Читать книгу Reunited By The Badge - Deborah Fletcher Mello - Страница 15

Outside, the morning sun was just beginning to rise. Paul stood at the foot of the bed staring down at Simone’s sleeping form. Fully clothed, she was curled in a fetal position around a pillow. Her mouth was open, low gasps expelled from her lush lips. Her freckles were like stardust across her nose and her skin shimmered under a layer of light perspiration. Simone was a beautiful woman, but there was something about her when she slumbered, where she seemed most angelic and at peace. In those moments her beauty was extraordinary, leaving him to wonder what he had done to get so lucky.

In that moment though, he was wondering what he needed to do to ensure she was protected. How to get her, and himself, out of the mess he’d pulled them into. He sighed, feeling as if things might implode if he didn’t tread cautiously. But he had neither the time or the wherewithal to play nice with Lender Pharmaceuticals.

The knock on the door pulled him from his reverie and startled Simone out of a deep sleep. She sat upright, clutching at the well-worn spread atop the bed. Bewilderment furrowed her brow. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she threw her legs off the side of the bed as Paul moved to look out the window. He heaved a deep sigh as he sidestepped to the door and opened it, greeting Simone’s brother Mingus. The two men embraced like old friends, an exchange of shoulders bumping and chests grazing.

“You two good?” Mingus questioned as he entered the room, carrying two large duffel bags over his shoulder and a tray of coffees from Starbucks.

“No,” Simone muttered as she flipped her hand at him. “I need to pee, and I want a shower.”

Mingus and Paul exchanged a look, both smirking slightly. Her brother shook his head at her as he extended the duffel bag in her direction.

“Well, I brought you some things from your house. Clothes, your toothbrush…”

“My toothbrush!” she exclaimed, jumping up and down like a four-year-old. “I love you, big brother!”

Mingus laughed. “Until you see what I packed for you. Knowing you, I’m sure it’s all wrong.”

“As long as you brought me clean panties, I’ll be a very happy woman.”

“Panties? Ohhh…well… I didn’t…”

Simone’s eyes widened, a hint of saline suddenly pressing against her thick lashes. “Please, don’t tell me you didn’t get me any clean underwear. How could you not think to pack me clean underwear? I can’t believe you…”

Mingus held up his hand to stall the rant he knew was coming. He winked an eye at her. “Vaughan packed clothes for you. I’m sure you’re good.”

Relief flooded Simone’s expression. “You talked to my sister?”

“She had the spare key to your town house.”

Simone nodded. “Excuse me, please, while I go freshen up.”

Mingus dropped to the chair, his clasped hands resting in his lap as he gave Paul a look. “Don’t rush,” he said.

Simone looked from one man to the other and back, then rolled her eyes skyward. “Don’t hurt him, Mingus.”

Mingus narrowed his gaze and pushed his shoulders skyward. “No promises.”

Paul chuckled, dropping his large frame to the bedside. He clasped his own hands together in front of his face as he rested his elbows on his thighs.

She gave them both another look, then moved into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. “You two work it out,” she muttered under her breath. “Not my problem.” The pipes rattled loudly as the shower was turned on in the other room. When the rain of water sounded steadily on the other side of the door, both men shifted forward to stare at each other.

“I talked to your brother. He packed that other bag for you. He said to tell you he’s headed north to lie low for a few days. That you would know where to find him. He doesn’t like how folks are looking at him. He also said he has enough equipment there if you need it. He said you knew what that meant, too.”

Paul nodded. “Did he tell you where north was?”

“No, and I don’t want to know. And, if that’s where you’re planning to go, you don’t need to tell Simone until after you get there.”

“I don’t know if I can keep her safe, Mingus.”

“You better,” the other man said with conviction. “She’s already a target. They know she’s connected to you. If they can’t get to you through regular channels, they’ll get to you through her. I know I would.”

Like all the members of the Black family, Mingus was just as dedicated to the municipality. But he usually worked alone, sometimes in the dregs of the community, beneath the cover of darkness, getting his hands dirty. He sometimes did what others weren’t willing to do and he did it exceptionally well. Paul had no doubts he knew what he was talking about.

“I need to go to the hospital. I have patients there I need to check on. I also need to get my hands on some of my files and maybe a new sample or two.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I don’t have a choice. I have to go, but I’m not taking Simone with me. She can stay here until I get back.”

“If you get back.”

“Such faith!”

“In my line of business, we deal in facts, not faith. And the fact is someone is gunning for you. And maybe it’s because you know something about that pharmaceutical company that they don’t want you to know. Or maybe not. For all I know, it could be a spurned lover out for revenge.”

“Your sister had an alibi. She was with me, so she didn’t have a reason to try and kill me.”

Mingus chuckled. “Touché!”

Paul sighed. “I need to print the emails my brother sent me so I can study the results from the tests he was able to run. I’ll swing by a FedEx office first and then head over to the hospital. I’ll be in and out in thirty minutes. Forty-five max. Then Simone and I’ll get on the road.”

“The print shop is going to want a credit card. Go here,” Mingus said, jotting an address down on the hotel notepad that rested on the desk. “Ask for Liza. Tell her I sent you. She’ll print whatever you need. You can also use her computers. She can back-door you into any system you need to get into. Tell her what you need, and she’ll find it for you.”

“And she can be trusted?”

Mingus shot him a narrowed look but didn’t bother to answer. Instead, he passed him a set of keys. “I’ll take Simone’s car,” he said. “There’s a black BMW parked outside beside it. The registration won’t come back to either of you. If you get stopped, the car belongs to Black Investigative Services. Tell them to call and I’ll confirm you’re authorized to be driving it. But don’t get stopped. I did a little digging last night and the men at the restaurant were a professional team. They didn’t miss by accident. They wanted to scare you, not kill you. But if they had wanted you dead, you would be.”

The sound of the shower suddenly came to an abrupt halt, Simone cursing loudly about there being no more hot water. The two men exchanged a look and shook their heads.

Mingus continued, “Lender Pharmaceuticals has deep pockets. They can afford to pay well to silence you. If you keep digging and they get pissed off enough, whomever comes next might not miss.”

Paul rose from his seat and Mingus stood with him. Both stole glances at their wristwatches.

“One hour,” Mingus said. “Go to the hospital. Get in, get what you need and get out. Simone and I’ll meet you at that address I gave you in one hour. Then you two need to put some distance between you and Chicago.”

Paul nodded and the two men shook hands. “Thank you,” he said. “I really appreciate your help.”

Mingus chuckled. “Don’t thank me. Thank the nuisance in there. If she didn’t love you, I’d kick your ass for getting her in this mess. I still might. No telling about me!”

Paul hesitated as he pondered Mingus’s comment, wondering if it were possible that Simone did still love him. If they might be more than old friends. If when all of this was finished, Simone would still find favor with him. He suddenly wanted it more than he’d ever admitted to himself previously. He felt a mist of saline press hard against his lashes and he swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.

Paul gave Mingus a wry smile and then he turned to leave, his hand on the doorknob. For a split second he thought about telling Simone goodbye. Just in case they didn’t make it back to each other. Then he reasoned there was no point in tempting fate.

He turned back to face Simone’s brother. “I really love your sister. I hope you know that. I never meant for any of this to happen,” he said.

“Yeah, I know,” Mingus replied. “We all do.”

Paul spun back toward the exit, then he stepped out into the early morning chill, closing the door behind him.