Baxter smiled. “Won’t be so easy this time, will it? It pays to have friends.” He looked at his associates. “And I have so many.”
“Please don’t do this,” Susan said. “I won’t talk.”
The man holding her shoved the barrel of his gun deeper into her side. She winced and looked at Jack desperately.
“I promise, I—”
Just then a group of revelers from the hotel’s party crossed the parking lot. A dozen witnesses. Although, from the looks of them, they were pretty well drunk. They staggered closer, laughing and blowing on little horns and noise-making blowouts.
Baxter nodded toward the one holding Susan, who turned and started walking off with her.
“Wait!” Jack said.
The other thug stepped forward and pointed his gun at Jack’s chest.
“You won’t,” Jack said, “not with all these people.”
Baxter smiled. “You can’t be sure of that, can you?”
Jack wasn’t and Baxter knew it.
“Get the car,” Baxter told the other man. The thug nodded and started past Baxter, but Baxter took his arm and said something quietly that Jack couldn’t quite make out. The man nodded and jogged off.
Baxter turned back to Jack. “You’re good.”
Jack’s expression was cold. All he could think about was the fact that Susan was being led away. That he’d failed.
“If you ever considering switching sides,” Baxter continued, “I’ve gotta say, the pay’s pretty good.”
Jack didn’t respond. He just hoped he’d have a chance to smash Baxter’s face in.
Baxter shrugged just as the drunken revelers reached them. He slipped his gun into his pocket, smiled at them and then walked away.
The partiers streamed around Jack but he ignored them. Baxter looked over his shoulder and waved one last time. A black sedan pulled up and Baxter got inside. The last thing Jack saw as it pulled away was Susan’s terrified face in the rear window.
“Dammit all to hell.”
“Hey, buddy, it’s a party!” One of the partygoers took off his party hat and handed it to Jack. Jack shoved it away and ran after the car. He ran across the parking lot and saw their getaway car turn left onto the highway and disappear into the night.
Jack’s heart clenched. He’d been too careless. He should have been ready. He should have done something. He started to run toward his own car. It was on the opposite side of the enormous hotel though, and would take him a lifetime to get to, but he didn’t have any choice.
“Jack!” Elizabeth called out.
She and Simon ran toward him from the entrance of the hotel.
“Are you all right?” Elizabeth asked. “Where’s Susan?”
Jack grimaced. “Baxter has her.”
“Where?” Simon asked.
“I don’t know. I thought he said something about Karen, but that—”
“McCarran,” Simon said suddenly. “The airport. McCarran Field.”
Jack felt a rush of adrenaline. “That has to be it.”
“Where’s your car?” Elizabeth asked.
He nodded toward the far side of the hotel. “Way over there.”
“Susan’s,” Elizabeth said and took off toward it.
Jack and Simon exchanged confused looks and ran after her.
Susan’s little convertible was where it always was.
“It might take me a few minutes to hotwire,” Jack said, “but—”
Elizabeth flipped down the visor and the keys fell onto the seat.
Jack grinned and snatched up the keys. He looked at Simon. “You better drive.”
Simon frowned, but caught the keys Jack tossed before they smacked him in the face. He helped Elizabeth into the back as Jack jumped into the passenger seat.
The little Corvette roared to life and they sped off toward the airport. All Jack could hope was that they weren’t too late.
Chapter Twenty-Three
THE CORVETTE RACED ALONGSIDE the chainlink fence that separated the parking lot from the airport.
“There!” Elizabeth cried out from the back seat, nearly standing up as she pointed to the gate.
Jack had to hand it to him; Cross barely slowed down as he made the sharp turn onto the tarmac. They hit a small bump as they turned. The tail of the little car jumped out behind them, but he never lost control. He wrestled it back into a straight line and downshifted. The engine roared as he forced it back up to full speed.
“Do you see it?” Simon asked.
Jack shook his head. He’d been scanning for Baxter’s car ever since they’d left the casino. “Not yet.”
Simon slowed as they neared the hangers. Then Jack saw it.
“Over there!”
A small private plane was just pulling away from the black sedan and starting to taxi to a runway.
“We’re too late,” Elizabeth said.
“No, we’re not.” Jack shifted in his seat and looked at Simon. “Follow that plane.”
Simon’s eyes slid over to him. “You can’t be serious.”
“Dead serious.”
Simon looked in his rearview mirror. “Is your seatbelt on, Elizabeth?”
“There aren’t any.”
“Bugger,” Simon said. “Then hold onto something.”
He floored it again and the little car sped across the tarmac. The plane was a high-wing, maybe a Cessna, Jack couldn’t tell. He needed a better look to know if his plan could work.
Simon managed to catch up with the plane and their car paced along behind it.
“Get right up to it,” Jack said. “On the left side.”
“What are you going to do?” Elizabeth asked.
Jack knelt on his seat. “Something stupid.”
Simon glanced over at him, and from his expression he agreed. Despite that, he did what Jack wanted and pulled the car up close to the plane’s left wing.
The sound of the plane’s engine was deafening.
Through the pilot side window, he could see Baxter behind the controls. Jack stood up, bracing himself on the door and windshield. The wind buffeted him and his jacket flapped uncontrollably. He took it off and let it catch in the wind and disappear behind them.
He reached out for a wing strut, but it was still too far away.
“Closer!”
They were running out of time. The plane was nearly up to speed now.
Simon edged a little closer to the wing. The engine was only a few feet away now. Anywhere near that propeller was not where anyone wanted to be, especially in a convertible.
Jack reached up again and almost caught the strut, but it was just out of his grasp. He nearly lost his balance reaching for it and would have tumbled out of the car if he hadn’t grabbed back onto the windshield.
“Be careful!” Elizabeth cried from the backseat.
“I … am,” he said and reached out again. As soon as he felt the strut in his hand, he grabbed on and pulled himself up, hugging it with his arms and legs.
The added weight caused the plane to veer left. The little Corvette swerved out of the way just in time and started to drift back behind.
Jack swallowed and looked up at the cabin. Baxter was staring right at him, half in shock and half ready to kill.
Baxter tried to take off, but the wheels only hopped along the runway, never getting more than a foot or two off the ground.
Jack looked down. As happy as he was that they weren’t a few hundred feet up by now, the pavement racing past only a few feet away was not very comforting either.
He swallowed and then pulled himself up on top of the dual wing struts. All he had to do now was open the pilot’s side door and—
Duck.
The gunshot ricocheted off the pavement beneath him.
Baxter’s gun hand poked through the small opening in the transom window. He fired again. The only way out of the line of fire was for Jack to swing back under the struts. His weight pulled him down and he nearly lost his grip. Somehow, he
held on and then lifted himself back up between the struts again.
Suddenly, the plane jerked to the side so quickly Jack thought they were going to tip over. Baxter yanked his hand back inside where he fought for control of the plane from Susan.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Jack reached for the door handle and yanked it open. Baxter turned toward him, gun in hand, but Susan jerked at him again, throwing him off balance enough for Jack to grab his wrist. He slammed it against the edge of the doorway. The gun fired, but Baxter didn’t let go. Quickly, Jack smashed Baxter’s hand against the metal again. The gun finally slipped from his fingers and disappeared onto the runway beneath them.
Balanced precariously on the strut, Jack turned to lunge into the cabin and grab Baxter’s lapels, but Baxter had shifted in his seat. His foot landed squarely in the middle of Jack’s chest. The blow sent Jack falling backwards. His heart leapt into his throat. He felt himself falling, but his arms caught the struts like a gymnast on the parallel bars.
Inside the cabin, Susan was doing everything she could to fight Baxter. She grabbed onto his arm, but Baxter was too strong. He shrugged her off and then shoved her hard away from him.
Jack was on his feet again and saw Susan’s head collide with the side window. As Baxter turned back, Jack caught him with a hard left right between the eyes. It stunned him and Jack didn’t hesitate. He grabbed onto Baxter’s shirtfront and pulled, yanking him out of the pilot’s seat.
Baxter tried to grab onto Jack’s arm as he fell, but his grip slipped and he fell onto the asphalt below. His body bounced hard onto the pavement, and he rolled away behind them.
Winded, Jack climbed into the pilot’s seat and took the wheel in his hands.
“Susan?” he asked, not looking at her until he had full control of the plane.
He glanced over as he eased back on the throttle. Susan sat up. She was groggy from the blow to her head, but nodded.
He brought the plane to a stop and killed the engine.
He turned to her. “You okay?”
She nodded again, but there was a small trickle of blood at her hairline. Jack gently tipped her head to the side to get a better look. It wasn’t bad, thankfully.
He looked into her eyes and they were clearer now. Terrified and confused, but she was fully there.
“Thank you,” she panted out.
He smiled. “I always was a sucker for a pretty face.”
She managed a small laugh and he knew she was going to be okay.
“Come on,” Jack said and stepped out of the plane.
He saw Simon and Elizabeth a hundred feet or so back along the runway, parked near Baxter’s unconscious body. He gave them a wave to let them know he was okay before turning back and offering Susan a hand.
She took it, but hesitated. “I am never flying again.”
Jack laughed. He wasn’t so keen on the idea himself. They looked at each other for a moment and then by mutual, tacit decision started walking back toward the Crosses.
“What happens now?” she asked after a few silent steps.
Police sirens wailed in the distance as flashing lights headed down the runway toward them.
“I make sure that Baxter gets what’s coming to him.” If he survived, Jack added silently.
She smiled gratefully but still looked sad and frightened. “And what about me?”
Jack took hold of her arm and stopped her. He gave her an encouraging smile. “That’s up to you.”
“I can’t go back, can I?” she said.
They both knew it was true. Baxter might be out of the way, but the mob knew she’d been ready to talk. She wouldn’t ever be safe in Las Vegas.
“You get to decide who you want to be,” he said.
She nodded thoughtfully.
He caught her eyes and grinned. “And I have a feeling it’s going to be something great.”
~~~
Carson Whitmore had already had at least one bourbon by the time Jack arrived at his office the next afternoon. He looked up from behind his desk, his eyes searching for and not finding his daughter. He frowned in disappointment and waved Jack in.
As Jack took his seat, Whitmore took another drink.
He studied the glass. “Is she all right?”
His eyes flicked to Jack and he could see the pain in them.
“Yes.”
Whitmore nodded and lowered his eyes. “I don’t suppose you can tell me where she is.”
Jack shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
Whitmore put his glass down and sighed. “I didn’t think so.”
Jepson had contacted Whitmore and told him the little he could that morning. By now, Susan was already far away from Las Vegas. While there was no formal witness protection program in place yet, she wasn’t the first person the FBI had given a new life to.
Even though she wasn’t going to officially offer testimony, after what Baxter had done, it was the least the FBI could do.
“She’ll be all right,” Jack said.
Whitmore’s expression was hopeful, but the misery of losing his daughter was overpowering. He nodded and then shook his head. “I keep wondering what I should have done differently. Why didn’t she trust me?”
He looked down at his desk. “I think that’s what hurts the most. I would have died before I’d let them hurt her.”
“And I think that’s just what she was afraid of,” Jack said. “She was trapped, and this was the only way she could see to get out of it.”
Whitmore nodded and then looked across the desk at Jack, his eyes pained. “Will I ever see her again?”
“I don’t know,” Jack said. “But one thing I do know is that she loves you very much.”
Whitmore’s jaw worked to keep his emotions in check.
“What about Ronnie?” Jack asked. “Do you think you’ll ever—”
Whitmore shook his head and then sighed. “I don’t know. I sent him back to Texas. If he stays here someone’s going to kill him, and it might be me.”
That was definitely for the best. Jack doubted that the mob was going to be all that forgiving considering what Ronnie had done in their name.
“And the Paradise? The lease expired last night, didn’t it?”
Whitmore nodded. “I sold it.”
“You did? To who?”
Whitmore shrugged. “Some little Armenian fella. Gonna tear it down and build a Roman Colosseum or somethin’. I don’t care what he does with it. They can tear the whole city down for all I care.”
Jack knew Caifano and the mob wouldn’t make waves about it. Baxter’s failed attempt to kill Susan had put a very uncomfortable spotlight on them. So bright in fact, that Jepson had told him that word was Caifano was being replaced. The whole affair had been an embarrassment and they were, for now, content to lick their wounds and regroup. They’d come back with a vengeance in a few years and dominate Las Vegas like never before.
“Well,” Jack said, slapping his thighs as he stood. “I guess it’s time to say goodbye.”
Whitmore stood.
“Take care of yourself, sir.”
Whitmore shook his hand. “I can’t possibly repay you for all you’ve done. If you ever need anything,” he said, “you just call.”
Jack nodded. “I just might take you up on that someday.”
Whitmore sat back down heavily. “Good luck, Jack.”
Jack nodded and turned to leave as Whitmore picked up the photograph of his wife from his desk. When Jack turned back one last time before he closed the door, he saw Whitmore with the photo in one hand and his bourbon in the other, the image of a broken man.
~~~
“I was beginning to think you stood me up again,” Elizabeth said with a wry smile as Jack appeared at the front of the Paradise.
Jack cringed a little. “I’m not going to live that down, am I?”
Elizabeth grinned. “Not yet.”
It had taken him longer than he’d thought to tie up the loose ends. By the time
he’d gotten back to the hotel, the sun was starting to set.
“Are you ready?” Simon asked impatiently.
He looked tired. They both looked tired. It had been a long night. They could have left last night as soon as they’d turned Susan over to Jepson. With the watchmaker’s key, they didn’t have to wait for an eclipse to travel. But they’d stayed, for him.
“About that,” Jack said. “I think I’m gonna stick around. It’s only a few days until the eclipse.”
Elizabeth’s brow furrowed in worry. “You sure?”
He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Gonna drive to the coast. Had enough of the desert for a while. Might spend a few days on the water.”
Elizabeth looked ready to argue but Simon spoke first.
“If your mind’s made up.”
It was all Jack could do not to laugh. Simon looked more than ready to leave. And he could hardly blame him.
Jack nodded. “It is.”
“All right then.” Simon stuck out his hand.
Jack grinned and shook it, growing sober as he did. “Thank you.”
It was a far too simple of a phrase, but the Crosses knew how much he appreciated them and all they’d done.
Simon inclined his head and then Jack turned to Elizabeth. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek.
“Safe trip.”
“You too,” Elizabeth said when he pulled back. She squinted at him with discerning eyes. “Maybe you should get some rest before you drive all that way.”
His smile shifted into a knowing one. “Oh, I’m not driving.”
He waved his hand and a beautiful green Thunderbird pulled up with an even more beautiful redhead behind the wheel. Charlene tilted down her large white sunglasses.
“Ready?”
Jack grinned. “Oh, yeah.”
Simon shook his head, but couldn’t keep the smile from his face. Elizabeth didn’t try to.
He got into the car and gave them one last wave, then turned to Charlene.
“How do you feel about skinny dipping?”
Her smile was all the answer he needed. She put the car in gear and they drove off into the setting sun.
Jacks Are Wild: An Out of Time Novel (Saving Time, Book 1) Page 22