Stilettos & Scoundrels Read online

  Chapter 22

  Cooper slowed as we neared the warehouse. We could see lights illuminating the bottom floor. The other five floors were pitch-black. We could see Chris’s red Impala and Helen’s Mercedes sitting in the lot. As we pulled in, we also saw two black Lincolns, which I recognized to be the cars of Garrison and Simon Palazzo. Then, to my surprise, we also spotted Bobby’s rattletrap truck.

  I nudged Cooper as he dialed Dirt again. “That’s Bobby’s car, and the other car belongs to Simon’s dad.”

  “Dammit,” he swore softly. With a resigned look on his face, he put the phone back in his pocket. “Dirt’s still not answering. I can’t wait any longer. I’ve got to get in there.”

  “You mean we’ve got to get in there,” I corrected. He was crazy if he thought he was going in there without me.

  “No!” he yelled. “ You are not going in there. It’s dangerous. You and Tobey just wait here until Dirt comes so you can fill him in.”

  “You are not leaving me here, Cooper. I’m coming with you. Besides, Dirt might not even get your message. What then? You need someone in there to help you,” I said, defiantly staring into his eyes.

  “No, you’re not coming, Presley. I don’t need your help. I can take care of myself,” he growled, not taking his eyes off me. For a moment, we just stared at each other. I wasn’t exactly sure what this was going to accomplish, but I wasn’t going to be the first one to look away. I had to admit it was getting more and more difficult to stay focused around him and I could sense he felt the same way.

  “Listen, Pres,” he said in a rational tone. “I’m not going to put you in danger. And, I can’t think clearly if I have to worry about you.”

  “That’s sweet, Cooper and I appreciate it, but I’m not going to sit out here and let you face this alone,” I said, feet planted, chin high. “Besides, Tobey can stay out here and wait for Dirt.”

  Tobey looked at me as if I were crazy. “Am I safe out here?”

  “You’ll be fine, Tobey,” I said. “Wait here for Dirt and tell him what’s going on. I’m going with Cooper for backup.”

  Cooper gave in. “Fine. We don’t have time to argue about this. Just stay behind me and do as I say.” He muttered a few choice words under his breath that I chose to ignore and then looked at my shoes. I noticed his gaze as it traveled over my body. It was making me feel very warm. The feeling, however, was short–lived when Cooper made a snide comment about my shoes.

  “What’s wrong with my shoes?”

  “Take them off. They’ll be able to hear those heels from miles away. We need an element of surprise.”

  “Well, excuse me. I didn’t plan on this when I chose my outfit,” I answered sarcastically.

  “All the more reason to stay here,” he said pointedly.

  I rolled my eyes at this last ditch effort to get me to stay put and took my shoes off. I didn’t relish walking in the nasty warehouse with bare feet—I was probably risking tetanus or something, but I wasn’t about to stay in the car. Cooper locked the car door with Tobey inside. He put the keys in his pocket, and we headed towards the warehouse. We had parked around back so that if anyone else showed up they would only see the other cars, unless of course, they drove around the building. Then, we were screwed. Hopefully, Dirt would have the same idea so he would see our car.

  Walking in the front door, Cooper motioned for me to be quiet as he drew his gun. It was dark with only a faint light from the setting sun allowing for any visibility. It took a few seconds for our eyes to adjust before we could even make out any of our surroundings. It made me a little uneasy watching Cooper handle a gun. I’d never seen a gun like that up close. I didn’t even realize he carried one, though it made sense, and it made me look at Cooper in a whole new light. He was even sexier, if that was possible.

  Cooper and I heard voices in the back of the warehouse. As we got closer to the voices, a glow emanated from a room down the hall. It was nice to be able to see, but the light also made us a little bit more visible. I listened intently, trying to make out what was being said. There seemed to be at least three people talking. I immediately recognized Helen Daniels and Simon talking. I knew Chris was in there, but he wasn’t currently saying anything, and the other voice wasn’t his. I didn’t recognize it, but I assumed it belonged to Garrison Palazzo, which I mouthed to Cooper who nodded his agreement.

  Cooper and I crept around the corner, and the people doing the talking came into view. Everyone stood in a semicircle. Simon stood facing an older man, whom Cooper and I knew to be Garrison Palazzo. Simon and his dad were arguing, and both were armed with guns. Chris and Bobby stood next to Helen, and none of them was saying much of anything. They just looked scared. Couldn’t blame them there. Now that I was closer to the action, I almost wished I had stayed behind. There were too many guns out there for me, but I was in it for the long haul now, and I sure wasn’t going to admit that I was scared at this point.

  As we inched closer, we could start to make out what the others were saying.

  “You got your money, Garrison. Leave her out of it,” Simon yelled. I assumed he was referring to Helen, which seemed odd. What did Simon care about Helen?

  “Simon, we can’t leave any loose ends. They need to be silenced. Permanently,” Garrison Palazzo said with a menacing tone, pointing his gun at both Helen and Chris. “Son, you were supposed to have taken care of this already.”

  “Looks like father and son aren’t exactly on the same page. I told you Bobby was involved somehow,” I whispered to Cooper, elbowing him in the ribs. He gave me a stern look and pressed his finger to his lips in an effort to silence me—not an easy task.

  “What about him?” Simon said, pointing to Bobby. “What’s to say he won’t talk?”

  “Hey man, you have my word. I just wanted to repay my debt and be left alone. I didn’t see anything. I didn’t hear anything, I’m not even here,” Bobby said in response, clearly not wanting to be a part of things.

  Thanks Simon, I thought to myself. Glad you wanted that question answered, too.

  “Trust me Simon,” Garrison said. “He’s no threat. He knows that if he says anything, the police will get an anonymous tip telling them that he killed our friend, the senator.”

  “What?” Simon and I both exclaimed. However, I must have been louder than I thought because everyone had heard and turned toward me. Cooper clamped his hand over my mouth, but it was a fraction too late. There was no denying that this time my mouth had landed me in big trouble.

  “Damn it, Presley,” Cooper whispered in frustration. He pushed me away from him back toward the warehouse door, but we couldn’t back up fast enough when Garrison saw us.

  “Well, well, well. What have we here? It seems like we have some company—the pretty lady and her boyfriend the security professional. What a joke,” Garrison said, laughing.

  Simon had his gun trained on us and waved it, motioning for us to come out of our hiding place to join the others. He motioned for Cooper to toss down his gun, which he did.

  Cooper began clenching and un-clenching his fists. I was scared and felt horrible that I had just put us in what might well be a life–threatening predicament. I could only hope that Dirt would get here soon or that we could find someway to talk our way out of this.

  Garrison shifted to get a good view of all of us. Without taking his eyes off the group, he continued talking to Simon.

  “I said we don’t have to worry about him talking, Simon. He knows what’s at stake. His debt with me is clear.”

  I broke the stunned silence. It’s not as if things could get any worse, and I wanted some clarification here.

  “Wait a minute. I’m confused here. I thought Chris killed the senator?”

  “You bitch!” We all turned our heads to see Chris confronting Helen. His face was white and his body was shaking with anger.

  “You told me that you killed Tom,” he yelled at her. “I’ve been trying to cover for you and putting myself in dan
ger for nothing?”

  “Get a grip, Chris,” Helen said curtly. “I never said I killed anybody. You assumed I did. I just didn’t correct you. Not my fault you were too stupid to figure out the truth,” she continued. “Besides, I needed you. You played right into the situation.”

  I could see the hurt in Chris’s eyes. It was clear that he had true feelings for Helen. I was confused about why he was with Katy last night then, and I regretted that I hadn’t had a chance to ask Katy about it before Tobey showed up at the coffee house. I sighed. There was time enough later to figure that out—if we got out of here alive.

  “You used me,” Chris said, still angry, but he also seemed sad now. I could tell he was wondering how he could have been so stupid.

  “Sorry.” Helen shrugged. “I didn’t make you fall in love with me.”

  Although Chris looked devastated, I had a hard time feeling sorry for him. What comes around goes around, I thought. He treated Katy like crap, and he was getting what he deserved.

  For a moment, this entire situation seemed comical: guns pointing at people, people fighting over being in love, or rather, not in love. This was getting ridiculous. So I figured, why not speak up?

  “I don’t believe for a minute that Bobby killed him,” I said. “And Simon didn’t kill him. Obviously, Helen and Chris didn’t kill him either. So, who did?” If I was going to die in this warehouse, I at least wanted to die knowing.

  For a split second, everyone was silent.

  “I killed him,” Dirt said, stepping out from the shadows with his gun trained on Tobey, who walked in front of him. I wondered how long he had been listening to this exchange.

  “Thanks, Cooper, for leaving me those voicemails to let me know where you would be. It made my job easier getting all of you in the same place.”

  “You son–of–a–bitch,” Cooper said, taking a step forward. “I was hoping I was wrong about you.”

  “Now, now. I would think twice before stepping any closer, Coop.” Dirt pointed his gun at him. That made three guns pointed in various directions: Simon, Garrison, and now Dirt. But who was counting?

  “Dirt, what is this about?” I asked. “Why would you kill the senator?”

  He turned to me, fuming. “When I got involved with Garrison Palazzo, I didn’t have any idea it would turn to murder and now to this, but it is what is it. Presley, I’m so sorry you had to get involved. I would have preferred you never came out here. You were always a good friend to me. Now you’re going to have to die with your boyfriend here.”

  “Dirt, let her go. She won’t say anything,” Cooper said quietly.

  “Shut up!” Dirt shouted. “I’ve worked too hard. I deserve this, and I’m not letting you fuck it up—not any of you.”

  “Dirt, why?” I asked again. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t comprehend Dirt killing me—or Tom Daniels. I wanted to know what had pushed him to these lengths.

  “Because being a cop doesn’t pay shit. I got tired of working hard for nothing. Something she wouldn’t understand,” he said, pointing to Helen, who had the nerve to look bored by the whole scene. “Or the Senator. He thought he was such a big shot that he could gamble away millions without a care in the world.”

  “But, Dirt—murder? Is it worth it? You’re not this kind of person.” It looked like Dirt was conspiring with Garrison and Simon.

  “You don’t know what kind of person I am, Presley.” He sneered. “So just shut up. All of you shut up and get on the floor. Simon, you toss your gun over to Garrison.”

  Wait a minute. Why would Dirt want Simon to get rid of his gun? My head was starting to hurt from all of this. “Why are you working for him?” I said, tilting my head towards Garrison.

  “You go where the money is.”

  I could tell that Dirt was so wrapped up in trying to watch all of us that he didn’t notice Cooper making eye contact with Simon and Chris, who finally quit shooting daggers at Helen. I noticed the looks they were trading. I couldn’t figure out what they were saying or planning, but all I could hope was that it was some sort of guy thing and that they each knew what the other was thinking. Then I looked at Cooper, and he smiled at me with his eyes. I felt reassured; I could tell he was going to get us out of here.

  “Get on the floor, all of you!” Dirt screamed again.

  “Oh, please, Derrick. This is getting tiresome,” Helen said, rolling her eyes and looking like she wanted a cigarette. Though I had to hand it to her, she didn’t look worried about all the guns and threats. I wasn’t sure if Helen didn’t think they would hurt us if she just lived that much in denial, or if she didn’t care. Maybe she knew exactly what was going on. Could she have been a part of this all along?

  “Shut up, Helen.”

  I was overwhelmed by the thought that Dirt killed Tom Daniels.

  I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask again. “What made you do it, Dirt? I don’t understand.”

  “Does it matter, Presley?” he asked sarcastically.

  “Actually, yes. If you are going to kill me, you at least owe me an explanation.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake, Dirt! Just kill them and be done with it. Simon, c’mon,” Garrison said with a nod of his head in Simon’s direction. I could only assume he didn’t want to dirty his own hands by killing us himself.

  “No, Dad.”

  “Excuse me? This is no time to argue. We can settle our differences later. C’mon, now!” Garrison said menacingly.

  I almost felt a little sorry for Simon, even if he did have a gun pointed at me earlier. It must suck to have a dad like that. It made me appreciate my parents more. I started to think about how I might not see them again and my eyes teared up a bit. The realization that I might not get out of this alive was starting to sink in.

  “Simon!” Garrison growled.

  “Sorry, Dad,” Simon said, shaking his head. “I have stood by long enough. This has got to stop, now.”

  “You’re making a big mistake, Simon.”

  “No, you’re the one making the mistake. You’ve underestimated me for the last time.”

  “You’re such a disappointment, Simon,” Garrison said. “Dirt, get this taken care of. Simon too.”

  I didn’t know what surprised me more, that Simon really was a good guy, or that Garrison was such a cold–hearted killer that he didn’t care about his son. I was still processing this information when I noticed Cooper inching closer to Dirt. I also saw that Garrison had relaxed his gun to his side during this heated exchange with Simon.

  All of a sudden I heard Cooper scream, “Get down!”

  As I hit the ground, Cooper dove for Dirt, who looked shocked when Cooper tackled him and knocked the gun from his hand. At the same time, Simon lunged for Garrison’s gun and successfully grabbed it. I saw Cooper and Dirt wrestling on the floor, the gun still out of reach of both of them.

  I started to stand up when all of a sudden a gun went off and the sound of gunshots filled the air.

  Dropping back to the ground, I covered my eyes, praying the bullet hadn’t hit anyone. I waited to hear something, anything, especially from Cooper, to assure me that he was okay, but it was hard to hear because everyone was yelling. Garrison and Simon were back to arguing, and as I started to get up to check on Cooper, after what seemed like hours but was only seconds, I saw Garrison leaving. I couldn’t believe that Simon would just let him go, but at that moment, I was more concerned about Cooper. I looked around and saw both Cooper and Dirt lying face down on the ground.

  “Cooper! Oh my, God!” I shrieked and ran over to where he was lying. “Cooper,” I said again, reaching out to touch him. I was so afraid he was dead.

  Just as I started to kneel down beside him, he rolled over and slowly opened his eyes.

  “So, this is what it took to get you to admit you like me?”

  “You jerk! And to think I was worried you were dead!” I tried to act angry, but I didn’t pull it off so well. I had been worried that he might be seriously hurt, or e
ven worse, dead.

  “That’s the Presley I know and love,” Cooper said softly. “If this is what it takes to get your attention...”

  Just when I was about to make a smart ass retort, the FBI burst into the room yelling, “Freeze!” That might have been helpful, oh, say ten minutes ago, I thought to myself.

  As the FBI darted through the place, Helen was still screaming.

  I looked over to see what the problem was since the major drama was over. Helen was yelling at one of the FBI agents, and I couldn’t understand. Had she been hit? Then I saw Helen pointing at something, and all of a sudden, Helen’s screams made much more sense. That stray bullet had gone right through her wonderful Prada bag. I sighed.

  “What’s wrong, King? I’m fine.”

  “Please, it’s not you I’m worried about now. Just look at that beautiful bag. What a waste.”

  Cooper looked at me. I could tell he was trying to determine if I was joking or not. Then the FBI grabbed Dirt off the floor where Cooper had knocked him down. They handcuffed him and read him his rights. He wasn’t saying much, but he didn’t look happy. I was glad he was handcuffed but so sad that he had done this.

  “Thanks for the call, Cooper,” said one of the FBI guys while handcuffing Dirt.

  “No problem, Hank.”

  “Give me a call later, will you? We’ve got a few more things to discuss.”

  “Sure.”

  I looked at Cooper, and he knew what was coming. He said, “I am sorry I didn’t share everything with you, but I promise I will tell you everything now.”

  “You are so going to pay, Cooper Sands.”

  “Promise?” he teased.