Trained To Kill (10 page)

“
Shit, don’t know man,
probably at Rayleen’s.”

“
Where!” Isa emphasized
this with a slight twitch of her wrist that had Dougie
whimpering.

“
Clipner, building on the
corner. I don’t know what room, I swear! You’re breaking my
arm!”

Isa eased back a fraction. “No, I’m
not. It just feels that way. Pressure points Dougie.”

She let go, and stepped back out of
reach. “However, if we can’t find Rayleen I’ll be back and I really
will break your arm.”

She tilted her head and lifted her
eyebrows, “Yea, Yea, man. I get it. Clipner, she’s at Clipner.”
Dougie stood up and ran out the back door.

“
Well, let’s go to
Clipner, shall we?”

Alex stood slowly, and took two steps
toward her. Isa’s heart skipped a beat. His eyes burned with
intensity and he said, “Alright, then. Let’s go.” He was still
smiling when they got in the car.

She was a little suspicious of his
reaction to her interrogation. Cops usually frowned upon torture.
But Alex seemed amused. They slammed the car doors and Alex cranked
on the heat. They sat for a minute catching their breath from the
cold wind. Isa watched him out of the corner of her eye waiting for
a…a what? A lecture or something she supposed. She eyed him warily;
her heart skipped a beat at the heat in his eyes. Alex turned
toward her and she quickly did the same so they faced each other
fully in their seats over the console.

Meeting her gaze dead on Alex said.
“That was interesting.”

She let out the breath she was
holding. “That was anticlimactic. I thought you would be
angry.”

“
Well, it’s not something
I can approve of as a cop.” Alex tried to hold back his grin and
failed. “But I can admire your skills of persuasion.”

Isa grinned like an idiot. It was the
first she had ever been proud of her abilities.

He put the car in gear and Isa sat
back fastening her seat belt. She was still smiling in the inside
as they drove the streets. Alex knew all the short cuts so they
were there quickly. She stepped out as he parked and they walked
together toward the building. They searched the names on the door
but half of them were missing. They spotted some kids in the foyer
near the mail boxes and asked them where Rayleen was. The kids were
young enough and therefore naïve enough to give the information for
free and they headed up the stairs to the 3rd floor, both silently
agreeing to take the stairs.

Noises came from the apartments on
either side. 3F had the TV blaring, and an epic screaming match
came from 3E. There was silence behind 3G's door as Alex knocked.
The door swung open. They both froze, expecting someone to be
there. It was dark inside, all the curtains closed.

Alex pulled his gun out of his
shoulder holster and said to Isa, "Stay here."

Isa waited as Alex glided into the
apartment. He waited, listening. "Rayleen this is the NYPD. If you
can hear me, come out."

Alex waited listening. Nothing. He
tried again. "This is the NYPD please come out if you can hear
me."

Alex continued into the apartment
searching as he went. It was small and he reached the bedroom
quickly. Isa eased into the apartment, she felt stupid standing in
the hallway. Alex flicked a glance at her, lowering his brows, but
said nothing and gestured for her to stay back. He crouched down by
the bedroom door and glanced in. Standing up slowly, he flicked the
light on in the bedroom and she heard him curse. Walking in
further, she heard Alex say, "Don't come in here."

Isa looked around and saw the place
was trashed. Someone had been looking for something, or someone.
She caught a glimpse of two bodies on a bed. The smell wasn't bad
and she could see the blood still drying so it must have been
recent. But the killer was long gone.

Isa didn't enter the bedroom and
touched nothing in the apartment, she knew better.

"Wait in the hall,” Alex told her. "I
have to call this in."

Isa went without a word. She knew it
would be several hours of waiting around and questions, so she
settled in.

……
..

Several hours later, Alex left the
apartment, snapping off the latex gloves provided by CIU and
tossing them into a trash bag. He scanned the hall for Isa's blonde
head and spotted her talking to Richardson. He headed over, nodding
to the Detective, Richardson nodded back and left.

Alex took Isa by the arm and steered
her down the hall to the stairs.

"Alex, there's something I need to
tell you about," Isa mused. "In light of what's happened here. I
don't think it was a coincidence."

He stopped on the 2nd floor landing
and looked at her expectantly. She had her hands in her pockets and
she pulled out the skull chip she had found on her living room
floor.

"Three men were waiting in my
apartment last night. They were going to kidnap me I suppose, but I
managed to persuade them otherwise.”

Alex fisted his hands at his sides,
his blood coming fast and hot. "Who were they?"

"No idea, but they told me Mr.
Santinez wanted to see me."

Alex deliberately relaxed and took a
deep breath or he was going to pop a coronary. The image of thugs
putting their hands on Isa was almost too much to bear.

He took several deep breaths before
continuing. The air backed up in his lungs.

"Can you describe these men? Or pick
them out of a Mug shot Book?”

"Probably."

Isa descended the stairs until she was
a few inched away from his eyes. He watched her throat work as she
swallowed. "They left a calling card, by accident I think." She
handed him the chip. He stared down at the chip in his hand and his
hot blood turned to ice.

He knew what that was. He had seen it
lying on the floor littered with dead bodies. His eyes flew back up
to Isa's. He grabbed her arms, "Are you sure it was an
accident?!"

"Pretty sure. I think it fell out of
the guys pocket when he pulled out a handkerchief." Her voice sound
worried. He relaxed a fraction sliding his hands down her arms, and
taking her hand he put the chip in his pocket, "Come on, we have to
go to the station."

Santinez. Oh Christ, Alex thought. He
was having a hard time wrapping his head around what Santinez could
possibly want with Isadora.

Back in his car, Alex decided to
enlighten her. "Santinez, though that's not his real name, is the
Boss of the Italian Mob in New York." Isa didn't seem to be
surprised.

"Well it makes some sense," she said
blowing on her fingers to warm them. "Drugs, prostitution, murder,
kidnapping. All mafia calling cards. I just want to know what the
bloody hell they want with me." She paused, thinking. "Do you think
Ben and Maggie are in danger?"

"I don't know Isa. I don't know what
he wants with any of you."

Isa took her cell out making calls to
Renée, Maggie and Ben. After warning them of potential danger she
used her phone to set her cameras to record. She had set her alarms
but not the cameras when she left.

Alex was driving with barely
controlled fury. Narcotics bumped up against the mob frequently,
often brutally, but it was rare for a boss to show himself. They
dealt mainly with the small time pushers, occasionally a middle
manager type. The NYPD had an entire division in liaison with the
FBI to work on the mafia. Alex was not looking forward to this.
They were not known for their compassion. They had a certain way of
working with victims to make them the target that Alex found
repulsive. He didn't want that happening to Isa. He would be damned
if he would let it happen. He needed his Captain.

He pulled into the precinct garage. It
was barely above the freezing temperature outside. Damn budget
cuts. He took Isa's hand once again and walked quickly through the
hallways and stairwells to his Department. He knocked swiftly on
William's open door and he went in and shut the door behind
him.

"Captain Able Williams, Isadora La
Beau."

"Ms. La Beau."

"Captain Williams."

"Have a seat." Williams gestured to
his wooden chairs.

Alex started at the beginning without
prompting, laying it all out for the Captain. He didn't stop until
he got to Santinez. William's eyebrows shot up but he said nothing
for a minute.

"Captain, we can't take this to
Organized Crime. You know what they do. They'll have Ms. La Beau
locked up in a safe house somewhere for months, until she's no
longer useful and then throw her to the wolves just too see what
happens."

Alex knew he was making it personal
but he didn't care. He couldn't let them have her. Isa remained
quiet in her chair, one finger resting on her upper lip. Alex
didn't glance at her the whole time.

When he was finished Williams took a
deep breath. "Well this is a hell of a mess." He stood up and
walked over to the window. Alex watched him waiting. He still
refused to look at Isa. He didn't want to see her reaction to his
pleading on her behalf.

Turning back around Williams said,
"Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to take this to my Boss
and explain how Ms. La Beau has no knowledge of Santinez or what
he's involved in. Which was true until-Jax-Sergeant Jackson-told
you." He held up the poker chip, "Organized Crime would be wasting
their time. That it would be better for Jax to follow through and
see where it leads. Find the connection between Malone and Ms. La
Beau’s club. Leave Santinez out of it if you can. Otherwise you'll
be bumping up against OC." He walked back and sat down. “Ms. La
Beau do you mind stepping out for a moment?"

"Of course Captain," it was the first
time Isa had spoken. She got up and walked out gently shutting the
door behind her.

"Jax, what the hell are you
doing?"

"I don't know." Shaking his head, "I
can't...I can't stand the thought of someone hurting her. Of her
being in danger." He stopped. Exploding from his chair he walked
over to the window, threw the sash up and leaned out. He didn't
want to see the shock on his Captain's face. Finally, he turned
back around when he heard a drawer being opened. Williams had
brought out a bottle of scotch. Alex took a drink and sat back
down. Williams put it back in the drawer and his shoulders started
to shake. It took Alex a moment to realize he was holding in his
laughter. Alex threw his head back in a groan. His laughter was
contagious though and Alex found himself chuckling.

"Ok, kid. Ok," Williams said, holding
up is hands. He rubbed his face and snorted one more time. "You're
100% positive she has nothing to do with this? She doesn't know
Santinez?"

"I am."

"Ok." that was the end of that. "Look
you’ve got to treat her like a person of interest until the case is
closed.

“
I know.”

Williams nodded his head. “If I think
for one second it's compromising the case I will pull it from you,
is that clear?"

"Yes sir." Alex stood. "I'm going to
have her look at mug shots for the men that broke into her
house."

"Dismissed."

Alex went out and spotted Isa leaning
against the wall. She had one foot up on the wall behind her and
with her head leaned back against the wall; she cut her eyes to the
right when she saw him emerge. She pushed off the wall and stood
before him, waiting.

"Come on," he said. "I'll get you set
up with some mug books."

He led her over to a cubicle and
signed in, bringing up files of mug shots, “Just go to the next
when you're done with one. Click the flag there if you recognize
anyone.”

"Ok."

"I'll be at my desk," he gestured to
the left vaguely.

Walking back to his desk, he saw her
taking off her coat as she sat. A piece of paper on his desk caught
his eye. It was a big pink heart printed out with a cupid flying
around. He looked around the bullpen, but everyone was too busy to
make eye contact. "Cute," he said, and ripping off a piece of tape,
slapped it against the back of his computer. Chuckles rumbled
through the bullpen. Alex's glare shut them up. His hand holding
hadn’t escaped the bullpen’s notice.

A few minutes into his report, a
picture flashed across his screen. A mug shot. He looked over and
saw Isa peeking over the cubicle wall. Little Hacker, he thought.
He brought up the man's information, and another picture
came.

Isa came over, and sat on the edge of
his desk swinging her right leg slowly.

"You about ready?"

"One minute." He said finishing his
report he attached it and the mug shots to an email and sent it to
Captain Williams.

Chapter 15

Back at her apartment, Isa waited
while Alex searched, making sure it was thug free.

When he came back down stairs he said,
"All clear. Make sure you keep your security armed and your cameras
on."

"I will."