To Protect And Serve Part 22

out what was going on, she and Alex would both be taken off the case and Alex would be brought up on charges. In a neutral tone, she said, "Yes, I know."

"Good. She wants to see you." Beth turned on the water and stepped into the cubicle, throwing her towel over the door. "Don't stay up all night. You need to be fresh tomorrow."

Keri stared after Beth as she disappeared into the shower. Was it possible that she knew about her and Alex? Would Alex have con ded in her? Keri decided that would be too risky at this point and dismissed her suspicions. Beth was probably just trying to make her more comfortable for the sake of the investigation. Calling, "See you tomorrow, Sarge," she closed her locker door and headed down the hallway to Alex's of ce.

Alex met Keri at the door and offered her hand, something she seldom did with subordinates. The need to touch her was too great.

"Come in."

The softness and warmth of Keri's hand shot up her arm and settled around her heart. My G.o.d, I love touching you. Standing right here, just like this. Her insides felt like she'd swallowed BBs. Her future in the department hinged on this case. But she couldn't hope to remain focused while she was in such turmoil. Things could go wrong quickly on a drug bust, and she was about to send the woman she loved into the bowels of h.e.l.l with a predator. Few other professions required such sacri ce. Was it really worth it?

She released Keri's hand and looked at her for the rea.s.surance no one else could provide. Interlocking her ngers into a white-knuckled st, she said, "Don't take any unnecessary chances tomorrow. Don't make any a.s.sumptions with this guy. He's dangerous."

Keri squeezed her legs together to stop the trembling and the inevitable ripples of excitement that claimed her every time she stood within feet of Alex. She never tired of the charge she got from their proximity or of the changes in Alex. The cool distance in her eyes had been replaced by a smoldering look of longing. Her professional bearing slipped a little whenever they were close, just enough for Keri to notice. It pleased her to be the cause. The single-minded dedication that once de ned Alex Troy now included her, and Keri found that very arousing.

The days and nights they'd spent together had brought Keri more * 194 *

joy than she'd imagined possible. Touching Alex, feeling her excitement rise, tasting her, hearing her screams of pleasure and pleas for more, and watching her face as she climaxed would be forever etched into her memory. She wondered if Alex held such memories of her, when they were apart, of how she felt as they made love.

She placed her hands on top of Alex's and unlocked her clenched ngers. "I promise I'll be careful." As she brought Alex's ngers to her lips and kissed them tenderly, she was aware that if something went wrong tomorrow this could be their last day together.

Alex was ooded with mixed emotions as she watched Keri kiss her hands, then step back, a.s.suming a supervisor/subordinate posture.

The woman standing before her was no longer the insecure, confused of cer of three years ago. The underlying pain that Keri had tried so hard to cover with humor was no longer re ected in her blue eyes. Alex wanted to believe that she was part of the reason for this transformation.

The time they'd spent together had certainly changed how Alex saw herself. Keri had said she loved her. But Alex feared that she would accept that love into her heart only to lose Keri, like she'd lost everyone else who loved her. Tomorrow Keri could be gone forever and it would be her fault for putting her in this unG.o.dly position.

"Will you come home with me?" Alex held her breath and waited for Keri's answer.

"Of course I will."

"It's just that I can't bear not being with you tonight."

"You won't have to. I'll see you there in thirty minutes."

v How can anyone breathe this air? Keri coughed as the musty-thick mildew smell clung to and choked her as she entered the room.

Narrow slits barely eye level with the sidewalk served as windows, allowing only a dim oozing lm of light to squeeze in like a hazy appendage.

On one side of the bare-walled at, unde ned gures squirmed and moaned on the single piece of furniture, a box spring mattress on the oor. Visual af rmation was not necessary. Those guttural sounds betrayed the primitive attempts of a man to satisfy himself at a woman's expense. Her voice, heavy from weight or intoxication, barely cracked * 195 *

the periodic stillness between his sucking breaths and vulgar expletives.

Why didn't they see or hear her come in? This had to be a drug-shooting gallery or a ophouse for prost.i.tutes.

"Move your a.s.s, you sorry wh.o.r.e," the man puffed.

Cautiously Keri edged closer to the mattress, careful to remain in the darkened corners. As her eyes adjusted to the dimness she saw a huge hand with puffy swollen ngers grabbing the side of the mattress. Greasy sweat beaded on the ma.s.sive naked body and oily blond hair matted against his head as the man humped and panted atop the pitiful-sounding creature. Keri's stomach churned and convulsed at the grotesque sight.

The only visible sign that a woman existed underneath the enormous mound of esh was a pale gray, lifeless arm dangling off the side of the mattress. Needle tracks marked and discolored the entire arm and the back of the hand.

"Is this b.i.t.c.h dead or what? I want some action here." The man panted, red-faced from exertion. Turning his attention slightly toward a gure lurking across the room, he continued, "If this is the best you can do, I want my d.a.m.n money back."

A silhouetted form shuf ed from the darkness and grabbed the woman's outstretched hand. With expert precision the cigarette-stained, dirty-nailed digits wrapped her upper arm with rubber tubing and forced a needle into her bulging vein.

"Now, that should help. Give the man his money's worth, Alex."

He laughed and retreated into the shadows.

Did he say Alex ? Keri struggled, frozen in place. She anguished in paralyzed silence . Could this possibly be her Alex? Could it be the gorgeous, statuesque woman she loved, reduced to such desperation?

How could this possibly have happened?

One nal disgusting grunt sounded as the obese ogre nished his cruel invasion and rolled away from the woman. Her face, though vaguely familiar, was unlike anything Keri had seen before. Lethargic, listless eyes gazed out from bloodshot and bruised sockets. Dry, cracked lips mouthed inaudible words. A once rm and active body lay crumpled in an emaciated heap. Keri's anger enraged and weakened her as she realized this ma.s.s of human degradation was indeed the remains of a once-vibrant Alex Troy.

* 196 *

Simultaneous with her realization, a wicked, gut-wrenching laugh echoed from the corner. A yellowish green haze illuminated the silhouette. Keri's attention was riveted on a mound of dirt on which the gure stood. She strained to s.h.i.+eld her ears from the vile laughter and run from the horrifying image, but she was incapable of motion.

"Welcome to your worst nightmare, pig," the voice sneered, spraying saliva in her direction. As he spoke the mist cleared around the raised platform and up to his unexpressive face. Sonny Davis stood irreverently perched on her mother's grave. "I've got your mother and your worthless lieutenant at my feet, and you have nothing. Face it, b.i.t.c.h. You're out of your league."

The words penetrated Keri's heart like red-hot steel. The throbbing in her temples neared explosive proportions. Fists clenched, she summoned all her courage and strength and made a crazed dive for Sonny.

"I'll kill you, you-" Keri yelled.

"Keri, wake up. Honey, you're having a bad dream." Alex wiped at the perspiration that covered Keri's forehead and chest. "Are you okay?"

"What the f.u.c.k?" Keri looked around, momentarily disoriented, until she saw Alex beside her in bed.

Reaching for a bottle of water on the nightstand, Alex offered it to Keri. "Have a drink and tell me about it." She placed the bottle back on the table and snuggled Keri into her arms.

"It was my usual nightmare, chasing bad guys and ghting to arrest them. Superhero type stuff like that." Keri tried to laugh off the sense of dread that persisted in her gut.

"Do you have nightmares often?" Alex stroked her cheek tenderly.

"Well..." The truth was she never had bad dreams, but this one hit close to home. Her mother and Alex were the two most important people in her life and she'd thought about them a lot lately. Maybe it was all just getting mixed up with the work stuff and coming out as a nightmare. She refused to accept any other possibility. Her mother was safe at home and Alex would never let anything like that happen to her and neither would Keri. Davis would have to kill her first.

"You're worried about tomorrow?"

* 197 *

"No."

"You're a terrible liar, Keri Morgan."

Keri was overcome with the sweet sensation of being truly known by the woman she loved. She kissed Alex lightly on the lips but the caress instantly deepened into more.

"We should really get some sleep, baby." Alex tried to employ reason but her efforts failed miserably as Keri's lips claimed hers again.

"Not now, please, Alex. I need you."

Alex could not deny Keri. She never had. Tonight would not be different. They made love as if it were their last time-raw and needy, then soft and reverent. Then Alex held Keri as she drifted into sleep, her head against Alex's breast. She prayed this would not be their last night together.

v Alex left for work twenty minutes after Keri. When she arrived she slipped up the back steps of Vice/Narcotics and made her way to the conference room without being seen. The room was lled to capacity with agents from the other task force agencies. There was one notable exception: Helen Callahan. Everyone was focused on Beth, who stood at the front explaining the raid plan.

Alex spotted Keri's curly chestnut top and her legs threatened to give way as she watched Keri a.s.sume center stage. Blood pounded in her veins and grew warmer. Her mouth and lips felt parched as she remembered the soft eagerness of Keri's mouth last night, Keri's hands caressing her face and lling her most private places. She experienced anew Keri's voracious appet.i.te as they made love into the early hours of the morning. Her back stung from the nail marks Keri had left when she screamed to climax. Alex's insides boiled with a pa.s.sion she'd never imagined. She felt herself grow damp as she watched Keri discuss questions. Her demeanor was one of honest humility; she was open and willing to learn. There wasn't the slightest indication of arrogance or ego. The more Alex watched, the more she wanted Keri, in her arms, in her bed, in her life.

Keri detailed the layout of the warehouse and surveillance area * 198 *

she'd drawn on the worn chalkboard. She thought of Alex's commitment and derived strength from the visual. Her presentation covered all the necessary details of location, time, quant.i.ty of purchase, and procedure regarding the antic.i.p.atory search warrant.

"Will you be wired?" This question came from one of the DEA agents.

"Yes. I'll have the cell phone transmitter. Sergeant Price and Steve Alston will be monitoring. If I get in trouble the abort signal is 'I'm outta here' and they'll call in the backup team. The signal to move in will be when I say the dope 'looks like good stuff and we have a deal.'

Is there anything else?" Silence greeted her last question, so Keri sat back down.

Alex opened the door and stepped into the room. All eyes focused on her, waiting for nal instructions. She visually acknowledged each person.

Keri's pulse raced and her palms dampened. If only she could look into Alex's con dent brown eyes, she knew she'd be all right.

The bad dream had shaken her con dence and concentration. Making love with Alex had helped relieve some of the anxiety, but the nagging images from the dream seemed almost prophetic. Today's tasks only compounded her nervousness. She had to appear con dent and in control at the brie ng, and more importantly she had to be in control for the buy. But pride and something stronger lled her chest as Alex moved to the center of the room. She didn't try to stop the smile that burst across her face, just thinking about lying in her arms.

"Folks, you've worked hard to get to this point and tonight it pays off for us. All I ask is that you remember our three main priorities- everybody goes home safely, Davis goes to jail, and we get the dope.

We've got a good operational plan, let's work it." Alex nodded to Beth.

Beth gave out the team and location a.s.signments she'd prepared.

"Everybody be in position by eight o'clock tonight. The buy is scheduled for ten."

Keri felt Alex's eyes on her as she secured the cell phone transmitter to her belt. When she looked up, the cinnamon brown warmth covered her like a caress. Her hand went automatically to her midsection to calm a nagging hunger that had nothing to do with skipping lunch. She * 199 *

inhaled deeply to steady her breathing, her eyes never leaving Alex's.

Worry transformed Alex's face; her gaze darkened, lines creased her forehead, and her eyebrows knitted closer together.

Keri smiled, gave a mock salute and said, "Don't worry, boss. And take care of Sarge, will you?" She walked out of the room.

Alex felt part of her insides unravel as Keri disappeared through the doorway. Her sixth sense tugged at the back of her mind. Something bad was going to happen tonight. Her instincts were never wrong about that. She wanted to throw herself between Keri and danger, to confess her love and beg for a chance to explore the feelings this young woman aroused in her. Instead, she watched her one chance for love walk away, ready for the deadly situation that Alex herself had approved.

* 200 *

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

Keri hated dealing with informants, especially Chad. He'd always been just a petty thug, but there was something unnatural about a guy who'd sell his mother for a buck. He was barely a step above Sonny Davis on the ecological hierarchy. At least he didn't sell drugs to schoolkids and pimp women's bodies for his own amus.e.m.e.nt. She just wanted him to hold it together long enough to meet Davis. She'd handle the rest.

As they skirted along Phillips Avenue toward the industrial district in Chad's old rusty Chevy truck, Keri solicited more information about Davis's operation. She knew Steve and the backup teams were listening and could adjust for any new intelligence she obtained.

"Will Sonny be alone or will he bring his entire crew?"

"He usually takes Fletch or Cappy with him wherever he goes.

It depends on his mood. He does some sick s.h.i.+t when he's in a dark mood." Chad took a long pull on his cigarette and blew the stream of smoke out the driver's window.

"Does he usually have a lookout when he does business?"

"At least one of his guys is there, sometimes two." Chad was about as helpful as a paper fan in a heat wave.

"Does he carry a weapon?" Keri rubbed her feet together, feeling the cool leather of her ankle holster, comfortable it was suf ciently stocked and concealed.

"No. He leaves the dirty work to his goons." Chad scratched his head nervously and blew cigarette smoke out the window.

"Okay, when we get there, let me do the talking. Stay close but don't interfere unless I tell you to do something. Got it?"

* 201 *

"Sure, sure, I got it." Chad's upper lip glistened with perspiration.

"We're pulling up to the building now, guys. There's a white BMW out front, license GPR-4371, two occupants. No other vehicles or subjects in sight," she said for the waiting of cers.

Keri looked at the huge warehouse and a s.h.i.+ver ran up her spine.

"Hey, guys, wasn't Tiffany's body found near this warehouse?"

The building was surrounded by similar-sized structures, all dark and apparently empty. Surveillance wouldn't be easy. Any cars or people in a place like this would seem suspicious. She hoped the advance teams had found good cover and close by.

Two blocks away behind another empty warehouse, Alex, Beth, and Steve Alston were positioned in the surveillance van, monitoring Keri's transmissions. At Keri's last comment, Alex turned in her seat and stared at Beth.

Oblivious to Steve Alston behind the steering wheel, she said, "We've got to get her out of there. These b.a.s.t.a.r.ds probably did kill that girl, and Keri's next."

Beth s.h.i.+fted her eyes toward Steve. With her calmest expression, she said, "She knows the abort code and she knows how to take care of herself. She'll be ne."

Alex lowered her voice. "You'd better be right about this."

As Keri and Chad exited their vehicle and approached the BMW, Chad's forehead beaded with sweat despite the mild temperature. Keri regarded him impatiently. "Will you chill? You're going to blow this whole deal."

Davis opened the pa.s.senger door and stepped out. Cappy unfolded himself from behind the wheel, his jacket hiked up over an automatic weapon. Keri was immediately glad Chad was with her, bad habits, sweat, and all. Davis's usually clear eyes were bloodshot and leering, as if she stood before him nude. Bile rose in her throat.

"Hey, baby, come on in." He motioned toward a small door leading into what appeared to be an of ce s.p.a.ce of the warehouse.