by Sharon Kleve
Aiven took Ziggy from his arms. “I could easily turn into that cat lady. No man, just twenty cats.”
“I’m here.”
“Yes, Mr. DEA who is only here for information.”
“I wish that we could back this night up, and we could be here for a whole different reason.”
“But you’re not.” Aiven moved into the spare bedroom where her microscope, slides and books lined the desk and bookcases. She pointed to an empty chair. “Before we start, I have to get out of this dress.”
“Uncomfortable?” he asked.
“No, Sara’s.”
He frowned and dipped his head, as she left the room. Aiven walked into the bedroom and threw on a pair of jeans, a loose gray sweater, and a pair of tennis shoes. When she came back into the spare bedroom, Coleman’s forearms hung between his legs, and he stared at the carpet.
“None of this makes sense,” he muttered. “This group I’ve been undercover with has consistent patterns. I’ve been with them for over six months. The patterns on the way they…” his words trailed off.
“Kill people?” Aiven finished.
“Yeah. Kill people.” His dark brows drew low. “Guns. Knives. Strangulation. Not poison. Again, why not kill me when I was down there a few days ago if my cover was blown?”
“I can’t help you with that. I’m only here for the poison question.”
“I know.” He gave a sharp nod and looked grim. “Thinking out loud. I don’t get to do that very often. Sorry.”
“You came here for my help. Let’s see if I can offer it.” She put out her hand. “Do you have the glass?”
He handed her the empty martini glass. Aiven sat at her desk and took a small swab from the top desk drawer. “Good. There is still some residue. This will help.” She touched it to the liquid and then to the glass slide. Aiven slid it under the microscope. She moved the slide from one side to the other as she peered into the microscope.
“Interesting. It’s plant based. Leaves. Dark green leaves. Micro sphenoid.”
Coleman rose to his feet and came to stand behind her. “Ideas?”
Aiven raised the glass to her nose and sniffed it again. She flipped open her laptop and began to type. She waited until the data scrolled and then pointed. “Atropa Belladonna. That’s why I smelled tomatoes. Since we were drinking martinis, I knew the gin shouldn’t smell like that. Belladonna holds that scent. This must have been what killed Sara.”
Coleman placed a hand on her shoulder. “Wow. You’re good.”
“I have a nose and eye for plants and scents. I guess if I hadn’t, we would all be dead.”
“Thanks for saving my life.”
She looked up into his blue eyes. “Now what?” she asked.
“I think that—”Coleman’s words were cut off as a bullet shattered the condo’s window. He shoved her out of her chair. Aiven hit the floor hard with a thud, as his large body landed partially on top of hers. Pain lanced up her arm as she hit the metal of her chair. She cried out.
“Stay down!” Coleman shouted as he pulled a gun from his shoulder holster. He flipped her onto her back. His hands ran quickly over her frame, searching. “Have you been shot? Are you okay?”
“No. I’m fine.” Terror gripped her throat making it difficult to push the words out.
Coleman rolled off of her and then crouched to his knees. “There’s a shooter out on the fire escape.” He wrapped a large arm around her waist, and half pulled, half dragged her toward the bedroom door. Aiven tried to right herself, but Coleman was too strong and wasn’t wasting any time for her to add her help. When they got to the door, he bellowed, “Get up and run.” He scrambled back and grabbed the martini glass off the desk.
He swung around toward the empty bedroom with his gun raised. “Out the door,” he said.
“I have to get Ziggy.
“Don’t worry about him. They aren’t after him. He’ll be fine.”
Aiven grabbed her purse and keys as Coleman peered out the peephole of her condo before he threw open the door.
“Where are the back stairs?” he barked.
“Down at the end of the hall.” Aiven held onto his free hand like it was a lifeline. His grip was strong and sure as everything spiraled out of control around her.
“Let’s go.” He pulled her along the corridor and down the steps. They arrived at the bottom floor and then out the exit.
“Aren’t we heading to the parking garage?” she asked looking back at the building.
“Too dangerous.” He stopped next to the parked car outside her building. Picking up a large rock from the road, he smashed out the passenger window. He threw the door open and brushed the shattered glass off onto the floor. He slid in and unlocked the driver’s side door. “Get in.”
In less than thirty seconds, he had the car wired and running. What the hell was happening with her life? What a mess this night had turned out to me. Guns? Poison? Dead bodies?
They sped off, the skyline of downtown Seattle growing smaller in the distance of the side view mirror.
CHAPTER FOUR
Coleman took a quick glance over at Aiven. He had to keep his mind in the game. The woman was scared out of her skin. She’d stuck her fingers between her knees to hide the obvious tremble in her hands, but he’d noticed. Aiven was trying to be strong. He had to give it to her, after the night they’d had, most women and men would fall apart. Aiven was the kind of woman who he felt deserved a calm life, not the crazy train he boarded day in and day out or got her into tonight.
Colman fished his phone from his jacket pocket and punched in a number while keeping his eyes on the road. He recognized the voice at the other end as Bonnie, the Duty Officer. “This is Coleman,” he said.
“Coleman, long time no hear. How’s it going?”
“Had better nights. I need you to pull up a safe house for me in the Seattle area.”
“Seattle? Not Portland? I thought that’s where you were.”
“Yeah…well. I am…was. Am.” He pulled in a calming breath and tapped the phone to his side temple. He didn’t want Aiven to see his nerves. “Tonight, it needs to be in Seattle. Two bedrooms. Preferably south of the city.”
He heard Bonnie typing data into a keyboard, and then she said, “Georgetown, on Main Street. Five-One-Four-Nine. Key is under a brick on the doorstep, left side.”
“Thanks, Bonnie. Can you patch me through to Palmer?”
“Sure thing. At this time of night, it must be an emergency if you need to talk to the boss.” There was a few clicking noises, and then a sleep-filled voice answered after a few rings.
“Palmer here.”
“It’s Coleman. Malhotra put a hit on me.”
“What?” Palmer’s voice cleared, and there was a rustle of sheets.
“Yeah. First in a bar and then an hour ago. A sniper at an apartment. I’ve got a woman with me that’s been caught in the crossfire.” Aiven was still as a statue and staring out the passenger window. Hard to carry on a private conversation with two in the car.
“When it comes to you, there is always a problem with women, Coleman. But, this whole scenario doesn’t add up.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Malhotra’s dead. Someone shot him this afternoon at the warehouse. We have confirmation from the scene that it’s him. What we’ve pieced together is that the shooter was his cousin. Seemed Mario was upset that Malhotra tried to cut him out of the deal you’ve been working on.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Yep. As we both know, the man had a revenge streak as long as his arm, but I know for a fact that it wasn’t Malhotra,” Palmer stated. “He was already dead if your incident happened. Guess it could have been one of his other men.”
“Possibly sent out with the orders Malhotra gave before his death? That makes sense. Have you gotten word my cover was broken?”
“No…not a word. Doesn’t make sense, does it?” Palmer sighed. “Do you have the woman with you?
”
“I’m taking her to a safe house until we figure this out.”
“I’ll work on it in the morning,” Palmer said. “Between now and then, get some sleep.”
“You know I never sleep.” Coleman ended the call and dropped the phone into the car’s console.
Aiven turned and asked, “Where are we going?”
“Apartment. It’s not far, now.”
Coleman turned his car into the alley and purposely parked at the end of the street where there were no lights. He’d taken all the precautions but still didn’t want any chance of his car being spotted. Aiven didn’t move to take off her seatbelt. He walked around, opened her passenger door and unbuckled her belt. He drew her hands out from between her legs and tugged her to her feet. “Let’s get you inside.”
Her eyes were wide. The skin on her face was so pale and her eyes so wide she looked like a Margaret Keane painting.
“Come with me,” he repeated. “Take my hands. There’s a quiet apartment upstairs.” He guided her away from the car and toward the front entrance. Coleman fished the key out from between the bricks and then they walked up the steps to the second floor. The apartment was small, dark, and cold. He turned on a lamp and bumped the thermostat up to seventy.
“Here, sit on the couch.” He waited until she took a seat. “There should be coffee, tea, or something warm I can make in the kitchen.”
When he returned five minutes later, Aiven barely moved as he handed her the cup. “Microwaved instant coffee. It was the best I could do. Not much of a choice.”
“Thanks.” She took the cup and wrapped her hands around it. “Whoever they are. What if they followed us and come again?”
“They won’t.”
“How can you be sure? They followed us the last time.”
“That was last time. While I was talking to Palmer on the phone, I took an extra five minutes and followed back roads and then circled back around. I’m sure.”
“But…” Aiven stopped and bit her lip.
“This is part of my job. You’re safe. I know I asked you to trust me before, but this time you can. We weren’t followed.”
“I always thought of myself as a strong and self-reliant woman.” She held up her shaking hands. “Look at this. I could register on a seismic meter.”
“Being afraid doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.”
She let out a taut laugh. “Then I must be pretty darn human tonight.” She sniffed as her eyes filled with tears. “I have to admit, I’m scared. Really scared.”
Coleman scooted closer, took the cup from her hand, and placed it on the table. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close. “God, you’re so cold.”
She nodded and was stiff as unbendable plastic furniture, but then finally loosened to accept his embrace. Aiven’s shaky breathing was audible in the still night. When was the last time heʼd held a woman to comfort her? It wasn’t his style. He worked with people who needed a bullet between the eyes, not comfort, but here he was. With her, he had the need to care for her. Comfort. Help her through this terrible night that neither of them had any control over.
Coleman brushed her hair off her shoulder and let it sift through his fingers. He wondered what it would be like coming home to a family when Aiven was there. Palmer had discussed with him that Coleman needed to take a break from undercover work. It was starting to make him into a person he barely recognized. He’d worked on the other side for years. The side with more paperwork and less dead bodies. It wasn’t so bad.
Was Palmer right? Maybe he needed a break.
“Coleman?” Aiven asked, not lifting her head from his chest.
“Do you need something? Just ask. I’ll get it.”
“No. Just don’t blame yourself,” her tone was sweet and caring. “I know you wouldn’t have put me in danger. I trust you.”
She trusts me. Aiven couldn’t have said three words that both calmed him and cut him deeper to the core. He’d throw himself in front of a bullet now to keep her safe.
“I keep thinking of Sara’s mom and dad. They…well, losing a child.”
Coleman closed his eyes. He didn’t have any children but talked with families when he was in the military who’d lost a son or daughter from his unit. He knew how devastating it was. He thought about his own mom and dad and made a mental note to call them in the morning. “Let’s sleep. Tomorrow, we can think about things again. Let’s find your bed.”
He left for a minute, discovered the cleanest bedroom, and turned on a light. The room was small, but the comforter and sheets were new. In fact, the plastic bag from the set was still lying in the corner. He came back, took Aiven’s hand, and pulled her to her feet. She followed him down the hall.
When they got to the bedroom, he opened the closet and frowned. “There’s only a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants.”
“I’ll take the shirt. It’s cold in here.”
He handed it to her, and she tugged it over the shirt she already wore. Coleman turned down the sheets and comforter and waited for her to slip underneath. He stepped away and turned off the light.
“Don’t leave.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Sleep beside me. I…I don’t want you that far away in…in case they come back.”
He’d never slept in bed with a woman when it didn’t involve sex, but he understood her fear and not wanting to be alone. He was still a little freaked out himself. He said he would be there for her and dammit he wouldn’t let her down when she needed him.
Coleman nodded. He sat on the end of the bed, pulled off his boots and socks, and then slid in beside her. He drew the sheets and comforter over both of them. Aiven turned and spooned her back against him.
“You’ll be okay. I’m here…” He didn’t know why he kept repeating the same stupid thing over and over, but what else could he say? Coleman rubbed a hand up and down her arm before wrapping a protective arm tightly around her. He didn’t know about Aiven, but this made him feel much better knowing that she was close. She was like a lifeline to him in the sea of insanity.
After only a few minutes Aiven relaxed and softened against him.
When she fell asleep, he tried to unwind as he listened to her soft breathing. Malhotra is dead. Damn him for putting Aiven in danger. Coleman wished that he could be Doctor Frankenstein for a few hours. He would bring Malhotra back from the dead just so he could kill him again. If it weren’t Malhotra directly, then he would find which one of his thugs killed Aiven’s friend and then put them away for the rest of their lives. But there were some of the Ws he couldn’t figure out. Who. What. And most important, why?
There were still lots of holes in the day that didn’t make sense.
Coleman rested his face into the soft flow of Aiven’s hair and took comfort in her warm body. He breathed in her scent. She smelled like vanilla and springtime flowers.
He had to turn off his brain for at least a few hours. If he didn’t force himself to get some rest, he would be exhausted tomorrow. He had to let it go for a few hours and trust in his agency and knowing that they weren’t followed. They would be safe for the night.
With his gun under his pillow, finally, he drifted off to sleep. But not before constructing a protective cocoon around Aiven.
CHAPTER FIVE
Aiven pulled herself up through the layers of sleep. Slowly, like a puzzle, all the pieces of the terrible night fell back into place. Sara, the rounds through the window of her apartment, and then on the run with a man she barely knew. Aiven tried to breathe. Scream. A frantic call was trapped inside her.
Still half asleep, she felt the bed sag and heard a deep voice say, “Hey. Are you all right? It’s me. Wake up, Aiven.” There was a press of warm fingers to her upper arm.
She calmed at the sound of Coleman’s voice and then heard purring. She snuggled Ziggy closer. Wait. Ziggy couldn’t be there, she’d left him behind when she and Coleman ran for their lives.
Aiven opened her eyes first to see her cat
staring at her and then a room she didn’t recognize. Coleman sat on the corner of the bed.
“I think you had a bad dream,” he said and stood. He looked down at her as concern etched his features.
She brought the purring ball of fur closer, as she sat up and rubbed a free hand over her face. “I thought that it wasn’t real. It had been a dream.”
“Sorry, no dream. I heard you cry out and ran in. Then I saw that you were still asleep.”
“I kept seeing Sara as she fell to the floor.” Aiven rubbed her eyes. “But how could Ziggy have gotten here?”
“I told you that I would have someone pick him up in the morning. If nothing else, I’m good on my word. I thought it would…you know, make things a little easier. One less thing for you to worry about.”
“It means a lot.” Aiven was touched by this kind gesture. She had been afraid to leave Ziggy behind. He cared about her concern and acted on it. “Thanks.”
“Yeah…well.”
She got the feeling that ‘thanks’ wasn’t usually a word Coleman heard.
“There’s breakfast out in the kitchen.” His tone turned gruff again.
She found a new toothbrush, toothpaste, and a hair brush in the bathroom. Having Ziggy wind around her legs as she washed her face added a little normalcy to the morning. Aiven took off the clothes from the night before and put on the sweatpants and the other clean shirt from the closet. The pants were many sizes too big, but it felt better to get out of anything that reminded her of yesterday.
When she walked down the hall to the kitchen, Coleman who had just finished a call, set his phone down and picked up his coffee. On the counter, an array of food was displayed in takeout boxes.
“Wow. Are we expecting a crowd? There’s a lot of food here,” she said, as she poured coffee from the pot and stirred in the creamer.
“It’s for you. I know nothing about you, and I didn’t know what you liked or could eat. You could be vegan or have allergies, so I told them to bring a bit of everything.” He took a piece of bacon and shoved it in his mouth. “There’s a breakfast and lunch restaurant around the corner that said they’d deliver for a large tip.”
