Black and Shadow (5 page)

“You misunderstand. Your brother went
to that bar when he followed Amanda Patterson from work. Later that
evening, he saw Amanda sell a photo and info to a man she met there
who was on the terrorist watch list.”

“Oh, I thought…”

“Don’t worry, Jessica. I would love to
take you to a place I know. We could dance the two-step and drink
whiskey shots. If and when you’re ready, you say the
word.”

“You dance?”

“I’ve been known to from time to time.
It depends who I’m holding in my arms, if I give it a try. But for
you, darling, I could dance all night.”

“Putting it on a little thick, don’t
you think?” Ferguson asked from the back seat. Joe looked into the
review mirror to see the man glaring at him. Joe stared and Dan
looked away.

“When I want something, I go after it.
Here we are, Rosita Bonita’s. They have the best pork tamales in
town.” Joe pulled in and turned off the motor.

§

Did Joe think she would jump into bed
with him? He’d been playing it pretty hard, making it plain he
wanted her. Not that she wasn’t tempted; the man was gorgeous and
her brother’s friend. In fact, Fred told her to go to Joe if she
ever needed anything. Fred trusted Joe like no other, more than
Daniel even.

Jessica shook her head. She had a
killer to catch. Maybe after that she would think about a fling
with the tall, dark, and handsome head of security. Right now, she
would keep her hands to herself and hope he did the same. When he
brushed her cheek earlier her whole body reacted like a pin ball
machine on tilt. But she didn’t throw herself at the man because if
she did she might never find the truth about her brother’s murder.
No. She’d never forgive herself if she didn’t find out who killed
Fred.

They walked in the door. First the
noise hit her from the packed establishment, and then the smells.
Her mouth watered. If the food tasted half as good, she was in for
a treat. While the waitress led them to a table, she smiled and
flirted with Joe, but when he didn’t respond she turned her
attention to Dan. Jessica knew the type. She probably hoped for a
better tip.

“Would you like something to drink?”
Joe asked. “They have good margaritas here.”

“I think I’ll pass. Tequila makes me
naughty.” Okay, she was flirting, but he deserved a little payback
for making her panties wet.

“I’ll have a beer,” Dan grumbled to
the waitress.

It wasn’t long before Joe’s and Dan’s
beers arrived at the table along with Jessica’s soda. She frowned
when Dan started going on about wanting his food spicy. She didn’t
know if he was showing off for Joe or he was an idiot. They lived
in New York City. Dan didn’t know spicy.

“Sí, sí. I can make it very hot,” the
waitress said.

“Dan, are you sure you know what
you’re doing?” Jessica tried one last time to get the man to change
his mind.

“Hey, I can take it. Besides, I like
lots of things spicy.” He winked at the waitress.

Jessica backed off. She’d tried.
Daniel was on his own. Conversation quickly turned to Fred. Jessica
had a hard time not tearing up. Dan didn’t seem to notice her
reaction and told story after story about when he and Fred had hung
out as kids getting into trouble. Yeah, they got into a lot of
trouble, or Dan did, and Fred always rescued him. Fred did that a
lot, rescued people.

Joe seemed to feel her distress and
squeezed her hand. She appreciated the support. If she was going to
find Fred’s killers, she needed to buck up. The tears would have to
wait until she closed the case. Now if someone could shut Dan up,
she might be able to make it through the meal. Luckily, dinner came
and they all dug into their food. Joe was right, the pork tamales
were excellent.

Dan signaled the waitress for another
beer as sweat glistened on his forehead. Jessica wanted to laugh,
but didn’t want to embarrass her brother’s friend. Even if he acted
like an idiot.

“How did my brother get mixed up with
terrorists?” Jessica asked.

“He followed a woman from our
accounting department to a bar, like I said earlier,” Joe sighed
and then leaned forward lowering his voice. “He must have noticed
her strange behavior. The accountant thought Derek Darkwood
two-timed her and wanted her competition out of the picture. But
the woman in question was actually dating Raven Darkwood, our CEO.
The accountant sold the woman’s name and address to a man with
known terrorist affiliations for four thousand dollars. That man
sold it to Iranians gunning for members of the Shadow Walkers and
looking for a target. Your brother saw the whole deal go down and
reported it immediately.”

“Shadow Walkers? Is that a gang?” Dan
asked. “Did you get Fred mixed up in a gang war?”

§

Joe gritted his teeth. Daniel Ferguson
was an idiot. He didn’t realize how much his stories of good ol’
Fred upset Jessica and now he was tossing around accusations. “No,
Mr. Ferguson. It’s a tribe. Members of the Native American Nuni
Nagi Tribe or Shadow Walker Tribe. They own Isanti.”

“So my brother followed this woman to
a bar, the Rattler, right? Where is this establishment located?”
Jessica asked. She seemed to be enjoying her meal. For a while, Joe
thought grief would prevent her from eating.

“It’s not in the best part of town. I
thought we could drop by after dinner,” Joe said.

“What happened after?” Dan finished
the last of his food and burped loudly.

“Fred told me what he’d seen. We
reported the incident and went about arresting the accountant. We
believe your brother went to speak with the woman and the
terrorists saw him at her apartment. She was already in custody by
then. They must have followed him to the local park by the
apartment complex and killed him. We don’t think he even knew he
was in danger.” Joe quickly added. He didn’t want to upset Jessica
again.

Dan burped and then burped again. He
looked a little green. Joe felt no sympathy for the guy. He should
have listened to Jessica’s warning. “I don’t feel too
good.”

“Why don’t you take a taxi to the
hotel, Dan?” Jessica suggested. It surprised Joe how quickly she
suggested her brother’s friend leave them. “I’ll call you later and
see how you’re doing.” She reached over and patted the big man on
the arm.

“Yeah, I think you’re right. I’ll
catch you later, Jesse.”

Jessica waved and the big guy lumbered
out of the restaurant, leaving Joe to pick up the bill. Not that he
minded picking up Jessica’s tab, but it irked him that Dan took
advantage. From the stories he’d told tonight, it sounded like Dan
took advantage of the Black family on a regular basis. The waitress
brought the bill.

“Let me give you something for that,”
Jessica said, reaching for the paper.

Joe held it out of reach. “I’ll get
it. Don’t worry; we can consider it a business expense.”

“But that’s not right. I don’t want to
be beholden.”

Joe leaned forward and caught her
gaze. She looked hot in her T-shirt and jeans, but then she
probably looked hot in anything she wore. “I think I like having
you owe me, Jessica.” Her eyes grew wide and she moistened her
lips. Joe felt his body respond instantly and fought not to moan
out loud.

“So, uh, I guess we should
go.”

“Any time you’re ready.” Joe took
immense pleasure in the pulse thumping in her throat and the pretty
pink that tinged her face.

He laid cash on the table, including a
generous tip. Jessica stood and he put his hand on her back. He
liked touching her, liked everyone in the room to know she was with
him. Yeah, he had it bad.

Joe escorted Jessica to the car and
they headed across town. The Rattler was a known hangout for the
criminal element. To be safe, Joe slipped his obsidian knife into a
leather ankle sheath, and put a mini crossbow that fired darts into
the pocket of his leather jacket.

Thunder Hoof designed the little
crossbow for Shadow Walkers who needed a concealed weapon they
could carry into the Shadow dimension. A silver cigarette case
easily carried the darts. The Shadow dimension destroyed anything
not one hundred percent natural. Any metal crumbled to dust, except
silver, copper and gold. Plastic and synthetic fabrics would also
disintegrate. The women of the tribe took great pleasure in
shopping for leather clothes as well as silk underwear, though
cotton was safe enough to wear. Of course it was very cold walking
through the dimension, which was probably why the women chose
leather. Joe would have to buy Jessica leather pants; he could
picture it clearly.

“Hey, that light’s turning
red.”

Joe slammed on the brakes, his arm
snapping out to catch Jessica. “Are you all right?”

“Sure. Do you need me to
drive?”

Joe smiled sheepishly. “No, I’ve got
this.”

“Then stop thinking of me in leather
pants and keep your attention on the road.”

Dammit. He forgot the little vixen
could read minds. More than that, she could control them. But then,
so could he and the rest of the tribe.

“Did your brother have the
gift?”

“What? You mean reading minds? No. He
sometimes knew something would happen before it did, but nothing
like what you can do.”

“Or what you can do.” Joe didn’t want
her to make light of it.

“If he could, maybe he’d be alive
today.” Jessica’s voice sounded lost. She stared out the
window.

“It’s okay to feel
bad,
tehila
love.
I know you miss him. Your brother was a good man. He didn’t deserve
to die.”

“No, he didn’t and if he hadn’t been
working for you…”

“Are you blaming me, Jesse? I didn’t
kill your brother.”

“No. I’m sorry. Fred knew the risks of
working security. How could he not, when both our father and uncle
were cops killed on the job? I shouldn’t have said
that.”

“It’s okay. I’ve asked that question
myself. What if…it doesn’t help to second guess things.” Joe shook
his head.

“No. I guess not. Forgive my outburst.
It won’t happen again.” Jessica returned to staring out the
window.

A full moon rose above the city
buildings. Joe always liked the moon. It made shadows even in the
dark; shadows that could take him to a place of safety. He made the
final turn and parked on the street.

“The bar is up ahead.” He got out and
went to open the door for Jessica. “This place is full of people
who think they can get away with murder, and some probably have.
You stay close to me. No going off to the restroom or wandering
away.”

“Yes, sir. Any other
orders?”

“Yeah, one. You stay safe for me.
Nothing happens to you. Do you understand?”

“Hey, I’ll be okay. I haven’t seen as
much action as you, but I have skills.”

“Don’t be cocky, sweetheart. It’s not
too late for me to change my mind.”

“I’ll leave the cockiness to you,
Running Bear.”

She laced her fingers with his,
surprising him. Her hand was small, but felt right. He’d much
rather take her to his apartment at Isanti. They’d get there soon
enough.

§

The Rattler looked like a dive and
Jessica was glad she wasn’t going in alone. It sounded like her
brother to follow a woman here from work. She probably had acted
funny, or Fred had one of his hunches. Joe reached for the
door.

“Wait, the guy who bought the
information from your accountant. He ended up being killed as
well?”

“Yeah. That’s why we think the
terrorist killed your brother. They were taking care of loose
ends.”

“Hmm.” Jessica stepped back so Joe
could pull the door open. She let go of his hand and stepped
inside.

The place reeked of smoke and the
sweet smell of marijuana. She tried hard not to cough. The lighting
was spotty, with more bulbs burned out than on, which is probably
how the clientele liked it. She headed for the bar, Joe right
behind her. He stayed so close she could feel his body heat through
her clothes. Good, he could watch her back.

Jessica peered into the dark corners.
To the left, a dark haired woman spoke angrily with two men. She
looked familiar, but Jessica couldn’t place her. The woman stopped
talking when she felt Jessica’s eyes on her, but didn’t show any
sign of recognition. A man stood and blocked her way, taking her
attention away from the woman. He was tall and thin with black
greasy hair.

“Hey, sweetie, you looking for
company?”

Joe moved in front of her faster than
she could blink. “The lady has a date, friend.”

The man put his hands up and sat. “No
problem, just asking.”

Joe grabbed her hand and hurried them
to the bar. “I thought I said no trouble.” Joe gritted his
teeth.

“And there hasn’t been any,” Jessica
replied smartly. She heard Joe sigh.