gone. If anything had happened to you, I would never have forgiven myself—whether in this world or the next. Why did you come back?”
“Watson never abandons Sherlock. I came back for the same reason. I couldn’t let anything happen to you either. We’re a team.” She touched his cheek. “What about you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.” He glanced at his shoulder that had bled a lot more than he realized, and it hit him that he wasn’t exactly fine. He felt slightly light-headed.
She must have finally noticed the deep purple blood that had seeped through his shirt and the hole in his sport coat. She gasped, her eyes springing wide. “Oh, my gosh, you’re hit!” She pushed him back onto the ground and reached for his cell phone. “Hand it over. It’s not just a scratch, and you need help.”
Ace didn’t fight her. “Hit number two on speed dial. Rocco will know what to do,” he said, and that was the last thing he remembered before he passed out.
***
“Come on, Detective. You’ve earned a little R&R,” Cece said to Ace on Sunday morning, as she drove his brand new truck to her grandmother’s house. She’d offered to take him home, but he’d shied away from bringing her back to his place. He wouldn’t say why, but she suspected it had to do with his issues, so she didn’t push it. She’d agreed to take him
to her place so she could take care of him, but she needed to make a pit stop at Granny’s first.
“How can I possibly rest and relax with you driving my new baby?” he said from beside her. His arm was in a sling.
He’d explained to her that his new truck had come in while he was in the hospital, getting stitches in his shoulder for his gunshot wound. They’d made him spend the night because he had lost more blood than he had realized. He’d authorized Rocco to pick up his “new baby,” so Ace could drive it home when he got out the next morning, but the hospital refused to release him if he drove himself. Rocco was mysteriously indisposed, insisting he couldn’t leave because he was in the middle of another extremely urgent matter. Ace had no choice but to let Cece drive his truck, much to his obvious dismay. She sighed to herself. Silly men and their toys.
“Hey, you were the one who said Rocco would know what to do,” she said to Ace.
“I can tell you one thing. I’m gonna kill the ass—butt-wipe when I see him again,” he grumbled back like a pouting child.
“Come on, I’m not that bad of a driver,” she said, as she jerked the truck to a stop at the traffic light. She bit her bottom lip and peeked over at him.
His lips parted, but then he clamped them together, finally responding, “I plead the fifth. Just hurry up. I need a couch, a beer, and a ball game.”
“I don’t have a TV, remember?”
He moaned. “I’m seriously being punished somehow,” he said.
“I’m sure I can find a way to entertain you, Detective. I mean, honestly, I …” Her voice trailed off at the look in his eyes. His gaze was trained on her mouth. She swallowed hard and licked her lips, then said, “Oh, look. We’re here. I just have to drop off these supplies for Granny. I’ll be right back out. You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to.”
“I’m a grown man,” he muttered at the mention of her grandmother. “I think I can handle going in with you. Besides, you said no one was home.”
Kicking the Habit Page 21
