Fire and Ice (Guardians) (10 page)

Betty was whispering, "Oh my God ... oh my God. You saved us ... how did you save us?"

"Nobody can know that I did this," Maia said. "We'll pin this on another customer, a good Samaritan who saved us all. He saw something through the glass door that something was wrong so he snuck in from the backdoor. You guys do have a backdoor, yes?" Betty nodded, Kyle's eyes had narrowed. "He saved us and got out the same way. It's a long shot, but at least there's no camera footage. You understand me?"

"Who are you?" Kyle yelled, finally regaining some of his courage.

"I work for the good guys, Kyle." Maia eyed him levelly. "I get rid of scum like them." She jerked her head to the three dead bodies on the floor.

Police sirens started wailing in the distance. Betty had apparently pushed the alarm when Maia went on the offensive against Benny, Tommy, and Syd.

"We don't have much time. Are you both with me?" Maia said in her no-nonsense tone.

"Are you going to kill us, if we don't play along?" Kyle shot back.

"For God's sakes, no! But it will make my situation very difficult as my organization and I are trying to get rid of the Russian big fish involved in all this. My cover is very important and we don't want to spook him before we are ready to take him down," Maia said.

"We got your back," Kyle said and Betty simply nodded. The poor woman was shaking.

"Great. Here's the description of our rescuer: he has short brown hair, around 5'10, black leather jacket, jeans, boots, beard. That's all you can remember. Everything happened in seconds. They'll be suspicious but they'll hardly suspect a seventeen year-old boy and two women getting the jump on Russian mob flunkies," Maia said as she started wiping her fingerprints off the pistol and the barrel of the AK-47. She left the pistol beside the body of Benny.

***

The helicopter had landed thirty minutes before at a private hangar near Dare County Regional airport. After filing the necessary paperwork to log his flight's arrival, Jack headed straight to his black SUV parked nearby and navigated out of the airfield. He was driving along route 158 when a police cruiser with all sirens blaring, sped past him and took the exit that led into Westcove. Curiosity piqued, Jack turned on his police scanner to access the local police band, wondering what mischief the Halloween revelers had caused in the normally quiet community.

"Suspected 187 at the Westcove Specialty Grocer. Suspect is Caucasian male, 5'10, brown hair, black leather jacket, jeans," an officer's voice crackled through the radio.

Jack frowned. That was Betty Banning's shop.
 

"We have a 245 with an AK-47 and semi-automatic pistols. All victims with fatal GSW to the head."

Jesus Christ!

"Witnesses: store owner, son and one other customer - shaken but unharmed. They're claiming perp is a good Samaritan who rescued them from the victims. No trace of suspect. Vehicles accounted for in parking lot. Ford pick-up belongs to the shop, blue vintage z28 Chevy Camaro to the customer, and a white Jeep Wrangler to the victims."

Jack felt his stomach plummet as the second vehicle's description hit him. He punched the speed-dial for the stonehouse telephone but got voicemail. He repeated the speed-dial—still nothing.

"Fuck!" Jack cursed as he took the exit that would take him into town.
 

There were three police cruisers, an ambulance and an unmarked police vehicle parked haphazardly in front of the Westcove Specialty Grocer. A crowd began to gather and two cops were keeping the spectators under control when Jack arrived.

He immediately recognized his Camaro, his concern for Maia escalating. He had barely gotten out of his car when an officer got into his face.
 

"Jack, you can't park there. This is a crime scene." Brian Reese was a buddy of his. They caught a couple of beers sometimes.

"That's my car over there." Jack pointed to the Camaro. "I've got a person inside."

"I thought that was yours," Brian replied, then indicated for him not to move, he barked into his shoulder radio, "Hey Tanner, I've got Jack McCord here for the redhead."

"Shit, okay. Send him back," Rick replied over the radio.

Brian walked Jack to the double doors and warned, "Haven't ever seen anything as brutal around here but I know you're not new to this. Hell, preliminary assessment shows these guys got whacked with their own weapons and it happened in seconds."

Jack's gaze flickered over the three bodies that were grotesquely sprawled in succession amid pools of blood. Head shots, Jack thought grimly. The middle one even looked like he had been taken down execution style. He didn't flinch as Brian walked him through the crime tableau.
 

"They're in the office by the counter." Brian pointed over. "Gotta go back out and wait for the CSI guys."

Jack entered the office and his eyes immediately sought Maia. He saw her sitting on a desk, hunched over. Kyle Banning was standing beside her and Betty was sitting in the office chair. All of them were looking grim. Maia was attempting to make herself appear as if she were suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. A paramedic was checking her reflexes; Rick Tanner and another cop Jack didn't know were talking to them.

When Maia spotted him, Jack thought he caught a warning gleam in her eyes before she masked it. All of a sudden, Jack didn't know whether he wanted to hug her or strangle her.

"Babe, are you okay?" Jack reached out and hugged her. Clamping a hand around her nape, he drew her head towards him and kissed her temple.

"Oh, Jack it was horrible ... horrible," Maia sobbed into his neck, hugging him tight.

"Any lead on what went on down here? Surveillance tapes?" Jack asked Rick.

"Those DBs came in here and demanded we stop the surveillance, so we have no record of what transpired after they arrived."

"Do we know who they are?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Rick replied shortly, not hot about the idea of sharing information. "What I don't need is a vigilante taking out our chances of taking care of a bigger problem."

Maia pulled back from Jack and looked at the detective. "That vigilante, as you call him, saved us. He was about to shoot Kyle."

"What bigger problem?" Jack asked. He was trying not to grin at Maia's terrible acting.

"I can't discuss this with you, Jack," the detective said firmly.

"Why not? If it affects the safety of the community?" Jack shot back.

The two men had a stare down.

"Can I go home now, detective? I'm feeling a bit queasy," Maia interjected, obviously trying to defuse the tension.

Rick looked at Maia, his eyes softening. "Sure honey, if you remember anything else about tonight, you have my card."

"Sure thing. Thank you so much, detective," Maia breathed in appreciation.

"You all may want to use the backdoor," the paramedic, who was now checking Betty, said. "If you are having problems processing everything that happened, if you're having unwanted flashbacks, come to OBX General. We have some trauma counselors you can talk to, okay honey?"

Jack bristled. Would every male in the room stop calling Maia, "honey"!

"Thanks, Joe," Maia replied sweetly.

And now she was on a first name basis with the paramedic?

"Come on," Jack said gruffly and pulled Maia out the door.

The back alley of the grocery had a couple of cops and crime scene investigators combing for clues of the missing good Samaritan/vigilante. Jack knew they were wasting their time. The person responsible for taking down three armed men was, at that moment, climbing into his blue Camaro.

"See you at the stonehouse?" Maia said as she started the powerful engine.

Jack leaned in closely, was about to say something but thought better about it. Instead he brushed his lips lightly on hers.

"Yeah."

***

The massive portal to the stonehouse parking garage trundled up. Maia parked the Camaro in its designated spot and Jack pulled up directly behind her. She exited the car and waited for Jack to walk up to her.
 

He stopped in front of her, leaned his head close and said, "You are full of shit."

"I had no choice," Maia protested.

"I mean, I don't believe this," Jack continued as if not hearing her. They were now walking along the length of the massive garage. "I leave you alone, not two days, and you've got three dead guys."

"They were going to shoot, Kyle, I was not making that up," Maia replied in defense. "You would have done the same."

Jack didn't answer her. His eyes were riveted to the wall—specifically the broken key cabinet. "What the fuck?"

"What? How do you think I got the keys to the Camaro?" Maia asked innocently.

"Most of my cars are off-limits, babe, but the Camaro is sacred," Jack told her. "You can use the SUV."

"I was thinking the Mercedes 2-seater next time," Maia said, batting her eyelashes.

Jack smiled devilishly and drew her close. "I'm open to negotiations."

Maia laughed lightly and tried to pull away, but Jack held her hand and said, "Come on, you need to get cleaned up."

Maia looked down at her shirt and noticed some blood splatters, and then at her hands. "Do you have any of that cool stuff that takes away gun residue?"

"That's illegal."

"Well, do you?"

Jack looked over at her and grinned. "What do you think?"

Maia smiled up at him and then remembering something, said, "I need to make a call."

"Viktor?" Jack's jaw tightened. He didn't like how she appeared to live and breathe Viktor. He knew she communicated with him every freaking day.

Maia pulled out her phone and typed in a text message. The minute she clicked send, Jack grabbed her phone and started punching in some numbers.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Maia said in annoyance.

"Exchanging numbers," Jack said shortly. His phone started ringing but it showed her number as blocked. Figures.

He continued to fiddle with her phone settings until her number showed up on his cell phone, then he called her phone and saved his number in her contacts.

"We could have just asked each other," Maia grumbled. "This bossiness is not going to work with me."

"Maia, in case you've missed it, it already has."

Maia stood under the hot spray of the shower, her mind processing the events of the day. Killing was never easy for her, specially in situations where hostilities were not an everyday affair. However, given the choice she would always decide to protect the innocent with everything she had, even if that meant ending the lives of scum like Benny and his men, and she would not lose any sleep over it.

After washing off the foamy residue from her hair and body, Maia reached for a fluffy towel and dried herself briefly. She ran a comb through her wet hair and bundled it up in a messy knot with a clip. She quickly threw on a tank top and a velour hoody with matching sweatpants. She put on some flip flops and made her way to the control room.

She already had an invitation to videoconference from Viktor.

"What took you so long?" Viktor asked impatiently.

"Had to shower off some scum residue," Maia replied.

"What happened?" Viktor asked.

Maia told him about what had gone down with Syd, Benny and Tommy.
 

Viktor gave a low whistle. "You can never stay low can you?"

"Trouble follows me everywhere," Maia said dismissively. "Benny mentioned the Russian getting impatient. Goods are moving, not sure if it's the Rave-IX or the remaining drugs from Vergara. It's obvious that Reznikov now wants to moved in on Vergara's turf."

"It's the remaining drugs. We have no indication that the Rave-IX is in circulation. I think Reznikov is familiarizing himself with the distribution channels. With him alienated from his bratva and Vergara in jail, it's the perfect storm. I'm concerned that what happened tonight might put a target on your back and bring trouble down on the town of Westcove."

"Can't say I'm not looking forward to it, but this town is too peaceful for the hellfire that Reznikov could bring. I cannot stay here for long," Maia said.

"Patience, Maia. It's two weeks until the medical conference. I've gone ahead and signed you up to attend with a couple of Guardians. You'll continue to keep your cover as a marketing executive for a pharmaceutical company," Viktor said. "I have some other information for you. Our forensics turned up some stuff on Rick Tanner's data that didn't add up. On a hunch, I poked into other organizations and got them to give up some classified information." He paused.

"And?" Viktor certainly loved drama.

"Rick Tanner is actually Richard Grayson. He is DEA."

"What?" Maia was stunned. "Does he know about me?"

"No. Just like you, he's in deep cover. I think his role as a detective was initially to flush out the dirty cops in some major cities that were on the take from Vergara. That's why he kept getting reassigned. None of my contacts at the DEA know about you so you are not on their database," Viktor said. "If this Rick guy starts giving you grief, if for some reason your story about the good Samaritan doesn't check out, give me a call immediately—and it better not be your one phone call from the slammer."

"I don't know how you keep track of who knows what but I'm sure glad you're the one doing it," Maia said.
 

"However, if we move on Reznikov in Baltimore, we'll need to keep the DEA and FBI abreast of your role in this," Viktor said.

"So, are we still playing the Lee angle?"
Say no, say no
. Maia prayed.

"Yes."

Shit.

***

Maia stepped out of the elevator and pulled the lever down to slide the bookcases away. She stepped through into Jack's study and pulled the lever up to set the bookcases back into place.

Jack was half-sitting, half leaning on his desk, arms across his chest, ankles crossed nonchalantly. He was looking at her. His slate-blue eyes had an exotic glint and he looked predatory. He was fresh from a shower, his jet-black hair curling slightly, still damp. He was wearing drawstring pajama bottoms and a worn-out grey t-shirt and was bare foot. His lean muscles rippled across his chest and his upper arms were bunched in restrained power.