Secrets In The Breeze

by David Banner

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  I WOKE TO SEE A SHADOW STANDING AT THE FOOT OF MY BED. I’d awoken to the same sight once before, and it didn't go so well. But this time, there was something different about the shadow. Aside from the fact that it seemed to be rather small in stature, I could clearly make out a wine glass in the person’s hand.

  "What have you gotten yourself into this time?" she asked.

  "Hope?" I said as my eyes came into focus.

  "In the flesh," she said, sitting next to me on the bed.

  "Why are you here?"

  "You called me."

  "I ... Oh ..."

  Hope was the furthest thing from my mind when I’d dialed that number. You could have given me a million years to guess and think it over, and I wouldn't have thought that I was calling her. But now, sitting in the dark and looking at her, I was thankful.

  "I figured it'd only be a matter of time before you fucked something up. So, I left a way to contact me with our girl. Where is she?"

  It had been so long since I had seen Hope that I'd forgotten just how much she and Rachel actually hit it off back in the Everglades. And now, I would have to tell her that I was responsible for her friend being taken hostage by a high-profile drug dealer. I was almost afraid of how she'd take the news, afraid that she'd be upset with me, and not want to help. But she wasn't that petty, and I hoped she would put the safety of Rachel ahead of all that.

  "She's ... with Micah."

  "Seriously? The two of you are sharing her? That's ... Ew ... Let me talk to her."

  "No ... It's not like that. They're being held hostage. Along with a little girl. The daughter of the soon-to-be District Attorney."

  "Are you serious?" she said, a mix of frustration and worry in her voice.

  "Yeah ..." I felt the tears rising in my eyes. "They're in this bog house down on Coquina Beach. A woman named Sofia Alvarez, she's keeping them."

  "Why?"

  I spent the next hour explaining everything I'd been through since last seeing her. I told her about Sharon Rhodes, Charles Mitchell, Robert Webber, and everything else I could think of. And, even after explaining everything I knew as best I could, the story still didn't make much sense.

  "Sofia thinks there's this big drug ring running on Anna Maria, but there isn't. As far as I've been able to establish it's just this old lady and her crazy grandson."

  "Why not just tell her that?"

  "Because she'd kill them. And besides, I'm not sure she'd believe me. I told you, she thinks it’s a much bigger operation than that, and she doesn't seem to be the kind of person that likes to be told she's wrong. She'd just think I was mistaken, and I'm afraid of what she might do if that happened."

  "Do you have anything else on her?" Hope asked.

  "No."

  "Can Rachel or Micah get anything from the inside?"

  Then I remembered the flash drive in my pants’ pocket, the one Rachel risked so much to give me. "I have this," I said, climbing out of bed, and handing it to her. "I don't know what's on it, but Rachel gave it to me last night, when she gave me the phone number."

  Hope snatched it from my hand and jumped up. She ran quickly to my laptop, which was sitting on the desk, and stuck the drive into it. A few seconds later the screen filled with what looked like dozens of files. There were maps, long lists of numbers, and dollar amounts. The whole works. I was surprised by how much Rachel had been able to get. But I guess after she went with Sofia so freely, combined with the fact that she wasn't a flight risk, her security was a little lax. I'd like to think I would have been able to do the same thing in that situation, but I wasn't too sure. I guess a little more of Hope's personality rubbed off on her than I’d realized.

  "What is it?" I asked.

  "That's my girl!" Hope said, slamming her hand onto the desk, and smiling.

  "What?"

  "Look at this. This is everything! Names, numbers, suppliers. This is her whole business, and we have it!"

  "What are we going to do with that?"

  "We're going to start a war! That's what we're going to fucking do!"

  "A war?" I asked.

  "You fight fire with fire! Right?"

  "I guess ..."

  "Well, you do. Tell me about these dealers at the hotel."

  "They're nothing," I said. "Small-time. Sharon Rhodes was working for them when she ended up dead. A lot of their people have ended up dead. That's what the grandson said."

  "Well, luckily, I don't give two fucks about keeping drug dealers safe. So, we're going to use them to our advantage. According to this document, there's a shipment of drugs coming into Anna Maria in two days. It's a small pretty big one, about five hundred thousand dollars in value. You said the grandson was crazy, right?"

  "Yeah. He's completely insane."

  "Great! That means he'll think he's capable of intercepting it. All we have to do is make sure he knows it's coming in."

  "Do you think that'll work?"

  "I've been dealing with people like this my whole life, Brandon. I know them. There's nothing they won't do, or risk, to get what they want. And if this Sofia woman thinks someone is going to take what belongs to her, she'll stop at nothing to take them down."

  "What about Rachel, Micah, and Zoey?"

  "All we need to do is make sure that, while this is going on, we're on Coquina Beach extracting them. This will keep Sofia busy long enough for us to do that. There's just a few things we have to do first."

  "What?"

  "We need to make her believe this guy is much more powerful than he is, not so small-time. And luckily, Rachel has given us everything we need to make that happen."

  "Alright," I said. "What now."

  "Now we make this grandmother a deal she can't refuse. Get dressed, it’ll be light in about an hour, and we're gonna rock this boat first thing in the morning!"

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  I STOOD OUT BY THE WATER, FEELING THE WARMTH OF THE RISING SUN ON MY FACE AS I WAITED FOR HOPE TO COME DOWN. Hopefully our plan would work,and in two days' time I'd be sitting at the dinner table across from Rachel and Micah, and Zoey Mitchell would be back with her family.

  That morning was a few degrees chillier than it had been lately, a sure sign that the Florida winter was on its way. Winter in Florida was about the same as autumn everywhere else. The temperature rarely dropped blow sixty degrees, even at night, and days were pleasant, marred only by the occasional artic wind that somehow managed to get lost and end up finding itself below the Georgia line.

  There had been few things I was thankful for in my life, aside from my parents and Micah though; there hadn't been much else. But thinking back on the last few months, with what started in Miami and ended up with me living on Anna Maria Island, I could honestly say I found something else to be thankful for. Something I never saw coming.

  "You ready?" Hope said, appearing beside me.

  She was beautiful, wearing a tight, red shirt and flower print skirt. She reminded me of the first time I saw her, sitting at that poker table looking like she owned the world. Like she was the wife of some high-profile diplomat or something. Her hair fell across her right shoulder in one big pile of curls and her red lips shimmered in the Gulf Coast sun.

  "You look amazing," I said.

  "Thank you. We need them to believe I'm the real deal. Oh, by the way, do you have a baseball bat, or a pipe? Also, grab some rope and a hand towel"

  "The real deal ..." I asked. "Who do you want them to think you are? And yeah, Micah has a Louisville Slugger and there are some zip ties in there too."

  "Me ..." She gave a little grin. "Oh ... My name is Cheryl Knight, the biggest dealer in Miami."

  A few minutes later Hope and I were standing in front of The Spanish Reef Hotel. It looked just as it had the first time I was there. With perfectly manicured lawns and big palms hiding it from view of the main street. And, just as before, there were only a handful of cars in the small parking lot.

  "Doesn't
look like they're too busy today," Hope said.

  "No one even knows it’s here, really. I think they like it that way."

  "I bet they do. Let's see about changing that up a little," Hope said, grabbing the baseball bat from the backseat."Hide behind that wall, zip-tie one of them,and let me handle the other one."

  I watched in both shock and amazement as she walked down the walkway in front of the rooms, slamming the baseball bat through each window, without breaking stride. Just as she reached the corner, Jacob and his brother appeared, looking far less than pleased with the situation.

  "Hello," Hope said, her ruby-red lips grinning from ear to ear. "My name is Cheryl Knight. Lovely to meet you."

  I gave Robert a swift kick to back of the knee, sending him falling face down before jumping on him, and digging my heel into his back. I pulled the ties from my back pocket, and wrapped his feet and hands, before stuffing the towel in his mouth.

  Jacob’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Hope, then suddenly he ran toward her screaming like a banshee. I sprang into action, sprinting toward him as fast as I could, but before I could reach him, I heard his face colliding with Micah's Louisville Slugger. I stopped short as I watched him go tumbling to the ground.

  "Who are you?" the soft voice of his grandmother said from behind me. "And what do you want with my family."

  "What I want," Hope said, strutting toward her, swinging the bat at her side like a pendulum. "Is to find out why you've treated one of my best salesmen so poorly. I must say, I was stunned to see such actions, especially from the hospitality industry."

  "This man was on our property, and he wasn't invited. Clearly he had ulterior motives and we needed to find out what those were." the old woman said.

  "Fair enough," Hope said. "But your actions have consequences. I lost three days sales waiting on him to heal."

  "Why not just send another representative to handle those customers.?"

  "I like for my clients to build personal relationships with me. And in that, they come to expect things to happen a certain way. They don't like it when that way gets upset, and I certainly couldn't send him to meet with my clients looking the way you left him. Now it's time to pay."

  "May I ask who it is I have the pleasure of dealing with?" the old lady said in a voice so belittling it could have fried an oyster.

  "Cheryl Knight," Hope said. "And your name?"

  "Olivia Connely."

  "Well, Olivia, I'd say it’s nice to meet you. But it isn't."

  I'd seen Hope play roles before, hell, she always seemed to be wearing some kind of lampshade, but this was at an entirely new level. She was masterful in her movements, in her tone, and in the overall way she handled herself. I couldn't help but almost believe her myself.

  "But," Hope said. "I've come to make you an offer."

  "I don't need an offer, Ms. Knight." The old lady inched closer to Hope. "What I need is for you to leave my island before you get yourself hurt."

  "Hurt." Hope laughed loudly, holding her palm against her stomach. "Do you mean like your grandson here?" She turned, slamming the bat hard against Jacob’s stomach.

  He wrenched in pain, letting out a deep grunt. "I'll kill you!" he said breathlessly.

  "I'm here to make a deal." Hope turned back to the old woman. "I run one of the largest cartels in Miami. I'd like you to join me. It'll be worth your while."

  "If your establishment is so large, why would you want a small island like Anna Maria?"

  "We're looking to expand into the Gulf. Tamps looks nice, and this little island gem would make the perfect headquarters. Just close enough to control it, but far enough to stay out of the fray."

  "I don't make deals," Olivia said, pulling a small pistol from her pocket, and pointing it directly at Hope.

  "Shame ... I guess I'll have to handle this a little differently."

  "Leave," Olivia said. "Or I'll kill you where you stand."

  "That won't be necessary. Then my associate would have to kill you, and your grandson. I don't like being present for the bloody parts. When I can avoid it anyway."

  "Then leave," the old woman said. "And don't return."

  "We’ll speak again soon," Hope said, getting back in the car, and slamming the door. "Guess it's plan B."

  "What’s plan B?" I asked.

  "Someone has to go to jail."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  "G IVE ME SOMETHING," HOPE SAID.

  "Like what?"

  "Something we can use to frame that guy for Sharon Rhodes murder."

  "What guy?" I asked. "Jacob."

  "Yeah. The grandson."

  "It's just temporary. We'll clear him after, don't worry. But we need that old lady to agree to our terms. And it's much easier to change someone's mind if you've got someone they love."

  "Tell me about it ..."

  "But I don't know what we can use ... Unless ..."

  "Unless what. Give it to me!" Hope said, running her hands together like a cricket.

  "There's this picture of me standing on the beach with Sharon Rhodes. It was in the paper ..."

  "Okay ..."

  "She was wearing these earrings. But when her body turned up she only had one on."

  "Do you have the other one?" Hope asked.

  "No. But, I know who does."

  "Who?"

  "Randy. The fisherman guy I've been working with. It fell out of her ear when we pulled her onto the boat and he found it."

  "He didn't turn it in to the police?"

  "No. He doesn't like getting involved in other people's stuff. Something about letting the ocean keep its secrets. But, if we get it and take it back to The Spanish Reef Hotel—"

  "We can plant the evidence and ... Let's go find this Randy! First, I need to shower. I got some of that guy’s spit on me with that last hit."

  A short time later we were standing in front of the pier where I knew we'd find Randy sailing up to in a few short minutes. It was just about time for the end of Randy's last run.

  Hope stood at the edge of the pier, her brown hair blowing in the breeze and her olive skin shimmering under the warm sun. Gone was the tight, red shirt and flowered skirt from earlier in the day. In their place was a pair of tight jean shorts and a simple white T-shirt. But, even dressed down in simple clothing, she was still very beautiful.

  "This is a great spot," she said to me.

  "Yeah. It is. Randy loves it here. He says he gets the best catches close to shore."

  "Makes sense. With everyone else going out so far I guess the fish decide to head in."

  "That's the same thing he said."

  "Great minds ..." She chuckled.

  Hope was strong, it was easy to see, and it was something no one could take away from her. But she was also worried, I could see it in her face, I could hear it in her voice. She had managed to find a friend in Rachel, and now the threat of losing that had become all too real.

  But Rachel meant something to me too. So did Micah. I wasn't ready to lose that. I wasn't ready to lose either of them. Especially not to someone like Sofia Alvarez.

  "You're worried," I said.

  "I'm concerned. But I know we'll get them back. I just don't like the thought of losing people I care about." She wrapped her hand around my forearm. "That's why I came so quickly when you called."

  "Thank you," I said, looking into her shining blue eyes.

  I'd forgotten how comfortable I felt around her, how her confidence and courage could so easily rub off on me. Aside from my brother, those feelings were ones I hadn't had much experience with in my adult life. That connection that felt so much like home.

  "There he is," I said as Hope slowly released her grip on my arm.

  "Fingers crossed." She smiled.

  "Heya, Randy!"

  "Heya there, son. What can I do ya for?"

  "You're not going to like it," I said.

  "Easier to like things when you're looking at something as pretty as that." Randy nodded to Hope.
>
  "Thank you." She turned her head to the sand, smiling sweetly.

  There she went again. Another lampshade, and Randy was falling for it.

  "You remember Sharon Rhodes?" I asked. "The woman we pulled up in the net?"

  "Yes. I remember."

  "Do you still have that earring?" I asked.

  "We've talked about this, boy. Let it be. Don't go stirring up the sand. You're just asking for trouble when you do that."

  "Please." Hope stepped forward. "It's important that I have it."

  "Randy, listen to me. We need that earring to help my little brother and Rachel. I don't know what else to do. Believe me, if I didn't feel like I had to ask you, I wouldn't. But we really do need it."

  "I don’t go messing around in other people’s storms, Mr. Waters. You know that."

  "I know, but it won't be you doing anything. You'll be free from it. You won't even have a connection to any of this."

  Randy turned and opened a small drawer on his boat, and so slowly, I was afraid he was going to change his mind, he pulled out the earring. But he stopped a little short of handing it over. Instead he turned to the water and began twirling the thing around in his fingers. My heart sank as the thought of him tossing it out into the water flashed through my mind.

  "Randy," I said. "My brother is being held, Rachel is being held, please, all I'm asking you to do is help me free them. Just one simple thing."

  But my words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Randy just stood, motionless, and staring into the gulf. Rachel moved to step forward, but I knew Randy well enough to know that this had to be his decision. Something he chose to do, and if Hope came too close he might toss it into the sea.

  "No," I whispered, grabbing her wrist, and pulling her back. "Don't rush him."

  The three of us stood there for a few minutes, Hope and I staring at Randy, and Randy staring at the sea. There were times when he almost turned to come back to us, and times when I almost thought he was going to toss the thing, but after a little while, and with a deep breath, he turned and walked to me.