by Bobbie Cole
What little rationality she had left surfaced, though, and the mindset that had gotten her through the academy and every case she’d worked on afterward took hold. No, she’d see this Martin case through to the end, especially now that she knew how it connected to Seth. Maybe with closure on his coworkers’ deaths he could move forward, see that it didn’t matter where he worked or that they’d both have to contend with the fallout should he not recover the rest of his memory.
When the sun rose, she’d be dressed and ready to roll, tell Stone and Runnels she had no intention of staying another night in a hotel when she could be in the comfort of her own home, small as it was. She’d manage to escape them all for a while, gather the rest of her information with Julio’s help, and she’d find a way to wrap up the Martin case.
And if she still couldn’t convince Seth that things between them would work out? She’d think about that then.
Chapter Ten
“Your apartment should be safe, but we wish you’d reconsider,” Runnels stated once he and Stone had driven Seth and Charlie to her apartment.
Seth agreed with them, but Charlie wasn’t having any of it. He watched as she walked through her small but cozy place, checking this and that, nodding as they told her where they’d searched, scanned and scavenged.
He felt a tug on his heartstrings as he saw her examining a large bouquet of flowers, a colorful mix of carnations and daisies, sitting on her small dinette table. Then she seemed to snap out of her reverie and remember why they were all there because her face hardened and she straightened her back and brushed her fingers through her hair like she was tense.
She didn’t seem upset, only determined about something she wasn’t discussing with any of them, even him. He figured maybe she’d open up once the others had left.
But as soon as Stone and Runnels left, with instructions that they should remain there unless accompanied by the man they had positioned outside her door, she went to the bathroom and shut the door.
Seth busied himself looking about, making mental notes and wondering if he’d been there before. Looked like a two-bedroom apartment, moderately-priced, nothing too fancy, certainly nothing ostentatious. A few personal items here and there, photographs and books, but nothing that required high maintenance, like plants or fish or pets. Typical cop pad, he thought, smiling grimly. She probably didn’t spend much time here except to sleep between shifts.
Charlie left the bathroom and headed for her bedroom and closed the door. She had her cell phone pressed to her ear.
Seth stood outside it, talking to her. “Where are you going? I know you’re leaving.” He had no idea, but his intuition had kicked in, and he knew her well enough to realize she couldn’t remain isolated. “Charlie, you heard what they said.”
She cracked her door to talk to him but continued whatever it was she was doing. “What would you have me do? Sit in here like some victim, waiting for Rogers to make the next move? I don’t operate like that.”
Is she talking to me or whoever it is on the phone? Seth opened the door farther. She was sitting on the bed, changing from the loafers she’d worn into a pair of leather sneakers, lacing them furiously. She still had her cell phone against her ear, using a shoulder to buffer it, and she was talking in hushed tones, but he could make out part of her conversation.
“I’ll explain later. Just do it, okay?”
Seth cleared his throat to get her attention without being too intrusive. He knew he shouldn’t give a damn who she was talking to if she was planning to escape, but it needled him that she relied on someone else when he was right there. “Charlie, where are you going?”
She released the cell phone and continued lacing her shoes. “To the precinct.”
“And how do you plan on sneaking past the guard outside?”
She looked up and set her jaw before replying. “You’re going to distract him for me.”
“Like hell!” Seth fumed. He burst through the door, giving only a cursory thought to her privacy. “Charlie, forget the Feds and their agenda. Think about your safety. What if Rogers is waiting for you?”
“Then he’ll be staring at the door to my apartment and see me leave, which is fine by me. It’ll take his focus off of you.”
Seth blinked. She was protecting him? His blood boiled. “Sweet of you, dear,” he said with a saccharin drip to his voice, “but I can take care of myself.”
“I’m not trying to emasculate you, dear,” she shot back. “I’ve seen what you can do when you’re cornered, remember?” She lowered her head and appeared to be concentrating on a lace that wouldn’t cooperate, muttering, “Freakin’ contortionist.”
He figured she was referring to the shoulder-popping incident at the love motel in Mexico. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Seemingly finished with dressing, Charlie planted both feet on the floor but remained seated on the edge of her bed. She eyed him warily, silent for a moment, her expression blank. Seth watched as her face softened.
Charlie nodded. “You’re probably right.” She stretched, flexing and rolling her head as if popping her neck. “My head hurts now, probably just a tension headache.” She grinned ruefully. “Do me a favor?”
He placed his hands on his hips. “What?” he asked warily.
“Get me a glass of water so I can take an aspirin?” She patted her bed and cocked an eyebrow playfully. “Since we can’t go anywhere, maybe we can both just lie down for a while. Of course, you’ll need to take off that leather jacket if you want to be more comfortable.” She raised her eyebrows, flirting with him.
He didn’t trust her, but he couldn’t find fault with her assessment of their situation, and even if all they did was lie there in one another’s arms, it was better than sitting around worrying and waiting.
“Glasses are to the right of the sink,” she instructed. “And the aspirin is in the medicine cabinet of the bathroom. Thanks.”
Seth cocked an eyebrow. “You asking or nagging?”
“You decide.” She grinned.
He watched as she slowly lay back on her bed. Okay, Charlie, I’m game. He pivoted and walked back to the bathroom. He quickly found the bottle of pills and shook two of them onto his palm. Then he went to the front of the apartment and into the kitchen.
While he busied himself looking for the glasses, he thought he heard a click, but when he remained still for a moment he heard nothing. Thinking he’d imagined the noise, he continued doing her bidding.
But when he walked back to her bedroom door, he found it shut. He rapped softly on the door. “Charlie?” He listened intently. Nothing. This time he knocked louder, repeating her name. Again, nothing.
Seth tried the doorknob. It was locked. What the hell? “If you wanted to be alone, all you had to do was tell me to—” He stopped speaking as realization washed over him. She’d played him. He knew without breaking down the door that Charlie was no longer in the apartment. She’d most likely gone out her bedroom window.
Given the choice of crashing through the door, and most likely getting her in trouble with the landlord, or accepting that she’d duped him, Seth popped the aspirin he’d brought for her into his mouth, swigged the water and went back into the living room. With any luck, his former coworkers would have someone waiting for her and would escort the little minx back to the front door.
She felt bad for involving her father and Julio in her deception, but Charlie didn’t see much of a choice. Getting Sam to drive her to meet Julio was surprisingly easy because he was more curious than he was concerned for her safety—he knew she could take care of herself and whatever situation presented itself.
Julio, however, was a macho Latino whose code of honor forbade allowing a woman to jeopardize herself, even for the sake of justice.
“Are you out of your mind?” He plopped onto the barstool beside her at the pub where she’d told him to meet her. Julio rattled off a string of words in Spanish, with Charlie only catching every other syllable, most of t
hem words she’d only heard when she was a beat cop in southwest Houston.
“You said you talked with the doctor in California, the one who was Seth’s chief plastic surgeon,” she persisted.
“Talk with him, querida? I spoke with him in person.”
Charlie gasped. “He was here?”
“No no. I flew to Los Angeles.” Julio held up his hands before she could protest. “My family has money, and I wanted to see my cousin in L.A. anyway, okay? So don’t get bent out of shape, it was nothing out of pocket for me necessarily.” He smiled engagingly. “My father was happy to help.”
Charlie’s mental calculator added up the expensive shoes, the hair, the dental work she’d suspected Julio had done—nobody had teeth that perfect without help, not to mention the fancy motorcycle she’d seen him ride. It all made sense now, that he’d come from money prior to entering the academy. She suppressed a grin at his animated face while he explained his trip.
“First I went to his office—Dios mío. This man has money falling out of his…” Julio stopped himself. “Sorry. Anyway, dinero de sobra, lots of money.” He went on to describe the building, the office, the staff. “I made nice with his receptionist and told her what I needed, information as to who paid for your friend’s operations.” A self-satisfied grin crossed his handsome features. “I took her to a really nice restaurant, a new one owned by that actor who was in…”
“And?” Charlie prompted impatiently.
“It wasn’t the sister—it was that Rogers fellow, the guy who came into the office while you were in Guadalajara. Lots of nerve, wouldn’t you say?” Julio’s incredulity was displayed in every gesture, every word. “I mean, the man has the cojones to walk into a room full of cops and act like he’s just a concerned citizen or employer, and the whole time he’s up to his cuello in this thing?” Julio drew a finger across his neck to illustrate.
“He’s probably the one who killed Martin,” Charlie said. She explained what she’d heard from the Feds. “I’m supposed to be bait so that he’ll talk to me or Seth, but I wouldn’t put it past this guy to shoot first and ask questions later, you know?”
“I wouldn’t let him near my sister, I can tell you that,” Julio said, agreeing. “I told you he’s dirty, didn’t I? This man is probably responsible for God knows how many deaths of American citizens.”
He went on to complain about the traitorous dereliction of duties on both sides of the Red River, and Charlie let him rant for a few moments while she collected her thoughts. It would be one thing to simply do as the CIA had requested and let Rogers approach her or Seth, but if Rogers was as deeply involved in terrorist trafficking, wouldn’t it be better to follow him, to keep watch on his activities?
The Feds had most likely done just that, but somehow the slippery creep had eluded them, so what made them think he’d cooperate even if he was caught?
She shuddered at the thought of meeting up with Rogers without backup. He surely hadn’t gotten by with his machinations as long as he had without being extremely careful.
“Let me go to the station and talk to Bemo,” she suggested. “I’m sure he’s feeling pretty bad if they’ve had him keep me out of the loop. Once I pick his brain, then retrieve a couple of items from my desk—”
Julio interrupted her. “Wouldn’t it be better if I picked up whatever you needed and saved you the ass-chewin’ you’ll receive from the captain for dodging the Feds?”
“No, thanks. I’d rather get this over with,” she said.
Julio held up his hands. “Okay, but I tried.”
When there was a knock at Charlie’s door thirty minutes later, all Seth could think was took you long enough. But to his surprise, it wasn’t Charlie being escorted by CIA. It was a tall, burly man who was a much heavier, more masculine version of his errant lover.
“What’s a smart guy like you doing opening the door without first checking the Judas hole?” A big man of about sixty pushed the door wide and stared at Seth.
“Say what?” Seth blinked in surprise.
“The damned peephole. We call it a Judas hole. You must be Seth.” The big man didn’t wait for Seth to comment and didn’t really wait for him to move—he just pushed his way into the apartment.
Seth took in the guy’s attire—same type of laid-back clothing he saw on Charlie before she left. Leather sneakers, jeans, T-shirt and jacket, only this time with a University of Houston Cougars baseball cap completing the picture.
Giving Seth a long, drawn-out once-over, the man reached out his hand for Seth to shake. “Name’s Sam.”
Seth took the firm grip, wanting to wince and laugh at the testosterone-inflated clench Charlie’s father applied.
“Thought I’d come back and check out the man who seems to have captured my baby girl’s attention. You don’t mind, do you?” Sam asked.
“Not at all.” Seth felt out of place motioning for Sam to sit down, considering it was Charlie’s home, not his, so instead he took a seat and hoped Sam would follow suit. He did.
Then it struck Seth that, of course, it had to have been Sam who picked up Charlie and drove her to wherever she went. “You were the one who came after her when she snuck out?” he asked.
“She’d have done it anyway,” Sam said. “Figured it might as well be me helping her, than leaving her with her butt hanging out of her bedroom window and being on foot once she dropped to the ground.”
“Where…?”
“Some cop bar near her precinct,” Sam responded. “She said something about talking to her new partner, then speaking to her captain. She’s a little ticked off that he played ball with the Feds without telling her, but she understands. Said she did, anyway.”
Seth didn’t know who the more alpha male was, but he found himself doing the same thing as Charlie’s father, sizing up the other man in the room and making mental comparisons, wondering if he could take him should the need arise, and hoping like hell that they’d find themselves on the same side of the fence should a dividing line be drawn. Sam seemed quite capable of standing alone, but he’d make a formidable ally, inspiring confidence in a comrade and kicking butt and taking names of their opponents.
“What say we take a drive?” Sam asked.
“Sure.” Didn’t matter where to at that point. Just the idea of freedom with a strong man at his back sounded good.
“First let me talk to the guy at the end of the hall, the one watching the apartment. He’s not one of the fellows I met yesterday in here.” Sam chuckled, as if at a private joke. “But they gave him my name because I told them I’d be back to see my daughter once she got home.”
Sam rose. “Anyway, give me a couple of minutes, let him check with his superiors, and I’ll come back for you once we get the go-ahead.” He looked around. “You have a piece of paper or a cell phone?”
Seth nodded. “Phone’s in the kitchen. Let me get it.” Once he found the item, he plugged in the number Sam gave him.
Sam paused at the door after opening it. “I’ll fill the tank with gas while our friend out there gets hold of his boss, and I’ll give you a call in about ten or fifteen minutes.”
Bemo, as usual, was in his office earlier than scheduled, and he wasn’t pleased to see Charlie. “Figured you’d show up,” he said, motioning for her to have a seat across from him. He pulled out a folder and opened it, rifling through the papers inside until he found what he wanted. Then he turned the ensemble clockwise until it faced her.
He stabbed at a photo. “Damien Rogers. Only time I ever heard of that first name was when I watched those old movies about the devil.”
Charlie nodded. “I know the ones.” She read through his profile. “Looks like he may be the spawn of the devil after all, doesn’t it?”
“He’s pretty bad.” Bemo pulled out a sheet for her to read. “At first, our boys from Washington thought he didn’t know about your friend, the one whose photo was in your desk.”
She was surprised. “Julio showed you?”
/> “He did.” Bemo’s face looked perplexed. “Did you know his father was Senator Rodríguez from Austin?”
She shook her head. “Not surprised, though, not after what he told me earlier.” She relayed what Julio had mentioned about his family having money. Then she updated Bemo on Julio’s discovery that Rogers paid for Seth’s surgeries.
“Ah, so the bastard knew all along.” Bemo thumped his desk with a fist. “That’s all they need to tie him to the trafficking in Mexico. We’ve already established that Aldridge and his sister were involved, so there’s the link.”
Charlie watched, then listened as Bemo picked up his phone and dialed a number, leaving a message for Stone on his voice mail to call him ASAP.
“Thank God,” she said with a note of satisfaction once he’d left the message. “Maybe we won’t have to get involved any further.”
Bemo lifted a finger. Evidently, Stone had picked up on the other end. Charlie’s hopes were dashed as she watched her captain’s face.
“I’m not surprised,” Bemo said, cutting Charlie a sour look.
What the hell did I do? Bemo hadn’t seemed all that angry with her when she’d shown up at the precinct, so why was he pulling an attitude with her at this point?
She didn’t have to wait long. Once he hung up, he placed both hands on his desk and leaned forward toward her. “What is your father doing picking Seth up at your apartment?”
Charlie shrugged. “I think he just wanted to buy him a beer, get to know him. Why?”
“Well, they should have stayed put. Seems our federal buddies can’t reach their guard standing point at your apartment now, and it wasn’t ten minutes ago that he got their permission to let Seth leave with your dad. Any idea where they’d have gone?”
The look on his face prompted her to ask “Why?”
“Because while Sam left his number with Stone, nobody is able to reach him now. Your father and Taggart seem to have vanished, as has their guard. Either that or… Just find them, okay?”
