Authors: Tina Bass
Draco slinked up to the corner of one of the units closest to the front, back flat against the side of the building. He could hear voices but wasn’t quite able to make out what they were saying.
What the hell is he doin’ with abandoned buildings?
Draco wondered again as he silently dropped to the ground. Flat on his stomach, he peaked around the corner and got his answer. “You’ve gotta’ be fuckin’ kiddin’ me,” he mumbled so low he could hardly hear himself. He scooted back and pulled out his disposable phone Marco had picked up, one for each of them. He texted one line to Marco:
Welcum 2 tha whorehouse
He waited for Marco’s reply. It didn’t take long, and his response was the same as Draco’s:
U gotta b fuckin kiddin me
Draco dropped back down and again eased around the corner and yep, there was Warwick with a couple other men that Draco didn’t know, and they were ‘remodeling’ one of the units. Draco watched in disbelief as they turned a damn storage unit into a fuck room. A bed sat dead center and at the moment the men looked to be installing chains to the top of the newly added reinforced ceiling. He once again eased back and then pulled out his own phone and sent the preset text messages to Lee, giving him the address and what he needed Lee to do. After that, he shut his phone down, put that back in his pocket, then pulled the disposable one back out and sent Marco another text, telling him exactly where to meet him at. Draco took one more quick look, deciding it was going to be a while before the ‘workers’ were done, then silently made his way back around the units to where he had told Marco to meet him.
* * *
Bree sat with Storm as people came and went, or in Cole’s case, never left. Lee and Minga, then a few minutes later Kade and Krista showed up with Ellie—no one knew where Marco was. At least no one was saying, if they did know—they stayed for a while before Minga, Krista, and Ellie took Bree down to the cafeteria for ‘a break’ along with Ryder. Why was Ryder going with a bunch of girls to the cafeteria that was still in the hospital? “Safer,” Ryder stated. Yeah, because you never knew when a drink dispenser and cash register were going to combine forces and transform into an all-out killing machine.
Me thinks he’s been watching too many movies
, Bree thought, but went along with the ‘break’ they all agreed Bree needed. Because she wasn’t dumb, she knew that the
cops
left in the room with Storm wanted to discuss what had happened. Kade might not be a cop any longer, apparently he took an early retirement not too long ago, but it seemed Kade stayed connected to the goings on with the aforementioned cops. Bree didn’t miss the fact that while Kade was no longer technically a cop that he was there for Storm, but Draco was another story. It seemed that Draco was too busy to even answer his phone. Cole had said he had tried to call Draco after Storm woke up, while he gave her and Storm their ‘time,’ and though he was able to contact everyone else and everyone else came straight away, she didn’t catch a glimpse of Marco or Draco. No one was able to contact either of them and all Ellie could tell anyone was that Marco got a phone call, she didn’t know from who, and Marco told her he had ‘shit to do’ and would be back later.
All the girls sat around one of the tables in the cafeteria. Ryder chose to stand just a bit away from them, constantly looking around like he expected that any minute now the boogie man would jump out of the trash can or something. Bree took a little time to really look at Ryder. He had been one of the cops that guarded Storm’s door. Actually, he was there more than any of the others. But until now Bree had been too busy missing Draco and worrying about Storm not waking up to pay much attention to the man. Looking at him now, she couldn’t imagine how she had done it. The man was hot, as in H O T, hot. The kind of hot that you didn’t take home to mama, or at least that was what he looked like to her. Short, but not too short, dusty blond hair that was just long enough to have that windblown look. Or maybe it wasn’t so much ‘a look’ as it really was windblown. If the way he was dressed, and come to think of it the only way Bree had seen him dressed every day for the past three days, his hair really was windblown, and he didn’t bother to change the fact. He wore a plain T-shirt, the color changed every day, and today it was gray under his black leather jacket. A lot like the one Draco had her wear when they went riding on his motorcycle. Old faded blue jeans, the degree of fade varied from day to day, but they were always faded, and black motorcycle boots. The whole of him screamed ‘bad boy’ and the permanent frown he always sported didn’t help matters, but yet he was always nice to Bree. He might not always speak in complete sentences. Okay, he didn’t even come close, ever. But still, he was nice and he was one of the cops who had come into Storm’s room and not only introduced himself but would ask about Storm as well as her.
He’s another one of the good cops
, Storm had told her, and she was slowly meeting everyone from Storm’s unit. It turned out that Storm wasn’t just a cop, he was one of those who made up a specialty unit. Which to Bree’s understanding meant that each one had additional training in their area of specialty. There were two partners for each area. Storm and Cole were drug enforcement, and she already knew that Draco was security and since Lee was his partner, he had to be security as well. Ryder was arson and bomb, and his partner was named Tik—
yeah, the guy whose specialty is bombs is named Tik. Go figure
. The guy Tik, was out of town. He had gone with another one of the guys, whose specialty was K-9s.
How cool is that? Getting to work with dogs all day long
. He also happened to be the cop Storm had met all those years ago, Drex. Bree had learned the way things worked by talking with Storm and Cole as well as some input from Lee and Kade. When Kade decided he wanted to retire and be a full time rancher,
a real cowboy right here in Virginia
, Draco was transferred to their division on a trial basis. It wasn’t a trial because he wasn’t good enough, but apparently macho cop dudes had to mesh well together, or some crap like that. Draco had been transferred over a year ago, but had only been officially partners with Lee for about five months, and before that Draco would work with all the guys in their unit, getting to know each other and doing that male bonding thing, beating their chest thingy or some such rituals. She was just glad Storm was finally sharing this part of his life with her, or as much of it as he could, and she was happy to learn things about Draco that she hadn’t known. But every time she heard his name, the pain she’d been trying to push down would come right back so furiously it would almost choke her.
“So what do you think, Bree?” She heard Krista ask, bringing her thoughts back to the now.
“Huh? I’m sorry. My mind was wandering.”
“A girl’s night out?” Krista repeated herself, then tilted her head and looked at Bree. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, well, I’m still a little worried about Storm.” Bree tried to cover.
“Girl, that wasn’t a look of worry. That was a look of heartache.” Minga didn’t hesitate to voice what she thought aloud.
“No, I mean, yes…I…I…” Bree tried to think of the right words but failed.
“You need to talk to Draco,” Krista told her.
“Yes, you do,” Ellie added.
“He doesn’t want anything to do with me. He wouldn’t even look at me when he came to Storm’s room earlier. And he had y’all return my bags from his house. He doesn’t want to even see me, let alone talk.” Bree really didn’t want to talk about Draco. It hurt way too much.
“Honey,” Minga started, then paused before she spoke again. “You know what? Try not to think about it now. Wait until Storm is well enough to be released. You got enough on your plate right now.” She reached across the table and patted Bree’s hand. “Don’t worry about Draco. He’s a big boy. He can take care of himself. You just take care of you and Storm right now.”
“Yeah,” Bree agreed. “Good idea.” Now if only that was possible.
They chatted a bit more before Ryder stepped up to the table. “They’re ready.”
Bree looked up and up his tall, well-built frame to his face. “What? Who’s ready?”
“The men,” Ryder replied.
“Ryder, seriously. A few more words for clarification purposes wouldn’t kill you,” Bree stated with a smile.
He looked down at her and an almost smile played at his lips. “The men are ready.”
“Oh, well. Since
the men
are ready, I guess us
women
should jump right up and run along then, huh?” Bree asked, just a bit, okay more than a bit, sarcastically.
“Yeah,” Ryder answered, and Bree had the feeling he was being serious.
Krista blew out a breath, getting up from her seat. “One of the things I’ve learned being with Kade, don’t pay attention to the words they use, just the meaning of what they
meant
to say.”
“What?” Bree questioned as she got up and started to leave with the rest of them.
“Take Ryder for example,” Krista started, and they all turned to look at Ryder. “I’m sure one of the guys called or texted Ryder to let him know they were finished discussing the case. Oh yes, I know that’s why we needed to bring Bree here for a so called ‘break,’ and one or more of them will fill Ryder in on everything at a later time. Anyway, my point, I think they get so used to ‘cop speak’ because they’re with each other so much, and just out of habit use it on us as well, but not really meaning it as a demand but more as a request. A request that lost it’s ‘request’ in the ‘demand,’ or that’s the way it is with Kade.”
“Yes,” Minga agreed. “Lee is the same way, even after me trying to explain it to him, but never quite like that.”
“It’s not just ‘cop speak,’ ‘cause Marco’s not even a cop and he still does it too,” Ellie informed them.
Krista shrugged her shoulders. “Yes, but who does he hang around with all the time?”
“This is true,” Ellie said, and they all started laughing. Even Ryder had that almost-smile-lip-twitch thing going on.
As soon as they walked back into Storm’s room, Lee spoke, “Ladies, Kade’s takin’ you to the ranch or my house. You pick and make it quick.” Without giving any of them time to answer, he turned to Ryder, “Got some info. You’re on post. Cole’s with us cuz we need a DE and not seeing any A&B. If that changes, we’ll call and send in a replacement.”
Bree almost missed Ryder give Lee a quick nod as Lee walked out the door, then she looked at the ‘ladies,’ who were all grinning back at her.
“See what I mean?” Krista said with a wink as she too walked out the door, followed by the rest of them.
“I’ll call you, about that girls’ night out,” Minga said over her shoulder right before she disappeared out the door.
Once everyone left and Ryder took ‘post’ right outside the door, Bree turned back to Storm. “Want to share what that was all about?”
“Nope.”
“Storm!”
“Don’t want to, and it’s a police matter, so I can’t even if I wanted to, which like I said, I don’t want to.”
“Then just tell me what DE and A&B stand for?”
“DE is drug enforcement and A&B is arson and bombs. Now, you wanna tell me about this girls’ night out Minga was talking about?”
“Don’t want to, and it’s a
girl
matter, so I can’t even if I wanted to, which like I said, I don’t want to.”
“Ree,” Storm growled, and Bree couldn’t help but smile at the strength in his voice.
“I’m just messing with you, big brother. It’s a maybe kinda thing they’ve been talking about. Just us girls going out for a drink or two and maybe some dancing, that’s all.”
“Ree, you don’t even drink.”
“Not alcohol, no, but I’m sure any place that serves alcoholic beverages also serves non-alcoholic beverages as well.”
“And dancin’?”
“You know I love to dance, so I think it will be a lot of fun.”
“And when will this girls’ night out be?”
Her smile grew a little bigger. “Don’t worry. It won’t be until after you’re released and back to your old self again, so you can just happen to show up at the same place we are.”
“And what does Lee and Kade think about this girls’ night out?”
“Well, seeing as they’re not girls, they weren’t invited.”
“Ree,” Storm growled again, and Bree’s grin got bigger.
“Hey, it’s wasn’t my idea to begin with, it was Minga’s. And I don’t have a clue what Lee thinks, or Kade as far as that goes, but I do know that Kris is all for it.”
“Not sure Kade will be all for it. You do know Kris is pregnant?”
“Dang, Storm! Pregnant women can drink non-alcoholic beverages, and they can even dance too. Imagine that, a real live pregnant woman acting…normal.”
“Smartass,” Storm called her, but did it with a grin on his face.
She smiled back at him, giving him a little wink.
“Love you too.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Draco waited for his unit to get in position as he continued to keep close tabs on Warwick. Never getting too close, never being detected. His Army Special Ops training was put to good use, even after leaving the military years before. He was trained to move around while never being discovered. Some places being seen or just being heard could result in your being dead. He stood, back flat to the wall of the unit they were currently remodeling, and waited. When he got the signal, he moved in ready to take Marcus-fuckin’-Warwick out for good.
Draco stepped around the corner with no weapon in sight. It didn’t mean he didn’t have it on him. At that moment, it just meant that Draco wanted his bare hands on Warwick, preferably tight around the man’s throat as he squeezed the life out of him. Suddenly, he stood in plain sight, about ten feet away from Warwick. “This ends now,” Draco growled so the other man could hear.
For a beat, Draco saw shock flash across Warwick’s face, before it turned to a sneer and he replied cockily. “This,” he spread out his arms to indicate his surroundings, “is just a small project I’m helping a friend with.” He grinned at Draco. “It’s going to be a temporarily shelter for the homeless.” He turned and pointed into the one unit. “As you can see, this one is being remodeled as we speak.”
“What? You plannin’ on chainin’ the
homeless
up durin’ their stay?” Draco gave a chin jerk to the chains hanging down from the ceiling.
Warwick looked as if he was confused as he shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea what the purpose of those are for. As I said, I’m only helping out a friend. As an overseer of such. If you want details I suppose you will have to contact the owner yourself.”
“And tell me, Warwick, who is this owner?”
“You’re supposed to be the detective, you don’t know?”
“I know, but explain somethin’, as I’m a little confused. Seems this piece of property was purchased by a dead woman.” Draco watched Warwick’s eyes so he didn’t miss his shock at that knowledge, but didn’t wait for his reply. “Tell me, Warwick, how is it that your very own mother was able to come back from the dead just to purchase this piece of property for the sole purpose of helpin’ out the homeless? Far as I can remember, she wouldn’t even help you, her own son. I guess death can really change a person.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, my mother got this here before she died.” Warwick tried to convince Draco.
“How the fuck someone as stupid as you avoided lock-up this damn long?”
“Guess I just know the right people,” Warwick arrogantly replied then, “Hey, who you calling stupid?”
“You do know when any property is purchased there is a record, and those records can be assessed by the public?” When Warwick just stood there staring back at him as though he was completely lost, Draco felt compelled to add, “That means anyone, as in
anyone
, can see them.” When what Draco meant finally registered with Warwick and his eyes started to show fear, Draco continued, “Yeah, if I found out that quick, how long you think it’s going to take Hugo to find out the same thing?”
Warwick tried to mask the fear and again went with arrogance. “I’m not worried about Hugo. I’ve proven myself to him.”
“By shootin’ the cop you tried to use to set him up? The only fuckin’ thing you proved is you can’t shoot worth shit.”
“What are you talking about? I got good…I mean, I heard about some cop being shot, heard he didn’t make it.” Warwick was beginning to sound a little nervous again.
“You heard wrong. Not only did he make it, he’s talkin’ and tellin’
everything
.”
“You’re lying!” Warwick shouted with a mixture of fear and anger. “You’re just trying to get me to fess up. I mean, confess to something I didn’t do.”
“Got no need to lie,” Draco answered calmly, enraging Warwick more.
Warwick looked around, then at the two men who had been working on the unit. “Get him!” he shouted at them.
They looked at each other, then back to Warwick before they turned to Draco, and one of them asked, “You really a cop?”
“Yeah.”
“What you said about this place being owned by a dead woman, after she got dead. That true?” the other one asked.
“Yeah.”
“We didn’t sign on for this. It was supposed to be like he said, for the homeless. We even gave him a discount seein’ as it was for the homeless and all. And I don’t know nothin’ about no friend or his mom. We only dealt with him,” the first man volunteered, to Draco’s amusement.
“Yeah, he told us he owned it,” the other one added.
“Marco,” Draco called, then waited a beat before Marco came into view. “Escort these two out. Get their info.” Draco turned back to the workers. “You on the up and up, you won’t have no problems. You not, I will find you, and it won’t be for a chat.” Draco turned back to Warwick, knowing Marco would deal with the workers. “Looks like it’s just you and me now.”
“Whatcha gonna do? Arrest me? I’ll be out within hours.” Warwick seemed to be back to arrogance.
“Not gonna arrest you.”
“You gonna write me a ticket?” he asked insolently.
Draco grinned. “Don’t seem to have my ticket book with me at the moment. Know what else I don’t have?”
“What’s that?”
“My fuckin’ badge,” Draco growled and again saw the fear returned to the man’s eyes.
“So you’re not even a cop?” Warwick asked, and Draco could hear relief in his voice.
Draco took a step to him, growling low in his throat, “Not tonight.”
* * *
Bree sat with Storm, chatting about this and that, when she remembered something. “Storm, when a Captain Wells, I think was his name...” When Storm nodded, she continued, “When he called me, he said something that didn’t make any sense at the time, but now I’m not so sure.”
“What’d he say?”
“He said something about me being under police protection for weeks. Why would he think that?”
“Because you were. Still are.”
“What? What are you talking about? It was only days. Okay, close to a week, but not weeks.”
“You know that night Warwick showed up at your apartment and you called me?”
“Yes?”
“Less than five minutes after I got off the phone with you, you had protection.”
“That can’t be. I would have seen them…wouldn’t I?”
“No, not if they didn’t wanna be seen, and at that time, they didn’t wanna be seen.”
“So they like…stalked me?” Bree asked a little nervously. “That’s kind of creepy.”
“No, they weren’t stalkin’ you. They were protecting you. If I hadn’t pulled them off when you pulled into the parking lot, Warwick would have never gotta chance to get near you again. I was the one who told Ryder not to pull into the parkin’ lot behind you cuz I was gonna be there.” Storm turned his eyes from her. “I just wasn’t there in time, and you paid the price.”
“Storm, you and I both know that was my fault for not relocking my doors and giving him the chance to catch me off guard.”
“Ree, you shouldn’t have to live your life on guard because of me.”
“Because of you?”
“Yeah. You wanna know why Warwick came after you?”
“Okay.”
“He saw you with me. Thought you were a cop hopper and—”
“A what?”
“A cop hopper. A woman who jumps from one cop’s bed to another—”
“Eeewww…”
“And thought he could grab you up, season you himself, then add you to his stable.”
“Season? Stable?”
“Season, it means train you himself—”
“Train me? What for?”
“To be a prostitute, so he could add you to his stable. That’s what it’s called.”
Bree felt her eyes go wide. “Are you serious?” she shrieked a tad bit louder than she intended. “And he thought I would just go along with this? Is he crazy?” She shook her head in the negative. “No, he’s not just crazy. He’s certifiable!”
“Ree. In some cases, like what he thought he could do with you, you don’t get a choice. They’ll do whatever they have to. Beat you, drug you, threaten you with hurtin’ your friends and family, anything it takes.”
“That’s just…just…just mean. Why would someone do something like that to someone else? He didn’t even know me. Just because he saw me, from a distance I might add, with a few cops,
not
doing anything inappropriate in public…well, unless you count kissing.” She tilted her head. “Do you think kissing in public is inappropriate?”
“No.” Storm chuckled, “I don’t think it’s inappropriate.” Then his smile faded, and he grabbed her up and brought her to him in a hug. “In some ways, lil’ sis, you’re still so innocent…thank fuck!”
* * *
Draco took another step toward Warwick. “You know your latest conquest? Or should I say attempt, seein’ as that little woman kicked your ass?” Draco almost grinned at the anger mixed with embarrassment that flashed across his face…almost. “Didn’t do your homework on that one, did you?” He didn’t give Warwick time to answer. “No, you didn’t, cuz if you had, you would’ve known that cop you
tried
to shoot, that was his
sister.
” Again Draco almost smiled at the ‘oh shit’ expression on his face. Taking another step toward the man, “Know what else you might have discovered?” Before Warwick could answer, Draco’s disposable phone beeped. “Don’t fuckin’ move,” he growled at the man, then in a friendlier tone, he added, “This might be for you.”
Draco pulled out the phone, read the text from Marco, looked back at Warwick, and grinned. “So maybe not for you, but about you, or at least some information that you might wanna know about.”
“I doubt that.” Warwick was back to sneering.
“So you don’t wanna know that as we speak those girls you like to refer to as yours, are turnin’ your ass in?”
“You’re lying! My girls know better than to run off their mouths! They know what’ll happen,” Warwick barked.
“Don’t doubt it. They’re talkin’ and as they talk they’re bein’ video recorded with witnesses and added to that, a signed affidavit. You know, just in case one or more should turn up…missin’.”
“No!”
“And you just admitted to havin’, and threatenin’,
your girls.
” Draco, face blank, looked Warwick right in the eyes. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you prostitution and/or pimpin’ is illegal in the state of Virginia?”
“What’s it to you?” Warwick shot back. “Thought you weren’t a cop no more.”
“Didn’t say I wasn’t a cop no more. Said I wasn’t tonight.” Draco gave him a minute for that to sink in. “Now gettin’ back to our conversation. That woman that you failed to find out ‘bout, not only is she the sister of a cop, but she’s also…” Draco took another step to Warwick. “She’s mine, and you put your hands on what’s mine. Left marks on what’s mine. And you think I’m gonna let you live?”
“You can’t just pick when you can be a cop,” Warwick stupidly replied.
“Look around you, do you see any other cops? Do you fuckin’ see
anybody
?” Draco growled the last word so low he wasn’t sure if Warwick could understand him, but he also didn’t give a fuck. The man would pay.
“So where’s your back-up?” Warwick asked nervously as he looked around. “The rest of the cops that’s always together when you make an arrest?”
“The rest of the cops, my men, were the ones who made the bust on your stable. They just happened to get a tip as to where it was. Again, you showed your fuckin’ stupid side by usin’ an old crack house that was just raided a few months back. I was in on that raid, knew you were connected, but at the time couldn’t prove it. Not because you were too smart, but because your dumb ass was hidin’ behind Hugo.” Draco shook his head. “If you were smart, you would have stayed there. Your fuckin’ stupid idea to set up Hugo and go after my woman…you fucked up. Now you’re gonna pay.”
Warwick threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Look, man, you’re right. I didn’t know about your girl. Thought she was just another one of your cop hoppers. All you cops got so many of them. I swear I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, that was your first mistake,” Draco growled low and took another step into him.
“Look, look! Maybe we could work something out. Hugo’s got a man on the inside already. You could make a nice chunk of change.”
Draco knew it. There was a fuckin’ dirty cop workin’ for Hugo. “Who?”
“Who? Who what?”
“Who’s the fuckin’ man Hugo’s got on the inside?” Draco tried like hell to cover his outrage about the fact of knowin’ there was dirt among them, but he couldn’t hide it all.
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t fuckin’ lie to me! Tell me who it is, and I might let you live.”
“I’m telling you, man, I don’t know. Only Hugo talked to him. He wouldn’t even tell me.”
“Thought you were his second. Seconds are supposed to know everythin’ the top dog did, just in case. What, he don’t trust you? Or is it that he knew you were too fuckin’ stupid to be a real second?” Draco egged him along.