"Yeah, Jackson's teaching him some old cowboy song," Tink told us with a giggle.
"Nice," my Adrian drawled, rolling his eyes. "I'm going downstairs to look for the video equipment," he said, pointing to the upper corner of the room where an old camera sat completely still and covered in an impressive cobweb the only one in the office.
"Okay," Ross and I told him at the same time, and she came to look over my shoulder when I turned my attention back to Tink. "Tink, I'm going to read you some names and social security numbers. I'll need profiles on each of them."
"Easy-peasy, Japanesey," she chuckled, typing away. "Okay...hit me."
I read off the names and their socials taking the contracts and a few questionable sheets, putting them in my bag. "Thank you, Tink," I said over the radio. "How's that facial recognition thing coming for Doc?"
"I've pulled the pic, mapped the face, and just started the search," she answered. "Like I told her, it will take time."
"Okay," I sighed. "I'm not sure why she's worried. It wasn't like the man tried anything."
"Because Doc can’t remember him," Adrian answered, instead of Tink. "It won't hurt to find out who he was..."
"True," Tink and I said at the same time.
“I never forget a face, and it is going to bug the shit out of me until I know where it is.” Doc responded.
"We should be home in plenty of time for Juan, Tink.” Ross said. "Could you let Dario and Jackson know?"
"Sure, sure, sure," she chanted in her usual three time manner.
"Tink," Adrian started with a grunt. "I've got...fucking old ass VHS security tapes dating all the way back to when this place opened. Can you do anything with them?"
"Ancient shit," she mumbled, and I could hear her rifling around on the other end. "Yeah," she huffed. "I still have my converter. Can you take them?"
"I am taking them," he countered gruffly, and we heard tapes being picked up and slapped back down. "This room hasn't been touched in ages, but I'm only taking the most recent ones."
"Cool," Ross snickered. "That's really helpful, pretty boy," she said sarcastically.
I grinned, shoving at her a bit, but I did love it when she teased him.
"Shut up," he growled into the radio. "I'm more than just a pretty face. Ask Alyssa."
His amusement could not be missed, especially when I cracked the fuck up over the radio. "Aw," I crooned over the earpiece as Doc and I gave the office one more rifle-through. "He does have a pretty face, though... Hmmm...What’s for dinner, baby?" I purred, smiling at Doc's chuckle, because his gift of cooking wasn’t at all what he was referring to.
Adrian was an awesome cook and damn if I hadn't benefited from it, with all of those late night cheater stings.
Adrian snickered sexily over the radio. "Homemade pizza, but I'm not telling you what dessert is, Alyssa." His voice took on a low, dangerous tenor, the tone that screamed sexiness and carnal promises.
"Ooh, hot damn," Ross grinned, shoving me out the office door.
"Dessert indeed, Adrian," I snickered, shaking my head. "We're done up here. What about you?"
"I'm good," he chuckled, coming out from underneath us on the first floor. He held up three tapes, before tucking them away into the bag slung across his shoulder. "I can't imagine they'll be missed."
"No, probably not," I agreed, making sure that the office door was locked behind me. "Well, we've got a decent amount on this case. As soon as Tink has those profiles, you know who to talk to next." I sighed, following Ross and Doc toward the door in which we came in, but looked over the railing to see Adrian staring back toward the door.
"We've got company, girls," he breathed over the radio, motioning us to get out the door as he bolted silently but quickly for the stairs. "Get out. Get to the car. I'll be right behind you."
We never argued in the field, but I hated leaving the building when he wasn't at my side. The three of us slipped out the back door and practically slid down the outside metal stairs. We both gave the door a glance for a brief moment, before slipping around the corner, but I found myself tugged back.
"Boss, we've got...one, two cars outside. Looks like cops, and they're between us and the car," she whispered into her headset. "Get your ass out of there."
"Probably the industrial park's security," he breathed. "Rent-a-cops...because they're not actually coming in yet. They're just shining a light through the window of the front door. They'll see movement if I move."
"Then stay still, Adrian," I whispered.
"Damn it," he growled, and my eyes met Ross's as we waited. "They're coming in."
"Shit," Doc hissed, looking around. "What we need is a distraction..."
I peered around the corner and saw that we were clear to the car. "I've got an idea," I told her, but knew that everyone was listening. "Three girls with car trouble should be enough to give him time to get out, huh?"
“Maybe, but it’s risky, especially with your files on you.” Tink cautioned.
“I like my odds.” I shrugged standing upright.
"Don't break my fucking car, Chance," he growled, but even though I wasn't looking at him, I knew he was smiling by the tone of his voice.
"Heaven forbid," I chuckled, tugging Doc's shirt. "We have to do this right. Come on..."
We ran as quickly as we could to the car, and I unlocked it, popping the hood. I knew just enough about cars from Kristen to know what I could fiddle with and make it look like it wouldn't start, without actually breaking Adrian’s precious Dodge. One loose wire later, and we were three girls that were stuck with a broken down car.
I turned to look at the front of the building that we'd just come out of, the same one Adrian was now trapped in, and I could see the two security boysone shining a light in the front window, and the other pulling out a set of keys.
I smiled at what Doc did next.
"Ummm... Excuse me," she called loudly, sounding like a vapid, helpless girl. "Can you help us?"
Two heads spun like they were on a swivel, and I snorted softly to myself, because from the look of their open mouthed stares, this was going to be all too easy.
"Oh Lord, we just made their day." Ross chuckled low.
One guy was skinny, with bad skin and a crooked smile. The other one was a little bigger and was sweating heavily through the armpits of his shirt.
Doc huffed a laugh, and then looked up at me. "This will be way too easy," she muttered under her breath as they came closer, mirroring my thought from just mere seconds before.
"Now’s your chance. At least get the fuck outside, okay?" I whispered in a rush, falling down into the driver's seat.
"Yes, ma'am," he grunted, and I could hear him running along the metal catwalk in the background.
"Ladies," the skinny boy crooned as he ogled the three of us. "What seems to be the problem?"
Now that the two young men were closer, we could see their name tags. One was O' Brady, and the other was Donaldson.
"We took a wrong turn. The car was acting funny, and now it won't even start," I huffed, pouting like a spoiled rich girl, which was the only way to do it, considering the type of car we were dealing with and the fact that the three of us looked younger than we actually were.
Adrian’s late model Dodge Charger was decked the fuck out. He got it when we bought our house and it had every bell and whistle known to the automotive industry. He went back and forth with Kristen for days trying to find what the best upgrades were. It was just one of the many, many things they had in common, they loved their cars.
"Well, let's see what we can do about that," the bigger boy, Donaldson, sighed, looking under the hood.
"I'm out, I'm out," he huffed in my ear, and a quick glance towards the back corner of the building confirmed it. "Battery cable?" he asked.
"Yeah, and he's about five seconds from finding it, so run to the end of the street, and we'll pick you up at the stop sign," I mumbled, looking up when Donaldson peeked around the hood.
> "Try it now," he said, after fiddling with the very cable I'd just loosened.
The car rumbled to life smoothly, of course, and Donaldson closed the hood, dusting off his hands. "Your battery cable was loose. You might want to have someone tighten that for you before it happens again."
"Thank you," Doc, Ross, and I sang at the same time, and I could swear I heard Adrian chuckle as he ran.
Doc started to get into the passenger side, when O' Brady stopped her.
"Where were you girls headed that you were lost?" he asked, tilting his head at her. His blush could not be missed.
"We were looking for Aquatic Motors," she answered smoothly, knowing we'd passed that warehouse on our way into the damn complex. "I have to pick up a boat part for my boyfriend before they close. The guy said he'd stick around for us."
"Oh, well...that’s on the other side of the park. Go to the stop sign right up there and take a right. You can't miss it on the left hand side, just before you hit the exit. You girls passed right by it."
"Gotcha. Thanks, guys!" she said, beaming like a bright sunny morning, and I had to hide my laugh.
I looked straight up the street, catching a shadow darting across. Night had fallen, and Adrian was thoroughly concealed.
We waved to the boys, and I pulled out at the same time that Doc dove into the back seat with Ross. “So, you have a boyfriend now?” She asked pulling her arm around her.
“I had to think of something.” Doc defended, we usually have the Chameleon for that. That was the nickname for Kristen, her ability to blend into any situation or make anyone swoon came in handy, but she was on a job of her own, putting her charms at work.
At the stop sign, I looked into the rear view mirror to make sure the coast was clear. The guys had gone back to the front of the warehouse and were going inside.
"Go," I said into the earpiece, and the passenger side door was yanked open, a heavily breathing Adrian falling into the car. "Always got to make shit hard, huh?"
"Shut it, baby," he snorted, rolling his eyes at our laughter. "Get us out of here."
I felt a kiss to my temple as I drove us out of the industrial area, heading towards home. “We got some good stuff.” Tink’s voice played through the car when we disconnected the ear pieces. “Three of those guys you gave me, were arrested for white collar crimes. They’re assets seized by the banks. Thing is, it’s only a quarter of their initial worth.”
“So this guy is hiding everyone’s money and assets from the banks eyes until they are free and need it again?” Adrian figured it out understanding.
“Looks like it.”
“Well, the boys can pay him a visit when we get back. I want to make sure that Patricia is ok, and tell her that we found what we needed.” Doc suggested and I made a beeline towards Germantown.
“How is she doing?” Doc asked Jackson when he opened the door for us.
He put a finger to his mouth, glancing towards the red head, freckled faced child that was doing homework in the front room with Patricia and Joanne. Who by the way, was supposed to be off running her own business. “Let’s talk about it away from the little one.”
Joanne noticed that we were back and immediately got the hint leaning into the little boy as if she were sharing a secret. “Conner, why don’t we go to the kitchen and see if we have any ice cream and cookies?” He was all for it, following behind her.
“So did your people find anything?” Patricia asked hopeful.
I nodded. “There are some records that he kept in a filing cabinet that connect him to a few unsavory people. Pretty much people that obtained money through embezzlement are having it cleaned up and hidden until they need it. I don’t know if he was keeping files on it in case he got screwed over, needed his own leverage, or what, but we have what we need.”
One second she was on the couch and the next her arms were crushing around me, crying in an embrace I wasn’t quite prepared for. “Thank you!”
I froze, not because I was planning on throwing her off of me, she wasn’t a danger to me, just a desperate woman looking for help. I just didn’t know what help to give her. I noticed Doc over her shoulder making movements encouraging me to return her embraces. So I took a hand and patted her on the back, trying my best not to make it seem robotic. Adrian gave me a supporting look as well. “You’re welcome Patricia.”
When she didn’t pull away Doc took her, noticing how uncomfortable I was getting. “Patricia, Alyssa and the guys need to pay a visit to your husband before he notices you’re gone and calls the police. Do you know where he might be?”
She nodded, her sniffle lessening, pushing her own red hair out of her eyes. “He usually doesn’t leave his office until after nine, but if he isn’t there, he’ll be at the Sky Lounge for drinks with his colleagues.”
“I’ll check the office first, then.” I was hoping that we wouldn’t have to do this in a public place. “You guys can head home. Patricia, you’re free to stay here as long as you need.”
“Oh, no you don’t Chance.” Jackson called, following behind me as I went to my car.
“Do you really think we’re going to let you go alone looking for a guy that is known for hitting women, Love?” Adrian continued, sharing his sentiments while sliding in the front seat.
“Oh I wish he would try that with me.” I somewhat growled starting the car. “It wouldn’t go the way he would think.”
Jackson laughed, “That’s exactly what we’re worried about.”
I shrugged getting on the highway and heading towards Baltimore. “Whatever, let’s just make sure this asshole gets the point.”
Chapter 2- The Quiet Storm
"Juanito, vamos!" I called down the hall tempted to go see what was taking him so long. Since Juan and I had a year long tradition of Sunday sleepovers, I would always take him to school Monday mornings on my way in to the office.
Adrian let a soft chuckle out from behind me in the kitchen. He'd made breakfast and was now putting Juan's lunch together.
"Viniendo tía Awyssa," he yelled back, but I heard slamming around in his room. We called it his room, because he was the only one that sleeps in there, and it’s filled with his toys and extra clothes.
He had came out earlier already dressed, then took two steps into the kitchen before doing an about face, running back into his room with a ‘be right back’.
"You said the same thing ten minutes ago," I called back, rolling my eyes.
Adrian pointed out with a spatula in hand. "Now we see a glimpse of what Macon and Jackson go through, with the obsessing of clothes and what not.”
"Don't go there," I muttered knowing that Juan was probably within ear shot, and I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about his aunts.
"We could have our own," he grinned, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Don't go there, either, Adrian," I ordered, rolling my eyes. I looked up at his hopeful, but carefully masked face. "You won’t have to lug ten pounds of baby and water around on your bladder and kidneys..."
"I would if I could..." he grumped, frowning just a bit.
He really wanted a child. We'd talked about it long before the marriage talks, but we never got past the talking stage. I didn’t have what it took to be a mother any more than I did to be someone’s wife. Everything was going so good, and I didn’t want that to mess up.
"Here Tia," Juan rushed, running into the kitchen and climbing up onto the stool in front of me. Holding out a brush and a bottle of hair gel. When I noticed what he did I couldn’t help but gush at what was holding us up. He was wearing a pair of black jeans and a white polo. Exactly what I was wearing, though they fit a little different. Adrian noticed the same thing, and smiled.
"You want both of us to drop you off?" he chuckled, giving him a wink, because I was pretty sure he was planning on riding with me into work this morning anyway.
"Pwease?" he begged, knowing he couldn't resist it. That child could play him bette
r than I could.
"I don't know," he sighed wearily, pretending to actually give it thought. "I guess so," he sighed dramatically.
"Yay!" Juan cheered, pumping his fist in the air way too much like his Uncle Macon, which only made Adrian smile all the more.
"Well, then, let's go. Go get your backpack. Mrs. Flowers doesn't like it when you're late. Neither will Roslyn and Tawny, and if you can’t be on time they might cancel Sunday Sleepovers.
A look of panic crossed his features before he pulled on his back pack and sprinted to the garage. “Let’s go Tia!” He ordered, which made Adrian bark out a laugh as he headed out to the SUV.
I opened my car door and went to let Juan out, only to see that he had already unbuckled his seatbelt and removed himself from his booster seat.
"Juanito Carlos De Luca.” I warned him, raising an eyebrow. "You know your parents will kill me if they ever see you do that.”
"The car is parked," he countered, holding out his hands for his backpack. "You said when the car was parked that it was okay."
"Dear Lord," Adrian laughed, shaking his head. "Juan, just wait until we tell you it's okay buddy."
"'Kay," he huffed not sure if he was in trouble or not.
"Ah, Miss Marshall," Mrs. Flowers greeted me, smiling brightly before turning to Juan. "Go put your things up and sit at your table, okay?"
"Okay," Juan sang, starting to take off.
I halted him with my hand, “Wait, do you have your inhaler?”
“Yes Tia.” He groaned as if I was obsessing over him, but I couldn’t help it. I refused to let anything happen to him, especially while he was in our possession. He had severe asthma, and needed to keep it on him at all times. The only problem was he liked to leave it behind, because other kids didn’t have one.
I double checked his front pouch to be sure and released him when I was satisfied. "Love you. Be safe."
“Tawny and Roslyn keep one in the nurse’s office just in case.” Mrs. Flowers told us.
“Well that’s good to know.” Adrian nodded.
"It's good to see you both," Mrs. Flowers said, smiling up at me. “You are just the person I wanted to see, the preschool fieldtrip to the Imagination Expo is a little low on chaperones, and since you two didn’t mind helping out on the trip to the Smithsonian Tawny was hoping you would be just as generous with this trip. We’re still two adults short for approval.”
The Law of Motion (Law Series) Page 3
