Off the Grid for Love

by Rena Koontz

  He made to step backward out of her arms, but she clung to him. “Shut up, Jake.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Was it possible to reach a higher level of satisfaction than their first encounter? Mackenna wouldn’t have thought so but, sweet Lord, Jake sent her on an outer space mission, soaring to heights she hadn’t known she was capable of. His lovemaking was a combination of tough and tender. Sometimes he barely touched her, and she begged for more. Other times the thinnest of threads couldn’t weave itself between them when he pressed closer than she thought humanly possible. And still, she wanted him nearer.

  When he finally brought her to orgasm she screamed his name and burst into tears. Never had she surrendered to a man so completely and yet felt so empowered. Even then Jake cradled her, kissing her wet eyelashes and licking the tears from her cheeks, gently rocking them both. They drifted off to sleep like that.

  She’d always hated Mondays but this morning she dressed for work with an eagerness to start the day. Mostly because she hoped Jake would be at the end of it.

  Standing at the kitchen counter drinking a cup of coffee, she felt her cheeks grow warm and her thighs tingle when Jake strolled out of the bedroom shirtless and barefoot, wearing only blue jeans. She could get used to this picture. Wordlessly he took her face in his hands and softly kissed her. She was beginning to like that habit. It felt like he wanted to hold on to her.

  “Good morning, sugar. I didn’t hear you wake up.”

  “I tried to be quiet. You must be tired. You didn’t get much sleep.”

  He hadn’t moved away and he delivered one more playful kiss to her mouth. “Sleep is the last thing I want to do in bed with you. How soon do you have to leave?”

  She checked her watch as she poured him a cup of coffee. “About now. I’m not sure what traffic will be like. Remember, I’m heading across town to the Ninth Street branch today, out of Mr. Gleaner’s clutches. That will be my new home for who knows how long. I don’t want to be late on my first day.”

  Leaning against the opposite counter, Jake nodded. “Call me if you have any problems.”

  “What’s your day going to be like? Do you have to work tonight? Will I see you?”

  His face turned serious and he locked his lips. Setting his cup down he moved toward her, reaching for her shoulders. “Do me a favor, will you, sugar? Have faith in me. No matter what you read or what you hear. Believe in me, okay?”

  She raised her hands to his biceps, loving the feel of his stone hard muscles beneath her fingertips. “I don’t understand, Jake. What do you mean?”

  He shrugged. “It’s one more thing I can’t explain, Kenna. I’ll get out of here now. And you better get moving.”

  ~ ~ ~

  The Ninth Street bank felt different. She hadn’t dealt with any of the employees in this branch so each name was new and every face regarded her suspiciously. Did they know why she’d been transferred here? Filing an HR complaint was supposed to be confidential but every company had its rumor mill. Was she today’s grist?

  At least the banking procedures were identical and she was able to do her job efficiently. She headed to the lunchroom with her cell phone in hand, ready to call Jake and let him know her new assignment was going smoothly. Butterflies danced in her stomach in anticipation of hearing his voice.

  But a breaking news report playing on the flat screen TV made that impossible. The minute she viewed the screen the butterflies morphed into dive-bombing moths that soured her appetite and ruined her mood. A list of names crawled along the waist line of a news reporter speaking to the camera in front of the same FBI building that she’d been summoned to for the photo identification session.

  The morning’s activities involved a series of major arrests in a scheme to steal millions of dollars from the city, the reporter informed her audience, and it promised to have a rippling effect through several government agencies on the local and state levels. The TV station replayed a film clip of the agents, bright yellow FBI letters emblazoned on the backs of their jackets, walking out of City Hall with more than a dozen executives in handcuffs. And there he was. Jake.

  His chin was lowered to his chest and his hair partially covered his face. But she’d already read his name in the news scrawl at the bottom of the screen. Jake Manfred. Wasn’t it Manettia? He wore a blue shirt and tie over blue jeans and his hands were cuffed behind his back. She’d never seen Jake wear a tie.

  Where was his security guard uniform? Why had agents arrested him? What was he doing at City Hall today when he worked nights? Who exactly was the man she was falling in love with?

  ~ ~ ~

  The takedown by the FBI agents came off without a snag. But Jake wasn’t one bit pleased about it.

  First off, some pissant in the corner immediately whipped out his cell phone to record the action and post it live to his social media account. That tipped off the news stations and reporters swarmed City Hall. Naively, he’d hoped the raid might go unnoticed until he was out of the building and in custody.

  Secondly, out of deference to the deputy sheriffs permanently assigned to City Hall, the FBI informed them of the arrests minutes before they occurred and the deputies accompanied the agents to the various offices. Jake was supposed to mouth off to the agent who confronted him, thereby removing him separately and safely from the bigger mix. But the deputy sheriff didn’t know that and when Jake insulted the agent and attempted to resist, the deputy punched him on the left side of his head. The kid was obviously on a power trip, puffing out his chest like a bull leaving the barn. The square gold ring the deputy wore inflicted a one-inch cut over Jake’s eyebrow and his eye would likely be black and blue in hours.

  It was all Jake could do not to fight back. He made a note of the deputy’s name on the badge over his pocket though. He’d come back some other time and deal with the jackass.

  Jake didn’t have to fake embarrassment at being paraded out the front door like a criminal because he truly was humiliated. He belonged on the right side of the law, where Mackenna suggested he stood, and this experience affirmed it. At least she was at work today and wouldn’t see any news broadcasts.

  But thanks to his meddling, she now resided in an apartment with two perfectly good working televisions. She was bound to see the reports tonight. Dammit.

  On the flip side, the coverage might reach Vinny’s eyes and ears and add to Jake’s credibility as a criminal. The FBI already had fabricated a criminal history for him prior to parachuting him into Courtney’s public corruption case. That was standard operating procedure because the underworld always checked. When Vinny Cabacolli befriended Jake, there was no concern that his true identity would be uncovered, no matter how many contacts Old Man Cabacolli had on the inside.

  In all, the first round of arrests netted about a dozen city employees and two elected officials. They sat in chairs lining the walls of a caged holding area in the bowels of the federal courthouse, most of them silent. Someone was in the men’s room puking his guts out. Two women whimpered into balled tissues in their hands. No one spoke.

  One by one, agents accompanied by public defenders escorted someone out of the room to what Jake knew were interview rooms. Each person would be questioned, arraigned before a federal judge, and allowed to make bond arrangements if the judge permitted it. Jake would be the last one released.

  Courtney was among the agents at the courthouse guarding the prisoners and Jake made a show of yanking out of her grasp when she approached him and raised his face to assess the gash over his eye. “You okay?” Her question was gruff but the concern in her eyes was genuine.

  Despite a headache starting to take hold, he was fine. “Piss off,” he spat. The slightest upturn to the corners of her mouth let him know she read him loud and clear. She crinkled her nose like a bunny before walking away.

  He must have d
ozed off in the chair because the next thing he knew, hot stings cut through his dreams. His arms flung out like a wild man and he jumped up. Courtney laughed and he eyed a cotton ball in one hand and bottle of alcohol in the other.

  “Relax, Jake. That blood is dried over your eye. It needs to be cleaned so I can see it better.”

  He gratefully accepted a cold bottle of water, only then realizing that his hands were no longer locked in handcuffs. The aroma of takeout wafted through the air and he followed his nose to a bag from his favorite burger joint. Courtney nodded.

  “I figured you’d be hungry.”

  Reaching for the bag he asked for a status report. Everyone arrested today had been interviewed and arraigned and other than the two top dogs, had already posted bail. Per the plan, Jake was last. As a formality, he’d appear before the judge who already was keyed into the specifics of this corruption case and aware of Jake’s role. Once paperwork was in place establishing a bail amount, Jake would call Vinny.

  It had been Jake’s idea to reach out to Vinny once he was arrested and claim he didn’t have money for bail and Vinny owed him for saving his life. That ensured that the Cabacolli family knew Jake Manfred was dirty.

  “Unless he’s living in a vacuum, he’s already seen the news reports,” Courtney told him as he devoured the burger and onion rings. “It’s the top story on every channel. You shouldn’t have to explain anything.” She held up a butterfly bandage. “I don’t think you need this but let’s apply it to that wound anyway. It will enhance your boyish looks.”

  He’d love a shower but that was out of the question. He couldn’t be released from federal custody smelling fresh and clean. He also wished he could call Mackenna. Again, not possible. It was close to four o’clock. She’d be leaving the bank soon. Had she seen the news yet? What must she be thinking? Jake didn’t have a safe way to get a message to her, at least not until Vinny arranged for his release. And at that he wasn’t comfortable talking to Mackenna in Vinny’s presence. He had to let it go and hope for the best. Whatever that turned out to be.

  Surrounded by agents and a recording device, Jake dialed Vinny from a courthouse desk phone, knowing Vinny wouldn’t recognize the number.

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s Jake. I need some help.”

  “So I’ve heard. Stay put.” To everyone’s surprise, Vinny ended the call. No need for an explanation. Not even an inquiry into Jake’s location. Was he blowing Jake off? Or was this confirmation that Cabacolli had a mole inside?

  Less than a half-hour later, Courtney locked the handcuffs behind Jake’s back and held his elbow as they took an elevator to the first floor. A tall blonde in a dress that cinched at the waist and hugged her curves offered him a practiced smile, dark red lips outlining whitened teeth. “Mr. Manfred? I’m your lawyer. Please don’t say anything.” She scowled at Courtney.

  “Get those off of him now! He’s been released.”

  She didn’t see Courtney give Jake’s fingers a quick squeeze before unlocking the handcuffs. Jake extended his hand toward the attorney and she shook it with a firm grip. She reached for the briefcase positioned beside her four-inch heels and pivoted. “The car is waiting.”

  Jake followed his new lawyer like a child walking behind a parent, wanting to ask where they were going but too afraid of the reprimand the question might spawn. He wondered who this woman was and how legitimate her connection to the Cabacolli family was. She was stunning and way too classy for Vinny. The association had to be through the Old Man. A driver held the rear door open and she slipped inside and slid across the seat. Jake stepped in and sat beside her.

  The car eased away from the curb into traffic and she regarded him, nodding toward his eye. “Does that hurt?”

  “Not anymore. They sprayed it with something so it’s numb.” He knew better than to ask their destination. The tiny tracking device in his watch would keep him on the FBI’s radar. He leaned his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes. No turning back now.

  Chapter 21

  The old-lady wig and oversized glasses transformed his face into his grandmother’s image, unrecognizable even to her, he’d bet. But he still didn’t like it. He hadn’t had time to case this bank and learn the layout. He didn’t feel comfortable inside the building. And he especially didn’t like robbing the same teller again. But his partner insisted. In fact, he demanded this hit.

  He wasn’t worried about this disguise. It was top notch. Ruby red lips and excessive cheek blush stared back at him from the mirror. His mother’s mother resurrected. A baggy dress and stuffed bra completely disguised his male form. Thick support stockings and orthopedic shoes rounded out the masquerade. He’d be hard pressed to recognize himself. The teller wouldn’t either.

  But confronting the same woman three times in a row was too big a gamble. He felt bad for the poor girl, although the last time she’d handled herself admirably. But wasn’t he tempting fate, looking her in the eye again and ordering her to empty her cash drawers? He’d protested but to no avail.

  His partner was the brains of the operation and had assured him the woman would be so startled, she’d barely remember a detail. After all, what were the odds of the same bank teller being robbed three times in three different branches by three different people? In truth, it was a brilliant plan and would immediately shift suspicion to her. But even as he strolled into the bank and searched for her window, he didn’t like it.

  ~ ~ ~

  Mackenna was distracted. During her lunchbreak, she watched and re-watched the newscasts, stunned in disbelief by what she saw. She’d wanted to call Jake, had her cell phone in her hand, but decided against it. She needed to distance herself from him. Obviously, he was a liar and a thief. No different than Arthur.

  She’d halfheartedly resumed her post at the teller window and greeted her first customer. “Good afternoon. I’m your good neighbor. How can I help you today?”

  Mackenna waited for the older woman with curly brash-blond hair and a glittery cord attached to her thick black eyeglasses to respond. The well-rehearsed smile froze on her face when the barrel of a gun edged over the counter and the old lady shoved printed instructions beneath the Plexiglas divider.

  Tears pooled in her eyes as a jumble of questions pummeled the front of her brain. Why her? Again. Why didn’t the woman just shoot her and put Mackenna out of her misery? Would the old lady do it if she asked? Jake had been arrested and taken to jail. She wouldn’t be able to call him for help. No matter. He was no better than this thief sticking up the bank. There wasn’t anybody she could call. And then back to the first painful thought. Dear God, why her?

  ~ ~ ~

  After giving a statement to a young FBI agent, Mackenna waited per his instructions in the manager’s office. She rehashed the entire incident, searching her memory for anything more she could give them. The old lady had fired a bullet into the ceiling, causing panic to roll through the bank, and ran out the door. She’d moved rather quickly for someone her age. Mackenna hadn’t thought to mention that to the young agent.

  Special Agent Demond Crews approached her with a stern look on his face. Gone was the amiable smile she’d seen at the photo array. He dispensed with the amenities, his credentials displayed in his left hand.

  “Miss McElroy, do you remember me?”

  How could she forget a man as massive as a volcano always looming on her horizon, intimidating, like Italy’s Mount Vesuvius? She nodded.

  “I’d like you to accompany me to the FBI office, ma’am. We’ll leave now.”

  “Are you arresting me?” she managed to ask. Her throat was parched.

  “I’d like you to come voluntarily, if you will, Miss McElroy.”

  “I can give you a description of the robber, Agent Crews.”

  But Crews wasn’t interested in her observations. He’d
merely repeated his request that she accompany him to his office.

  That hadn’t answered her question but it also hadn’t presented any other options. She nodded and allowed him to take her elbow as they walked out the front doors, the eyes of her co-workers riveted on her. Gossip traveled fast. By now, everyone in the building from the janitor to the manager knew she’d been a robber’s target already. Did they suspect she was involved? Did Agent Crews?

  She strived to hold her head high. Agent Crews clutched her elbow differently than when Jake took her arm. The agent’s grasp was tighter. Meaner. Christ, she shouldn’t be thinking about Jake at a time like this. She was being arrested. At least that’s what it felt like. She needed to concentrate and make this agent understand that she wasn’t part of the robberies, although she’d no idea how to do that.

  Riding in the back seat of an unmarked car, her mind swirled. This was a living nightmare. What were the odds? Robbed three times. At three bank branches. By three different robbers. And she couldn’t tell the FBI anything concrete. Except they’d all had a gun. And each one of them shot into the ceiling. That was something, wasn’t it?

  She leaned forward. “Agent? Sir? I’ve been thinking . . .”

  The seatbelt anchored his massive form so tightly, Agent Crews was only able to rotate his face toward her. “Please don’t say anything yet, Miss McElroy. It’s for your own good.”

  She clamped her jaw shut. What was the line in all those old movies? Anything she said could be used against her. Holy crap.

  No front door entrance this time. They drove to the back of the building to an underground garage. Once again, Agent Crews held tight to her arm when they entered the building. He flashed his badge at the security monitor and walked through the metal detector, setting off all sorts of alarms. The attendant punched several buttons and the ear-piercing siren silenced. The screener directed Mackenna to place her purse in a bin that slid through an x-ray machine, just as if she were at the airport. The metal detector stayed silent when she stepped through, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Nevertheless, a female attendant used a wand to scan her body and then patted her down, an action that bordered on personal violation. The woman nodded to Agent Crews and he extended his hand, this time locking his fingers on her upper arm.