Duty Bound (1995) (23 page)

She squeezed his hand as she looked into his eyes. "Then I think we both should listen to this inner voice of yours.

Now let me tell you what my inner voice says. It's telling me, Stacy, so far so good, but you don't know one of the things about this man that's important to you. Does he play tennis? I know that sounds strange but I happen to be addicted to the sport. It's so bad I couldn't possibly consider a relationship with a man unless he played. I'm sorry, Eli, I know it's terrible of me but I have gotten so set in my ways. . . . Do you play?"

Eli rose and bowed his head. "Miss Starr, it has truly been a delightful evening. And to answer your question, get us a court sometime after your elbow heals and I'll show off for you. I'm pretty darn good for an old guy."

She smiled coyly. "I know, I checked you out, remember?

I was just setting you up and it worked. Give me your cell phone number and I'll call you about playing as soon as I'm healed."

Eli rolled his eyes as he reached for his billfold. "And here I was just thinking how sweet you are and you go and get slick on me. Fine, Miss Starr, for that I'll whip you badly on the court to teach you a lesson. Here's my card.

Call me when you're ready for a lesson in humility."

She accepted the card and rose. "The one thing you will have to learn about me, Agent Tanner, is that I work very hard for what I want. And right now I want to beat your butt on the court. I'm delighted you enjoyed the dinner. You may kiss me good night now, and the deal I made with Donny is complete."

"What if I don't want to kiss you?"

"Then I'll call Donny and tell him you didn't show up."

Eli nodded. "Well, I guess I'd better do it, then, huh?"

"I guess you'd better."

Eli stepped closer and gently took hold of her shoulders.

He had every intention of making it a short good-night kiss, but as soon as his lips touched hers, he forgot everything. It felt so damn right he couldn't stop. It was like he knew how she would feel when she pressed herself against him. It was supposed to happen; his body told him so. He was trembling and couldn't stop and didn't want to. Every fiber in his being seemed to tingle and want more of her. Deeper and deeper he kissed her, feeling as if there were no end to his desire to consume all of her. Two seconds passed, then five; he didn't care, he couldn't let her go. Finally, he began shaking so badly he had to release her. Embarrassed and feeling guilty, he stepped back. "I . . . I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"Shush," she said as she pressed herself against him again. "I'm not letting you go just yet."

She kissed him. And Eli thought, Tanner, my man, dreams really can come true.

Dahlonega, Georgia Dressed in black fatigues, their faces smeared with dark camouflage face paint, the four men sat in a ravine two hundred yards from the cabin. Ted whispered, "I've seen enough; how about you guys?"

Virgil nodded as he reached up and turned off the night vision goggles perched on top of his head. "It'll be a piece of cake with these babies."

Ramon bobbed his head. "Looks good, man, but remember to plan on Murph. If somethin' can go wrong, it will."

Glenn looked back toward the cabin. "They're all heavily armed . . . that worries me. Maybe we should hit them at about one or two in the morning when most of them are sleeping. It would give us the darkness to escape in."

Ted took off his night-vision goggles. "Two in the morning sounds good to me. Everybody agree?"

The other three nodded. "Two it is, then. Okay, Virg, you stay and keep your eye on the place. The rest of us will head back to the motel and get some rest. Glenn will relieve you in three hours. Keep your cell phone by you and call me if something comes up I need to know about. All right, let's get going. Tomorrow is going to be a big day."

Ramon whispered, "I'll hang out here with Virg, man. It's a nice evening. I'll rack out right here."

"Suit yourself, just don't get to bullshitting and get too loud."

Ramon hissed. "We're sophisticated Army dudes, Ted.

We don't fuck up ops. We make 'em happen, right, Virg?"

"There it is, Ray."

Ted grinned in the darkness and patted Glenn's arm. "It's gettin' deep; let's get outta here. See ya, guys."

Once they had traveled a hundred yards, Ted turned to Glenn and whispered, "Ya know something? I really like those guys."

"Me, too."

Marriott Hotel, Atlanta Eli took out his card key as he walked down the hallway toward his room. Reaching his door, he saw a note taped to the lock.

Tanner, knock on my door as soon as you return. Important!

Sutton Eli walked down to the next door and was about to knock when he saw it was already open a couple of inches. He knocked as he entered. "Sutton, are you all right?"

He walked past the bathroom and saw her seated on the bed with papers lying scattered over the blanket beside her.

She looked at her watch, then up to him. "It's almost one, Tanner. You kind of went beyond the call of duty, didn't you?"

His face reddening, Eli shrugged. "Uh . . . I stopped off and had a few beers in the lounge before coming up."

Ashley stared at him a long moment, got up, walked past him into the bathroom, and immediately came out holding a box of tissues. "Oh really, a couple of beers, huh? Was it the waitress who left the lipstick all over your face for tipping her or was it Miss Shark showing you her teeth?" She slammed the box into his stomach. "You should have gotten rid of the evidence, Agent."

She stomped back to the bed and resumed her previous position.

Eli quickly wiped his face and began to speak, but she shook her head. "Now the right side of your neck. You check for fang marks before you left her?"

"Look, Sutton, you're not my mama or my keeper, so don't sit there giving me that look."

"Hey, Tanner, I don't care what you do. As I recall, you said those exact words to me not long ago. Well, I'm saying them back to you. You're a big boy . . . but a dumb one if you think she's not after something, but that's not my concern. I just didn't want you standing there with lipstick all over your face and neck while I told you I found something.

I think I know who the DEA's suspect is. Unlike you, I worked tonight. This is the file Paul wanted you to look at.

When we talked today about laundering, I thought of it and went back to his office and got it."

Eli stepped closer to the bed. "What did you find?"

"I don't know; you'll have to tell me. You remember Paul told you the Miami office had a confidential informant that came forward? Well, I read the statements he made to our people. . . . The informant was on the mark. It gets interesting when he says a buddy of his and two unnamed colleagues engaged in a moonlight job two weeks ago. They had heard of a big-money haul that their chief competitor was making so they tried to make a score. Trouble was, they made the raid but there wasn't any money. The C. I.'s buddy beat up the driver to convince him to tell them where the money was. The driver said they had it all wrong. They had already delivered the dirty money to a bank in Georgia and were coming back empty. The buddy then got very angry and beat up the driver a little more. The driver swore all he did was drive the truck to Georgia and drop off trunks. He said he and eight others dropped off four trunks to a bank in Dahlonega."

Eli's eyes widened. "Trunks?"

"That's what he said, trunks. I figure a trunk holds at least a million in cash. Wait, it gets better." Ashley picked up another piece of paper. "I think this next part tells us who the DEA's suspect is. The C. I. stated his buddy said the driver of the truck worked for a big player by the name of Carlos Mendez."

Eli slowly raised his eyes to her. "You sure the guy said Carlos Mendez?"

"Yes, it's right here in black and white, Carlos Mendez.

Do you know him?"

Eli lowered his head. A full ten seconds passed before he nodded. "Yeah, I know him. When I was with the Miami office, I was the AIC of an investigation on him--it got my partner killed and three others wounded, including me.

Yeah, I know him."

"You've never mentioned it before," Ashley said.

Eli spoke as if very tired. "I screwed it up, Sutton. I didn't mention it because I don't like to think about it."

Her eyes locked on him, Ashley scooted closer, holding out the informant's statement. "Tanner, this could be it. This is the connection we've been looking for. If Mendez was laundering, he has to be the one who ordered the hits to cover up his involvement with the Yona Group. He's our man."

Eli shook his head. "He's the DEA's man." Rising from the chair, he walked toward the door.

"Where are you going, Tanner? We've got to call the SAC and tell him we know who the player is."

Eli halted and faced Ashley with an uncharacteristic frown. "I don't want anything to do with it, Sutton. You call the SAC. I'm sure he'll be impressed."

"What's wrong with you, Tanner?" Ashley blurted. "Now we know who let the contracts. We can help the DEA get Mendez."

"Get Mendez?" Eli said, shaking his head. "No, it's not that easy. Once I thought it would be easy, too, but he's smarter than that, Sutton. Think a minute. Who is going to testify that Mendez was involved with the Yona Group?

Henry Cobb? Congressman Richards? They're dead or missing, remember? Strike one. Next question. Who is going to testify that Mendez let the contract? Orlando? No, I killed him. What about the other hitters? No, they'll never say a word, but even if they do talk they don't know who gave them the contract. That's strike two. So, what have you got left? What else links Mendez to any of this? I'll tell you nothing. That's strike three, Agent. You're out, and so is the DEA and anybody else who tries to get Mendez."

Ashley looked into Eli's eyes. "You're forgetting something, Tanner. The money. Four trunks delivered to a bank in Dahlonega, remember? Don't you think Mendez will want to recover his investment?"

"He'll write it off, Sutton. It's nothing but a small business expense to him."

"You'd be right if he thought we had his money, Tanner, but he doesn't think we know about the money. He had Cobb, Richards, Paul, and all the others killed to protect his investment and his involvement with the group. He thinks he's accomplished his mission of keeping the money and his involvement a secret."

Eli returned her stare for a moment before dipping his chin. "You may be right. . . . It'd be like him to try and get his money right out from under our noses."

Ashley picked up her cell phone from the bed and offered it to Eli. "Call the SAC and tell him what've we got."

"Me? You're the one who thinks we might still have a chance to nail him. You call him. I'm out of it."

Ashley licked a finger and rubbed his chin. "You missed a little evidence there, Tanner. Aren't you in this with me?"

"You want me in on this?" Eli asked. "I'm the dumb guy, remember?"

"Yes, of course I want you in; you're my partner. I'm just a white-collar wire head and you're a field guy. I need you."

She held the phone out. "Make the call."

Chapter 13.

9:30 A. M., Thursday, Atlanta.

Ashley held Eli's arm as they walked down the chapel steps. When she saw the black hearse parked alongside the curb, she dabbed at her good eye with a Kleenex.

Eli gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "You doing okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine, really. It was nice, wasn't it? The SAC did a good job with Paul's eulogy."

Eli slowed, seeing Stacy Starr across the street with her camera crew. Ashley saw her at the same time and spoke through clenched teeth. "She never rests, does she? Damnit, why can't they stay out of people's lives?"

"She's just doing her job, Sutton."

The SAC caught up to the couple and tapped Eli's shoulder. "Tanner, you and Agent Sutton be in my office in an hour. We'll discuss what you told me last night."

"You did a wonderful job with the eulogy, sir," Ashley said.

Farrel lowered his head. "Paul was a damn fine agent. I'm going to miss him. . . . Well, I'd better get back to the office.

See you two in a little while."

Minutes later Ashley started the van. She was about to shift into reverse but regarded her passenger a moment.

"Thanks for coming with me, Tanner. I know now it would have never worked. Paul wouldn't have let it."

Not knowing what to say, Eli gazed out the window in silence. The one thing he did know was that he didn't know his partner as well as he'd thought. Ashley's feelings toward Eddings had caught him completely off guard. He knew Ashley was capable of feelings like everybody else, but he'd never thought she could direct those feelings toward a fellow agent and be so open about it.

Misreading him, Ashley patted his arm. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking is all. I haven't been to one of these since my Miami partner died. I'd forgotten how much they hurt and yet are so . . . so . . ."

"Settling?"

"Yes, that's a good word for it. The hard part is seeing Paul's kids. Gus had kids, too. That was the toughest thing for me . . . talking to his boys. Alice, his wife, wanted me to explain he wouldn't be coming home again. . . . It was the toughest duty I've ever had to do."