Dangerous Curves

by Kristina Wright

  He shook his head in denial. “You hardly know me, Sam. We don’t know anything about each other.”

  She reached across the seat and pressed her trembling fingers to his lips. “I know enough.”

  It broke her heart that he didn’t feel the same way, but it didn’t change the truth of her feelings. “I’m not going to run away and let you get killed.”

  Sam watched the different emotions flit across his face. “I don’t know what to say—”

  “Say you’re not going to run me out of town,” she answered lightly, forcing a simile through her pain.

  Jake sighed. Reaching over, he tucked a long strand of her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on the curve of her cheek. “Oh, Sam.”

  He didn’t have a chance to finish the thought. The driver’s door lurched open and the muzzle of a gun pressed against the back of his head. Sam’s scream was cut short as her door was yanked open and rough hands dragged her from the car.

  Montegna’s men had found them.

  “Come on, lovebirds. You’ve got an appointment at the airport.” The man’s fingers dug cruelly into her arm. Instinctively, she tried to pull away.

  “Don’t try it,” the man said, pressing a gun into her ribs.

  Sam’s heart leaped into her throat. She tried to scream again, but a large hand clamped over her mouth.

  “No tricks.”

  Jake climbed out of the car and their gazes met. She read the frustration and regret in his eyes before he was jerked toward a white van parked two houses down.

  The man holding Sam was the one who’d told her she was going to die. He was tall and thin, but she had no hope of getting away from his iron grip on her arm. Even if she could, the gun in his hand would have discouraged her.

  The other man was built like a gorilla—all solid muscle. He outweighed Jake by at least fifty pounds. Sam’s pulse pounded in her throat. They were trapped.

  It felt surreal to be out in broad daylight, with a gun held to her side. Sam heard a dog barking through the haze of fear as her captor threw her into the back of the van. Her head thudded painfully against the bare metal floor and she groaned.

  Jake swore viciously as he was pushed into the van beside her. “Are you all right?” he asked.

  Sam nodded as she sat up, holding the side of her head.

  The barking of the dog got louder. Sam gasped when she saw Fletcher, his lip drawn back and snarling, jump on the thinner man and bring him to his knees.

  “Ahh! Get ’im off me!” the man screamed, beating at the dog’s head. Fletcher clung to his back, his teeth ripping at his suit.

  Jake took advantage of Fletcher’s attack and threw himself at the other man. They tumbled to the ground in a flurry of limbs, the gun flying out of the big man’s hand. Sam scrambled out of the van after it, but didn’t get far. The thin man managed to dislodge Fletcher and caught her in a flying tackle. She lay on the ground with the wind knocked out of her, dazed.

  Pinned beneath the big man’s weight, Jake managed to scream, “Run, Sam!”

  His voice broke through her haze. She was free. Fletcher hung on to her attacker’s leg with a tenacious grip. Sam stumbled to her feet, intent on escape, but it was too late.

  A shot shattered the air and a scream ripped from Sam’s throat. Frantic, she turned to help Jake but he wasn’t the casualty. Fletcher lay on his side on the lawn, still and covered in blood.

  Her captor pulled her against his side, his gun pressing against her temple. “I told you, no tricks,” he sneered.

  Jake still struggled with the other man, oblivious to her. The man holding her yelled a warning and Jake jerked his head around. When he saw the gun pressed to Sam’s temple, he froze.

  “Make another move and I’ll splatter her brains all over the street,” her captor said.

  Jake dropped his hands in defeat. “Don’t hurt her,” he rasped, blood streaming from his lip, his eye swollen nearly closed.

  The big man hauled his massive weight up from the ground. Searching the lawn, he found his gun. “Let’s go,” he wheezed, scanning the street.

  Jake stood without a struggle, casting one last look over his shoulder at Fletcher. The dog hadn’t moved.

  Their captors forced them into the van again and quickly bound their hands behind their backs with duct tape. The big man went to the front of the van and took the driver’s seat

  “Where are you taking us?” Sam asked, her pulse racing in sheer terror.

  The thin man rubbed at his shoulder where Fletcher had ripped his shirt. “Lady, you crossed the wrong man. Montegna wants to take care of you personally.”

  “Come on, Vinnie,” the other man complained over his shoulder. “Before the neighbors call out the SWAT team.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming,” he said, slamming the van’s double doors.

  A moment later, the vehicle pulled away from the curb. Sam leaned against the side of the van, trying to keep her balance with her hands tied. Jake sat beside her, blood trailing down his chin and staining his shirt. “I don’t suppose you’ve got a plan.”

  Jake shook his head. “Not this time.”

  “I was afraid of that.”

  Chapter 20

  Their captors couldn’t hear them above the traffic noise and the partition that separated the body of the van from the two front seats, but Jake wasn’t much inclined to talk. He was still kicking himself for letting them get caught

  “I’m sorry about Fletcher,” Sam said finally.

  Jake felt like someone had punched him in the gut. “I’ll kill that bastard if I get my hands on him,” he said, but his words lacked conviction. Their odds had dwindled to nothing. And if Montegna’s reputation was any indication, Fletcher had been the lucky one.

  “They said something about the airport. Why would they be taking us to the airport?”

  Jake had been wondering the same thing. “I have no idea. Maybe they’re flying us to Montegna.”

  “It doesn’t make sense.”

  The van turned a corner and Sam pressed against Jake. At any other time he would have enjoyed the feel of her against him. Right now all he could think about was how he’d screwed up.

  “Montegna wants his revenge.”

  “But he’s going to all this trouble for the pictures?”

  She had a point. Jake struggled to free his hands, but the tape only tightened on his wrists. “Maybe it’s more than that”

  “But what?”

  Jake didn’t have an answer. What did Montegna want with them? It was a good bet that he didn’t want to have them over for tea.

  The van left the highway. They were nearing the airport. Jake’s mind ran through all the possible outcomes but his police training overrode any optimism he might have had. Removing the victim from the scene of the crime nearly always ended in a worst-case scenario.

  Jake sat shoulder to shoulder with Sam and had to crane his head to look her in the eyes. “Listen, Sam. If something happens, if somehow or other I can manage to distract them, I want you to run. And keep running until you get someplace safe.”

  He tried to make her hear the urgency in his voice. He didn’t care what happened to him anymore. After all they’d been through together, after fighting his emotions, she’d gotten past his defenses. He loved her. Only now it looked like it was too damn late to matter. He’d failed again.

  Sam’s eyes glittered with unshed tears. “I told you, I’m not leaving you. This doesn’t change anything.”

  “Dammit, Sam!” Jake lowered his voice when one of the men looked back at them. “Don’t argue with me now. If we have any chance at all of escaping, you have to do what I say.”

  He saw the resignation in her eyes a moment before she said the words. “All right.”

  He felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders—which was ridiculous under the circumstances. But if he could catch a break, Sam might be able to get away. He ignored the nagging voice that asked, what about him? He would make su
re Sam was safe.

  Or die trying.

  At that very moment, the van’s engine shut off. The man named Vinnie looked back at them. “End of the line.”

  They sat back-to-back on the floor, their hands bound together. Sam was oddly comforted by the solid feeling of Jake against her in the darkness. She flexed her wrists and winced. “Now what?” she asked.

  “Now we wait.”

  Sam snorted. How could he be so damn stoic under the circumstances? Their captors had dragged them into some kind of maintenance shack on the outskirts of the airport. Then they’d tied them up and left them without a word. It had been at least an hour, maybe longer.

  Sam shifted on the hard floor, trying to get comfortable The smell of grease made her nose wrinkle. Something scurried behind a pile of discarded tools and she pressed against Jake.

  “Do you think they’re going to kill us?”

  She felt Jake move to accommodate her. “I don’t know. Probably.”

  Leave it to Jake to pull no punches. “Great. So we’re just going to sit here and wait for them?”

  “Dammit, Sam, I’m trying to think!” he snapped. “And would you quit moving around? You’re killing my arms.”

  “Sorry.”

  She heard him sigh. “That’s all right.”

  The only window in the building was over a workbench in the corner and was covered with dust and grime, allowing little light to penetrate the dim interior. She craned her neck to look around. Maybe they could find a knife or something to cut the tape.

  “Sam!” Jake complained when she twisted beyond his capacity to move.

  “I can’t just sit here and wait for them to come back. We’ve got to do something.”

  She felt his back muscles flex as he tried to turn his head. She could feel his breath graze her cheek, but couldn’t quite see him. “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe we could get up and push the door open,” she suggested.

  “And then what? Hop across the fields until we get to the airport? It’s at least a half mile.”

  “Great attitude, Cavanaugh.”

  “Yeah, well, pardon me for not wanting to make a fool of myself in my last moments.”

  “Help! Somebody help!” Sam yelled at the top of her lungs until her throat felt raw. Then she fell silent and listened.

  “There’s no one out there,” Jake said mildly.

  “Pardon me for not giving up hope.” She felt the tears threatening to spill over. “I can’t sit here and wait to die. Maybe Joe will find us.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it.” Jake shifted slightly and turned his head. Sam could feel his breath stir her hair. “I have a plan.”

  “You do?”

  She felt him nod in affirmation. “I do. Just hang on. We’ll get out of this.”

  Suspicious, she asked, “What’s your plan?”

  “I’m not telling you.”

  She strained against her bonds, trying to see his face. “Why the hell not?”

  Jake sighed. “You’ll just want to argue with me. I don’t feel like arguing.”

  “But—”

  “Let’s talk about something else,” he interrupted.

  Sam rubbed her right foot against her left ankle, momentarily distracted by the thought of creepy-crawlies. “What?”

  “I don’t know—anything you want.”

  “I want to talk about how we’re going to get out of here.”

  She leaned back, resting her head against the base of his neck. A plane flew low over their makeshift prison, drowning out all sound for a moment Sam felt the floor quiver beneath her as the aircraft passed. For a moment, she was frozen by her childhood fear of a plane crashing into her house It was ridiculous, under the circumstances, but that didn’t stop her from pulling her head a little lower.

  “What was that all about?” Jake asked.

  Sam felt her cheeks grow warmer than they already were. “Nothing. Just superstitious.”

  Amazingly, Jake managed a chuckle. “Do you know what the statistics are on plane crashes of any kind, much less into buildings?”

  Sam’s leg was beginning to cramp, so she pulled it up under her. “No, I don’t know. Do you know what the odds are of getting arrested for a murder you didn’t commit?”

  “Point taken.”

  The hum of the plane had faded into the distance, with it landing safely, Sam imagined. She wished she were on a plane right now instead of sitting in the dark waiting for somebody to kill her. If she weren’t so terrified, she would have laughed at how desperate she’d become.

  “Trust me, Sam. You’ll get out of this in one piece.”

  Sam’s throat constricted with unshed tears. She hadn’t missed his omission. He would die trying to save her. “I do trust you, Jake.”

  Just then the door to the shed creaked open and Sam tensed. The doorway filled with the silhouette of a man. She squinted into the bright light. Jake’s fingers laced with hers, giving them a squeeze.

  “It’s about time you showed up to do your own dirty work, Montegna,” Jake said.

  Montegna’s throaty laugh sent a chill through Sam. He moved into the small building, followed by the two men who had brought them here. “Close the door, Vinnie,” he said, his voice a rich Hispanic drawl.

  The thin man closed the door behind them while Montegna pulled the cord on an overhead light. The bare bulb cast an eerie light on the mobster as if drawn to his evilness. It was hard to judge Montegna’s height from this level, but Sam guessed him to be fairly tall. His dark hair was shot through with strands of silver. He looked like a politician or an actor, but there was a hint of madness in his eyes.

  “Sorry about your position,” he said, gesturing at the floor. “But it couldn’t be helped.”

  If Sam hadn’t known better, she would have thought he cared. He smiled—his even, white teeth reminding her of a shark’s. She grasped Jake’s fingers tighter and gritted her teeth. She would not let this man know how badly he scared her.

  “C’mon, Montegna, get to it.” Jake’s harsh tone belied their captivity. He sounded in control.

  Montegna made a tsking sound. “Patience, Detective Cavanaugh.”

  Sam could feel Jake’s muscles go taut.

  “Oh, but you’re not a detective anymore, are you?” Montegna propped his foot on a box near the door. Even dressed in casual trousers and a short-sleeved polo shirt he exuded money and power. And violence. “So why did you get yourself involved in my business?”

  “You could say I tripped over one of your victims.”

  Montegna crossed the short distance to them. His glance flicked over Sam, a look of distaste on his face. “The woman. Levy doesn’t follow directions. I wanted her dead.”

  “Even Levy isn’t above the law,” Jake said.

  Montegna puffed up to his full height, arrogance in his cocky grin. “But I am.”

  “Scum has a tendency to float to the top.”

  Montegna’s foot shot out, clipping Jake across the face. Jake lurched sideways, taking Sam with him. Sam screamed.

  “Watch what you say,” Montegna said softly, examining the tip of his shoe.

  “I’m surprised at you, Montegna,” Jake rasped, spitting on the floor. “I thought you paid your boys there to do your fighting.”

  Montegna watched Jake and Sam disinterestedly for a moment while they struggled to sit up again. “It’s hardly a fight, with you down on the floor like a dog, Cavanaugh.”

  “So let me up and we’ll handle this like men.”

  Montegna squatted beside them, his dark eyes glittering. “That’s not my way, Mr. Cavanaugh. You should know that.”

  “What does that mean?” Sam asked. The man scared the hell out of her, but she wasn’t going to be bullied by him.

  “Don’t ask,” Jake said.

  Montegna’s grin made Sam feel sick. “I’m offended,” he said. “You don’t know my reputation?”

  Sam shook her head.

  He leaned over
, drawing a finger down the side of Sam’s face. The gesture was both mesmerizing and revolting. “I prefer to do things neatly. Cleanly.”

  Jake jerked against his restraints, causing Sam to gasp in pain. “What you mean is that your victims are never found. And on the rare occasion when bodies turn up, they’re unrecognizable to their own mothers.”

  Sam felt bile rise in her throat at the image that conjured. Montegna’s eyes narrowed on Jake. “Not a pretty picture, but an apt description.”

  “What are you going to do to us?” Sam whispered.

  Montegna stood, wiping the palms of his hands across his trousers. “That depends. If you choose to cooperate, you’ll simply vanish in a puff of smoke.” He waved his hand in the air. “Shouldn’t take long for a fire to burn this place down.”

  Sam trembled. Jake squeezed her fingers, but her hands felt numb. “And if we don’t cooperate?”

  “I wouldn’t recommend that” Montegna snapped his fingers at his men.

  Vinnie reached down and pulled a knife from his boot. He passed it to Montegna who examined the blade with the careful attention of a surgeon. “I prefer to do things neatly,” he said, drawing the blade across his thumb until it beaded crimson. “But I can make it as messy as you want.”

  “How did you track us down?” Jake snarled.

  Montegna smiled. “At first I thought you must work for Levy. I’ve never trusted that little runt. It didn’t take much to gain the loyalty of some of his men. They’ve kept me advised of your movements and assure me you don’t work for Levy.” He leaned in close to Sam. ”You simply got in the way.”

  Sam shook her head. “So what do you intend to do with us?”

  “You’ve insulted my honor, Ms. Martin. You made my men look like fools. I can’t have that.” He paced the narrow room. The knife blade glinted in the light, sending a shiver of dread up Sam’s spine. “And there’s always a chance Levy plans to use you against me. I don’t intend to let that happen.”

  “We would no more work for Levy than we’d work for you.”

  Montegna pivoted on the balls of his feet with catlike grace. “Get them up!” he ordered.