Cobb by Maryann Jordan

23

Cobb sat at the edge of one of the blackjack tables, keeping an eye on the activity all around. The Grand King Casino was a hubbub of activity, lights, movement, and sounds. If he was not so adept at being able to filter out the extraneous from the necessary, it would be overwhelming. Dressed in a dark polo and clean jeans, he blended easily into the afternoon crowd. A grin slipped over his face as he thought of Josie’s angry defense when she assumed that he was volunteering for this particular duty because of his ethnicity. He had only been partially truthful when he told her it wasn't. After all, even as a SEAL and then on CIA Special Operation assignments, he used every advantage possible, including his appearance.

This casino was the same as others across the world in the attempts to relieve visitors of their money with the temptation of leaving with greater riches. He watched as people cheered when they won without having considering how much they’d spent in the effort.

Serving girls walked around with trays of drinks, offering patrons cheap libations to keep them happy enough to stay and continue gambling their money away. Coffee stations were offering strong brew in kiosks nearby, encouraging the cycle of losing money while under the influence, then sobriety to start the process over again. But the common practice could be found in any casino, and certainly, here in Mexico, it was no different.

He'd moved around to several tables, having added several hundreds of dollars to his spending card when he first arrived. Nursing the occasional drink, he finally stood and straightened his back as though working the kinks out of his spine while surreptitiously scanning the area. Tossing a tip to the dealer, he walked through the casino toward the coffee station.

Off to the left were the higher stakes tables and toward the back were the tables where the starting limits were in the thousands. Those tables were separated from the general public with roped access, but they were still visible for spectators standing at a polite distance. He knew that private rooms would hold the highest stakes games, the ones where privacy and discretion were guaranteed.

A band had set up on the low stage to the right and their rendition of rock was not only subpar but added to the cacophony of casino sounds. Cobb winced more than once at the auditory assault.

As the late afternoon moved into evening, he planted himself at one of the slot machines near the entrance, and his position paid off as he spotted Charlene enter on the arm of a man in a dark grey suit. She was in a short, tight cocktail dress, smiling for all the world as she clung to Anton’s arm.

While Anton was greeted with familiarity by the lower floor casino manager, Charlene grabbed the first drink handed to her by the server. As they weaved their way toward the back, Cobb followed at a discrete distance, not wanting to be recognized by her. The couple settled at a table in the back, and he was grateful they were still in the area where he could keep an eye on them by finding another slot machine on the periphery with a perfect view of Charlene’s preening and Anton’s determined efforts to make money. It seemed to be working. In only an hour, he had managed to win most of the time.

A boisterous group moved behind him, and he cast a glance to the side, spying Bert along with two of his entourage, Timothy Hobson and Roberto Mendez. Shocked that multiple suspects had turned up at the same place at the same time, he wasn’t about to complain. He fired off a quick text to Bray, who was just across the border in El Paso. Keeping his face turned to the side, he watched as they made their way to the back tables as well, but not toward Charlene and Anton.

His suspicions were on high alert, but he still didn’t see any evidence of the two groups co-mingling. After three more mind-numbing, ear-assaulting hours, Charlene and Anton walked away from the tables and out of the casino. She beamed as he collected his winnings and they left. Another text was sent to Josh, asking if Anton had his own security. Ciudad Juarez was teeming with thieves, especially at night. Receiving an affirmation from Josh, Cobb moved to the back again, assured that Charlene would be safe as she made her way over the border and back home.

His attention was diverted when the door to the back room opened and a few well-heeled people exited while several others entered. Women in expensive cocktail dresses and men in tailored suits made their way down a back hall to avoid the main entrance where the masses gathered. Firing off another message to Josh, he told him to check the back hall security cameras.

It took two more hours before Bert, Timothy, and Roberto finished winning. By the number of people that stopped to greet him, it appeared Bert had no shortage of acquaintances there. The trio wandered to the bar with skimpily-clad women now hanging onto their arms, and Cobb was ready to get out of there and back to Josie. He hadn’t learned anything new, but his suspicions grew that someone close to Josie had probably sent Caesar her way and then became fearful when Josie grew suspicious.

Stepping into the house well after midnight, he was struck with the thought that while Josie’s house did not feel like home to him, just knowing she was inside gave him the feeling of coming home. The TV in the living room was on, so low the sound was negligible, a welcome respite from the noise of earlier. He looked to the sofa, Tate offering a chin lift in welcome. Cobb’s gaze drifted to the cushion next to Tate where Melon was curled up sleeping, pressing tightly to the new human in her orbit. Not even attempting to suppress a grin, Cobb inclined his head toward the slumbering feline. “I see you’ve got a friend.”

Tate stood, and it didn’t escape Cobb’s notice that the other Keeper did so gently, barely disturbing Melon.

“Josie asleep?”

“Yeah, I think so. She had trouble finding it, but it’s been quiet now for a while.”

He thought he detected a tone in Tate’s voice but chose to ignore it, walking into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Setting one on the counter for Tate, he watched as his friend moved toward him and settled onto one of the stools at the counter.

“I got your message,” Tate began. “Seems like all indications are on the Grand King as being the probable place of cleaning the money.”

“I’ve already passed on the information to Floyd. Nothing he can do across the border, but at least he’ll know some of the people to watch from here. I hate like fuck if Charlene’s involved in any of this because of Josie’s relationship with her, but she doesn’t strike me as a very discerning young woman.”

“Wrong place, wrong time, wrong man?”

Cobb nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Anton’s not quite the high roller that I think he or she thinks he is, but he was definitely winning, so I’d say he’s got something going on with the casino. If he’s bringing in client money, he could be moving a lot every week through them. Didn’t help that Bert showed up with his two hangers-on, but I watched them for over two hours and his group never so much as looked over at Anton.”

“Josh turned up something.”

Cobb's body remained loose but his mind shot to high alert. “Yeah?”

“Carson Wright.”

“He’s been found?”

Tate shook his head slowly. “Nope, but Josh discovered that’s not his name.”

Eyes narrowed, Cobb paused. “So, he’s not real? Just a complete fake front?”

“No, it’s one person, but that’s not the real name. The attorney who’s connected to Caesar and the dummy contributions to Josie’s clinic is still hidden.”

“You’re shitting me?”

“Nope,” Tate repeated. “Right now, Josh is trying to figure out who they are so we can protect Josie better as well as give the info to the FBI. But then that’s not our concern. Just as long as we keep your girl safe, the others can have the case.”

They were quiet for a moment before Tate finally asked, “She is, isn’t she? Your girl? I’ve got to admit that she was handling tonight well. At first, she paced, and I wondered if she would be able to handle you on a mission. But then I realized as she talked through her anxiety, it wasn’t really how it affected her, but how everything affected you.”

“Never figured on this when I came down here,” Cobb admitted. “But yeah, I can see her fitting into my life easily.”

“And you fitting into hers?”

He had wondered when Tate was finally going to ask what was on his mind. “You’re going straight to it, are you?”

“We haven’t had a Keeper leave the group yet.”

Cobb hardly needed Tate to remind him of this, but he remained quiet.

Tate continued, “Not that that won’t happen sometime. There will always be a first. Whether it’s from a new job offer, something personal, or a woman.”

“If that’s your way of asking if I’d consider staying in New Mexico for her, I can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind.” Cobb scrubbed his hand over his face and sighed. “This place doesn’t feel like home anymore. It hasn’t for a long time. But I’ve got family here.” He dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then slowly shook his head as he dropped his chin and held his friend’s gaze. “But I can’t see leaving Maine. And I sure as fuck can’t see leaving LSI.”

Tate remained quiet, the silence of the night moving between the friends. Finally, he said, “Then if it’s meant to be, she may have to relocate. From what I’ve seen, she can handle the life like our other women.”

Snorting, Cobb shook his head again. “Gone are the days where a woman is expected to pick up and travel wherever the man goes.”

“You don’t have to tell me that. Nora was a nurse who’d grown up and lived her whole life in Wyoming. I had no clue how it would work and just lucked out that she was ready for a life change.” He shrugged. “Maybe Josie will feel the same.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if it’s even fair to ask her to do that.”

“You’ll never know if you don’t at least ask.”

“On that somber note, I think I’ll find my bed.” Inclining his head toward the hall, he said, “The spare bedroom is ready for you, I’m sure. I’ll see you in the morning. I’ll have you on Josie detail again. I’ll head to Albuquerque. While Bert is at work, I want to take a look at his apartment. He may be family, but I don’t trust him… or at least not his friends.” With that, he turned and headed to the main bedroom, desperate for a shower and to curl up around Josie’s warm, sleeping body.

* * *

Josie woke the minute Jorge slipped underneath the covers, aligning his large body with her much smaller one. Warmth immediately infused her as his front pressed against her back, his knee nudged between her legs, and his arm curved around her waist, his hand tucked just under her breasts.

“Are you okay?” Her words came out in a whisper, and she wanted to turn around to face him, staring into his dark eyes lit only by the light of the moon coming through the window. But the tightness that had been in her chest since he left caused her to lay still, facing away as uncertainty moved through her.

“Yeah, babe, I’m fine.” His arm squeezed her waist gently. “You?”

She nodded, feeling his chin pressed against the top of her head. “I probably made Tate crazy, pacing the floor after you left. I admit it was weird to have you out and not know exactly where you were or how you were.” He remained quiet, and she stumbled on, words that had crowded her head now all wanting to get out. “I couldn’t help but think about the other Keepers’ women… the ones that you told me about. They all sound so strong. Capable. And yet I wondered how I would be compared to them.”

“Josie, I wouldn’t want you to be anything other than yourself—”

“I know, I know, Jorge. That’s not it. Please, let me finish.” Gathering her bravery, she shifted around so that their fronts were plastered together, her head resting on his bicep as he pulled her in close. “I know people well enough to know that if those women are in love with their man, they are going to worry about that man. But that doesn’t bother me. I figure in many ways it’s the same as someone who is with a police officer, or a service member, or even someone who works construction on skyscrapers. There are lots of dangerous jobs out there, and so the person with them is going to feel fear.”

“When I looked at the apartment building you were going into the other day, knowing that if I wasn’t with you that you might go alone or with just Mario, I felt fear.” He lifted his hand and gently pushed the hair away from her face. “Depending on the situation, even social work can be considered high risk.”

She grinned and nodded. “I don’t want you to think that just because I might pace and worry that I wouldn’t be good for you.”

“There’s not a doubt in my mind that you would be good for me. But tell me, was all that pacing just your way to deal when your mind is racing, trying to figure things out?”

Her lips curved and she rolled her eyes, certain that he could see neither in the darkness. “You think you know me, do you?”

A chuckle rumbled from deep in his chest. “I might not have known you long, Josie girl, but I do know you. So give it up.”

“I have no idea what you discovered at the casino tonight, but I kept thinking about Caesar. He was always a nice man, at least to me, but if I’m honest, he was also weak. He was an adequate bookkeeper, but he didn’t have an accounting degree. He understood enough about a business’ finances to help them keep their records, but he just could not have been the mastermind of money laundering. So, someone else was handling everything, and it struck me that that person has to be much smarter than he was. His motives? I have no idea. Maybe he was getting paid well. Maybe somebody was blackmailing him into doing it. He never expected me to look at the books, and when I did, it made him very nervous. He must have known at that point that he was going to be found out. If he knew they were as cutthroat as they are, he must’ve known they might come after him or me. And that’s what I keep coming back to, Jorge. In my gut, I don’t think Caesar would have wanted harm to come to me.”

Jorge rolled to the side, turning on the small lamp on the nightstand. She blinked at the sudden brightness, her brow knit as she peered at him.

“What have you decided?” he asked. “Now that you’ve been thinking about it, what’s different?”

“I just thought he disappeared. That would fit someone weaker. You know, not go to the authorities and give himself up. Not do the strong thing and take his punishment. But he ran away. At least, that’s what I thought, and it fit his weak personality. But when we realized he had been taken and…” She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly before continuing. “… killed, then I knew that maybe he wasn’t as weak as I thought. Maybe he tried to do the right thing before he died.”

“I get you’re trying to tell me something, Josie, but I’m not following. What do you think he did?”

“I’m not sure he had time to do anything. But it makes me feel better thinking that he would have tried to warn me.”

“But he didn’t.”

Jorge’s statement wasn’t posed as a question because they both knew the answer. She had received only the mini drive from Caesar, and considering her office and home hadn’t been searched by anyone, no one must have suspected that he’d given her anything. She sighed heavily. “No, he didn’t. I tried to wrack my brain while you were gone, but I think the only thing I accomplished was to make Tate nervous.”

He chuckled again. “Tate can handle himself.” Tucking her hair back again, he added, “I’m more worried about you.”

His words burrowed deep inside, and she leaned forward to press a kiss against his collarbone, feeling when his lips met her forehead.

“I get it, Josie. You feel guilt that Caesar met such a horrific ending, but remember, his choices were his own.”

She nodded again. “I know. I just can’t help but feel that he was just caught up in something that went terribly wrong. Something that took him deeper than he meant to go. And I suppose it makes me feel better to think that he never wanted this to come down on me.”

“Babe, if he was any kind of man at all, he would have protected you. Maybe he just didn’t have time.”

They lay quietly for a few more minutes until she thought about the day. “Will you be with me today?”

“I’m going to Albuquerque with Drew. He’ll fly us so it won’t take all day. I’ve got just a couple of trails I want to check out. Tate will be with you at the clinic.”

“I’ve got some home visits.”

“He’ll be right with you until I get back. I should be finished in the early afternoon at the latest.”

She nodded, knowing he was doing everything he could to alleviate the threat against her.

He gently pushed her backward so their gazes met again. “Are you going to be able to sleep?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “Now that you’re here and I’m in your arms, I won’t have any problem sleeping.”

He smiled, rewarding her with another kiss before tucking her in tighter. She was right… in his arms, she quickly fell asleep.