Seal Beach, California
Shadowhawk and Thomas raced toward the cottage where she feared the psycho bitch from hell held her friend, Casey. When they turned off First Street onto Ocean Drive, Thomas cut the siren and they slowly eased down the quiet street.
The homes were a mix-mash of small to large, Cape Cod to Modern, but no matter the size or style, these homes cost an arm and a leg. Not as much of an address as say, Malibu or Newport Beach, but any waterfront property in California would have a large price tag attached.
He parked two houses down from the address on the same side of the street. “Do you have your backup piece on you?”
She slipped her hand in her boot and held it up.
“Only use it as a last resort. If someone needs to be shot, let me do it. You’re not here.” He turned off the car and pocketed the keys.
“Got it. If someone needs killing, you’re the killing machine.”
“Cute,” he said sarcastically.
They didn’t need to worry yet about concealing themselves because the fronts of the homes faced the ocean, as did the majority of the windows. They were walking by garages. Between the driveways were six-foot hedges, as if these people didn’t want to be seen getting out of their cars.
When she and Thomas arrived at the Tallman driveway, it had a three-story wall of bamboo separating the single story dwelling from the colossal structures on either side; she assumed it was to keep prying eyes from looking down on the property. The cozy little yellow and white cottage was one of the last holdouts from a bygone era.
If Shadowhawk had to guess, she’d say the home had sentimental value, as in it belonged to her grandparents, or great-grandparents. She couldn’t think of any other reason someone with such wealth hadn’t at least added a second floor.
All of the other original homes had been demolished and three-story towers were raised in their place. If the Tallman house went on sale tomorrow, it could fetch four million for the land alone, but the cottage would be dust.
Thomas peered around the dense bamboo and motioned for her to follow. There were zero windows at the back of this home, only the garage door with a six-foot wooden fence on either side. He eased up on the latch and pushed the gate open. The salt air had rusted the hinges and they loudly complained, but the crashing waves swallowed the sound. Once they were inside, he gently closed the gate.
With guns raised, they moved around the trash cans and slithered along the wall. Hopped up on adrenaline, Shadowhawk took a deep breath in an effort to calm down. She had to concentrate on blocking out the sound of her own heartbeat and the angry sea in an effort to hear anything out of the ordinary. Having the lead, she came to a window first and chanced a peek.
The kitchen was empty, so she motioned Thomas to go ahead while she kept watch. Since the house was obviously built decades ago, the windows weren’t floor to ceiling, which made hunching down and running under the ledge possible without someone inside being the wiser.
Thomas arrived at the front of the house and peered in, then motioned for her to follow. They circled the home, but found no one stirring. When they came to the door, Shadowhawk began picking the lock.
“What are you doing? We don’t have a warrant,” Thomas whispered.
“We aren’t building a case here, we’re trying to find Casey.” The lock clicked and she eased the door open, beeping from the alarm sounded.
“Search quick. We’re out of here in two minutes.”
“Shit. You’re going to be the death of me,” Thomas said, before he ran down the hall.
She found the master bedroom; it had an ocean view with French doors that led to a private Jacuzzi surrounded by lattice. Casey’s cell phone lay on the nightstand and she pocketed it.
The landline started ringing, the alarm company. She tore through the drawers, and clothes flew in all directions. Finding nothing of consequence, she searched for Thomas. She spied him going through a file cabinet in a walnut-lined office. He snatched a folder and stuck it under his arm.
The high pitch of sirens cut through the sound of the thunderous sea.
She grabbed the back of his jacket. “Let’s go.” He wiped down the handle with his sleeve. They raced through the house as the sirens grew louder. When they hit the front door, she wiped off the handle. They’d just slammed the doors on the BMW when two black and whites came screaming around the corner and they ducked down in the seat.
Heart in her throat, she gasped. “Holy shit, that was intense.”
They watched the cars come to a screeching halt in front of the house. Four officers exited two vehicles and pulled their guns before they disappeared behind the bamboo.
A couple of beats later, he sat up. “You’re going to fucking kill me. Don’t ever pull that shit again.”
Thomas started the car and flipped a U-turn, then proceeded to calmly drove down the street in the opposite direction. Out on Coastline Drive, they found a strip mall and turned in.
“I found Casey’s cell phone. Now I know why she wasn’t answering my calls,” she said.
“Great. Find Ronnie’s phone number and call it into Johnson.”
Shadowhawk scanned the contact list while Thomas read the file. After she ended her call, she leaned over to see what he was looking at. “Is that a deed?”
“The address is in Marina del Rey, under the name of Elizabeth Tallman.”
“Do you think that’s her mother?”
He took out his cell phone. “Let me see.” He flipped through his emails, and tapped one. “Yes, she died last year from breast cancer.”
“Let’s go.”
“Just a second.” He scanned more emails, after a few minutes, he said, “Okay, that’s the closest address.” He handed her his phone and waited as she entered the destination into the GPS on the dashboard.
“It’s only thirty-three miles, but with traffic, it could take over an hour,” she said.
“That’s what the siren and lights are for. Buckle up.”
She chuckled as she fastened her seatbelt. “I love it when you’re in badass mode.”
He grinned and took off.
Forty minutes later, they came to a high-rise building right on the sand. Billowy white clouds and a bright blue sky reflected off the windowed tower. When they entered the lobby, a man in his sixties wearing a security guard uniform sat at the reception desk.
They walked over and Thomas moved his jacket aside to flash the badge clipped to his belt.
“How can I be of assistance, sir?”
Thomas read the man’s nametag. “Vince, is it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Is penthouse A occupied at this time?” Thomas asked.
“Ms. Tallman and a guest are in residence, sir. What seems to be the problem?”
“Hopefully nothing, but we need to get up there,” Thomas answered.
“Let me announce you.” Vince reached for the phone and Thomas’s hand shot out and stayed the action.
Vince’s eyes went wide.
“That won’t be necessary.” Thomas wore his do it and die expression.
The man gulped and nodded.
“Let’s go.” Thomas indicated the elevator with his head.
The guard followed them over. Once the doors opened, the man hit penthouse A and typed in a code, then stood there.
“You can go back to your post,” Thomas informed him.
The guy visibly relaxed before he fled the elevator.
Once they were alone, the detectives took out their guns, pointed them at the ceiling and waited. The doors slid open on a spread right out of Architectural Digest and a wall of windows looking out at the Pacific Ocean.
From where Shadowhawk stood, it appeared as if they were literally floating on the sea, no sand or street were visible.
They exited the elevator and found themselves alone. Her eyes darted left to the black and white kitchen, which blended into the dining room.
A glass topped table surrounded by six white leather chairs with silver pipes for legs stood in front of the window, taking advantage of the view. A steel chandelier with milky white glass hung directly over it. A long Corinthian counter, with stools that matched the dining room chairs, divided the kitchen from the living room.
The living room took up the entire right side of the apartment. An alcove located between the dining table and kitchen led off to the rest of the apartment. They made their way toward it swiftly and quietly.
Just ten feet from their destination, Casey walked into the room wearing a robe and drying her curls. Noticing them, she jumped and dropped the towel.
Recognition showed on her face, followed by her hand on her chest. “You almost gave me a heart attack.” Then her face scrunched up. “Why are you carrying a gun?”
Shadowhawk moved her weapon so it was no longer pointed at her. At the same time she put her finger to her lips in a shushing motion before she whispered, “Are you all right?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Her eyes narrowed. “Why are we whispering?”
“Where’s Ronnie?” Thomas asked quietly.
Just then the woman appeared from behind the wall. She wrapped an arm around Casey’s shoulders and pressed a gun to her temple. “What a nice little reunion.”
“Ronnie, what are you doing?” Casey tried to turn her head, but the barrel of the gun dug into her skin and kept her facing forward.
Shadowhawk’s heart leapt into her throat.
Thomas stiffened beside her.
Ronnie kept her eyes on the detectives as she spoke.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but this isn’t about you. It never was.”
“What?” Again Casey tried to look at her lover, but was held in her firm grasp.
“You pathetic simp. You actually thought you could land a catch like me? I’m rich and beautiful. You were just a means to an end,” Ronnie informed Casey.
“I don’t understand.” Casey’s words came out slow.
Shadowhawk could hear the blood coursing through her own veins. Different scenarios swirled through her head while she searched for one that didn’t end up with Casey’s brains all over the floor, but none were forthcoming.
As if reading her mind, Thomas poked her hard in the thigh with his thumb. Her eyes flicked to his and back. In that millisecond, she noticed him squint in warning. She returned her attention to Ronnie’s diatribe.
“Of course you don’t. I needed you to gain access to Shadowhawk. You made it easier than I even imagined. Because of that pathetic memory of yours you had to keep the alarm code and password on your phone. I checked it daily so I’d know the moment it got changed. Between that and a copy of your key, I had easy access.” She beamed at Shadowhawk.
“Oh, yes, I could come and go as I pleased. I set up cameras throughout the house to watch you at all times. I’d wait until I knew you were in a deep REM state, before I entered. I love watching you sleep.
“It was as if I alone held the secret; beneath that tough lion exterior hides a lamb. Your face when relaxed is so beautiful, so peaceful. One could say, almost innocent. I’d lie beside you and stroke your long soft hair.”
Shadowhawk got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. How could she have slept through someone lying beside her and touching her? Booze, that’s how. She wasn’t sleeping, she’d been passed out. That’s it, as of this very moment, she had quit drinking.
Her pity party had put someone she loved in jeopardy. If Casey lost her life because of her irresponsibility, she’d never forgive herself.
Ronnie droned on. “I’d been doing it for weeks without your knowledge, so I figured I’d up the ante. Make things a little more interesting. I started moving things around to see if you’d notice.
“When that wasn’t enough, I left the light on and lifted the toilet seat so you’d think a man had been messing with you. That got your attention. I watched you carry your gun throughout the house as you searched for the intruder. Damn, that was sexy.”
Shadowhawk thought she might hurl. Her home, the one place you should feel safe and secure, had been breached by a lunatic. Her entire life had been on display like an inmate in a maximum prison.
“I put a GPS tracker on your truck so I knew where you were, but you surprised me, didn’t you? You came home, yet your truck was still parked at the precinct. You almost caught me that night. It was so exhilarating. The chase was on!”
Shadowhawk couldn’t listen anymore. “You’re sick.”
“No. I’m a genius,” Ronnie bit out.
“Why? What did I ever do to you?” Shadowhawk was stumped.
“Are you shitting me?” Ronnie’s eyes bugged out while her mouth dropped open as if it were the dumbest question ever asked. “I told you I loved you. Remember? I spied you across the room at The Executive Suite.
“You were hanging with a bunch of women over by the bar. In the beginning, I wondered which one was your girl, but then someone would ask you to dance and off you went. Some of those chicks were real dogs too.”
That could have been any night. Shadowhawk never said no. It was simply a dance, not a marriage proposal.
“I’ve always gotten anyone I set my sights on, but you had this air about you. I found it a bit intimidating, which intrigued me even more. I finally got up the nerve to approach you and asked you to dance.
“Then after the song was over, you left me standing alone on the floor and went back to your tribe. I didn’t get it. I was the hottest girl in the place. My anger turned into determination.
“I waited until they announced last call and then sidled up to you. When you put your arm around me, I knew I had you. I took you to the Four Seasons and we drank Dom Perignon champagne. We made love till dawn. It was the most perfect night of my life. When I awoke, there was a note. It said you had to work, but you’d call me.
“I waited three whole days and not a word. I phoned and left countless messages, but you never returned my call.”
“That was you? Holy shit, mystery solved.” Shadowhawk turned to Thomas. “Remember the chick who kept leaving messages until they turned into the demented ramblings of a mad woman?”
Thomas nodded once and gave her that don’t push your luck expression. She turned back to Ronnie. “You never left your name. I didn’t know who the hell it was. Of course I had to block your number.”
“I shouldn’t have had to,” Ronnie said, pissed. “You told me you loved me.”
“See now, that doesn’t sound like me. I don’t tell women I love them. That shit can get you into a lot of trouble.”
“You did!” Ronnie yelled. “We were making love and I said I love you and you said, ditto.”
“Okay, now that sounds like me. But in my defense, we were having sex. I would have promised you a trip to Belize at a time like that.” Thomas elbowed her in the ribs.
Granted, inciting an argument with a woman holding a gun was probably not a smart move, but she did have a plan. It was to motivate Ronnie into turning the weapon on her which in turn would give Thomas a chance to take her out. She hoped. Okay, maybe not the best plan.
“Don’t cheapen the experience,” Ronnie said solemnly.
Time to take a different approach. “I’m sorry, I’m not. It was a special night.”
“Then how come when I finally tracked you down, you asked my name as if we’d never met? You humiliated me in front of your friends.”
Busted. “Look, it’s not you, it’s me,” Shadowhawk said.
Ronnie’s eyes turned to slits. “You did not just say that.”
“No, seriously. I’d recently gotten out of a long relationship and I’ve been drinking. A lot. I may have blacked out.”
“Bullshit. It’s been almost a year since you and Maria split.”
Stunned, Shadowhawk blurted, “How the hell do you know that?” The creep factor on this situation just hit way off the charts.
“I hired a private detective. I know everything about you,” Ronnie stated matter of fact.
“Well aren’t you the resourceful one.” That really pissed Shadowhawk off.
“When I have to be. I just don’t get it.” Ronnie shook her head. “I have men and women willing to do anything just for the pleasure of my company, but not you.”
“Did you ever think that’s why you want me so bad? I’d bet my paycheck you’ve never heard the word no in your entire privileged life. Maybe you just like the challenge? Remember, they say forbidden fruit tastes sweeter, but it usually spoils faster.”
“Stop it. You don’t have to act tough with me, I see right through the pretense. We are soul mates. How can you not see that? I can give you a life where you’d never have to work again. I can spoil you like no other: expensive jewelry, trips anywhere in the world you want to go. No one will ever love you as much as I do,” Ronnie pleaded.
She glanced at Casey, whose eyes shouted fear while tears streamed down her face and her body shook. Shadowhawk made a big show of slipping her gun back into the holster while focusing on Ronnie and closing the gap between them.
“You’re right. I don’t know why I hadn’t seen it before.” Shadowhawk reached out her hand. “Let’s get rid of the others and start our life together now.”
She tensed while Ronnie deliberated, but the hand holding the gun relaxed a bit. She knew Ronnie wanted to believe.
Ronnie blinked and it was as if a switch went off. “Oh, no you don’t.” The gun shoved back into Casey’s temple. “You can’t fool me.”
Shadowhawk raised her hands in surrender. “I’m the one you want. Why don’t you just let Casey go. Take me instead.”
“No.” Thomas’s belligerent voice cut in.
Shadowhawk stared at him, trying to convey a secret message. His expression was merciless, his eyes shot fire. “Everything will be fine,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “No way. Let’s get out of here and regroup.”
“No!” Ronnie shouted. “Shadowhawk stays here with me.” The gun swung toward Thomas aiming at his chest.
“Whoa. That’s not necessary.” Shadowhawk jumped in front of him and now the gun pointed at her.
“Dammit, Shadowhawk, move the hell away, you irresponsible twit.” Thomas’s voice boomed through the quiet apartment and echoed back at them.
Shadowhawk turned around and faced Thomas. “You take Casey out of here. I will be fine. Who wouldn’t want to live in this fabulous penthouse with floor to ceiling windows?” She urged him with her eyes.
He glared back through slits as he shook his head slowly a few times. “Fine, dammit. But if you get yourself killed, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Fair enough. By the way, when you see the chief, tell him I quit. I’m going to be traveling the world.” She glanced over her shoulder and grinned at Ronnie, who stared back warily.
“Whatever,” he said gruffly. “Come on, Casey, I know when I’m not wanted.”
The detectives both faced Ronnie and waited. The air stood still. The woman’s flinty eyes flicked back and forth between them as if weighing their words. The tension in the room mounted until it was as thick as fog.
“Come on, babe, let’s get rid of these losers and open up that champagne. What do you say?” Shadowhawk kept her voice light.
Suddenly Casey came flying at them, Shadowhawk put her arms out to catch her. Having the advantage of forethought, Ronnie snatched Shadowhawk’s hand and yanked hard. Instead of fighting back, Shadowhawk found her energy focused on gaining her footing so as not to land on her face.
She succeeded, only to find the barrel of the gun now pressed into her own temple. Thomas caught Casey before she hit the floor. He glared at Shadowhawk, while a muscle in his jaw twitched. She implored him with her eyes to trust her.
He shook his head slowly while he backed toward the elevator, pulling Casey along with him. His gun was trained between Ronnie’s eyes. The moment the elevator doors closed on Thomas and Casey, Shadowhawk prayed she hadn’t lied when she assured him she’d be fine.