Wicked Ties (Steele Security Series) (17 page)

“What?  What are you talking about?” she asked. 

Other uniformed agents started grabbing luggage off the conveyor belt and putting it on the next machine.  Everyone in line eyed Chaise suspiciously as her lane was shut down and everyone was moved away from her purse.

She was mortified and thought,
What the fuck is going on?

The plain-clothes agent approached her and apprised her of the situation.  “It appears there are two live rounds of ammunition in your purse.  Do those belong to you?”

Her hand met her head as she dropped it forward.  “Yes, those are mine.  I completely forgot about them.”

“Do you shoot guns a lot?” the agent asked nonchalantly.

“Yes, I do.  I have my whole life,” she said defensively.

“Do you have a concealed carry permit?” he continued to politely interrogate her.

“Yes, I do, actually.  It’s a Florida license and it’s in my purse.  But I can’t get to my purse to show you.”  The people walking by, openly gawking at her, were really starting to annoy her.

“Do you know that you can’t bring live ammunition through a TSA security checkpoint?”

“Yes, I know that.  I just forgot they were even in there.  I went to a shooting range and just dropped the extra rounds in my purse,” she explained.

“Where are you headed today, ma’am?”

“Back to Miami,” Chaise answered as she watched a police officer approach them.  “
Are you freaking kidding me?”

“I just need to search your purse.  I understand there are live rounds inside.  Is that correct?” the officer asked.

“Yes, go right ahead,” she answered with a wave of her hand.  Everyone else had gawked at the contents in her person so the police may as well have their go at it now.

The officer removed the two .357 rounds and she watched as they measured, photographed
, and wrote their reports.  The plain-clothes agent took her driver’s license and said he had to run an NCIC report to check for any warrants for her arrest.

“How long is this going to take?  I have a flight to catch.  This was a simple mistake.  I thought you were having a fit about a bottle of lotion in my purse!”

“It shouldn’t take too long,” he replied as he continued to complete the paperwork.  Twenty minutes later, Chaise had her purse back, minus the .357 rounds they confiscated, and the agent advised she would receive a letter in the mail that advised she couldn’t bring live ammunition through the TSA checkpoint.

Yeah, I got that part
, she thought sarcastically.

Four hours and one connection in Atlanta later, Chaise walked out of the Miami International Airport without a clue of where she should go.  She hailed a taxi to take her to retrieve her car from Bull’s house.  That plan at least gave her a little extra time to figure out where she was staying for the night.

She considered staying in his house since some of her stuff was still there but quickly decided against it.  His entire place was meticulously guarded and monitored by Steele Security so there was no way she could get in undetected.  She decided she didn’t need any additional reminders of Bull, anyway.  She’d had enough heartbreak for one day.

Cranking her car, she fought back the tears and her anxiety threatened to take over her mind.  The dark feeling of foreboding was like a living, breathing presence in the car with her.  She had effectively compartmentalized her day so that she could function; however, she had already decided that as soon as she checked into a hotel room, she was having a complete and total mental breakdown over a bottle of Moscato wine.

Thanks to her shitty day and equally shitty mindset, Chaise decided to splurge on her hotel room and stay at Loews Miami Beach Hotel in South Beach.  She requested an oceanfront suite so that she could soak in a jetted tub.  She had stopped on the way in to purchase two bottles of her favorite wine. 

The clerk swiped her credit card, handed her room keys to her
, and had the bellman take her bag up to her suite for her.  Once she was settled into her room, with the door securely locked, she filled the garden tub full of hot water, turned on the jets, and sank down into the luxurious tub.

Then, she opened all the doors of the compartments she’d created over the course of the day and let the tears flow unchecked.  Her whole body convulsed with sobs.  She mourned losing Bull.  Even with their short union, she had foolishly let herself believe she had found a good man who would stand by her through the hard times.

Her heart had shattered when she sat in front of Bull, in front of everyone, and tried to explain herself only to have him completely ignore her.  Her eyes begged, her tone of voice pled and her body implored.  She already knew what his answer would be—she knew before she left the bedroom—so she made the call to arrange a taxi to take her away from them.

She mourned losing her brother, Noah, again.  She had purposely sought him out at the beginning of
the whole debacle with two intentions—she missed her brother and wanted him back, and she needed his help and protection.  Then, when he accused her of engineering everything solely to manipulate him, he had hurt her more than she imagined he ever could.  It was as if he had told her he didn’t care that her life was in danger.

Once the water turned cold, she wrapped herself in one of the thick robes, took her chilled bottle of wine to the terrace, and decided it was well past time to get plastered.  All the problems of
the day would still be there the next day and she would face them when the time came.  For the time being, she thought she had earned some self-pity time.

Brad stayed in
constant contact with Shadow as he tracked Chaise’s movements via her credit card transactions.  He had mused to himself that people on the run would never learn that every time they used their card, the exact location was tracked, logged, and catalogued for future use.

Bull’s thoughts never strayed far from what John had shared with him about the case while they drove to the airport.  He wanted to kick his own ass for how he treated her.  What was really killing him was that he allowed her to leave when he already knew that she was in danger.  That was just downright cold and heartless and he knew, without a doubt, that she would’ve never done that to him.

“Keep your mind on the case, son, not on your feelings.  Your mind needs to be clear to be able to see the next move, to be the one calling the shots, and
then
you can get her back,” John attempted to comfort and impart his wisdom at the same time.

Bull nodded, “I know.  We wouldn’t even be in this predicament if it weren’t for me.  I’ve royally fucked this up but I plan on making up for it.  She has to be
alright.”

John’s recount of his case had Bull on edge.  The Cordova family was worse than Noah knew.  Their alliance with the
Tres Sieses
gang was a new development but a familiar modus operandi for that organization. 

The Cordova family had recently acquired
Viboro Distributing and used it mainly as a front for their illegal activities.  Chaise’s contract was negotiated and signed before the Cordovas bought the company.  Since they didn’t want to draw attention to their acquisition, the Cordovas kept her contract in place as originally agreed.  Once she started identifying the missing girls, and asking about them, she became a liability.

Bull’s phone rang, pulling him from his thoughts and forcing him to focus again on their current status.  “Yeah, Brad, what do you have for me?”

“She was detained at the security checkpoint for a while and they ran an NCIC on her,” Brad chuckled.

“They what?  Why?”  Bull didn’t understand how a casual traveler, who fit no dangerous profile, could suddenly warrant having a National Crime Information Center report run on her.

“She had two .357 rounds in her purse and tried to go through security with them.  They frown on live ammunition on the plane,” Brad was openly laughing now.

“She didn’t even have a gun on her.  What was she going to do?  Throw the bullets at them as hard as she can?”  Even
Bull had to laugh at that visual.

“Yeah, well, you know how tight security is now.  But, they eventually let her go and she’s already en route to Miami.  She had a connecting flight in Atlanta but that flight has already departed,” Brad advised.

“Have them get the company jet ready, Brad.  We’re almost to the private airstrip now,” Bull ordered.

“Already called them.  They’re fueling up and doing their pre-flight inspection.  I’ll keep you updated on her whereabouts,” Brad promised.

Bull hung up with Brad and called to inform Reaper, Shadow, and Rebel of the current plan.  They had gone ahead to the airport to try to stop Chaise but they had just missed her fiasco at the security checkpoint. 

The group met Bull and John at the private airstrip.  Reaper looked as bad as Bull knew he looked.  They had both fucked up their relationship with Chaise and they both wished they could go back and do it all over again.  Now, they had to confront the grim possibility that they wouldn’t get to her in time to prevent the Cordova family from getting to her.

Reaper looked at Bull with haunted eyes and asked, “What did she mean that I left her when she needed me the most?  What happened?”

“I don’t know,
Reap.  She told me her father was more than over-bearing and she had to get away from him.  That was the reason why she couldn’t go back home when all this started.  She showed up at your wedding to ask you for help but we wouldn’t let her near you and Brianna,” Bull explained.

Reaper drew his arms up and balled his hands into tight fists.  “That man probably put her through hell when I left.  We were close back then.  I never thought he would take my leaving out on her but it sounds like he did. 
Motherfucker!”

Reaper looked tortured at the thoughts of Chaise enduring the wrath intended for him.  Brianna wrapped her arms around him and Bull watched him instantly relax from her touch.

“Noah, she’s
your
little sister—give her some credit.  She’s strong and she has obviously made a good life for herself away from your father.  It took strength to walk away and live alone.  She knows she’s in danger so she’ll take precautions.  Let’s just get to her as soon as we can. Okay?”

“Brianna, have I told you today how much I love you?”  Noah wrapped his arms around
her and his big hand rested protectively on her baby bump.  “You always know how to make me feel better.”

“She has anxiety attacks,” Bull interjected.  “What if she gets in a situation she can’t handle and has an attack?”

Brianna looked him dead in the eye and responded, “Bull, it’s not about how many times she gets knocked down.  She shows how strong she is just by the mere fact that she gets back up
every time
.”

“You’re a lucky man, Reaper,” Bull said while looking at Brianna with admiration in his eyes.

“Damn straight, I am.  Sounds like you are, too, Bull,” Noah’s tone of voice both stated and asked at the same time. 

“I was.  Even if we beat the
Cordovas to her, she has no reason to forgive me for how I treated her,” Bull replied somberly.

“Love is reason enough to forgive, Bull,” Brianna answered.  The answering look on Bull’s face made Brianna laugh out loud.  “Oh yeah, big
guy—you got it bad!  May as well admit it to yourself now and accept it.”

Rebel called out to them, “We’re boarding now.  Let’s get a move on, people!”

Bull made a beeline to the private jet and took his seat.  The flight time for the private jet was barely over two hours but she had a big head start on them.  He tried to relax and find a comfortable position in which to sit, but his thoughts kept straying to the last time he was on the plane.  He was with Chaise in the plane’s bedroom and he would give anything to be there with her again.

“
Bull—relax, man.  We haven’t even taken off yet,” Shadow joked.  “White knuckle flyer.”

“I’m not afraid of flying, Shadow.  I’m just ready to go, dickhead,” Bull deadpanned.  Shadow and Rebel both laughed heartily at their friend’s expense.

Bull made it through the two-plus hour plane ride of ridicule from his friends.  He knew them well enough to trust them with his life and not question it, so he knew it was all good-natured ribbing.  He had fucked up and he knew it.  He would take his lashes like a man.  But, he would also wait for the day to repay the favor to both of the bastards he called brothers.

Exiting the plane in Miami, Bull immediately called Brad for an update. 

“Hey, Bull, she showed up at your house, got her car and left.  She stopped to buy two bottles of Moscato wine and I haven’t seen a swipe of her card since then.  That was just over two hours ago,” Brad explained.

“Text me the address where she got the wine.  Check on any past purchases that shows a pattern, a place she goes to frequently, or anything like that.  Let me know what you find ASAP,” Bull directed.

“You got it.  Call you back in a few,” Brad said before disconnecting.

“Reaper, would she go back home to your dad?” Bull asked.

“No way,” Reaper answered.

Bull updated the team on what Brad had found from Chaise’s credit card usage.  He knew she had to find somewhere to sleep that
night—unless the Cordovas had found her.  But he couldn’t allow himself to follow that line of thinking. 

Bull’s phone pinged with the incoming text from Brad with the address of where she purchased the wine.  “She bought wine in South Beach.  Let’s check the hotels around the store and see if she’s checked in.”

Bull called Brad and had him double check any charges from all the hotels around that location—just in case something showed up late.  The team, minus a pregnant Brianna, canvassed the area hotels in South Beach looking for Chaise.  Noah refused to let Brianna tag along in case they ran into trouble.  Brianna informed him that if she wasn’t already so tired from all the traveling they’d done, he wouldn’t have won that argument.  She reluctantly went home and let the men take the night shift.

After checking several high-end hotels with no luck, Shadow approached the clerk at Loews Miami Beach Hotel with his dashing smile securely in place.  The clerk batted her eyes and openly flirted with Shadow, who was using his good looks to his advantage.

After a few minutes and few suggestive comments from the clerk, Shadow had the information he needed.  He swaggered back to the waiting group with a smile that split his face in two.

“Who’s the man?” he asked as he approached.

“She’s here?” Bull asked excitedly.

“She is here.  She’s in a deluxe suite with an ocean view.  She specifically told them she doesn’t want to be disturbed tonight,” Shadow explained, then gave Bull the suite number so he could go up and disturb her anyway.

“Do you mind if I go with you?” Reaper asked.  “I have some making up to do myself.  Then I’ll leave you two alone.”

“Not at all, man.  I may need the backup,” Bull joked. 

Outside her suite door, Bull said a silent prayer and knocked on the door.  When she didn’t answer a couple of minutes later, he knocked harder and called her name.  Soon, Bull and Reaper were both beating on the door and yelling for her to open the door.

“I’m not leaving until you let me in, so you may as well get it over with now,” Bull yelled through the door.  “I have things I need to say to you and I’d rather not do it like this, Chaise.  Please open the door.”

“Sierra Chaise Steele—open this door right now!” Reaper yelled.  Turning to Bull, he asked, “What if she’s not in there?”

“Excuse me.  Are you two gentlemen guests here?” 

Bull and Reaper turned to find an armed security guard eying them suspiciously.  “We’ve had complaints from customers on this floor about the noise level.  They said men are in the hall beating on doors and yelling at someone.”

“My sister is in this suite and we’re concerned about her.  We’re trying to get her to open the door so we can talk to her,” Reaper explained politely.  “So far she’s not cooperating with us.  We may have been a little loud.  I apologize for that.  I’m just really concerned for her.”

“If you’re not guests here, I will have to ask you to leave the premises.  She may not be in there and if she is, she obviously doesn’t want to talk to you.  You’re disturbing the other guests,” the guard said as he extended his hand toward the elevators, indicating for Bull and Reaper to leave.

Bull stood firm, “I’m not leaving without talking to her and making sure she’s
alright.  Can you at least go in the room and check on her?”

“No, I can’t without just cause.  You’ve given me no indication that she intends to harm
herself.  You can leave of your own volition or I can have you arrested for trespassing.  Your choice,” the guard threatened.

“Let’s go,
Bull.  We won’t be able to help her if we’re both in jail,” Reaper sighed and turned toward the elevators.

Bull reluctantly left but felt something was very wrong.  Chaise knew she was in danger and understood the severity of the situation.  She wouldn’t put herself in more danger by being out where she could be recognized.

“Know this,” Bull said to the guard, “If anything happens to her, I’ll be back to see you.”

“Is that a threat?” the guard asked defensively.

“That a fucking guarantee,” Bull answered before turning to follow Reaper out of the hotel. 

Once they reached the sidewalk, Bull pulled out his cell phone and called Chaise’s cell
phone first.  When it rolled to voicemail, he called her hotel room.  He decided he would keep alternating between calling her cell and the hotel room until she answered.

***************

Chaise sat in the warm Miami breeze, enjoying her terrace ocean view.  She was still in the bathrobe, had her feet propped up, and was on her last glass of wine.  Her second bottle was empty and her body had run out of tears to cry.  She downed the contents of her wine glass, stumbled through the sliding glass door, and made her way back into her suite.

She heard her cell phone ringing from the bedroom area but made no attempt to rush to find it.   Within seconds, her hotel room phone started ringing.  Thinking it was the front desk calling, she snatched the phone up.

“Hello?” she answered with a slur.

“Chaise!  Are you
alright?” Bull sounded frantic but he was just so glad to have finally reached her.

“I’m fine,” she lied.  “I’m just a
little
drunk,” she said, emphasizing
little
a tad too much.  She apparently found it to be funny because she couldn’t contain her laughter.