I walked up the stairs and stood staring at the door. Do I knock? Do I walk in? How had I become some oddly disturbed stalker chick? Common sense had been begging me to listen since I left the house, and I’d totally ignored the advice. So much for that. I reached for the doorknob and opened the door.
“I was sitting here wondering if you were going to stand outside all day or come in,” Fab laughed.
“I’ve truly lost my mind. How did you know I was here?”
“I watched you on the security camera,” she pointed to the screen.
“God, how embarrassing. I need to leave.”
“Not until you tell me how you found this place.”
“I was leaving Spoon’s a couple of days ago, and Zach drove right by me. When I caught up with him, he’d already driven through the gates. What is this place?”
“Zach lives here in this building, and the building next door is his office. He left the outside looking run down so it wouldn’t attract any attention. He renovated the inside himself, and as you can see, he did a first class job.”
Fab was right. The wide-open space had paint-stained concrete floors, original brick walls, and an updated kitchen with state-of-the-art-appliances. And granite counter tops.
I walked across the room to a large island that served as a divider between the kitchen and the rest of the space. “I missed you at dinner.”
“Marco got home late. We got sidetracked, and we were both tired.” Fab had three guns disassembled in front of her, and was cleaning them.
“I ended up sitting next to Cynthia.”
“Who?”
So much for any information on her. “Buckshot’s wife.”
“I haven’t met her. She has a serious case for Zach. He finds her games annoying. At one point he almost ended his relationship with Buckshot over it. I know he put a lot of distance between them. Zach knows Buckshot loves his wife, and he wasn’t going to be the one to tell him she acts like a slut.”
“Wow. I was seated next to her at dinner last night, and she wasn’t much fun.”
“I can imagine. Zach avoids having me around the corporate clients as much as possible. He’s afraid I might pick their pocket.”
“You’re clearly a woman with many talents.”
We both laughed.
At least I knew Cynthia wasn’t in a relationship with Zach and never had been. She was a crazy one.
I watched as Fab expertly disassembled the Walther in front of her. “Do you take many jobs where you use a gun?”
“I try to use my martial art skills more than a gun, but I never leave home without my Glock and a couple of her friends. A few times I’ve gotten in over my head and, with no backup, I wouldn’t have walked away alive. Do you own a gun?”
“I have a small caliber handgun. But a Glock makes mine look like a toy. Nice Walther.”
“You obviously have experience with guns if you can identify them.”
“My brother and I enrolled in a gun safety class a few years ago. I enjoyed myself until I got to the part where it was my turn to shoot a bowl of water off a chair. I blew the bowl and the chair to bits, but I didn’t have complete control, so the gun came back and hit me in the face. I had huge bruises on my cheek and arm.”
“Sounds like you did a good job to me,” Fab said. “What type of gun?”
“.44 Magnum.”
“I am impressed. Where do you keep your gun?”
“Locked away.”
“Put it where you have easy, quick access, so if you have an intruder you’d have the element of surprise. We should go to the gun range and practice sometime.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“I can teach you to be more comfortable with any size gun.” She gave me a slight smile. “Zach will be back anytime.”
“I should leave before he finds out I turned into a stalker. I’m just frustrated at knowing so little about him, so I thought I’d do a little investigating on my own. I’ll tell you, after I opened the door I was very happy you were the one sitting here and not Zach.”
“In my opinion, he won’t be as upset as you think. He likes you a lot.”
“And you know this how?”
“He’s not as cranky since he met you. When he’s around you, he laughs and smiles a lot. Other people get a flash of teeth and a grunt.”
“This is over the top, even for me,” I said, feeling increasingly nervous. “I’m sneaking out the same way I came in.”
“No, stay. Handle it like he would. Be confident and offer no explanations.”
“Hmm. I’m not sure about this. Let’s do lunch sometime? We could go shoe shopping.”
“I don’t do the girlfriend thing.”
“Why not?”
“Women don’t like me.”
“Because they’re jealous!” I laughed. “We could try it once, and if you have a horrible time, we won’t do it again. Or we could go to the gun range and then to lunch. Zach told me the girlfriends and wives in your group are all good friends.”
“What do men know?”
“That is a completely different subject,” I laughed.
“Topaz is the head gang member. She thinks I’m unstable.”
“Does she? We’ll start our own gang. Membership is contingent on how fabulous our shoes are.”
Fab laughed and began packing up her guns. “Time to go. A regular client is arriving in two hours, and I’m his bodyguard when he comes to the South Florida area. I’m picking him up at Miami International, and taking him to his hotel. You stay and surprise Zach.”
“I don’t think so. I’m coming with you.”
“Don’t worry so much. You’ll be fine,” she encouraged. “Tell me what happens when we go to lunch.”
Chapter 22
I paced Zach’s living room trying to calm my nerves, becoming more convinced that staying wasn’t a smart idea. The pool table was the focal point of the large space. On the far wall, he had a top-of-the-line dartboard, and leather furniture was placed strategically around the room. I sat on the couch, then jumped up again and began pacing.
In the bathroom, I stared at myself in the mirror. My stomach hurt. Despite Fab’s encouragement, I was going to make a run for the door before Zach found me here.
I heard the outer door bang shut. Now there was no chance for a clean escape. I reached for the doorknob to the bathroom door to say hello to Zach.
“Fuck!” a male voice yelled. That certainly wasn’t Zach.
I peeked through the doorjamb. A large man stood in the living room holding a gun that looked like a cannon. What the hell’s going on? Where was I going to hide in the bathroom? Then I noticed the second door. I opened it and quietly slipped into what was obviously Zach’s bedroom. I rushed across the room and bolted inside the closet, leaving the door slightly ajar.
The man pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. “I’m waiting for the son of a bitch,” he snarled to someone. “He’ll walk right into my trap. This day has been a long time coming. I’ll savor every minute of killing him. What a great day.” His laugh was blood-chilling. “I’ll call you when I’m done here.” I heard him snap his cell phone shut.
How could I protect myself if he were to discover me? Think, Madison, think. There had to be a weapon somewhere.
Brad always kept a gun by his bed, maybe Zach did the same. I crept over to the bed, ran my hands between the mattresses, and spotted a cubbyhole built into the side of the end table. A gun lay right there on a shelf. I pulled it out of its hiding place and tiptoed back to the closet. Thank god for concrete floors that don’t squeak.
Whoever he was made another call. “Bitch isn’t answering the phone again,” he growled.
Okay, so I’d never actually shot anyone. I’d never even given serious thought to it.
I was terrified.
I checked to see that there were bullets in the chamber, and that the safety was off. Brad had this gun in his collection, a Sig Sauer P228.
I stuck my head out
of the closet. The thug paced the living area and kitchen, pulling open drawers, and muttering to himself, becoming more and more agitated.
The outer door opened again. “Zach, old friend. Come in,” the man said. He pointed the gun directly at Zach. “You’re a dead man, you bastard.”
“What are you doing here, Neal?” Zach sounded calm. “This is a death penalty state, and they do execute.”
“I went to prison because of you. I lost everything. My wife, my family, my job.”
“You and you alone flushed your life down the toilet. No one forced you to deal drugs. You got a sweet deal. You’re out now. Move on. Why would you want to end up in Stark?”
“Shut up. I planned every detail of your agonizing death, and I’ll enjoy watching you die.”
“When did you get out?” Zach asked.
“Two days ago. Don’t you want to hear the details on how I’m going to do it?” He fired.
“Aah,” Zach yelled, falling back, and clutching his left leg.
He’d pulled the trigger! I jammed my hand in my mouth to keep from screaming. This guy meant to kill Zach, and if he found me, I’d be next.
“Relax. I’m in no hurry. The good news is that you’re not going to die anytime soon, but slowly, and painfully. The bad news is you’ll be dead, which is my good news.”
I took a breath to steady my nerves, and moved out of the closet. Zach’s gun by my side, I peeked from behind the bedroom door.
Could Zach see me? With his back to me, Neal stood yelling at Zach about the injustices of his life. I raised the Sig, and shot him between his shoulder blades. His body jerked and he crumpled to the floor face first.
Across the room, Zach’s leg was drenched in blood. His lips moved; I think he said he was glad to see me.
“Madison,” he said calmly. “Put the gun down.”
I was only aware of the body, blood everywhere, and the sound of the gunshot echoing in my head.
“Madison!” Zach yelled. “Set the gun on the floor.”
I put the gun down, but my legs refused to work.
“Go into the bathroom, get the first aid kit, and bring it to me. You’ll need to wrap my leg. I can’t do it by myself.”
I managed to find the first aid kit, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from the immobile body on the floor.
“Come sit next to me,” Zach motioned me over to him. “Look at me, not at Neal. I need your help.”
“Doc Rivers?” I mumbled. “I’ll call Doc Rivers.”
Zach punched in numbers on his cell. “Hey Kev. You on duty? Can you come over to my place as fast as you can?” He continued, “Remember Neal Cooper? He’s lying dead on my floor. I’d like you to investigate, and call the report in.” He pressed his hand against the bandage which was already soaked through with blood. “Thanks buddy.”
Zach pulled me to him and put his arm around me. I hid my face in his chest and started to shake.
* * *
Kevin burst through the door, looked around, walked over to Neal and bent down to feel for a pulse. “He’s dead all right. A shot to the back?”
“Neal was standing in the kitchen waiting for me. He blamed me for what happened five years ago, and told me he was here to kill me and that he had a leisurely death planned. His first shot was to my leg. What he didn’t realize was that Madison was in the bedroom. She saved my life.”
“You need to go to the hospital.” Kevin pulled out his phone and called for backup, the coroner, and paramedics. He walked over to the gun. “Is this the gun you used, Madison?”
“Y-y-y-yes,” I stuttered.
“What happened?”
“I came by to surprise Zach,” I said, stumbling over my words. “I was in the bathroom when I heard the door open. I was expecting Zach, but it turned out to be this guy. He made a couple of calls, telling someone he was here waiting on Zach, and planned to kill him. Once he shot Zach I thought my only choice was to shoot him.” My voice was barely a whisper. “I was afraid, because I knew he meant to kill Zach and I’d be next.”
The door banged open. Ten men from the sheriff’s office, the fire department, and paramedics rushed in. One checked Zach’s leg, another asked rapid-fire questions. “The bullet didn’t exit my leg. It’s burning like crazy,” Zach told him.
“Bring the stretcher!” the paramedic called, and said to me, “How are you doing? Were you hurt?”
“I’m fine, but can I go with Zach?” I asked, quietly, still shaking. “I don’t want to stay here.”
One of the paramedics examined me, “Absolutely. You need to be checked out by a doctor anyway.”
Kevin touched my arm. “I’ll be lead on this investigation,” he said as medics lifted Zach onto the stretcher, rolled him outside, carrying him downstairs. Slice stood at the bottom of the steps. “What the hell happened?”
“The dead guy shot him,” one of the medics replied.
“I’ll be right behind the ambulance,” Slice assured me.
* * *
“You’re good at saving my life,” Zach said as we arrived at the emergency room.
“I won’t leave until I know you’re okay,” I said as they wheeled him away.
Good to his word, Slice had followed. He made a couple of calls, then sat down and put an arm round my shoulder. “Zach wants a doctor to look at you.”
“I’m okay. He didn’t shoot me. We need to worry about Zach.”
Doc Rivers suddenly materialized sitting down next to me.
“I had a chance to speak with Zach before surgery,” Doc said. “He wants me to make sure you’re okay. It’s not every day you shoot someone.”
Tears began streaming down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop crying. Doc pulled me out of my chair, put his arm around me, and led me into an examining room. “You did the right thing. Neal Cooper would’ve killed the both of you,” he said, helping me onto the table.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. I’m going to check your vitals, and give you a mild sedative.”
“No sedative. I’m not leaving until Zach gets out of surgery.”
“You can stay. But it’s just not good to be so upset.” Doc Rivers was so quick with an injection in my arm that I didn’t have time to object again. “Here’s a prescription in case you feel overwhelmed. Don’t drive. And I think you need to see a counselor to help you deal with what happened today.”
I hugged him. “You’re the best.”
“Call me anytime night or day if you need anything, or if you just want to talk. I’ve got another patient, so I’ll stop by later.”
The curtain opened and Axe walked in. “Hey girl, I’m here,” he said reassuringly and then his arms around me. “What the hell happened?”
“Neal Cooper happened,” I said and told him the story, offering no explanation why I was at Zach’s.
“Neal had a great life, everything a man could want. But he got greedy, deciding the easy money would be to deal drugs. He started snorting the profits, which is the beginning of the end for all dealers. He made one bad decision after another and each decision was worse than the last. He trashed his once perfect life. The wife walked out and got full custody of the kids. He was fired from the police force and ended up in prison.”
“He was crazy. His big plan was to murder Zach.”
“Lucky day when Zach walked onto your patio, Madison Westin,” Axe smiled.
Zach’s surgeon came into the waiting room. “Surgery’s over. We extracted the bullet, a relatively simple procedure. He’ll complain about a sore leg for a while, and he’ll need to stay off his feet a day or two, but he’ll be fine.”
“How are you doing?” he asked me.
“Trying to keep my mind blank. I’m afraid to go home and be by myself.”
“You’re not going to be by yourself,” Fab said from the doorway of the waiting room.
“You’re in good hands,” the Doctor said while checking out Fab, and not in a clinical way.
“I thought
you were guarding some guy’s body?”
“He had an early night,” she winked. “So I’m here to take you home.”
“I want to check on Zach before I go.”
“He’s asleep,” Axe said. “Doped up to sleep through the night.”
“I’ll only stay for a minute.” I walked down the hall to Zach’s room, and quietly pushed open the door. Zach slept peacefully, his leg bandaged.
A nurse stood by his bed, writing on his chart. “The bullet didn’t do any damage,” she said. “It’ll be painful for a few days, and then he’ll be running around good as new.”
“Take care of him. I’ll be back in the morning.” I kissed his cheek.
Chapter 23
I woke up late the next morning, feeling slightly hung over. The smell of gunpowder still in my nostrils, I couldn’t block out the images of Neal Cooper lying in his own blood, face first. I still didn’t see another choice. The important thing was that Zach and I were alive.
In the shower, I started crying all over again and stayed under the warm water until I could pull myself together. I searched through my closet and pulled out my favorite skirt and tee shirt top. I carried a pair of sandals downstairs, following the aroma of coffee.
Fab had Jazz on the counter, feeding him pieces of raisin bagel. “Wow, could you possibly spoil him worse than he already is?”
“What’s an animal for?”
“I owe you one for staying here and babysitting me all night. I appreciate it. I really didn’t want to be by myself.”
“Good job, by the way.”
“Every time I think about what happened, I start to cry.”
“Look at it this way, if you hadn’t stayed there, we’d be sitting here mourning Zach’s death.”
“That’s too sad to contemplate. You’re relieved from guard duty.”
Crazy in Paradise Page 13
