Ammo and Mary Read online

  “That can happen from time to time. But you know what?”

  No, I knew nothing.

  “On Thursday I told you we would always be all right as long as we were honest to each other. You remember?”

  “Yeah.”

  “When you are ready to be honest, call me.”

  “Mary—”

  She didn’t answer me after that. Fuck. I ran my hand down my face. I saw Adin pull into the parking lot. I grabbed my jacket and ran down the stairs.

  “Hey, what’s with the look on your face?” he asked as I sat in the car.

  “Nothing. Let’s just go.” I was pissed. Mostly at myself. I had hurt her and needed to fix it.

  We sat outside one of the other clubs he had picked. We sat an hour before we saw two guys walk out with a girl. Well, they were dragging her.

  We let them pass us, then we got out of the car. Adin got in front of them. “Stop right there,” Adin said. “Chicago PD, don’t do anything stupid. What are you doing with this girl?”

  “We are taking my sister home. Her boyfriend dumped her, and she took it out on her liver,” the one on the right side of the girl said.

  “Bobby, I wanna drink,” the girl mumbled.

  “I know, Casey, but you had enough. Can I show you our IDs or something? I want to get her home,” Bobby said.

  “Yeah, let’s see them, all three of you.” Adin held out his hand. Bobby and his friend handed theirs right over. Then Bobby had to dig in his sister’s purse for hers. He found it and handed it over as well.

  “Bobby, Steve, thank you for taking Casey home. Sorry to have stopped you,” Adin said, handing the IDs back. He got out of their way and they dragged poor Casey to a car. I memorized the license plate. They laid her across the back seat and Steve sat in the back to make sure she was all right as Bobby drove.

  “Same last names. Same address, same age, and when I run the plate you memorized, I am sure it will come back to Bobby. And I bet that they even live with Mom and Dad, still. Freaking twins,” Adin griped.

  He was right though. At least Bobby took care of his sister. It made me feel even worse for what I had done to Mary. I would make it right tomorrow. Adin dropped me back off at 6 in the morning. We got nothing.

  I set my alarm for 10. A four-hour power nap would do me just fine. I woke before the alarm and took a shower. I felt better and ready to face the day. I drove over to the Jewel near me and picked up some flowers. I then stopped at a diner near Mary’s house and got us two huge breakfast plates to go. I was on her porch at 11:30 a.m., ringing her bell. Praying she would open the door and not just tell me to go to hell.

  Chapter 16

  Mary

  After texting with Ben, I was mad. I knew he’d never been in a relationship before, but dammit, I shouldn’t have to teach him common courtesy. I went to sleep late after watching all the Indiana Jones movies. By the time I went to sleep, I just wanted everything back to the way it had been before Friday.

  I woke up to the sound of the doorbell. I looked at the clock. It wasn’t time for dinner at Rosa’s, so I wasn’t late. I got out of bed and threw my robe on. I looked out the window of my door to see Ben standing on my porch. He had flowers and carry-out; a peace offering. I opened the door.

  “Morning, Mary. I am calling because I am ready to be honest.” He looked to me like he was scared shitless. I opened the door wider and let him. I locked it behind him and went to the kitchen to make some tea. He followed me. While my electric kettle boiled, I turned to face him. My arms were crossed over my chest. I was waiting.

  “Um, these are for you. I fucked up, and I am sorry.” He held out the flowers. He looked so worried.

  I should put him out of his misery. “Thank you, Ben, they are beautiful.” I took them and smelled the roses, I knew they were from Jewel; the flower bag they were in said so. I had to give him credit though—he had either asked the clerk or read the sign they posted in their coolers. The flower colors he had gotten were saying a hell of a lot. Red, white and yellow were to colors he brought me.

  “I also brought breakfast.” He placed the containers in the place where I normally sat. He opened the bag and took out everything. He had something for him to drink, plates, forks, knives, little cups of what I guessed to be syrup and jam, and napkins.

  I placed my flowers in a vase of water and grabbed my tea. I sat in my seat and he sat next to me. “I didn’t know what you liked exactly, so I got a bunch of things.” He opened the containers. There was sausage, bacon, hash browns, pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs, and what looked to be an omelet. I took a little of everything.

  “You got this from the Sher-Main Grill?” I asked after eating the French toast. They used cinnamon rolls to make French toast.

  He looked at me with a puzzled look on his face. “Yeah, how did you know?”

  “The French toast is a cinnamon roll. It’s my preferred breakfast place.” I finished off the French toast and worked on the rest of my plate.

  “Good to know.” He worked his way through his plate. I finished mine, and I was done. I sat back. “Full?” he asked.

  “Yeah, that’s a lot of food.” I sipped my tea.

  He shrugged his shoulders and started to work on the containers. Soon there was nothing left but the hash browns. “Eat much?”

  He laughed. “I haven’t eaten much in the last two days. I needed it.”

  I laughed. “Sure, let’s go sit in the lounge.” It was more comfortable to talk in there. We picked up the trash and tossed it. I sat on the couch and he sat right next to me. I took that as a good sign. He took the tea out of my hand and placed it on the coaster. Then he took my hand and didn’t let it go.

  “Mary, remember I told you I was working on a case?” he started.

  “Yes.” I remembered him telling me that the case was not a good one; it involved his sister. He’d even said he would not be himself at times.

  “The Chicago cop we are working with set up a sting operation for Friday and Saturday night. I jumped in without a second thought. By the time I realized what I had done, I …” he took a deep breath, “I knew I’d hurt you and really fucked up.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, it hurt. Ben, my feelings for you are getting really deep. And when you more or less ghosted me, I didn’t know what to think. Especially after we agreed about honesty just the night before. And we shared some deep and important things.”

  “I know, and on Saturday night when I attempted to call, I chickened out. Because I was thinking about everything that happened Thursday, and then I threw it out on the very next day. I am pissed at myself for doing that to you and to me. It’s just that as soon as I hear anything that has to do with Moses, I get so one-tracked about it.” He was rubbing the back of my hand as he talked. “I don’t know what to do now.”

  I thought about what he’d said. He had warned me that he would not be himself with this case. I also thought about how he had never had a relationship before. “Ben?”

  “Yeah, Mary?” There was some fear in his voice.

  “I know you were doing your job; I know being in a relationship is new to you. I know this case is messing with you. I understand and accept all of that. But going forward when things come up, please just text me or call me, tell me the plans changed, work came up, whatever. I will tell you to be safe and go do it. Please don’t do this again.” I was proud of myself. I got it all out without crying.

  He pulled me to him and held me against his chest, my head under his chin. “I am sorry, Mary. I won’t do something like that again.” He kissed the top of my head. I could tell he was breathing easier.

  I ended up calling Rosa and telling her that I was going to skip dinner. I explained I was not in the mood for being around everyone. She offered to turn Ben into soup for me. I laughed. I told her it would not be necessary. I told her we would order out and just wanted to be together. She said she understood.

  He fell asleep around 7. We were lying around on the couch. He
had me tucked into him. I let him sleep. I was sure he had not had much sleep in the past few days, then there were the high emotions from us. He woke up at 9 and left at 11. It was nice to have spent that time with him. He was going to come over Wednesday afternoon. I didn’t have clients scheduled for that afternoon. He was going to bring Thai over, which was fine by me. Everything went back to the way it had been before the weekend. I was happy; he was too.

  Chapter 17

  Ammo

  I told Domino about the flop of a sting we had. Neither of us was happy about it. He asked me about Mary; I told him how I’d fucked up and she had forgiven me. I also told him about the flowers I had gotten her. Red for love, white for unity, yellow for forgiveness. Granted, there were other meanings as well, but that was what I was going for. He asked where the hell I learned that. My mother was a florist. Maybe he should try that with Charlotte since she was pissed at him again.

  Mary and I picked up right where we had left off. I was thankful she forgave me. We had a great night Wednesday; she had a client Thursday morning, then we were going to spend the rest of the day together. We were still trying to figure out what we were going to do because it was going to rain. I told her I wasn’t up for a lot of walking. My ankle was bugging me with the weather change. It was turning cold.

  We ended up lying on the couch watching movies. I enjoyed cuddling with her. She fit next to me perfectly. I had made lasagna at home and brought it over for dinner. I was just going to bake it in her oven. She had a bagged salad in her fridge, so we were set. I put the lasagna in at 5, while she used the washroom and got us drinks.

  “Oh my. Seventeen missed calls!” She was back in the lounge.

  I walked in. “Who is calling you that much?” Seemed weird to me.

  “Mr. Greyson. He left three voicemails. This is nuts!” she said, playing the voicemail on speaker.

  “Mary, I got my shirts. They are all huge; way worse than the last batch. You need to come over now and fix them. I have a very important weekend that starts Friday at noon, and I must look my best. Call me back.” He was being so pushy. I instantly hated the guy.

  Before she could call him, the phone rang again. She put it on speaker. “Hello, Mr. Greyson. I hear you’re having a problem. I’m sorry, but I’m unavailable today,” she said, polite as could be. I was ready to growl and tell the guy to fuck off.

  “I see. I need to have these done. I have clients coming tomorrow. I can’t look shabby and unkempt,” he explained. He sounded very stressed out.

  “I can be over at 8:30 in the morning. We can quickly get you sorted,” she said.

  “I have these clients until Sunday. I must be impeccable all weekend. They arrive at noon,” he said harshly.

  “That’s fine, Mr. Greyson. I can get you set up for your initial meeting, then have any sent over that I don’t finish,” she said.

  “You’re sure you’re unavailable today? I would feel much better if this was being taken care of now,” he whined.

  Oh my God. He was a grown man acting like a baby who wasn’t getting his way. “I’m not available today. I will see you tomorrow at 8:30. I will get you taken care of,” she said with authority. She wasn’t letting anyone walk over her. I loved it.

  “Fine,” he said, exasperated. “If it’s not taken care of, I will not pay.” He hung up. What a jerk.

  “Are you okay, Mary?” I asked, rubbing her back.

  “Yes, just another pushy, entitled client. Normal in my day. Let’s not let it ruin ours.” We went back to the TV till dinner was ready, then we ate. I left at 11 so she could get to bed.

  “So, Saturday?” She was looking at me as I held her. I had been kissing her good night.

  “Saturday, you have the jerk client, and I have work until 2. How about I come over after that?” I asked

  “How about you spend the night as well?” She had hope in her eyes.

  I kissed her. I loved when she opened for me and our tongues twined together. I wanted her so bad, but I was waiting. I wanted to rebuild her trust and faith in me. Her inviting me to spend the night was just the cue I had been waiting for. “I’d love to.” I smiled at her.

  “Good. I will look forward to it,” she smiled back. I kissed her again and said good night. I was excited about Saturday.

  Chapter 18

  Mary

  I drove over to Mr. Greyson’s. I was pissed from his behavior from the night before. I had already decided this was the last thing I was going to do for him. I had thought about what to charge him, and I was not going to be cheap about it. I parked and got my things out.

  By the time I got to the door, he had it open. “Hello, Mary. Thank you for coming and doing this. I have the table set for you and all my shirts down as well.” He shut the door behind me and led me to the dining room table. The house felt more alive this time. That’s when I realized that he had a staff of people working in the house this time.

  “Sorry for all the hustle, but this working weekend meeting starts at noon. My guests will arrive then and be here through Monday morning,” he explained. His eyes never moved from me.

  “No problem. Let’s see what you have with the shirts.” I set up my machine and started looking at what he had. “Oh, I see you are wearing the pinstripe today. Excellent. I will get three white ones finished before I leave and have the rest delivered tomorrow. Will that be acceptable?” I asked as I handed him one of the shirts.

  “You can do all of that?” he asked.

  “Yes, please put that on so I can see and measure. Then I can get started.” He turned away. I started to pack up the shirts I would alter at home and left out the three white ones I would do now. With that finished, I got the machine threaded and ready to go. I felt his eyes on me again. I would be so happy to leave his house today. All I could think about was getting back to Ben.

  “See how big this is? I ordered smaller and they sent bigger. I am done with that company. I will not tolerate my orders not being followed,” he said. The shirt was even bigger than his others from last time. Whatever company he was using certainly had issues.

  I had him stand and I measured out the shirt and what I needed to do. “Well, the good thing is they did not make anything too long. I can easily take these in, and you will be ready to go for your weekend.” I had him take off the shirt. “If you have things to do, I understand. I can call you when I am ready for you?”

  “Better yet, just text me. I will be in the house but may not hear you over the noise,” he said. He quickly left the room after that. I was glad. I really hated the way he watched me. I sat down and focused on his shirts.

  I had just texted him the shirts were done when I heard whispering. I looked around and saw nothing. I heard it again. Then I noticed an air vent. The whisper had to be coming from there. I knelt to unplug my machine. While I did, I listened. I could hear a female voice saying, “Help me.” I heard a loud thump and then a yelp. A door slammed. I looked around but saw nothing. Then I heard footsteps on the stairs and saw Mr. Greyson walking down. I just wanted out of this creepy house.

  “Well, let’s see what you have done,” he said, walking into the room. He looked like he was prowling. I went to hand him a shirt. I looked at his extended hand and pulled the shirt back.

  “Mr. Greyson, are you bleeding?” I asked him in alarm. He looked at his hand. Then at me.

  “I am not sure. One of the maids tripped on a rug and cut her head. I thought I got all the blood off. Excuse me, I will be right back,” he said, going towards what I knew to be the kitchen.

  He quickly came back into the room. “I am sorry.” He stared at me while he said this. I felt like a prey animal caught in the grasp of a predator.

  “Well, I hope the maid is okay. Here you go.” I handed him the shirt.

  He inspected it. “I will try this on and be right back.”

  I made sure I had everything packed up, so when he got back, I could go. I was totally creeped out in a way I never had been with a c
lient before. I wanted to get in my car and call Ben. He would know what to do.

  “I am truly impressed, Mary. Thank you. I am sorry that I panicked but this weekend is very important, and everything must be perfect,” he said. I handed him his jacket. He put it on and stood, adjusting his shoulders.

  “I have finished two other shirts for you. This way you have one for tomorrow and a spare. If the rest go as easy as the ones today, I should have everything delivered tomorrow morning,” I said, collecting my things to leave.

  “Wonderful. How much do I owe you for all of this?”

  I knew he would not like what I would say next, but I did not put up with grown men whining. “One thousand dollars. That will include all shirts, delivery, and the expedited service.”