Where There's Smoke (3 page)

The other man smiled and unlocked the cuffs. A click sounded from the doorway. Smoke looked at the gun pointed at him as he rubbed his wrist. “Can I pull up the jumpsuit?”

“
Sì
.” The man in front of him walked out the door, waving him along. Smoke walked out, blinking at the overhead lights. The man waved him to the table where the remnants of a meal sat uneaten. Brow raised, he looked at the man.

The man smiled and nodded. Smoke picked up the KFC and demolished the remaining two breasts.

“
Thanks.” He wiped his fingers on the napkin and opened the offered bottle of water. The man sat at the table in front of him, staring. Smoke was aware another person was in the room even though he couldn’t see him. Instinctively, he knew these weren't the ones who kidnapped him. Those men beat the shit out of him.
That
he did remember.

“
Can someone tell me what happened? How I got here?” Smoke asked keeping his gaze on the man in front of him.

“
Sì
. You were taken into a hotel room and placed on a bed with two prostitutes who’d been murdered an hour or so earlier. I believe someone intended to set you up as the perpetrator of these crimes.”

Smoke’s eyes widened further with each word the man uttered. “What?” He jumped up. “They did what? Who? Did you see who took me there?” His recent injuries, more than anything else, had him sitting back into his chair.

“
No, I did not.” He pursed his lips. “However, the question that comes to my associate’s and my mind as well is why? Who are you? Why go through all this trouble to frame you?” The man’s relentless dark gaze asked more than the questions spoken. He wanted to know how dangerous Smoke was, perhaps how valuable and most importantly could he use that information to his advantage.

“
Are we still in Michigan?”

“
Just barely, South Bend is not too far.” The man nodded, sat back and waited.

My name’s Smoke. I'm part owner of a construction company. Three X Construction. Our headquarters is in Lapeer. We’ve worked all over the state, worked hard building the company. But lately…“ He paused trying to figure a way to say just the right amount, without telling all.

“
Lately.” The man waved, edging him on.

“
Lately, we’ve been having all kinds of problems. Our supplies have been stolen, staff quality and performance has been way down, we’ve lost job orders and had turnover.”

The man looked at him incredulously. “The things you say happen to all businesses.”

Smoke shook his head before the man finished. “Not ours.” He paused. “Most of our employees are from Michigan’s Prison Build Program. Those guys are top notch. At least they were. We pay them well, give up serious benefits. We’ve never had turnover like now. Some of the older men have worked with us over ten years. They take pride in their work and what they’ve accomplished.” He knew he sounded like a Baptist preacher, but they’d helped many men and their families over the years and he was proud of that.

“
You give ex-cons jobs?” The voice came from behind him. He didn’t turn, but nodded.

“
Of course. Some people make mistakes and deserve a chance. Michigan’s prisons have a decent track record of training their inmates and see fewer repeat offenders than most states.”

“
So why would someone go through the trouble of framing a construction worker? Why? Is it for money?” The man laughed.

Smoke stared at him. “If it were just money, I wouldn’t be here.”

The man sobered and stared above his head.

Smoke’s heart raced. He’d taken a gamble hinting at his tangible worth. The man’s eyes glittered in greed. He’d sell him out in a hot sec. But for some reason Smoke didn't think he was the person to make the final decision.

“
Oh yeah?” the man murmured, eyes sly. “What kind of money’s in construction these days?”

Smoke shrugged. He’d given up all the info necessary for them to make a decision. The ball was in their court, they had to share some data to get more from him. “Where did they take me? A hotel?”

“
Yeah, a small off brand owned by a local big shot.”

“
Big fish, small pond, huh?” Smoke nodded, getting the layout in his mind. Somehow this all had to be connected. He couldn’t see all the dots, but they were there.

The man laughed, “something like that.”

“
Listen,” Smoke said, sitting forward, “is there any way I can make a call to my partners, let them know I’m alive.”

“
Why would they think otherwise?” this came from behind him. The voice had a husky quality, disturbing him. He shook it off.

“
I’m missing. All three of us were at a training session when they left to go to a wedding.”

“
A wedding?” the man in front asked.

Smoke smiled thinking of Ross and Cherise, Red and Denise. “Yeah. They left me to take notes for the last five hours of the class. That was on Saturday. What’s today?”

“
Wednesday.” The man in front straightened as if he realized the seriousness of the matter.

“
Whew, that’s four days. I've been out of it that long?”

“
Well, we didn’t see you until Sunday and then you had a fever and was in and out of it for a couple days. Someone beat you pretty badly.”

“
I feel like it. At any rate, four days is a long time to be missing. No telling what’s gone down since then, but I’d like to minimize the damages.”

“
Minimize the damages?”

If they kept parroting everything he said, they’d be here all day. “Yeah,” he said, digging deep into his depleted well of patience. “Imagine what you’d do if your partner disappeared and you were already having problems with the company. What would you do?”

The man’s eye’s narrowed. “Tell me,
mi amigo
; are these partners ex-cons like you?”

“
Yeah.”

Chapter 3

Ross woke up troubled. Something wasn’t right. He stared at the ceiling, completing a mental countdown. They’d returned from the wedding earlier that day. No problems at the house. Cherise and Lenore were asleep. He stared and deepened his countdown. Smoke hadn’t returned his call. He was probably on a date or something. Still, normally he’d let him know he got the message. He tamped down the rising fear. If there was something wrong, Red would’ve called him, concerned. He had a second sense or something about those things. Cherise rolled over, her hand on his chest. Idly, he stroked the back of her hand. His mind did a ticker tape of the past twenty-four hours, searching for abnormalities. Nothing stood out other than not talking to Smoke.

Instinct had him easing from beneath his woman’s warm palm, grabbing his cell and heading down the hall. As he walked, he punched the number three, Smoke’s speed dial number. He listened to the answering machine and left a repeat of his earlier message. If his boy didn’t call him back this time, he knew there was a problem. No sex was strong enough to stop Smoke from sending a text to ease his mind. Until he heard from his boy, he wouldn’t be able to sleep. Heading downstairs to his office, he hoped he was overreacting because of the recent upheaval, but he couldn't help it. A glance at the clock, two-thirty-two am. He booted up his computer and search for Julio’s number. When that call went to voice mail, Ross leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. One question reverberated through his mind.

Where the hell was Smoke?

An hour later, Cherise walked into his study. Her purple boy shorts and matching tee did little to pull him out of his dark mood. Her hand trailed along his chest, settling on his nipple.

Catching her hand before she went further, he placed a kiss on her palm. “Not now, baby, I’ve got some things on my mind.

“What’s wrong?” She yawned and sat on his lap, placing her head on his shoulder. He inhaled the lavender scent of her lotion and closed his eyes. The fragrance soothed rough spots within him he’d been unaware he had until she’d come into his life.

“Smoke,” he growled, pissed and scared, an unacceptable combination for him. “He hasn’t returned my calls.” She leaned forward and stared at him, searching.

“You think something’s wrong, don’t you?” Her fingertip traced the furrows in his forehead, smoothing the lines before dropping a kiss on his lips.

“Yeah, I do.” He watched her expression to gauge her agreement. Women in general were intuitive and Cherise had it in spades. “It’s not like him to ignore the calls or texts I send.” She frowned.

“When was the last time you talked to him?” Their eyes met. He sensed she understood his urgency.

“When I left for class Saturday morning. The instructor—” He snapped his fingers before exhaling. “I can’t remember his name. Anyway, he said he’d give Smoke our papers and allow him to take notes so we could make the wedding. The last thing Smoke said to Red was to do it right this time. I assumed he was talking about the proposal Red was going to spring on Denise after the wedding.”

Cherise nodded. Her eyes troubled. “I haven’t known him as long as everyone else, but one thing I know, he would’ve called if he could’ve.” She rubbed his face and kissed him gently, before enfolding him in her arms.

Lord knows he needed her right now to tell him everything would be okay. That Smoke was on a hot date and didn’t check his cell. Anything but the alternative, that someone had snatched his best friend or he was lying hurt somewhere. She didn’t lie to him and he loved her even more for it.

“I love you, babe. Never doubt that.” He squeezed her waist before dropping a kiss on her shoulder.

“Okay, if you’re about to tell me you’re going to do something I’m not going to like, save it.” She leaned back and stared at him. “I didn’t fall in love with a perfect man. You have a code I’m not familiar with. I get that. I’ll never be down with you hurting or killing people, you need to know that and weigh it. Some things you’ll need to keep to yourself if we’re going to make it. No blow by blows, no asking me if I have a problem with things that cross legal lines. In all probability I will.”

“But—“

She shushed him. “I love you, warts and all. I’ll hang as long as I can. If things get too hot, then to save my sanity, I’ll step. I know to you and your boys murder and killing are different. I’m not there yet.” She shook her head, eyes watering as she pushed against the wall of his chest and stood.

“Although, if they hurt you or Smoke, or Red, or Denise, or the girls.” Her face tightened. “I’d probably see the difference real damn quick. See, that’s what I’m trying to explain. I have mixed feelings on the lines of right and wrong in this situation. It’s so personal, these people mean so much to me that I’m not sure what I’d do if something foul went down.” She held his face between her palms, offering a watery smile. “Especially to you.” She kissed the tip of his nose. “We’ll have to navigate these rocky shores together, babe. I’ll do my best to stay open and honest with you.” She kissed him lightly on the lips.

Ross grabbed her around the waist and laid his head against her stomach, inhaling her unique scent. He sent a silent prayer to anyone listening that he didn’t lose this courageous woman who held his heart. No one would ever get as close to him again. The cost of opening up was too high. Letting someone shine the light on the dark spots of your soul was akin to a firing squad.

They’d pledged to be open and honest with each other, but it was hard. She’d just stepped back, allowing him to do what he needed to find his partner. He couldn’t not go looking for Smoke. He’d do whatever necessary to get him back home. The reprieve she’d given allowed him to focus on the job, and he loved her all the more. His eyes watered as the battle raged within. He needed to be the man she respected and honored. But he’d have no honor in
his
eyes if he didn’t go after his partner. There was a discernible gap in his soul with Smoke missing. One way or the other, Smoke would be returned. The condition in which he returned would determine the measure of their retribution.

***

Monday morning, Ross walked into Smoke’s condominium intent on turning off the alarm and froze at the absence of beeps.

“Smoke?” he yelled, walking slowly from the foyer into the living room, his body alert. He was ready and hoping for an altercation to release his pent up tension.

“He’s not here,” Red said, walking from the back. “I’ve checked all his rooms. It doesn’t look like he’s been here since Saturday.” Red’s voice deepened, a sure sign of agitation. He shook his head and collapsed on the sofa. Ross watched the big man struggle with his emotions and felt an answering rush of fear, pain, anger and hurt rolled into one.

“I called him five times last night,” Red said, his voice hoarse. “I couldn’t sleep. I knew something was off.” He glanced at Ross. “The only reason I didn’t come over here last night was he might’ve had company and I would’ve felt like an ass. Now, look how much damn time has passed.” Red hit the arm of the sofa shaking his head.

Hearing the words aloud made it more real. A shaft of fear lanced Ross’s chest. Smoke had to be all right. The alternative was incomprehensible. “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep last night, either.” Red looked at him.

“I started to call you but I was scared you’d gotten the same responses I’d gotten. I couldn’t wrap my mind around anything,” Ross said.

Red nodded. “I must’ve dozed off at some point. Soon as I woke up, I told Denise where I was headed and jetted.” Neither man spoke. Ross sat and allowed the reality of the situation penetrate his being. Smoke had been missing since Saturday. It was Monday. A day and some hours had passed. They had to make up time.

“I see that damn fire in your eyes,” Red said staring at him. “Please tell me you got a plan. I’m about to bust a nut on somebody and I’ll never see my girls again. But I’m so full of this shit right now, it’s got to go.”