High Stakes Gamble (7 page)

“Girl you sure do have the moves.” Since the first day they began working together, Lisa constantly surprised the hell outta Aurora. In a good way! Aurora threw her a smile in the mirror and caught Lisa’s expression of staggering concentration. Depending on her young partner had become second nature to Aurora. It felt great to work with someone trustworthy and capable… and fun.

“Comes from being a jock.” There was a teasing note in Lisa’s voice.

Aurora smacked the steering wheel. “The blabbermouth told you.”

“Well sure. The boss warned me you might take pot-shots at my extracurricular interests but admitted you didn’t really hate sports. You just weren’t athletic yourself, and so you didn’t understand the incredible skill it takes.”

“Shutt uup!!! He didn’t?” Aurora said.

Lisa grinned toward the rear view and Aurora knew she’d been had. “Okay get ready,” she continued. “Here they come. Check out the Uzi on your side.”

Sure enough, the front wheels were almost in line with the rear window when Aurora wrenched her wheel, trying to force them off the road. Didn’t work. The other driver had skills also. He’d braked and countered.

Two men were clearly outlined when she quickly turned her head to catch a glimpse—two men and one big mother of a gun.

And they were gaining once again. Sending up a quick prayer for help and a message of love for Lily, Aurora waited till they were somewhat closer and then wrenched the wheel once more, hoping it would work this time. Tires squealing and gravel flying resulted… but the black car hung on and again loomed.

Her maneuvers earned them a round of gunshots, which missed doing any fatal damage thanks to Aurora’s skill behind the wheel.

Lisa fired her gun at the shooter, which gave them precious seconds. But all too soon the predators pulled alongside again, moving like a rocket blasted from a launcher.

“We haven’t a hope of outrunning them with their horse power,” yelled Aurora. “Where the hell is a cop when you need one?”

Laughing wildly in agreement, Lisa answered. “Right here, Partner! Cover me, will ya?”

Aurora nodded, levelled her gun and shot toward the Charger, hoping to keep them too busy taking cover to fire back.

Lisa, with her body outlined in the window, took dangerous seconds to correct her aim, and then she shot out the front tire of their pursuer’s vehicle.

One second the car raced parallel with theirs—and the next it was airborne, flipping over and over. Sand, dry grass and cacti flew in all directions while the Charger’s motor screamed its distress. The smashing glass added to the cacophony that shrieked the death of the beautiful machine.

Aurora slowed down, did a u-turn, and drove close to where the bashed in crumpled pile of steel had rolled to a stop—upside down. The wheels were still spinning and the dust hadn’t yet settled. But there weren’t any movements, no bullets flying and no chance in hell anyone would walk away from the accident still breathing.

Approaching sirens could be heard. Good, thought Aurora. They’ll have a job when they arrive. We’ll leave them to take care of the paperwork and call the medical examiner.

She turned to check Lisa and smiled her thanks. “Nice shooting, Calamity. Now, we have a meeting with Mother Ling.”

Chapter Thirteen

The women’s correctional center was a fairly new building but the inmates were the same no matter what their surroundings. Not born to be prison guards like some people are born to be doctors or golf pros, nevertheless the guards worked there because there were jobs.

Similar to working in a plant, they had shifts, office politics and an atmosphere they tried desperately not to take home to their families. This was not a fun place to be, but it did keep food on the table and paid the bills. As Aurora and Lisa walked through the halls to the room Ham set up so they could speak with Mother Ling in private, they visited with one of the assistant wardens who Aurora knew quite well.

“How’s the Pups program coming along, Sally?” Aurora had spent some time at the prison the year before with one of her arrestees and had set the young woman up as one to be allowed a pup to train. It had worked out beautifully.

“Your girl Jenny is one of the best we have. She works with the dogs as if she had canine blood herself, canniest trainer we’ve ever had.”

“She told me she’s gotten her GED and has signed up for the Computer program.”

“Yep, she’ll be one of the internees we won’t see back here.” Chuckling wryly, she added, “Now Mother is a whole different story.” They’d come to the room where the interview would take place, and waited while Sally unlocked the door and held it open. “She’ll be brought down directly. You must have some tough questions for the old bird?”

“What makes you say that?” Lisa asked.

Aurora dropped her head to her chest playfully.

Sally laughed and pointed at the two boxes of cigarillos clutched in Lisa’s hand.

“Two boxes.” Sally winked at Aurora before she closed the door behind her.

Lisa noticed Aurora’s grin and threw the boxes on the table. She stuck her hands in her pockets in disgust. “I should have kept my mouth shut.” Peevishly, Lisa folded her long legs into one of the chairs and crossed her arms.

Sympathy, not often allowed and certainly seldom shown, made Aurora touch Lisa’s arm. “Hey cool it! You’re not yourself. Have you gotten any messages yet?”

“Still nothing.”

“Soon as we’re done here, I’m taking you to your place to grab a bag and then to the airport. Not sure if it’s because you’re jumpy as a virgin bride, but I’m feeling unsettled about the situation myself.”

Before Lisa could do more than nod happily, the door unlocked and an old Chinese woman shuffled in as if she had chains around her ankles. A uniformed guard followed close behind.

The vile grubby slippers the prisoner wore looked like two leopard kittens had glued themselves around her tiny feet. They gave her a slightly comical appearance that disappeared as soon as a person looked into her eyes.

Never one to underestimate a foe, Aurora respectfully stood and gestured to the only comfortable chair she’d just vacated.

Nodding, but saying nothing, the old lady made herself comfortable and then folded her hands together in her lap. Shrewdly looking at them both with a slight narrowing of her already squinty eyes, she addressed Aurora.

“You the girl they gossip about in here. The cop they either hate or love.” Her eerie voice sounded like she had a mouthful of marbles.

“I’m detective Aurora Morelli and this is my partner Lisa Jordan. With your permission, I have a few questions we’d like to ask.”

“Huh! Smart and professional. You already know who I am so you can just call me Mother.”

Aurora sensed the slight relaxing in the muscles around the suspect’s mouth. Skilful in the one-upmanship game, Aurora hadn’t broken eye contact, but did allow a small smile to show she appreciated the compliment.

Lisa, never one to sit still for long, held the gift towards Mother Ling and gushed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Ling. We’ve brought you a gift we hope you’ll enjoy.”

Mother Ling neither looked at Lisa, nor showed any sign of appreciation. Instead the sly old Asian crone asked Aurora. “Is she for real?”

“Afraid so.”

“I like her,” the old inmate admitted.

“Me too.”

Resembling a painting of ages past with her thin hair braided around her head and her wizened features similar to a shrunken apple head, she held out both hands toward Lisa and waited.

Lisa passed over the cigarillos and Aurora saw her shrewd partner gently touch the other’s hand as if she wanted to share a moment of humanity with her.

Surprising both of them, Mother’s façade softened and she nodded first at Lisa and then at Aurora. Silence reigned as the shrewd old matriarch waited.

Aurora cleared her throat and started off slowly. “As you know, a trucker killed a highway patrol officer yesterday.”

“Not my business.” The aged hand sliced through the air and she started to rise.

Aurora quickly added. “The officer’s name was Johnny Heng and his young wife, recently arrived from the Fujian province, gave birth to twins babies only last month.”

As if air had been released from inside of her, Mother Ling visibly shrunk. Her already rounded shoulders collapsed inward as if her bones had disintegrated. Eyelids, wrinkled with age, closed tightly.

Not one to lose an opportunity, Lisa added, her voice drenched in sympathy. “He was shot in cold blood—never had a chance to defend himself. The poor guy hadn’t even pulled his weapon.”

Aurora stepped in her voice hard as glass, no yield whatsoever. “Shot by a prick who we believe works for the Chang-Lee family. You might know them as the men who operate the ‘Demand, We’ll Supply’ operation in L.A. and Kowloon?”

She stopped, hoping to get a response from the stone-like figure.

Lisa added, a catch in her croaky, rasping voice that had goosebumps forming on Aurora’s arms. “Babies snatched right out of tormented mother’s arms. Young girls forced to provide who knows what kind of depravity for men who do anything they want to their lovely young bodies. And why? Why just because they can. These animals think they own the world. And with bastards working for them willing to murder innocent people, we can’t stop them. Unless… “

Mother lifted her head and sent a saddened smile in Aurora’s direction. “She’s good.”

Aurora nodded. “She cares.”

Silence reigned and then Mother stood. She shuffled to the door and stopped, her back to both girls. Aurora felt her heart drop to her feet. Disappointed, she looked at Lisa who’d made a move to intercept until she saw Aurora shake her head.

As if the movement sent off an alarm, a noise started up in her right ear, painful in its intensity. Acting instinctively, Aurora flew forward and lifted the tiny woman away from the door just in time.

Suddenly a bullet shot the lock and the door burst open. A young Chinese girl, familiar to both detectives as the pickpocket Aurora had arrested at the Cascades hotel months earlier, entered the room armed ready to kill.

Before she’d taken two steps, Lisa’s long leg kicked the gun from the assailant’s hand. At the same time she blocked access to Mother Ling, shielding her with her own body.

Aurora moved in and with an unusual technique, she dropped to the ground and slid in low, locking her legs around those of the unsuspecting accoster. Worked like a hot damn! The move brought the bitch down.

The assailant attacked Aurora with vicious jabs which Aurora had to work hard to combat.

Defensive moves kept the savage’s hands away from her throat until Aurora tired of the byplay. Refusing to let the other gain her feet, Aurora used an opportune moment to stop using her martial arts and take advantage of her many workouts with self-defence.

She threw a hard punch to the other’s jaw and followed up with another to her the side of her head that put her out of action long enough for Aurora to roll her onto her stomach. She held her down by the sheer force of her strength until the appreciative guards burst in to take over.

And take over they did. Mean-eyed and pissed off from being shown up in front of a well-known detective, they handled the wriggling prisoner aggressively. Soon as they had her cuffed, the heavier correctional officer pushed her toward the open door and the other stopped long enough to mutter, “Thanks, Detective Morelli.”

Sally arrived at the opportune moment, hopping with fury, her face red and her eyes spitting. “Shit, Aurora. I don’t know what to say. I think it’s best take Mother into protective custody, don’t you?”

“Good idea. And keep the lid on this until you hear back from me or my office. I don’t want anyone to know the attempt failed. And another thing, with your help, I figure we’ll need to check into your people. Someone let that prisoner out of her cell, armed her and led her to us.”

“You got it.” Sally stood waiting by the door.

Aurora watched as Lisa turned and gently held the old one’s arm. Mother leaned over and whispered into Lisa’s ear. Not a muscle moved on the young detective’s face. But her grip tightened slightly.

Not wanting anyone else to see this action, Aurora reached down for the gift that had dropped to the floor and passed it Sally who took it eagerly, winked and whispered. “This’ll go a long way to help her over the trauma.”

At the door, Mother Ling stopped to look at Aurora. “You fight like a Chinese.”

Accepting the compliment, Aurora bowed respectfully and replied. “Thank you.”

Chapter Fourteen

Mani’s arm was tiring from punching the cowering girl writhing on the floor below him. Not air-conditioned like the cab, the intolerable heat inside the trailer also added to his dilemma and took the fun away from a pastime he normally enjoyed—beating women.

Just like his old man had to school his mom, the stupid scrag who never fought back not even to protect him, he had to show this group who was boss.

“Bitch!” This time he slapped the girl and caught his ring in the long strands of her hair, then yanked viciously to loosen it. “I told you to keep the kid quiet. It’s your fault I had to kill a cop.” Spit flew in all directions as his anger once again became fuelled. “Now the boss is pissed at me.” Rage burgeoned, and lazy to the bone, Mani kicked her instead of bending over again.

The girl mewed just like the stupid whining puppy he’d tortured way back in elementary school. For some reason he didn’t understand, that memory made him back off.

Disgusted, he turned to the other five young females bunched together in the far corner. Hidden behind the front whores, the girls in back held three screaming rug-rats and tried in vain to hush their persistent bawling.

“Shut them brats up. I told you I don’t want to hear another peep out of their squawkers.”

Beaten, but stupid with guts, the Hispanic chick in front of him rolled over and pulled herself up against the side of the trailer wall. Cradling her stomach with her bleeding arms, she spit out some blood and opened her one working eye—the other useless from swelling.

“They cry because they are hungry, Señor. They need milk. Por favor, have mercy for the ninos.”