“Gentlemen…relax. We’re not here to make any trouble,” said Buford. Then chuckled at the irony. Wherever he went, he always made certain that trouble was sure to follow. He banged on the door again, then stopped abruptly as the latch on the other side slid open. Ledger swung the door open, easy as you please. He was dressed casually in sweats and a police-issue t-shirt. Barefoot, as if he’d been padding around the apartment on a day off. Buford wasn’t buying it, though. The guy was up to something. The smile on his face didn’t reach his eyes, and the way the waistband of his sweatpants pulled taut told the old mobster that the man was packing a piece in the back of his pants.
“Hello, Mr. Buford,” Ledger greeted him calmly. “What brings you here today? Still needing help with your…official business?”
Buford hid a scowl. The man was not going to see him lose his cool.
“Nah…nuttin’ like that, Detective,” he responded, using the designation like it burned his mouth. “Me and the boys just came around to pay our respects. See how the little lady was doing…after her ordeal. If you know what I mean.”
Ledger raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure she’ll be glad for your concern,” he said, his tone neutral. He didn’t ask how Buford knew she was with him. Clearly knew that they’d had him followed. Although he’d opened the door, his bulk filled the frame of the doorway, and he wasn’t giving anyone a chance to get a look around him into the interior of the apartment.
“So…what say you let us come in a while? Maybe let us have a little chat,” Buford said smoothly, but clearly Ledger was having none of it.
“No can do, pal,” he replied. “Arielle is resting. Although I’ll be sure to pass her you message.” There was a rustling behind him, but he remained unmoving in the doorway.
“You sure about that? Coz I was…just wanting to come in and deliver some flowers,” Buford said, then turned to his men. “Mikey! You bring the flowers like I told ya?”
A hulking figure behind him shrank back, his face blanching. Buford had asked no such thing. But after what had happened to Vinnie…and Parker too…the thug didn’t look like he was planning to take any chances.
“Sorry, boss! I— Uh…left ‘em in the trunk,” he stammered.
Buford gave a low growl, allowing his features to darken. “Well, what are you standing around here for? Go get ‘em, you idiot!”
Mikey spun and shot off down the hallway like his ass was on fire. He didn’t bother waiting for the elevator; he was taking the fire stairs four at a time.
Buford had turned back to the detective, his calm demeanor restored.
“So how about you let us in while we wait for Mikey,” he suggested. It wasn’t a suggestion, but Ledger didn’t seem intimidated.
“Like I told you, Arielle is resting. I don’t want her disturbed,” he said more firmly. Behind him, the television blared into life and Cartoon Network filled the silence.
“Who else you got in there,” Buford said, trying in vain to get a look over Ledger’s shoulder. “We saw you took the broad in…and the retard. Got anyone else…maybe…hiding out?”
The men were jostling forward now, but nobody had the guts to go up against the detective without Buford’s say-so. But he wasn’t in the mood to go head-to-head with the police right now. This was all about following a hunch. The night at the fire, one of the guys had thought he’d seen a shadow in the flames. Since Buford wasn’t the kind of man to tread lightly when people got their facts wrong, he was pretty sure the guy wasn’t making it up. Although even he couldn’t imagine anyone surviving that blaze.
But if he’d been unmoving before, Ledger was downright stony now. His face had hardened after Buford’s last words, and the man figured maybe the detective was sweet on the bitch or something.Sap,he thought.Always a bad thing when a man lets his nuts cut off the circulation to his brain.
“If you are implying that I have Samuel Foster back in here, the answer is no. The man is dead,” Ledger said emphatically.
“How do you know that? Did you see it?” Buford said, his tone surly.
Ledger raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you? No chance he walked in there and out the other side. Besides, they identified remains this morning.”
Buford’s face was a mask of disbelief. “You’re fucking kidding me! No way they found anything remotely human left in there,” he insisted.
“There were… teeth,” Ledger said, lowering his voice and shooting a quick look over his shoulder, and Buford figured he didn’t want the broad hearing it. “They used dental records.”
Buford narrowed his eyes on him, assessing his words. Nothing on Ledger’s face gave any hint of duplicity. But you could never tell these days. So much talk of dirty, lying cops… Fuck, he should know! He had enough of them on his payroll. But this guy didn’t look the type. If anything, he got the impression Ledger would be quite happy to keep the redhead for himself. Maybe it would suit him to have the magic fucker out of the picture.
He released his breath and gave a short nod. “Well, okay then, if you’re sure she’s doin’ fine.” As if he cared. “Send her our regards, now.” He turned on his heel and stalked away, his goons close behind. As the elevator door pinged open, Mikey shot out, holding a bunch of white roses. In the few minutes it had taken for the conversation to occur, he’d managed to find some fucking flowers.Maybe not such an idiot after all,Buford figured. Maybe the guy could take Vinnie’s place. He jerked his head back to the apartment and Mikey jogged back to the door, shoved the roses towards Ledger, and then sprinted back to the group of men.
“You take care now,” Buford called over his shoulder as he stepped into the elevator. “Take real good care of that girl.”
Chapter 12
Reunited Love
Arielle Nygard
The sun is warm on my face as I watch Sam jogging down the empty beach towards me. The water laps lazily against my bare feet and a gentle breeze swirls a light cotton skirt around my calves. Sam runs straight into my embrace, and I can feel his heart thumping in his chest as he pulls me close.
