Well, crap. Dana looked up to see Nick standing next to the terrace door, arms crossed, his face taut with anger.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, his eyes flickering from Finn to her. Dana pushed herself up from where she was kneeling on the floor.
“Just coming to get you,” she said, trying to decide if he was really angry, or just playing the bad-cop thing. “He doesn’t know anything.”
“Hey,” Finn said indignantly.
“About Mom,” she amended.
“So you decided to just release him, out here, all by yourself?”
“Yeah. Pretty much.”
“Look, man, I wasn’t gonna hurt her,” Finn said from behind them. Nick pointed a menacing finger at him.
“Stay out of it, Sparky,” Nick said. His jaw muscles were working overtime; this was no bad-cop routine. He was really mad. Dana put her hand on his arm and lowered it. “His name is Finn, and it’s okay, Nick.”
Nick turned his attention back to Dana. “You should have gotten me first.”
“We talked. He told me all about the chicken—”
“Actually, it’s a parrot,” Finn said.
“Fine. Parrot. It’s a Cockapoo—”
“Kakapo,” Finn corrected.
Gah. “Whatever. What I’m saying is, I think he’s okay. You know, for a thief. He has honest eyes.”
Nick let out an exasperated sigh. “Honest eyes? The guy breaks into the place to steal from your mother, and you’re springing him on account of honest eyes?”
Dana made a face. “Well, of course, if you say it like that, it sounds really stupid, but…”
“Hey,” Finn called out, his tone less playful than it had been just moments before. “Guys.”
Dana turned to see Finn settling on the table, legs dangling on either side of the birdcage before him, cigarette in his mouth. He flashed the lighter, inhaled, and blew out a puff of smoke.
“I appreciate that you’ve got this whole sexual tension thing going on, and it’s sweet, really.” He took another drag off the cigarette. “But my understanding is that you’ve got a woman out there in the grips of a bad guy, and I think maybe we should focus on that.”
“We?” Nick glanced at Dana, then took a step toward Finn. “What’s it to you?”
“Bird’s worth a quarter mil.” Finn glanced down at the Kakapo sleeping under his feet, then back up at Nick. “What do you think it is to me?”
Nick stared at Finn for a moment, then slowly turned his gaze Dana. “Honest eyes.”
“Oh, shut up,” Dana muttered.
“Look, Sparky,” Nick said, his eyes locking down hard on Finn, “if you’re under the impression you’re going to get any money out of this, you can think again.”
Finn let his eyes roam around the terrace pointedly, then landed them back on Nick.
“Let’s see. Beekman penthouse. Rich lady in trouble. Rare, powerfully valuable bird that you have no idea what to do with.” He took a long drag off his smoke. “Hell, yeah, I’m getting some money out of this.” He tossed the cigarette to the floor, hopped off the table, and stomped it out. “And the name is Finn.”
Nick started to advance on Finn, but Dana put her hand out to stop him.
“You’re really not making me look good here, Finn,” she said.
“Look,” Finn said, “all I’m asking is that you hear me out, and then if you don’t think I can help you, I leave. No hard feelings.”
“Little late for that,” Nick muttered. Dana stepped in front of him.
“Help us?” Dana asked. “We’re gonna trade the bird for my mother in five hours. You’re gonna help us with that?”
Finn shrugged. “Sure. Why not? But that’s not what I’m talking about. What I’m talking about is after your mother is back safe. I’m talking about following the people who took her—”
“Oh,” Dana said, excited, “and knocking them down and pulling their hair?” She glanced from Finn to Nick and shrugged. “Or, you know, the manly version of that?”
Finn paused, thinking, then shrugged again. “Sure. Why not? But first, I steal the bird back.”
Nick let out a hostile chuckle and muttered, “Honest eyes, my—”
Dana took another step closer to Finn, intrigued. “Then what?”
Finn hopped off the table. In the cage, the chicken let out a little squawk. “I have a buyer all set up—two hundred and fifty thousand. I’ll split it with you, half for me, half for you. All you have to do is let me in on your trade so I can follow them when it’s done.”
Dana felt a shot of hope. “So, a hundred and twenty-five each, then?”
That’s enough to re-open the winery.
“If my math serves,” Finn said.
With no co-signing.
“No,” Nick said to Finn. “I’m assuming you know where the door is.”
“Wait,” Dana said. “We should at least talk about this.”
No guilt over running to Mom to save me.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Nick said. “See you later, Finn.”
Of course, if I do this, I’ll have to admit that my apple didn’t fall far from Babs’s tree…
“Looks to me like Dana’s still thinking about it,” Finn said.
…which I’d have to admit eventually anyway, so no loss there.
“Yeah,” Dana said, raising guilty eyes up at Nick, “I kinda am.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed as they locked on her. “What do you need that kind of money for?”
She shrugged. “Who doesn’t need money, right? And tell me that screwing over Boris and Natasha doesn’t make you all tingly inside?”
“One minute,” Nick said to Finn, then pulled Dana a few feet away. He leaned his face down toward hers and spoke in low tones. “What’s going on?”
Dana took a deep breath and stared up at Nick. She didn’t want to tell him she’d nearly flushed the family business all the way down the crapper, but it was time to show her hand.
“My grapes got sick.”
Nick’s eyebrows knit. “They what? When? With what?”
“Got sick, last year, with some disease, I don’t know. I paid a guy with thick glasses a lot of money to tell me, and he told me but I still didn’t understand because I’m not a guy with thick glasses.”
Nick blinked. “You’ve lost me already.”
“Yeah. I do that. Anyway, I had to close the winery this season, and I need a hundred thousand dollars, which the stupid banks up in stupid Syracuse don’t want to give me, so I came down here to ask Mom to co-sign a loan for me, but she got all weird about the microscope going up her nether regions and if I don’t find a way to save the winery then Melanie Biggs is going to buy it and that makes me crazy inside because she’s evil and I hate her. You know why she wears her hair down all the time, don’t you?”
Nick sighed. “Mark of the beast?”
“Back of her neck. So now here’s this guy, and this bird, and once Mom’s back, what’s the harm in letting him get me a little money? I mean, aside from the fact that it’s illegal.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed. “Has Melanie made an offer?”
Dana blinked, jarred by the backtracking in topic. “Yeah.”
Nick’s grip on her arm tightened. “Recently?”
“Circling in like a shark. And I realize that by even considering this I’m moving into Babs-level crazy, but I’m desperate, Nick.” She glanced down at his hand. “And losing the feeling in my lower arm. What’s up with the death grip?”
“Sorry.” He released her arm. His face was tense, which didn’t surprise her. Roles reversed, she’d want to kill him. All things considered, she thought he was showing admirable restraint.
“Let’s just talk about it with him a little more,” she said. “Just talk.”
Nick opened his mouth to say something, but then his eyes rose to something over Dana’s shoulder. Dana turned just as Babs slid the door open and stepped out onto the terrace.
“So, the party’s out here, is it?” she said, smiling brightly.
Seventeen
“Mom?” Dana stared at her mother, too stunned to speak. Babs was wearing a fine navy blue suit, and despite having been held captive at gunpoint for most of the day, looked pretty damn good.
Talk about unflappable, she thought. Wish I’d inherited those genes.
“Yes, dear, it’s me. So sorry for all the hassle today. It’s been an adventure, to say the least.” She looked at Finn and smiled, “Chez Animaux?”
“Just making a delivery.”
“At midnight? My, you people are dedicated.”
Finn grinned. “We do our best.”
“He’s a bird thief,” Nick said flatly.
Babs looked from Nick back to Finn, and her smile widened. “No! Really?”
Finn shrugged.
“Interesting,” she said, eyeing him for a moment, then an object next to him caught her attention. “What’s my office chair doing out here?”
“Long story,” Dana said. “Bigger question—and don’t take this to mean that I’m not happy to see you, because I really am—what are you doing here?”
Babs beamed with pride. “I broke out.”
Dana took a moment to digest this. “You broke out.”
“Also a long story,” Babs said. “I really need a drink to tell it.”
“Let’s go inside,” Nick said, stepping out from behind Dana and walking toward Babs. He put his hand on her arm and squeezed.
“Scotch and soda?” he said.
“Sounds perfect,” Babs said, smiling up at him. “Only skip the soda.”
Nick smiled, kissed her lightly on the forehead. “Good to have you back safe.”
He makes it look so easy, Dana thought. Why can’t I be that way with her?
Babs patted Nick’s hand, and he released her arm. He shot a pointed look at Finn, then at the bird, then back at Finn. Finn took the hint, hopped off the table, and headed inside. Dana stood where she was for a moment, then walked over to Babs, putting her hand on her mother’s arm the way Nick had. The gesture felt awkward when she did it, but it was all she had at the moment.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said, feeling sincere but sounding stiff. Damnit. What the hell was wrong with her? “Are you okay? Were you scared?”
Babs shrugged. “Not really.”
Dana let her hand drop from her mother’s arm. “I would have been scared.”
“Oh, there was a moment, when he shot the sculpture, where my heart skipped a beat. But for the most part, I was fine.” She smiled at Dana. “I knew you’d save me.”
Dana felt a knot of emotion form in her throat. “I didn’t.”
Babs squeezed Dana’s hand. “But you would have.”
Dana smiled. Babs smiled back.
“Well,” Babs said after a moment. “Drink?”
“Please.”
She followed her mother inside and sat next to her on the couch. Nick set Babs’s scotch on the coffee table and looked at Dana.
“Gin and tonic?” he asked.
“Twist of lime.”
He nodded and headed back to the bar, and Dana felt her heart give a little leap as she watched him walk.
Oh, man, she thought, gaining control of herself. Somebody needs to douse me with a hose.
“I’ll just have a water,” Finn said. Nick froze and gave him a black look.
“And me without my to-go cups,” he said flatly.
“Actually,” Babs said, “I’d like the thief to stay.”
Everyone, including Finn, raised eyebrows at that one. “I think you might be able to help us… um… I’m sorry, what is your name?”
Finn walked over to her and held out his hand. “Dermot Finnegan, Mrs. McGregor. You can call me Finn.”
Babs smiled and shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you officially, Finn. And please, call me Babs.”
“Absolutely, Babs.” Finn looked at Nick. “Water. With ice, if you have it.”
Nick remained silent as he served the drinks, then settled in the chair next to the couch. Finn settled on a barstool, and Babs started in on her story, beginning with getting the phone call from Vivian outside Chez Animaux. By the time she got to the end of her story—the climax of which included stealing her purse back from Vivian and Gary’s bedroom while they slept—Dana wasn’t sure which was hitting her harder, the alcohol or the fact that her mother could pick her way out of a locked room with a couple of bobby pins.
“Unfortunately,” Babs said, settling her empty glass on the coffee table, “it’s not over yet.”
“It’s not?” Dana asked. “What else do you need to do? Defuse a ticking bomb with a paper clip and a wad of Juicy Fruit?”
Babs’s eyebrows knit together. “No. Why would I do that?”
“Forget it.” Dana sipped her drink. “So, you were saying? Not over?”
Babs sighed. “I’m afraid not. Vivian and Gary are not the kidnapping types, trust me, but they’re stupid and desperate, and that’s a very, very dangerous combination. When they wake up in the morning, they’re going to come looking for the bird.”
“Unless I go looking for them first,” Nick said.
“Oh, they’re hardly worth the assault charges,” Babs said. “No, I’d actually like to handle this myself. But in order to do that”—she looked at Dana—”I’m going to need your help.”
“Okay,” Dana said. “Sure. What?”
“I’d like you to take the bird up to the winery.”
Dana paused to digest this before responding. “You want me to take the stinky chicken to my winery?”
Babs looked to Nick. “Would you go with her, Nick? Keep her safe?”
“You mean keep you both safe,” Nick said, his eyes firm on Babs, “because you’d be coming with us.”
“No, actually,” Babs said with finality, “I’ll be going to pay Gary and Vivian a visit.”
Nick gave a staccato laugh, then looked at Babs with all seriousness. “No, you won’t.”
“Don’t worry. It’s perfectly safe. I disabled Gary’s gun on my way out.”
“What?” Dana said. “How in the hell did you do that?”
“Stole it from his drawer, filled the kitchen sink with water, dropped it in. He’ll find it in the morning.” She sighed. “I’m kinda sad I won’t be there when he does.”
“I don’t like you going there by yourself,” Nick said.
Babs reached over and patted him on the hand. “I know you don’t, dear. If it’s any comfort, I think you’ll like what I have to say next even less.” She looked at Finn “Do you have any plans for the weekend, Finn?”
Finn cocked his head to the side. “I think I can clear my dance card. Why?”
“I’d like you to go with Dana and Nick. I’m going to offer Vivian and Gary the bird at a high markup, payable in cash tomorrow afternoon. If for any reason they can’t or won’t do it, I’ll need you to sell the bird. My understanding is it’s worth about a quarter of a million dollars, which should be enough. Do you think you can find a buyer in that bracket, Finn?”
“Wait. Enough?” Dana said. “Enough for what?”
“Funny you should ask—” Finn began in response to Babs, but Nick held up his hand.
“Cool your jets, Sparky,” Nick said, then looked at Babs. “She has to convince me to do this first, and that’ll take a lot of convincing.”
“Am I invisible here?” Dana said, putting her hand on Babs’s arm. “Enough for what?”
Babs met her eye. “Enough to save the winery.”
Dana went silent. Babs looked at Finn and smiled. “And to cover Finn’s broker’s fee, which I’m sure will be reasonable…”
“It hovers around 50 percent,” Finn said.
“Fifty thousand if we need you to sell the bird,” Babs said, “twenty-five thousand for your time if I get the money from Gary and Vivian.”
Finn eyed her for a moment, then gave a brief nod. “Deal.”
<
br /> “But… wait.” Dana put her hand to her forehead, hoping that would delay its impending explosion. “Mom, all I need is a co-signer—”
“I know,” Babs said, “and I can’t co-sign for you, darling, I’m sorry.”
“What do you mean you can’t co-sign?” Dana said. “I mean, you absolutely have the right to say no if you don’t want to, but you’re not saying you don’t want to, you’re saying you can’t. I don’t understand.”
Babs eyed Dana for a moment, then sighed. “I don’t have any money.”
Dana stared at her mother as though she’d just started reciting the Gettysburg Address. In Klingon. “But…”
“Bryson was broke when he died.” Babs took a sip of her drink. “His partners at the firm saved the penthouse and everything in it, but on paper, it all belongs to the firm. The rest is gone. I have enough of a stipend from Bryson’s life insurance that I’m perfectly happy, but I don’t have the kind of resources to withstand a microscope up my nether regions for that sort of money, darling. I’m sorry.”
Dana blinked, feeling numb. She looked at Nick. “And you knew this?”
“Yeah,” Nick said, then shot a look at Babs. “You never told her?”
“It’s none of her business,” Babs said, then reached over and patted Dana’s knee. “Sorry, darling.”
“No,” Dana said slowly, still stunned. “You’re right. It’s not my business.”
Babs leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. “So, you see, if Vivian and Gary won’t pay handsomely for the bird—and my selective amnesia about being kidnapped and held at gunpoint—then I will simply call you all up at the winery and you sell the bird and everything works out perfectly then, right?”
“Not right,” Dana said. She put her glass down and stood up. “If you think I’m going to let you put yourself at risk—”
“Let’s understand each other, Dana,” Babs said, her face as serious as Dana had ever seen it. “You’re not letting me do anything. That winery has been in the hands of a Wiley for three generations, and as long as I draw breath, it’ll be in the hands of a Wiley. If you refuse to help, that’s your choice. But if it’s my safety you’re concerned about, I’ll certainly be in more danger with the bird here than if it’s upstate with you.”
Maybe Baby Page 13