Deadly Escape

by Colleen Helme

  Finding that Leo was still at-large, I went ahead with my plans, deciding to wear something that most resembled what I pictured a sassy private investigator wearing. My new black jeans, along with my black leather motorcycle jacket, over a purple, scoop-neck stretch tee would work. Slipping on my black ankle-boots to complete the outfit, a pleased smile tilted my lips. The only thing missing from my ensemble was a gun, but I put my fully charged stun-flashlight in my purse instead.

  I drove to Thrasher and entered the office. Ramos glanced up from the reception desk, surprising me that it was him instead of Jackie. His glance roamed over my outfit with appreciation, and he thought I looked pretty hot. Then he thought I’d obviously dressed for a motorcycle ride, and a slow grin spread over his lips.

  “Uh…hey there. So…where’s Jackie?” My face flamed. Could I be any more obvious?

  “They decided to head to New York early. Under the circumstances, I thought it was a good move, but it took some convincing to get Manetto to leave.”

  I relaxed now that the focus wasn’t on me. “Oh yeah, I’ll bet. He’s not a fan of anyone who grovels, is a double-crosser, or runs, so I can understand that.”

  Ramos grinned. “That’s right. But, with him gone, I don’t have to worry so much about his safety. Now I can focus on finding Leo before he finds Manetto.”

  He was thinking that it also gave the police and the U.S. Marshall time to do their jobs. Manetto wanted Leo dead, but this way Ramos didn’t have to worry that Manetto would kill him, and somehow end up in prison. Ramos was more than willing to let the police do it.

  “That makes sense,” I said. “So are you closing the office?”

  “No. We don’t want anyone to know that Manetto’s gone, so we’re keeping up appearances. If Leo stops by, we want to be ready. I’m just waiting for Ricky and his girlfriend to get here before we head out. Aubree’s accepted the position of receptionist for the day, and Ricky’s going to keep tabs on the office and surveillance cameras in case Leo shows up.”

  “Got it.”

  “I’ve got the address to Chad Decker’s office. It’s not far. Do you want to take the bike?”

  “You know it!” I said, hardly able to contain my excitement.

  We heard the elevator doors open. A second later, Aubree stepped into the office with Ricky right behind her. She wore a fitted navy sheath dress and a navy jacket with white piping around the edges, looking elegant and sophisticated. She had long brown hair, and a sweet face with a cute, perky nose.

  Ricky wore a business suit and, with his short, cropped hair and clean-shaven jaw, he looked like a successful millennial. He introduced Aubree to me, and she smiled with warmth.

  “I’ve heard so much about you, Shelby,” she gushed. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” She was thinking that I was just as pretty and nice as she’d imagined. That brought a big smile to my face.

  Ricky introduced her to Ramos, and she got a little tongue-tied. “Uh…it’s nice to meet you, too.” She thought he was handsome, for sure, but that dangerous hit-man vibe scared her, and she didn’t want to get too close. She knew all about the organization, but she’d never seen it up close and personal.

  But since it was part of who Ricky was, she wanted to prove that she could be a part of it too, and had gladly accepted the opportunity to help out. She reminded herself that there were a lot of perks working for Uncle Joey, so she swallowed her reservations and moved toward Jackie’s desk.

  “Thanks for filling in,” Ramos said. “I’ll be in touch.”

  I said my goodbyes and left with Ramos. After the elevator doors shut, he glanced at me. “Well, what do you think about Aubree?”

  “She’ll do great. She was a little nervous, but she wants to help out, and she loves Ricky.”

  “Do you think she’ll have second thoughts?”

  I wanted to say that if she was smart, she would, but I kept it to myself. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

  Ramos lifted a brow. “You can say what you really think to me, Shelby.”

  “Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

  He grinned. “You think she’s nuts to get involved. You’re probably wondering why anyone would get involved with a mob-boss.”

  Since he got that exactly right, I didn’t know what to say. I finally shrugged. “Well, we both know how dangerous it can be, but I guess there are some perks.”

  He was thinking that he’d met me, so it wasn’t all bad.

  A blush crept up to my cheeks, and I sent him a quick smile of gratitude as the doors opened. I followed Ramos to his bike, and he popped the trunk on his car and grabbed both helmets. After handing mine to me, he exchanged his blazer for his leather motorcycle jacket, and I couldn’t help admiring how nice it looked on him.

  Before he noticed, I pulled my hair back and slipped on the helmet. After fastening the strap, and pulling down the visor, I climbed on behind Ramos. I flipped the passenger pegs down for my feet and slid my arms around Ramos’s waist. I took a deep breath to inhale his scent, knowing that he’d picked that up, but I didn’t care. Since this was the only physical contact I could have with him, I might as well enjoy it.

  As we roared out of the parking garage, I held on tight. A thrill of excitement rushed through me, sending my heart racing. What a rush. Before I could feel too guilty, I rationalized that this perfect combination of Ramos and a Harley would make any woman go a little crazy.

  Unfortunately, the ride was just as short as Ramos said, and we soon stood inside the office of Decker & Arnold. The receptionist wasn’t about to let us see Chad without an appointment, even with Ramos’s charm at work, so I waved my honorary police badge under her nose, grateful I’d slipped it into my purse, and told her I was a consultant with the police.

  Fortunately for us, she relented, and told us to wait while she let him know. We waited for at least ten minutes before she led us to his office. Chad sat behind a huge, oak-wood desk, with another six-foot tall cabinet filled with legal books behind him, making him seem smaller than he was. His gray hair had thinned on top, and he wore glasses with big, square rims.

  “Please come in,” he said. “What can I do for you?” He was thinking that this was probably about Leo, and a sense of dread washed over him. He hated representing a killer, and if he could tell us anything that would help, he would. Still, there was the attorney-client privilege he was duty-bound to honor.

  “Thanks,” I said. “We’re here because of Leo Tedesco’s escape from prison yesterday. We know you’ve been meeting with him regularly, and we’re hoping you might be able to help us find him.”

  “I wish I could,” he said. “But I have no idea where he is or what he’s up to. His escape was a surprise to me.”

  “Why did you visit him?”

  “I manage his estate and needed to visit him periodically to keep him up to date.” A letter would have done the job, but Leo had set up a retainer and money to keep his services. Leo was smart to do that, and Chad had done the job he’d been hired to do, but he was tired of the whole thing.

  Now that Leo had only a few months to live, the end was in sight. Too bad he’d escaped. It was a stupid move, but Chad knew revenge was a huge motivator. Now Leo had involved his daughter, and Chad hoped she knew what she was doing.

  “We know his daughter, Erika, visited him in prison,” I said. “Do you know anything about that?”

  “No. I’m afraid I can’t help you.” He was thinking that Erika had her own issues to deal with.

  “Do you represent her, too?”

  “I thought you wanted to know about Leo. He hasn’t contacted me, and I have no idea where he might be. Now, if that’s all, I have work to do.”

  A knock sounded at the door, and his secretary poked her head in. “Excuse me, but there’s a U.S. Marshall here to see you.”

  Chad glanced at me with confusion, but before I could explain, Deputy Gerard and one of his agents barged in. Gerard stopped short to see me. “Nichols.” His brows drew tog
ether, and he glanced between me and Ramos, wondering what the hell was going on. “Why are you here?”

  Crap! My stomach tightened with panic. Was this really happening? “Just following a lead,” I said, getting to my feet and moving toward the door. “We’re done, so we’ll get out of your way.”

  “Just a minute. Did Chief Winder put you up to this?” He didn’t like the chief undermining his investigation, but he couldn’t think of another reason for my presence. And who the hell was that guy with me? He didn’t look like any of the cops he’d met.

  “Uh…yeah…sort of, but don’t forget that we’re all on the same team. We all want to catch Leo, right? That’s the goal, so the more people on it, the better. How about I head over to the precinct and share what I’ve found? I’ll leave you to chat with Mr. Decker, and I’ll meet you there.”

  Gerard didn’t like letting me off so easy, but he’d give me and the chief hell once we were back at the station. “Fine. I look forward to your report.”

  I nodded my head and smiled, then hurried out the door. Ramos followed behind, and I high-tailed it out of the office, relieved to get away. Neither of us said a word until we got on the elevator. “That was awkward,” I said.

  Ramos’s brows rose. He thought I’d handled it well, but I might have just burned a bridge with the police chief. “Are you really going to the precinct?”

  “I think I’d better. I need to see if I can smooth things out with Dimples and the chief before Gerard gets there.”

  “Babe. It might be too late for that.”

  “Maybe, but with my information about Erika, I think there’s a chance to salvage it.”

  Interest brightened his eyes. “What did you find?”

  “Leo’s leaving Erika everything, but it came with the stipulation that she visit him regularly until his death. Chad was thinking that Leo must have gotten her to help him escape, and that they’d planned the whole thing together.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “For the fifteen million dollars he promised to leave her.”

  Ramos nodded, thinking that now it made sense. Money was always a great motivator. “You going to tell them that?”

  “I think so. I mean…if she helped plan everything, then they can focus on her movements, her credit cards, and her phone, to get an idea of where Leo might be hiding out. It’s a huge break.”

  “True. They might forgive you for that.”

  “I sure hope so.”

  He felt a little sorry for me, but not as much as he should, probably because he didn’t like that I helped the police. And if they fired me, figuratively speaking, he thought that would be a step in the right direction. He didn’t like the detective I called Dimples much, mostly because he seemed a little too protective of me. He was a wild card, someone who wouldn’t hesitate to help me out by arresting him or Uncle Joey, whether I agreed to it or not.

  A pang of remorse tightened my stomach. Did that mean Ramos couldn’t trust me? After he’d saved my life a few times, handing him over to the police seemed traitorous. The elevator doors opened, and we stepped out, then headed toward Ramos’s motorcycle. He handed me my helmet, but before I put it on, I caught his gaze. “You know I’d tell you, right?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “If he was going to do something to get you or Uncle Joey arrested. I’d know, and I’d tell you before it ever happened. I’d never turn you in. You know that, right?”

  His eyes softened. “I know.”

  Relieved that he believed me, I slipped on my helmet and climbed onto the motorcycle behind him. He started it up, and I held on tight. I knew the ride wouldn’t take long, but Ramos surprised me by taking a different route, away from the busy downtown area and up above the city, along the road that led past the cemetery.

  We followed the winding road for a while before heading back toward the downtown area, extending the ride for a good fifteen minutes. My heart warmed, knowing he’d done that just for me. We pulled into the parking garage of Thrasher Development, and Ramos parked the bike.

  He took my helmet and stashed it back into the trunk of his car. In front of the elevator, I paused to say goodbye. “You sure you don’t want to come up for a Diet Coke before you face the lion’s den?”

  I smiled. “No. As much as I’d like that, I need to talk to Dimples, before I have to face Gerard, so we can strategize.”

  “Okay. Let me know what happens.”

  “Will do. See you.” I started toward my car while Ramos pushed the button to call the elevator. I picked up that he hoped my information would help them find Leo soon. I couldn’t agree more and turned to give him a thumbs up.

  A black SUV drove past, blocking my view of Ramos. To my surprise, it stopped right in front of me, and two men dressed in suits stepped out. They flanked me, while a woman stepped from the passenger door of the car and slipped off her sunglasses.

  Her dark hair was pulled back into a no-nonsense ponytail, and she wore a navy jacket over navy dress slacks with a white button-up shirt, but I immediately recognized her.

  Sloan? Alarm tightened my chest, and my breath caught. Sloan was a federal agent, and she and Ramos had been involved with a gun dealer a few months ago. She’d nearly gotten him killed. What was she doing here?

  “You need to come with us,” she said.

  Chapter 5

  “Uh…I don’t think so,” I said, backing up.

  “It’s a matter of national security. I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.” She glanced at the men and dipped her head, giving them clear instructions to bring me by force if I didn’t cooperate.

  As they moved in, panic knotted my stomach. “Wait. What do you mean? You can’t just take me away.”

  “Stop right there.” Ramos had circled the SUV and stepped to my side. He didn’t have a gun, but the menace he carried brought the men to a standstill. He glanced at Sloan, and his gaze narrowed. With his voice a low growl he said, “What are you doing here?”

  “Ramos, this doesn’t involve you. My boss needs to talk with Shelby. That’s all.”

  “Why?”

  “I honestly don’t know, but it’s my job to take her to him.” She faced him squarely to let him know there would be no compromising. “I mean it.”

  He got the message and frowned. “Then I’m coming with her.”

  “No,” she said, her voice sharp. “You can’t come.”

  “Either I go with her, or she doesn’t leave here. Take your pick.”

  Sloan’s gaze narrowed with frustration. She’d made a promise to Ramos the last time they’d been together never to involve him in her work again, and she didn’t want to break it. “Ramos, trust me, you don’t know what you’re asking. I can’t let you come.” She stood firm, not about to back off.

  “Uh…Sloan? Can you give me a moment to talk to Ramos?” Before she could answer, I tugged on his arm, and pulled him away.

  His lips thinned in frustration, but he followed me back between two parked cars. “Look,” I said, speaking softly so Sloan wouldn’t hear me. “I appreciate that you want to come with me, but she’s thinking it’s not a good idea for you to get involved with her boss. Have you ever met him?”

  “No.” Ramos shook his head, thinking that he’d done his best to stay out of that man’s way, but Sloan was going too far now. “Do you know why she wants you?”

  “No. Unfortunately, she’s telling the truth. She doesn’t know what this is about, but there’s something I forgot to tell you.” I paused to swallow and darted a peek at his face. His brows drew together and his lips turned down. Yikes.

  “Uh…Blake called me a couple of weeks ago and told me that his boss might want to meet me. He said it was because of what happened in Paris.” Ramos swore under his breath and wondered why I hadn’t mentioned that. “Uh…because I was hoping he’d forget.”

  Ramos closed his eyes on a sigh, and shoved his hand through his hair. “I appreciate that you want to protect me, but I don’t trus
t Sloan. I meant what I said, either I come with you, or you don’t go at all.”

  I raised my brow. “Are you serious?”

  “Dead serious.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that, but what could I do? Although it would be nice to have Ramos beside me, I didn’t want to put him in a precarious position with a government agent. I glanced back at Sloan, and her face flushed. She didn’t like how closely I stood next to Ramos, and she didn’t like that we were objecting. She was supposed to swoop in, grab me, and get out. Why did Ramos have to complicate things? I must mean more to him than she thought, and her heart broke a little.

  Ugh! Why did I have to be in the middle of this? I couldn’t see a way out right now, but I could hope that Ramos would change his mind once we knew what was going on. If it wasn’t anything dangerous, he’d probably let me go without him.

  Against my better judgement, I gave in to Ramos’s demands. “Okay.”

  We walked back to the SUV, and I spoke to Sloan. “I guess if you want me to go, he’s coming, too.”

  I heard a growl of frustration in her mind. She hesitated, mentally muttering several swear words before giving in. She sent Ramos a cold stare that left no doubt of her anger.

  “Then get in. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” That last part was intended for Ramos, but he didn’t hesitate and followed me inside the SUV. I sat in the middle seat, and Ramos sat beside me while the two men squeezed into the third seat in the back. Sloan took her spot in the passenger seat.

  I had to admit that having Ramos beside me made this whole situation easier to handle. I hoped that didn’t make me a coward, or one of those helpless females everyone abhorred. But it was sweet that he was worried about me, unless it was more about seeing Sloan again. What was going on with that?

  No one spoke, but I heard enough to burn my brain into a bunch of little pieces: mostly swearing, and a whole lot of frustration, from Sloan and Ramos. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they hated each other, but underneath that layer of hate and distrust was something more akin to love…or maybe it was just plain old lust? Since I knew Ramos didn’t trust her, there couldn’t be an abiding love on his part, because everyone knows you can’t truly love someone that you don’t trust.