Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
VIOLENCE WARNING: The two stories in the Savage Gang saga, and especially the second story, involve a gang practicing extreme violence toward everyone — women, the elderly, the protagonist, etc. The stories contain mature sexual content and violence as well. I am placing this warning on all chapters, including those without such violence, so you can choose whether to continue.
CHAPTER 27
As she walked across the lobby of the Hilton, Beth understood why Lockheed had summoned her here, and not to the FBI offices. Lockheed, a control freak, wanted Beth to see her lavish quarters on the fifteenth floor, which contained some of the hotel’s most opulent suites. And she wanted to force Beth to come here. It was a power play, pure and simple.
After Beth stepped into the elevator, her hand hovered over the button for the fifteenth floor, and she glanced down at the expandable file under her arm. If she left now she would leave Lockheed stewing, and remind the power-hungry woman she didn’t control everyone. But Stanley’s talk echoed in Beth’s mind, and she pressed the button.
The only good part of this visit was its calming effect on Conner. He had expressed relief when she had told him she was turning her file over to Lockheed, as he believed she was distancing herself from the investigation and leaving it to the authorities. Beth hadn't contradicted him, not wanting to correct him and start another fight.
After exiting the elevator and stepping into the alcove on the fifteenth floor, Beth passed an antique clock on a table and noticed the time. She was late, which was fine. Lockheed could wait.
Beth turned down the hall, passing the gold-plated numbers on each door. She reached the door to room 1501, which sat on the front side of the hotel, facing the Susquehanna River. Beth unbuttoned her black coat, revealing the jeans and black sweater underneath. She paused before sighing and giving three sharp knocks on the door. Moments later, someone unfastened the security latch, and Olivia Lockheed peeked out before opening the door.
“You’re late. Come in.”
Beth frowned. She had no desire to spend any more time with this woman than necessary. “I can just give this to you and be on my way.”
“Oh, now, now,” Lockheed said with a smirk and a dismissive wave of her hand. Her eyes stayed on Beth, traveling from the blond woman’s feet up to her head. “No need to get bent out of shape about this. Just come in.” She winked at Beth. “If you behave like a good girl, perhaps I’ll let you get more involved in this case than those other bozos.”
As Beth rolled her eyes, Lockheed stepped to the side and made a sweeping gesture with her hand. Beth hesitated before stepping inside and following Lockheed a few steps down a short entryway, passing a closet to her right. The entryway opened into a large room, with a kitchenette in front of Beth and an expansive living room extending to the right. It contained a leather sofa, two easy chairs, and a massive television. Two patio doors sat on the far wall, revealing a view of the river.
On the wall opposite the patio doors, two interior doors stood open. The nearest door, just to Beth’s right, revealed a bathroom with an ornate tiled floor. The tile contrasted with the dark laminate floor in the living room, which stretched from wall to wall and almost looked like real hardwood.
Beth glimpsed a bedroom inside the second door, further down the wall and near the television. She saw a bed, and, just inside the door, several mobile garment racks filled with clothes.
Lockheed smirked, perhaps at Beth’s appraisal of the plush suite, or perhaps at Beth noticing her expansive wardrobe, which had overrun the hotel’s meager closets. The FBI woman gestured to the large table at the edge of the kitchenette. “You can leave your file there.”
As Beth stepped past Lockheed to place the expandable folder on the table, the FBI woman came up behind her and asked, “Can I get you a drink, so we can talk?”
Beth turned as Lockheed moved close. Too close. The FBI woman’s muscular five foot, seven-inch physique crowded in on Beth, making her feel almost childlike by comparison.
Beth also smelled the faint aroma of incense and noticed a dull fog hanging in the air. Perhaps some people might find the aroma pleasant, but it gave Beth a slight headache. She blinked her eyes and shook her head, as if warding off the effects.
“Would you like a drink?” Lockheed asked again.
“I guess that depends on what you want to discuss.”
A thin smile crossed Lockheed's lips. “You’re no pushover. I like that.” As Lockheed spoke, her eyes traveled over Beth again. Beth squirmed, uncomfortable under the probing gaze, and didn’t respond.
“I’ll tell you what,” Lockheed said, putting her hands on her hips. “We can talk about how you can help.”
Beth frowned and wrinkled her nose. “How I can help? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“First that drink,” Lockheed said, walking past Beth to the kitchenette, where several bottles stood on the counter. “What do you like?”
Beth bit her lip, shook her head in resignation, and said, “A diet soda is fine.”
Lockheed turned, a disappointed look on her face. She spun away from Beth and went to work preparing two drinks, retrieving ice from the freezer and a soda bottle from the counter. When she returned and extended a glass, Beth took it, half expecting to taste alcohol, but a sip revealed it to be straight Diet Coke.
“Let me take your jacket up for you,” Lockheed said as Beth lowered the glass.
Beth paused. She hadn’t been planning to stay long enough to remove her jacket, but the room felt warm, and the incense was making her headache worse. She shrugged and placed her glass on the table. As she reached up to remove her jacket, she felt Lockheed behind her.
“Let me help,” Lockheed said, her voice low. Beth felt the woman take one lapel and then the other, and slide the coat from Beth’s shoulders, her breath warm on Beth’s neck.
Now Beth was definitely flustered, unaccustomed to such strange behavior. Or at least it was strange to Beth. After Lockheed pulled the coat from her arms, Beth turned to face the woman, who stood close again. Beth's back was to the table, leaving no room for retreat.
“You were about to suggest how I might help?” Beth said, her voice uneven. Whether from the incense or the uncomfortable situation, Beth had to reach to the table for support as a wave of lightheadedness hit her.
Lockheed looked at her, winked, and nodded. “Yes,” she said, stepping back and pacing to the right. “I’ve been giving some thought about what you said, about how you know this gun shop and the owner, and stand a better chance at getting information.” She turned back toward Beth. “I’m going to the gun shop tomorrow, and I’d like you to come with me.”
Beth raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sudden reversal. Was Lockheed up to something? If she was, did it even matter? Beth had her own motives, which was to use the gun shop to get to the Savage Gang. Perhaps this wasn’t even a reversal by Lockheed, and she had planned to ask Beth all along. Such a controlling maneuver would be just like the FBI woman.
“After that meeting today, why should I want to go?” Beth asked, tilting her chin up. She couldn’t appear too eager.
“Fair enough,” Lockheed said with a smirk. “But I know you. I studied you on the StarPrime case, so I know you want nothing more than to be in the middle of this. Somehow, even though you’re a civilian, here we are again with you right in the thick of things.”
Beth watched the FBI woman, keeping her face impassive. Lockheed didn’t realize how much truth there was to her statement. Ever since Beth had become Sapphire Angel, coincidences followed her, putting her exactly where she might help the most. Beth said nothing.
“I’m giving you a chance again to be right in the middle of things,” Lockheed said. “At least for now. This won’t be like the StarPrime investigation, where you stick around for the whole damn thing. But you’re right. I could use your help — your charm — connecting with Grim, concerning the guns we traced to his shop.”
Beth wasn’t always adept at seeing through false praise, and she was having a hard time getting a read on Lockheed. Lockheed was right, though. Beth wanted to be involved. She nodded.
“Okay, I’m in. When?”
“Tomorrow morning. I need to attend a virtual briefing first, but we’ll leave here around ten.”
“Why don’t we just meet there?” Beth asked, trying to minimize the time she had to spend with this woman.
Lockheed shook her head. “No, I need to pick someone’s brain about this city. Someone who knows it. I grew up here, but I lived a bit of a sheltered life, and now I’ve been away for a while. We can talk on the drive down. Unless you can stay for a while tonight.”
Beth blinked. She wasn’t about to stay here any longer, given Lockheed’s earlier behavior. She glanced down at her watch. It was after eight. Sapphire Angel was due to meet Mick Mullen at the rear entrance to the police station in a few hours, to interview the prisoners, and first she had to check the area around Italian Lake.
“I have just a few minutes. I have to be somewhere soon,” Beth answered Lockheed. “What do you need to know?”
“Tell me about Sapphire Angel,” Lockheed said.
Beth paused, remembering Lockheed’s rant about Sapphire Angel just a few hours earlier. Lockheed was perhaps the biggest control freak Beth had ever met, and would certainly resent Beth’s alter ego, whose successes had overshadowed the FBI’s work. But if Beth could learn why Lockheed was asking, perhaps she could plant a seed which might get the stubborn woman to work with the heroine.
Beth shrugged. “I don’t know what I can add to what you probably already know. She’s done a lot of good in this city. Why are you asking?”
A scowl formed across Lockheed's face. “Because people like her piss me off. They think they’re helping, when most of the time, they’re just getting in the way.”
A flash of anger surged within Beth, but she kept a calm exterior.
“Getting in the way? You’ve seen the crime statistics in this city, haven’t you? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that crime has been way down since she arrived.”
When Lockheed spoke, her voice trembled. “She’s got no right to do what she’s doing! Maybe she helps in the short term, but in the long term, she’s going to inspire others to take matters into their own hands. And that’s a recipe for chaos.”
Beth's jaw tightened, and she clenched her fingers. She wanted to point out the undeniable results — Harrisburg was a decidedly safer place to live, thanks to Sapphire Angel. Even some of her early detractors had grudgingly admitted she had changed the city for the better. But Lockheed only cared about what was best for Olivia Lockheed. Beth needed a different approach if she wanted to sway the FBI woman, who was in a better position than most people to help Sapphire Angel locate the gang.
“You know,” Beth said, “you might miss out on something here. Clearly, Sapphire Angel knows things, as evidenced by what she’s already accomplished against the Savage Gang. She could probably help you, and you could help her. Maybe a little cooperation is what everyone needs to bring this gang down. If you saw the local newspaper this morning, they have an editorial suggesting the same thing.”
“Why would I want to help her?” Lockheed replied with an icy edge in her voice. “And even if I did, what does it matter? If she ever came out of hiding, perhaps I’d change my mind. But Sapphire Angel is a coward who works out of the public eye, so I have no way to communicate with her.”
Beth looked down at the ground. There was some truth to Lockheed’s words. Sapphire Angel often felt like she operated on the periphery, with Stanley and Mick Mullen as her only real allies. It might be easier to be part of the loop on these cases.
“There’s no point arguing over this,” Lockheed continued. “You need to be somewhere, and I have to head out later, so I need to get ready. Perhaps we can revisit this tomorrow.”
Beth nodded, realizing she wouldn’t change Lockheed’s mind with pure reason. “Meet you here?”
“Down in the lobby,” Lockheed said, “and then we’ll go to my BMW, which is in a reserved FBI spot on the fifth floor of the parking garage.” Lockheed eyed Beth, as if waiting to see if the words impressed her. Beth didn’t react, so Lockheed continued.
“If you can change your plans,” the FBI woman said, “I’m driving out to a club later, at around ten or ten thirty, to blow off some steam.”
Beth raised an eyebrow. Lockheed didn’t strike her as the type to go out on the town, especially when she had a big day the next morning.
“Everybody has to blow off some steam.” Lockheed explained with a shrug, before sending her eyes up and down Beth’s body yet again. “I bet you would be some surprising fun, Harper. You should come.”
Beth shook her head as she fidgeted with her hands. “No, thanks. I can’t stay up late. I need my sleep.”
“Suit yourself,” Lockheed said, shrugging. “See you in the morning.”
As Beth stepped toward the door, Lockheed’s words sounded in her mind. If she ever came out of hiding, perhaps I’d change my mind. Beth decided she wasn’t done with Olivia Lockheed for the night. Beth Harper might not be able to convince Lockheed to work with the superheroine, but Sapphire Angel could. Tonight, after she finished her other tasks, the heroine would pay the FBI woman a visit.
A few moments later, Beth was on the elevator and keyed in a message to Conner on her iPhone.
I have an early morning meeting with Olivia and need to turn in early, so let’s not get together tonight. I’ll fill you in tomorrow.
Her finger hovered over the button to send the message, guilt gnawing at her. She tapped it as the elevator descended.
Forward to Chapter 28 (link works after Chapter 28 goes live)
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (Book 3)
Savage Dawn (this book - Book 4)
I can't help but wonder if there was something in that diet coke she got from Lockheed had something in it. Why did she feel light headed? Is it something that could have an affect on her later when Sapphire Angel is surveying the area for the Savage Gang hideout? If she finds it, will she not be at the top of her game because of Olivia?
If she were to find nothing, and the police station visit is uneventful, what would happen when she met back up with Olivia? Is she going to go to her hotel again? If so, does Olivia have a plan to try and subdue Sapphire Angel?
Each chapter is getting more interesting!!
Olivia Lockheed’s hotel room looks low-key epic, not gonna lie. Every time I read these descriptive words about the current locations, I’m reminded of how little I start using them in my own stories as I get further in the franchise. I really need to get back into it.....as novel writers, all we have to work with are words and not pictures, so we’ve got to make the most of what we have.
Oh, but that was SICK, though, how Beth tried to convince Lockheed to work with her. Though, not as sick as Beth almost got from inhaling the incense. xD
She may not have pushed Lockheed all the way, but I feel like she’s at the halfway point. Perhaps all Lockheed needs now is for Sapphire to see her later tonight, and then she’ll be all for an alliance. Or Lockheed could let her hate get the better of her and she’ll end up missing out on this opportunity. One of those outcomes. Sapphire Angel in her entirety is a walking berserk button for Lockheed; maybe she’ll lose it and try to drag her down to her twisted BDSM dungeon?
WAIT! It was a club, right? What kind of club? And is Sapphire just going to be there, publicly sitting at Olivia’s table and chatting with her? Can’t imagine that’d end well, with all the weirdos who’d likely be at the club and want a piece of her. Or maybe she meant she’d meet with Lockheed somewhere near the club rather than inside it. Guess we’ll see!
I want them to work together, I really do. But I also want them to get closure. Acknowledge that they’re not that different from each other. That Lockheed is the way she is for a reason. A reason that Beth/Sapphire still isn’t aware of yet. Maybe if she opened up like that, they’d reach an understanding. Then again, it’s LOCKHEED. She’d rather project strength than humiliation or vulnerability. A club would be a pretty weird place to have that interaction, but if this is where that’s going, then I’m all for it! Reconciliation, backed by bopping beats!
But I suppose we can check on that later. Now, it’s time to head out and complete Sapphire’s night to-do list! Hope we find something good.....