Back To Me (19 page)

              “I’m losing patience, man.” My breath was rapid and my chest heaved as I tried to rein in my fury.

              “George contacted me, Billy. Now listen carefully ‘cause I don’t have much time. If Tom calls you, don’t answer. There’s something going on….something
big
, but the only thing I know is to stay clear of Tom until George contacts me again. I’ll be back in touch. You got that?

              “Ten-four. You let me know the minute you hear from George again. The
minute
you get word,” I scolded.

              When it came to Heather I didn’t give a shit what was going on. But it was necessary to know in order to keep her safe.

              “And, Blake. Thanks man. Be careful.” By this time I was standing on the porch, watching Heather as she stared back at me with wide eyes. She was out of the truck, squatted down and trying to hide. I was furious that she hadn’t listened to me.

              “What about your lights?” Blake asked, breaking my reverie.

              “Don’t know. Downstairs is clear. I was just about to head upstairs, though I don’t think anyone’s here.”

              “Check the box,” he suggested.

              “Good idea.” I motioned to Heather to stay put as I ran back inside. “I’m putting you on speaker, Blake. Hang on.”

              I once again used the light on my phone to guide me through. I flipped the door to the fuse box and checked it thoroughly.

              “
Son of a bitch
!” I muttered under my breath.

              “What is it?”

              “The wiring is fine, but the main fuse has been pulled. Definitely been tampered with.”
This wasn’t good.
“You’re sure Raul’s still there?” I questioned.

              “Yep. Just left him. Sergio’s here, too, and all of Raul’s main men. He wouldn’t send a rookie for that.”

              I nodded my head in agreement. He was right. It wasn’t Raul’s style. He’d want me to know it was him.
That he’d found me
.

              “Who could’ve done something like this? Who the hell besides you even knows where I am?” I implored.

              “Tom,” he answered, point blank.

23

Heather

              “I’m sorry,” I squeaked. “I was trying to help!”

              Billy crossed his arms across his chest and blew out his breath in frustration. I knew by his body language that he was less than pleased with my defiance.

              “It’s just a fuse. I checked the house and the surrounding property. It happens from time to time, but I’m promise no one’s here, angel. You’re safe.”

              I lunged into his arms and buried my head in his chest. “I was so worried about you! I can’t lose you that way. I can’t go through that again!” I wailed.

              “It’s okay, angel. I’m okay, baby. I won’t let that happen, you have to trust me.” 

              I felt Billy’s anger melt away when he realized how truly scared I was and I didn’t let go of him until we were in the house. Billy locked the door and secured the extra bolt behind us, but I noticed the lights were still off. 

              “Wait here,” he ordered with a stern look. I knew not to disobey him this time.

              Within minutes the lights came on. “Better?” he asked, striding into the room.

              “Much,” I faked a smile.
I didn’t feel better
.
Or safe.
Something was off; I could feel it in my gut.

              Billy and I fell into bed, side by side, and thoughts began running rampant through my mind. I was afraid he might be mad, but I wasn’t stupid enough to believe all that had happened was merely a fluke.

              “Billy, I need to talk to you about something.”

              “Okay, shoot,” he said, sitting up and positioning himself more comfortably.

              “Well, technically you’re out of the business so you can talk, right?”

              “Yeah, guess so, but there’s no point in reliving all of that, angel.
I’m right here with you
. Right now. That’s all that matters.”

              I nodded my head in agreement. “You’re right, of course, but I don’t want to talk about us. It’s about your job.”

              “Oh,” he grimaced.

              “I was just wondering…..well, some things don’t make any sense to me. Like, why has this “job”,” I said, making quotations with my fingers, “taken so long? Doesn’t the FBI normally wrap these things up within a few months? It’s been
years
, Billy. You worked that job for a year and Blake’s been in since you left six years ago. Doesn’t something sound fishy about that?”

              He shrugged, but finally relented. “I’m not saying it doesn’t sound fishy, and I sure don’t want to come off condescending, but there’s an awful lot of detail work that goes into these investigations. When the mission is to take out an entire cell and all of its operations at one time, there’s just too much at stake to jump before all the t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted. One missing piece or a tiny mistake can cause the whole charge to be dismissed on a technicality, and then it’s all been for nothing. I hope they take Raul down soon, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it takes several more years. He’s got operations in different cities, hell, even in different states.”

              “Have you ever wondered why Raul didn’t kill you when he had the chance? You were injured, and I know Blake was because I saw him at the hospital. His face looked like it had gone through a meat grinder!”

              “How could I not? Will you tell me what happened?”

              He let out a sigh. “That night, the night I was shot, Raul came to the motel I was staying in. He carried me to the warehouse that they used for their drug distribution. When we got there, Blake was tied to a chair and he had been beaten. Tiffany, one of the girls from Tommy’s, had told Victor, the operation’s
head, and Raul’s father I might add, that Blake was a rat. While I was trying to convince them to let me take care of Blake, meaning I would rough him up and drag more info out of him, Victor and Raul got into a shouting match about which one should have the say over what happened to Blake. Victor decided to let me take Blake, and to Raul that was the same as Victor choosing me over him. Raul was livid,” Billy explained.
 

             
“What happened after that?” I dared to ask.

                “Blake radioed Tom that we needed help. I was losing a lot of blood. That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up in the hospital almost a month later.”

             
“What about since then? What has Blake told you lately?” I pushed, wanting more and more details.

              “Oh, you mean after I left and came back to Montana? Well, not much. Blake hasn’t been able to share a whole lot. Let’s see, Victor was killed and they suspect it was Raul or one of his men but they haven’t been able to make a case. Raul’s expanded his business beyond the drug and gambling rings his father used to control.
 
He’s into sex trafficking; getting girls under his control through whatever means necessary, and then selling them to the highest bidder. That’s why I was so frantic to get you out of town and away from Raul, Heather.” He shook his head in disgust. “I should’ve killed the prick when I had the chance.”             

              “And what about Tom? What’s he like?”

              “Tom?” he questioned. “He’s a good guy. A stickler for detail, but okay other than that. He always wanted more evidence than I thought was necessary but that played into his character, I think. And, of course, a few things got lost in the shuffle along the way, but that’s to be expected.

              “And, Blake? Just how much do you really know about him?” I asked.

              “Blake? I trust the guy with my life,
literally
, even after all this time. When you go through as much together as we have, there’s a bond.”

              “Well, what about Raul? When he shot you?”

              “You remember the warehouse across the street from Tommy’s?” he implored.

              “Yeah, I know it.”

              “Well, that’s where all the deals went down. That’s where they had Blake. When I left the warehouse with him it was a desperate attempt to save both our lives, but the first thing I had to do was see how badly he was hurt. Tommy’s was the closest place to get us off the street. I should’ve known Raul would show up there looking for us. He had eyes and ears all over the place, but at the time it was my only option.” 

              “So he found you and just shot you? Just like that? Why not aim for your head or your chest if he really wanted you dead? Why not kill Blake if he suspected him of ratting them out?”

              “I don’t know,” he offered. “I wonder that every day. He carried a gun with him all the time; guess he thought it intimidated people, and I suppose it did because no one ever messed with him. He never used it though. Instead Raul had his thugs do his dirty work for him. Besides that, he’s got shit for brains, too, being as he’s a heavy drug addict. He was higher than a kite that night.
Lucky for me, the little prick was a lousy shot.”

              “Oh.”

              Hearing Billy explain it so casually sent shivers up my spine. How was
any
of this real life?

              “Look, angel, all that’s over with and done. I don’t ever want to go back, and I don’t want to taint you with more bad memories. We’re looking forward from now on, okay?”

              “Okay,” I said. I would drop it for tonight, but there were questions I still needed answered. Perhaps I’d have to go through Blake, or maybe even Tom.

              “C’mon. Let’s get some rest. It’s been a long night.”

              “That it has!” I jested.

              “I’ve gotta tell you again how sorry I am about the way Lauren treated you. She had no right. Normally she isn’t like that, I promise.”

              “She’s just looking out for you, I think. It’s kinda sweet, even if it didn’t feel so sweet at the time, but I understand.”

              “You know, the two of you have a lot in common. I think if y’all would talk, you might actually get along.” He peered down at me, waiting.

              “If it’s that important to you, I will try.”

              “That’d be great!” he said with a grin.

              Billy kissed my forehead and rolled me away from him, and then snuggled up to my back.

              “Goodnight, angel. I love you.”

              “I love you, too, Billy.”

              He breathed a sigh of contentment and so did I. This was more than enough…..for now.

24

Billy

              I had chickened out. No…I had flat out lied to her. I didn’t tell her about my phone call with Blake, nor did I share the information he gave me. I had martyred Tom like he was some kind of damn saint! Even worse I made up that cockamamie story about electricity and old houses; that it was
just
a blown fuse. Someone had definitely pulled the main fuse, but since no one was here and nothing else had been tampered with, I was convinced it was nothing more than a ploy to scare me.
It had worked
.

              Heather drifted off to sleep, having believed my lies. I felt horrible, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth. I was trying to protect her and even though my actions were manipulative, they were also necessary. I was positive she’d run and I didn’t want to take the chance of her being out of my sight. It was too dangerous until things got cleared up.

              I laid awake, my eyes roaming the shadows and my ears perking at every sound. It was beyond ridiculous and I was exhausted, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Before I knew it the morning light filtered through the windows. I didn’t want to get up, but I didn’t want Heather to catch on to the fact that I had never gone to sleep.

              I moaned and stretched, pretending to wipe the sleep from my eyes. “Morning, angel. Sleep well?”

              “I did,” she yawned. “You?”

              “Good. Good,” I lied.

              I patted her bottom as she scooted to the edge of the bed. She didn’t move, or say anything, and I could tell right away that something was wrong.

              “You alright, angel?” I asked, moving closer to her.

              She lowered her head and chewed on her lip. “I don’t want you to get upset,” she admitted.

              “I won’t. I promise, angel. Whatever it is, I want you to know you can always talk to me.”

              I waited with worry.

              “I saw you on the phone last night, but you never mentioned who you were talking to. Is there something you’re keeping from me?”

             
And there it was
. I guess I hadn’t been as covert as I thought and I realized if I continued keeping secrets, she’d be mad as hell. We didn’t need anything else to bicker about and I didn’t want her thinking she couldn’t trust me.

              “I was talking to Blake,” I admitted. I threw my legs off the side of the bed and turned my back to her. I was afraid of the look I would get from her when I divulged the information he’d shared with me. I didn’t know what to do with what Blake had said, and I knew Heather wouldn’t either.

              “Heather, you were right. I mean, asking me all those questions last night about why it’s taking so long to close the case and about everyone involved.  I didn’t tell you everything Blake said. There’s something big going on, but I don’t know what it is just yet. All Blake would tell me was to avoid Tom’s calls until George got back with him. George is higher-ranking than Tom and I’ve worked with him in the past.”

              “Tom? Your old boss?
The good guy?
Heather paced with her hands on her hips, and both worry and fury etched on her beautiful face.

              “What else?” she asked. “Because I know there’s more. I want to know everything, Billy. You can’t keep me in the dark. Not when my life is at stake!”

              She was right.

              “Someone
was
here last night. Or at least before we got home,” I whispered. “The main fuse was pulled. Someone deliberately did it to cut the electricity off.”

             
Silence
. Heather didn’t make a sound and my back was still turned away from her. I didn’t know if she’d left the room, or passed out. I had reverted back to old habits, allowing my
job
to take over and excuse my keeping things from her. The difference this time was that I had
chosen
to lie to her.

              “Angel, say something.”

              “I always thought there was something not quite right with Tom,” she muttered.

              That peaked my curiosity and I whirled around. “What do you mean?”

              “When you were shot and I came to the hospital, he didn’t want me to see you. He must have been in charge of the men standing at the doorway, blocking my path. If it hadn’t been for Blake, I wouldn’t have been allowed to see you. He was very confrontational with Blake, but finally ordered the men to let me in. He seemed very irritated that I was even there and I knew he didn’t like me, but it seemed to go deeper than that.”

              “Angel, why haven’t you told me any of this before now?”

              “Same reason you haven’t shared what you knew with me. I didn’t want to upset you. I don’t like talking about that time in my life. I don’t like thinking about it. There are a lot of reasons, Billy.”

              I blew out a breath. “We have to be honest with one another, starting right now, angel. Our very lives may depend on it. I promise I won’t keep anything else from you, and you need to talk to me, too. I think the best thing to do now is to stay vigilant. I don’t want you by yourself at
any
time. I’ll be with you as much as I can, but there may be times when---

              “When what? You drop me off at a babysitters so you can go play hero again? I don’t think so, Willis. You’re not going after these guys, and you’re not getting involved with Tom! Let Blake and the others handle it!” Heather screamed.

              “Angel, I have to---

              “You don’t
have
to do anything, Billy except love me! Is that asking too much? That’s all I want from you!”

              “No, angel, it’s not asking too much, and I do love you. More than
anything
in the world, but I’ll do whatever I have to do if it means protecting you.”

              “So we’re right back where we used to be then? Nothing’s really changed. You’re going to leave me again aren’t you? For this job?
Your job
that you can’t seem to let go of.”

              “If I have to,” I answered honestly.

              “Well then there’s nothing left to say,” Heather remarked, stomping out of the room.

             
Shit!
Should I go after her? No. I’d let her cool off. When she could be rational about the situation then we’d talk. She’d understand that all of this was for her…to keep her safe.