by Dee J. Adams
“I don’t know,” Jess said, her eyes wide. “I never asked.”
“We need to contact Facinetti and get some answers. First we don’t do a thing until we’ve talked to your parents and your brothers. Then we find out if a trade will work instead of the money.”
“It might.” Jess sounded hopeful for the first time and it gave Tanner a foreign sense of something he hadn’t felt in years. Self-respect? Because for the first time in a long time he was doing something right? Hardly. No sense in deluding himself. He wanted the quickest way to get his hands on Juneau and if that meant helping Jess, so be it. He didn’t necessarily care if someone else killed Juneau as long as the man suffered. How many different places had Tanner been cornered and jumped in prison? How many punches and kicks had he taken all because prison was a violent place and Juneau had sent him there? He’d just assumed he’d be the one to inflict well-deserved damage on the bastard. But if handing him over to someone got the job done…why the hell not? The justice system sure as hell didn’t work and Tanner had no way to prove he’d been railroaded other than the smile Juneau had given him at the guilty verdict and his lawyer’s lack of concern.
Jess scrambled, unzipping her small dark backpack. She came up with a card in her shaking hand. “This is his number. I’m not supposed to call unless I have the money.”
“Tell him you’ll do better than the money and give him the man, but in the meantime, you want proof of life. You want to talk to every member of your family and then you’ll bring Facinetti what he wants.”
Worry crept into her s every member of your family c St. Johnmhining eyes. “What if he hurts one of them because I didn’t follow his instructions?”
“What if he’s already killed all of them and is waiting for you to do his dirty work anyway?” Yeah, he was pond scum, but she needed to look at all the angles. Tanner’s gut turned at the look of absolute horror on Jess’s face.
She looked at the card wobbling in her hand. “Pull over,” she said softly.
Why? Tanner went with his instinct anyway and eased the car onto the right shoulder. He’d lost their tail ten minutes ago, but still checked the rearview mirror and glanced over his shoulder at the road behind him. Empty.
Jess ran both hands through her hair giving it that electrocuted look before pulling her cell phone from her bag and punching in the numbers. After a slow, deep breath, she hit Talk and the call went through. “If you’re wrong… If he hurts them…” Her dark eyes drilled into his, her face lost its pixie quality as tension streamed off her. “I’ll kill you.”
Tanner believed she might try. He motioned her closer so he could hear the call and Jess adjusted the phone near his ear. He smelled the last traces of her flowery shampoo mixed with a little female sweat. His blood pressure spiked, but he shut down his reaction before it got hotter. He didn’t have time to think about what it might feel like to be really close to her. Close enough to get his mouth on her. Closer than he was right now with her knuckles grazing his stubble and her soft breath heating his cheek.
Dammit. Focus, Bryant.
A male voice sounded in his ear. “Ah, sweet Jess. You work fast. What do you have for me?” This had to be Facinetti. Clearly he’d been expecting her call.
Jess swallowed. “I want to talk to my parents and my brothers before I hand you what you want.”
“That wasn’t the deal and you don’t have any bargaining power.” Facinetti’s tone was low, deadly.
“We never made a deal,” she told him. “You took them and told me what to do. Now I’m telling you, if I don’t talk to every one of them, I don’t hand over the money or Maurice.” She sounded as tough as any inmate he’d ever known. “And I’ve decided that either one will do. I’ll either get you the money or the man.” She took a steadying breath. The girl had balls of steel. “For all I know you’ve…” she closed her mouth. Maybe she didn’t want to give him any ideas. Tanner didn’t blame her. “I talk to them or no deal.” Squeezing her eyes shut tight, she bit her bottom lip.
Facinetti paused a long time then finally said, “Hang on. It’s going to take a minute.” Jess’s eyes flashed open and the hopeful look on her face nearly decimated Tanner. Until Facinetti said one more thing. “The next time you call this number, you’d better have my money or I will kill your youngest brother, just as I promised and I’ll make the rest of your family watch. Hang up the phone and I’ll call you back.”
Even in the dark Tanner watched the blood drain from Jess’s cheeks. The fear took a job in the public defender back t him in her eyes multiplied. Cars whizzed past and occasionally rocked them as they waited. Jess stared at the phone as if it might reach out and bite her. The two minutes they waited felt like twenty and when the phone rang Jess jumped a mile.
Facinetti came on the line, his voice cold and heartless. “You’ve got sixty seconds so make it fast.”
“Jess?” a man asked. “Jess? Are you there?”
Tears swam in her eyes and she nodded. “Yes. Daddy, are y-you okay?” she stuttered. That simple little trait was a good tell for Tanner. It was one more piece of information about this girl that might come in handy in the future.
“Yeah, we’re fine. Just listen real good to what you’re told, understand? Everything will be fine, just listen to what you’re told.” A sound popped through the phone line and they heard protests and a grunt.
“Daddy?” What had they done to him?
“Jess?” Her mom’s voice sounded strong and sure.
“Mom? Are you okay?” Huge tears leaked from Jess’s eyes.
“We’re okay, baby. It feels like fifteen years since I’ve seen you.” More shuffling happened and a sharp slap popped over the phone.
“Leave her alone, asshole!” one of her brothers called out.
Eyes widening, Jess sat up straighter in the seat, her body a mass of tension. “Eric! Eric, is that you?”
More grunting and scuffling sounds happened before another deep voice spoke. “We’re okay, Junior,” he said. “Good thing you’re not here. You’d be miserable.” This time they heard a smack and more protests.
Tears streamed down Jess’s face.
“Jess, it’s Danny. Don’t let this asshole run you round in circles like a fucking merry-go-round.” Another smack and the phone moved on.
“Hey, smelly feet, it’s Blake.” He sounded muffled, almost as if he was talking through a fat lip. “I could really go for a snow cone right about now if—” More scuffling sounded and Jess looked frantic as the voices protested further.
“Goddammit!”
“You son of a bitch!”
“Leave him alone!”
Everyone was yelling something different and Jess looked as if she might implode from the inside out, squeezing the hair at the top of her head like she might pull out a fistful.
Huffing sounded over the line and a man said, “Jess?”
“Brendan?” Jess’s voice cracked on the edge of hysteria.
“It’s okay, Little J. We’re doing what we can, now it’s your turn.” A loud smack cracked over the wire an {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 0.0px; font: 100% ""} p.p.t him d Jess fell apart.
“You bastard! Leave them alone!” she screamed.
“Jess.” Facinetti’s voice came over the line as if he had a smile on his face. “Your family paid a price because of you tonight. Don’t make me have to do that again. Next time, they’ll have more than a few bumps and bruises and you’ll have one less brother.”
“You sick bastard.” The strangled words crawled from her throat. “I swear to God, you’re going to—”
Tanner squeezed her thigh and shook his head when she glanced at him. No need to provoke the guy further. She might want to assassinate the man, but it would have to wait until he didn’t have any leverage over her.
“The next time you call, I’ll expect a trade. I get what I want, and you get your family.” The phone went dead and Jess s
tared at it, lost in her tortured thoughts.
Tanner didn’t want her falling apart any more than she already was. “That’s good,” he said, gently taking the phone from her grasp as the screen went dark. “They’re all alive.”
Jess dropped her head into her hands and sobbed, heart wrenching noises that Tanner hadn’t heard since he’d been out of prison. The kind of cry that first timers sometimes couldn’t hide as they realized what prison really meant. Her despair settled like thick fog inside the car and made his chest ache.
“They all seemed pretty damn tough,” Tanner said quietly, a lame attempt to give her solace.
“They are.” Jess lifted her head and wiped her eyes fiercely. “They’d be pissed if they saw me crying like a baby.”
“You’re entitled.”
“Let’s go.” She rolled down her window as Tanner cranked the engine. “The faster we get to Maurice’s place the faster I can get them back safe.”
“Any idea on how we’re going to do this?” Tanner had planned the studio assault to the last detail, but he didn’t have a clue how to breach the man’s fortress-like house in Malibu. Tanner remembered his one visit from his weekender with Alex…the weekender that changed his life. The giant gated fence didn’t allow entry unless someone had a code or was buzzed in, and cameras monitored the estate.
“Yes, I’m going to walk into his house and demand that he fork over that money.”
“What if he doesn’t?” Despite working for him for three years, this girl apparently didn’t know Juneau very well. Or at all.
She shook her head. “That’s not an option. He has plenty of money. He has to do this. It’s my family we’re talking about. Life and death. He’ll do this.”
Tanner kept his mouth shut. Nope, she didn’t know her boss one bit. Hadn’t yet learned that the man only cared about himself. It didn’t matter. If she could get them in the house, he could take over from there
____________
The Malibu house had never scared Jess before, but tonight it took on a personality of its own. The black wrought iron seemed more like eagle talons ready to yank her off the sidewalk and devour her. Tall shrubs made visibility into the estate near impossible. Dark shadows hid chunks of the property and gave it a haunted feel. Jess fought off a shiver.
She strode up to the iron gate while Tanner hid in the thick bushes. A last minute thought had her twirling the bottom material of Tanner’s oversized T-shirt and knotting it at the back. The last thing she needed was Maurice asking her about her change of clothes or the fact that her shirt was suddenly four sizes too big.
Her pulse pounded spastically as she punched in the code and waited for the door to click open. Thank God she hadn’t pushed him to get another assistant when she took over the production coordinator job. The new position happened only because Caitlin’s husband had a car accident and she quit early to be with him. Knowing that after two weeks, she’d be unemployed otherwise, Jess had just managed to juggle both jobs. She had the codes to all Maurice’s homes. Knew how to access each one and lock up when she left. Being his assistant gave her access to almost everything. Just not the things Facinetti had hoped for. She never imagined she’d be using the knowledge for this purpose.
The gate buzzed and Jess opened the door. Security would see her and take little notice. Although it was almost midnight and she rarely came to any of the houses this late, occasionally Maurice needed her to do something last minute during production. He was famous for leaving paperwork behind at any one of his four houses in the Los Angeles area.
Some people had way too much money.
Jess hit the button on the outside intercom and waited for one of the guys to respond. She never hit the intercom, but her excuse would justify it, and if no one answered, then they’d have to try one of Maurice’s other residences. A few seconds later, Hector answered and she held in her relief. “Hi, it’s Jess. You might want to check the cameras on the back of the estate. I thought I saw someone creeping around.” She waited, silently counted to four and motioned Tanner forward. He ducked in after her and the door closed behind them with a click.
“You sure they didn’t just see me?” he asked.
“I’m sure. I told you, the cameras only get three parts of the estate at one time. They’ll be checking the sides and the back and they won’t see us here. They think it’s just me. Now remember, don’t do anything unless I give you a sign. Once he knows what’s going on, I’m sure he’ll do the right thing.” Jess started forward, but Tanner stopped her with an iron grip around her arm. He pulled her in close, towered over her the way he had earlier.
“This could get very hairy, Jess. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that Juneau will do the right thing.”
Snatching her arm out of his grasp, Jess took a step back and reclaimed her space. “He has to do the right thing. I won’t accept less. This goes way beyond money.” She turned and headed into the light every member of your familyle behind of the wide front porch. She stuck her key in the lock and opened the door, aware of the spooky silence in the big house. Maurice had to be here. This was where he came when he had to regroup. She’d never known anyone to spend so much time in all his houses. At first she’d thought it was sweet that he used all his homes on a regular basis, as if he liked them all and couldn’t decide which one to live in most. Now it dawned on her that maybe he did it as a form of protection. A way to throw off anyone looking for him.
Like an ex-con recently released from prison.
Jess didn’t see how she’d get the money she needed tonight. Could a man really write a check for eight million dollars? She doubted it. She also doubted the chances of Facinetti accepting a check. But Maurice could transfer the funds. She’d call Facinetti and get an account number and have Maurice transfer the money. Facinetti hadn’t said how he wanted his money, but this seemed the most logical.
After letting herself into the house, Jess leaned against the closed door. Finally, she was free of Tanner. The safety of knowing she had Maurice’s guys for protection made it easier to breathe. Once Maurice gave her the money, she’d figure out what to do about Tanner, but she’d wait on the off chance she still needed him.
Jess headed upstairs for Maurice’s office. He’d often told her he rarely went to bed before one, choosing to work in the silence of the night. “Maurice, are you in here?” She opened the door and found him behind his desk.
He quickly rose, his eyes wide, his mouth open. “Jess, are you all right? I mean I knew you would be, but I was still worried.”
Right. This from the man who’d ducked out and left her for dead when the bullets had been flying earlier. “How could you know?” she asked. “Didn’t it occur to you that I might’ve been hurt?” She would have loved to mention the fact that she had been hurt—shot, no less—but that could bring up too many questions she couldn’t answer. “I can’t believe you left me.” Surprise and hurt laced her tone.
“No one has any reason to hurt you and you’re standing here healthy so… Did you call the police? What are you doing here so late?”
“No, I didn’t call the police.” Why hadn’t he called them if someone wanted him dead? What was he hiding? “As far as I know no one on the lot knows anything happened.” Taking a deep breath, she searched for calm. She liked her boss less and less as the minutes ticked by. “Look, we never finished our conversation before and I really need to talk to you.” They had barely gotten started earlier! Maurice hadn’t returned her phone calls all day until early evening when he told her to meet him on the stage. When she had, he’d had the phone practically glued to his ear.
He looked at his watch. “It’s late, Jess. Just after midnight.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe you came all the way out here.” Maurice came around his desk and tried ushering her out, but Jess pulled away from him.
“I wouldn’t have made the trip if it wasn’t important. I need you to listen to me.” Anger knott
Maurice lifted his arms in a gesture of innocence and leaned against his desk. “Okay, I’m sorry. What did you need?”
Eight million dollars, but she sensed the need to work up to the point. “Paul Facinetti. Does that name ring a bell?”
Maurice kept a poker face. “What about him?”
“He wants his money and I’m asking, no demanding, that you give it to him.”
Maurice spread his arms, palms up. “You can ask or demand all you want and it won’t matter. The movie business is a crapshoot, just like gambling, and I’m sure Facinetti will come to realize it. He took a gamble and lost. The man gambles for a living…you’d think he’d understand the concept of losing money.” Maurice shrugged. “Is that all you need?” He moved toward the door again, dismissing her.
Anger and frustration swelled. “No! It’s not all I need. You don’t understand, Maurice. Facinetti has my family. He wants his money or he’s going to kill them, so I’m telling you to give the man his money back. He isn’t one of your normal investors and you can’t hope that he’ll just go away. Give him his damn money back.” Jess worked to even out her harsh breathing.
Turning, Maurice looked shocked. “He has your family?” He lifted his eyebrows in a sorrowful gesture. “Jess, I wish I could help, but…the money’s gone.”
Jess’s stomach flipped upside down. He was lying to her face. He had to be. “You have plenty of money, Maurice. Don’t give me that crap.”
“Seriously. A lot of it went to the permits, greased a few palms. It’s mostly gone.”
“There’s no way you spent eight million dollars on a film that never saw one day of production. I’ve turned my head for years, Maurice, watching how you played the Hollywood game, but you’re up against a man who doesn’t want to play. Give him his money.”
Maurice came toward her. “If he really has your family, you should go to the police.”
The room started to spin. Maurice didn’t seem too inclined to jump in and help resolve the situation. “I can’t go to the police,” she hissed, fisting her hands so tight that her nails dug into her palms. “He has cops on his payroll. Two of them have already made it clear I’m being watched and I have no idea how many more there could be. I can’t take the chance he’ll find out.” Jess blinked back tears. “Look, Maurice, you have to do this. It isn’t about the money. It’s about my family. It’s about doing the right thing.”