With Friends Like These....Part V

[Robbie C.]

It was long past dark when Sonny pulled into his parking spot at the marina. Pete had taken longer than he’d anticipated, mostly wanting to know the details of what was going on and what the end goal of the operation was. “Just got some folks nosin’ around,” was all he’d say when Sonny asked. “Nothin’ for you to worry about, though. Just keep them people in the field and busy.”

But it did worry him. Sonny was a good cop, but a terrible politician. He knew it, and tried to avoid that side of the job as much as possible. But if someone was trying shut them down, sooner or later he’d have to get involved. Unless they waited a few more days. Then Marty could deal with them.

Jenny was sitting in the stern seats of Vellamo, her thin white t-shirt soaked with sweat and transparent. He could see dark circles at the peaks of her high breasts, and figured they’d be lucky if old Mr. Gruberman on the next boat over hadn’t stroked out at some point in the afternoon. She saw him coming down the dock and waved. “I’m almost done here, honey! Then we can head back to the Dance. I’ve got dinner waiting.”

The main cabin of the boat smelled of what could be stew, and a large covered pot simmered on the cooktop. Smiling, Sonny hung up his gray blazer and tossed his shoulder rig on the settee. Not three minutes later he heard her padding across the cabin roof and coming down the gangway.

“I need to shower,” she announced, pulling the shirt over her head. As he’d suspected she was wearing nothing underneath.

“Why? You’ll just be getting sweaty again later.” He grinned. “And why should old Gruberman be the only one who gets to enjoy the view?”

“Now you’re just being mean. He never saw me with my shirt off. You’re the only one who gets to see that.” She smiled and did a quick turn. “What do you think?”

“You know I love it, darlin’. But I gotta admit I am starving. And whatever’s in that pot smells good.”

She left her shirt off while they ate, seeming to enjoy Sonny watching her. “So I think I’ve got a day worth of work left and then Vellamo can go start her new life.”

Sonny nodded, savoring a spoonful of stew. She’d made it with some steak he had in the icebox, along with potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and some other things she’d found in either his galley or hers. “I didn’t want the provisions to go to waste,” she explained with a smile.

“What are you changing in her?”

“I put another bunk in the main cabin. There needs to be room for four to sleep on board, maybe five. And I opened up the fore stateroom a bit.”

“Sounds great. And I don’t know how the hell you do it. If I tried that I’d nail myself to the bulkhead faster than you could imagine.”

“I enjoy it. It’s nice to see things happen like that. When you build them.” She smiled again and dabbed at the remains of her stew with a piece of bread. “How was your day?”

He gave her the highlights, keeping it short. “So I just wanna get this thing in some kind of shape so when Marty comes back he won’t have to do much.”

“He’ll be proud of how you handled it.” She smiled and reached across the table for his hand, pulling it to her chest. “Just like I’ll be proud of how you handle these.”

Later, she snugged up against him, her breathing slowing until she let out a contended sigh. “I’ve been waiting for that all day.”

“Which time?” Sonny looked up at the cabin ceiling, a smile playing across his face.

“All of them.” She kissed his shoulder. “You’ll be glad when he’s back, won’t you?”

“Marty? Yeah. He’s better at running the show than I am.”

“What happens when he leaves?” She looked up at him with her serious eyes. “And he will. Trudy getting shot changed him. In good ways. But he may think he has to choose, and I know what he’ll choose. The same thing I did.”

Sonny shook his head. “I don’t know, darlin’. Can’t say I ever really thought about it that much.” And he hadn’t. But the thought sent a chill down his spine. Castillo was the best cop he’d ever known or heard of. With no exceptions. It had never really occurred to him the man might leave. But it was something he’d understand if it happened. Something I should have done with Caitlin. I won’t make that mistake twice. “But yeah…I don’t know what I’d do.”

“Your heart will tell you when it’s time. Just like his will tell him. And mine told me.” She kissed his neck again, following it up with a lick up to his chin. “And I think I need one more before we go to sleep.”

He rolled on his side and looked deep into her eyes. “Your wish is my command,” he said, kissing her with an intensity that matched hers.

Morning found the Task Force assembled around the conference table, drinking Stan’s excellent coffee and contemplating their next moves. Sonny preferred doing it as a group as opposed to him sitting in the office and making pronouncements. He’d always seen it work for Castillo and he wasn’t too proud now to admit they spotted things he might otherwise miss.

Stan looked up from his draft report. “I’m kinda pissed we didn’t spot those goofballs until they were on us. We should have checked when we came out of The Outlaw.”

Randy shook his head. “That ain’t on you, sarge. I did check. Didn’t see any sign of ‘em. They might have been waiting on one of the side roads and picked us up then. We weren’t easy to miss, after all.”

Sonny nodded. “You did everything right, Stan. No question in my mind. It was just one of those damned things that makes our job so interesting. How you gonna play it with Leo?”

“Roll in and accuse him of sending them after us. It’s what Biggs would do, and Patch can back my play. Might even give Lexi some room to stretch those long legs of hers.”

Gina giggled. “It would be fun to stick a snub nose under his fat chin, but I think I’ll let you two handle that.”

“What then?”

Stan looked up, a smile spreading across his face. “We’ll meet this friend of a friend and see how it rolls. But I did come up with a way to get Burnett and Cooper in if it goes past a single buy. The way I see it, Patch and I are laundering bank heist money or something. It’ll run out. But I know Burnett from some sketchy deals before the Manolo thing went down and figure he might have ties to some bigger money. We dangle that in front of this goofball and see if he bites.”

Sonny nodded, letting the idea roll around in his head. “Good idea. Then we can see just what this guy’s end game is. And that damned fax machine was actually good for something. Those bikers you dropped were some bad dudes. Not high up on the food chain, but they’d done some serious damage at their level. Armed robbery. Warrants for a homicide up in Broward. Pete can keep the AUSA off, but he did say something about people sniffing around.”

Mindy looked around. “I’ll reach out and see if my contacts know anything. I still know a couple of deputies in other offices. They might have heard something.”

Dave and Randy nodded their agreement. “We don’t have the contacts, boss,” Dave commented, “but we’ll reach out, too.”

“Just keep it quiet if you can. If someone’s looking into us, I don’t want them to know that we know.”

Rico looked at his fingernails. “Pete didn’t give any hints?”

“Not a one.”

“That’s not like him.”

“No, but he was also on a normal line. This might call for a sit-down.” He looked across the table at Stan and Lester. “I need you two to sweep all our lines. See if anyone’s listening. As of now we assume they are. And check the offices, too.”

Rico nodded. “We did rattle some Company cages with the whole Delgado thing. And then that chump Menton. We’ve taken out their trash a few times now. Maybe they think we’re a loose end.”

Sonny’s grin wasn’t pleasant. “They forget we still have those files we got from Maynard and Moncado. And that tape the Delta guy got to Marty. If it’s the Company, we can play hardball.”

“Who else have we pissed off?”

“Try who we haven’t pissed off.” Sonny chuckled. “It’s a shorter list. DEA love us, and so does the AUSA’s office. I think that’s about it. ATF did until they screwed up that Holmes raid and we had to save their asses. And the Feebs have always hated us.”

Rico nodded. “And then there’s our good buddies over at Metro-Dade. We did plug a leak for them, but they don’t like it when other people do their work for them. And I think there’s still a few chumps in the head office who’d like to see us working Traffic.”

“Either way I’m not letting it slow us down. Stan, can you have a plan ready by noon? Cool. We’ll meet then and give it a run-through. Mindy will have a receipt ready for the flash money if you think you need any. I wouldn’t take much, though.”

“Wasn’t planning on it. No need to tempt old Leo any more than we have to.”

Rico followed Sonny into Castillo’s office and pushed the door shut. “You got a minute, partner?”

“Always, Rico. What’s up?” Sonny sat down with a sigh. “And if you tell me you’re pregnant…”

Rico chuckled. “Naw. Nothing like that. I’m on the pill.” He sat down, and his eyes turned serious. “I was talking with Mindy last night. Don’t grin like that, we actually did talk. Later. Anyhow, I’m thinking about having her move in with me. It’s a cover property, so I thought I should clear it with the boss man.”

“I don’t see why not. Cooper always did seem strange without a beautiful lady on his arm.” Sonny nodded. “And about that cover property thing…have you thought about buying the place?”

“It’s a damned nice pad. No question. A bit out of my league price-wise, even if it’s on the seized property auction.”

Sonny turned to look out the window. He wasn’t sure how Rico would take what he was going to say, but it was something he’d thought about for months and had talked about with Jenny before leaving the boat that morning. “Look, Rico. I know we got off to a rough start, but you’re the best friend I’ve ever had. And the best partner. I know I was an asshole for years, and how the hell you stuck with me is something I’ll never understand.”

“I ain’t no bed of roses, either, partner.” Rico chuckled. “We must two of most un-partnerable cops in South Florida.”

“Yeah, but you stuck by me through it all. That means something.” He turned and looked his friend in the eye. “If you want to buy Casa Cooper, I can loan you the money. Nothing fancy, no interest. All or some. However you want to do it.” He raised his hand. “Just think about it, ok? Assuming you’re going to stay in Miami.”

“You know, I never really thought about that.” Rico leaned back in his chair, and Sonny could see thought lines on his forehead. “I know I talk a lot about New York, but there’s nothing there for me now. Maybe it was the idea I’d find Rico Junior someday and take him back there. But that’s gone, too. My whole life’s down here now. Especially now.”

“Like I said, I don’t need an answer now. Hell, if you don’t want to do it that’s cool, too. I just want you to know the offer’s there.”

Rico nodded, his eyes shifting down then back up again. “Let me see what the asking price is. I’ve got some put away. Easy to do when you’re wearing someone else’s threads.”

“Yeah. I’ve been lucky with the boat. I never really had to move like you did. And now it’s mine. I’d like to make sure you can actually stay in one place and get settled in. Just know that the offer’s there whenever you’re ready. And you can pay me back when you can however you can.”

“You don’t need to do this, Sonny.”

He nodded. “I know. But I want to. That’s the thing, Rico. I want to use some of that money to help people around me. Cait would have wanted that. I’ve got it set so Caitlin’s House can draw on a trust to keep running for years. She still gets royalty money, and that’s going into the trust. So it’s set. Me? I don’t need squat. Boat’s paid for. Now that Elvis is wandering the swamps again I don’t need to buy tuna or kibble. Or pay for repairs at the marina when the big bastard got out.”

“What about Jenny?”

“Hell, she’s set on her own.” Sonny shook his head. “She doesn’t talk about him much, but her daddy’s loaded. There’s some trust fund in her name she draws on when she needs stuff. And she doesn’t need much stuff. The most I’ve ever seen her spend was on materials to refit Vellamo for Caitlin’s House.”

Rico grinned. “She doesn’t spend on clothes.”

Sonny laughed. “No, she does not. And I for one one ain’t complaining about that. For more than one reason. But no, partner. I’m set. I just feel like I owe people around me.”

“I get it, partner. I do. And…I’ll let you know what I need.” Rico shook his head. “It’s not easy.”

“I know. We’re both proud, dumb bastards on the best days. But you’re on the edge of something good with Mindy and I want to make sure you don’t get moved back to some shithole on the edge of Overton or the swamps just because some bean-counter wanted the penthouse.”

“Or some boss spotted it and wanted it as a hide-out for his hookers.” Rico nodded. “I’ll let you know.”

“Good.” Sonny sighed. “That went a damned sight better than I thought it might.”

“Yeah. Now let’s hope things go as easy with whoever’s sniffing around.” Rico grinned. “And Pete gave no hints?”

“Nope, which is why I’m having our tech twins sweep the place. Pete isn’t usually so close-mouthed.”

“What’s your gut telling you?”

“FBI. They didn’t benefit at all from any of our operations, and I think Pete had some kind of feud with them before we even came on the scene.” Sonny nodded, more for himself than Rico. “Yeah, I’d put my money on the Feebs. Maybe the Company, but I don’t think Pete would know they were coming if they were going after us.”

Rico nodded. “You got a point there. I’ll keep my eyes open for unmarked tan Fords with guys in cheap suits.”

“Yeah. They could mess this operation up if they come tromping in wearing their size thirteen shoes.” He sighed. “Two more days and Marty’s back. I just want to hold this on track until he’s back in this chair. Investigations I can deal with, but this kind of thing is not my scene.” He shook his head. “But thanks for letting me know about Mindy. You two getting things sorted out?”

“Yeah, I think so. She’s had some bad luck with men, and you know about me and the ladies.” Rico smiled. “But this one feels good.”

“Jenny thinks so, too. She’s always asking about the two of you.”

“And that girl is never wrong.” Rico shook his head. “Scares me sometimes.”

“You and me both, partner.” Sonny glared as the fax machine beeped to life. “Guess I’d better see what kind of crap is coming in this time. And if you get a chance give some thought to how we could work that angle Stan mentioned for getting Burnett and Cooper into the deal. I’d like to have a backup plan ready to go just in case we have to move faster than we think on this one.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that. It’ll have to be through Burnett, I think. At least at first. Cooper and Biggs just ain’t gonna run into each other socially unless it’s a strip club, and his deals would be too small for me.”

Sonny nodded. “We got a couple of hours. Let’s make ‘em count.”

 

Randy, Stan and Gina were in costume when they got back together to go through the plan. Gina had switched to a pair of tight leather pants this time, giving Sonny a sheepish smile when he raised an eyebrow. “I ended up giving people a show with the last outfit,” she explained. “And if I have to get involved it’s easier to fight in these.”

Stan grinned. “And it fits the story. We’re gonna tell Leo we had to lie low down the coast after the shooting. Florida City instead of Lauderdale so we don’t run into the dealers with the story.”

“I like it.”

“We’re gonna take ten grand in flash money. I already signed it out with Mindy. Nothing’s gonna change hands, though. It’s just to show we’ve got the goods on our side if anyone asks. If not, it doesn’t see daylight until it’s going back in the office safe. We’ll roll in like before, but I’m starting to worry the Roach Coach might have been made.”

Lester nodded. “I’m kinda out of shacks that might need an exterminator. I can fake a breakdown, but someone might stop to help or try to rip me off.”

Sonny thought for a moment. “We’ll take the chance one last time. Any more meetings won’t be at The Outlaw in any case. Leo’s role in this show is almost over.”

“Ok, but we’d like to stick you two in the Roach Coach. If anything goes south we’ll need as many guns as possible.” Stan looked at Randy, who nodded. “We got lucky with the Angels, and we don’t have a feel for what this mystery dealer’s capable of.”

“Sounds good. Any other thoughts? Where’s Mindy during all this?”

“Back here running the radios. I’ve got her read in for signals Delta, Oscar, and Romeo if things go bad.”

Mindy nodded, her blue eyes lighting up as she smiled. “I can send cops from three different jurisdictions all over South Florida if you need it, boss. It also frees up Lester to drive or shoot as needed.”

Sonny looked around the table, seeing only nods. “Good plan. We’ll execute when you give the word, Stan. Team Elvis and a couple of plus ones.”

 

Gina settled onto the passenger seat of the big Harley, wrapping her arms around Stan and feeling the vibrations from the motor starting to work their magic. Maybe she’d pushed the edge a bit the first time, but it worked. Both for putting Leo at ease and for making sure their night was outstanding. This time she promised herself she’d focus more. It had moved past a simple meet and greet the second Stan and Randy had been forced to kill the Hell’s Angels.

Or had they been forced? One thing that nagged at Gina about the Task Force was how quick they were on the draw. Granted, she’d been away from the game for over a year now, and a lot had changed about the drug trade in South Florida. She’d seen it in the faces of the girls her new unit had helped off the street. And on Stan’s face when he came home some nights before the Task Force had formed.

Maybe they had to be that fast. The dealers certainly were. And better organized than they had been back when she was working the streets. Cartels were the norm now and not the exception, and each had its own private army of varying size. She pressed her face into the soft leather of Stan’s jacket to keep the wind out of her eyes as they rode. And she knew he was happier when he came home now. More satisfied with the job they were doing.

But it’s not my job any more. Just thinking it made her feel a bit better. She’d come back as a favor to Castillo and Sonny, knowing they needed help while Trudy healed. But what she’d seen just confirmed she was better off where she was. Things moved so much faster now. And they were a tight unit. Tighter than even OCB had been on its best days. Four more days and she’d be back with Victim Services. And steering girls toward Caitlin’s House. The thought made her smile into the jacket.

She did worry about Stan some nights. He was a gentle soul at heart, always trying to see the best in everyone. And on the Task Force that was hard, because all they saw was the worst. She knew she could keep him centered, and he was tough. Tougher than even she’d thought. Still, she worried.

She felt the rhythm of the engine change, and the bike swing as Stan took the last turn before The Outlaw’s parking lot. Focusing her thoughts, she put herself into Lexi’s mindset for the last time. Then she leaned out from behind Stan to look things over.

Only four bikes leaned against their kickstands this time, even though it was late enough for there to be more. But what drew her attention was the car; a dark Mercedes four door parked near the side entrance. “Got a big Merc,” she whispered into her raised arm, knowing the microphone in her watch would pick it up. “Florida plates. Might be a rental.” Without the earpiece she’d hear nothing back, but she wanted to give the Roach Coach an idea of what was going on before they went in. “Only four bikes.”

Randy looked over and winked. “Showtime,” he mouthed over the thump of the bikes. She nodded back, still not quite sure what to make of Randy or Dave. They were both so quiet, so focused. But she’d seen Dave trotting around Debbie like a puppy, and she couldn’t get the image of Randy and Angie splitting a pitcher of beer without glasses out of her head. But she’d also heard what they’d done when Castillo and Trudy had been shot, and knew she could count on them no matter what. Maybe that was all that mattered.

The gravel crunched under the sharp heels of her knee-high boots as she followed Stan across the lot. Her old .38 rested snug in a holster stitched inside her leather vest, and the slight breeze was cool on her exposed stomach below the cropped top. She focused on the sensations, along with the lingering weakness in her legs from the Harley’s vibrations. No matter how many times she’d done it, she still got butterflies going into an undercover situation.

Stan crashed through The Outlaw’s door like a lineman opening a hole for his star running back. “You’d best not have had a damned thing to do with those Angels, Leo! I even think you did, I’ll put a damned bullet through your worthless head.”

Behind the bar Leo raised both his hands and backed against the beer cooler. “No, Biggs! I didn’t have shit to do with that! Those fools dug their own graves.”

Randy took a step past Gina. “You’d better be straight with us, fatso. Biggs here is nicer than me. I’d start shootin’ an the knees and work my way up.”

While they went through their routine, Gina gave the bar a quick once-over. Aside from two bikers shooting pool at one of the coin-ops toward the back the place looked empty. Four bikes and a car and only two guys? This doesn’t feel right. She stepped forward and touched Stan’s shoulder. “Don’t wast time with this fat prick, baby. We got business.”

Stan chuckled. “Right as always, Lexi. And I don’t want to hang around here any longer than we have to. Bad enough we had to run over to Florida City to lie low.” He turned back to Leo. “So where’s these friends of friends?”

“Over here.” The man’s voice came from the doorway to back room. Good english with a touch of accent Gina put as South American Spanish. “You must be the Biggs this one talked about.”

When the man stepped into the wan light of the pool tables Gina had to admit Dave’s description was almost perfect. He did have the short-cropped blonde hair of one of the SS men you saw in bad movies, and staying up with Stan she’d seen more than her share of those. And he was tall, and lean like some kind of athlete. A runner, maybe. His jawline was square and clean-shaven, and she could just make out his light blue eyes in the gloom. “Shall we talk at a table? I don’t like the bar.”

“Sounds good to me.” Stan waved his hand and Randy started for one of the corner tables.

Gina followed, still looking for the girl. Seconds later she came out of the back room, and again Dave had nailed his description. She wasn’t quite as tall as the man, but the spike heels she wore made up for the lack. Her hair was a dark black, but to Gina it looked dyed. She wore a suit of the same make and cut of the man’s, but with a narrow skirt tailored to show her muscled legs off to full advantage. And I’d say she was a skater, too. Not small enough for a gymnast. She returned Gina’s appraisal with a frank look, and then smiled. Her eyes were a dark brown. She didn’t say a word, just sat beside the man.

Gina sat where she could drape an arm around Stan and keep an eye on them both. She knew they’d expect it since she was his old lady, and it gave her a good chance to study them both. The man nodded to Stan. “You may call me Frank. It will do for our purposes. I hear you’re looking for a specific product.”

“My friend is, yeah.” Stan nodded toward Randy. “Patch is a might particular about how he invests his money.”

“I see.”

Gina watched the body language, trying to keep her eyes hooded so she looked bored instead of appraising. Five minutes into the conversation she realized with a shock that the woman was in charge. She was sitting close enough to Frank to touch his thigh with hers, and from time to time she’d press against him just enough for him to feel the touch. Always it was after Stan asked a question.

“So you want a quantity of product I might be able to supply?”

“That’s right. No less than twenty, no more than forty.” Randy shrugged. “Hard to more much more than that on a hog, ya know.” He leaned in. “And it’s gotta be Bolivian. Smoother than the rest and easier to cut because of that. I like to get the most return for my money.”

She watched as the woman’s thigh touched Frank’s. “Say I can supply this. What are your terms?”

“Depends on the quantity. I can go up to fifty a key, but that’s for less weight and higher purity. Now your turn.”

Stan chuckled. “How much and what purity he means.”

“I know.” Frank looked annoyed, but only for a second. “How soon do you need the product?”

“Well, Leo’s little stunt with the Angels or whatever it was made this place a bit uncomfortable for us. Four days tops and we gotta head back north.”

As Gina watched, two more bikers came out of the back room and joined the two playing pool. It could be coincidence, but she’d learned not to leave things to chance. She shifted a bit to watch them, noticing the girl move just after she did and likely for the same reason. Then she spoke her first words of the night. “You know those two?”

“Nope. They’re unaffiliated punks. Biggs here is my old man. I don’t ride with punks.” More South American Spanish accent. Thicker than his. Bolivia, maybe? “You know ‘em?”

“No. They were out back when we arrived.” Then the mask slid back over her face and she stopped talking.

Frank looked annoyed at the interruption. “How do I know you have the funds?”

“Same way I know you got the product.” Randy grinned. “But unlike you I came prepared.” Reaching into his jacket he pulled out a paper bag. “Ten grand. You can look but don’t touch.”

Frank nodded, satisfied with what he saw. “And as you say, it is my turn.” He turned to the girl. “You have the sample?”

Gina watched as she nodded and unbuttoned her white silk shirt, pulling a clear glass vial from one of the cups of her bra. She set the vial on the table and smiled. Something about the whole display left an uneasy feeling in Gina’s stomach. It was a calculated distraction, but why? And for who?

Randy reached out and picked up the vial. Opening it, he sniffed. “Damned perfume,” he muttered, knocking a small trace of the white powder on the side of his thumb. “Cut looks good. Smells right, too, once you get overpriced hooker out of the way.” He looked over at Stan and nodded. “You wanna check it?”

Nodding, Stan pulled out a test kit and scraped the powder from Randys thumb into the tube. Snapping the base, he shook it and smiled when it turned blue. “I’d say we’re good.” He set the vial back on the table. “If the whole load’s that good.”

“It is.” Reaching out, Frank picked up the vial and tucked it back in the girl’s bra. Again Gina watched as her thigh pressed his. “I’d say we can do business. You have a contact number?”

“Hotel front desk, but we’re movin’ around a bit.” Randy smiled, but his eyes were a strange cold that made Gina nervous without knowing why. “That and I’d rather put this together face to face. Phone calls have a way of goin’ wrong or bein’ heard by the wrong ears.”

“I like careful.” Frank pulled a small pad out of the inside pocket of his jacket and scribbled something on the top sheet with a gold Cross pen. “Meet us at this address tomorrow at ten. We will make arrangements then.” He got to his feet with a smooth, practiced motion, followed by the girl. “Good night.” Turn he turned and went out the back door, the girl close behind him.

Gina could feel some of the tension leaving Stan’s shoulders even through the thick jacket. “Let’s get outa this damned place an’ back on the road,” he said, turning and hauling her in for a quick kiss. It surprised her, but rekindled that weak feeling in her legs. “You ready to ride, Patch?”

“Hell yes. Place smells worse than a latrine at Bragg in August.” Randy shot a last look at the four men back by the tables. “You boys best not get any cute ideas, hear? Just ask Leo how the last four assholes with cute ideas ended up. Ain’t that right, Leo?”

Stan laughed, a booming thing bouncing off the walls of the bar. “You’ll get your finder’s fee, Leo. Don’t worry. Soon’s we get everything lined up. You got Biggs’ word on that, an’ Biggs don’t lie.”

Gina kept her eyes moving when they walked out into the parking lot. The Mercedes was gone, and that made her heart beat a little slower. Something about the whole act with Frank and the girl still didn’t sit right with her. Maybe it was the name Frank…digging up memories of Frank Mosca. She shuddered in spite of herself. Bad old memories. She thought she’d put the rape behind her. But I should know better. It’s what I do every day now. And Stan…I love him so much. She smiled, using the image of Stan to push the memories away.

Stan took her hand and grinned. “Now let’s get the hell out of here, Lexi. You still ready to ride, Patch?”

Randy started his bike with a roar. “Let’s blow this hole!”

They took their time getting back to the underground garage, making more than a few detours to make sure no one was following them. Satisfied, Stan pulled up next to Randy and gave him a thumbs-up. Gina kept her face pressed against the jacket, just enjoying the feel of him and letting the warmth flow over her. Trying to separate her feelings about the name from her impression of the two they’d met at the bar.

Sonny and the rest were waiting for them when they got off the elevator on the tenth floor. Randy pulled out the paper bag with a grin. “Let’s get this logged back in,” he said.

Stan nodded. “You want to debrief now, Sonny?”

“A quick one. I think we can recycle tonight’s plan for the meet tomorrow.”

Gina nodded, sitting down in one of the conference room chairs to hide the weakness in her legs. More than anything she just wanted to pull Stan down on the table and have her way with him, but that would have to wait until they got home. “I don’t know if you two noticed, but the girl was in charge of that meeting.”

Stan looked at her with wide eyes. “I was too busy watching those punks back by the pool tables.”

“She was pressing on his leg every time you two asked a question.” She looked from Stan to Sonny, her brown eyes serious. “He wasn’t showing much when she did, but it was there. She agreed to that meet, not him. And I expect they had the location picked out before we even came in.”

“But why have him as a front?”

She giggled. “Credibility, Crockett. Who’s gonna take the word of some tall dame with nice legs when you got a scary SS poster boy saying all the lines?” She winked. “And he makes a great fall guy if things go wrong.” She shook her head at a memory. “What I want to know is why they pulled that stunt with the coke in the bra? That’s strictly amateur hour, and nothing about those two struck me as amateur.”

Randy looked up from the receipt he was signing for Mindy after she and Rico had counted the money. “Habit? Maybe they usually take pictures or something. But the light in there was too damned bad for that. I picked the table on purpose just in case.”

Gina smiled. “Good thinking.”

“Habit, ma’am. Our surveillance teams like to take pictures that way, so I aways planned to avoid what we do.”

Lester nodded. “And speaking of that, the office came up clean when we swept earlier. I’m gonna do it at least twice a day until someone says stop, though. No routine just in case someone’s turning stuff off to avoid a regular sweep.”

Gina nodded, impressed. She still remembered Lester as the awkward guy from the lab who’d sometimes come up and turn bright red when he had to fit her or Trudy with a wire. He’d been over to the apartment a few times since the Task Force formed, but she hadn’t appreciated just how much he’d grown until she’d worked with them. No she corrected herself. How much all of them have grown. Even Stan. Especially Stan. And Sonny…I don’t even know him anymore. She shook her head. It was time to get back to her real job. Her real life. She loved how this had brought out the real Stan, but she also loved how her work had brought out the real her. It made sense now.

Stan looked over at her and winked. “Now I’d best get my old lady back to the crib. Or is that even a damned thing these days? I can’t keep up. Hell, let’s just get the hell out of here. Lester, you mind dropping us off?”

“Don’t worry. I drove in. Best if he we leave the bikes under cover.”

Randy nodded. “Good idea. Just in case those two are lookin’ for us.” He looked over at Dave. “You did bring the Trans-Am, right?”

“This ain’t my first rodeo, son. Of course I brought the Trans-Am.” Dave chuckled. “We’ll see you kids in the morning.”

Stan seemed to pick up on her mood on the way back to their apartment. “I bet you’ll be glad to see the last of that place.”

“Kind of, yeah.” She smiled, guiding her car through the traffic with ease. Since leaving OCB she’d downsized to a more manageable late-model Toyota. “It’s good to work with them, but I miss being able to come home feeling like I helped someone make their life better.”

“I get it. And I’ll bet Lia and Ashley are lost without you.” He touched her thigh and smiled.

“They’d never admit it. Especially Lia. And if you touch my thigh again I might just pull this car over and not be responsible for my actions.”

He laughed. “I’ll wait until we get home, then. It’s way more fun when you’re responsible for your actions.”

Her laugh was real this time, reaching down deep inside. “I love you, Stan.”

“I love you, too, Gina. And next time we take the Harley out it won’t be for work.”

“Then I’ll wear that skirt again. There’s something I’ve always wanted to try…”

[vicegirl85]

31 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

It had never really occurred to him the man might leave.

Yeah, nothing can change 

Another great chapter but I'm afraid this is the calm before the storm!

[Robbie C.]

Time will tell. Now that they've got two things to deal with...

[mjcmmv]

Took my time with this one. It was worth the wait. 

Love hearing Gina's viewpoint. And not having her as part of the task force makes a lot of sense. 

This was a good one! Thanks for the "ride"!

[Robbie C.]

Yeah. I did grapple with it a bit, and this path makes sense for her.