Asking For Trouble (29 page)

She saw the man's shoulders tense, and
watched as his face turned so red it was almost purple, and his
hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. The woman and the other
guy just watched them with cool impassive faces, as did the others
at the table.

"I didn't!" Mo shouted back at him. "She
fucking tried to escape and whacked her head on the sink! She's
lucky I didn't put a bullet in her!"

"There'll be time for that," the man at the
table told him, then nodded his chin toward the hallway door across
the room. "Take her back there for now...and for god's sake don't
let her bleed all over everything!"

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Beau fought down the roar that brewed inside
his chest, as well as the bile that rose to his throat. Jazzy was
hurt and bleeding, and that big asshole had done that to her. When
this shit went down, the first one he was going to put a bullet in
was that guy. His hand itched to grab his hold gun from his boot
and do it now. They'd taken his gun from his shoulder holster, but
didn't search them, other than patting them down at the waist and
thighs.
Dumb asses
, he thought, because he had more
firepower in his boot than he'd had in his holster.

He also breathed a sigh of relief that she
hadn't given him away. She either didn't recognize him, or her
brain was scrambled from the blow to her head. Fear that she had a
concussion and maybe a brain bleed or something sent sickness
pouring through him. They needed to get this done quickly, so he
could get her to the hospital, but they were going to have to wait
two fucking days, and by then it'd be too late, if something was
really wrong with her.

Imperceptibly, Susan moved her hand to his
arm and squeezed in warning, then said loudly, "I heard through my
office that you were having trouble with your operation, and wanted
some help
managing
the problem. I talked to a few of my
friends
and also found out that you pay quite well, and that
intrigued me. We have your
problem
in hand...and would like
to be cut in for our show of faith."

"I don't see any good faith," the
dark-skinned guy at the head of the table told her impatiently. "I
see four people, who I don't know in my building in the middle of
the night without an invitation. That is what I see." The man
tilted his chin and Beau flexed as he saw one of the guys by the
door start toward them.

"Casper invited us...that's who I spoke with
regarding your
situation
," Susan told him quickly, and the
swarthy man blanched then held up a hand to the guard with the
automatic weapon strapped across his chest. Other than the friendly
ghost from Saturday morning cartoons when he was a kid, Beau didn't
know who Casper was, but obviously Susan was right, and the name
meant something to the man at the table.

"Casper had no right to invite you
anywhere," the man told her.

Susan snorted then told him breezily, "Well,
he did, and he was sure if we didn't help you neutralize Frankie
Ramos, you were all going down. In my position, I can help you
tremendously now, and with your future endeavors. The evidence
disappeared too, but I have it handy if I need it."

"Are you threatening me?" he hooted
incredulously, and his eyes darted to the guard who'd stopped
halfway across the room.

"Not at all, I'm just protecting my
interests, just like I want to help you protect yours," she told
him with a stiff smile.

He looked around at the others at the table
with him, who were studying him with narrowed eyes and angry faces.
"Casper has a lot to answer for..." he said angrily, then told her,
"When he gets back from meeting with our buyer, he and I are going
to have a little
talk
."

Beau had a feeling that talk might include a
few bullets, poor bastard. Susan had just signed his death warrant.
He just hoped that wherever the guy was there wasn't cell phone
service, because if there was, Susan might have just signed their
own as well, because he didn't know them from Adam.

The man pushed back his chair and stood then
demanded, "Where is Ramos?"

"Somewhere accessible," she told him
vaguely, then added, "I have the evidence as well, as soon as you
tell me we're in, I'll give you both. He's quiet for now, and not a
threat to you."

"We don't allow people to join our group
that easily, Miss?" he said and scanned her from head to toe.

"Susan Whitmore," she told him haughtily and
tilted up her chin.

His eyes flashed recognition of the name,
then shuttered. "Especially with someone of your, um...caliber. We
certainly would like to include you, because of your stature in the
FBI, but you and your associates will have to prove yourselves
first." His eyes moved to Cole, Beau and then the ever quiet
Hanson, who was at Susan's side. Beau could have sworn some kind of
message passed between the man and Susan's second in command, when
their eyes locked. Beau didn't trust the man, even though Susan
evidently did.

"Prove ourselves how?" Susan asked him
warily.

"You say you have Frankie Ramos, I haven't
seen him, but nonetheless, if you do have him, I don't have a need
for my hostages anymore, and one of them has become quite...
bothersome," he said smoothly.

Panic shot through Beau, because he could
tell where this was going, and it didn't bode well for Jazzie and
Carlos. Susan's shoulders stiffened a little, but that was her only
reaction.

"And?" she asked leadingly.

"And you my dear, along with your
companions, are going to take care of that problem for me too. Two
of my guards are going with you and you are going to
dispose
of them somewhere they won't be found."

On impulse, Beau lurched forward, then held
himself in check, as his blood went ice cold, and tingles of
anxiety started at his toes and worked their way up to his scalp.
This man wanted them to kill Jazzie and Carlos, so he'd have
leverage against them to keep them in line...and he was sending two
of his flunkies with them to witness it. This stupid plan of
Susan's was going to hell in a hand basket, quicker than shit.

"Why don't you let us help with the shipment
instead. It would be in your best interest to keep them around in
case something happens and you don't get your hands on
Frankie."

The man's eyes glittered dangerously and he
said, "Whatever could happen Ms. Whitmore?"

"Well, if something were to happen to any of
us, before you decide to trust us, Frankie might
escape
and
be handed back over to my agency," she insinuated.

"It looks as if we have a stalemate, Ms.
Whitmore. Very well played, for now...we'll talk and I'll let you
know what we decide."

"This isn't a game. I'm risking my career
here...not that it pays well enough...but I'm taking a big risk
getting involved with you. Hopefully, the reward will be worth it,
because I have bills to pay."

His eyebrows raised in surprise and he
snorted, "You look like a resourceful woman, surely money isn't a
problem for you."

"I beg to differ...I have a little problem,"
she told him then held a finger to her nose and sniffed. "But it's
nothing a couple of hundred grand couldn't solve...for a while
anyway."

"You surprise me around every turn, Ms.
Whitmore. I would never have guessed you were a junkie," he told
her.

Susan huffed a frustrated breath, and said,
"With the stress I have every day, is it any wonder?"

Beau thought the woman beside him could be
an Academy Award winning actress, if she ever decided to leave the
FBI. She was that good. Maybe her plan would work after all...as
long as Casper stayed wherever the hell he was at. It sure looked
to him like the man was buying what she was selling. Susan was
quick on her feet too, she may have just bought Jazzie and Carlos a
reprieve. The tension pulling at his insides eased a little and he
held back a sigh of relief.

The man motioned to the guard still standing
halfway across the room from them and he walked over to the table.
"Take our
guests
to my conference room to wait for our
decision." The man nodded, then took Susan's arm and started toward
the door where the super-size guard had taken Jazzie earlier.

Anticipation filled Beau at the thought that
he might find out where they were holding her and Carlos. He and
Cole followed behind Hanson who was glued to Susan's side. The
guard led them down a long hall, and Beau saw blood droplets on the
floor as they walked and held back a moan.

He had to find out how bad Jazzie was hurt,
because it was killing him not knowing. If this guy left them in
the room alone, he was going to try and find her. They stopped
halfway down the hall and he pulled a string of keys at his waist,
then inserted one into the door knob. Beau scanned the hall and
didn't see any obvious signs that one of the other numerous rooms
were occupied.

The guard threw open the door then shoved
Susan inside and stood back holding it open for them to go inside.
As Beau figured, when the door shut, he heard the key in the lock
again and the tumbler roll, meaning they were locked in here. The
room was pretty small and had a round wooden table and four chairs
in the center. Susan walked over to where a door connected this
room to another room, probably the head guy's office and tried the
knob. She cursed softly when she found it locked.

That didn't stop her though, she dug around
on the belt at her waist and pulled out a small toolkit and
extracted a long slender tool, then wiggled it in the lock. After a
second it clicked and she twisted the knob. Beau was amazed, she'd
picked the damn lock!

"Hanson, hold this open in case I need back
in there quickly. Keep an eye out," she said, then walked further
into the office. Beau got up and walked to the door to see what the
hell she was doing. She slid behind the huge cherry desk and
started tapping on the computer keyboard. After a few minutes of
tapping, she huffed out a breath and hit one final key, then
grinned.

"That should do it," she said with
satisfaction and stood then walked back to the door and shooed them
into the conference room. The door shut behind her and she pulled
out the tool again and locked the door!

"Susan what the hell did you just do?" Cole
asked and stood up.

"Opened a backdoor to their computer records
for my pet nerd at the agency. He was waiting, and should be able
to access it now. I was hoping I'd have that chance, looks like
fate is on our side tonight, boys."

"Nothing scares you does it?" Cole asked
with a sharp laugh.

"No guts, no glory, baby," Susan told him
with a wink.

"Okay, so I need to find out where they're
holding Jazzie and Carlos...can you pull that magic trick outta
that mad hat of yours? Beau asked her.

Susan shook her head and said somberly, "I'm
sure Dave knows from the infrared scan, but I don't have any idea
how we can get out of here to search. That guy is probably guarding
the door."

"
Shit
!" Beau hissed and shoved a hand
through his hair. "She's hurt and I'm scared she's hurt bad enough
to need medical attention...there was a lot of blood."

"I saw that, but you've got to hold it
together better than you are, Beau, or you're gonna get us all
killed. You're not supposed to know her," Susan scolded.

"Well, if that head guy gets in touch with
Casper, we're all screwed. Did you think of that?" Beau asked her
sarcastically, then added, "You've got their faces on tape, you've
got the computer thing done, let's find Jazzie and Carlos and get
the hell out of here. You have your guys in on the shipment, so
there's nothing else we need to do, right?"

She sighed then said, "I wanted to find out
who Casper is for the agency's sake, but I guess the safest thing
to do is leave now, before he gets here. He'll tell them he doesn't
know us, and if that happens, you're right we're screwed."

Beau heard the door knob jiggle and they all
scattered and sat down like the record had stopped in musical
chairs. The door opened and the guard stepped in and pointed at
Hanson. "You...the boss wants to see you," he told him gruffly.
Hesitantly, Hanson stood then walked to the door and out into the
hallway. The guard closed the door behind him and Beau heard the
lock catch again.

Beau jumped up and walked around the table.
"Susan, how well do you trust Hanson? I have to tell you I'm
getting a really bad feeling here..."

"He's been my second in command for four
years, and I trust him as well as I trust any man, and that's not
much," she said with a derisive snort.

"Well I got some bad vibes out there when
you were talking to the boss man. He looked at Hanson like they
knew each other...did you notice that?"

"No, I was too busy trying to dig our asses
out of the compost heap we were in, if you didn't notice."

"I noticed...you did a good job peddling
that manure too," Beau told her with a half smile.

"Years of practice dodging my mother, so I
could be a bad ass...they don't teach that shit at Quantico," she
said with a chuckle.