Big Girls Don't Cry (10 page)

She heard a slight buzz and Jake reached for his cell phone.

“This is a text from Brady. He’ll have your car here in twenty minutes. He’ll pick up my bike while he’s here. I left the garage door opener on the kitchen counter.”

He opened the door and headed down the sidewalk.

Lexie stood rooted to the floor, her heart beating so hard she was sure he could hear it. She called after him, “Uh, thanks, Jake.”

He called back over his shoulder, “Don’t mention it. Have a good day, Lexie.”

~~~

Lexie closed the door and slid to the floor. Her legs wouldn’t hold her. She crouched in a ball, struggling to make sense of the emotions crashing over her. She was exhausted and hurt. Too tired to be angry herself, she despaired at Jake’s anger. She longed to hear his voice like it had been. Soft, sexy, funny. Not this stern humorless man who looked at her as though she disgusted him, as though he had given up on her.

She didn’t know how long she sat on the cold floor when she realized the clanging noise was the doorbell, not a distant echo in a dream.

With an effort, she dragged herself to her feet and opened the door. A too late warning flashed through her muddled brain. Never open the door unless you know who is there. To her relief, she saw the man Jake tossed her keys to. Over his shoulder she saw the welcome sight of her Camaro. The guy didn’t look nearly as scruffy as he had at the motel. His clothes were ragged, but he’d washed the grime off his face. His beard shadow and long dirt-blond hair tied back in a ponytail added to his bad boy vibe. It was impossible to miss his dancing green eyes or that damnable rock hard army body. Leslie grimaced. Did they all have to look like they stepped out of the latest Avengers cartoon?

“Uh, come in. I…I was…” She stopped. How could she tell the man with concern etched on his face that she wasn’t sure what she had been doing.

“Hey, there. I’m Brady, the guy who brought your hot car back to you. And I’m still wondering why I didn’t steal it when I had the chance. While I’m here, I’m gonna pick up Jake’s bike for him. Hell, from one rockin’ ride to another. I must have done something right in my life. ”

“Can’t blame you for that, Alexis. Hey, do you mind if I come in? I’ll be honest. You don’t look good. Jake would have my ass if I left you lookin’ like a little puppy dog that lost her best friend.”

He must have seen the pain she felt on her face, because he shook his head and ran his fingers through his scraggly blond hair.

“Damn, I’m sorry. I’m makin things worse, aren’t I? Okay, let me try this again. Mind if I come in and hit you up for a soda or, if there is a god, maybe you have a beer?”

“Tell you what, you park that snazzy butt of yours in this chair and let me see what you’ve got in the refrigerator. Knowing Jake, there won’t be a thing you’ve been craving in the last year that won’t be around here somewhere.”

“He’s that competent?”

“Yeah. Without a doubt, the best friend or commander a guy could have. Or, in your case, a beautiful young woman could want.”

Lexie sunk in the chair, grateful that this impertinent, brash man was here. She didn’t want him to leave. Within minutes, he plopped a bowl of tortilla chips, some guacamole and salsa in front of her, along with two beers. Almost as an afterthought, he pulled a fruit tray out of the refrigerator and put it in front of her. Pointing to the chips, he said, “That’s for me. Guy food. But you look like you haven’t eaten in a while. Maybe you should start with this.”

They sat quietly for several minutes. Lexie let the cold beer run down her throat. She wasn’t much of a drinker. She’d seen what it did to people, how it changed them. But as she quietly sipped the cold tangy brew, she looked forward to the numbing effect she hoped would come.

“No, he was there before I got there, while you and Jake were out to dinner. A couple of kids told me that they saw a man come out of one on the rooms on the third floor. Unfortunately, you were the only guest on that floor.”

Lexie trembled. “He… he went through my things. He did something with the papers, the reports, the chief gave me. They weren’t the way I left them on the desk.”

Brady interrupted. “Hey, kiddo. I’m not being critical. Hell, that’s the last thing I’d be. I’m just damn sorry what you’ve been going through. Christ, I know how hard it’s been.”

“Yeah, I thought so. Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was there the whole time. From the time you got back with Jake until you went shopping this morning.”

They sat quietly for several minutes. Brady picked at the label on his bottle then asked, “I’m curious. You didn’t happen to tell Jake about all this, did you? That you slept out there, that you knew the guy had been in your room?”

“He… he seemed to know.”

Brady slammed his empty bottle on the table. “Oh man, that explains it. That’s why he’s got that stick up his ass. Hell, in all the years I’ve known him, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jake so upset.” He looked at her appreciatively. “Whew. Never thought I’d see it. But, honey, you’ve got under the big guy’s skin in a big, big way.”

~~~

After Brady left, Lexie sat at the table for several minutes, then went into the living room. She took some of the kindling from the basket on the hearth and built a small fire. When it was burning brightly, casting a warm glow over the room, she went over to her suitcase and pulled out the stack of things that she’d wrapped in a towel. She knelt before the fire and one by one threw her lacey underwear -- silky bras, panties, thongs, and lace garters in the fire.

She couldn’t bear the thought of them against her skin. She’d seen the way he’d arranged them – in neat piles, all in order, by color.

He’d wanted her to know that he had touched them, played with them.

Chapter 10

Jake eyed the men at the table and had the uncomfortable feeling that Lexie would categorize their discussion as one more army attempt to cover its ass. Jake glanced from man to man. All but Dirk Reynolds, a man he’d known over the years, outranked him. All had been in the field in years past, but their jobs at this time were administrative. Jake was the youngest by fifteen years and the only member of the special forces. He also was the only one who’d known Anthony personally.

General Peters, the base commander, his firm jaw tightening, spoke for the group. “Don’t think for a minute, Jake, that we aren’t as concerned about what happened as you are. Master Sgt. Beloi was a decorated war hero. If he had been killed in action, he would have been one of the most decorated men in the whole fucking army. We’re damned glad that the brass in Washington sent you to head up the investigation. I pledge that you will have the cooperation of every soldier on this base.”

Jake murmured his thanks, but before he could speak, Major General Mac McCarty broke in.

“I second that, Jake. General Peters and all of us are squarely behind you. But we have to look at the facts. There is no evidence that anyone on this base is involved with Sgt. Beloi’s murder. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t responsible for his family and finding the fuckers who did this.”

Mike Pierce agreed. “The problem, Jake, is that his area is infested. These gangs are as ruthless, as brutal as anything you’ve seen in the worst shitholes in the world. As shocking as the sergeant’s murder was, it is commonplace among the rat infested gangs. The only thing more brutal is what they do to each other.”

Jake shoved down his annoyance, determined to keep his anger at bay. He tried not to dwell on the fact that none of these men had been in the shitholes Mike referred to for over twenty years. All of them were good men, but had chosen to serve stateside in relatively safe areas. But this base, just miles from the Mexican border, was as close to being in the field as any in the country. Jake admitted it gave them credibility. And, hell, he knew the cartels. He’d seen their evil first hand.

Before he could speak, Mike Pierce added, the creases on his face deepening. “You got to remember, Jake, your first loyalty is to the army. We don’t want a bunch of pansy assed senators and congressmen poking their nose in Army business. Thinking that for some reason we aren’t as tough as they are. Your job is to find the killer or killers as quickly as you can and make sure that none of the stench rubs off on the army.”

Knowing he needed their support and that it was shortsighted to alienate the brass, Jake refused to be cowed. He responded using Colonel Pierce’s first name underscoring that they were the same rank. His voice was soft with a razor sharp edge.

“You can rest assured, Mike, that I know my job and intend to do it no matter where the investigation takes me. I appreciate that all of you know this particular territory better than I do. But the reason the guys at Bragg sent me here is the fact that a highly decorated former soldier’s mutilated body was found on an army base. That fact cannot and will not be swept under the rug.”

Mike Pierce flushed an angry red. “Now listen here, Jake, no one is trying to cover up anything.” Visibly struggling to contain his anger, he glared at Jake.

“All we’re saying, Jake, is that as brutal as Sgt. Beloi’s murder was, it is commonplace among the gangs. They are merciless. Unlike the mobs, they don’t care who they take down. Poking a stick in the eye of the U.S. Army and all that entails, is an afternoon’s joy ride for them. Embarrassing or taunting the U.S government is their idea of a circle jerk. Mike is right. This incident could rile up the Saturday morning commandos in the U. S. Senate and give them one more reason to either cut our funding or fund some fucking piece of equipment that we haven’t needed for twenty years.”

General McCarty chimed in. “As far as we can tell, Jake, the fact that his body was found on base is a fluke or a deliberate act to turn the attention away from the perpetrators. Look, Beloi was an undercover cop. From everything we hear from the YPD, he was hot on the trail of a major drug consortium bringing illegal drugs into this country, something the gang cartels do every day of the week and twenty times on Sunday. No one wants to shut down your investigation, Jake. But the fact remains: it is a ninety nine percent certainty that Beloi’s body was dumped here to take the blame off the fuckers who killed him--the cartels.”

Jake had enough. He rose from his chair and looked from man to man. Focusing on General McCarty, he said, “I agree, General. No one will shut down this investigation. Indeed, it is just beginning. I only arrived four days ago. However, I disagree with your conclusion. If there is a one percent chance that this is something other than the cartel’s clumsy attempt to smear the army, that is the one percent I’m gonna be on tight as a tick on a hunting dog’s ass. I owe it to Sgt. Beloi. And I owe it to the U. S. Army.”

He saluted the men at the table, ignoring General Peters and McCarty’s wary expressions and Mike Pierce’s downright angry glare.

Nodding to the base commander, he said, “I appreciate your arranging this meeting, General. I’ll keep you informed of my progress.”

Dirk Reynolds jolted out of his chair and quickly saluted the men at the table.

“Jake, let me walk you out.”

~~~

“It’s good to see you, Jake. Hell, how long has it been? And, Christ, you get bigger and stronger every mission you’re on.”

Jake nodded to the trim grey-haired man with the slate blue eyes. He’d known Reynolds over the years and while they weren’t close, he liked the guy. “It’s good to see you, Dirk. I didn’t know you were in Yuma.”

“Yeah, I’ve been here for a couple of years. I don’t get back to Bragg much, so I don’t get to check in with you as much as I’d like. People think this is the armpit of the world. In truth, it’s a heck of a post. Great food, the women are hot, and the training missions coming in and out bring a lot of variety. I’m working up my rank. I’m on the path to make full bird early next year. ‘Course that doesn’t mean much to you. Aren’t you the youngest full colonel in the whole fucking Army?”