Beyond Blue (19 page)

“Out on Staten Island, man,” Ruby said. “But not for long. I'm definitely ready to…”

Ruby was interrupted by a loud knock on the door, and Gorman held his breath. He heard a man's insistent voice in the background, and Ruby's response.

“What do you think I'm doing in here? Hell, there's three other bathrooms in this place. Well you shouldn't have waited until the last second, huh? Ah, shit, okay, okay.”

Then the line went dead. Gorman swallowed hard. He wasn't sure why his forehead was starting to sweat.

A narrow flight of stairs led to a third story above the Good Chinese Kitchen. When Gunny Robinson arrived at the top floor, he decided it looked like a good Chinese meeting room. One large table dominated the room, surrounded by plenty of chairs. A thick manila folder lay at the head of the table. A low hanging green metal lamp cast a cone of light over the table that left the rest of the room in shadow. In the darkness on the far right, the room had its own bar. Gunny could detect the frying smells from downstairs, but none of the sounds. He assumed none of the sound inside this room got out either. Robbie, the youngest of the thugs, went to the bar, set out glasses, and began to pour Scotch.

“Okay fellows,” Lucania said, standing at the head of the table, “we've got some serious business to take care of here. Gunny, this is about to get heavy. Past this point you're out or you're in all the way. But I got to know now.”

The two men locked eyes, and Gunny prayed he wasn't misreading some signal Lucania was trying to send. “I'm down for whatever, as long as you're in charge.”

Lucania gave a subtle nod and lowered himself into his chair. Robbie managed to carry four glasses to the table in one trip. As he set them out, Gunny dropped into the chair on Lucania's right. Lucania remained passive, but Mike approached the seat and just stared down at Gunny. This signal he understood right away.

“Am I in your chair? Sorry, man.” Gunny got up, smiled at Mike and moved down two seats.

“You need to learn your place, newbie,” Robbie said with a grin.

Mike stabbed a thick finger at Robbie. “You don't give Gunny no shit. And where's his drink?”

While Robbie hustled back to the bar, Gunny reflected that he had apparently made a friend, in the way he had years ago in the schoolyard. How little had changed, he thought. Except now the kids were a lot bigger and better armed, and the stakes were higher.

Gus, the quiet one, sat at the end of the table toward the door. Robbie settled into the seat facing Gunny and pushed a drink forward. Gunny nodded his thanks. Then, as if on a signal, all eyes turned to Lucania.

“Okay, I got you guys together because we've got a job to do, something a little more challenging than the usual stuff we take care of.”

“Hey, we're in the business of handling the hard stuff,” Mike said, passing a smile around the table. “What, we going to hit the governor?”

Lucania let them chuckle for a few seconds while he pulled a photograph out of the folder and turned it to face away from himself. Then he said, “Not this time. For now, Mr. Lacata wants us to take care of this man. He's an assistant district attorney.”

Gunny looked to Mike to allow him to respond first. When he said nothing, Gunny asked, “That's a bit ballsy, ain't it? The last guys I was with, they steered clear of popping officers of the court. Except lawyers of course. Nobody cares if you thin that herd a bit.”

Lucania's lips curled at one corner. “I guess Mr. Lacata has more balls than the last guys you were with,” he said. “This guy's getting to be an inconvenience, so I figure the boss wants to send a signal. Nothing delivers a message like a well-timed death. That's why we need to take care of this before the sun sets tomorrow. I've got his personal information in here and with it, we're going to make a plan to get this thing done smoothly.”

“Hey, I like a guy who's ready to take action,” Gunny said with a smile. “But hey, if this is the planning session, have I got time to hit the head first?”

This time Gorman swallowed half his mug of coffee before he picked up the phone. His right hand stayed busy with a pencil, scribbling notes from his brief conversations with Chastity and Ruby, lining up time lines and drawing lines connecting the data in ways that would be mysterious to the casual observer. When he heard Gunny's voice his brows knitted together and he added a new name to his yellow pad.

“Good to hear your voice, Gunny, but why do people want to talk to me in the bathroom?”

“Sorry, sir, but it was the only way I could get away from the group, and I can only talk for a minute.”

“Have you made contact with this Lucania kid again?” Gorman said, moving to the edge of his chair. “Can you shake him loose from the mob?”

“I don't think that can happen right away,” Gunny whispered. “Listen, he's been tasked to make a hit. I think it's planned for tomorrow sometime. I've gotten myself inside so I can stay close, but keeping him from becoming a killer, or getting killed for failing, could be a challenge.”

“Glad you're there,” Gorman said. “You might be all that keeps this kid from getting pushed over the line. Who's the target?”

“Don't have a name, but it's big. An assistant DA.”

“You're joking,” Gorman said, knowing that he wasn't. “Jesus, which one of the teeming mob of assistant DA's in the five boroughs would they be after? And what if they reach outside The City proper? Damn, Westchester County alone has over a hundred assistant district attorneys. We can't protect them all.”

“I might be able to narrow it down a mite,” Gunny said. “He's male, white, sandy hair, and looks to be in his late
thirties. Lorenzo showed us a picture.”

“Okay, I'll give it a shot. Meanwhile, can we keep tabs on this guy?”

“You can. I slipped a homing beacon into his jacket pocket when I sat down next to him earlier,” Gunny said.

“Good man,” Gorman said, now drawing circles to draw the four investigators into a Venn diagram. “Now you better get going before they think you fell in. And Gunny…”

“Yes, sir?”

“This is why I don't want you doing field work. I can't afford to lose your sorry ass.”

Standing in Rafe's big, bright kitchen, Ruby could hear gentle snoring coming from the living room. The house was quiet now, the soccer game over at last. She knew that Rafe's guests had gotten into a fierce game of dominos and that one had fallen asleep. Jet lag would probably catch up to all of them before too long. That would mean that she would probably learn nothing of value by staying around for the rest of the evening. And it also meant that all the peppers and onions she was dicing for a fine dinner were probably a waste of time. Her thoughts were interrupted by Rafe planting his elbows on the island chopping block in front of her. His damned eyes pulled her in every time.

“I have to tell you, Ruby, that this has been one of the most enjoyable weekends of my life,” he said. “You have captured my mind so quickly, and maybe my heart as well.”

“Well, you got to me awful quick too, Rafael,” Ruby admitted. “Don't meet too many like you down at the airport.”

Rafe stopped her chopping movement with a hand on her forearm. “You were so perfect when it came to entertaining my company, you made me so proud to have you on my arm.”

“Yeah, and proud to let me cook for that crew and wait
on them,” Ruby said, but with a smile.

“You know, there is space in this house for another. A woman I can trust to be by my side, to support me. Room in this house. Room in my life.”

Ruby took a deep breath, and broke eye contact for a second. “Look, Rafe, I like you too, a lot. But don't you think we're moving a little fast here? Let me think about this some while I'm in my own home, alone, in the quiet, away from those damned seductive eyes.”

“Away?” Rafe's face fell, like a schoolboy who just found out about this afternoon's test.

“Well, sugar, I do have a job, remember? And I have to change my clothes and I need some, you know, me time.”

Rafe nodded. “Okay, I get it. But I don't like it. Stay for dinner?”

“No, really, baby, I don't mind helping you prepare the meal, but I don't think I'll hang around for it,” Ruby said, turning to the sink to wash up. “Besides, I think your visitors may well sleep through the evening meal. One's already sacked out, which seems odd. I know it's a long flight, but it's only one hour earlier in Peru.”

“Colombia.”

“Whatever.”

Ruby dried her hands on a dishtowel, and reached for Rafe to give him a good, solid kiss. She still wasn't used to tilting her head down for this, but one part of her brain said she could easily get used to it. His arms were strong, and his lips knew just what to do.

When they broke the embrace she scooped up her bag, gave him one more big smile and headed for the door with Rafe close behind her.

“So, can I drive back to the city?” she asked over her shoulder.

“Perhaps that's not the best plan.” Ruby stopped short, since those words didn't come from Rafe. She found herself face to face with de La Fuente, whose back rested against the door.

“What the hell?” she said in a low voice.

“Rafael,” de La Fuente said from behind his most charming smile, “Your brother Hector invited us here for a very special reason. We are embarking on a grand journey, he and I, a business of great importance to both of us.”

“Yeah. So?” Rafe looked over his shoulder to find Hector standing with a pleading expression on his face. Rafe stepped forward to stand beside Ruby.

“How well do you know this charming lady?” de La Fuente asked.

“And what is that to you?” Rafe asked. Ruby didn't like where this was going.

“I would be much more comfortable if she would consent to staying with us until tomorrow, when our business is concluded. As a gesture.”

“I'll give you a gesture, buddy,” Ruby said, flashing her left middle finger. “Now get out the way. I got a job to get to.”

“She can call in sick,” Hector said. “She'll still get paid.”

“Rafael, if she is trustworthy, this should not be a big thing to ask,” de La Fuente said.

“I will not hold Ruby prisoner here, not even for one day,” Rafe said, stepping in front of her.

“Please try to understand,” de La Fuente said, not backing off one inch. “If anything were to go wrong, then someone might assume she was the cause. That would put her at risk, and your judgment in question.”

Ruby figured they all knew what he was talking about. If the drug deal went sour, they would know she was the cause. Were any of the men aware that she knew what this was about? She had no way to know. But she did know that if she left now, Rafe would be in danger. And if they took Rafe out and moved on, she'd probably never catch up to them again, and never know just what the mysterious white powder really was.

Without turning, Ruby heard the other visitors stirring. They would be standing, waiting to see if Rafe would fall in
line with their leader. Rafe looked ready to fight. If he did, he would lose and either way they'd lose the connection to the supplier at the end of this weird mystery.

All of this went through Ruby's mind in a second. She nodded and said, “I guess one day won't kill nobody. Not if that's what it takes to prove I won't screw up whatever this big deal is for Rafe.”

“Thank you, my dear,” de La Fuente said. “You are kind to allow us this degree of emotional comfort for one night.”

Rafe wasn't impressed. “You think she's some kind of spy?”

“Easy enough to prove otherwise,” de La Fuente said. “I'm sure she won't mind offering a small token to show her sincerity.”

“Like?” Ruby asked, mentally measuring the distance from her right toe to his crotch.

“Like your cell phone,” de La Fuente said. His right hand snapped forward, like a striking snake, snatching Ruby's bag away from her. Fast as he was, it might not have worked if she hadn't noticed the tattoo on his forearm when he stretched forward. What she saw was the tip of a dagger with a snake coiled around it. She recognized the mark, and it chilled her. These were no mere drug smugglers.

de La Fuente had just pulled her phone from the bag when Rafe grabbed his wrist. As he did, the other three men moved forward, suddenly not looking so friendly. She could probably take the group, but she doubted she could also keep Rafe from getting hurt. His macho bull might get him sliced or shot in the battle.

“All right,” she said to stop the action. “I see you guys are really paranoid about being betrayed but okay. The phone's not that big a deal, except that I do need it back to call in to work.”

Ruby reached past Rafe and snatched her phone back. Passing out dirty looks in all directions, she hit a speed dial button and held the phone to her ear. de La Fuente leaned
forward to hear both sides of the conversation. No problem. Gorman wouldn't give her away and she could at least give him some clues as to her location. Then the cavalry would ride to her rescue.

“Gorman.”

de La Fuente wrapped his hand around Ruby's hand and the phone, pulling it away from her head before she could say a word in response. “Now who was that, chica?” he asked, pushing the button to cut the connection. “I think that airport workers always answer with the name of the airport, not their own name. Am I right? So who did you call instead?”

“Just hit the wrong number,” Ruby said, sneering at de La Fuente.

“Don't worry about it,” Hector said. “I'll just tell them you're not coming when I call in. I won't be in this shift either.”

“I think I will just keep this little toy,” de La Fuente said, “so you don't accidentally disturb anyone else.”