Chasing Silver

by Jamie Craig

  “You first. Here.” He took her arm and led her away from the bodies, pausing to study her forehead beneath the streetlight. “But Isaac probably thinks I’m pretty damn selfish.” He looked over his shoulder. “How are you doing over there?”

  “Just enjoying the floor show.” Isaac waved a hand in dismissal. “Carry on.”

  She still didn’t like the idea, but the more Nathan talked, the more Remy saw his point. Her eyes flickered to the surrounding carnage, then back to his unperturbed face. This was his life. Violence. Walking a knife’s edge with death. The reason Isaac had gotten shot was because he still lived in a world of rules; he hadn’t anticipated Kirsten’s attack because he expected her to act in a certain way.

  It was all too clear that Nathan had given up anyone’s rules but his own years ago. He wouldn’t be as easy a target, especially now he was on alert.

  Safety in numbers. Hadn’t she learned that lesson with the gang years ago? When you were surrounded by people you trusted, it was irrefutable. Even when the number was only two.

  Meeting his waiting gaze, Remy held out the backpack, waiting for Nathan to take it. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have run. Sorry.”

  Nathan opened his mouth, then closed it with a snap. Tilting his head, he studied her with a bemused expression. “Well. All right, then. Glad that’s settled.” Nathan took the backpack, looping it over his arm. He brushed his fingertips across the growing bump on her forehead then leaned over, his mouth near her ear, his words meant for Remy only. “I would have missed you.”

  She indulged in a soft sigh, leaning into his hard body as she lost herself in his musky scent for the briefest of moments. “That makes two of us.” Stepping away before he replied, she ducked around to head for the Mustang. Her smile when she reached Isaac was playful. “So which one of us walking wounded gets shotgun?”

  * * *

  After leaving Isaac to deal with the bodies—and vowing he would pay him back in some spectacular fashion—the numbness that had settled over him when he saw Tian’s thugs grab Remy lifted, leaving a combination of fear and anger. He wasn’t accustomed to the bitter taste of fear, and he didn’t like it. Kirsten might be dangerous, but he knew Tian. Worse, he knew Tian wouldn’t stop at anything to get his revenge if Cesar had died from his injuries.

  He took Remy back to the apartment without speaking, too caught up in the unfamiliar emotions and frightening implications of the attempted kidnapping to speak. They were only a few blocks from his home, which meant they were watching him. Tian was going on the offensive now, striking first. Possibly in retaliation, possibly because he was just tired of their cat-and-mouse game.

  The touch of her hand on his arm jolted him from his thoughts, and Nathan dropped his keys from where he had been attempting to unlock his door. Remy knelt down and scooped them up, slipping between him and the knob to finish the job. It was almost a relief to step inside the comfort of his apartment. As spare as it was, it was still home.

  “I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink. You have anything? Or is that too Philip Marlowe?”

  “I don’t drink, but I think I might have something.” To be exact, he hadn’t had a drop in the past year, but he still had a few bottles of whiskey left over from the hazy days when he drank everything.

  Nathan left her on the couch while he went into the kitchen for an ice pack, Jack Daniels, and two glasses. When he returned, she was stretched out on the cushions, her eyes closed. He pressed the ice pack in her hand, sitting on the edge of the couch near her legs.

  “Did they say anything?” Nathan asked, pouring her drink.

  “The usual shit.” She cracked open an eye as a grin curved her mouth. “Apparently, you’re my daddy. I’m assuming that means the same thing now as it does in my time.”

  Nathan returned her smile. “Yes, it probably does. Other than that, did they mention where they planned to take you? Anything useful?”

  Remy shook her head. “The only thing off was they couldn’t agree on grabbing me. The guy holding me said Tian wanted you not me, but the other one, the big guy you shot there at the end, said I’d be a good stand-in for the time being.” Her eyes fluttered shut again as she rested the ice pack against her head. “I wish I could tell you more.”

  “No, that’s enough.” If Tian didn’t want Remy specifically, that was a pretty good indication Cesar had survived the knife to his back.

  He handed her the cup, watching as she brought it to her lips without opening her eyes. She downed it in an easy gulp. Her cheeks flushed as the alcohol moved through her, and when she looked at him again, her eyes were bright. Nathan leaned forward, the tip of his tongue darting out to lick the trace of whiskey from her lips.

  Remy moaned at the contact, her mouth opening to encourage him to deepen the caress. Blindly, her hand fell to the side of the couch, setting the glass down on the floor, then came up to the back of his neck, dragging him even closer.

  “This was worth coming back for,” she murmured in between kisses.

  Nathan settled on top of her, his thigh between her legs, his arm between her body and the couch’s plush back. Closing his eyes, he kissed her deeply, and as her tongue toyed with his, it struck him that he would have missed her a great deal. He would have missed the sly curve of her smiles, the way she tasted, the way she fit against his body, the way she looked in tight, black dresses.

  “Well, damn if the floor show isn’t even better in here,” Isaac’s wry voice said from the doorway.

  With a reluctant sigh, Nathan eased away from Remy. “I take it, given your swift return, there weren’t any problems?”

  Isaac didn’t linger on the edge of the room once Nathan and Remy were separated, coming in to perch on the arm of the couch. “No, I really am that good. I also got myself patched up. I’ll probably get a commendation and a week off from work for my bravey.”

  “What are you talking about?” Nathan asked.

  Isaac gestured at his injured shoulder. “The official story is I got winged when the bullets started flying.” His gaze jumped to the empty glass on the floor and the full one Nathan had yet to touch, his brows lifting in surprise. “We got the girl this time. Why are we hitting the Jack?”

  “Remy wanted a drink. The bottle was a bit dusty but…” He offered the untouched glass to Isaac. “Here, you deserve it for being just that good.”

  As Isaac took the whiskey and downed its contents, Remy sat up. “You’re looking pretty good for someone who got shot only a couple hours ago.”

  “And you’re looking pretty good for someone who almost ended up another one of Tian’s statistics,” Isaac said. “I guess we’ve both got nine lives.”

  The wariness in her eyes melted. “Thanks to Nate.”

  The two men exchanged a glance at the familiar nickname, amusement flickering on Isaac’s face. Nathan was well aware Remy wasn’t Isaac’s favorite person at the moment, but at the same time, Isaac seemed at ease. More at ease than he had been the other morning, despite the caution he still exhibited. Remy seemed relaxed as well. She had proclaimed once she only trusted what she knew and, Nathan hoped at this point, she realized she could trust Isaac.

  But as he sat there with the two of them, he couldn’t help but be reminded of the first time Isaac had met Susanna. She had been funny and quick witted, charming both of them until they would have happily licked the bottom of her shoe. There had even been a bit of jealousy between the two of them, the memory of which still bothered Nathan. In the six years they had worked together prior to meeting Susanna, they had never even had a fight.

  Those memories were the source of his vague anxiety now. He didn’t want to lose Remy, not while everything was still new, but he didn’t want another rift with Isaac. They owed each other too much.

  “Yeah. He’s a real tom cat that way.” His eyes narrowed in speculation, and Nathan’s anxiety took a different turn. He knew that look. “You, on the other hand, I know next to nothing about. Well, except fo
r the fact that you’ve got a crazy bitch after you who thinks it’s funny to shoot at cops, not to mention you’ve managed to get my best friend thinking about sex for the first time in five years.”

  “And surprisingly, you’ve hit on the only two interesting things there are about me,” she shot back.

  Nathan jumped to his feet. Allowing the antagonism to escalate would make matters worse. “It’s been a very long night. Remy, why don’t you go and…unpack your bag. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  For a second, he thought she would argue. The firm set of her jaw was all too familiar. When her mouth opened to speak, Nathan was convinced the good will he’d been trying to sow with Isaac for her was about to be wrecked.

  “Don’t be too long,” she said instead. “It’s been a long day and we never did eat. Who knows how long I’ll last?”

  She started to step away, but apparently thought better of it, turning back to face him. Coiling her arms around his neck, Remy gave Nathan a resounding kiss that lasted just long enough to take him by surprise. She then slipped down his body and skirted the couch, retrieving the backpack before disappearing into the bedroom. The entire display took less than thirty seconds.

  “Something tells me I know what you were too busy eating to get around to joining me for dinner.”

  Sighing, Nathan sank back onto the couch. “After we left you this morning, I took her to Santa Monica to see Manuel. You remember him, right? Anyway, I figured her coins were distinctive enough, it might be a lead to figuring out who she is or where she’s from. He said he’d look into it.”

  Nathan paused. Isaac looked at him steadily, as though he expected Nathan’s story to get much better.

  “I’m sorry we blew you off?” Nathan tried.

  Isaac didn’t say a word for over a minute. “Answer me one thing and we’ll call it even.”

  “Anything.”

  “Is she worth all this?”

  Nathan had always been honest with Isaac, and there was no reason to stop now. “She’s not worth you getting shot…again. But she’s worth my time, and she’s worth helping, and she’s worth fighting for. I’m sorry you got caught in this mess, Isaac.”

  He nodded. “Good enough, then.” Though his eyes remained solemn, his mouth was starting to twitch, as if he was trying to refrain from smiling. “Now are you going to sit out here and keep me from getting any sleep tonight when you’ve got an incredibly hot, potentially dangerous woman like that waiting in the next room to jump your bones?”

  Nathan’s smile was interrupted by a yawn. “No. But I am dead on my feet.” He yawned again, emphasizing his point. “Don’t disappear tomorrow. We need to talk when my brain is functioning.”

  This time, Isaac did grin. “And if I needed any proof at all you’re exhausted, it would be that too easy opening you just lobbed in my direction.” He waved toward the closed bedroom door. “Go to bed. You can favor me with your brilliance in the morning.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Nathan undressed without turning on the light, moving silently in the dark bedroom. After the very long day they had had, he was certain Remy was already asleep. He knew his eyes would slam shut as soon as his head hit the pillow. He wasn’t shocked to see it was already after three, and though he fantasized about sleeping in past noon, he knew he wouldn’t have that luxury.

  He crawled into bed, careful not to disturb Remy, and stretched out on the cool sheet. The window was open, but there wasn’t a hint of breeze to disturb the sweltering heat, and the city outside the apartment was eerily silent. Nathan closed his eyes, drifting away, but Remy shifted beside him, pulling him back from the brink of slumber.

  “Thank you for coming after me.”

  “You didn’t have enough money.” Nathan realized it was an absurd statement, and yet, it made perfect sense to him.

  “Just when I start figuring you out…”

  Her voice trailed off, and her fingertips danced across his bare abdomen. It was soft and relaxing, and he was just drifting off again when she asked, “Has it really been five years since you’ve had sex?”

  The question didn’t surprise him. In fact, it was exactly the sort of question he’d expect Remy to ask. “Yes. It’s been five years since I’ve done a lot of things.”

  “Why?” Her breath was the only thing moving in the air, the faint traces of the whiskey lingering between them. “What happened?”

  “I met a girl,” he answered, before he even realized he was going to speak. Remy wouldn’t be happy to leave it there, and Nathan knew he didn’t have to tell her more. It wasn’t any of her business. But he found he wanted to tell her. Gazing into her luminous eyes, he took her hand, bringing it up the raised scar on his neck. “She did this to me, and then tried to kill Isaac as well.”

  Her thick lashes lowered as she traced the thin line, reminiscent of the first time she had noticed it. He barely felt her, and if it wasn’t for the subtle shift of the tiny bones within his grasp, he didn’t think he would have known she was touching him.

  “Well, that explains a lot.” There wasn’t a trace of anything but grateful realization in her quiet voice. “But why? Why would she do something like that?”

  “Because she was a whore. She worked for a small-time pimp named Parker. Of course, we knew Parker, knew what he was up to, but we had bigger concerns. As long as he stayed out of our way, we didn’t bother him. Until we got wind he was dealing in more than just girls. A young man was murdered, and our investigation led us right back to Parker, and the automatic weapons he had brought to town.”

  Nathan paused, his throat dry. He had never talked about this to anybody, and though he relived those days over and over, trying desperately to figure out how and when it all went so wrong, the story he was telling sounded foreign to him. Unknown.

  “We decided to set up a sting. Easy enough. Nothing we hadn’t done before. Except Parker had his own sources. And he fancied himself quite the evil genius.”

  Her hand stilled. “Did you know what she was when you met her?”

  “No. She was fresh off the bus when she met Parker. I don’t know how long she had been in town before he set her up to meet me. She always claimed she came to L.A. to be a dancer. That part was probably true. I don’t know. She looked like the sort of girl who could do whatever she wanted when I met her. At the time, I used to frequent a bar in Santa Monica, and she offered to buy me a drink.” Nathan swallowed hard. “She was…beautiful. Dancer’s body, pretty smile, soft southern accent.”

  Nathan could still see her clearly, see her as she was that first night. Blond hair pulled back in a braid with wisps like cotton candy hanging around her face, long legs covered in black silk, and pink lipstick that matched her tight sweater. His first impression of her had been just one word. Sweet.

  Lost in his memories, he was only partially aware of Remy settling back down into her pillow, pulling her hand from his to tuck it under her cheek. “Well, see, now that was your first mistake.” When he turned his head to look at her, she was smiling at him. “Girls like that are always too good to be true.”

  “Yes, I learned that lesson the hard way. But she seemed genuine, of course. That’s the worst part. Going over every conversation we ever had, wondering if every word was a lie or if it was all true, and wondering which is worse, and wondering if it matters at all. I still don’t know what the master plan was, and if everything went, or almost went, the way they hoped. I suppose I never will.” Nathan rolled to his side to face her. She deserved to see all of it. “For a few weeks, we had a standing date, after my shift ended, to meet for drinks. Then I introduced her to Isaac and…”

  The fading of her smile revealed the darkening of her thoughts. It took a long time for her to say anything.

  “No wonder he doesn’t like me. Look, if you don’t want to talk about this, we don’t have to. I didn’t mean to drag all this up.”

  “I don’t mind,” he assured, understanding it was the truth. “If you don’t
mind hearing it.”

  She shook her head. She seemed unwilling to speak and break his rhythm even further.

  “There was tension between her and Isaac, which caused tension between me and Isaac, which in turn, distracted us. We let stupid things get by us. Made stupid mistakes. And every time we had a problem, she’d be there. Making things worse. But I just couldn’t see it because…Finally though, Parker slipped up. Another dead body. One of his girls. One of his weapons. Even Susanna couldn’t distract us from that.”

  Nathan shifted again. He had said he didn’t mind telling her, but this part would always be too painful to even think about, much less describe.

  “So, we were going ahead with the sting, as planned. Susanna knew because of me. I didn’t…I let her overhear us discussing it. Things went bad. Very bad. I had my gun on Parker, and she came right up behind me and put a knife against my throat. I was fast enough to get away from her, but she had the advantage. There’s the element of surprise, of course, but I didn’t think she had it in her.”

  “Because you trusted her.” All of a sudden, she was pressed against him, her lips on his, her arm slipping around his back. Her breath was sweet when she broke away, but she remained close, her heat rising between them. “You know I wouldn’t do that, right? I don’t want…I couldn’t.”

  “I know.” He knew it now. He didn’t think it would do any good to tell her about the times he had doubted her. “I did trust her. But obviously, she did have it in her. Isaac saw her, shot her, drew Parker’s attention. He shot Isaac. Another officer brought Parker down. Isaac and I both ended up in the hospital for about a week, and when we got out, I handed in my badge and I disappeared. Well, I tried to. Isaac didn’t take the hint when I stopped returning his calls.”