PART 6
My phone rang early and my Max-gifted machine got it. "Rise and shine badarse." Michael said. "I'll be at your front door in ten minutes. Start the coffee brewing."
I started the coffee and got dressed. Brushing my teeth I heard a knock. Michael was 7 minutes early.
Michael headed for the coffee as I finished brushing my teeth. I then called the hospital for a progress report on Tess.
Kyle was still there and told me she had been moved out of ICU and I breathed a sigh of relief and disconnected.
I felt responsible for Tess. It was because I had spoken to her that Pierce had done it and I was about to choke up again when Michael said. "You need to make sure she presses charges." I nodded, but doubted she would. "Pierce was picked up last night and he's out already."
I gulped down that bit of lovely news about our legal system and watched Michael continually bend over as he installed bugs throughout my apartment, occasionally having to pick up his coffee mug from the floor. The site relaxed me and also made my toes tingle. He had such a great arse.
"If Pierce breaks in go with your instincts. If you can pull information without endangering yourself go for it."
"You think it'll come to that?"
Michael stared at me for a beat then replied. "I hope not. Try and get him to talk on the phone, remembering to record."
"Maybe Pierce will be on good behaviour now that he's been charged with assault."
"Pierce doesn't know good from bad babe." He replied finishing up bugging my home. Michael then took a roll of tape and a small plastic case from his bag and walked over to me. "This is a body transmitter, fifteen hours of useable operating time, costing $1200, so don't lose it or wear it in the shower."
We both thought about him putting it on me for a minute. Taking the transmitter and tape, thinking it would be better if I didn't burst into flames this morning. Well I had work to do today. "What's the plan for today?"
After a beat Michael answered. "Now that you don't have to worry about driving me crazy, you can concentrate on driving Pierce crazy. Go to Stark Street, push him into making another move,"
"Gosh this gets better and better. How am I supposed to 'push him'?"
"Look sexy, ask annoying questions, in general get on everyone's nerves. All those things come naturally to you, should be easy enough…"
Ain't he funny? Mental eye roll. "You know Ed Necedo?"
"Everybody knows Ed Necedo."
"Opinion of him?"
"Mixed." I stared at him and gave him a look that said 'that's it?' "Necedo moves in so many different circles that sometimes he's in my good books and at other times I'm certain he's going to hell."
That was interesting. "What circles?"
"Sport circles mostly. Baseball, boxing etc… promotion and managing."
"Sounds fine…"
"Pierce is his nicest client."
"Oh." Gulp. "You ever spoken to him?"
"Pierce?"
"No, Necedo."
"Never."
"Pierce?"
"Yes." He replied slowly getting more coffee.
"When?"
"Boxing match. I was researching a case and he was there."
Grimace. "Pierce likes boxing?"
"He was going to be one." Michael replied. "He's got the right mentality."
What a recommendation for the boxing world. "You like boxing?"
He stared at me for a heartbeat. "It's like sex," I made a strangled sound in the back of my throat. "…Puts you in touch with the beast." I snorted and he grinned. "You're just grumpy because you can't remember the last time you saw the beast."
"I see the beast plenty."
"Honey, you don't see the beast at all. I've been asking around."
I gave him the stiff middle finger. "Beast this."
Michael's grin widened. "You're damn cute when you act stupid. Anytime you want to unleash the beast, you let me know."
That did it! I'm gonna zap him!
After promising Michael I'd go to Stark Street at noon I thought I'd visit Tess at the hospital in the morning.
Kyle was still there.
"How is she?" I asked sitting down next to him.
"Docs say she'll be alright." Kyle gave me a little smile.
"I didn't doubt that." I said touching his hand.
Leaving the hospital I decided to go home and get 'dressed' for work. By the end I made one hell of a good-looking slut.
I did the mini and barely there top with some strappy sandals and after I was done I made myself do a double take.
I'd discovered that the transmitter showed under my top so I thought 'take this Michael Guerin!' and hid it in my underpants.
Parking a block from the gym I started down the street, the van I could see was directly across from the gym.
I moved on down the street. Has anyone seen Isabel Harding? I asked. Is it true she was seen with Daniel Pierce the night Kathleen Topolsky was blasted? No one had seen her, make that, and no one had seen or knew anything.
I paraded around for another hour and capped the effort with a trip across the street to lay some grief at Ed Necedo's Feet.
He didn't seem surprised. Probably he'd been watching me all day. "You know about Tess?" I asked.
Necedo nodded. "He swears it wasn't him."
"And you believe him?" Unbelievable! "I've got him on tape!"
"I can't see him making that phone call. I know he's not Einstein, but he's not dumb."
"I don't see him as dumb, I see him as sick!"
Necedo looked like the kind of person who has problems with no solutions to them. "Look, do me a favour and stay away from Stark Street. The cops are going to investigate what happened to Tess. I'm afraid if Daniel sees you, he'll get stirred."
I told him I had a job to do and couldn't stay away from Stark Street.
I let myself out after that and sat on the curb. "Damn, that was fucking depressing." I said into my crotch. I couldn't imagine what Michael was thinking of my little conversation with the naïve man.
Michael knocked on my door at ten-thirty that night. He had a six-pack and a pizza. He was wearing jeans and a navy T-shirt. "Another day in that van and I might be glad to go to gaol." He said.
"Is that a Crashdown pizza?" I asked.
"Is there any other kind?"
"How'd you get it?"
"Crashdown delivers to felons." He grinned.
I'd have to have a chat to Liz about her managing skills sometime soon. "Did you hear the conversation with Ed Necedo?"
"Yeah. I heard it. What the hell kind of outfit were you supposed to be wearing?"
"It was my slut outfit."
"Christ, you had guys running their cars up on the curb. And where did you hide the mike? It wasn't under that top…"
"In my underpants."
"Dang," Michael said. "When I get it back I'm gonna have it bronzed."
After telling Michael I had rang Kyle before he got here and he said Tess doesn't want to testify, he merely said "Big surprise." And ate another slice of pizza.
He knew it and I knew it. Hookers were destroyed in 'fair' trials. Their credibility was always in question, and alien hookers had less of a chance.
"What do you make of Necedo? You think he could testify against Pierce?"
"Depends how much he knows. Whitman paid him a visit after you left, and he got less than you did."
"You have Necedo's office bugged?"
"No. Talk at the Crashdown." There was one piece of pizza left and we both eyeballed it. "It'll go to your hips." Michael said. He was right, but I took it anyway.
I kicked him out a little after one and in the morning there were no messages on my machine. I was about to start coffee when the car alarm went off in the lot below. I grabbed my keys and took the stairs.
The driver's door was open and I deactivated and reset the alarm. Returning to my apartment Michael was in my kitchen trying to remain cool.
"I didn't want anyone to steal your car." I grinned.
"It wasn't 'anyone' you were worried about. It was me." I could tell the effort to stay calm was jacking his blood pressure into the red zone. "You had a goddamn alarm installed in my goddamn car so I couldn't snatch it!"
"It worked too." This was sweet. "What were you doing in our car?"
"It's not our car. It's my car."
"It's just a car alarm… you should be thanking me," I was soooo pushing this. "I had it installed with my own money."
"Well shit, what was I thinking of?"
We locked eyes and there was a knock on the door making us both jump.
Michael beat me to the peephole. He then stepped back several paces and pulled me with him. "It's Jim Valenti."
There was another knock and I said. "He can't have you. You're mine and I'm not sharing."
Michael grimaced. "I'll be under the bed if you need me."
I went to the door and looked through the peephole. Jim Valenti. The horses arse according to Kyle. The guy looked like he was in his late forties. Thinner then I had expected. I opened the door.
"Jim Valenti," he said. "You must be Maria DeLuca."
"Aren't you suppose to me in hospital?"
"Not anymore, they tell me I'm good as new."
He didn't look 'good as new', but I suppose he looked okay. "What can I do for you?" I asked knowing full well that he wanted Michael's paperwork.
"My daft son Kyle said he gave you my paperwork."
Bastard. That was so condescendingly said! "Yeah I'll get it."
I handed him the forms I had found in my bag and Valenti said. "If you spot Guerin down the street, call me."
Sure dickhead.
I went to close the door after him but he lingered. "I know this'll sound weird, but I could've sworn I saw Guerin's car in your lot."
Time to show off to this know-it-all. "Thought I could flush him out with it."
Valenti was mildly impressed. Not enough though to smile. "Bye."
I closed the door, slid the bolt and turned around. Michael was standing in the bedroom doorway.
"Do you think he knew you were here?"
"No. If he knew, he'd have his gun aimed at my forehead by now."
Valenti sure had a nice reputation. "So we shouldn't underestimate him."
"He's not nearly as nice as he looks." I didn't think he was so 'nice' looking… "He was a cop. Got kicked off the force for demanding favours from prostitutes of both genders."
Poor Kyle, how embarrassing. I went to the window to get another look at him in this new light and saw Valenti looking from Michael's jeep to his van.
I stepped away from the window and told Michael he should probably return to his position under my bed.
Two minutes later there was a knock on my door.
"Do you know the owner of the van in your lot?"
"No… but it's been here for a while."
I closed the door and went to my bedroom. Sitting on my bed Michael slid out from under it. "Valenti's gonna be a real pain in the arse. He's gonna check on the van plates and put it together."
"What's this gonna to do for you?" I asked.
"It's gonna knock me out of Roswell until I get a different vehicle."
We went into the kitchen and Michael took a carton of orange juice from the fridge. "Put this on my tab. I've gotta get out of here." He walked to the door and stopped and turned halfway there and looked directly at me. "Stay locked up in the apartment here."
I nodded, but I was thinking 'Yeah, sure…' as sarcastically as possible.
"Promise me you won't go out."
"I promise." Hah! Yeah right.
Half an hour later I was parked across from the gym on Stark Street. I had no intension of waiting for Pierce to coach me on his sick ways. However, I wasn't an open invite either, so I stayed in the jeep… with my doors locked.
Several times I had looked at Ed Necedo's office to see his face in the window, and less than an hour later Necedo Trotted across the street and knocked on the car window.
I had decided I liked pissing Necedo off, so I decided I should probably continue it. "I need to continue surveillance on Guerin Ed. I'm sure you'll understand."
Necedo's brow wrinkled and he looked pained. "I'd watch his relatives and his friends. What's this thing you have with Stark Street and Isabel Harding?"
"I think Pierce abused Isabel just like he hurt Tess. Then I think he panicked and sent Topolsky and a guy over to Isabel's to make sure she didn't say anything. And then I think Guerin walked in on it and blasted Topolsky in self-defence just like he said. And somehow Isabel, Topolsky's gun and the guy with Topolsky managed to disappear. I think Guerin's trying to find them and I figure here's the logical place to look."
"How'd you come up with that crazy idea?"
"Guerin's arrest statement." Phew.
Necedo looked disgusted. "What did you expect Guerin to say? That he blasted Kathleen for the hell of it? Daniel's an easy target, has a reputation for being a little aggressive," A little? Esquease moi? "And Kathleen worked for him, so Guerin took it from there."
"How about the guy, the missing witness, did he work for Pierce?"
"I don't know anything about the missing witness."
"People tell me he has a nose that looked like it had been smashed with a frying pan."
Necedo stared at me for a beat then glanced at his watch. "I'm late for a lunch date, if you get hungry there's a little shop down the alleyway next to the gym."
I said thanks but didn't want to chance it with Pierce working out in the gym so I drove to get some food 3 miles away.
When I got back I was twice as bored as before so I called Liz. "How is she?" I asked after she had said she had dropped by the hospital.
"She appreciated the flowers from you." Flowers? Kyle. I let it slide. "Dad want's you to drop by the Crashdown tomorrow." Damn those over-protective surrogate dads.
"Sure, what time?"
"Sometime around noon."
"Yeah sure." Jeff Parker wasn't so bad, infact, it would probably make me feel better, come to think of it I should probably call mum aswell.
After I disconnected I finally got out of the car to de-numb my arse.
Pierce was standing next to the jeep.
"Been waiting all day for you to get out of your car." He said with a psychotic grin.
Jesus. "I-I want to k-know about Isabel." My throat was trembling. "I want to know if you sneaked u-up on her."
"Isabel and me had a date." Holy crap. "Isabel asked for what she got." Double holy crap!
"Where is she now?"
Pierce shrugged. "Don't know."
"What about the m-missing w-witness, he w-work for you?"
"Why don't we go upstairs and talk about this…"
"I don't think so."
"See there you go again, refusing me, I don't like that."
"Tell me about Topolsky's missing f-friend… the guy with the smashed nose."
"Be more interesting to make you bleed before I fuck you I think."
I'm outta here. "You don't s-scare me."
"You lie." Shit yeah I lie!
Pierce wrapped his hand around my upper arm and I could mentally visualise my bones crashing. I kicked him hard in the shin and never saw his hand move. The crack ringing in my ears as my head snapped back. I tasted blood and tears came to my eyes from the intensity of the hit. Suddenly I was blasted back.
Michael! No, not Michael… Necedo. Jesus Ed Necedo was an alien.
Pierce howled in pain and rage and a man I had never seen before stooped to calm and help him up.
Necedo was all apologises as he helped me to my feet. "Moss, get him to the gym." He steadily said to the man, hiding the powerful fury bubbling inside of him. "I'm really sorry Maria," he said to me then. "I don't know what's the matter with him." Moss carted Pierce away. "I don't know what to do with him."
I have a couple ideas! "Lock him up!"
"I could heal you… you what to go into the gym and I'll heal you?"
"The only place I'm going is to the police station!"
"Think about it for a day," Necedo pleaded. "At least wait until you're not so upset." His concern really touched my heart, not!
"Hadda akthident," I said to Alex. "My lip ith thwollen."
"Maybe you should see a doctor…"
I ripped the paper of the Popsicle I found in his fridge and put it on my lip. "Ahhh," I sighed. "thas bedda."
"What happened?"
"I haf an asthault charge againth Pierth," I said. "He hit me in the mouff."
"Where'd this happen?"
"Thark Threet."
I took a shower at Alex's and we had ice cream for dinner. When I got back to my apartment Michael wasn't there and I had a gulping fit thinking about Jim Valenti.
Looking at Michael's sketchbook to calm me from thoughts of an in-trouble-Michael I sat on my bed. The drawings of the floating green eyes brought the peace I needed and I slept.
My phone rand at six-thirty. It was Michael. "I'm having the van painted and the antennae removed. In the meantime I've got a Nissan, I'm parked on Maple, just behind your parking lot."
Mental Grin. "So you could guard my body?"
"Mostly I just didn't want to miss hearing you getting undressed." Mental Hitting Michael over the head as soon as my toes de-curled.
"I suppose you need to get out of Roswell before Valenti returns."
"I suppose I do." Didn't seem too happy. "I'll be back tonight with the van."
I went back to bed and was jolted awake by the car alarm blaring away. I rushed to the window and threw the curtains open in time to see Jim Valenti smash the alarm to smithereens.
"Valenti!" I bellowed from my open window. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I need a car."
"Christ Valenti, you can't just come and take someone's car!"
"What are you gonna do DeLuca? Call the police?"
"God will get you for this!"
"Fuck God." Valenti said sliding behind the wheel and fiddling with the wires.
I bolted out the door with my stun gun wearing my Mickey Mouse nightshirt and a pair of Jockey string bikinis. I'd be damned if Valenti was gonna have the car I had stolen first!
I was through the back door with my foot on the pavement when I saw Valenti start the car.
I split second later the car exploded with a bang of fire.
"I'm getting a bad feeling about this." Alex said in my apartment.
He had a bad feeling? Someone wanted me dead! And Kyle's dad is dead! "You know Jim Valenti?" Alex nodded. "He was in the jeep."
"No shit. Are you sure?"
"I was talking to him when it blew."
"I guess that explains your missing eyebrows."
A cop came over to Alex with a twisted licence plate. "Whitman I found this over my the Dumpster. You want me to run an ID?"
I took the plate. "Don't bother. The car belongs to Michael Guerin."
"Oh boy," Alex said. "I can't wait to hear this one."
Skipping over some crucial information I filled Alex in on the Cherokee, finishing by saying how Valenti made the mistake of saying 'Fuck God'.
"You think God got pissed and fried Valenti?"
"It's possible."
I went to my mother's for dinner and she said, "What happened to your eyebrows?" as way of a hello. Alex had said I should call Kyle and I did from mum's place.
I told Kyle the whole thing, and when I was done there was silence. He then handed the phone to someone at his house.
"I'll take good care of him, repay the kindness." Tess.
I smiled. Kyle and Tess were both gonna be fine.
Michael knocked on my door at 6:30pm. He took in my missing eyebrows and my bruised face and arm. His expression was grim. "You want to tell me about it?"
"Pierce and I had a tussle but I won."
"The singed eyebrows?"
Mmmm. "Well that's a little more complicated."
His face darkened. "What happened?"
"Your car blew up." No reaction, shit. "You also don't have to worry about Jim Valenti."
I filled him in and we arrived at the same conclusion, it wasn't Pierce and I should have stayed at home.
"You ever get death threats?" He asked. "How about ex-boyfriends? You run over anyone recently?"
"I don't run over exes, because at least they've given my a chance at becoming an ex."
Michael stared at me. "That's a rotten attitude."
"How 'bout just rotten. I should just zap you!"
"You wouldn't have a chance."
I whipped the stun gun out, but before I could touch him with it he knocked it from my hand.
"Doesn't count," I said. "You were ready for it."
"I'm always expecting it from you, you're the most impossible person I know."
"Not even in your dreams could you imagine how impossible I am."
We locked eyes and Michael grinned. "I doubt that. In my dreams you're in all sorts if impossible positions."
Jesus I was in trouble. The tension in the apartment was dropping my uterus and making my nibbles as hard as rocks. I wanted him bad.
My eyes scanned his body and his breathing sped up, grew deeper.
We mutually backed off and Michael gulped once before turning his attention to my TV. Settling himself in front of it for the first time I noticed how tired he looked. Sitting with his back against the wall, one leg bent at the knee his breathing grew deep and even.
"I could zap you now." I whispered.
A smile played at the corners of his mouth but he didn't open his eyes. "It's not your style, Cupcake."
I don't know what possessed me but I couldn't stop myself. I wandered over to him and gently grabbed his hand. His eyes flew open and I tugged him to my bedroom. Motioning for him to lay down I scooted in behind him.
In the morning I found I was wrapped up in an alien's arms. I turned around and looking into Michael's face I smiled. I'd never seen him like this. Even in sleep he still radiated contained energy. I found myself drawn to it and I couldn't stop myself from cuddling into him.
Michael stirred but only held me tighter in response. His eyes then flickered open and he bashfully let go of me but didn't move to get up out of bed.
I self-consciously palmed my forehead and stilled when I noticed my eyebrows were back and my bruises and cut lip were gone. Michael had healed me.
Michael was fully awake now and I edged closer to him, making his nervous glances still. "You um s-should probably put in some time on Stark Street."
"I've gotta go visit Jeff Parker." I whispered.
Michael raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Just in case."
"Just in case of what?"
I made an exasperated gesture and got up out of bed. "Give me a break, Guerin. In case something happens to me!"
Michael, who had been watching from the bed, resting on his elbows, levered up and got out of bed. Coming over to me he grasped my chin gently. "You're gonna be okay," He said softly. "I understand that you're scared, but we're the good guys and the good guys always win."
Damn him! Now all I wanted to do was jump back into bed, with him.
