The Marshal Pt. 04

Bae threw the gun aside, making sure it disappeared behind the bed with a clatter, and then kicked the other piece into the bathroom. Keeping an eye on the assassin, she checked Yoshiko's for a pulse but felt nothing. Whimpering, she moved to Janet and then the man where she repeated the check with the same results. She wasn't sure she knew how to properly check for a pulse, but it seemed obvious all three were dead. Fighting tears, she glanced about the room. Were more people on the way to try to kill her? She didn't know.

She whimpered again. She'd left California with nothing but the clothes on her back. She had no phone, no car, no money, nothing. The marshals had provided for all her needs. Swallowing hard, her lips twisting in disgust, she carefully plucked the phone from Janet's belt. It was locked. She tried a couple of obvious numbers, like one, two, three, four, and two, four, six, eight, but neither worked.

Putting the phone back where she found it, Bae moved to the man and gently patted his pockets while fighting the urge to vomit. She found the man's phone, but it proved just as useless. Breathing hard, Bae wiped at her eyes as she moved to Yoshiko. She found Yoshiko's phone attached to her belt opposite her holster, and it wanted a thumb print to unlock. Moaning as she tried not to puke, Bae carefully picked up the dead woman's hand and touched her thumb to the screen. It didn't unlock. Chewing on her lower lip, she tried Yoshiko's the other hand. The phone lit up and the home screen appeared. She whimpered and sniffed with relief.

Gripping the phone tightly, Bae bolted from the apartment.

Julia hung on Rob's every word, her eyes bright with interest, and she was going to break his drought. He already had her hooked and was slowly reeling her in. All he had to do was seal the deal before he took her back to her place to fuck her.

"Was he going to rape her?"

He nodded solemnly. "If not worse."

She was impressed as hell that the fading bruises on his face were the result of him going toe to toe with a man to protect a woman from being raped or murdered. He'd eliminated a few of the details of the fight, such as he was a United States Marshal and the woman he was protecting was a federal witness. Julia had leapt to the conclusion that the woman was a stranger being threatened by a thug when he'd happened upon them in a neighborhood market, a conclusion he'd done nothing to dispel.

It'd been almost two weeks since he and the gorilla had gone ten rounds. The man, Bak Deok-su, a known associate of Han Kwang-hoon, and rumored to be his go to problem solver, had nearly kicked Rob's ass. The last woman he'd made love to was Bae, but he was finally feeling well enough to be ready to get back in the saddle, and Julia was an excellent prospect for a good, long, hard riding. She reminded him a little of Bae with her long dark hair and the shape of her face, though she wasn't Korean, or even Asian, and she was much more lushly built. She was also dressed in a way that reminded him of Bae... the high maintenance Bae he'd picked up in Los Angeles, not the more relaxed and casual Bae he'd dropped off in New York.

He'd always been more of an L.L. Bean over Fifth Avenue kind of guy, and when Bae had started dressing in something other than the fuck slut outfit she'd been wearing when her picked her up, she'd become even more attractive and desirable.

Julia was wearing her own version of an I'm an easy lay outfit. Her ripped jeans were almost painted on, and her top was cut low to display an abundance of tempting flesh. She didn't have the easy beauty Bae did, and she was maybe five or six years older than his own thirty years, but she was still fuckable as hell.

He'd been sitting in his regular haunt, Jimmy's Corner Bar, sipping his Allen's Coffee Brandy with rum when Julia had perched on a stool next to him. He'd bought her a drink to start the conversation, and she'd been most curious about what happened to his face.

"So what happened?" she asked, her gaze holding his as she slowly chewed on the corner of her bottom lip, her hand falling to his arm.

"I beat the shit out of him and left him lying there."

"Was he a big guy like you?"

"Yeah, pretty good size."

"Did you send him to the hospital?"

"You might say that," he said taking another sip of his drink

He didn't want to put her off. Julia seemed to be getting off on the idea of a guy fighting to protect her, but finding out her knight in shining armor had intentionally killed the guy in a fit of adrenalin fueled rage and fear might tarnish that image a little. She leaned in close to press her breast into his arm.

"Did you take her home after that?" she breathed.

He allowed a slow smile to touch his lips, letting her imagination run for a moment. In actuality, he'd turned Bae over to Richard Martinelli, but even if he hadn't, he'd had been too fucked up to fuck, but she didn't have to know that. If she wanted to believe they'd gone someplace and fucked all night, she could.

"I don't kiss and tell," he said slowly, taking another sip of his drink.

Her hand landed softly on his leg. He ignored the touch, not wanting to see too eager. "Do you go around rescuing damsels in distress often?"

"First time."

"What do you do?"

"Other than rescue damsels in distress you mean?"

"Yeah."

"I can't tell you."

There was no rule against him telling someone he was a U.S. Marshal, but he'd learned through experience that telling a woman his profession did one of two things. It either set the hook or scared her away, and he couldn't easily predict which it would be. Acting mysterious, however, was often like catnip, and even when it wasn't, it didn't scare his potential conquest away.

"Are you a spy or something?"

He chuckled. "No, nothing like that," he said, but in a way that left her wondering.

Her hand crept a little closer to his crotch. "You're not dangerous, are you?"

He paused, allowing her wonder. "Not to women," he rumbled softly.

"So, if we were to go somewhere more private, you wouldn't hurt me?"

He held her gaze for a long moment. "Only if you asked me to," he murmured, letting his tone carry the message. Before she could respond, his phone rang. "Hang on while I see who this is," he said as pulled his phone from his pocket. It wasn't a number he recognized, and he considered ignoring the call, not wanting to slow the momentum he had going, but then he remembered the card he'd given Bae. The chance it was Bae was low, but it wasn't zero. "Hang on, I have to take this," he said as he touched the button to accept the call and stood from the bar. "Cogburn."

"Rob! It's Bae! I need your help!"

Bae's voice was quivering and she sounded like she was both out of breath and about to cry.

His blood ran cold. "Bae? What's wrong?" He asked as he turned his back to Julia, everything else forgotten, and began walking quickly to the door, intending to go outside for privacy.

"Someone tried to kill me! A woman! She shot Janet and Yoshiko and the building super! She was going to kill me, but I hit her with a bottle! I think I killed her! I ran! I didn't know what to do and I remembered you said if I ever needed you to call! I'm scared and I--!"

"Bae! Slow down!" he interrupted as he shoved the door open and stepped outside. "Take a deep breath. Are you okay? Are you in a safe location?"

He heard her exhale through the phone. "I think so. I got out of there as fast as I could. I'm in a restaurant, 34^th Pub, about two blocks from the apartment, on 34^th, between Madison and Park."

That was midtown and he was in the Bronx. Too far to walk. "Don't move. I'm coming, okay? I'll be there as soon as I can," he said as he began watching for an available taxi.

"I'm scared, Rob."

"I know. It's going to be okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"I had to take Yoshiko's phone. I can't unlock it again if it locks. I don't know what to do!"

"Don't put the phone down. Keep talking to me. I'm on my way right now. Just hang in there, okay?"

"Please hurry!"

"I'm coming as fast as I can."

Normally the streets were thick with yellow cars, but typically there was never a goddammed taxi around when you need one! He began walking north, in the opposite direction to Bae, moving toward Tremont Avenue. With all the shopping there, it'd be easier to find a ride. He'd made it two of the four blocks before a cab stopped for his hail.

"34^th and Madison. There's an extra twenty in it for you if you can do it in under twenty minutes," Rob said as he piled into the back of the Camry. It was only ten miles or so from his location to Bae's, but this was Manhattan. Twenty minutes would be hauling ass, but doable if the guy pushed it.

"You gonna pay the ticket?"

Rob pinned his badge to the divider between the front and rear seats in answer. He saw the driver's eyes flick in the rearview mirror before the Toyota surged away. It was Friday evening, so the streets were busy, but the driver dodged and darted through traffic and around pedestrians until he got on I-285 heading south. He didn't let the blare of horns intimidate him as he ducked and weaved through traffic, the Camry surging and braking as he worked the gaps between cars. FDR Drive along the East River wasn't much better, but he made far better time than Rob would have believed possible, and he kept up a constant patter with Bae, trying to keep her calm.

"I'm here," he said into the phone and hung up. He turned his attention to the driver. "34^th Pub," he said. "I need to pick someone up, then I want you to take me back to the Bronx." The cab slammed to a stop at the pub. Rob hadn't timed the ride, but it was damn quick. He handed a twenty to the driver. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Rob stepped into the pub and Bae was waiting at the door. She tried to fall into his arms, but he took her by arm instead and escorted her out and put her in the cab.

"Thank you," she breathed as he slid into the cab beside her. "I didn't know who else to call."

"You did good," he said softly. "Corner of Crotona Park and Crotona Avenue, please," Rob said to the driver.

"Another twenty?" the man asked with a grin.

Rob smiled back. "No. Normal run this time."

His smile spread. "If I had a woman that looked like her, I'd be in a hurry to get her too," he said as he pulled away from the curb.

Rob said nothing. Bae was dressed in comfortable, relaxed fitting blue jeans with a light pink top that hinted at her breasts hidden underneath, and the driver couldn't seem to stop glancing in the mirror at her. Rob needed to call the Marshal's office, but he didn't want to talk in front of the cabbie.

"Where are we going?" Bae asked.

"My place. We'll talk there."

They rode in silence until the cab pulled to a stop in front of Rob's building. He paid the drive and added another twenty as a tip, before escorting her to his door, unlocked it, and stepped back.

"It isn't much, but you'll be safe here."

She stepped in and looked around as he closed the door behind them. She wasn't the first woman he'd brought home, but she was one of a select few.

He pulled out his phone. "You said Janet and Yoshiko are dead?" he asked as he dialed.

"I think so. Along with the building super and the woman who tried to kill me."

"United States Marshal Service," the woman answered. The Marshal's switchboard was manned at all times, a service provided by the support staff the marshals shared with the federal courts housed in the Moynihan building.

"Deputy Marshal Rob Cogburn. Let me speak to the SDM on duty."

The line went dead for a moment. "SDM Crenshaw. What can I do for you, Rooster?"

"Crenshaw. Han made a play for Bae. She said we have four dead at the safe house."

"What?" Crenshaw bellowed. "Four?"

"Taunt, Ryder, the building super, and the woman who did them."

"Fuck me! Where's Han? Is she dead?"

"No. She's with me."

"What the hell? How...?"

"I don't know. I'll get the story from her."

"Where are you?"

"Doesn't matter. She's safe. I'm calling Martinelli next, but you need to handle this shit."

"I need to dispatch some marshals to your location to--"

"No. She's safe for the moment. I don't understand how Han found her, so I'm keeping this close."

Crenshaw was quiet for a moment. "Dammit. I'll let the Marshal know. Did you hear about Gwynn?"

"No, what?"

"NYPD found his body this afternoon. He'd been tortured and executed. His wife and daughter too."

Rob resisted to the urge to say, 'I told you so.' Most of the marshals thought Gwynn was the mole feeding information to Han. "Fuck," he grunted. "That proves we still have a mole. Whoever it is has access to the witsec files."

"Yeah, looks like it. Shit," Crenshaw muttered. "This is fucked up. I need to call the Marshal."

"Tell him I'll bring Han in tomorrow morning. I'm calling Martinelli now to let him know what's happening."

"Three marshals! Han... Kwang-hoon," he corrected, "is going to need his own protection or somebody's going to bust a cap in his ass."

Rob nodded in agreement but didn't say anything. Those were the types of comments that sometimes came back and bit you in the ass. "I'll have Han there at ten in the morning."

"Roger that. I'm calling the Marshal now."

Rob hung up and looked at Bae. Her color was returning, and she didn't have the same deer in the headlights look she had earlier.

"Before I call Martinelli, tell me everything that went down, exactly as it happened."

Bae spoke for five minutes. He only interrupted if something wasn't clear. When she finished, he was certain whoever the mole was had enough clearance to access the witness security files. The witsec files weren't available to just anyone, and most deputy marshals, himself included, didn't have access. That narrowed the possible suspects by a lot.

"Anything else?" he asked when she finished.

"No. That's all I can remember."

He squeezed her hand. "You did great."

"I was lucky."

"That too, but luck favors those who can take care of themselves."

He dialed Martinelli's private number. He still had the number from the last time Bae was in his care.

"Martinelli."

"This is Deputy Marshal Rob Cogburn. I brought Han Bo-bae in from--"

"I remember you, Deputy Marshal. Do you realize what time it--"

"Han Kwang-hoon tried to kill Bo-bae less than an hour ago. He--"

"What?" Martinelli shouted. "Wait! Don't say another word." He covered the phone, but Rob could just make out that he was talking to someone else. A moment later he came back on the line. "You said Kwang-hoon, tried to kill Bo-bae? How do you know that?"

"Because she's standing here beside me. Someone forced the building super at the safe house to talk his way into the apartment. The gunman, gunwoman I should say, killed the super and both deputy marshals on Bo-bae's detail. Bo-bae disabled, possibly killed, the gunwoman, and escaped. She called me for help."

"Goddamn motherfucker! I'm going to have someone's balls for this! How did they find her?"

"Someone has to be passing information to Kwang-hoon, someone with access to the witsec files. How many people have access to those files? How many know where the safe house is?"

"I don't know. Not many."

"We've got to stop this leak or--"

"Don't you think I fucking know that?" Martinelli raged. "Where's Ms. Han now?"

"Safe with me. I'll bring her to the marshal's office at ten in the morning. You need to be there so we can figure out what the next move is."

"Shit, shit, shit... shit! Yeah, I'll be there." There was a short pause, but Rob could sense he had more to say, so he said nothing. "Cogburn, I want you to find this fucking leak! I don't care what you have to do, but I want this fucker found! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir, but that's really up to the Marshal."

"I'll square it with the Marshal."

Rob nodded even though Martinelli couldn't see him. "Yes, sir. We can talk about that in the morning."

"You and Han are secure for tonight?"

"Yes."

"Good. Keep her that way. Do you need support in the morning?"

"No. I'll have her there."

"Ten o'clock?" Martinelli asked.

"Around that time, yes." Nobody knew it, but he and Bae were actually going to be there about seven in an attempt to throw off anyone listening in.

"I'll be there. Dammit! I owe you another debt of gratitude, Deputy Marshal."

"Just doing my job."

"You keep on doing it. I'll see you at ten."

"Yes, sir," Rob replied before hanging up.

"What's happening?"

"We're going to try to get some answers tomorrow."

"Are we staying here?"

"Yes. You're safe here."

She came to him and melted into his arms, and this time he allowed her. "Hold me?" she whimpered.

He surrounded her with his arms and pulled her in close. He'd only made love to her three times, but this felt so right and natural. He wanted her. He wanted her more than any woman he'd ever been with. Her shoulders began to shake as she sobbed quietly. This was the first time he'd seen her cry, and it ripped at his heart. He tightened his embrace slightly.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered.

She sobbed a moment longer before gathering herself. "I should have never let them take me from you." He didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. "Please take me to bed and hold me?"

He smiled and brushed her lips with his. "If you want."

She coughed out a sob and pulled herself together again. "I need to feel you close to me."

He pulled her in close again. That was the best suggestion he'd heard all week.

Bae slowly rose from darkness of sleep. She lay still, her eyes closed, listening to the quiet sounds of the city. Whether it was late, or early, she didn't know, but it was still dark, the first rays of sun not yet coloring the sky.

Rob had taken her to bed early last night, before eight o'clock. He'd held her warm and close, his thumbs slowly caressing her flesh. He'd wanted her, the hardness of his manhood attested to that, but he made no attempt to seduce her. His gentle support and not pushing her into sex reinforced her opinion of him. They'd known each other barely a week, but she already knew he was a good man, a caring man, a man who placed others above himself.

As he held her, allowing her to draw comfort and strength from his touch, the marshals had called. They'd found the bodies, the suppressed.22, the towel and soap bottle, everything just as she'd described it. The woman had been identified as Sophia Triana, or el Tigre, the Tiger, a wanted murderer with the reputation of being a deadly assassin working for the Cuervo Negro cartel, one of Kwang-hoon's drug suppliers.

She'd cried again in the night, unable to hide the sight of the dead bodies from her mind's eye. Worse, she'd killed a person. Bae hadn't intended to kill the woman, but she'd hit her so hard with the pistol she'd fractured her skull in three places. Bae knew it was the gunwoman or her, but the thought of the violence she was capable of still made her feel sick. She'd finally slept, and she was certain it was only Rob's embrace that had kept the nightmares at bay.

She inhaled deeply and slowly let it out. Lying in Rob's bed, his strong arms around her, his chest warm against her back, it all felt so right. Being in his arms and feeling safe, combined with sleep, dulled the shock of yesterday. She grieved for Janet and Yoshiko, and the man she'd never met, but she drew on Rob's strength to bolster her own.