by Mel Odom
›› Charlotte, North Carolina
›› 1132 Hours
Urlacher wheeled on Will. “Your timing stinks, Commander.”
“I’d have preferred to meet in your office,” Will said. “You’re the one who forced this.”
Urlacher stepped to within inches of Will. “I didn’t force anything.”
“You did.” Will didn’t budge an inch. He locked eyes with the older man. “If you hadn’t gone there last night, my guys could have taken Bobby Lee Gant without anyone getting hurt.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. They’ve worked a lot of pickups. And did it without anyone getting hurt.” Of course, there were some that didn’t turn out so well, but Will wasn’t going to mention those.
“What do you want?” Urlacher asked.
“Like I said,” Will replied, “I want that shooting report squared away. No problems for my gunney. He’s a good man and a fine Marine. His record’s going to stand clean and without blemish.”
“And if I don’t see it that way?”
“Then you’re going to be in a world of hurt.”
Urlacher laughed, but the effort didn’t sound convincing. “There’s nothing you can do to me.”
“You seem to be getting awfully chummy with Victor Gant,” Will said. “My guess is that you’re going to try to get him to snitch on some people for you.”
“I can’t hold him on what I’ve got.”
“He wasn’t wearing cuffs when he went through here.”
Urlacher didn’t say anything.
“My gunney took three bullets and nearly died,” Will said, “so he could take down the problem you lit a fire under without getting that woman hurt. If your report doesn’t corroborate that, I’m going to look into Victor Gant’s business with a microscope.” He smiled slightly. “I’m betting that’ll throw a kink in whatever tea party you’ve got planned with Victor Gant.”
“You can’t do that.”
“I can.” Will kept his eyes locked on the other man’s. “When Bobby Lee Gant hurt that Marine in Jacksonville, he had three men with him. I’m still looking for those three men. For all I know, they’re part of Victor Gant’s little motorcycle club.”
Urlacher growled a curse. “You’re making trouble for yourself.”
“Not if I don’t have to. I’ll take a clean report on that shooting and I’ll pack up and leave.”
A frown tightened Urlacher’s lips and he gave a grudging nod. “It’ll be like you said.”
“Not like I said,” Will told him. “Like it was last night. You owe my gunney that. He might have saved the lives of your men.”
“You’ll get your report.”
“By end of day,” Will said. “Or we start turning over rocks in Victor Gant’s neighborhood.” He reached into his jacket pocket and took out one of his business cards.
“I’ll have it there.” Urlacher scowled as he took the business card. Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Silently Will watched the FBI agent go, but he couldn’t help wondering what it was that Urlacher was working on. For the agent to have capitulated so quickly, it had to be something big.
Let it go, Will told himself. You’ve got enough on your plate. He let out a deep breath, then turned and walked away.
But he couldn’t get Victor Gant’s eyes or voice out of his mind. The man had radiated pure evil and hate. Will decided he was going to be happy when he could get Shel out of the hospital and back home.
›› 1137 Hours
Surrounded by FBI agents, Victor stared at the elevator indicator lights as the cage dropped to the bottom floor. One of the agents had stopped the cage and waited for Urlacher to get on again. Victor had only heard a muffled version of Urlacher’s conversation with the NCIS agent. The cage swayed and the two men next to him bumped against him.
“Don’t go getting any ideas,” Urlacher said.
“Wouldn’t think of it,” Victor replied.
“You tangle with the NCIS, make this personal, I don’t have enough juice to pull them off you.”
“Understood.” Victor nodded. It was already personal. How could somebody killing his son not be personal?
“What happened to your boy-”
“Bobby Lee,” Victor interrupted.
Urlacher looked at him.
“My boy,” Victor said. “His name was Bobby Lee. Don’t you go remembering him as just another dead kid.”
Urlacher didn’t back off. “Stay away from those NCIS people.”
Despite the No Smoking sign posted in the elevator, Victor took out his pack of cigarettes and lit up. Overhead, the smoke alarm shrilled.
“I heard on the news that Marine who shot Bobby Lee lived,” Victor said.
“If you go around him, I’ll toss the deal and put you in jail.”
“For what?”
“For whatever,” Urlacher said. “Jaywalking. Spitting on the sidewalk.”
Victor smiled. “You act like I should be afraid of them.”
“They run a pretty tight crew.”
The elevator dinged and came to a gentle stop. The doors opened. Victor got out with the cigarette in his fist.
Two matronly women gave him discourteous looks. One of them pointed at the No Smoking sign posted inside the elevator cage.
Victor said something offensive and both women stepped toward the next elevator cage.
“I’ve got half a mind to take you and stash you in protective custody,” Urlacher said.
“Quickest way to guarantee that I won’t tell you a thing.” Victor walked through the downstairs hallway. His eyes roved the people and stared through the glass doors at the front of the building. “You leave me be, I’ll get you what you want.” He stopped and looked at Urlacher. “And this is where we go our separate ways, gentlemen.”
Hesitation soured Urlacher’s features. In the end, though, Victor knew that the FBI agent didn’t have a choice. Not if he wanted to nab all the opium he had his eye on.
“All right,” Urlacher said.
“Then I guess I’ll be seeing you.” Victor took his sunglasses from his shirt pocket and slipped them on. He took his cell phone-returned to him with all his other possessions that morning after he’d agreed to the FBI’s deal-from his pocket as he walked away. He punched in Fat Mike’s number.
“Yeah,” Fat Mike answered.
“Me,” Victor said. “I need a ride.”
“Where are you?”
“Walking out of FBI offices.”
“Cool, bro. I’m just dipping my beak at the strip club over on Tyvola Road.”
“That place seems a little upscale for you.”
Fat Mike laughed. “Maybe it was, but after I walked through the door, its standing dropped through the basement.”
“I’ll be out front.” Victor stepped through the glass doors and out into the heat of the day. “Got a question.”
“Okay.”
“Do you know where they took that cop? The one that killed Bobby Lee?”
Fat Mike sucked in a breath. “Yeah.”
“I want to go there.”
“Now?”
“Yeah.” Victor closed his cell phone and pushed it into his pants pocket. He lit another cigarette while he waited and thought about what he wanted to do to the big Marine who had killed Bobby Lee.
›› Parking Lot
›› Presbyterian Hospital
›› Charlotte, North Carolina
›› 1208 Hours
Will pulled the dark gray Taurus he’d gotten from the rental company into the parking lot and started to get out. When he opened the door, a blast of superheated air slapped him in the face. It was hard to believe that it was going to be hotter still in a couple more weeks.
Before he could get out, he tracked movement in the side mirror, and a big hand fell onto his door. He’d already abandoned his jacket when he’d gotten into the car, so it took only a second to reach up under his arm and free the
Springfield pistol.
In the next instant, Victor Gant stepped to the window and smiled at him. “Hey, cap’n,” the biker said. “I come in peace.”
Will kept the XD-40 in hand as he checked his mirrors. There were no other bikers in sight, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.
“Just me,” Victor said good-naturedly.
Will didn’t say anything. He knew the man would say what was on his mind when he was ready. After all, he’d come all this way and somehow even beaten Will to the hospital to say it.
“Ain’t you got nothing to say?” Victor asked.
“It’s your show,” Will said calmly. “Why don’t you run it and I’ll see if I find any conversation starters.”
“A man of few words,” Victor said. “I like that.” He kept his hands in plain sight. “I liked how you stood up to Special Agent Urlacher and told him off. That was choice. And all he could do was stand there and eat crow.”
“I’m pretty sure you didn’t come here to congratulate me for that.”
“No, I guess you’re right. I didn’t. I was wondering if you’d do a favor for me.”
Will waited, sensing what was coming.
“Do you know if the big Marine that shot my boy believes in God?” Victor asked.
“You want to be careful what you say next,” Will said.
“No foul, cap’n,” Victor said. “Just asking for a little information, that’s all. Sometimes I stand around on street corners and hand out them pamphlets what’s got God’s Word on ’em. I was just asking about that sergeant.”
Will said nothing, but he felt the naked, cold threat that blew in off the man.
“Tell him for me that if he don’t believe in God now, he should start real soon. Things come at you in life and everything changes so fast that sometimes you don’t get the time to do the things you should. Tell him I said he should get to know God because him and God could be on a first-name basis before you know it.”
As he gazed into the dark hate in Victor’s eyes, Will’s stomach lurched a little. It wasn’t because he was afraid, though it was normal to be fearful at a time like this. It was because he knew that Victor couldn’t be scared off his chosen course.
“You just give him that message,” Victor said as he turned and walked away. He threw a hand in the air and a big motorcycle engine rumbled to excited life. Without turning his back to Will, the biker stepped out to the edge of the parking lane. “And you have yourself a nice day, cap’n.”
A motorcycle and sidecar sped into view and stopped behind Will’s rental car. Victor threw a leg over the sidecar and dropped into it. He tossed Will a final salute and rode out of sight.
Will remained where he was and listened intently. He was certain Victor Gant hadn’t put in an appearance by himself. Sure enough, less than a minute later, a handful of other motorcycle engines roared to life all around Will.
Hard-faced men wearing their colors rode slowly up behind the car; then they too roared out onto the street and were gone.
Carefully Will took his suit jacket and used it to cover his forearm and the pistol in his fist. He wasn’t going to take any chances. Moving slowly, he slid out of the rental car and turned his steps toward the hospital. The sooner they could move Shel-even if it was only to get him back to the base hospital-the happier Will was going to be.
1 9
›› Intensive Care Unit
›› Presbyterian Hospital
›› Charlotte, North Carolina
›› 1233 Hours
Maggie stood at the observation window overlooking the private intensive care room Will had arranged. She had her arms crossed and looked worried.
The two Marine guards stationed out in the hallway carried assault rifles and holstered pistols. Their orders were to inspect the sleeve IDs that had the pictures of all personnel allowed to enter the area. As Will approached, they immediately formed a human wall.
Their BDUs were crisp and clean, and they were alert.
When they recognized Will, they stepped back to allow him passage. They stood at attention.
“Afternoon, Commander,” one of them said.
Both saluted.
“At ease,” Will said.
The Marines sat back down in folding chairs that creaked under their weight. Neither of them was a small man. They kept their assault rifles across their knees.
Maggie glanced up at Will and smiled. Some of the fatigue dropped away and she looked a little more hopeful.
“How did it go?” she asked.
“Urlacher’s on board,” Will said.
“Did he have a problem with that?”
“I didn’t give him a lot of choice.”
“No. I suppose you didn’t.”
Will stood beside Maggie and gazed through the window. On the other side of the glass, Shel looked like death warmed over. It hurt Will to see the big Marine looking like that. Shel had always seemed like a force of nature, as unstoppable as the morning sun.
“How’s he doing?” Will asked.
“In and out,” Maggie said. “He lost a lot of blood, and it’s going to take him a while to build his strength back up. But the real danger is past.”
“That’s good.” Will glanced down the hall. “Did you get a chance to talk to the doctor?”
Maggie nodded. “She’s a good woman. She knows her stuff. According to her, the surgery couldn’t have been any better.”
“Good to hear. Did she say anything about when we could move him back to Lejeune?”
Maggie studied his face. “What happened?”
“I ran into Victor Gant out in the parking lot.”
Worry creased Maggie’s face. “I thought the FBI was going to lock him down.”
“They didn’t. Evidently Victor is cutting some kind of deal with them.”
“Must be a pretty big deal.”
Will shrugged. “Not our concern.”
Maggie blew out an angry breath. “No, but Victor Gant is.”
“I know.” Will glanced back into the hospital room. “I’m going to work on that a little.”
“What?”
“I’ll tell you about it if I turn out to be as bright as I think I am. In the meantime, why don’t you give the director a call and ask him to request a few more Marine volunteers to cover security here at the hospital.”
“All right. I could go with you.”
Will shook his head. “Stay with Shel. When he wakes up, when he needs something, I want him to know we’re here.”
“Remy’s here too.”
“I’m going to need Remy with me. I’ve got a few places to go.”
“Where angels fear to tread?”
Will smiled at her. “Those places too.”
›› Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner
›› 618 North College Street
›› Charlotte, North Carolina
›› 1352 Hours
Will parked his Taurus behind the redbrick building that housed the county medical examiner’s office and got out in the heat. The severe lines of the building were only partially blunted by the trees and landscaping.
Remy got out the other side and flared his Tar Heels basketball jersey so it covered the pistol at his hip. Gold chains shone around his neck.
“You want to go over what it is we’re doing here?” Remy asked.
“When Bobby Lee was brought in, he was carrying drugs,” Will said as they headed toward the glass door. “Heroin. I thought maybe we’d pick it up and have a look at it.”
“Okay.”
Will opened the door and allowed Remy to enter. “Then we see if we can’t get some leverage.”
“Where are you going to get the leverage?”
Will held up two fingers. “Bobby Lee had two things we can work with regarding our investigation.”
“And what investigation is that exactly?”
“When Bobby Lee attacked our Marine in Jacksonville, he had two buddies.”
“I
read the reports.”
Will led the way down the cool hallways and followed the posted signage to the medical examiner’s office. “We’re investigating the identities of the two men who were with Bobby Lee.”
Remy smiled. “You’re hoping that at least one of those men belongs to the Purple Royals.”
“I wouldn’t say hoping.”
“But you wouldn’t be surprised.”
“No,” Will said. “I wouldn’t.”
“If they are, Victor Gant isn’t going to like you putting pressure on him.”
“At the hospital today, he came on our turf and fired a warning shot,” Will said. “We’re going to return the favor.”
“The drugs-” Remy stopped himself. “The heroin Bobby Lee was carrying is part of your leverage.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“We’re going to have it couriered to the labs at Camp Lejeune and analyzed under a spectroscope. The tests should be able to identify the trace elements of metals in the heroin. Those are based on geographically related patterns.”
“Gant isn’t growing his heroin empire here.”
“No, he isn’t. But it’s being grown somewhere.”
“If someone could trace the heroin back to its native soil, you’d think it would’ve been done before now.”
“It would’ve been. That’s not what we’re going to do. The mixture of those trace elements-from one crime scene to the next-is as distinguishable as a fingerprint.”
“A lot of guys could have been caught holding a stash Gant or the Purple Royals sold them.”
“I know.” Will turned to Remy and smiled. “All I need to do is find one biker who knows the guys Bobby Lee hung with in his father’s gang.”
Remy smiled and nodded. “I like it. Not exactly gonna make us popular with the FBI.”
“I’m not in a popularity contest. I’m trying to make sure my Marine is safe while he recovers.”
The young woman at the desk looked up from her computer monitor. “Hi.”
“We’re here to see Dr. Greer.” Will held his NCIS ID open for her.
Remy did the same.
The woman lifted the phone and called the doctor.
›› 1406 Hours
The morgue was cold, but Will was too intent to really notice.
Remy seemed a little uncomfortable. The Tar Heels jersey was too lightweight to blunt much of the cold. He stood with his arms folded.
