by Dale Mayer
His phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket. Glancing over at Vanessa, he said, “Sorry, this is important.” But she didn’t seem to notice.
It was Markus. Shooting in the park?
Yes. Gregory. Boys, Vanessa and Sinja were all in the park with me. All could be in danger.
He studied Vanessa, who looked more shell-shocked than she had when they originally walked to the coffee shop.
“I thought they looked like thugs. When I arrived at the park they were there already.” She shook her head. “They looked out of place.”
“They are not from here. I left them in Chicago.”
“You were one of them?”
“A million years ago, when I was a scared teenager.”
She nodded. “That’s what I figured.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “That’s very generous of you.”
She shook her head. “No, you look like you’ve been through the ringer in life and you came out on top. And nobody with a can-do attitude has learned that without having been through some of life’s toughest battles.”
She gave him a half smile, reached across and touched the tattoo on his arm. “Besides, I recognized this.”
He stared at the tattoo then back at her, his eyebrows raised. “What did you recognize?”
“That you tried to cover an older tattoo. When I saw the same tattoo on the man, I knew they were a gang. It’s easy to see, now that I’m looking for it.”
“Oh, I hope it’s not that easy,” he said. “I don’t want anyone else to know.” In fact, it disturbed him a lot that she’d seen it.
She glanced around the restaurant then kicked her leg off to one side and pulled up her pants leg. He glanced over the edge of the table to see her open-toed shoes. But there was also a tattoo around her ankle. He didn’t understand what it meant, but it looked like flowers in a wreath.
“Mine was something else before as well.”
He settled back into his chair.
He studied her intently. How much did she understand? “Did you used to belong to a gang?”
She shrugged and laughed, but there was a bitterness to it. “I don’t know that I would call it a gang. Girls are nastier than any gang member, but they don’t go in for broken bones and open wounds. They rip your heart out and leave you alive on the outside and dying on the inside.” She seemed to throw off the painful memory, and said, “That’s why I spend my life now helping others.”
“You work for International Rescue?”
She nodded. “Yes, I was once an immigrant myself. And I paid the price for being different. Joined a group of girls immediately to try and fit in but was treated pretty rough. Then when my parents died, they were really cruel.” She shrugged. “People.”
He studied her coloring and realized he’d heard something like that accent before, but not for a long time. “South America?”
She laughed. “Very good. I was young. When we arrived I struggled to fit in.”
“Kids are often cruel.” He motioned at her empty coffee cup. “If you’re ready to go home, I’ll escort you there now.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. They’re after you. They have their own code and it won’t likely involve strangers. I won’t be in danger.” She stood up and smiled at him. “But you can walk me back to my car.”
“Sure.”
He held out his arm, and she slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow. Together, they walked back through the park to her car. He’d parked only two spots over from her. He waited until she got in and started up her engine, then leaned over and said, “Stay safe.”
Her face fell, as if she was expecting him to say something else. He realized he really wanted to, but surely this wasn’t the time. Not if he had somebody hunting him. The last thing he wanted was to get another innocent involved in his crazy world.
She nodded, put the car in reverse and slowly backed out of the parking space. At least he had her phone number. Realizing that wasn’t enough, he hopped into his car and pulled up behind her. He could also make sure she got home safe.
When she turned into her complex, she waved at him. Feeling better he pulled out into the road.
He had to question what he’d seen earlier. Had it really been Gregory he’d seen at the park? If he’d seen Ronnie he would’ve known for sure, but he hadn’t laid eyes on Gregory in over a decade. He’d recognized the tattoos, not the faces.
Like him, they were all a decade older.
He just couldn’t be sure. Then he remembered something he should have, right away.
With a jerk of the steering wheel, he made a quick detour back to the park, walked over to the bench and studied the wood. Sure enough, there was a slug in the wood through to the metal framework. He pulled out a pocket multipurpose tool and managed to extract it. He tossed it in his hand for a few minutes then made a phone call.
It was short and to the point. But it was time.
Chapter 5
The rest of the afternoon had a surreal feel to it. She still couldn’t believe somebody had shot at the bench where she sat. And as a warning to Chase. As far as she knew, nobody had any problem with her.
There was also another first that she hadn’t cared to examine. She’d had her first date in a year – since her ex left. If coffee for answers counted.
She went into her small apartment and put on the teakettle. She’d had coffee with Chase but wanted the comfort of a good cup of tea. Right now she could use whatever comfort was available.
Once again, she pulled out her phone. She’d put his name and number in her contacts after he called her.
She wanted to call him and see if he was okay. That was stupid. But he’d seen her home safe…who’d see him home safe? Yet she hardly knew him. And definitely not well enough to call to make sure he was okay. That she really liked what she’d seen and was worried about him…made her double question that assumption. She quickly hit call. He answered right away. “Vanessa, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “I couldn’t help worrying you might not be.”
He gave a startled laugh. “I’m fine.”
“Okay, good.” She ran her hand across her forehead. She didn’t know what to say. Aimlessly, she said, “I guess I just couldn’t get you out of my mind.”
His voice deepened, sending shivers down her spine into something that was like a punch to her gut. “I like the sound of that.”
“Ha,” she said. “That’s not quite the way I meant it.”
“Too bad,” he said. “I’d like to see you again.”
“Really?” she asked doubtfully.
“Really,” he confirmed. “But this is hardly the time.”
Right. Of course it wasn’t. It was an easy out for him. Besides she wasn’t ready for another relationship, and she might never be.
“I don’t want anyone to think you’re close to me and have them use you for target practice.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Too late,” she snapped. “Remember that bullet today?”
“I do,” he said quietly. “That’s why I’m saying this.”
Disgruntled, she stared out the window. This wasn’t exactly the way she’d planned the phone call. Not that she’d really had plans. Although if she was upset about it – maybe she’d had some hidden inside. She sucked in her breath, trying to figure out a way to get out of this gracefully.
“Of course, we both have to eat dinner. And I really should be keeping an eye on you, so why don’t I pick up something and bring it to your place.”
She almost gaped. Inside her breath gushed out in surprise. After a moment, she said, “Sure.”
“Good.” He grabbed her apartment number, then said, “Be there in an hour.” And he hung up.
She was left holding the phone in her hand, not sure what had just happened. She glanced around the small apartment and winced. She hadn’t had company in forever. Time for a quick cleanup.
In fact, an hour was enough to do a lot
of cleaning. With the floors mopped, the vacuuming completed, a little bit of dusting done, her bedroom tidied up and new bedding on the bed, and no she didn’t want to examine too closely why she changed her bedding when he was just coming for dinner and she barely knew the man, there was a knock on the door. She raced to the entrance, a smile on her face…and froze.
There was one very large heavily muscled man in a muscle shirt leaning against her doorframe. Bald with a single hoop earring, he gave her the jitters. Nervously she plastered a smile on her face and said, “Yes, can I help you?”
He studied her for a long moment then gave her a hard nod and said, “Yes. Stay away from Chase.”
Oh God. Had she seen this man at the park? In a cool voice she asked, “Why?”
“Because I’m thinking a woman like you might not want to die in the next few days.” He gave her a gentle smile so at odds with his words then he turned and walked back down the hallway, leaving her gasping at his bombshell.
For such a big man he moved quickly and before she knew it he was gone.
She was still staring at the empty hallway when the elevator opened and Chase walked out.
“What’s the matter?” Chase raced toward her. “Did something just happen?”
She stepped back into her apartment and with a last look around the hallway, motioned him inside. “I just had a strange visitor.”
Still shaking from the encounter, she returned to the kitchen and once again put on the teakettle. Maybe she was drinking too much caffeine. As she stared down at her trembling fingers, she realized she’d rather have something much stronger.
“Who?” Chase followed her into the kitchen and placed a large bag on the counter. He opened the top and wonderful smells drifted out of the bag.
“A friend of yours.” She gave a broken laugh. “Or maybe not. He basically warned me to stay away from you.”
“Explain.” The friendly Chase was gone and in his place now there was a hard man with a dangerous edge to his voice. Oddly enough, she didn’t mind his new persona. He was more in charge and in control. Gone was the lighthearted flirty male. This was a man to have on one’s side in the face of danger.
And he was not treating this as a minor incident. Thank God. She took a deep breath and explained the little bit she could.
“Ronnie.”
She watched his fingers curl into a tight fist as he stared off at a point somewhere beyond the kitchen cupboard. Obviously he knew this man. “I gather this is not a good development. The question is, did it relate to what happened in the park?”
*
“It’s definitely related. That it’s a warning is a good thing, but it’s possible they saw me come into the apartment building just now and that would not be good news.”
“Is Ronnie a henchman too?”
“He’s more of an enforcer now. Back then he was a nobody like me.” Chase stared around the small apartment, his mind clicking through what he knew and what he was afraid he knew. That Ronnie had tracked Vanessa to her apartment was bad news. How? Had they been followed leaving the park after all? He’d known it was a possibility but hadn’t thought it was a probability. Ronnie would never have done something like that in the past. It used to be they focused on the criminals, not on the families and friends of those they were trying to pressure into doing something. Apparently things had changed more than he thought. Then again they’d used his mother against him. Although they’d never approached her themselves.
He turned his attention back to the bag and opened it, pulling out dishes of chicken skewers, rice and vegetables. “Let’s eat.”
“Just like that? I’m not sure I can eat.”
Then the aroma hit her.
“Greek?” She shook her head. She sniffed the air and laughed in delight. “How did you know?”
“Know what?” He lifted his gaze to study her.
“Know that I love Greek food,” she exclaimed. She turned to the cupboard and pulled out two plates, cutlery and set them on the table. He began dividing the food evenly onto two plates, but she put out her hand and said, “Stop.”
With a skewer in his hand he stopped in midair. “What’s the matter?”
“I can’t eat this much. The rest is for you.”
“Good.” He placed the remainder of the food on his plate and pulled up a chair.
They ate comfortably for a few minutes before she put her fork down and said, “What are we going to do about Ronnie?”
He paused, contemplated the heap of rice on his fork, then said, “How long will it take you to pack?”
Chapter 6
“I’m not going to pack because I’m not going anywhere,” she replied calmly. She picked up a skewer and slid the meat off the end. She raised her gaze to his and added, “So deal with it.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything.
She frowned not trusting his silence. She watched as he ate several more bites then asked in a suspicious voice, “What, nothing to say?”
“What’s to say?” He smirked at her. “If you don’t want to pack and move to my place, that’s fine. After dinner I’ll go grab my stuff for the night and come back here,” he said calmly. “It might not be as comfortable but I’ll make it work.
“In fact…” He pulled out his phone and made a quick call.
She was left spluttering in place. There was no way he was staying the night here with her. She glanced around at the small apartment. It was way too small for even her. Her bed was the only thing that was available to sleep on. The couch was only a love seat. He wouldn’t fit on the limited floor space either. She leaned back, her appetite suddenly gone, and studied him as he spoke into the phone. When he hung up and turned to look at her his smile brightened.
She narrowed her gaze at him. “Now what?”
“Oh nothing,” he said cheerfully. “A friend is going to deliver my overnight bag so I don’t have to leave you alone.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Damn.”
“Yep, you’re not going to get rid of me that easily,” he said. “How is your coffee supply? Do I need to ask him to stop at the grocery store and get some food for midnight snacks and coffee for the morning?”
“This is stupid,” she said in frustration, wondering how her life had become so complicated all of a sudden. “Ronnie won’t even bother coming back.”
“Vanessa.” This time there was no laughter in his voice. “These guys never makes threats – they make promises.”
“How well do you know this man?”
“At this point I don’t know him at all.” Chase placed his fork down and pushed the plate back into the center of the table. “I knew him many years ago. I haven’t had anything to do with him or anyone else in the gang in over a decade.”
“So then why are they after you now?” She could see him toss the concept of telling her the truth back and forth. “Look, it’s my life in danger so please… What’s going on?”
She listened as he opened up.
Enough for her to get the gist of an upcoming court case and somebody from the gang on trial, charges against him, and that the gang believed Chase might have information pertinent to the case, and that they wanted to make sure he remembered where his loyalties lay – and why.
“Wow. That really sucks.” She settled back. “But it has nothing to do with me.”
“It does now,” he said firmly. “We also have to make sure Amrit and Peter stay safe. There is a code of honor within the gang or at least there was. Before the children would not have been targeted. So in theory the boys will be safe. But I can’t guarantee that.”
“In theory?” she said in outrage. “That’s not good enough.”
“No it isn’t. We’ll keep them safe. I’ll talk to Markus when he gets here.” Chase stood up, raked up the dirty plates and cutlery and walked over to the sink. He quickly filled the sink with a small amount of hot water and washed up the few dishes.
Realizing she was letting him act like this was his h
ome, she got up, collected the bag and containers, and put them in the garbage can. Needing to reclaim her space – her control of a situation that had slid way too far to the left – she bumped him out of the way and said, “Let me finish this.”
“I’m already done. Go and relax.” He started opening cupboard doors in front of her. “Where do you keep the coffee so I can put on a pot?” he asked turning and bumping into her. Instantly his arm shot out to stop her from falling against the counter. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“You move so fast,” she exclaimed. “I’m not used to it.”
“Part of my skill set,” he said with a smile. Letting her go he reached over and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead. “You look really stressed. Go sit down in the living room. I will handle the coffee.”
Letting him get away with the kiss was one thing, but it was another to push her into the living room and tell her to relax. “I’m not that delicate,” she argued. “The coffee’s in the drawer below the maker.”
“This has nothing to do with being delicate,” he said. He opened the drawer, pulled up the coffee and measured up a coffee scoop slightly stronger than what she would normally have used.
“It has to do with you taking time to relax. It’s been a stressful day.” While the coffee dripped he pulled two cups out of the cupboard and set them on the counter. “Do you take milk or sugar?” Then he stopped and corrected himself. “Right, you take it black.”
She was inordinately pleased he remembered. They’d only been out for coffee once, but she did like the fact he was good with details.
“I should’ve asked – do you have spare bedding here?”
She shrugged. “If you mean blankets and a pillow then yes.”
“Good enough.” He was about to say something else when there was an odd knock – like one solid followed by three rapid taps. Chase walked to the front door and stepped in front of her before she had a chance to open the door. She glared at him.
“It is my house.”
