by Jo Leigh
Ginny held the bottle out to him again, but he shook his head.
“A couple months later, still no Meg, and I hadn’t gone back to school yet when my father was killed while undercover. Only, there were no awards for valor or for his long, dedicated service. No pension for my mom. The money he’d claimed he had put aside for us was confiscated by the Department of Justice. He’d stolen it from the drug bust. So, no more education. No more thinking of my father as a hero. My idol. Meg’s idol.
“Once we learned the truth, we stayed under the radar, but we had to pay for everything ourselves without government support. That’s why I didn’t finish Princeton. Or go to law school. I had to look after my mom, so I finished putting in the hours I needed to get my pilot’s license while working at a small airfield not too far from home. But I didn’t move away until after my mom met Wade. As you already know, we eventually heard from Meg on Facebook, and after a while, I understood she really had just left.” He let out a breath and relaxed the tightness in his shoulders. “I think that about covers everything.”
“Oh, Parker, I’m so sorry.” Her voice had dropped to a whisper. “I wish— I just wish I’d—”
“We’re not too far from La Guardia.” He didn’t dare look at her. It was bad enough to hear the tears in her voice. All he wanted was to change the subject. He’d said his piece. Now she knew everything. No other living soul had heard the story from him, and he’d be damned if he could explain why he’d told Ginny.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LA GUARDIA WAS only eight miles from Midtown Manhattan and the bank, but it took them a long, tense ride to get there. Parker could feel her anxiety, even though he was doing his best to be as calm as possible.
“Remember,” he said, as they turned onto the packed street where the bank entrance was sandwiched between a bookstore and an Episcopal church. “We walk straight back to the assistant manager’s office.”
Ginny nodded, but it was a jerky motion that had nothing to do with the stop and start of the cab. There was no parking available, only a zone for drop-offs, and it took them a while for the cab to get close enough for them to get out.
He put his phone on the floor and opened the door. “Don’t forget, keep the meter running,” he told the cabbie. “And there’ll be an extra hundred for you.”
The guy smiled in the rearview mirror and said, “You got it, buddy.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Ginny whispered, glancing down at his phone.
“It’ll be fine. Did you leave yours on the plane?”
She huffed as she put her phone down next to his while he held the passenger door open for her. Their cells were probably the safest ones in the city at the moment. But he didn’t dare tell her that.
She looked smart, holding her leather bag. It didn’t look like a carryall, not on this street, and not with her regal bearing. She’d been clever enough to stuff it with some crumpled newspaper, making it look more natural.
He needed to remember that. She wasn’t as nervous as she seemed if she could still think so rationally.
He did a quick scan of the street, trying to spot the FBI agents who, he’d been assured, were spaced inconspicuously around the entrance. And inside. Even the cabbie was FBI, and one of the best, Special Agent Archer had assured him. For whatever that was worth. Parker couldn’t tell one pedestrian from another. They all might have been FBI or Danny Masters’s men. Even the mom pushing her stroller could be assassin or savior.
It was time for them to go inside, and he just had to trust that their plan had all the bases covered. The FBI were supposed to be experts at this sort of thing, weren’t they? He’d believed that most of his life, but his trust in the government had been shaken too badly to let it comfort him much.
He held Ginny’s elbow as they walked, but he opened the heavy glass door and let her go in first—only because he saw one of the bank’s guards standing next to the entry. Parker moved in quickly behind her, right in front of another woman. He hated to be rude, but he had no choice. She barely gave him a glance. Gotta love New Yorkers.
Ginny looked back as they passed the guard. “Aren’t you going to mention something to him?”
“I don’t think we need to.”
She nodded and together they walked through the lobby, past a row of tellers to a reception desk. A young man greeted them, and after Parker stated their business, the man directed them to the assistant manager’s office, first one on the left. As they entered, the woman at the desk looked up, her pen poised over some paperwork.
“I’d like to access my safe-deposit box,” Ginny said with a brief smile.
The pen went down as the woman stood. She was slightly older, perhaps in her forties, and wore a severe gray suit. He doubted she knew anything about this operation at all. She simply nodded, asked Ginny for the box number and her identification.
While she pulled out her passport and driver’s license, along with the renewal notice from her bag, he looked around as casually as he could. He probably wouldn’t recognize anyone as friend or foe, but he couldn’t help trying. Mostly he wanted to identify someone who could be FBI, but if he could spot them, so could Masters’s men.
Even before Ginny handed anything over, Ms. Elward, according to her nameplate, frowned. Her gaze darted to her computer screen.
Parker gave Ginny a slight nudge, but he felt certain he already knew what was coming.
Her quick inhale indicated she did too. “I’d also like to know if anyone else has been asking about the box. Anyone in the last couple of days?”
“Actually, yes.” Ms. Elward accepted Ginny’s credentials and took her time examining them before glancing up. “Would you excuse me for just a moment?” The woman didn’t wait for an answer but turned to look up something on her computer. “Oh, please, have a seat,” she said, gesturing to the pair of visitors’ chairs facing her desk, without taking her eyes from her monitor.
Ginny’s movement was stilted as she lowered herself into the brown leather chair, then looked at Parker with fearful eyes.
He gave her a reassuring smile but remained standing just inside the door, keeping a furtive watch, despite knowing it was futile, his own heart picking up speed. He’d warned Ginny not to be surprised if someone had beaten them to the bank. The more he’d dug up on Danny Masters on the internet, the more Parker had realized they were out of their depth.
“Spider” had turned out to be a pretty well-known character, at least when it came to illegal arms and FBI watch lists. Interpol had also been interested in his whereabouts. The guy was not only dangerous but had become a major player in the last five years. He had no loyalty to any country, including his own, and sold to the highest bidder.
So Parker had had little choice but to call the FBI. He wasn’t going to risk their lives, and besides, he wanted to see that bastard put away. Ginny would’ve been too irrational to understand, so he hadn’t told her. But he was 100 percent positive he’d done the right thing. Besides, she had no room to complain.
It had taken him a while to get the right person interested, but when he finally did, the man had been quite informative.
Masters was very clever and hypercautious. He’d moved from city to city, country to country as he’d built his arms dealing empire.
The FBI had had a close watch at airports and docks for quite some time, but Danny always managed to slip through. It must have been getting trickier, though, because his trips to the US had become less frequent.
Special Agent Archer didn’t expect him to show up at the bank himself. He’d likely send his lieutenant, a man referred to as The Shiv. That alone made Parker glad he’d picked up the phone.
Ms. Elward was taking too long. Ginny’s hands were shaking and she kept darting looks at Parker. Anyone would think she was about to rob the place. He tried to reassure her with a smile, but he doubted his own
tension had escaped her.
“Is there a problem?” he asked finally.
“I’m sorry for the delay. Thank you for your patience.” The woman offered them a brief smile, then returned her attention to the computer. A moment later she asked Ginny to sign a form she’d printed out.
After Ginny handed the paper back, Ms. Elward had taken a phone call, which was annoying. He wished she’d hurry this up. It felt as if he had a target painted on his back standing in the open doorway.
Once she’d finished the call, the woman compared the signatures very closely. An armed security guard wandered past the office. He didn’t go far and Parker figured that was what the phone call had been about. It was only after she’d buzzed them in to the private entryway leading to the vault that she explained.
“Ten minutes after we opened this morning, someone asked about the box,” she said. “But he didn’t have all the proper documentation.”
Ginny tensed.
“Do you know his name?” Parker asked.
“I’m sorry, I can’t give you that information.” Her frown had faded some but hadn’t left. “I have a question for you...though I’m afraid there’s no delicate way to ask...”
“Go ahead,” Parker said, breaking the awkward silence.
“Do you know if Megan Nolan, the other person listed on the account, is deceased?”
Ginny gasped and almost stumbled.
“I’m so sorry,” Ms. Elward murmured. “I wouldn’t have asked but the gentleman said he’d be back tomorrow morning with the death certificate and a court order.”
Parker put his arm loosely around Ginny’s shoulders, but he wasn’t doing much better. “It’s probably a fake,” he told her, more for Ginny’s benefit than hers. And for his own. Lord, how he didn’t want it to be true. “I think the guy’s her ex-husband.”
“Ah.” Ms. Elward nodded. “It happens,” she said and continued on.
He kept walking because this was in Meg’s honor. The very least he could do was make sure that scumbag wouldn’t get away with another thing. Maybe they wouldn’t catch him today, but they would get closer.
Together, he and Ginny were escorted into the vault, both keys were inserted and the box was carried by Ms. Elward to a private viewing area. It was as sterile as the vault, furnished with two plain chairs and a simple mahogany table.
Once they were alone, Ginny’s demeanor slipped into a picture of misery. She covered her eyes with her palms, her body trembling.
“You’re fine,” he said, stroking her arm, wondering if he should go ahead and tell her about the FBI and that she was completely safe.
“Meg isn’t,” she said, her voice garbled. “How can this be happening? I hope Danny does follow us. I do. I’d like to get my hands on him myself.”
Parker understood completely. “Stand in line.”
After a moment, she lowered her hands, took a deep breath and opened the lid. Inside there was a large thick envelope that looked as if it held papers. She picked it up and held it out to him.
He didn’t take it. “No, just put it in your bag. I know you want to see everything, but we need to go. The quicker we’re out of here, the better.”
“You think someone’s watching.”
“I’d bet on it.”
She did as he requested, then made sure her bag was zipped up. He stopped her just as she was about to leave the viewing area. “You might want to take a minute. Maybe try to relax, and, uh...” He wiped a finger below his nose.
The ruse seemed to work. Ginny pulled a small compact out from the bottom of the bag and checked her face, which looked fine despite her fear and sadness. She took several breaths and stretched her neck, zipped the bag again, then nodded, looking a lot better before walking out to find Ms. Elward waiting nearby.
“Thanks,” Ginny said, then Parker escorted her through the lobby.
The guard had returned to his post and opened the door for them. Only the cab wasn’t at the curb.
Ginny whimpered, but cut it off quickly. He looked up and down the street, but there were a lot of yellow taxis and several police cars. The same had been the case when they’d arrived, so Parker didn’t let it rattle him.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “The driver probably had to circle the block. He’ll be back.” Their cabbie wouldn’t have been allowed to just wait. Not with all the signs prohibiting that very thing. And if he had, it would have been a neon sign to anyone watching.
“Will you recognize him? I mean, there are a lot of cabs.”
“I remember which one,” he said, once again with his hand on Ginny’s trembling shoulder.
She jumped when two other cabs dropped off clients. Three other cars did the same—a town car, a stretch limo and then a Buick. Thankfully, the next cab was theirs.
He quickly ushered her inside, then got in himself and pulled the door closed. Only then was he able to breathe again.
She bent to pick up her phone, but he waited, looking at the mirrors he could see from the backseat as the cab inched into traffic. Naturally, they were boxed in. It was the middle of Midtown. Insanely crowded with cars, buses, every manner of transportation and pedestrians.
No wonder he missed his cabin so much. Even the traffic in Temptation Bay drove him nuts.
“Are we being followed?” Ginny asked, her voice so low and close he felt her warm breath on his neck.
“No idea.” He leaned forward. “Straight to the airfield, right?”
“Yep. It’ll take some time to get out of this jam-up, but soon I’ll be able to get us to the highway.”
Parker sat back, but kept his gaze moving from the rearview mirror to the side mirror, as if that would help them in any way. The FBI agent driving the cab was surely on top of things. It felt like hours passed before they were able to get any distance. Considering everything that had happened, Ginny had done well so far, and now the hardest part was over. He hoped.
They finally merged onto the highway, which was slightly less packed than the street. The driver was skilled, though, and wove his way through the traffic. When they were midway to the La Guardia exit, he noticed a black SUV speeding toward them in the rearview mirror.
“What’s wrong?” Ginny turned around to the see the SUV almost at their bumper. “Why is that car so close?”
Parker didn’t say anything, but he noticed the cabdriver’s mouth moving. He must be speaking to his team, asking about the situation.
“Parker?”
He looked at Ginny, whose eyes were haunted and her face pale. Her gaze went to a dark sedan with heavily tinted windows that had pulled up and was traveling in tandem with them. Could be just any commuter. But she was scared, and he had to do something. He’d been wrong about the hard part. Ginny was heading straight to panic mode and his simmering anger at Masters wasn’t helping. He mentally replayed what the assistant manager had said. A death certificate.
Man, he had to stop. Let it go. For now.
“Just hold it together,” the cabdriver said. “The dark blue Ford is one of ours.”
“What are you talking about?” Ginny asked, her voice high and tight. She turned sharply to look at Parker. “What’s he mean by ours?”
He probably should have said something already, but it was too late now. “Look, I had to get help. I learned a lot about Danny Masters, and I knew the odds of us not being grabbed were slim at best.”
She jerked away from him, her eyes blazing. “You called the police.”
“No. I called the FBI.”
“You promised me. You swore you wouldn’t. You liar.”
“And what good would that have done us? You want to get back to Tilda, don’t you? You wouldn’t be any good to her dead.”
Her face went even paler as if all the blood had drained from her body. “Is Tilda safe?” she demanded, her voice rising as s
he gripped his shirt, pulling him closer. “Tell me. Is. She. Safe?”
“Yes. She is.”
“Oh, God, what am I doing? Why should I trust you? You lied about everything.”
Parker held his tongue. She had a hell of a nerve. But now wasn’t the time to get into it.
“Ms. Landry, I’m Agent Hawkins,” the cabbie told her. “Your daughter is safe. You have my word.”
Just then the SUV slammed into the bumper of the cab, making them swerve.
Hawkins’s gaze moved quickly between the rearview mirror and the windshield. “Brace. They’re going to go for it again. It’s all right though. We planned for this...”
The bump was harder this time, and Ginny let out a cry. They both nearly hit their heads on the back of the front seats as the cab jerked then swerved into the left lane, nearly hitting another car, which smashed into the guardrail. The SUV stayed on their tail. The Ford fell back some.
Ginny’s hand gripped Parker’s leg so tightly it hurt, but he just put his arm around her shoulders and held on to her.
“They’re going to kill us, aren’t they?” she whispered.
“No,” he said, squeezing her tighter, hoping he wasn’t lying again. That’s when he heard the helicopter above them, lower than was legal over a freeway.
The cab put on some speed, heading toward the next exit, skimming past a car, nearly hitting the guardrail. But they made it and moved onto a less crowded road.
Hawkins pulled several impressive moves that scared Ginny half to death and didn’t do Parker’s heart any good. But the helicopter was still above them, and they had a lead on the SUV, while the Ford and another large car that was probably FBI were running interference.
At an almost impossible turn, Ginny squealed louder than the brakes of the car on their right. Parker leaned closer to her. “Hold on. We’re getting closer to the airport.” That was a bluff. He had no idea where all of this was supposed to end.