Framed Shadows: Shadows Landing #6 Read online

  “What does he know about gangs?” Paxton asked.

  Dare shrugged. “I’ve stopped asking questions when it comes to the Davies uncles.”

  Peter stopped the SUV and the man yanked open the front door and stared at Paxton. “You’re in my seat.”

  Paxton instantly leaped from the SUV. The man’s voice demanded obedience. “Yes, sir.”

  “I’m Cy. I’m here to help.” He dropped a duffle bag and his hands whipped out lightning fast as they grabbed Paxton’s shirt. “I know how to make a body disappear. You hurt Tinsley and you’ll never be found.”

  “Yes, sir.” Those were the only words Paxton could get out. This man may be in his early sixties, but there was no question he could do everything he’d just threatened.

  Cy let go and climbed into the front seat. “So, you have a gang problem. Just tell me where to go and what information you need.”

  Paxton blinked. “You want to go undercover? That’s what Granger, Kord, and Dare are doing.”

  Cy turned and looked them all over, but all Paxton could see was their reflections in Cy’s mirrored aviator sunglasses. “They’ll do, but you need someone a little more seasoned to do the talking. Also, you need someone not bound by the law. Dare, you’re my muscle. Kord, you’re my top seller. Granger, you’re my supplier. If any dirty work needs to be done, I’ll do it. Got it?”

  “Yes, sir,” rang out through the SUV.

  “We checked out Mallory’s police contact and he’s good to go. He’s gotten us permission to operate in his jurisdiction. Well, you all have permission to be here with him to run this operation. I’m not here. Got it?” Cy told them.

  “Yes, sir,” they chorused.

  “If we need off-the-books backup, they’re forty-five minutes away by plane. So if you think things are going to be FUBAR, let me know. My brothers are looking forward to another guy’s trip,” Cy said.

  “Guys’ trip?” Paxton asked. “To take down a gang?”

  Cy turned in his seat and Paxton found himself looking into the mirrored glasses as a slow smirk appeared on the older man’s lips. “We do this shit for fun.”

  Cy turned back around and they all rode in silence to the meeting location. Who the heck was Tinsley’s Kentucky family?

  Paxton got out of the SUV at the hole-in-the-wall diner on the outskirts of Atlanta. They walked into the diner as a large group. The glass door slammed shut behind them and they had to let their eyes adjust to the dim light for a moment. A man in a worn but clean suit waved them over from where two tables had been pushed together. His cool umber face was shaved clean and the tightness around his brown eyes showed the amount of evil he’d seen in his life.

  “You must be the guys from South Carolina that Mallory told me about. I’m Sergeant Connor Gibbs of the Targeted Enforcement Unit. We are the umbrella unit for the Gang Unit and Gun Reduction Task Force, and we work with the ATF. We all work together, so, Dare Reigns, I got you federal permission to operate with my team. Everyone should be covered.” Connor’s eyes moved to Cy. “Except you. I don’t know you.”

  Cy just smirked but didn’t say anything.

  “I’m Paxton Kendry, FBI. This is my boss, Peter Castle. Then that’s Dare with ATF. This is Granger Fox, sheriff of Shadows Landing and his deputy, Kordell King.”

  Connor nodded and motioned with his head for everyone to sit. “Mallory filled me in a little. She didn’t know what she was allowed to share, but she asked that nothing went to the FBI gang unit or anyone friendly with them, yet here sit two FBI agents. One of whom is a white-collar guy in art crimes. I’m a little confused.”

  “I was part of the gang unit here until I was shot three times. I believe I was double-crossed by the new unit leader,” Paxton told Connor who was seasoned enough not to look shocked, but instead saddened.

  “I see you don’t look surprised,” Granger said to Connor.

  Connor shook his head. “No. I was hoping it wasn’t true, but it’s been too many coincidences to pretend they have a clean house over there. My captain has noticed, too. We’re separating ourselves from them. We’ve stopped sharing information and, lo and behold, we started getting major busts again. We knew there was a rat. We just didn’t know who it was.”

  “I think it’s Mark Trevino leading it. I don’t know who else is dirty,” Paxton told him before laying out his history with the unit and subsequent transfer and art case.

  Connor sat back and pursed his lips in thought. “You think the art could be used to clean dirty money or a payoff?”

  “I couldn’t see the payoff,” Paxton told him. “Usually art is used by gangs to trade. A painting for a case of guns or a kilo of drugs. That kind of trade.”

  Connor nodded but leaned forward as if he knew something Paxton didn’t. “I think it was a payment to the Myriad and now they’re cleaning it to get the cash to expand. I have no proof of this, but it’s a hunch.”

  “You never discount a hunch,” Cy said seriously.

  Connor looked over at him in confusion. “Who are you?”

  Cy didn’t answer.

  “The night I was shot,” Paxton said, ignoring Cy, “Curtis Engle was supposed to meet with someone about a big deal that could change everything for them. What are you hearing?”

  “Nothing concrete. I know Curtis has expanded into Florida. To do that, you have to have the gun power and top quality and quantity of drugs to claim a section of the market,” Connor answered.

  “We’re thinking they’re making a play in Charleston, too,” Peter told him.

  “I’m sure Kendry can tell you,” Connor started to say, “that something had to happen for Myriad to be able to make this move. They didn’t have the resources to do so two years ago.”

  Paxton agreed. “Curtis Engle took over the Myriad two years ago. That’s when I joined undercover. As soon as he took control, he began to push for more power, more control, and worked to actively expand their area. Which means this art has something to do with those goals. Otherwise, he wouldn’t bother with it.”

  “Are any of your CIs intact or did Trevino know of them?” Connor asked him.

  “I have a couple who no one knows about. What about you all?”

  “I have one we can talk to,” Connor answered.

  “You two work those angles. When we have all we need from CIs, I’ll put together the next phase of the plan.” Cy crossed his arms over his chest. It wasn’t a question up for debate. That was his plan and he was going to do it.

  “Who are you again?” Connor asked Cy.

  Tinsley kept looking at her phone all day. She hadn’t heard a thing from Paxton since they left that morning. Luckily, the gallery had been busy when a tour from a cruise ship came to Shadows Landing. They only allowed one guide to bring in these large tours once a week during the summer. It benefited everyone, but it also prevented them from becoming overrun with tourists. Shadows Landing was just too small to handle that large an influx of visitors.

  Mallory and Blythe were naturals at selling art they knew nothing about. Tinsley was going to have to muck out the gallery after all the BS they spewed, but the sales made it worthwhile.

  “You do know that wasn’t a modern art take on the evolution of feminism, right?” Tinsley asked Blythe after checking her phone for the hundredth time.

  “Art is open for interpretation,” Blythe said with a shrug. “And I did sell it for twice the price.”

  “Can’t argue with you on that, but feminism?”

  “It looked like a vagina, didn’t it?” Blythe asked, looking to Mallory for backup.

  “I thought it was a butterfly,” Mallory told them.

  “It was an abstract rose garden,” Tinsley said with a roll of her eyes. “The artist is into abstract flowers.”

  “You mean she painted her dewy folds?” Blythe asked as seriously as she could.

  “It’s her flower,” Mallory said with a nod of agreement.

  “It’s literally her rose garden,” Blythe said
with a smirk.

  Mallory cocked her head as she looked at the painting they needed to wrap up for delivery to the ship. “It’s her pink petals as her bud is about to blossom.”

  “Oh, that’s a good one,” Blythe agreed.

  The door opened and Harper strode in wearing workout clothes. She stopped and looked at the painting. “It’s a vagina that needs a good wax.”

  “The garden does need trimming,” Mallory agreed.

  Tinsley rolled her eyes as she finished the wrapping and labeled it. A separate van would take all the purchases the tourists made to the ship before they left the dock in Charleston. “Have you heard from Dare?”

  “Nope. I usually don’t when he’s undercover. Hence, why I’m taking you to the church. I need to work out some pent-up energy,” Harper told her. Tinsley couldn’t agree more.

  “At church? Is there a fun little aerobics class taught by senior citizens?” Blythe joked.

  “Something like that,” Harper said with a smirk for Tinsley who smiled at the thought of what the church held.

  “That sounds perfect. Just let me load this up and we’ll change and meet you there.”

  “Mallory, can you run back to Ryker’s and get us all workout clothes while Blythe and I get all the paintings loaded into Skeeter’s van for him to transport to Charleston?” Tinsley asked.

  The next half hour was hectic but soon the four of them were heading into the back of the church. Tinsley and Harper just smiled as Mallory and Blythe joked about even needing to change clothes for the hardcore workout.

  “Mitzi, not like that,” Tinsley heard Miss Ruby say.

  “Fiddlesticks. I’m better at knitting,” Miss Mitzi said as they approached the door.

  “Darn, it sounds exhausting. I should have brought some more water,” Mallory joked.

  “No, Mitzi. Like this.” Tinsley and Harper hurried into the room just as Mitzi fired the crossbow. The arrow zoomed through the air and lodged in the door right next to Blythe’s head.

  “What the hell?” Blythe cursed as she pulled her gun.

  “Can you move a little to the right, dear?” Miss Ruby asked Blythe. “And stand very still. I want to show Mitzi how to line up the sights on the crossbow. Don’t worry, I probably won’t shoot you.”

  Mallory didn’t risk standing next to Blythe and leaped into the room doing an action movie-worthy tuck and roll as Miss Ruby fired off the crossbow. The arrow lodged an inch above Blythe’s head.

  “I can’t shoot an old lady,” Blythe said standing frozen. “What do I do?”

  “You any good with that?” Miss Ruby asked her as she motioned toward the gun.

  “Yes. Very.”

  “Then come try the crossbow. Mitzi’s much better with a boarding pike anyway,” Miss Ruby told her and motioned for her to join her.

  Tinsley went to the armory door and entered a code. The lock slid free and she opened the metal doors wide.

  “Your church has an armory filled with swords. I’m at a loss for words,” Mallory muttered in amazement.

  “The town and church were founded by pirates. These are what they left the women to defend the town with,” Miss Winnie said as she shuffled toward them with a dagger in her hand. She reached in and handed a cutlass to Harper and then one to Tinsley. “You look like a boarding ax kind of girl. You think you can handle the weight?” Miss Winnie asked Mallory.

  “Yes! Rapiers, cutlasses, axes, this is amazing,” Mallory said reverently while Blythe squealed with excitement as she hit the bullseye with the crossbow.

  “This is the best class ever!” Blythe yelled out.

  Tinsley laughed as she began the introductions. Soon they were all covered in sweat as they practiced their sword work. Time passed and Tinsley found herself feeling better as she worked out her anxiety for Paxton’s safety. So that’s why Harper was in such good shape. She worked out to take her mind off the danger the man she loved was in.

  Somewhere between throwing knives and fencing with the rapier, Tinsley had felt the knowledge settle into her heart. My, how things had changed. She took aim and with the flick of her wrist sent the knife flying. The knife landed in the bullseye with a satisfying thunk. She’d been wrong about her first impression of Paxton. It gave her pause as she pulled the knife free from the wood target. Now that she knew the depth of her feelings, what did she do about it?

  17

  Paxton looked up at the rusted, old plumbers box van. He had never been in the van, and this time he would be exclusively in the van. Opening the back doors, though, didn’t bring him face to face with a dirty interior. No, the interior was shining and full of monitors, computers, and other surveillance devices.

  Paxton went to get in when Cy put a hand on his arm and stopped him. “If you see me touching my thumb to my middle finger, cut the surveillance.”

  “Got it, but Cy, Peewee isn’t dangerous. He’ll tell you anything for the right price,” Paxton said of the criminal informant both he and Connor had used in the past.

  “You never know. This is for now and anytime in the future. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Cy flipped up the hood of his black sweatshirt. Nighttime in Atlanta was still hot, so Paxton had no idea how Cy was surviving the heat, but the man didn’t seem bothered by it—or the massive number of weapons he was carrying under his sweatshirt. Including a weapon Paxton had never seen before.

  “Ready to roll?” Connor asked from the back of the van.

  “Let’s go.” Paxton stepped up into the back of the van to join Connor and Peter as Cy shut the doors. The van took off as Cy and his crew got ready to walk to the corner where Peewee was known for selling drugs.

  The van parked a short distance from the corner, but they still had visual and audio on Peewee. He’d earned the nickname because he was tiny—not just short, but scrawny as well.

  Kord was the first to approach Peewee with Dare a short distance behind him. Granger and Cy took up positions on each side of the group, effectively surrounding him, but kept their eyes roving the streets behind them.

  “Hey, man. I heard you were who we should talk to for information,” Kord said with his patented easygoing smile.

  Peewee looked nervous. “What kind of information?”

  “Don’t worry, it’s the kind we pay for,” Kord said easily as he pulled a hundred dollar bill from his back pocket.

  Peewee took it but Paxton could see the indecision on his face. “What do I have to do for it?”

  “We need to know what’s going on with the Myriads,” Kord said. “Can you tell us about them?”

  Peewee nodded. “I can, but they’re dangerous. I ain’t putting my life on the line for a hundred bucks.”

  Dare peeled off another hundred-dollar bill and handed it to him. “No more negotiating. We’ve paid fairly. I want to know all about their expansion.”

  Peewee leaned forward and dropped his voice. “You didn’t hear it from me, but they took over six more blocks here in Atlanta. They expanded to Jacksonville, Florida; Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Charleston in the last six months.”

  “That takes money. Where did they get it?” Dare asked.

  “That’s the thing. Nobody really knows,” Peewee admitted. “There’s talk of a merger with someone from out of town.”

  “A national gang?” Dare asked.

  “No one knows. I’d tell ya if I did. Word is something big is going down. Lots of money involved and only the inner circle knows. Us street guys are being kept in the dark, which tells you something right there.”

  “Anyone new to town?” Cy asked, his voice deep and barely audible.

  “How’d you know that?” Peewee asked. Cy didn’t answer. “There have been some new faces. Real fancy like. Speak with an accent.”

  “What kind of accent?” Dare asked.

  “I’m not entirely sure. Spanish I think, but it sounded different. They showed up right after that FBI raid that killed a bunch of Myriads.” Peewee was talkin
g about the night Paxton got shot. “Word on the street is they have Engle’s full attention.”

  “We got company,” Granger said with a nod of his head down the street. Paxton saw Cy tap his fingers and Paxton “accidentally” stopped recording as a group of Myriad members stalked toward them.

  “This doesn’t look good,” Connor said, getting ready to call for backup.

  “Wait,” Paxton said, covering the radio. “Let them handle this. You may want to turn around so you don’t see anything you’d feel obligated to report.”

  The leader of the pack flicked a blade open. “No talking. Only buying. If not, you need to move along or we’ll make you move along,” he said as he approached Cy.

  Cy leveled him with one punch. Then it was chaos. Peewee did what he did best—he ran. Dare was battling one of the gang members over a gun. Granger and Kord were each fighting with someone but it was Cy who cleaned up the mess.

  “Who is that man?” Connor asked as Cy added two more bodies to the heap of moaning men at his feet.

  The last man standing went to run, but Cy grabbed him by the neck and lifted him until only his big toe touched the ground. “Tell Engle there’s a new man on the block, and I’m taking this area for my own. He could fight, but as you can see, it won’t go well. I’m better financed and better armed than he is. He has one week to clear out or I’ll bring my boys in to toss him out. Got it?”

  The Myriad member made a strangled gurgling sound that Cy took for a yes. He dropped him hard to the ground and then watched as he scurried away.

  “Well, that drew some attention,” Connor muttered as he pointed to the monitors. Curtains on the residential street had been pulled back as faces filled the windows.

  “Yoohoo!”

  Paxton along with everyone on the street turned to find the source of the voice calling out. “Oh, crap. It’s the knitting club.”

  Cy, Dare, Granger, and Kord turned toward the voice. Three elderly women with salt and pepper hair sat on rocking chairs on the porch of a small brick house. One had a silk scarf partially covering her hair. The other had her short hair in braids, and the third woman’s natural curls were styled to perfection.