Tony: Alvarez Security Series (31 page)

“Yeah, he looked kind of like a weasel.”

At this point Tony felt as though his head was going to explode. Jobe was now grinning and Vinny was trying to hold on to his anger, although it seemed to be a losing battle. Gabe was still furious and the more the girls talked, the angrier he became.

The detective looked at his partner as he wrote her statement down. “Okay, so what did the weasel do?”

Jennifer continued, “He tried to grab me but I kicked him in the…um…down there,” she whispered. The detective’s pen hovered over his pad as his gaze lifted back to hers.

Vinny, unable to contain his laughter, slapped Gabe on the back. “Your woman just kicked a man in the nuts and you’re pissed.” Walking over to her, he leaned down, kissing the top of her head.

“Don’t encourage her,” Gabe bit out.

The detective wanting to finish the statements turned to Sherrie asking, “And what did you do during this?”

Avoiding Tony’s glare, she answered, “When Mr. Big went after Jennifer I jumped on his back.” Ignoring the growl emanating from him, she continued. “He couldn’t shake me off, so he kept running backward into the wall to try to jar me loose. I held on for two of them, but I was kind of scared that when he did it again, then I wouldn’t be able to hang on.” She smiled then, saying, “But then they showed up and finished them off.” She hoped her smile would lessen the fury on Tony’s face. It didn’t.

The detective snapped his notebook shut, saying, “If you think of anything else, give us a call.” With that, they left, leaving the two girls surrounded by four large men.

“Tony,” Sherrie began. “I jus—”

He threw his hand up, saying, “I don’t want to hear it.”

“But—”

Stalking toward her, he towered over her and growled, “Do you know how stupid it was for you to jump on a man his size? You should have called the police. You should have run into the bar. You should have—”

Stamping her foot in anger, she poked her finger in his chest. “Don’t you dare lecture me! You go out all the time and rescue people. I do it one time and you get pissy.”

Tony looked down at the small finger being shook at him.
One snap and that man could have broken her hand. Or knocked her out. Or…

Sherrie, with her arm around Jennifer, continued her rant. “We saw a woman being dragged out of a building and we just acted on instinct.”

Looking up at her husband, Jennifer added, “Kind of like you did when you ran out here and saw us.”

Gabe walked over, pulling Jennifer from Sherrie’s hold. Kissing the top of her head, he sighed. “Babe, not happy. But all I want to do right now is get you home, let you soak in the tub and then hold you all night until my heart stops pounding in fear.”

Smiling up at him, she leaned into him. He turned and headed out of the alley with her tucked under his arm. The rest of the group then heard him say, “And then I’ll spank your ass red.”

Vinny and Jobe chuckled as they headed back into the bar, leaving Tony and Sherrie standing in the alley by themselves. She lifted her face to his, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. He stepped forward, enveloping her in his embrace once more, pressing her face into his chest. She could hear his heartbeat. Solid. Strong. They said nothing. The anger drained from him as he cradled her to his chest. Several minutes passed in silence as they both drew strength from each other. Together, stronger than apart.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” her small voice said.

His arms tightened. “I’m sorry I yelled,” he admitted. Taking his hand from the back of her head, he slid his fingers to her chin, lifting it up. Peering into her tear filled eyes, remorse struck him. “I am sorry, baby. I’m proud that you jumped in to help someone. I just…I never want to feel that feeling I had when I came through the door and saw that fucker slamming you against a wall. All I could think of was choking the life out of him.”

“I know. I was scared too. We should have called for help, but honestly Tony? The adrenaline took over and we just jumped in.” They were silent again for a moment, then she asked, “Is that what it is for you? When you have a mission?”

“Yes,” he admitted, “but I’m trained. Trained to fight. Trained to kill. Trained to assess my enemy in an instant. You, my sweet, are not.”

She nodded, knowing he was right. Looking back up, she suddenly felt utterly exhausted. “Take me home?” she asked.

“No place else I’d rather be, darlin’,” he said, tucking her in his embrace as they headed toward his truck. One hand slid down to her hips as they walked. “And I’m thinking that Gabe’s got the right idea,” he said, giving her ass a sharp pat.

V
inny and Gabe
were in the main Alvarez area working on a new security system when BJ walked by, calling out to Vinny.

“Boss wants to see you. He’s in his office.”

Vinny immediately headed to Tony’s office, finding him at his desk with files spread in front of him. “You called for me, sir?”

Tony looked up at one of his most trusted friends. Vinny was smart, quick, intelligent, the best sharp-shooter he had ever seen, and Gabe’s backup medic. Vinny might joke and screw around during down time, but when the mission was in full swing, there was no one he trusted more to have his back than him.

“Business has been steady and we’ve got a good reputation in Richland and now in Virginia as a whole. But I’ve got a new request from someone who needs us in another state. That kind of recognition has come from hard work and dedication and I’d like you to take it. This could take our company to a whole new level.”

Vinny’s interest was piqued and he waited to hear more about it.

“Got a request for a security detail to escort someone from Los Angeles to Richland.” Before he could continue, he saw the flash of interest as well as concern in Vinny’s eyes. Gabe had gotten tangled up with a diva actress on an assignment before meeting Jennifer, and it had turned out to be a cock-up situation.

“Nope, not an actress. A musician,” Tony clarified.

“Just an escort detail?” Vinny asked, willing to take any mission assigned, but curiosity getting the better of him.

“Yes, they’ll have a concert in LA where you will meet them. You’ll escort them on their flight to Richland.”

“Concert?” Vinny asked, not able to keep the idea of spending a couple of days with a female musician, preferably a beautiful rock star, out of his mind. “Who is it?”

Tony sat quietly for a moment, staring at the file in front of him. Rubbing his chin in thought, he finally looked up at Vinny and said succinctly, “Not saying.”

Vinny’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “Not…saying? Sir?”

Tony looked deeply at Vinny before continuing. “Vincent, you’re one of my best. Ever since the first time I laid eyes on you and your twin, I couldn’t have asked for better. One thing about you was that when you were on a mission, you gave me one-hundred percent. Off mission, if you thought with your dick it didn’t matter. You still work just as hard for me as when we were in the Special Forces, but I need your head on this mission and not thinking with your dick.”

Vinny started to protest, but Tony put up his hand. “I want you in this mission, regardless of who it is.”

Vinny, understanding what was at stake, agreed. Male, female, old, young—it did not matter to the mission. Standing, he nodded to the leader he trusted with his life. “When do I leave?”

“I’ll have the details by the end of the week and you need to be ready to fly to California in a couple of weeks.”

His cocky grin back in place, he nodded as he said, “You got it, Sir.”

Tony looked back to the file in front of him, a slow smile beginning to spread across his face.
This mission will be good for Vinny. Good for the
agency, but good for Vinny.

*

Sherrie ended her
meeting with her bosses and organized her files on her desk. Looking at them, she realizes that Mr. Marks’ needs for her had decreased while Simon’s had increased. As she continued to ponder the workload, she realized that Mr. Marks was definitely taking on less and less.
I’ve been so busy with my CASA case, I hadn’t even noticed. Is he ill?
The more she thought about it, the more concerned she became.

She checked the time and hurried down the hall to his office, wanting to catch him before he left. His door was opened, but she knocked on the door frame anyway. He looked up, smiling, and invited her in.

“Did we forget something at our meeting?” he asked.

“No, sir. I just…um.” Now that she was there, she was not sure what to say.

Laughing, he pointed to the old, comfortable leather chair in front of his desk. “My dear, just come right out with it. I think we’ve grown familiar enough with each other that you can just ask me what is on your mind.”

She settled in the seat, resisting the urge to lean back in the soft leather, instead perching at the edge. “Sir, I’ve noticed that you’re not giving me as many assignments as before and I was, well…are you still satisfied with my work?”

“Sherrie, of course I’m satisfied. You are one of the best paralegals I have ever worked with in my
long
career.”

Noticing he emphasized the word ‘long’, she was unable to ascertain what he meant by that. She watched as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, then brought out a cloth from his jacket pocket to clean his spectacles off before replacing them. Sighing, he said, “I’ve been thinking of something for a while now, but until I talked to Simon to get things settled, I hadn’t wanted to say anything.”

“Are you well?” she could not help but burst out.

His eyes widened in surprise and he quickly said, “Oh, yes. I’m fine. I’m so sorry that you worried. I never thought that you would think of illness.” He looked over at her with a gentle, fatherly look on his face and said simply, “I’m retiring, my dear. It’s been a long career in law that I have loved. But now, I’m feeling my age. My wife’s mother needs more care. My wife and I would like to travel more and see the grandkids. The time is right.”

Sherrie did not know what to say. The idea of him leaving the office filled her with sadness, but the idea that he could be free to do what he needed or wanted certainly was deserved. “I…I’ll miss you so much,” she admitted, “But I can see why you want to retire.”

“Thank you, Sherrie. I’ve been slowing down, turning more over to Simon but I realize that I’ll need to have someone replace me. Simon and I have talked. He’ll buy out my share of the business and then will hire another lawyer since it will be important for him to have a say in who he works with. As far as you and the receptionist, of course your jobs are safe.”

She was grateful, especially since she had not even considered that her job might be in jeopardy. “Do you know when you’ll retire?”

“I was thinking in about another two months. That will give the office a chance to make more changes and time for us to make all of the arrangements. My wife and I will sell our home here and be moving to North Carolina to be nearer her mother and our daughter. And it will satisfy my need to get out on the water and do some fishing,” he added, a smile on his face.

“Um…what about your cabin?” she asked hesitantly, wondering if they would keep it so that she and Tony could return sometime.

“I’ve got a buyer for it and will have it off my hands soon. My wife and I are trying to simplify everything.”

Nodding, she tried to keep the disappointed look off of her face. Lifting her gaze back to his, she said honestly, “I’ll miss you, Mr. Marks. You gave me a chance when no one else would.”

He rose from his seat and walked over to her, taking her hand and pulling her from her chair. Holding both of her hands, he said warmly, “You have been like another daughter to me these past two years. I appreciate everything you do and wish you nothing but the best.” With that, he lifted her right hand to his lips, giving a soft kiss.

*

Sitting in her
car, Sherrie watched Betina as she left school and hopped on a Richland Transport bus. She followed her, noting that she did not get off at the grocery or the laundry. In fact, she followed her all the way to the large, downtown bus station. Parking, she quickly found Betina standing near the edge of the building talking to two young women, their luggage at their feet.