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Date Posted: 01:50:16 12/21/02 Sat
Author: SoldierBlue
Subject: Re: Studs, Texas - Book Two - The Little Alamo 2
In reply to: dqfan 's message, "Re: Studs, Texas - Book Two - Sat Night goes on" on 08:49:28 12/16/02 Mon

As the last light of day went out, Shane walked into the “Blue Danube”. The air of the bar was heavy with smoke and dirty consciences. People turned to look at him – the sheriff in the full awareness of his role, badge and jacket and all, Stetson pulled down on his brow, unafraid of being there alone. He walked to the bar. “Where’s Iggy?”

The bartender looked at him like he didn’t want trouble with the law. And Iggy was small fry, not worth protecting. “Billiard room.”

Shane turned and walked through the crowd, following the sharp rattle of billiard balls. He had almost reached the lighted door to the side when three men stepped in front of him.

The leader was so large that even Shane had to look up. He had a multiple scar from a broken bottle neck on a face otherwise amazingly childish. “Reckon you’re in the wrong place, Sheriff.”

“Let me in, Pat,” Shane said calmly. “I’m not after you.”

Pat shrugged, and his thugs got closer. “We don’t want no Sheriffs ‘round here. If we let you in, you’d get a bad habit. No offence, man.”

“Get out of my way, Pat.” Shane stepped forward, invading Pat’s space. The big man’s face had a twitch and he put a hand on Shane’s chest to stop him. He stared into the glare of the sheriff’s eyes, flabbergasted. His men looked at him strangely. Pat let his hand fall from the front of his jacket and stepped back without a word.

Good, Shane thought entering the billiard room, this way everybody will think I’m after Iggy for some petty offence - his role as informer and Nick’s cover are safe. He spotted the small mustachioed man beside a table, collecting bets, walked over and grabbed him by the collar.

The man started. “Sheriff! What – I’m clean now! I didn’t do nothin’! I swear...” He kept squealing while Shane dragged him out the back door, amid the astonished glances of the usual customers.

Shane stepped into the darkened alley and pushed Iggy against the wall, none too gently. “So, where’s Nick?” he hissed.

“Why the hell don’t you know?” Iggy protested, grabbing his wrists.

“I am asking the questions, Iggy. Where is he? What was it that you couldn’t tell me on the phone?”

Iggy wasn’t stupid, he had to understand that there was something rotten there. He hesitated, and Shane pushed him hard again. But evidently it wasn’t up to Iggy to defend the cops from themselves. “At the Little Alamo, Cassidy an’ Guerra are gonna meet, Nick had asked me to tell him...”

Shane let him go sharply. He turned and re-entered the club, passing through a crowd who stopped whispering suddenly and looked at him strangely. In a corner, Pat was gesturing at him with some others, in pure surprise. He got out and walked to his pickup, pulling out his cell phone as he went. “Andy? Thank goodness I’ve found you. I need reinforcements. Meet me as soon as you can at the Little Alamo...”

***

Valerie checked that her cell phone was turned off. It wouldn’t be good to have her boss ring her in the middle of the old fort, or to jump if she felt the vibration. If someone needed to call her, they’d better wait. Nick noticed it and did the same.

“First of all, we listen to what they say,” he said, reviewing the plan. “They have to be here to discuss business.”

“Hopefully it’s about the illegal immigrants traffic,” Valerie noted.

“Yeah. But even if it’s just about who controls Studs’ night clubs, we collar them if they say something compromising. What we want is to get Cassidy behind bars. Remember how they framed Capone.”

“Right. Will we be able to hear from here?”

Nick drew himself a little straighter. “We’ll know very soon... here they are.”

*I can feel it coming in the air tonight,
Oh Lord
I've been waiting for this moment, all my life,
Oh Lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight,
Oh Lord,
Oh Lord*

The Saturday night traffic was crazy – people of all ages, mostly young and reckless, driving to and away from pubs and clubs, discos, cinemas and the amusement park, not to mention the newly opened Texaroo Park. A couple of times Shane had to flash his badge. But there was not much he could do, blocked in three tightly-packed lanes exiting the city centre. And CeCe and Andy lived on the opposite side of town.

Shane tried once again to call Nick or Valerie. “Answer, dammit.” Nothing. He could call Deputy Tyler West for reinforcements, but he didn't want to leave Caitlin Murphy unprotected. He hit his hands on the steering wheel, cursing at the red light. “God, please, be quick...”

*Well, if you told me you were drowning
I would not lend a hand
I've seen your face before my friend
But I don't know if you know who I am

Well, I was there and I saw what you did
I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off that grin,
I know where you've been
It's all been a pack of lies

And I can feel it coming in the air tonight,
Oh Lord
I've been waiting for this moment for all my life,
Oh Lord
I can feel it coming in the air tonight,
Oh Lord,
Oh Lord
And I've been waiting for this moment all my life,
Oh Lord,
Oh Lord*

The two cars stopped on the rocky avenue that led to the Little Alamo. From one dismounted a distinguished middle-aged man with a cane. “Cassidy,” Nick whispered, and Valerie nodded. The other car released a younger and sturdier guy with a bald round head. Then they saw their drivers get down in their turn and stand beside the cars with the doors open.

Nick and Valerie exchanged a look. The drivers were not in the plan. Pretty careless of them to think that Cassidy and Guerra would come over there driving their own cars. Nick shrugged, and motioned to her to listen. They had acted on a hunch – or rather, Nick had, *she* had jumped at the chance of ending the inquiry without Shane taking further unnecessary risks - and now they had to play along. Valerie leaned forward, trying to catch all words, biting her lips.

It seemed the two men were indeed chatting about the management of Studs’ dens of vice. But by the way they were talking about it one would say they had nothing to do with it. Was the stakeout going to be useless? They crouched in silence in the shadows, committing to memory all that was being said.

Suddenly Nick elbowed Valerie. She followed his nod and saw that Cassidy’s driver was not beside the car anymore. Actually he was nowhere to be seen. She swore heavily under her breath. They had both been so engrossed in the conversation that they had neglected to check the two drivers, like two rookies at their first mission. Damn. Her nerves must really be gone to hell, to forget such a vital detail.

Nick and Valerie exchanged another glance, then their eyes darted frantically on the rocks. Where was he? And was he armed?

*Well I remember
I remember don't worry
How could I ever forget, it's the first time
The last time we ever met
But I know the reason why you keep your silence up
No you don't fool me
The hurt doesn't show
But the pain still grows
It's no stranger to you or me*

Shane found Valerie’s car at a safe distance from the Little Alamo. All his suspicions were being confirmed. He saw the lights of the fort in the distance and started creeping towards them, drawing his gun. “Please, let me be in time,” he whispered.

He approached from the side of the building, keeping to the deep shadows thrown by the strong lamps. From that angle, he was invisible to the two men talking in front of the ruined building. With a jolt, he realised that over there on the other side of the fort were Nick and Val, hiding among the rubble... or at least, they thought they were hidden, and certainly they were, from the point of view of Cassidy and Guerra...

But not from the point of view of the driver who was creeping towards them among the rocks.

*And I can feel it coming in the air tonight,
Oh Lord
I've been waiting for this moment for all my life,
Oh Lord
I can feel it in the air tonight,
Oh Lord,
Oh Lord
And I've been waiting for this moment all my life,
Oh Lord,
Oh Lord*

The man on the rocks aimed. Shane had only time to think that it was the O’Connor quandary once again, only the man was no inexperienced teenager, he was a killer by the way he held the gun... “Above you!” he screamed.

The surprise froze for a moment all parties involved. Then Shane saw Valerie and Nick turn sharply towards the rocks. A quick exchange between them, and Nick tried to cover Guerra and Cassidy, while Valerie let loose a shot towards the apparent direction of the shooter, missing narrowly. The man rolled away. Shane couldn’t see him anymore. He jumped out of his cover, running along the wall of the fort. There was the killer, and he was lifting his gun once again.

Shane saw with the corner of his eye Cassidy and Guerra run towards the cars despite Nick’s intimations to stop. One less problem – he didn’t care about them now, only about helping Valerie and Nick. “Val!” he shouted. He fired at the man, but he was moving and his shot went wide, but at least Shane had managed to distract his attention from Valerie and – turn it against himself. Before he could bring his gun in line again, the man fired at him.

Shane felt a brutal, dull push in the middle of his chest, above the navel, that sent him staggering backward, his breath knocked out of him. The second shot got him high in the chest and slammed him against the wall of the Little Alamo with bone-crunching force. White light exploded before his eyes.

*Val...*

Gun slipping from his fingers, Shane crumpled to the ground, his arms over his face.

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Replies:

  • Re: Studs, Texas - Book Two - The Little Alamo III -- SoldierBlue, 14:30:00 12/21/02 Sat
  • Re: Studs, Texas - Book Two - Wait... -- dqfan, 14:06:02 12/22/02 Sun
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