Vegas heat

by Michaels, Fern

  "No. I won't let that happen. You just want it because of Ash. You said you hated this town, this casino. That was all a he. I'm stupid, but Simon, you're even more stupid. If you had come here with me, I probably never would have caught on to you because I loved you so much. You couldn't come though, could you? Ash would have seen through you in the blink of an eye. That was your first mistake. Everything else you've tried has been a mistake, too. Your mother must be having a fit."

  "Mom would want me to have Babylon."

  "If that's true, Simon, why didn't she make provisions for you to have it?"

  "Fanny, you're right, you are stupid. She didn't know I wanted it."

  "It's the red and yellow lollipop. The rules changed, Simon. I'm not Sallie and this red lollipop is a billion-dollar industry. The only way you might have a shot at this is over my dead body, and even then the kids inherit, not you."

  "Nobody lives forever," Simon said, then added, "I always liked the kids."

  "This is going nowhere." Fanny shoved her cart at Simon's cart, making it spin out of the way. She literally ran down the rest of the aisle to the checkout counter. Ragged little puffs of air exploded from her mouth as she tossed her groceries onto the counter. She looked over her shoulder a dozen different times before she made her way to the parking lot. Simon was nowhere in sight.

  It wasn't until she was back in the apartment with the door locked that Fanny drew a deep breath. Coffee in hand, she

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  dialed the business office of the telephone company and was issued an unlisted number on the spot. She then called down to the office to tell Bess to call everyone and give them her new number. "It will go into effect at noon. Call the rehab center first. I have to call Ash, so I'll give him the number."

  Fanny put away the groceries, her mind racing. Maybe she shouldn't call Ash. Maybe she should go up the mountain. Her sixth sense, the one that always kicked in when trouble loomed, was kicking in now. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew Simon was going to go up the mountain. She yanked the plug from the electric coffeepot, grabbed her purse and ran to the elevator. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Call Ash, warn him. Have him take the kids to Chue's house.

  Fanny raced back into the apartment, dialed Ash's number, her foot tapping the floor as she waited to hear his voice. ' 'Ash, it's Fanny. Send the kids down to Chue's. I'm on my way up the mountain. I think Simon is on his way as we speak. No, I'm not sure. It's my gut instinct. Just do it, Ash. Then go down to the studio and lock yourself in. I had special locks put on a long time ago. Your brother wants your billion-dollar yellow lollipop."

  Fanny's eyes were everywhere as she barreled up the mountain at ninety miles an hour—directly ahead, in the scrub at the side of the road, in the trees, in the rearview mirror. It was all a blur until she reached Chue's house. She slowed, the car fishtailing in the middle of the road. "Block the road, and if Simon shows up, he'll have to make the rest of the way on foot. He'll leave his car. Push it over the mountain, Chue. I mean it, don't think twice. Then pile everyone into your truck and head for Babylon. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, Fanny."

  "Where's Ash?"

  "In the studio."

  "Okay." Fanny backed up the car and drove the rest of the way at a sedate eighty miles an hour. She skidded to a halt. She looped her purse around her neck as she ran from the car,

  the door hanging wide open. She was breathless when she reached the studio. "It's me, Ash. Open the door!"

  "Fanny, what in the goddamn hell is going on? You damn near gave me heart failure."

  "What do you think you would have felt if I hadn't called you and Simon got here before me? He cornered me in the supermarket. He's been following me, stalking me. Ash, he said ... he said if Sallie had known he wanted Babylon, she would have given it to him. He believes that. He means to get it. Last night was just a game. It didn't mean a thing to him. He just wanted us to spin our wheels to show us what he can do if he wants to really get us going. I looked in his eyes, Ash. I couldn't see anything because there was nothing to see. He's gone."

  "What makes you think he's coming here? Why would he come here?"

  "For you. Think, Ash, he can't get the yellow lollipop unless you give it up. Sallie isn't here to take it from you. That means he has to step out of character and snatch it himself. Sallie isn't here to approve or disapprove of what he does."

  "Fanny, I'm having trouble with this. Do you think he's going to push me off the mountain?''

  "Yes, Ash, I do."

  "You should have called the police."

  "Get real. He hasn't done anything. It's like last night all over again. The police can't do a thing, and you and I both know it."

  "Is it your intention for the two of us to hide out here in this studio forever? You must realize I have a slight disability here."

  "We need to get out of here. I'm taking you back down the mountain. Chue is taking his family, Mitzi, Nellie, and the kids as soon as Simon shows up. He's coming, Ash. I know he is."

  "Then why aren't we leaving?"

  "Because we'll pass him on the road and he'll just turn around and race us back down. Who do you think is going to go over the side, the car in front or the car in back?''

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  "You're saying my brother wants to kill me. I don't want to believe that."

  "You damn well better believe it, Ash. With me here he gets two for the price of one. He said no one lives forever. The Simon I spoke to in the grocery store is not the Simon either one of us knows. That Simon is gone. He looks so normal. He functions, and that's what boggles my mind. He was cleanshaven, he'd had a haircut, he was creased and pressed. He even smelled good. Listen, Ash, I don't want to die. I have things to do and places to go. I want to enjoy my children and grandchildren. I don't have a plan if that's your next question."

  "What?"

  "I can't anticipate him. You have to do that. You know him. He's in a place I've never been. You've been there. You lived in that place. What will he do? How far will he go to get what he wants? What's his Achilles' heel? Does he have a breaking point? I don't know those things. Look. I might be wrong Maybe I didn't read him right."

  "No, you're not wrong. Simon has no Achilles' heel. He has no breaking point. He's always been totally fearless. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He used to hold his breath until he turned blue and passed out. Mom was scared out of her wits when he'd do that. She'd hold him and rock him and croon to him and then she'd give him what he wanted. It didn't matter what it was. If he'd wanted my skin, she would have ripped the hide right off my body. He has no conscience. I always thought everyone had a conscience of one kind or another. I never met anyone who didn't, except Simon."

  "I hear a car, Ash."

  Ash's face turned as white as the shirt he was wearing.

  "I told Chue to block the road with his vehicles and when Simon got out to walk, he was to push his car over the mountain at which point he'll head for town. It's you and me, Ash."

  "It's always been you and me, Fanny."

  "To a degree. I'm your legs, tell me what to do. I know this mountain like the back of my hand. I can lure him away from here and that will give you time to get in the van and partway

  down the mountain. I'll meet you at some point. I'll tell him you went with Chue and the kids. I think he'll believe that. He'll think I came here to get you to safety because I still love you. He wants to believe that."

  "Do you, Fanny?"

  Fanny made no pretense of not understanding. "A small part of me will always love you, Ash. I would never deny that. If you care about me at all, you'll do what I said."

  "All right, Fanny. I'd change my shoes if I were you."

  "God, yes. I think I left my mountain boots here. Ah, here they are." Fanny kicked off her heels and pulled on the boots. Just then, there was a tremendous crashing sound.

  "Jesus! What the hell was that?"

  Fanny's face was grim. "Tha
t was Simon's car going over the mountain."

  "Until just this moment I've been thinking this was all a bad dream."

  "You aren't going to have much time, Ash. I have to go now."

  "Fanny—"

  "Shhh," Fanny said, placing her finger on his lips. "Be careful, Ash."

  "You too, Fanny."

  Fanny closed the door behind her and walked up to the house and then around to the back patio. She climbed on the picnic table so she could see the road leading onto the driveway. The moment she saw Simon set foot on the driveway she shouted. "I'm back here, Simon. What do you want?"

  "Where's Ash?"

  "The least you could do is say hello." She started to walk away, toward the top of the ravine where her children had played Tarzan light-years ago. She knew he was following her. She could hear the frozen grass crackling under his feet.

  "Where's Ash?"

  "He left with Chue and the kids. They pushed your car over the side. It exploded. If you stand here, where I am, you can see Chue's truck going down the mountain. You really didn't

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  think I was going to let you get hold of Ash, did you? Simon, Simon, what a fool you are. He's mine, Simon. I love him. You know that though, don't you? I'll never let you hurt him I only married you to get even with Ash for fooling around with other women. I made a fool out of you. You need to run to Mama, Simon, and tell her what nasty old Fanny did. Mama will make it right, won't she?" Fanny taunted as she inched closer to the edge.

  Fanny saw something spark in Simon's eyes. She fumbled in her pocket, brought out one of the lollipops she'd bought for Jake. "I have the yellow one, Simon. I love yellow. Ash loves yellow, too. Here, you can have the red one. Red tastes nasty."

  Fanny went over the side, slipping and sliding as Simon bent to pick up the red lollipop. She continued to taunt him as her eyes searched out the overgrown path. The moment she heard the sound of Ash's van engine turning over, her fist shot in the air. "Oh yeah."

  Fanny ran along the crest, her boots digging into the slippery pine needles as sweat dripped down her body. She forged ahead. Simon close behind.

  Fanny could hear Simon's ripe curses as his leather-soled shoes failed to gain traction on the pine needles. She ran, her breathing ragged, her eyes scanning the terrain for familiar signs. She'd played here with her children hundreds of times, maybe thousands. Where were the markings? She realized they'd been gone for years because of the elements. She had to go on memory now. She had to get away from the crest and the tree line. Go down, go down, and climb back later. He won't be able to follow you, her mind shrieked.

  Her lungs ready to burst, Fanny started the climb, slid backward, and rolled down until her back smacked into a scraggly pine tree. The wind knocked out of her, her eyes smarting with pain, Fanny scrambled up the embankment on her hands and knees, only to be driven back by a violent gust of wind. She felt something cold and wet on her face. Snow. It seemed darker

  now in and among the trees. Where was Simon? She moved then when she heard brush cracking behind her.

  Eventually Fanny reached higher ground. The trees were thicker, the old trail overgrown and barely discernible. She weaved her way to the right and then to the left, past small mountains of boulders, through deadfalls and thickets.

  Overhead snow clouds were black and ominous. Fanny stared up at the top of the ridge, unsure if she had the strength to make it to the top. The stinging snow slapped her in the face. She was chilled to the bone, yet sweat dripped from her forehead. She scrambled, her hands digging into the tree roots and vines that hampered her climb. She felt a wet stickiness and knew her hands were raw and bleeding. A low branch whacked her across the face, stunning her for a second.

  Simon was closer, his curses more distinguishable. Move! Her subconscious ordered. Faster!

  Fanny toiled higher and higher. She felt her strength leaving her as she fought for handholds with her bleeding hands. She felt cold, so very cold. She knew her body heat was leaving her. He was closer and gaining. She stumbled when she saw a break in the trees. Black clouds scudded over the treetops. She stumbled and fell again. She didn't allow herself the luxury of stopping. She climbed on all fours until she saw another break in the line of trees. She had to be near the top. The air felt more fresh and wet. If only she could see through the snow squall.

  Flat ground. The shoulder of the road? Yessss. Thank you, God. She was on her feet, running, shouting Ash's name. She heard it carried over the mountain to return to her own ears. She ran, the snow pelting her. She heard the horn, saw the lights, heard Ash's voice, and then the van was alongside her, the door sliding open. She used the last of her strength to climb in. The door slid shut.

  "Go! Go!" she managed to gasp. "He was right behind me."

  "Fanny . . ."

  "I'm all right. Just go, Ash."

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  "I've been up and down this goddamn mountain five times blowing the horn and yelling until I got hoarse. Are you sure you're okay?"

  "I'm alive. You're alive. That means we're okay. The kids are okay. When it comes right down to it, that's all that matters."

  "You're right, Fanny. You're always right. Now what? Do we go to the police?"

  "And what will we tell them? That I lured him down the mountain and he chased me? He's still my husband. You're my ex-husband. Forget it, Ash."

  1 'We have to do something. That was a gutsy thing you did back there."

  "Yeah, and it was also stupid. Want a red lollipop?"

  "You got some?"

  "A whole pocketful. That's how I got him over the edge. I taunted him with the yellow ones. The things I do for you, Ash." Fanny rolled over, the lollipop stuck in her mouth.

  "What you have to do with these lollipops is work up a good spit. I guess I owe you my life. If I had a dollar for every time you bailed me out of a jam, I'd be rich, Fanny. Thank you hardly seems to cover it."

  Fanny didn't hear him. She was sound asleep.

  A fierce protectiveness he'd never experienced before shot through Ash. "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch" he said through clenched teeth, "for what he's done to you."

  It was five o'clock before Chue and his family were settled in one of Babylon's luxurious suites. Iris had stopped by, while Fanny slept, to take Jake and Polly home with her. Ash sat in the living room, one ear tuned to Fanny's bedroom in case she woke. His brain whirred faster than the chair he scurried around in. He'd just gotten off the phone with the police chief, who told him the exact same thing Fanny had told him. Now what was he to do? Hire extra security guards to protect his family? Fanny would probably nix that idea the minute he brought it

  up. He could call Clementine Fox and apprise her of the day's events.

  Ash was about to make the call when the phone rang. He picked it up on the first ring. It was Marcus Reed. "Fanny's sleeping, Marcus. She had a rough day. Do you want me to have her call you when she wakes up?"

  "Is anything wrong?"

  "There's a lot wrong here."

  "Is Fanny all right?"

  "Yes and no. She's going to be stiff and sore for a while, but she's okay. I might as well tell you what happened. Fanny herself will probably tell you when she calls you back."

  "Fanny doesn't discuss her family with me, Ash. I'd like to hear what happened. Perhaps I can help."

  Ash told him.

  "It sounds to me like your brother views himself as a law unto himself. Sometimes the legal system is slow to act, Ash. My advice, and I realize you didn't ask for it, would be to let Fanny's attorney handle the matter."

  "I guess we think alike then. I was going to call her, but your call interrupted me. I'll do it now. Shall I have Fanny return your call?"

  "I would appreciate it. Watch over her."

  "I guess you haven't realized that it's Fanny who does that watching over thing. I'll do my best."

  Ash stared at the phone in his hand so long the operator came on to tell him to hang up. He lo
wered the receiver onto the cradle.

  The clock on the television told him Clementine Fox was gone for the day. Tomorrow morning would be soon enough to make the call.

  Fanny slept on. Ash called Iris to check on Jake and Polly and was told they were fine. With nothing to do, he made coffee and laced it liberally with brandy. He spent an hour watching the evening news and another hour watching two game shows. He was about to make himself a sandwich when Fanny limped into the living room.

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  "Do you feel like you look?"

  "Worse."

  "How about some coffee and a sandwich?"

  "I'd like that."

  Fanny lowered herself gingerly onto the couch. "I think I need to start exercising more. Muscles I didn't even know I had hurt. Did you check on the kids, Ash?"

  "They're fine. Iris said they were stringing popcorn. I think what she meant was they would string it if there was any left. Jake loves the fluffies that pop first. He knows the difference. Marcus Reed called. He wants you to call him back."

  "Did he leave a number?"

  "No."

  ' 'Then how can I call him back?'' Fanny asked wearily.

  ' 'I guess he was too upset and forgot to leave it. I told him what happened."

  "I wish you hadn't done that, Ash. This is family stuff, and I don't make a habit of talking about family matters to anyone but Bess and Billie."

  "I didn't know that, Fanny. I'm sorry."

  "It's okay. He'll call back. If he doesn't, he doesn't."

  "It doesn't sound to me like you're in love."

  "Ash, Marcus Reed is the least of my problems right now. Your brother is front and center, and we need to decide what we're going to do."

  "He's going to sulk for a while. He'll fall back and regroup and come up with some other devious scheme to get at me."

  ' 'You realize you can't go back to the mountain, don't you?"

  ' 'I know that, Fanny. I can get a room if you think I'll cramp your style."

  "Don't be ridiculous. I'm glad for the company. We need to stick together. I think we should both get restraining orders in the morning."