Beyond the Call of Duty

by Wendy Stone

  “The second,” he growled, glaring at the door from his side.

  “Because I love you,” she called, just loud enough for him to hear. “Open the door, Gabe. Let’s talk about what’s bothering you.”

  * * * *

  “Nothing’s bothering me,” he growled, staring at his reflection in the wide mirror. There was disgust in his eyes, but it wasn’t for Lexi. It was for himself. He’d done a lot of bad things, and he could look back and see them all. He wasn’t good enough for her, and he knew it.

  “Yes, something’s bothering you, Gabe. Don’t even try to pull that crap with me. I’ve been a marshal for a long fucking time, and I know when someone is trying to pull the wool over my eyes. What’s bothering you, Gabe? Don’t try to hide it, I can feel it.”

  “You’re bothering me, Lexi. Why don’t you go do your job and just let me be?” He slammed his palm onto the marble counter in the bathroom before turning away from the mirror to glare at the door. “Just go away!”

  “That isn’t what you want, Gabe. You love me, you told me you did.” She sounded as if she was grasping at straws, anything to keep her afloat right now as hurt tried to suck her down.

  “You’re so smart, Lexi. Think about it. Why would a scumbag like me tell you he loves you?”

  “Because you do...” she began slowly.

  “Try again, Lexi,” he said, with a caustic laugh. “I spout that nonsense all the time when I want to get laid. Damn, and I thought you were too smart to fall for something like that.” He laughed again, though inside he could feel his heart shattering. He touched the heavy wooden panel with his fingertips and stared at it for a moment before he pulled them away. “So do me a favor, now that you know the truth, get lost, would you, doll?”

  * * * *

  Lexi shook her head, unwilling to believe what he was saying. “No...” She could feel her knees shaking and wanted nothing more than to run someplace and hide.

  “You’re getting on my nerves, bitch. Take off before I tell Jack I ain’t doing squat for you as long as you’re here.”

  She raised her head when she heard the word he called her. “Bitch,” she whispered. “You haven’t seen bitch yet, Mr. Elliott,” she said loud enough for him to hear. “I’ll give you two hours up here, but then I expect you downstairs and dressed. You have an appointment with the ADA.” She slammed her hand into the doorframe, not even flinching at the pain.

  She turned and stalked down the stairs, grabbing her purse from where she left it the night before. Pulling out her gun-cleaning kit, she went back into the kitchen and sank down on one of the chairs.

  Both Luke and Molly jumped when she slammed down the kit on the table, eyeing her the way they would a hungry shark as it swam around them. “Everything...okay, boss?”

  Lexi blew out a deep breath before she even dared look at them. She was caught somewhere between deeply pissed off and hurt beyond what she could possibly stand. She had to try twice before the words she said were audible, even to her. “I...I’m fine. Jack set up an appointment with ADA Bangor for this afternoon for Mr. Elliott. We’ll be taking him to the courthouse at two.”

  Luke nodded, but Molly glanced over at Luke, watching as her partner broke two more eggs into the pan he was using. “Luke’s making breakfast, Lexi. Hungry?”

  She shook her head. The thought of eating, of trying to get anything past the knot in her throat, was impossible. “Maybe later.” She pulled out her .45, easily unloading the weapon before breaking it down and lining the pieces up on the cloth she carried in her kit for that purpose.

  Molly watched as Lexi picked up her .45, her eyes widening as she saw the woman slam down each piece as it was cleaned. “You sure everything’s okay, boss?”

  “Why wouldn’t it be?” Lexi growled. She glanced at the kitchen door as a sound from upstairs could be heard. “Like you said; just one more scumbag to get through the process.”

  “I don’t think that you considered him a scumbag before right now, boss. You two seemed to have...some kind of connection.” Luke glanced at Molly, trying to tell her with his eyes to shut the fuck up.

  “You’re imagining things,” Lexi said raggedly. “How could I have a connection with a scum-sucker like him? You two need to get out more.”

  “Okay, boss,” Luke said. “Shut up, Molly, and leave her be.”

  “But―” Molly began.

  “No, shut up and quit nagging at her.” He gave Molly a look, and she returned one that told him exactly what he’d be going through later. “If she doesn’t want to talk, you can’t force her.”

  Molly finally nodded, and they fixed their plates, taking their food into the living room to eat and leaving Lexi alone.

  The quiet was almost too much for her, and she felt the tears beginning again. She wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and disappear under the flooring. How could she have been so stupid? She knew better than to get involved with the people she protected. She knew better than most what kind of people they were. How could she have let herself be so gullible?

  Was it his eyes? They were gorgeous eyes surrounded by those thick lashes. She had to admit to herself, he was mouth watering, his kisses, the taste of him, the things he made her feel; it was all enough to allow herself to be fooled. However, that didn’t explain how he got through her reserve, the walls she built to keep herself safe from feeling like this. She was a fool. She was as bad as any man who let himself get conned by a pretty face.

  She sighed and wiped her eyes on the hem of her shirt. It was another thing that pissed her off. She hadn’t cried over a man since college in her freshman year. That one experience taught her to never let them that close they could hurt you. She forgot that lesson this time, but she wouldn’t again.

  This was business, and she would be coolly professional. She’d be so cool, she’d be icy. She’d never let Gabe see how badly he hurt her. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes once more before finally putting her weapon back together without the pieces blurring in her vision.

  Glancing up, she rested her gaze on the two pill bottles the nurse gave her. Gabe’s pills. He hadn’t taken them today, and he would need them before the afternoon was through. “Luke!”

  It took mere seconds for the man to pop his head through the door. “Yes, boss?”

  “Take Mr. Elliott his pills along with some water. He’s going to need them for this afternoon. ADA Bangor is taking his case.”

  Luke grimaced. ADA Bangor had a terrible reputation with them all. He treated them like lackeys, there to do his bidding and uncaring about how hard his demands would make their job. “You got it, boss.”

  * * * *

  “Thanks.” She turned her face from him as he came into the kitchen to drop his plate into the sink and pick up the bottles and grab a glass of water. Taking the stairs two at a time, he knocked on the bedroom he knew Gabe had taken the night before.

  There was an instant of quiet before he heard Gabe’s voice. “I don’t want to see you right now, Lexi. Don’t you get it yet? I’m not interested anymore.”

  “Gabe,” Luke called, his eyes widening as he processed what the man was saying. “I’ve got your pills here. You’ve got a meet with the ADA today, and Lexi wants you to take them before we leave.”

  He could hear Gabe moving around the room and then the rattle of the knob as he opened the door. He held out his hand to Luke and took the pills and the water. “ADA?”

  “Assistant District Attorney, the man who will be prosecuting the Traegers.”

  “Ahh, lawyers.” Gabe shook his head, slipping the pill bottles into the pocket of his sweats. “We have to go to him?”

  “Yeah, ADA Bangor doesn’t do anyone any favors, even someone like you.”

  “Oh, you mean a scumbag,” Gabe said, his voice laced with self-hate.

  Luke narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Is that what you got out of Molly and me this morning? That we think you’re a scumbag? You couldn’t be more wrong if you t
ried, Gabe.”

  “Well, I’m no saint. I’ve done things that would have had my mother spinning in her grave if she’d ever known me.”

  “We’ve all done stuff we aren’t proud of, Gabe, but look, you’re standing up for your friend and putting away one of the three biggest crime lords in Monroe City. You’re putting your life in jeopardy and, worse yet, you’re leaving everything you know and care about to do it. I don’t know if I’d be that strong. You’re no scumbag, Gabe. Don’t ever think of yourself that way.” Luke reached out and touched Gabe on the shoulder, squeezing it carefully. “I happen to know for a fact Lexi doesn’t think you’re scum either.”

  “She does now,” Gabe sighed. He started to close the door, only stopping when Luke spoke up again.

  “I’m probably speaking out of turn, dude, but I saw Lexi’s face when you two first got here. I’ve never, ever seen her look at a guy the way she did you. She cares, probably more than she’s happy with right now. If you got any smarts, you’d scoop her up and never look back.” He nodded once at Gabe before turning to go downstairs.

  * * * *

  Gabe closed the door and sank down on the side of the bed he’d been sitting on since Lexi turned away from the door. He never hurt so badly in his life. It was ten times worse than the pain Traeger dealt him, more insidious and lasting. He turned away from the one thing in his life that could have been incredible.

  He’d never forget the tone of her voice, the hurt he caused her, and, even now, he doubted that he’d ever be good enough for her. She was everything good and beautiful, and he tossed her callously and viciously away. How could she ever forgive him for that? He couldn’t forgive himself. He sighed, staring down into the glass of water still in his hands.

  Pulling out the pills, he took two and popped them in his mouth, draining the glass of water and setting it on the floor. He lay back on the bed, letting his arm cover his eyes and praying for forgetfulness if only for an hour.

  Chapter Ten

  The trip to the District Attorney’s offices was made with little fuss. They used the same method, Gabe and Lexi curled up in the back of the SUV until they got to the basement parking at the office building. It was a controlled lot, both Luke and Molly having to show their identifications before the guards would open the gate.

  Before they were parked, Lexi was sitting up and pulling the blanket off, happy to be out from the confining darkness. She’d barely been able to breathe, for Gabe’s spicy scent seemed almost too strong under the blanket, reminding her all too well of how they made the last trip this way.

  She’d barely spoken to him since he’d come down the stairs, but she’d done her job, instructing Gabe about what would be happening and what was expected of him. She’d pulled the blanket over them, turning her back away from him so that she wouldn’t be able to see his heated brown gaze or hear the words he’d spoken to her before.

  Her heart was pounding so hard, she was amazed he hadn’t commented on it, but he’d been as tight lipped as she’d been, reinforcing the thought in her mind it had been no more than an act for him.

  How anyone could do what he’d done to her, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was she was done mourning her loss. She’d brush him off and go on with life as if she never met him or felt the soft, sensual sweetness of his kiss or the heated burn of his touch. She didn’t need the love still filling her, the love she felt she would die without. She didn’t need him.

  That thought had her chin up and her eyes clear even when she would have preferred to stay back at the house on Lavender Heights. She couldn’t not do her job; it would give Gabe way too much power over her, and she couldn’t allow that; not and stay sane.

  “Lexi?”

  She looked up, seeing Luke’s eyes on her. “Yeah?”

  “Are you sure you’re all right? You seem different today.”

  “Different, how?” she asked, curious as to how her team saw her.

  “You look a bit...lost,” he said, shrugging his wide shoulders as he said the words. “It’s like someone tore the rug out from under you and you aren’t sure what you’re supposed to do about it.”

  She bit back the caustic laughter that wanted to burst from her. Leave it to Luke to put things in perspective right away. That was exactly how she was feeling. Well, that added to a huge dollop of humiliation and an extra helping of hurt. She shook her head. “You have a wild imagination, Luke.”

  Molly elbowed Luke, making him gasp and grab his stomach. “Hey, what the fuck was that for?”

  “Being a man,” Molly answered, flashing a look of apology to Lexi.

  He rubbed his battered stomach and glanced over at Gabe. “Hey, bro, how about some help here?”

  “You got yourself into it, get yourself out.” Gabe’s voice was carefully expressionless, and Lexi couldn’t help but glance his way, seeing the rigid way he was carrying himself and the way he seemed to refuse to look into her eyes.

  She walked behind him, her eyes scanning the cars almost unconsciously. She was doing her job even if her entire life was going to hell. She didn’t speak a word on the short trip in the elevator. Only when the doors opened did she come back to life. Holding her hand against Gabe’s chest, she held him back, letting Luke and Molly exit first.

  They went separate ways, checking the floor before nodding to Lexi to let Gabe move. It took little time to enter ADA Bangor’s outer office. She nodded to the secretary behind the desk. “Tell him we’re here.”

  Ronald Bangor’s office was a lot like an extension of himself. It was full of luxury and smoothness. Even his secretary held the same design. She was slender but well built, showcasing her sleek lines in designer suits with short skirts and low-dipping suit coats. Lexi had no doubt Ronald was banging his secretary. There was an intimacy to her voice when she buzzed her boss to let him know that they’d arrived. She almost smirked when she heard his voice over the intercom, telling Marcy that he would be there in a few moments.

  “Thanks, Marcy,” Lexi said with a syrupy sweetness the secretary barely blinked at. Sinking down in one of the chairs next to Gabe, she kept her eyes peeled on the doors, swiveling her head. It was one of the things that kept her good at her job and alive, never allowing herself the luxury to back off on her guard.

  Ronald didn’t leave them waiting long. He opened his office door, nodding at Lexi before holding his hand out to Gabe. “Mr. Elliott, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I’m ADA Ronald Bangor. We’ll be getting to know each other very well in the next few months.”

  * * * *

  “Months?” Gabe asked, staring at Lexi with a look of shock. “This is going to take months?”

  “It could, depending upon who the Traegers have to defend them and who we get as a judge, but that’s all for later. We’re going to have to get an indictment first as well as a warrant for their arrests. You’ll also be testifying in front of a grand jury.” He waved his hand in front of his face as if none of that was any big deal. “That’s for another visit. This one is just for us to get to know each other and come to an understanding.”

  “What kind of understanding?” Gabe asked. He walked past the man and into his office, watching as Lexi followed him in.

  “Well,” Ronald began, “I want you to know I don’t plan on letting up on this case. I think we have a good chance of getting the Traegers out of Monroe City and locked up. They made a huge mistake with leaving you alive, one I’m a bit surprised they made. I always thought Waylon Traeger was a smart man.” He waved them to the chairs in front of his desk before offering coffee and other refreshments.

  “You got very lucky, Mr. Elliott. Lexi here is a pro, and one of the best I’ve seen in the business. She’ll take good care of you. You won’t have any problems if you listen to her.”

  “She’s been very helpful,” Gabe answered, though he still didn’t look Lexi’s way. “So this is going to take months, and during all that time I’m supposed to do exactly what I’m told. For months,” he st
ressed the word.

  “It will go by fast, Gabe. Never worry. This isn’t the first time we’ve done this, though I can’t help but hope it will be the last. Monroe City is a nice town, and it would be nice to clear the riff-raff out for good.”

  Ronald glanced at Lexi, though she didn’t say a word, only sitting back in her seat, her gaze going from Gabe, to the door, to Ronald’s office. “We do have one small matter to discuss, Gabe. That is the matter of Teri Milner. From what we’ve been able to find out here, Ms. Milner has worked for the Blandon’s for a little over a year. About six months of that time has been spent as his mistress. Is that about right?”

  “More or less,” Gabe said softly. He still felt hurt from finding out Teri set this whole thing up to help Caleb Traeger and was now his fiancée. “She always seemed pretty happy with him.”

  “Money and sex, Gabe. Oh, and don’t forget power. It’s a huge draw for those that don’t have it. To me it looks like Teri Milner was doing what she thought she had to do to become top dog.” Ronald picked up the cup of coffee off his desk and took a small sip. “That doesn’t mean we won’t take her down if we can get enough evidence. What do you know about her?”

  “Tony always treated her good,” Gabe said softly, feeling the lump of hurt making it hard to talk, “and she was always good to me. She kidded around and didn’t take no crap from anyone, Tony included. I just don’t understand this. I talked to her less than an hour before all this happened. She told me she was happy where she was. She said she didn’t want to marry or take care of kids, and she was happy with her relationship with Tony, even when he had to leave her to go home to his wife. If you were going to ask me about one person I didn’t think would do this, it would be her.”

  “Money, sex and power, Gabe, like I said.” Ronald shook his head. “We dumped your phones. The call she made to you...she was at Caleb’s apartment when she called. She was setting you up; you and Tony and his family. I know it’s hard to believe, but those are the facts. Can you think of anything else that would make her turn on the Blandons the way she did?”