Jackson glanced over when the cell phone connected to the temporary number they'd given Tyrone began to ring. Macy was at her desk across from him filling out some paperwork while he did some internet research. She reached for it and hesitated for a moment before giving Jackson a wink and answering it. "Howdy." Her voice was back to its lower, husky tone. "Well, hi there, Tyrone, how are you, darlin?" Jackson watched her, brows furrowed. What was Tyrone calling about? They'd already solidified plans to meet that afternoon. Unless he was canceling. His brow furrowed even further.
"U huh... yeah, that shouldn't be any problem, honey. What's the address?" She took out a pen and a sticky note, writing down what he told her. "Okay... I got it, darlin'. We'll see ya there. Mhmm. Bye bye."
She hung up the phone and looked at Jackson, her eyes wide. "Jackson, honey. He wants us to meet him at his boss' office. His boss wants to meet us today."
Jackson just stared at her. His boss' office? Meet his boss? That would be the leader of their organization! After a moment he nodded. "I wonder if that wench finally blew our cover," he said quietly.
"Are we going anyways?" she asked, looking excited and conspiratorial. She even glanced over at the Chief's office as though he would at any moment come bursting through the door and forbid them.
"Don't you think we have to?" Jackson asked leaning forward and placing his elbows on his desk. "I don't think we've got much of a choice. We can't just pull out now." He wiggled his eyebrows up and down at her, winked, and then stood up.
She bounced out of her seat, too. "Where ya going?"
"Are we meeting at the same time as we had already planned?"
"Yes, and here's the address."
He took the post-it from her and read the address. It wasn't far from Manhattan Beach where they'd met the day before. "Well, I think we'd better go get you ready and then make some preparations. This is going to require my calling in a couple favors. We aren't just walking into the hornet's nest without back up."
........
They made it with 10 minutes to spare as they got out of the Cadillac at the small, unobtrusive building where they were to meet Tyrone. There were a couple of inconspicuously parked cars with officers in plain clothing prepared to assist them on Jackson's signal, just in case anything went wrong.
They walked through double doors and studied a plaque on the wall to find out where the correct suite was. Once they had they found the stairs and climbed to the second floor, stopping at the last office in the corner. Jackson took a deep breath and knocked sharply.
A moment later the door swung open and Tyrone greeted each of them. Jackson with a hand shake and Macy with a kiss on the cheek.
"Come in. Come in. Tank you for accepting my sudden change of plan. My boss... he want to meet you, you know," Tyrone smiled warmly. He hadn't heard anything from Natasha. She had kept her mouth shut. Jackson could tell immediately and was relieved.
They walked into the plush office and approached a large desk. A man who looked to be in his 40s stood up behind the desk and smiled a toothy smile. He'd been handsome in his younger days, but was now struggling with going bald and a few extra pounds around the middle. He had the face of a predator. His eyes sought only to find weakness in those he gave his attention to and he seemed to be searching for any possible way to take advantage of such weakness.
"How ya doing'? I'm Harley Chase." He shook both of their hands as Tyrone introduced them. "Tyrone speaks highly of both of ya. I thought I'd be hospitable and welcome you both to L.A. personally. I don't get many people over from Texas seeking out to do business."
"Why, thank you, darlin'. That's mighty sweet of you." Macy's sexy, southern drawl caused him to gape at her for a moment, lustfully.
"Any time, sweet cheeks. Boy, you sure are a pretty thing," he said with a wink. Her smile became even more strained and she looked ready to puke, but composed herself quickly. Harley didn't seem to notice.
Jackson narrowed his eyes at the slimy man. He didn't like him. There was something repulsive about the guy that he knew ran deeper than just the fact that he was the leader of a ring of car thieves. There was a deeper evil that ran through Harley Chase. Strange images had fought to come into focus in Jackson's mind when he'd shaken his hand. He quickly shook his head, trying to keep them below the surface. He didn't want to see them.
"Thanks for meetin' with us, Mr. Chase. We weren't expectin’ a meetin’ with the big guy, but we sure feel honored." Jackson spoke, doing his best to sound the opposite of how he felt toward the guy.
Harley sat back down as they both took a seat opposite him. Tyrone retreated to the sofa and settled his tall frame into the cushions. He seemed at ease with letting his boss take over. Thankfully, Natasha was nowhere to be found. At least for now.
Harley and Jackson began discussing the details of their request. Harley was sure to make clear what it would cost them and he seemed pleased when they didn't balk at his steep price. Jackson cleverly steered the conversation toward the vigilantes, asking Harley if he weren't worried about them striking when his boys went "shopping" for the right car.
Harley threw his head back and laughed. "You don't need to worry about that. I'm hoping they do! Oh, yeah. They'll have a surprise waiting for em if they try to crash my party again. You betcha."
"You are going to trap them!" Jackson sounded as though he were surprised and in awe of the other man's crafty mind.
"I'll get hold of one of them and send them a message just like I sent the nosy police back a couple years ago!" Harley's eyes glinted dangerously as he spoke.
Jackson sat back in his chair, nodding his head as though in agreement. His eyes narrowed. "Sure wish I could meet one of them "superhero" folk. That'd be a sight wouldn't it?"
"Yeah. It will be somethin'. I'm looking forward to it myself!" Harley stood and walked over to Tyrone. "My boy here's going to be helping me set a trap. They won't know what hit em. I guarantee."
"Sounds like you guys have it all under control, then." Jackson stood to his feet, stretching. "C'mon, little lady. I think we'd better let these gentlemen do their thing." He reached a hand down to Macy, pulling her to her feet.
"Hey, why don't the two of you join me tomorrow morning and we'll wrap things up. I'll buy you both breakfast. Sound good?"
Jackson nodded, tipping his hat. "That sounds like a treat. Give us a call and tell us where ta be, Mr. Chase." He shook hands with the repulsive man once again and once again he had to force the horrid images into the recesses of his mind. This time he had to steady himself. He felt dizzy and nauseous.
"Call me Harley."
Harley took Macy's hand and held onto it long enough so that she had to yank it away from him. He was looking down at her as though he were ready to pull her close and eat her at any moment.
"It sure was a pleasure meeting you, sexy lady." His eyes glinted as he spoke.
"Why, you as well. Thank you." She turned away from him, heading toward the door as quickly as her feet could carry her. Jackson followed, nodding a quick farewell to Tyrone who nodded back, his eyes thoughtful.
They reached the car and both were seated inside before either spoke a word. Macy was, of course, the first to voice her opinion.
"Oh, Jackson! That man is simply deplorable! Do we really have to see him again? I don't know if I can pretend to like him anymore!"
"I certainly hear ya on that one." Jackson sat with his eyes closed for a moment. He was trying to shake the disgusting feeling he'd been left with since meeting Harley. The dark, horrendous images were trying to resurface, but he kept fighting them back. He knew he did not want them to surface all the way. He knew that if they did they'd likely scar him for life. Harley Chase was pure evil. He needed to talk to the Chief. He wasn't around when the cops got shaken off of Harley's criminal ring. He wanted to know exactly what had gone down and why he'd never been told about it.
Finally Jackson started the car. Macy was babbling on about how horrible Harley was and for once her voice soothed him rather than giving him a headache. Nothing his partner could do or say would seem unpleasant in comparison to the disgust and sickness he felt after meeting that man.
For the first time ever Jackson felt grateful for and welcomed the sound of Macy's girly voice. He drove away allowing the familiar lilt to pour in through his ear, washing away the evil he felt like he'd been poisoned with. Her chatter felt like it was cleansing him.
Edited.
(A/N: Please don't forget to vote if you enjoy the story. It sure helps to boost the rankings so others see it. Comments are more than welcome, too.)