My musing came to an abrupt ending as I felt the vomit rising in my throat. Thank God, Ramón had left the lid on the toilet seat up, or it would have been quite a mess.
I left the room ten minutes later, wearing my boots and holding my head. I had been on the second floor of what seemed to be an old ranch house. I had dropped Ramón off at the door once at night but had never been inside. The place was huge, but I found my way to the living room where Ramón was watching football.
When Ramón saw me, he smiled and turned off the TV.
“Ah Chica, at last, I was beginning to worry. You slept most of the day.”
I sent him a sheepish look.
“I’m sorry about this, and… I want to thank you for not taking advantage of me, although, I’m not sure I’d blame you if you had. I do recall giving you a very hot kiss, and did I shove my hand down your… I mean, did I…”
His grinned widened. “You have a very good grip.”
“Oh God.”
“I’ve seen drunk a time or two, and I knew you weren’t yourself. This was about that girl Blondie dying, wasn’t it? Is that why you drank so much?”
“Yes, that, and also because Gary dumped me.”
“Really? Hmm, the man’s a fool.”
“I’m the fool. I drove here drunk. God, what a stupid, stupid thing to do. I could have killed someone. I could have killed myself. Maybe Gary is right when he says that I’m a danger junkie.”
“He called you that?”
“Yes, he thinks that I risk my life unnecessarily.”
“It’s your life, not his, and I’d rather be shot at any day than be tied to a desk like he is.”
“He loves being a lawyer, just like I love being a bounty hunter.”
“To each his own, that’s what I say.”
I stared at him. “You know something, I still don’t know what it is you do.”
“I find people, same as you do; only I do it for more money.”
“And who pays you?”
“The person or persons who want the person found.”
“Do you ever refuse a job?”
“I have, but not often, and I never fail.”
“Never?”
“Never! It’s why I get more money. You hire me, consider them found.”
“But wait a minute, when we first met you told me that I had once captured a man before you could, what about that.”
“That man’s name was Fred Evers, and I said that you got to him before I could, I never said that I wanted to capture him.”
“Fred Evers?” I said, then I remembered. Fred Evers had been a pawn in a conspiracy that involved people high up in state government. After he was framed for embezzling millions in public funds, he ran, but I caught him near the Mexican border and brought him back. A day later, the truth came out and he was exonerated.
“You don’t consider Fred Evers a failure?”
“No, because the man who hired me cancelled the contract.”
“Who hired you to find him?”
“Fred Evers hired me.”
“He hired you to find himself?”
“He hired me to find himself a new self.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t, but it was the closest I ever came to failing.”
“You’ve never failed? That’s not possible. At the risk of bragging, I’m about the best there is and my percentage runs about ninety-six percent.”
“Your work and my work aren’t exactly the same.”
“Then, explain it to me.”
“I can’t.”
“So… I still don’t know what you do. Is it illegal?”
“No, I can tell you that much.”
“A man of mystery, but someday I’ll figure it out.”
“And maybe someday I’ll just tell you.”
We became quiet then and stared at each other. I realized that it was the first time I’d ever been alone with him.
I looked around the room. There were bookcases against one wall and a desk with a laptop situated between them. The TV hanging on the wall was huge, but I saw no family photos. Then I remembered that Ramón was orphaned while young and had practically been on his own ever since.
He walked over and handed me my keys.
“You left your truck running; you also damaged the oil filter when you ran over the hedge. I fixed the filter and changed the oil, but I want you back here in three thousand miles.”
“Oh God, you did all that? Thank you. I love my truck. If I had totaled it, I’d never forgive myself.”
For a moment, I wondered if his handing me the keys was a hint that I should leave, but then he asked me a question.
“Are you hungry? I’ll fire up the grill and throw some steaks on.”
“I’m starving, but I’m also grubby and I have one hell of a headache. I think I’ll just grab some drive-thru on the way home.”
“Whatever you say, Chica.”
“Thanks for everything, Ramón. And I’m sorry about last night, it must have felt like a tease.”
“Yes, but it’s amazing what a cold shower can do.”
I kissed him. I didn’t think about it, I just did it, and… I liked it.
“More teasing, Chica?”
“A kiss of gratitude, for changing my oil.”
“I should have rebuilt your engine, then, things might get interesting.”
We laughed, and it lasted a little longer than it should have, as we realized that our friendship might be drifting toward something else.
He walked me out to my truck. Even in the dark I could tell that it was shining, along with everything else, he had also washed it.
I said goodnight, and this time it was with a peck on the cheek, but after I started the engine and as he was walking back toward the house, I called to him.
“Hey, do you know that I don’t even know your last name.”
“Acero, Ramón Acero, it means steel in Spanish.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, fate hmm?”
I stared at him, wanting to say more, and wondering if I should have said yes to those steaks.
“What are you doing this weekend, Ramón?”
“I’ll be here, if I’m not working.”
“Do you wanna hang out, you know, a movie, maybe dinner?”
He said nothing for a few moments, but just studied me, as if he were trying to read my motives, but then he smiled.
“I would like that very much, Blue. Should I call you on Friday?”
“Yes, goodnight Ramón.”
“Goodnight, Blue.”
So, I was no longer, Chica, now it was Blue. Things had changed.
I awoke the next morning feeling much more human, even more so, after I ate a good breakfast.
I had the day off. Normally, that was a reason to spoil myself, but I still felt so bad over Blondie and my break-up with Gary that I didn’t feel worthy of being spoiled.
After drifting about my apartment and watching daytime TV, I made a decision. I was hurting, and I would do what I always did when I’d get hurt as a child. I’d run to my mama.
I was going home to Landsville.
Mama met me at the door with a hug and a kiss, but afterward, she held me at arm’s length and looked me over.
“My girl is in pain; what’s been happening, baby?”
“Please tell me that you have some of your apple pie?”
“Apple and peach, I made them this morning.”
“Then, let’s talk over coffee.”
I told her about Burt Tucker, about Blondie, and finally, about Gary. When I finished, she patted my hand.
“You’ve been through it, girl, and all at once, but… tell me more about this fella, Ramón.”
I stared at her. I had only mentioned Ramón in passing as I told her about the shootout at the strip club, but she keyed in on that right away.
“He’s a friend.”
“A friend who followed you around
making sure that no one harmed you, I think that’s more than a friend, don’t you?”
I smiled. I might as well tell her everything. Not much slipped by my mama.
“I got drunk the other night and went to see him.”
She raised her head at that.
“And what happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“I was drunk drunk, Mama, first time in years. He saw that, and… he was a gentleman.”
“Thank God for that, there are a lot of men that wouldn’t have reacted the same way. What you did was stupid, girl, you’re not gonna do that again, are you?”
“No, I’ve found another way to cope.”
“And what’s that?”
“Spending time with my mama,” I said, and kissed her on the cheek.
“Pregnant?”
My sister Jenny nodded at me, while smiling,
“Two months, I found out yesterday.”
I let out a squeal and hugged her.
“I’m so happy for you. How’s Chad taking it?”
“It’s good, Blue, everything’s good. When I told him last night, he walked over to his dresser and took out an engagement ring. He was already going to ask me to marry him, see?”
I looked down and wondered how I hadn’t noticed the ring the moment she walked in the door. The diamond was huge. Jenny was getting married and having a baby and I had just broken up with my boyfriend. I was glad to see at least one of us was happy, especially after the trouble she had last year, when her boyfriend at the time was murdered.
Then, a man named Chad Parker came into Jenny’s life and she’s never been happier. And now she’s having a baby. I only hoped that I could turn things around as fast.
I stayed with my family for two days and left there with my spirit feeling refreshed.
The drive home to Fort Worth takes about an hour. I used that time to think, and what I found myself thinking about the most was Ramón.
We’d first met when Becca’s daughter, Amy, had been taken as a hostage by bank robbers. Ramón helped me get her back while risking his life to do it. Needless to say, he was a friend after that, and I never thought of him as being anything else, but then, I had been with Gary.
Ramón recently saved my life. Days later, he saved me from being a fool when he let me stay and sleep off a drunk. I liked Ramón, had always liked Ramón, and even found him a bit intriguing. I was beginning to wonder if maybe we were meant to be more than friends.
As I exited the highway, I made a call.
“Hello.”
“Hi, it’s Blue.”
“What’s up?”
“I… are you busy?”
“Not at all.”
“I could be there in ten minutes. I thought maybe we could hang out, have a pizza… you know?”
“Make it nine minutes.”
I laughed. “I’ll shoot for eight, see ya.”
“Bye-bye, Blue.”
As I ended the call, I took a deep breath and began talking to myself.
“Okay, it’s just pizza, maybe watch a little TV, no pressure, just a quiet afternoon with a friend. It’s not like we’re starting some big romance.”
Or were we?
I didn’t make it to his house in eight minutes. It took eight and a half.
His house was on a road where some of the homes, the older ones, were ranch houses like his, and spread wide apart; these were interspersed with new cul-de-sacs that boasted McMansions.
As I went around the curve that led to his home, I saw some sort of commotion going on in front of it. As I drove closer, I could see people tussling with someone. The person was obscured by them, and so I couldn’t see who it was.
I pulled into the semicircular driveway and got out of the truck, and that’s when I saw Ramón. He was being shoved into the back of a van by three men. His face was bloody, and his wrists were bound behind his back. Ramón fought to stay out of van, but then he saw me, and his eyes went wide with fright.
“Run, Blue! Get the hell out of here!”
There was a woman with the men; she shouted out orders to them from the driver’s seat.
“Toss him in the back and then kill that woman; she’s seen our faces.”
I reached into my truck and grabbed my purse. I wasn’t working and had no reason to expect trouble, but I always carried a gun or kept one handy. I’ve learned from hard experience to be prepared.
As they tossed Ramón into the van, I fumbled my gun from my purse, then threw the purse back on the seat. With Ramón secured in the van, the three men now turned their attention on me. As the one in the middle brought his gun up, I fired.
The bullet hit the man in the chest, and he went down. His two companions returned fire as I dove to the ground behind a tree. I sent another shot their way, but then I saw the woman pass something out the window to one of the men. It was a rifle with a scope.
I’m not sure what kind of shells that thing held, but when the man fired it, it took a chunk out of the tree that was bigger than my fist. Outgunned and outnumbered, I decided that my best bet at staying alive was to run, to run and find someplace to hide. If I stayed out in the open, I would soon be dead.
I sprinted from the wounded tree and headed for the back of the property with the men giving chase. The property had once been a working ranch and I figured that there would be a barn or a garage or someplace where I could hide. After gaining concealment, I could work at taking the men down one by one, but when I rounded the corner of the house at the rear, I saw nothing.
There was just a flat field that stretched on for acres, with a few skinny trees and an old stone well. Out here, I was an easy target.
With the men in pursuit, I kept running, as a plan for survival formed in my mind.
So much for a quiet afternoon.
Chapter 8
The two men rounded the corner of the house just as I hid from view.
Both men gazed right and left, but then their eyes fell on the well. I was not completely hidden, but I prayed to remain unseen, because if I were spotted, I would surely be killed.
The man with the rifle elbowed his friend, then tossed his chin at the landscape before them. There were several trees scattered about, mostly Pin Oaks and two Pecan trees, but they were all young and their trunks were too narrow to hide behind, but then the man pointed at the well, and both he and his friend smiled.
They strode toward the well with determined gaits. As they drew nearer, the man raised the rifle, readying the gun to fire death down the well’s dark hole.
They nodded their heads while silently counting down from three, then they rushed the well to release a barrage of shots.
When I killed the first man, the one with the gun, he still had a perplexed look on his face. I knew that he was wondering just where the hell I had gotten to.
As his partner fell dead at his feet, the second man swung the rifle around, but I had already taken a bead on him and I fired two shots into his belly.
As he doubled over in agony, the rifle slipped from his grasp and tumbled down into the well. It clanked off the damp stones inside, before splashing into the water below.
I climbed down from the Pin Oak. I had guessed that they would focus their attention on the well, and I had guessed right. If they had only looked up, they would have seen me among the leaves and the rifle would have sealed my fate.
The rifleman was writhing about in agony and was giving no thought to his partner’s weapon, which lay only a foot from his fingertips.
I picked up the gun and left him to his pain as I headed back to the front of the house to deal with the woman and free Ramón. But, as I turned the corner of the house, the van was in sight and the woman and I locked eyes.
She was about forty, good-looking, with fair hair, and eyes as green as my own, eyes that widened as she realized what seeing me meant. It meant that she was alone.
She leaned out the window and fired a shot behind her. I heard
the accompanying POP! and realized that she had just shot out one of my tires.
I ran toward the van with my gun extended, but knew that I shouldn’t fire, or I’d risk hitting Ramón. As the van sped away, all I could do was memorize the plate and description and hope that they would lead to her. Then, I remembered that there remained one left behind, and I ran back toward the wounded rifleman.
He was dead, laying in grass stained red from his wounds and staring up at the sun. I went about checking all three men for anything that might lead me to Ramón, but found only typical wallets, key cards for different motels, and a spare magazine for a gun.
It was time to call the police.
“Tell me again why you murdered those men?”
I looked into the face of Detective Horace Whitaker as I began to wonder if he was a moron.
“It wasn’t murder; it was self-defense, as I’ve already stated four times.”
When two uniformed officers responded to the scene at Ramón’s house, I greeted them with my hands empty and held high. The two officers acted in a reasonable and professional manner and I explained to them what had taken place. I was glad to see that they were efficient and well-trained and began to hope that Ramón would soon be found safe and unharmed.
And then, I met Detective Horace Whitaker.
His first act upon greeting me was to leer at my breasts, then he accused me of murder. I also got the impression that he knew Ramón, or perhaps he just referred to every abductee as, “That uppity Hispanic dude.”
I was at a police station and being held inside a grubby interrogation room that was about the size of my bedroom closet. For over three hours, I’d been repeating the same story and getting the same allegations back. Whitaker seemed determined to get me to confess to murder, why, I had no idea. Maybe he needed one in the win column to keep his job, or maybe it was something else, but he was wasting valuable time, time that Ramón didn’t have.
I pushed down my anger once more and attempted to get an answer.
Blue Steele Box Set Page 16
