Every Breath You Take (12 page)

Craig Spellman also appeared to have decided that discretion was the better part of valor. Making a visible effort to control his infamous temper, he agreed with the police commissioner.

“Likewise, at ICE we are at your service. My understanding is that you want Paul Prentiss assigned to you. I’m amenable if Paul is.”

The young red-haired man flushed with pleasure.

“I’m honored, Colonel Gardner, that you asked me to join with you and your colleagues. I… I thank you.”

Jake smiled at the young man who was the most qualified person he’d met at the overworked government agency. Both Jake and Brady had admired the serious young man from the first time they met. It didn’t hurt that Prentiss was ex-military. In addition to being in awe of the formidable Jake Gardner, unlike his jaded supervisors, the young public servant actually believed they could make a difference in the seemingly unsolvable issues they faced.

~~~

After an hour of conversation, Jake wound up the discussion with an ultimatum.

“Gentlemen, we are after one person and one person only, Young-soo’s San Francisco impresario. When we take him down—and we will—we will cut off his balls and feed them to the pigeons flying over City Hall. After we’ve cut off his dick and shoved it in his mouth, that is. The loss of the mastermind will cripple this hideous enterprise that is a black mark on the soul of San Francisco. And it will be a clear signal to Young-soo and his minions that from this point forward we will be on them tighter than ticks on a hunting dog’s ass.”

Jake rose to his full height, and shot each of the assembled participants a hard gaze.

“Gentlemen, and ladies, I believe that concludes our meeting.”

Jake strode over to Lexie and pulled out her chair. He leaned down and murmured loud enough for everyone at the table to hear, “Shall we, Darlin’?”

Lexie smiled. “By all means. Something tells me we’ve overstayed our welcome.”

Commissioner Roberts stood and walked around the table. Pointedly sidestepping Jake, he reached out for Lexie’s hand.

“May I speak with you for a moment, Alexis?”

Lexie smiled. “Of course, Tom.”

Nodding to Jake, Commissioner Roberts tried for a bit of levity. “I promise you I will behave. I’m inordinately fond of the package between my legs and I’d like to keep it that way—attached that is. Wouldn’t want to put them at risk. Your knight in shining armor has made himself abundantly clear. “

Jake didn’t return his smile. He merely nodded.

“I believe I’ve made my point, Tom.”

The Commissioner quirked a brow. “That you have, Colonel.”

~~~

Lexie followed Commissioner Roberts to the side of the impressive conference room.

“Alexis, I apologize for what I said to you. It was unconscionable. I was way out of line. The only people who are responsible for what happened to those poor girls are the brutal men who killed them. Jake is correct. As a police force and a city, we’ve allowed egregious crimes to take place virtually in plain sight. Your courage has forced us to do what we
should
have been doing all along. Please forgive my callous remark.”

Lexie was relieved. She considered Cynthia Roberts a friend. Plus the Roberts’ had included her and Jake in a number of events with wealthy individuals who were potential donors to Lexie’s Center. In addition, Lexie was very fond of Sammie and Donny Roberts. She would have hated to lose them as students. Sammie in particular showed real promise.

“Thanks, Tom. I appreciate your apology.”

The Commissioner gave a rough laugh but the uncertainty in his eyes was obvious.

“So, I’m in the clear? You aren’t going to sic my bulldog of a wife on me? Or worse yet, that daughter of mine? I have to tell you Sammie is getting stronger by the day, thanks to you. It won’t be long before she is tossing me across the room.”

Lexie accepted the Commissioner’s apology with a quick handshake and laughed. “Well let’s hope Sammie is also learning how to pick her battles, and her opponents!”

~~~

Seeing the rest of the team waiting at the elevator, Lexie hurried to catch up.

Peter had followed the group to see them out. His eyes were dancing.

“If I hadn’t seen and heard that with my own eyes and ears, I would never have believed that, Jake. Tell me that good ole Southern boy routine is as frightening as it appears, or were you pulling their legs?”

Brady and Tiffany laughed. Tiffany answered for them both.

“Take it from me, Peter. When Jake lapses into his redneck shtick, anyone who knows him ‘hunkers’ down and gets as far out of range as possible.”

Brady chuckled. “Damn. Ever seen C4 explode in a controlled space? Trust me, that’s nothing compared to what happens when the Big Guy becomes the scourge of the North Carolina backwoods from whence he came. Add to that their insults to hotstuff, and hell, I wasn’t sure those two were going to make it out of there alive.”

Jake was leaning against the wall. The glimmer of a smile tugged at his lips but his eyes were dark, hooded. It was clear he was still angry.

Lexie came over to him.

“Thank you, Sir Lancelot, for riding out of the North Carolina mountains to save your damsel in distress.”

“I hope you understand, Lexie. I know you could have handled both Tom and Craig, but I needed to speak on behalf of our company. Not to mention as the man who will rip the heart out of anyone who insults you.”

Lexie snuggled against him. “I kinda liked the other parts you threatened. I swear Craig Spellman turned paler if possible. And just so you know, Jake, I have a feeling that Tom Roberts is more afraid of Cynthia’s wrath than yours.”

Lexie turned to Tiffany.

“Speaking of a tough woman who keeps her man on the straight and narrow, Cynthia Roberts invited me to address her foundation board to discuss the Strong Women Center. She suggested that I meet with her and Margaret Spellman to plan the session. They invited me to meet them after we finished here. You want to join me, Tiffany? Don’t know how you feel about scrounging for dollars from uppity society women. I’ve been shamelessly begging for support for my Center for years. Now with my sudden publicity, I’ve become a hot property.”

Lexie tossed her head and winked. “Believe me: I intend to milk it for every penny I can get.”

Jake leaned down and kissed her. “Go get ‘em, Tiger. But come home soon. We have critical issues to discuss. Peter is joining us for a working dinner. We’ll wait for you and Tiffany before we begin.”

~~~

“That is not possible. That red-headed bitch caused us enough trouble here in Seoul. She has joined Gardner’s company? Are you sure?”

“How many eyewitnesses do you need? From what I can tell, she came because of Schaefer. But she is definitely working with them. Our military sources say she’s resigned her commission.”

There was a long silence

“Kill them both.”

“Who? The women?”

“Yes, you idiot. The women. And in the process the men as well.”

“That won’t be easy.”

“Nothing worth doing is. And I want them to die as painfully as those slant-eyed sluts did.” After a slight pause, he added, “Make sure that the last thing Gardner and the Lt. Colonel see before they die is their women being tortured to death.”

“You know that’s going to cost five times what it cost to kill the sluts.”

There was another pause.

“As for the cost? Fail and you won’t be around to spend any amount of money. Be assured, however painfully Gardner’s gang dies, it will be mild compared to yours.”

Once again the buzzing sound indicated that the ruthless son of a bitch had hung up.

Chapter 11

“Talisker’s, please. Single malt, straight up.”

Lexie swallowed her grin, amazed at Tiffany’s unexpected order.

Not to be outdone by her stunning friend, Lexie said with a nonchalant shrug, “Make that two.”

The bartender flashed a surprised grin.

“You got it, ladies.”

He turned to the other two women at the table who were frowning at the redhead. “You two want to trade in that sissy white wine for a real drink like these two hot babes?”

Cynthia Roberts rolled her eyes and flicked her fingers in a shooing motion.

“Sorry, Patrick,” she said to the bartender, “I don’t move on to the hard stuff until at least four o’clock.”

Margaret Spellman, Craig Spellman’s wife, smiled at Tiffany but her eyes were cool. Sizing up the unexpected addition to their group, the artfully coiffed woman addressed Tiffany in a cloying voice.

“I understand, Major Anderson, that you are a friend of that adorable Colonel Schaefer. I’m sure you know that once Alexis scooped up Colonel Gardner, every eligible woman in San Francisco set out to snare Brady Schaefer.”

Margaret waved away the bartender who had delivered their drinks but was standing back gaping at Lexie and Tiffany. The dark-haired woman, who was clearly friends with a skilled plastic surgeon, scowled at the hapless server.

“Please, Patrick. Don’t you know it is impolite to stare? We’ll call you if we need you.”

Turning back to Tiffany as if she’d not been interrupted by the gawking server, Margaret continued twisting the knife.

“But then you must know what a
charming
scallywag Col. Schaefer is. And, my goodness, I can’t remember when I’ve met a bigger flirt. He obviously likes women, lots of them.”

Lexie frowned, surprised at the woman’s antipathy towards Tiffany.

Taking a small sip of her whisky, Lexie forced herself not to cough at the taste of the vile liquid.

“You are correct. Brady Schaefer is a charming man. And my best friend. What you’ve missed, Margaret, is that Brady is as loyal as he is charming. He and Jake have been best friends for years. Before my brother Anthony was killed, he and Brady and Jake were inseparable.”

Cynthia Roberts broke in. “My goodness, Alexis, I’m sure Margaret didn’t mean to offend you
or
Major Anderson.” Glancing at Tiffany, she frowned slightly. “You aren’t
involved
with Brady, are you?”

Tiffany smiled but Lexie didn’t miss her colleague’s strained expression.

“I guess it depends on what you mean by
involved
, Mrs. Roberts. If having Brady fuck my brains out on a daily
and
nightly basis counts, I guess you could say that we are involved.”

Lexie choked and sprayed her mouthful of whisky across the table. Swiping at her tears of laughter with the back of her hand, Lexie faced Cynthia Roberts who’d jumped back and was mopping up the table with a stack of napkins. Lexie collected herself before speaking.

“Sorry about that. But Cynthia, what on earth has gotten into you? And you too, Margaret? Tiffany, Major Anderson, is a high ranking military hero. She is also my friend. Jake and Brady and I are honored that she has joined our company. “

Cynthia Roberts had the decency to blush.

“I apologize, Alexis. I didn’t mean to be rude to you or the Major. I’m confident Margaret didn’t either. It’s just… well, let me be frank. Both of you are so beautiful and
sexual
, it’s hard not to be jealous. It’s bad enough, both our husbands are panting over
you
, Alexis. Now seeing that Major Anderson is also working with you, we aren’t going to be able to let our ‘boys’ out of the house.”

Lexie squared her shoulders. Knowing that she was likely kissing away a half -million dollar donation to her Center, she refused to be silent. Eyeing both women, Lexie snagged a deep breath.

“Let
me
be frank. You both are beautiful, powerful women. It is my pleasure to know you both. I’m also honored to have your children as my students, Cynthia. Moreover, as you know, I came today to ask you both to contribute to the Strong Women Survive Center. But you need to understand. I won’t tolerate insults to my friend and colleague nor will I tolerate insinuations that either of us is interested in your husbands.” She softened her words, with an ironic shrug. “Trust me, being in love with two of the most gorgeous men who walk the planet doesn’t leave either me or Tiffany energy to notice—much less pursue—other women’s husbands.”

Cynthia Roberts flushed and bright red blotches stained Margaret Spellman’s cheeks. Margaret spoke first.

She nodded wryly to Cynthia.

“Perhaps we should break our ‘four o’clock rule,’ Cynthia?”

Margaret motioned to the bartender who was listening wide-eyed to the conversation among the four women.

“Stop
gawking
, Patrick. Refills please. Only this time we will all have Talisker’s. And bring the bottle.”

~~~

Two hours later, Tiffany and Lexie said good-bye to the two women whose limousine was waiting for them at the curb. Lexie thanked them for offering to take them home but indicated they would take a cab. They shared a wink with Ji-Hun, Cynthia’s liveried chauffeur as the patient man helped the tipsy socialites into the impressively appointed automobile Tiffany and Lexie waited until the car turned the corner, then burst out laughing. They clung to each other giggling hysterically.

“Oh my God, Tiffany. I don’t know what was more shocking. You ordering whisky straight up or calmly announcing that Brady has been ‘fucking your brains’ out.” Wiping at her eyes, Lexie chortled, “I’m shocked, girlfriend. Shocked I tell you.”

Walking over to the cab stand arm in arm, Tiffany grinned at her.

“
You
were shocked? Really Lexie, I can’t remember a better put down than what you said to those pretentious women. You
schooled
them. They never knew what hit them. On top of that you
shamed
them. If they remember what they promised after the second bottle of Talisker, your Center is now a hell of a lot richer.”

Lexie nodded, her expression turned grim.

“By damn, I wasn’t going to let them off the hook. Cynthia has been dangling the possibility of a donation for months now. Once I reminded them to their face of their implied promise I figured I had nothing to lose.”