Slater's Revenge

by Claudia Shelton

  He nudged her arm with his. “I’m sorry about earlier. We should—”

  “We’ll work that out later.” She nodded, taking a step toward the ambulance. “Right now, we need to talk to the woman, so she’ll agree to go to the hospital.”

  “I’d feel better if you make the first contact. Ask how she’s doing. See if she needs anything.” Josh moved to the other side of her, putting her on the ambulance side of the street. “Then introduce her to me. I’ll take it from there.”

  She glanced at Cummings. “What do you plan to tell him about being an OPAQUE agent? I doubt he’s ever heard of the organization.”

  He grinned. “He’s heard of them. Especially in the town where it originated. As to what I’ll say, depends on what he asks.” He knuckled the spot on his cheekbone. “One thing for sure, he better ask nice, ’cause I’m in no mood to take any of his bull tonight.”

  “How can you stop him?”

  “I only have to make one phone call, and he’ll find himself off the street talking to some agents who carry federal badges. He sure won’t push them around.”

  Cummings blocked their path to the EMT van’s open doors. They jogged to the side to go around, and he stepped in front again.

  “Look, you’re the one who called me.” Macki stood her ground, no fidgets, no nerves. Nothing but in-your-face solid footing anchored her to the moment. “So get out of our way.”

  The detective turned sideways for them to pass, then closed in behind.

  Josh stopped. “Go ahead, Macki. Do what we talked about.”

  Nodding, she made her way to the ambulance, taking time to talk to the medic before she climbed inside.

  “You don’t give the orders around here,” Cummings growled.

  “Neither do you.”

  “Now play nice, boys.” From the periphery, Lieutenant Grey entered the two men’s confrontation. He glanced at his detective. “Evidently, Agent Slater is a member of OPAQUE. One of the best allies a police department can have.” He turned toward Josh. “Too bad you didn’t notify the Riverfalls Police that you were in town. I’m sure they’d like to show you their appreciation for all OPAQUE does on their behalf.”

  Josh controlled his urge to tell the lieutenant that trying to get on his good side wouldn’t work—he had no good side when it came to business.

  Cummings flicked his handcuffs out, toying with them. “I don’t care who he is, or who he works for. He’s got no authority here. Maybe Mr. Slater would like to take a ride downtown for a little conversation.”

  “Don’t push it.” Josh eased his phone out of his pocket, glancing back at the lieutenant. “Which button should I push first? FBI? DEA? Or maybe the NSA?”

  Grey held his hand up and waved it from side to side. “I think you’ll agree we don’t need anyone else here. And put those damn cuffs away, Detective Cummings.”

  As Josh tucked his phone back in his pocket, the lieutenant walked back to the perimeter of the crime scene tape. “Was the lieutenant already here on the case when you talked to the woman? Or did you call him after she asked for me?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I called him. He left his barbeque and came right over.” Cummings stayed cemented to his position.

  “Got over here mighty fast, didn’t he?”

  “Maybe you and Macki got over here a little slow.” The detective crossed his arms again and broadened his stance. “For the record, Slater, I’ve heard of OPAQUE. They’re known for catching guys on the take. Doesn’t do me one damn bit of good.”

  Josh rolled his shoulders to nudge the sweat forming beneath his shirt. He watched the clouds for a moment, hoping the distant sound had actually been thunder. Hard to see the lightning in the bright city lights, but he felt a change in the weather tonight. A slight breeze that came and went.

  “Did you hear me?” Cummings leaned closer. “I’m a good cop, and most of the police I know are damn good. All you guys do is cause a lot of friction in the department to nab a few bad ones. Why come to Riverfalls to stir up trouble?”

  “Do your research, and you’ll see that the people I hunt down don’t play nice. And just for the record, I don’t spend my time looking for guys on the take. A buck here, a baseball ticket there. That’s for Internal Affairs to handle.” Josh shifted his stance. “I search out the ones who are trying to control the good guys by every means possible.”

  Macki stepped out of the EMT van and motioned him over.

  Cummings grabbed his arm. “All I’m saying is—”

  He shoved his hand aside. “Get your facts, Detective. OPAQUE agents are also sent to protect people who are targeted not only by Coercion Ten, but other lowlife sons of bitches.” He waved to Macki that he was on his way. “You better hope you’re never in a situation where I have to do you ‘a damn bit of good,’ as you say. You might find yourself in one hell of a bind.”

  “Cut to the chase, Slater. Why are you here in Riverfalls?” Cummings kept step with him.

  Did he trust the man or not? Didn’t damn well matter at the moment, but he was going to take a chance. One he hoped he didn’t live to regret. Or die regretting. He stopped and faced the detective. “You want to know why I’m here?”

  Cummings narrowed his eyes. “Hell, yes.”

  “I was sent to protect Macki.” He raised his index finger and whipped it in front of him, pointing to move aside. “And you damn well better stay out of my way.” He brushed his hand across his cheek. “If you don’t, I’ll put you on the ground and you won’t get up.”

  “Give it your best shot.”

  Josh felt the furrow of his brow and the evil clown grin that had enveloped his face. He’d seen himself in the mirror one time and come up short as he realized the devil inside him. The one that could do what had to be done. Hell, was the guy in front of him crazy or stupid? If it meant Macki’s life, he’d take Cummings out in a second, and every witness there would swear it had been an accident.

  Turning his attention back to her, Josh calmed his body and expression and soon-to-be-heard voice in order to not scare the woman in the ambulance who’d been beaten just to get a message to him. As he neared, he saw the redness on Macki’s cheeks as she swiped her hand across her nose. Whatever had happened inside had taken a toll on her. Biting the side of her lip, she climbed back into the ambulance and he followed.

  She gently patted the woman’s arm. “This is Agent Slater, Tessa.”

  Josh nudged Macki aside and took the woman’s hand. “I’m sorry you had to go through this, Tessa.”

  Bruised and battered, the barely twenty-year-old woman stared at him as if he were the answer to her prayers. “They…they said…” She glanced at Macki then fear inched across her face as she gripped his hand tighter. “Only you…I can only tell you…they said they’d be watching…”

  Letting Macki out of his sight, even for a moment, meant admitting he couldn’t be everywhere, all the time, even for her. Meant he wasn’t invincible. Hell, he knew that a long time ago. Seconds before the two of them had left the penthouse, he’d put a call out for Team Shades. Anyone available? Anyone?

  The team would come if they could. For now, though, he and Macki were on their own.

  He met her gaze. Felt the strength that held them together. She raised her eyebrows in question as she reached for the door handle. He faced the only answer there was and slowly nodded, twice.

  Macki opened the ambulance door. “I’m gonna go now, Tessa. But you hold on, because you’ll heal.”

  “Stay right by the ambulance,” he said.

  “I’ll be okay. You do what you have to do.” She stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

  Tessa motioned him to come closer. The closer he got, the more clearly he remembered the night he’d hit D Street to wait for Macki. This had been the woman who’d wanted to help him with his need. The one who’d looked fresh on the street. The one he’d hoped would stay safe. Once again, hope had slapped him in the face.

&
nbsp; He leaned his ear next to her mouth, never letting go of the grip of fear the woman had on his hand. “Take your time. Tell me when you’re ready.”

  “They…they said to tell you to back off or”—she glanced at the closed door—“your woman will get this…again. Is that nice lady your woman?”

  Without a second thought, he nodded. “Yes, she’s the woman they’re talking about.”

  Tessa jerked trying to sit up, grabbed the front of his shirt. “Then stop. Stop whatever you’re doing. Nothing is worth this. Nothing…” She leaned back, gasping for her next breath, as the medic opened the back door on the ambulance. “No…wait.”

  Josh motioned the man not to come in, and the door closed again. “Is there more?”

  She nodded again then glanced to the left, stared off for a moment. Waving him forward again, her face tightened into concerted effort to get what she had to say right.

  “They said if you don’t leave town, the three of you will fall…like dominos. One. Two. Three. Within twenty-four hours.” She struggled to sit up, but reached for his hand. “You will be first.”

  “Any idea who the men were?”

  She shook her head.

  “What did they look like?”

  “Black knit ski masks. The alley they pulled me into was so dark I can’t even tell you how tall they were. One man had on a gold bracelet. You know…the…the kind made out of big links.”

  Josh’s memory clicked back to the first night once again. The man who’d taken his place with this woman on the street. Josh leaned closer to her. “Anything else you can remember about that man in particular?”

  She shook her head. “Not really. Except he…he seemed to be the one in charge.”

  There was more info being shared in this conversation than the woman knew. But Josh needed even more. He hated to push further, but she might hold the only clues. “How do you know?”

  “When he said to do something, the other two did. And he’d just stand there.” Shudders grabbed her body. “The last time I fell on the ground is when he flicked on his cell phone flashlight and crouched down beside me. That’s when I saw the gold bracelet.”

  “You’re doing great, Tessa. Now what else? What did you see in that light?”

  “See? I was so scared I don’t know what I saw. I remember he touched my hair…real gentle like. Then he shoved me away with the side of his shoe.”

  Shoes? Josh squeezed her hand lightly. “Tell me about his shoes.”

  “Black. Shiny.” She trembled again and touched her ribs. “Hard. Really, really hard.”

  Son of a bitch. Again, Josh zeroed back to the hotter-than-hell night he hit town. The CT bastard had paraded himself in plain view. Right there on the sidewalk. Right in front of him. The man had waited. Waited for him to arrive.

  Sure, the black horn-rim glasses, button-down shirt, and gaudy toupee had all been a disguise. But the gold-link bracelet and black shiny-shiny shoes? Those were things someone might wear without thinking. Something they might forget to take off.

  Or, the man might have worn them to feed his power ego. To say Come and get me if you can. Tonight, though, the gauntlet was being thrown down. The direct challenge. Josh had no doubt that he and the man with the gold bracelet would meet face-to-face. Where and when remained the mystery.

  One thing was clear as day, though. Local problems and CT threats were all wrapped up in one package. Macki’s dad, the FBI, Drake, and OPAQUE had been right—Coercion Ten was anchored in this city.

  Josh’s insides tensed with the newfound realization. The end was near. He could taste victory in his mind. After all these years, his search had brought him right back where he’d started. Now, all he had to do was stay alive long enough to take them all down. Coercion Ten. Dirty police officers. And the man who’d bought his dad with a handful of money.

  Chapter Nineteen

  As she stepped from the ambulance, Mackenzie’s heart pounded like a heavy bass drum. Bracing her back against the side of the EMT van, she flattened her palms against the cool smoothness of the metal for support. She grimaced with the intense jab of remembered pain as a sting shot to her ribs, chin, cheek.

  “No.” The fear she felt crushed her with victim panic. Gradually, the ragged gasps of breath shaking her body shook her back to the present. She was okay.

  This was not years ago in the alley.

  Josh was only a step away inside the ambulance. Tonight, she was safe.

  “Are you okay, Macki?” Detective Cummings asked.

  She raised her head, clearing the traces of panic from her expression. “Sure. I think the heat’s starting to get to me.”

  “Yeah. We could all do with some cooler weather.” The detective jerked his thumb in the direction of the EMT van. “Might calm things down here on the street, too. This kind of weather, the hotter people get, the meaner they are.”

  The heat and beat of D Street had a life of its own. One that didn’t need the weather to make it hotter than hell. The ambulance’s back access door opened then closed rapidly as the EMT walked a short distance away.

  “I need to find some kind of breeze,” she said.

  Josh had told her to stay right by the ambulance, but she needed to get Cummings away from the scene. Where they were standing, she didn’t think he could hear the conversation between Josh and Tessa taking place inside the ambulance, but she couldn’t take that chance. She inched her hand inside her bag, making sure her gun was in easy reach, then, slowly, she focused twenty feet away and started to walk in that direction.

  Cummings followed. “Why’d you two leave Lieutenant Grey’s barbeque so fast this afternoon? The party was just getting started.”

  None of his business. “Better question is why you and Lieutenant Grey felt the need to give me a picture of Blake and myself.”

  “What picture?”

  “You know. The other gift in the bag with the photo of my parents. The collage of Blake and me kissing. As if shocking me with a family photo wasn’t enough trauma for the afternoon. You two tossed in another tragedy for good measure.” Disgust simmered in her words. “How do you think that made me feel?”

  “I didn’t give you a gift.” The lowering of his eyebrows and shift in his jawline hinted that he was confused. Confused or well versed in a cover?

  “That’s not what Grey said.” Her stomach churned at the memory of pulling the picture from the bag. “He said you both had a gift for me.”

  “He said that?”

  She nodded, pointing at Grey walking down the other side of the street, evidently heading to his parked car, ready to leave. “Maybe we should ask him.”

  Propping his hands on his waist, Cummings lowered his eyebrows and jutted his jaw to the side. “All I know is Grey asked if I had any pictures of Blake and you, so I shot him that set from my cloud. I had no idea what he planned to do with them.”

  “Sure you didn’t.” Enough was enough. She’d had all she could stand of everyone pushing into her life. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Well, I don’t give a damn if you believe me or not. In fact, I don’t care why Grey gave it to you.” Cummings leaned closer. “I would like to know how you and this so-called OPAQUE Agent Slater are involved. And don’t give me that ‘old friend’ baloney.”

  Ah, the conversation had shifted. The man had gotten to where he’d planned to go with his casual interrogation. Whether he knew it or not, his mouth straightened into an I’m-serious unbending line. Undercover instincts warned her to be more than careful with her wording.

  “We are old friends. Went to high school together. That’s all.”

  “You knew his family?”

  “No. I never met them.”

  “Don’t you find that strange?”

  She cocked her head to the side, pursed her lips. Where the hell was Cummings going with this? “Josh’s mother died when he was young. And his dad worked long hours.”

  “He told you about his dad?”

  “No, m
y father told me.”

  “They knew each other?”

  “I guess.”

  “How did they know each other?”

  Both her parents had said they knew Josh’s dad. That he was a top worker. Worked long hours so his son could have a better life. They’d both given her their blessing to date Josh. That was all she’d ever needed to know. “This conversation is over, Detective Cummings. Move on to a different topic.”

  The waiting for Josh to exit the ambulance was beginning to wear on her. What type of message had the thugs who’d assaulted Tessa left for him?

  “Agent Slater said he’s here to protect you. Or was it that your friend Josh is here to protect you, and he’s usually an agent? Which is he, friend or agent?”

  That had come out of the blue. Why would Josh tell Cummings anything?

  “Nice try, Detective Cummings. Did you learn that slip-in-slip-up questioning on the first day of Detective 101?” She formed her words, giving him a you’re-full-of-it look. “Don’t try to make something out of nothing. He’s in town on business and I have an extra bedroom, that’s all.”

  She needed to up her game. Stop ending her statements with “that’s all.” She wasn’t about to admit Josh was an agent assigned to protect her, not until she got permission from him or Drake to do so. “Besides, I doubt he would tell you the time of day.”

  Cummings grinned. “I’m not the only one with tells, you know. Fess up. Why do you need protecting? From who?”

  More no-answer questions. She looked past him and analyzed the street. Most people didn’t give a second look at the flashing lights of the ambulance as they clustered outside the clubs or stuffed food into their mouths around the food vendor stands. A few of the girls at the corner of 10th and D kept right on hawking their wares as if any dangerous customers had already made their hit that night.

  Roxy pushed the edge of her stretchy neckline strap down over her shoulder as she sipped on a glass of who knew what. Sultry as sin, she leaned against the high-top table that had been her prop for the past five years. The evening was slow, otherwise she’d be perched on the bar stool she kept close, her legs crossed in such a way to not only smoothly entice, but to bounce with the beat for the tougher crowd.