by Darcia Helle
“And you think Sara’s going to listen to you?” Sam asked. “I mean, she must be incredibly angry. She wants you all dead. She may not be willing to listen.”
“That’s where I’m hoping you’ll step in,” Cameron said. “You had nothing to do with any of this. She won’t want to hurt you. You can talk to her first. Tell her the story. Make sure she knows Corinne is not her mother. That Corinne didn’t even know about her.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Then she can kill me.”
“What?” Sam dropped his Pepsi. It hit the floor mat with a thud and the dark liquid seeped out. He grabbed it, cursing and twisting the cap tighter as the sticky drink clung to his fingers. Finally he turned to face Cameron. “You can’t be serious. You’re going to let her kill you?”
“She deserves that,” Cameron said simply.
“No! Hell, what you did sucked. And you’ve been punishing yourself ever since, rightly so. But letting her kill you isn’t the answer.”
“For her it is.”
“No, for you it is,” Sam said. “It’s an easy way out for you. No more pain, no more guilt. You go out a martyr, sacrificing your life to put your daughter at ease. Well fuck that! You don’t think murder changes a person? You think she can blow your brains out, then go off to P.T.A. meetings and bake cookies?”
“Sam -”
“No. It ain’t like that and you know it.”
Cameron chewed on his lower lip. Moisture glistened in his eyes. Dusk was settling around them. Traffic had thinned and they drove on in silence for several minutes.
“I don’t know what else to do,” Cameron said softly.
“We have to make her understand that murder isn’t the answer.”
Cameron turned blank eyes on Sam. “You really think that’s going to work?”
Chapter 50
Alison fell into Ian’s arms and clung to him the way a drowning woman would cling to a life preserver. She thanked him continuously between sobs. Grateful that he had helped save her and confused about why it had all happened.
Her small frame looked lost in his arms. He held her, repeating the “you’re okay now” mantra. His eyes held a world of guilt. As if he somehow made it happen by merely allowing the tenuous link between her and his mother.
Lucianna left them by the front entrance, giving them the illusion of privacy in this tiny hellhole. She walked over to talk to Vinnie, who was standing in the center of the room with Jack and Teddy. The three of them looked as if they were preparing for a business meeting on Wall Street.
Friends since junior high, over the years they’d proven that each would lay his life on the line for the others. They had battled in the military together and retired from that life together as well. Vinnie had then chosen to become a cop. Jack and Teddy had opted for opening their own private security business.
Lucianna had her reservations about their business and believed the two were more like hired hit men than security officers. Vinnie had laughed at her observation, refusing to comment. She had not pursued it further. It didn’t really matter, since she would never consider turning the two men in. Besides, they occasionally helped her out, as with this situation. Therefore, the less she knew about their business, the better.
She exchanged hellos with Jack and Teddy and each one leaned down and kissed her cheek. Both were impeccably dressed, right down to the matching silk handkerchief in the suit jacket pocket. Such gentlemen. Odd to think that they could snap someone’s neck without a second thought.
“Have you learned anything?” Lucianna asked.
“He refuses to be helpful,” Teddy replied, tossing a glance over his shoulder at the man sitting on the floor in the corner. “We thought it wise to wait for you before persuading him that speaking to us would be in his best interest.”
Jack motioned to Alison. “The woman was too hysterical to be of any help.”
Lucianna checked out the man sitting on the floor. His hair was long and tied in a ponytail. His eyes were hard slits that stared at her with pure hatred. He was muscular, appeared to be rather tall, and was dressed in what looked like a telephone company uniform. Her eyes traveled over the uniform. She stared, blinked, thinking her raging hormones had finally gotten the better of her. But no, she was definitely seeing what she thought she was seeing. She asked, “Why is his penis hanging out of his pants?”
Vinnie chuckled and said, “I was wondering how long before you’d notice.”
Jack said, “He was in that condition when we grabbed him.”
Lucianna glanced back at Alison. Her stomach clenched and she quietly said, “He didn’t rape her, did he?”
Teddy’s eyes flashed with a brief explosion of rage. “That apparently was his plan. We walked in before he was able to follow through.”
Jack said, “Teddy wanted to relieve the man of his genitals. I convinced him that it would be wise to allow you to speak with the man first. After all, a man without genitals has very little reason left to cooperate.”
Vinnie nodded his agreement. “We’ll see what he has to offer. Then he’s all yours. Civilization will be rejoicing in his absence.”
“Wait,” Lucianna said. She chewed her bottom lip. As much as she agreed that the man was scum, she couldn’t stand here and discuss killing him as if he was a pesky insect. “Maybe dropping him off at the police station would be better.”
Vinnie gave her one of his looks. Eyebrows raised, lips curved into a hint of an ironic smile. He tapped his finger against his chin and said, “And what do you expect the police to do with him? Do you plan to put Alison through further indignities by forcing her to testify? You know what that would be like. And even the best case scenario would have the man free in five years.”
Teddy said, “Free to do something like this again.”
Jack added, “Only next time he’d likely complete the rape.”
“And possibly kill her,” Teddy said.
Lucianna sighed. “You’re right.”
Vinnie said, “The man is not worth that twinge of guilt you’re feeling.”
“I know.”
Teddy smoothed the lapels of his jacket. “I’d be honored to handle trash disposal for you, Lu. No details. You will not be involved.”
What options did she have? Lucianna tucked her hair behind her ears and blew out a long breath. Letting the creep go was not an option. She chose to let that topic go for now. Time was not a luxury they currently enjoyed. She said, “We can’t leave him exposed like that. Rob, Alison’s husband, will be here any minute. Seeing this guy with his dick hanging out of his pants would definitely send any husband right over the edge.”
“I was certainly not about to fix that for him,” Teddy said. “However, I will go have him take care of it himself.”
“Just don’t snap his neck until we’ve spoken to him,” Vinnie said. He winked at Lucianna and said to her, “Why don’t we speak to Alison first. I’m sure she would like to go home as soon as her husband arrives.”
“Okay,” Lucianna replied. “But where is that other guy?”
“Other guy?”
“The one that followed me to Ian’s house.” Lucianna got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Vinnie, you know who I’m talking about. Where is he?”
“I sent him home.”
“Home?”
Vinnie shrugged. “He gave us all the information he had or was willing to share. He had become useless, therefore I saw no reason to drag him along.”
“What did you do, Vinnie?”
Vinnie met her eyes. His tone took on a hard edge when he said, “He was going to kill you, Lu.”
She swallowed. “But…”
“Let it go.”
She nodded. She could do nothing for the man now, even if she’d wanted to. Knowing that she had never had control of this situation, and never would, she decided to go with the flow. Stepping into her uncle’s world was not always pleasant. However, she was always safe. So she turned toward
Ian and focused on her goal of helping him straighten out his life.
***
“Why the hell haven’t we heard from Kane?” Nico demanded.
Viper’s shoulders lifted in a halfhearted shrug. He kept his arms folded across his huge chest and he leaned against the wall as if he was holding it up.
Nico glared at him. He shook a cigarette loose from his pack, flicked his Zippo on the end, then sucked a lung full of smoke. He said, “And where the hell is Dean with those pictures?”
“Haven’t heard from him in a couple hours,” Johnny offered.
“Fuck it,” Nico muttered.
“The geek we’re gonna set up for the fall,” Johnny said. “He’s home. Alone, so far. No alibi there.”
“I wanted the bitch done tonight.”
“You want me to take care of it?” Viper asked.
Nico drew a long drag from his cigarette. He stared up at the ceiling as he blew out a stream of smoke. “Not yet,” he replied. “I got a bad feeling.”
Viper gave an almost imperceptible nod but said nothing. His muscles bulged against the edges of his T-shirt sleeves. Nico turned away. The guy spooked even him sometimes. He turned back to Johnny and said, “Any word on our girl?”
“Not yet.”
“What the hell is the hold up?”
Johnny squirmed a bit. He glanced up at Viper as if seeking an ally. Then, that being a dead end, he said, “She knows how to hide. Probably been doing it most of her life. We’ve got guys all over New York. Can’t be much longer.”
“Fuck,” Nico muttered. “What if she ain’t in New York anymore? She did Ace. You think she’s sitting around some crappy apartment, watching talk shows and waiting for us to come find her?”
Just then Kelly strolled over to their table. Her silver thong glistened beneath the lights. She wore a short matching robe that barely reached the tops of her hips. The robe hung open revealing perfect 36 D’s and hard dark nipples. She grinned down at Nico and said, “Evenin’ boss.”
“Not now, Kelly,” Nico snapped.
She gave him that sexy pout, moist bottom lip protruding just enough to give him ideas. “I don’t dance for another hour,” she said. “I could give you a private screening of my new routine before I go out.”
The outline of the stud where she was pierced was visible beneath her thong. So tempting. His body was already responding to the possibilities. But he had too much going on. Too many loose ends floating around out. He didn’t like any of it. He shook his head. “I said not now.”
She frowned, then tossed a look at Viper. He simply stared back at her. Nico was aware of the fling the two of them had had. He didn’t know the details and didn’t need to. Viper had knocked her around one night, for whatever reason, and had fractured her arm. She couldn’t dance for a month because of it. That had cost Nico money, which was why he’d put a stop to whatever they had going. Viper knew damn well that Kelly was off limits. Kelly knew it, too, which was probably why she enjoyed taunting him.
“Get lost, Kelly,” Nico said. She pouted, pushing her bottom lip out. It glistened with moisture. Nico’s voice raised with frustration and he snapped, “I said get lost.”
She finally got the message and made a quick departure. Nico turned to Johnny and said, “Get someone out there to hunt Dean down. Now.”
Johnny said, “Sure boss,” and pushed out of his chair.
“Has anyone bothered trying to call Kane?”
“He said he’d call us when it was settled,” Johnny replied.
“Fucking idiots,” Nico muttered. “So you’re gonna wait till Christmas?” He yanked his cell phone from his pocket and began dialing. “I gotta handle everything myself. Get out of my fucking sight.”
Chapter 51
The guy they called Teddy released the cuffs. He stood too close and waited while Kane tucked himself in, then zipped his fly. Kane took his time, assessing the situation. The broad had finally stopped crying. Fucking damsel in distress, falling all over that younger guy like he was the savior or something.
Now that detective bitch was going over to the broad. She had this caramel skin that looked entirely too edible. And that body was something to kill for. Damn, nailing her would be a fucking dream.
One of the older guys followed her. Vinnie, his name was. The other guy, John, or maybe it was Jack, he stood a few feet away smoothing his tie and rearranging his diamond-studded tie clip. Eccentric old lunatic. All dressed up and smiling like he was standing in one of those expensive condos on the waterfront, rather than here in this condemned tenement sharing space with rats and roaches.
Kane considered his options. Not many, from his standpoint. They’d taken his gun and even found the knife he’d strapped to his ankle. The dudes were pretty old, at least twenty years ahead of him, but they had that look. Killing came easy to them. He could make a quick move; maybe knock this Teddy fucker out. But what were his chances of getting out of this place? He’d have to go through the three other dudes on his way. Not good odds.
Maybe he could grab Teddy, use him as a shield. Leverage to get him the hell out of this place. They wouldn’t hurt their own guy. But how was he supposed to keep the guy under control and walk out of here at the same time? The guy wasn’t about to cooperate without a gun stuck in his face. And there was no gun. The three assholes had locked his in their damn car. And they didn’t seem to have one of their own.
He stalled with the button on his fly. His heart raced and his pulse slammed in his neck. Next he’d be having a fucking stroke and he wouldn’t need to worry about no escape.
Teddy grabbed his arms. As he pushed the cuffs back into place, he leaned down close to Kane’s ear and whispered, “Just so you know where we stand, I would have cut your dick off rather than allow you the dignity of fixing your appearance. Be cautious here, sir, because the only thing keeping you alive right now is that woman’s specific request.” He motioned toward Lucianna. “She has a conscience. I do not. Particularly when it comes to scum such as yourself. Therefore, I advise you to cooperate with her. Tell her what she needs to know. Otherwise, I will take great pleasure in taking you apart, piece by piece.”
Kane forced himself to remain still and not react. Rarely had he been intimidated by another man. Never had he felt a bone-deep fear of another person. Until now.
At that moment, Kane’s cell phone whistled for attention. He’d been out of touch too long. Nico must know something was up. And Nico wanted these people taken care of more than he wanted anything else. That meant he’d send someone out here, which would be Kane’s one chance of getting out of this alive.
Teddy shoved him back down to the floor. Then he reached over and picked the cell phone up from the rusted chair. Vinnie had turned at the sound of the whistle. As he approached, Teddy tossed him the phone. Vinnie had a creepy smirk when he clicked the phone on and said, “Good evening.”
***
Nico frowned into the phone. “Who is this?” he said.
“Rather abrupt way to greet a person.” the voice said.
Nico clenched his fist around the phone. “Put Kane on.”
“I’m afraid he’s unavailable at the moment. May I take a message?”
“Who the hell is this?”
“Quite short on the temper. Am I correct in assuming that I am speaking to the notorious Nico?”
Nico grabbed his cigarettes, quickly lighting one and inhaling deeply. This wasn’t good. Not good at all. Finally he said, “What do you want?”
“World peace,” the voice said. “Barring that, I would like to know what your interest is in the McCormicks.”
Nico blew out a long stream of smoke. “Vinnie, right?”
“Now that we’ve established one another’s identity, why don’t you answer my question.”
“Fuck off.”
“Very well. I’ll keep possession of this phone, on the off chance that you change your mind. However, time is short. I would not advise you to wait long.”
“Boss?” Viper prompted.
“He’s got Kane.”
“Who does?”
“Vinnie Martel. The bitch detective’s uncle.”
Viper winced. “The crazy old dude?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit.”
Nico agreed with that sentiment. “So where did Kane take the broad? Maybe they’re still there.”
Viper opened his mouth to answer when one of the club’s security guards came jogging over. “Boss,” he said, “you’d better come out front.”
“I’m busy,” Nico snapped. “Whatever it is, just handle it.”
The security guard’s face was drained of color, his eyes wide. “With all respect, boss, you need to see this. It’s bad.”
Nico squashed his cigarette butt into the ashtray and muttered a string of curses. He stood, shoving the chair back hard enough for it to tip over, and followed the guard to the front entrance. Viper stayed a half step behind. As the guard pushed the door open, Nico was saying, “I don’t have time for bullshit tonight. This better be…”
His words died midstream as he stared down at the sidewalk. Dean’s crumpled body lay just a few feet from where he stood. “Jesus Christ,” Nico muttered.
Another security guard handed Nico a note. He said, “This was pinned to his shirt.”
Nico grabbed the piece of paper, his gaze still locked on Dean’s body. Dean had been one of his best. A fighter. Well trained. And the guy had been reduced to a pile of broken bones. He said, “Get his body the hell out of here.”
He stepped back inside, leaned against the wall, and stared at the letter. He was aware of Viper standing beside him, peering down at the paper as well. The handwriting was neat, the letter addressed to him. He wanted to crumple it up, burn it, find the son of a bitch and rip the bastard’s skin off for fucking with him. He didn’t want to read the words. But he did.