Black and Shadow (2 page)

“We’re having problems with
drugs coming up from Mexico.” Tom shook his head and sighed. “Rumor
has it a big-wig drug lord chose to make Albuquerque his home. Goes
by the name
Thanatos
, means death in Greek. There’ve been several killings in the
last month, supposedly from the takeover. I don’t know, Joe.
Something big is going down and I can’t put my finger on it. DEA
sent a man over, but I think he’s on the take. The hair on my neck
goes up every time I see the guy.”

“You want me to ask around? Look into
his background?” Joe asked. The Shadow Walkers retained connections
after contracting with the government for years.

“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate
it. His name is Kurt Kramer, came out here from the New York City
office. He said he was moving west for his health.”

“I’ll see what I can find
out.”

“Thanks, Joe. I knew I could count on
you. So, uh, what do you think of Sarah?” Joe heard the undertone
in Tom’s voice.

“You like her.” It wasn’t a
question.

“Yeah. The timing sucks, but I like
her, maybe too much.” Tom looked sheepishly at Joe.

“Don’t underestimate her. She’s smart
and damn fine with a gun. She can probably out shoot you. I
wouldn’t mess up with her.” Joe grinned.

Tom smiled. “I’ll keep that in
mind.”

“Don’t hurt her, Tom. She’s a good
woman and part of my unit,” Joe said, his face turning
serious.

“I hear you. Don’t go all papa bear on
me. I wanted to make sure you didn’t have feelings for her
yourself. You acted kind of protective inside.” Tom’s hands came up
in a placating gesture.

“She’s new to the team. I want her to
settle in okay.” Joe’s tone turned gruff.

Tom shook his head. “Same old Joe.
You’re not their father, you know.”

“No, I’m their commander; the person
who expects their loyalty and asks them to risk their lives in
return. You aren’t that different, Tom. We both learned to take
care of our team members from General Holland.” Joe crossed his
arms and glared at Tom.

“Guilty as charged.” Tom smiled. “Hey,
listen, we better get inside before Sarah thinks I’m MIA.” Tom
patted Joe’s arm. “Speaking of Holland, how is the old buzzard? You
heard from him lately?”

“Same ol’, same ol’ with the general.
You know how he is.” Joe let his friend lead him inside. They both
liked and respected their former commander.

Once at the table, Tom made a point of
sitting by Sarah. That left Joe without a seat. He joked
good-naturedly with the men and sat at one of the tables across the
aisle. From the twinkle in Tom’s eye when he looked at Sarah, it
was obvious the man was smitten. Joe shook his head and drank the
last of his beer. It was time to go home. Tomorrow he’d make a few
inquiries about DEA Officer Kurt Kramer.

“Well, I’ve gotta go, boy and girls.
You all be safe, no drunk driving. I’ll see you at work
tomorrow.”

He heard grousing, but his people knew
Joe meant business. A DUI on their record was grounds for
dismissal. Joe didn’t bend the rules for anyone.

“Wait up, Joe.” Tom pulled Sarah from
the booth seat. “Sarah and I need to get to the precinct to finish
up her paperwork for the sheriff reserve position. We’ll walk out
with you.” Joe nodded and led the couple through the crowd. Several
people shouted out to the sheriff and he stopped to chat a moment.
That’s what came with being an elected official; one turned into a
politician.

They stepped outside. The sun had set
now and the parking lot was poorly lit from several of the lights
burned out or broken. Joe frowned. The bar should fix the
situation. It would be easy for someone to get mugged. He said his
goodbyes and headed for his truck. He barely put his key in the
lock when he heard his name called. Sarah rushed over.

“I almost forgot those files from
work.”

“You wouldn’t want to do that. Your
boss might think you’re slacking.”

Sarah laughed, a light, musical sound.
Joe smiled. He could understand his friend’s attraction.

The sound of an explosion filled the
air. The blast thrust Sarah forward and she slammed into Joe taking
them both to the ground. He tried to cushion the landing for her
but hit hard. In seconds he rolled her off him. “You okay?” he
asked, helping her up. She nodded.

Joe jumped up and ran toward the
flames, and Tom’s parked car. A raging inferno filled the cruiser.
No one could have survived. Sarah ran up, eyes wide. If she hadn’t
come for the file, she’d have been in the blast too. Tears welled
up. Joe put his arm around her shoulders and she turned into his
chest.

Hugh ran up. “The whole building
shook. What the hell?”

Joe couldn’t agree more. “Call 911,
Hugh.”

Jessica Black hurried down the dark
New York City avenue, her black leather coat billowing behind her
in the early autumn breeze. Soon the breeze would turn cold and
she’d need more than her favorite coat to keep her warm. As she
looked around, the street appeared empty, with an occasional piece
of trash caught in the wind moving across the pavement. But even
unseen, at this late hour there were people about; some good, some
bad, some just regular people. It was the irregular people one
should worry about. Those who looked normal on the outside but
would take over a person’s mind in a minute if allowed. People like
her.

An itch on the nape of her neck told
her someone followed her before she ever saw him. Luckily, she
recognized the man before he touched her. If she hadn’t, she
would’ve considered him an assailant and fought accordingly. Her
knife skills were good and she was better with the gun she carried
in her shoulder holster. She winced when he grabbed her arm, but
didn’t struggle as he stopped her.

“Jesus, Jesse. Don’t run off
half-cocked. Your brother wouldn’t have wanted you to get hurt.
Seeking revenge will get you killed.”

Jessica pointedly stared down at where
Daniel Ferguson’s meaty fist gripped her arm as he loomed over her.
The huge man was all muscle from the top of his shiny bald head to
the bottom of his biker boot clad toes. His nose had a kink to it
where it broke too many times. He was part owner and full time
bouncer of the “Ladies Gate,” the trendy hot spot she just left. He
was also her brother’s longest friend.

There would be bruises on her arm in
the morning. He didn’t mean to hurt her; he just didn’t recognize
his own strength. He swore and let go of her arm.

“I know what I’m doing, Dan. But
thanks for worrying. I’ll be gone for a while, so I’ll see you at
the bar when I get back.”

“Where are you going?”

“New Mexico. That’s where my brother
was killed. He worked for Isanti as a security guard. I received a
package from them today. I’ll start looking for answers
there.”

“I could come with you, look out for
you,” Daniel said. “You don’t know this, but your brother lent me
the money to buy Ladies Gate. He was my silent partner. Now that
portion should go to you. I owe him. He was my best
friend.”

Jessica heard the pain Daniel felt
behind his words. But she didn’t want or need his help or his
money. But taking him along might make him feel better about
things. She didn’t want to be his nursemaid. She had her own grief
to deal with. By finding her brother’s killer her pain would run
its course. With Fred’s death she was alone in the
world.

“All right, you can come. I’ll make
the plane reservations. Be ready to go tomorrow. I’ll call you with
the flight information.”

Jessica waved and headed down the
street to hail a cab. Two plane tickets would kill her savings
account. But she’d already received a letter about her brother’s
life insurance. The amount he carried shocked her. When the check
came in she would have to rethink her options.

Fred had never liked her working in
security. He always said it was too dangerous for his little
sister. But she was good at her job. It kind of ran in the family.
Her father had been a cop and both of his kids had gone into
security work. Taking bad guys off the street ran in her blood. It
also ended up killing almost everyone in her family. Hopefully she
wouldn’t be next.

After the cab ride, Jessica walked
into her apartment. She stared at the plain white walls, her key
clenched forgotten in her hand. The last time Fred visited, he’d
given her grief about it. She could hear his voice echoing in her
head.

“How come you never settle into a
place? When will you let yourself be happy? Why don’t you come out
to New Mexico with me? I can get you a job with Isanti. The head of
security is a great guy; I count him as a friend. I already told
him you would come. Come on, Jesse. You don’t have to stay
here.”

Tears welled up. She should have gone
when he’d asked her. If she’d been there, she could have covered
his back. No one could have gotten the drop on both of them. “I’m
sorry I let you down, Fred. God, I’m so sorry.” She brushed at the
tears on her cheeks and collapsed onto the couch. The open box on
the coffee table caught her eye. Picking up the letter from Joe
Running Bear, her brother’s boss, she studied the handwritten
script and could almost feel the sincerity of the words on the
page.

She read it for the
umpteenth time. It seemed to help settle her, to push back the
grief.
Jessica, I feel as if I know you,
though we’ve never met. Your brother was a fine man and I was
honored to call him a friend. I know saying I’m sorry for your loss
will never fill the hole left from your brother’s death. I wanted
you to know if you ever need anything, please call me. Sincerely,
Joe Running Bear
.

Jessica picked up the business card in
the letter. The gold embossed emblem of Isanti, Inc., caught the
light. Should she call him? Would he help her find her brother’s
killer? If he resembled the rest of the people she had talked to,
she would get excuses. National security concerns, need-to-know
information, case closed, let it go. She’d heard it all, even from
her friends at work. Well, they could stuff it.

Jessica headed for her room, grabbed a
suitcase from the closet, and threw in clothes. It was time to find
out what happened in New Mexico. She’d failed to save her brother,
but she wouldn’t fail to find his killer. Before closing the
luggage, she got the box of her brother’s things and laid them out
on the bed.

A sad smile lifted her lips when she
saw how many pictures her brother had kept of her at work. She ran
her finger over a picture of the two of them. She and Fred shared
the same hair and eye colors. She pulled out the high school year
book at the bottom of the box. Why would Fred keep his old high
school year book at work?

She flipped through the
pages. Old memories assailed her. The book opened wide at a picture
from the senior prom. Her brother smiled at the camera with his
date, Kelly Mason. They’d been named prom king and queen. Kelly had
signed the book across the bottom of the page.
To the best guy I know, love, Kelly.
With lots of hearts added.

From what Jessica remembered, Kelly
had left town after graduation and never came back. Her brother had
gone into the army. Then he came back when their father died,
leaving Jessica an underage orphan. Fred had stepped in, got her
through the rest of high school, and used the money from their
father’s life insurance to send her to college. He’d been her whole
world for a few years.

“Don’t you worry, Jesse James. You and
I, together, can take on the world.” Fred’s voice sounded in her
mind. Jesse James, such a silly nickname for a girl. Fred said it
was because she was an outlaw in the making, able to steal a man’s
heart with one look. But that wasn’t exactly true. She didn’t steal
a man’s heart, but his mind. She sighed and put the year book in
the suitcase. The pictures of the two of them she put in her
purse.

Fred didn’t know what Jessica could do
with her thoughts. It was the one secret she kept from him. She’d
done research and thought her ability a kind of telepathy, with a
twist. The talent had grown as she did, from occasionally picking
up something from a person’s thoughts to controlling them for small
periods of time. She didn’t mean to the first few times it
happened, but couldn’t stop the need to experiment with her
ability.

Luckily, Jessica grew up in a family
with a strong moral compass. Controlling people was wrong and she
tried not to pick up any stray pieces of information in someone’s
mind. She really didn’t want to know what people thought most of
the time.

At times the talent helped with her
security work. It helped to know if the man she confronted wanted
to kill her or escape. She’d saved her and her partner’s lives a
couple of times by holding a suspect with her mind instead of
letting him reach for his gun. When Fred heard about the incidents
—minus the mind control— he had blown his top. He’d insisted
Jessica stick with her computer work and leave the fieldwork to
someone else. She’d smiled and agreed, knowing he’d worry too much
if she didn’t.