Page 27 of Velvet and Valor (Platinum Security: Shadows of LA #4)

I bring my arm up over my head, then drive it back down with the point of my elbow leading the way. I catch him on the deltoid the first time, making him grunt but not doing much damage.

The second hit, though, catches him on the clavicle. I feel something give, like wet cardboard, under his skin. This time he screams, and flops to the deck, clutching his crippled shoulder. He can’t see out of one eye, and he’s covered in blood.

“Aw man,” I groan, looking at how I’m painted with his blood, too. “I hope you don’t have Hep C or anything, dude.”

His response is to spit blood at me.

“Oh, that’s real, real classy,” I say. “Gold star for you, asshole.”

“Fuck off,” he snaps.

“So, you speak English. Good, that’s going to make this easier.” I walk over to him and shove my heel onto his injured shoulder. His scream splits the air. “Now you are going to tell me what in the Hell has everyone so riled up, and why you are all after June.”

“I don’t know,” he growls.

“That’s too bad, because I’m going to hurt you until you tell me,” I say. “I won’t enjoy it, I promise you, but I also promise you I won’t stop until I get what I want.”

“I swear I don’t know!”

“Then I guess we’re going to do this until you die or fall into a coma,” I say. “And if you fall into a coma, well, I have it on good authority you can still feel stuff. I’ll keep going, and going…”

“Gems!” he bellows. “Uncut gems!”

I let my foot off of his shoulder and he rolls over onto his belly, groaning in agony.

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” I say.

He vomits noisily onto the deck. I step back to avoid the splatter.

“You need a doctor, man,” I say. “Now, uncut gems? Worth how much?”

“Millions!”

“Is that USD or Yen or—”

“American money,” he gasps.

“Good man, now, what do these gems have to do with June?”

“She stole them.”

My jaw slackens at his words. It can’t be. There is no way that I read her that wrong.

“June stole them? When? How?”

“At the airport, from the courier, and took off into a limo before we could get to her.”

Even I am not stupid enough to think she would be able to get away with that half ass plan. It makes no sense. I’m missing something here, something important.

“Now, please, kill me. If she finds out I told you…”

“She, meaning Ming Xa?”

He doesn’t answer me, just groans.

“Well, you know what they say. Silence is golden.” I start to check him over for weapons but stop myself. He’s pretty gross right now, and I don’t want to touch him. Besides, if he had a weapon, he’d have gone for it by now.

I sigh and consider my options. Ricky and June still haven’t come back, and the sea is looking a bit rough. There are some white caps out there at least a dozen feet high. Not the ideal conditions for a hydrofoil.

I could try and pilot this monster out into the open water, but then what? I’m hardly a nautical ace. They didn’t teach us much of that in the Rangers, other than small, quick assault craft. Not a beast like the Go For Broke.

I think a better course of action would be to try and notify the Coast Guard about the sea sprite, and the possible hostage situation.

Sure, Ricky seemed pretty smitten with June.

But this guy here who kicked my ass seemed like just another dude.

He turned out to be Jean-Claude Van Damme, only more badass.

I’m just getting ready to dial into Platinum Security when a blocked number lights up my phone. I fumble with the touchscreen for a moment, the blood on my hands making it almost impossible to swipe. “There we go. Hello?”

“Mr. Sawyer,” Moorcrock says smoothly. “Or may I call you Axel?”

Finally, the man from the limo.

“Brother, you can call me anything but late to dinner if you agree to leave June Mayweather the Hell alone,” I say.

He chuckles softly, confidently. Not an easy man to rile up under the best of circumstances apparently.

“You’ll leave me alone and stop coming after me, is that so?” He says in a tone that suggests he has no intention of stopping.

“Yeah, that’s about the size of it,” I say. “What do you want with her anyhow?”

“She has something that belongs to me, and I’d like it back.”

“Interesting, Ming Xa seems to believe that they belong to her,” I say pointedly. “Something tells me that your far east associates wouldn’t appreciate you laying claim to them. I gotta tell you Moor, meddling with the Triad? A total fuck around and find out situation.”

“I will admit my business associates from the East are a bit more…hands on than I expected,” Moorcrock says. “But I’m quite determined to get my merchandise. I take it you understand determination, Mr. Sawyer?”

“You can tell by my current location just what I’m capable of when I’m determined enough.”

“Oh, I’m quite familiar with your capabilities, Axel,” he replies. “You’re a Bonafide war hero. A veritable one man army. Anyone would be a fool to have you for an enemy.”

“Then why are you putting yourself squarely in my crosshairs?” I ask.

No response for a long moment. The injured guard shifts on the floor and I glare at him dangerously. He holds his hands up.

“My back hurts,” he says. “I was just trying to sit up.”

I nod and motion for him to continue.

“I asked you a question, Moorcrock,” I say into the phone.

“It is your dear June that has placed us all in this precarious position Mr. Sawyer. And as such, it would be in your best interest to assist in rectifying the situation.”

“Why in the world would I help a criminal prick like you?”

“I’ll counter you with my own question,” he says. “How much is Platinum Security paying you?”

“Enough,” I reply.

“I see. Let me explain something to you, Mr. Sawyer. In my experience, there is no such thing as ‘enough’ money.”

I snort. “Yeah, I would expect someone like you to say that.”

“Come now, Mr. Sawyer. There’s no need to be impolite,” Moorcrock says. “I’m not some comic book villain, or even the criminal kingpin you paint me out to be.”

“Then what are you, exactly?” I ask. “Your background is so skimpy it must have been purged. Who were you before you became a ‘humble thief,’ Mr. Moorcrock?”

“I was much like you, Mr. Sawyer,” he replies.

“A soldier, fighting wars for men too cowardly to suit up in fatigues themselves. Men who wanted to make sure the flow of money into their coffers never ceased. No, that’s not good enough.

They wanted the flow of money to continuously increase, in perpetuity. ”

“Yeah yeah, unsustainable system, late stage capitalism, blah blah,” I say. “I’ve heard all of the prevailing economic theories in the trenches, Mr. Moorcrock. I’m not in the mood for a sociopolitical debate. I just want you to leave my client alone. That’s it.”

“Your client?” he snickers softly. “You and I both know she means a great deal more to you than that, Mr. Sawyer.”

“I’m strictly professional,” I say, my heart beating faster in my chest.

“Are you? Then, I suppose it’s a matter of professional interest that you sleep with all of your clients. Or is it just the ravishing ones?”

I swallow a nasty retort, clenching my hand into a fist.

“My relationship or lack thereof with Ms. Mayweather is irrelevant,” I say. “All that matters is, if you don’t leave her alone, I’m going to come after you and ask you to stop. And if you don’t, I’m not going to use words to make sure it happens.”

“You’re going to use bullets?” he taunts. “Or perhaps your fists? I’ve been threatened so many times, Mr. Sawyer. So very many times. It becomes tiresome. And believe me, I’ve been threatened by men far more articulate than yourself.”

“Now who’s being rude?” I say. “Look, dude. I’ve been trying to be cool about this, I really have. But this is your last warning. If you fuck with June again—”

“I’ll be signing my own death warrant?” he asks sweetly.

“Oh, that’s it—”

“We have June, Mr. Sawyer.”

I stop, my blood freezing in my veins.

“Bullshit, I just saw her.”

“Going out to sea with my nephew, Richard?” Moorcrock chuckles, his voice grating in my ear. “Yes, he knew exactly who she was. I truly hope the boy shows some restraint. He has certain…proclivities, you see. I fear for Ms. Mayweather’s safety the longer she is in his care…”

“What do you want, Moorcrock?” I demand.

“Step away from that whimpering gentleman for a moment.”

I obey Moorcrock, walking across the deck until my hostage is out of earshot.

“Okay, he can’t hear us any longer. What do you want?”

“You know what I want,” he replies. “Bring the gems, all of them.”

“I don’t have the gems, and neither does June! If I did, believe me, I’d bring them. I’ve got no skin in this game except her.”

Moorcrock snickers.

“It appears you are not as smart as you think you are. You’ll find the gems inside of June’s briefcase, contained within a breath mints container.”

“Why did you even stuff the gems in her briefcase in the first place?” I snap. “Why not your own pocket?”

“You really are a bit dimwitted aren’t you.

The gems were in the briefcase your June took from the Triads courier,” Moorcrock said.

“I will admit, it took me a bit to realize that she was not a hired gun when we picked her up. Your poor June seems to be the saddest case of wrong place, wrong time that I have ever witnessed.”

“So, you were working with the Triads courier? I don’t understand,” I say with mounting spite.

“Not exactly Mr. Sawyer. The courier was none the wiser to our interception and would have stayed that way until her untimely demise. Your June hit all of the bullet points of the description we were given for the courier. Right down to the movie reel briefcase. After we discovered she was not who we thought she was, we simply sought to rid ourselves of our mistake in the desert. Not the most thought-out plan, but those who improvise, thrive,” Moorcrock says.

“Yeah, well, you forgot about one little thing in your impromptu plan to screw the triad…me.”

Moorcrock chuckles.