Deadly Escape

by Colleen Helme

  “It’s in here.” He led me out of his office into the hallway, and to a door across from the conference room. I’d never seen what was behind this door, so I couldn’t imagine what he hid inside.

  He pushed it open, and the lights came on automatically, lighting up an elegant office space similar to his own with wood wainscoting along the ceiling and floor. A beautiful cherrywood desk sat in the back corner, holding a computer, a phone, a pen holder, and other supplies beside it.

  The deep, golden lighting warmed the room. On the wall, an incredible painting took up the space, and my breath caught. With a spotlight shining down on it, the colors on the painting burst out in amazing detail. “Wow. That’s breathtaking.” I normally didn’t like contemporary art that much, but this piece captivated me.

  The vibrant colors of red and orange, with different hues of blue, splashed onto the canvas, bringing a sense of wonder and awe. The center, left side of the painting held a shape that almost looked like a colorful bird rising up through a cobalt blue sky, and some of the other spaces reminded me of red rocky cliffs towering in the darkness. As I studied the painting, I found it more and more intriguing and could hardly pull my gaze away.

  “It’s yours,” Uncle Joey said.

  “What?” I whirled to face him.

  His smile brought a twinkle to his eyes. “When I first saw it in the gallery, it reminded me of you. Kind of like a burst of color rising out of the darkness. I thought it fitting. You probably don’t realize it, but…I’ve changed since I’ve known you.” He dropped his gaze, wanting to say he wasn’t the same cold-hearted bastard I’d first met, but he didn’t like sounding so damned sentimental.

  “There’s something else I want to give you.” This was the part that made him uncomfortable. “It’s up to you of course, but…this office…it’s for you if you want to use it.”

  He glanced back at the painting. “You can take the painting home or leave it here. Whatever you decide is fine with me, but I thought it might be nice if you had your own office. That way you wouldn’t have to wait in the conference room, or go to the apartment for a break. You’d have a place to keep your purse and hang your coat.”

  He let out a breath and shrugged. “It’s not on the best side of the building. There’s no window, but the lighting’s nice and with the painting…” He finally met my gaze. “What do you think?”

  “I love it,” I said, swallowing back my astonishment. “This is really great. The painting…” I glanced at it and shook my head in wonder. “I can’t think of anything better on that wall.”

  I also understood exactly what this meant. I was a bona fide member of Uncle Joey’s organization. This office sealed the deal and scared the hell out of me. But he said he’d changed. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but it gave me hope.

  To lighten the situation, I asked the first question that popped into my mind. “So, do you think it would be okay to do my Shelby Nichols Consulting stuff from here too?” Uncle Joey’s eyes bulged, and I couldn’t help smiling. “I’m just kidding…sort of.”

  He huffed out a breath and shook his head. “I suppose we’ll have to work on that part, but I won’t say no…yet.”

  “Great, thanks. This is…awesome.”

  “Good.” With profound relief, he stepped back into the hallway, and I followed him to his office. “I don’t have anything else for you today, but you’re welcome to stay as long as you like. Oh…and I wanted to remind you to mark your calendar for a week from Wednesday. It’s Miguel’s graduation, and your family is invited to a barbeque at my house. Miguel’s excited to see all of you.”

  “Sure. That will be fun.”

  He nodded and sat down behind his desk. “I also heard Josh got the job at the country club. That’s good.”

  “Yeah, he’s excited about it.”

  Uncle Joey was thinking that he needed to talk to Chris. It was high time he sponsored us for a spot in the club. “Okay…good. Well…I’ll be in touch.”

  “Sure. See you.” I stepped back into the hall, then opened the door to my office for one more look at the painting that Uncle Joey said reminded him of me. Warmth filled my heart, and I smiled with happiness. That was pretty darn cool.

  I stepped out of my office and started down the hall. Standing in front of Jackie’s desk stood a woman with chin-length, dark hair. Jackie was telling her that Uncle Joey was in his office, so she could head on down.

  The woman turned, and I stopped short to find Erika Reva standing there. What the hell was she doing here? As her startled gaze caught mine, she stopped in her tracks. Her thoughts mirrored mine as she wondered what the hell I was doing there. How did I know Manetto? Wasn’t I with the police?

  Deciding she’d come too far now to stop, she continued forward with her lips pressed flat in firm determination.

  “Hello,” she said. “I guess you know that Leo’s back in custody?”

  “Uh…yeah. I heard. We’re happy he’s back behind bars.”

  “Yes. Me too.” She was happy about that part, but not that Manetto was still alive. Everything she’d worked for depended on Manetto’s death. Now it was all for nothing unless she took care of it herself. She just hoped her plan would work…later rather than sooner. It all hinged on this last-ditch effort, and then, finally, the money would be hers.

  Sweat beaded on her upper lip, and her gaze darted past me to Uncle Joey’s office. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m meeting with Mr. Manetto.”

  I knew she was up to no good, so I decided to join her. “Oh, sure, but let me introduce you. Uncle Joey might not be too happy you’re here, but I can smooth the way.”

  Her eyes widened with shock. I was his niece? After her initial astonishment faded, she pushed it away and nodded. But I caught her trepidation that she was entering the lion’s den. I knocked on Uncle Joey’s door and opened it wide to enter, holding it open for her to follow me inside.

  Uncle Joey’s surprised gaze caught mine, and he raised an eyebrow, wanting to know what was going on. “Uncle Joey. Allow me to introduce Erika Reva, Leo’s daughter.” Before either of them could say anything, I continued, “She’s here to kill you.”

  Erika jerked like I’d slapped her, and took a quick step toward the door to escape. I deftly closed the door and planted my feet in front of it like a guard. Folding my arms, I narrowed my gaze and raised a brow. “You don’t have a gun, so how were you planning to do it?”

  She thought about the poison in her purse. Then she glanced frantically between me and Uncle Joey, thinking there was no way she would admit to anything. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Sure you do,” I said. “I just don’t understand why you’re willing to kill Uncle Joey. What kind of a bargain did you make with Leo?”

  She kept her mouth shut, and I couldn’t hear anything from her thoughts, but I could tell she was close to the breaking point. “Do you want me to call the police and tell them about the poison in your purse? I’ll tell them you helped Leo, and you’ll end up in prison just like him.”

  Her pulse raced with bewilderment. How did I know that? She hadn’t told a soul. “No. You can’t. I didn’t…he made me do it. This is all wrong.” She finally broke down, and tears sprang from her eyes. I moved the chair in front of Uncle Joey’s desk closer to her and gently pushed her into it. I also grabbed a couple of tissues and dropped them into her hands.

  “What did Leo ask you to do?” I asked. “You can tell us.”

  Her tears slowed, and she glanced at me but hardly dared look in Uncle Joey’s direction. “He contacted me about six months ago and told me he was dying of cancer. I had no idea he was my father, but after talking to my mom, she told me the truth.”

  She twisted the tissues in her hands and began to tear them into little pieces, not wanting to talk, but not sure how she could get out of it.

  “Go on,” I prodded, then raised my brows. “Unless you want me to call the police?”

  She let out an
exasperated breath. “I know it was wrong. I shouldn’t have agreed to do what he wanted, but it didn’t seem so hard. He had everything worked out so nothing would come back to me. He even told me how to schedule a trip at the same time that he escaped, so I’d have an alibi.”

  “Oh…now I get it,” I said. “And I know what you did. After your flight, you drove six hours back here to help him. Then you drove back so you could fly home and no one would know you’d been here.”

  “That’s right,” she said, speaking to me instead of Uncle Joey. “But Leo’s plan didn’t work. He told me that if he failed to kill Manetto, I wouldn’t get any money. After he got caught yesterday, I knew it was up to me.”

  She glanced at Uncle Joey, her gaze pleading. “I’m sorry. I never should have agreed to any of this. It’s a lot of money, and I’m deeply in debt…so I have my reasons.” She swallowed. “Having that money would have solved all my problems. But that’s no excuse for what I did.”

  “It’s not,” Uncle Joey agreed. “How much money did he promise you?”

  “Fifteen million,” she said.

  “And you have to kill me to get it?” She nodded, and he continued, “What if he dies first?”

  “I don’t know what happens then. It’s up to his lawyers. But if you die, Leo signs the paper that turns the money over to me. That’s all I know.”

  Uncle Joey clasped his fingers together on his desk and studied Erika. “Thirty years ago, Leo stole about three and a half million dollars from me.”

  Erika’s brows drew together, and she wondered what that had to do with anything. I picked up Uncle Joey’s idea and held back a smile. It was the perfect answer for them both if Erika agreed to it. Although there was the little problem that she’d helped an escaped murderer and should go to jail.

  “I understand that Leo doesn’t have long to live?” he asked her.

  “That’s right,” Erika agreed, perking up. “Why?”

  “Well, I might be willing to help you out, for a price.”

  She sat up straight. “I’m listening.”

  He shrugged. “It’s quite simple, really. Keep in touch with him. Tell him you’re going to kill me, but you have to wait for the right time. When he has a week or a few days left to live, you get in touch with me and I provide you with evidence that I’m dead. It won’t be real, but if Leo’s on his deathbed, he won’t know the difference. After he signs the documents to okay the money transfer to you, then you can pay me my share…with interest, and we’ll call it good.”

  “You’d do that for me?”

  “No Erika. Not for you. You were going to kill me. But I’m willing to let it go to get my money back.”

  Her brows rose. Then she realized he’d said ‘plus interest,’ and she wondered just how much of it she’d have to give up. “So you’re talking about thirty years of interest on three million dollars?”

  “Three point five to be exact, but yes, that’s what I’m offering.”

  “How much is that going to be?”

  “Do we have a deal, or not?” he asked her.

  She glanced at me, wondering what I thought. I shrugged. “You could always go to jail. You know I have friends at the police department who would be interested to know how you helped Leo. I’m sure with a little digging they could find enough evidence to put you away for a long time.” Wow, I sounded just like Uncle Joey, but since I was still angry about Leo, it didn’t bother me too much.

  “Okay. I’ll agree. As long as there’s a reasonable amount of the money left for me.”

  Uncle Joey glanced my way, wondering if she was telling the truth, or if she still planned to kill him at some point.

  “Erika,” I said, catching her undivided attention. “Just so you know…this deal only works as long as Uncle Joey remains unharmed. If he dies for any reason, I go straight to the police.”

  “Uh…sure, okay. I can agree to that.” She glanced between me and Uncle Joey, then met his gaze. “And I agree to your terms.” Hope swelled in her heart. She’d never once thought it could turn out like this. If she would have known how reasonable Uncle Joey was, she would have talked to him first. He was nothing like Leo…the scumbag.

  Uncle Joey nodded. “Good. And just to make it official, I’ll have a contract drawn up for you to sign. I’ll call you when it’s ready, and I’ll make sure all the particulars are spelled out in black and white so there’s no question about how much of that money you’ll owe me.”

  “Okay,” she agreed, letting out a breath. “Let me give you my number.” She pulled a business card from her purse and set it on the desk.

  They both stood, but Uncle Joey didn’t reach out to shake her hand. He had his limits, and that was one of them.

  “Before you go,” I began. “I want the poison you brought.”

  With her lips pressed into a grim line, she pulled a small, brown bottle from her purse. She was thinking it was all she had left and, by giving it up, she would lose her edge. Could she trust me and Manetto once it was gone?

  “It will help seal the deal,” I said. “Otherwise, I’m not sure I can agree not to turn you in, no matter what my uncle says.”

  She huffed out a breath and set it in my open palm. Careful not to get my fingerprints on it, I pulled a tissue from the box and wrapped it up. “Thanks.”

  After setting it on Uncle Joey’s desk, I smiled at her and opened the door. She sent me a quick glance, thinking I was just as bad as my uncle, before fleeing like a scared rabbit. I watched her until she disappeared from view, then turned back to Uncle Joey.

  “Well, I guess that answers what Leo was thinking about yesterday. So how are you going to convince him you’re dead?”

  He smiled and shrugged. “Easy. I’ll have a fake obituary made. She’ll show Leo. He’ll be too close to death to know it’s not real, and I’ll see to it that his lawyer confirms it.”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him how he was going to do that, but I just smiled instead. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Thanks for sticking around. Having your own office is already paying off.” He sent me a grin. “So tell me how she planned to poison me.”

  “She was going to put a few drops into your coffee cup.” I motioned to the cup on his desk.

  “She was taking a chance on getting that close to me,” he said. “But I guess a distraction could have done it. I’m glad she didn’t succeed.”

  “Me too,” I agreed. “What are you going to do with this?” I pointed to the poison.

  “Don’t worry about it. I have a special place for things like that.” He planned to store it with the other information he had on people as insurance to make sure they stayed in line.

  As I nodded with comprehension, Ramos stepped inside the office. He’d heard that last exchange and his brows rose. “Did I miss something?”

  He was dressed in full motorcycle mode, with his black leather jacket, boots, and jeans. He carried a leather messenger bag, stuffed full of money, and a gun barely visible in a shoulder-holster under his jacket.

  With the shadow of beard on his face, and his aviator motorcycle glasses, he was one smokin’ hot man. My stomach tightened, and my face flushed. If I wasn’t careful, I might even start to drool. Frowning, I took an irritated breath. Couldn’t I control myself better than that?

  A slow grin spread over his lips before he swung the bag of money off his shoulder and stepped next to the safe. He deftly opened it and began stacking money inside. “So, what happened?”

  “You’ll never believe who came to visit,” Uncle Joey began.

  Between the two of us, we explained what had happened with Erika’s visit and her plan to kill Uncle Joey, along with the bargain he’d made with her.

  Ramos shook his head. “She’s not going to be happy when she finds out you’ll get it all.”

  My brows rose. “Whoa, really? The rate of interest for thirty years on three point five million is fifteen million?”

  Uncle Joey shrugged. “Tha
t’s at only five percent. I could have made a lot more with that money in the stock market, or with one of my investments. But don’t worry, Shelby. I won’t take all of it.” He was thinking he’d leave her with one million, or enough to cover her debts. But he’d have to see how he felt first, since that was quite generous after what she’d done.

  “I guess you’re right. We mustn’t forget that she helped Leo.”

  “Exactly. And I might need to soften his lawyer up with a payout to ensure his cooperation. But that’s something for another day.”

  “Yeah…well, I should get going.” I glanced at Ramos. “Have you seen my new office?”

  “No,” he said, thinking that he’d heard about it but hadn’t seen it yet. It surprised him that I was so enthusiastic. It definitely wasn’t the reaction he’d expected. Maybe I was okay with working for Manetto after all.

  “Come on. I’ll show you.” He followed me into my new office and listened while I showed off. “Don’t you love the painting?”

  “Yeah. It’s great. Does this mean you’re going to spend more time here?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s nice to have a space of my own, and the painting is beautiful.”

  “Yeah.” His gaze caught mine, and he was thinking that Uncle Joey wasn’t the only one with a soft spot for me. “I think I’m ready to set something up with Javier. Will you send him another email? Maybe see if this weekend will work?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks, Shelby.” He stepped close, and his lips twisted into a wry smile. “Try not to get into any trouble while I’m gone.”

  “You mean like getting a bomb strapped to my chest?” He nodded and my gaze dropped. “I’m sure glad you came with me…if you hadn’t been there…”

  “Don’t,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m just glad it all worked out.” Then his smile widened, and he started to chuckle.

  “What’s so funny?”

  He lowered his gaze, then glanced up at me, his eyes filled with mirth, and he wondered if he should tell me.

  “Tell me what?”

  He shook his head, then gave in. “You called me Romeo.”