Ryan: Jagged Edge Series #8 (Alpha-Male Romance Suspense, Military)

by A. L Long

  When Peter appeared at the door before I got out of my car, I knew something was up. Turning off the engine, I got out and opened the back door to grab the painting. I hadn’t closed the door when I heard his voice. “We have a problem.”

  The look on his face said it all. His jaw was hard and when he brushed his hand through his hair, I knew it had to be bad. Handing him the tube, I asked, “How bad?”

  “The police found Aaron beaten to death in the alley where you met with Gallo. If it hadn’t been the fact that he had a record, the cops wouldn’t have known who he was.”

  “Fuck,” I hissed before adding one more thing to the pot. “I think that maybe we might be in for another surprise.”

  Telling Peter everything that happened at the Becker house and the fact that it was way too easy for me to grab the painting, he was also beginning to think we were being played. Something was going to go down at the meeting with Gallo, we just didn’t know what. We needed to rethink the plan and have a contingency one in play. Heading into the shop, we pull our heads together to think of one in a hurry.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Charlie

  When Ryan left to carry out the first phase of the plan, I didn’t want him to go. Even though it was only to steal the painting and nothing more, I had a really, really bad feeling about it. Call it woman’s intuition, but something bad was going to happen. Knowing that I was going to drive myself crazy with worry, I needed something to occupy my mind. The best way to get your mind off of bad things was to fill it with something else. Since I didn’t have a book to read and my Kindle app was only filled with romance books that I knew would only bring me back to thoughts of Ryan, I determined that the next best thing was to check out the rest of the hotel. Slipping on my sandals, I grabbed my keycard and headed to the elevator. Just as I was about to step inside the car, I remembered that I left my phone on the charger near the bed.

  Unlocking the door, I headed straight for the bedroom. As I walked over to the bed, I could see that I had missed a notification since the little green light on my phone was blinking. Swiping the screen, I could see that it was a text. As I went to my messages, Nick’s name came up. The text was very short and to the point, ‘Come to the shop.’ That something that had me all worried was just confirmed. Stuffing my phone in my bag, I forwent the elevator and decided to take the stairs. We were on the fifteenth floor, but the way my heart was racing, I could have gone down thirty.

  When I finally reached the bottom step, I pushed open the door and headed to the front of the hotel where I knew I would be able to catch a cab. The sidewalk was busy with pedestrians, and I was beginning to think getting a cab to pull over was going to be impossible. Unable to wait any longer, I did the unthinkable. I stood in the middle of the street waving my hands like a madwoman until finally a taxi stopped a few feet in front of me. He was cursing at me in a language I couldn’t understand, but the minute I got in the cab, he said, “A whistle would have been enough. Where to, miss?”

  Based on his accent, I would say the little man with no hair on his shiny head was from India. It wasn’t like the statue of a Hindu God taped to the dash was a dead giveaway. Talking very slow, I gave him the address where he needed to take me. The minute I offered to pay him a sizable tip, his foot hit the gas and he began weaving in and out of traffic like he owned the road. I guess I shouldn’t have requested that he “Step on it.” It was just something that I had always wanted to say.

  The driver pulled up to the shop twenty minutes later with me a little shaken, but alive nonetheless. Handing him his fare plus an additional twenty bucks, I got out of the car and watched as he pulled away. His head was shaking from left to right like he couldn’t believe he only got a twenty-dollar tip. “What the hell did he expect,” I thought to myself. “There are still people out there on a fixed budget,” I yelled out to the back of his car as he pulled away, leaving me in a cloud of dust.

  Shaking the dirt from my sandal that his tire kicked up, I hobbled over to the front door of the shop and pulled it open. I found it very unusual that none of the guys were in the front room playing pool or talking like they normally did. Pretty confident that they were either in the conference room or the back room, I decided to head that way. Stopping just shy of the conference door, which was barely open, I heard Ryan’s voice. I was just about to open the door when I heard him say, “With Aaron dead, I think we need to rethink this plan.”

  I just about yelled out, “What the fuck,” when I realized I was eavesdropping and wasn’t ready to make my presence known.

  While I placed my hand over my mouth, Peter weighed in on Ryan’s comment. “I think the best thing for us to do is to continue as planned. If what you believe is true about Evelyn being a part of this, then we need to let them think that we don’t know.”

  I couldn’t stand listening to this anymore. I had to say something. Pushing open the door, I looked straight at Ryan and asked, “How long have you known about this?”

  With long purposeful strides, he made his way towards me. This was not the time to show me affection. I stepped backwards and held up my hand up in a halting position and demanded, “Explain.”

  Ryan’s hand ended up on his head, his fingers combing through his thick hair. I’d known him long enough to know that he did this every time he felt uneasy. When his eyes finally met mine, he began. “I only found out about Aaron just before you got here. As far as Evelyn, it was only a hunch. I don’t know if she is involved in this. It’s just that her actions today were a little suspicious.”

  “What did she do?” I insisted.

  “Offered me lemonade.”

  ~****~

  Ryan offered to take me back to the hotel where he knew I would be safe. He only had a few hours left before his meeting with Gallo. As much as I hated it, I knew he was only doing what he thought was best for me. So, instead of arguing with him, I decided to play along. Up until this point, I knew everything about the plan: Where they were meeting, how he was going to take the painting, and when they would meet for the exchange. The only thing I didn’t know was where. I guess for no other reason than to keep me safe, that detail was kept from me. One thing Ryan didn’t count on was that growing up with a mom fixated on her damn shows, I learned a few things, one of them being how to sneak around without getting caught. Little did Ryan know that I was going to be there at the exchange, out of sight. I needed to make sure that nothing was going to happen to him.

  When Ryan left the hotel room, our goodbye seemed so final. Our kiss was more passionate than the others and it felt as though it would be our last. Standing before him, I watched as he left, feeling my heart drop inside the pit of my stomach. Wiping away the tear that fell only after he left, I began to devise my own plan. There was no way that he was going to do this without me there. I needed to know what was happening to him. Good or bad, I loved him, and there was no way he was going to leave me again. We had only begun to know each other again, and Gallo, as powerful as he thought he was, was never going to take that from us.

  Waiting long enough, I placed Ryan’s extra gun from his suitcase in my bag and headed out the door. After pleading with Nick to tell me where the meeting was taking place, I grabbed a cab and headed to Upper Manhattan where Harlem was located. All I needed to do was hang tight until nine o’clock when the meeting was supposed to take place. Feeling Ryan’s gun in my bag, I hoped that I wasn’t making a mistake.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Ryan

  The look on Charlie’s face after I left the hotel room gave me an uneasy feeling that I had never felt before. She made me begin to second guess myself about leaving her behind. All I wanted to do was keep her safe, and in order to do that, she needed to stay in the hotel as far away as possible from this meeting with Gallo. I blamed my nervousness on that reason; at least that was what I was telling myself. After all, this was no different than any other mission that I had been on. I knew what my objective was. Hand over the painting
and pray that Gallo accepted me into his clan of thugs so that we could nail his ass to the wall. After tonight, justice would be served and Josh’s death wouldn’t have been in vain. It didn’t matter how bad the things were that he did, he never deserved to die the way he did.

  Entering the elevator, I tried to focus on something else. There was no way I was going to let Gallo get to me this way. Soon enough he would be meeting his own fate and this whole thing would finally be over. Taking a deep breath, I managed to regain my composure, and by the time the elevator stopped I felt like I had my control back.

  Heading to the reception desk, I requested that my car be brought around to the front of the hotel. After putting in my request, I headed to the front entrance and waited for my car to appear. It was just beginning to get dark, which told me that in less than an hour, I would be facing Gallo. I had to make one quick stop at the shop to pick up the painting and go over last-minute details. The valet didn’t waste any time bringing my car around as he pulled up in front of the entrance. Handing him a twenty in exchange for my keys, I looked up the side of the glass walls to the vicinity of where our room was, knowing that Charlie would be looking down on me, and said in a low voice, “Wish me luck, baby,” before placing two fingers on my lips, kissing them, and sending it her way.

  ~****~

  When I reached the shop, the guys were all there preparing for the meeting. Peter was giving them final instructions as to where he wanted them positioned, while Ash, Cop, Chavez, and Sly were preparing their weapons. Gainer and Hawk were discussing something by the van we used in many missions, only this time it was disguised as a delivery van. Getting their attention, I yelled, “Hey guys, listen up.” When all of their heads turned in my direction, I continued. “I just wanted to say a few words of thanks and to let you know how much it means to me to be on this team. Even though Josh wasn’t a brother of the service, you guys treated him like one of your own. For that I want to thank you. Each time we go out on a mission, we all risk our lives, but this time it is different. This mission is personal, and no matter how you look at it Josh deserves justice. So, whatever it takes, let’s get this motherfucker once and for all.”

  There was a loud response of cheers from the guys in response my request. Just like me, they wanted Gallo behind bars. Finishing the last of our preparations, Peter and the rest of the guys headed out the back while I went to the locked cage to grab the painting. It’s funny how a priceless painting that hung so tastefully on a wall not too long ago was now kept inside a 6 x 6 locked cage.

  As I exited the shop, Nikki, who was Sly’s wife, stopped me before I could leave. She was also considered part of the team, even though she never served. With her eyes focused on me, she said, “I’m going to head on over to the Grand Hyatt, if that is okay with you. I thought it would be nice if Charlie had some company until you came back.”

  Even Nikki managed to have my back. Nodding my head, I replied, “That would be great. I know she was a little worried when I left.”

  We both walked out of the shop together, Nikki climbed into Sly’s Jeep as I climbed in my Charger. Placing the tube that held the painting in the passenger seat, I put my car into reverse and backed up. Nikki was right in front of me as we headed out. Once we got into Manhattan, she turned on 42nd while I stayed on Park. I knew that if anyone could ease Charlie’s apprehension about this meeting, Nikki could.

  ~****~

  It was already dark by the time I pulled my car into the alley that Gallo had chosen for our meeting. It was getting close to nine o’clock and there was still no sign of him. I knew most of the guys were already in position even though I couldn’t see them. One thing that I hated more than anything was waiting. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I called Peter to find out if Gallo was in his line of vision.

  “Anything?” I asked, knowing Peter would know exactly what I was talking about.

  “That’s a negative. Ash and Cop are positioned right above you to your left. They have the best view, but haven’t reported any movement… hang tight,” Peter paused, before coming back on the line. “Gallo has been spotted; he’s about three blocks away.”

  Hanging up with Peter, I checked out the time before putting my phone back in my pocket. It was five minutes to nine. Leave it to Gallo to be right on time. Stepping from my car, I leaned against the front driver’s side fender and waited for him to appear. If I had been a smoker, I would have lit one up just to calm my nerves that were having a party in my tense body. It was instantly replaced by anger the minute Gallo’s car pulled up in the alley.

  Feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket, I pulled it out to see that Nikki was calling. This was not the best time for her to be calling, but I knew she wouldn’t be calling unless something was wrong. Swiping the screen, I knew I only had a few minutes to talk. “Nikki, what’s going on?” I asked in a low voice.

  “It’s Charlie. She’s not in the hotel,” Nikki said calmly, even though I could hear worry in her tone.

  “She has to be there. I gave her specific instructions to stay put,” I responded as I watched the car get closer.

  “Well, she didn’t follow them, because she isn’t anywhere in the hotel,” Nikki confessed.

  “Then find her.” Gallo was too close for me to say anything else.

  Dropping my phone in my pocket I walked to the front of my car and waited for him to get out. The lights that were shining straight at me were making it difficult for me to see what was going on inside the car. Shielding my eyes with my hand, I was able to make out three people in the car. The driver, a man whom I presumed was Gallo in the back seat, and another person sitting next to him. The driver stepped out of the car and opened the back door. When the door was propped open, it was Gallo who stepped out. He was dressed to the hilt in arrogance as he began slowly walking towards me.

  With his body inches from mine and his driver only inches behind him, the stench of stale cigars filled the space between us as he asked in a raspy voice most likely caused by his cigar indulgence, “So, we meet again. I believe you have something to give me.”

  “I do, Mr. Gallo,” I choked out, trying to keep my wits about me.

  Turning on my heels, I rounded the front of my car to open the passenger side door. Something had caught my eye as I grabbed it from the seat. Looking out the back window, there in the darkness, I would recognize that body anywhere. “Charlie. God dammit,” I said under my breath. It made perfect sense why Nikki was unable to find her. Just like she stated, Charlie wasn’t at the hotel. That damn woman was here.

  Closing the car door, I pretended I hadn’t seen anything and prayed that Gallo didn’t see Charlie either. Walking to the front of the car, I stepped in front of Gallo and handed him the tube. Just about the time that he had the lid off and was pulling it from the tube, the back door to Gallo’s car opened. My eyes drifted from Gallo to the person standing to the left of the door. I couldn’t see who it was. There was only a silhouette of the person. As the figure stepped in front of the door, it was very clear who it was.

  “Don’t look so surprised, Mr. Hyatt. I believe you know Mrs. Becker,” Gallo chuckled, looking back at Evelyn.

  “So, it’s true. You two are working together,” I seethed as Evelyn stepped closer.

  “Ha-ha… Yes, Mr. Hyatt. I guess you could say that. After all, she is my sister,” Gallo chuckled.

  Evelyn moved next to Gallo and gave him a light peck on the cheek, leaving red lipstick on his aged skin before taking the painting from his possession. What she did next blew my mind. Without a care in the world, she nodded her head back and forth with a tsk of her tongue before expressing her thoughts. “My, my, such a waste.”

  Without another thought, she ripped the painting, first in half and then again. I stood there dumbfounded as to why she would destroy a priceless piece of art. Nobody could be that stupid, unless the painting was a fake to begin with. Slowly backing away from the two of them, I was ready to reach for my gun, but realized that I d
idn’t have it on me. The only chance I had was to rely on the guys, but even then, there was nothing going on that would alert them that something was going down. Holding my ground, I looked Gallo in the eye and asked, “What do you want, Gallo?”

  “I want my fucking money,” he seethed.

  “Yeah, well, you know what I want? I want my brother back.”

  There was a loud pop and my instincts kicked in to duck. I crawled to cover behind my car. The guys must have finally figured out that something was wrong. With my body pressed to the side of my car, I looked over to where Gallo’s body was lying face down against the wet asphalt. The blood seeped out of his head and snaked down a crack in the pavement. Evelyn was hunched over his body, tears dripping on his black suit jacket. Taking a deep breath, I looked over to where I saw Charlie and signaled for her to make her way to the car. When she was beside me, I looked over to her shaking my head, but loving her all the same. Her hand fell to her bag, dipping inside. There really must be a god, because when she lifted it out, a gun was in her hand. When she handed it over to me, I kissed her lightly on the forehead and said, “Stay put,” as I made my way to the front of the car.