In Safe Arms

by Christine, Lee

  Checking they were alone, he approached Luke’s car from the back, slipping down the passenger side, opening the door and climbing in. Then he turned and looked at Luke for the first time in two years.

  He hadn’t changed. The fair hair was a fraction longer, the silver slash on his cheek the only thing preventing the man from being too handsome. Broad shouldered, lean and folded into the car’s bucket seats, Neilson exuded the build and bearing of the ex military commander he was.

  ‘Man, am I glad to see you,’ Luke said.

  Nate held up his hand and Luke grasped it in a solid handshake of mutual respect. It was a good feeling, and Nate had missed it, missed interacting with quality people like Neilson.

  ‘Slumming it in a Holden?’ Nate asked jokingly. They’d talked a lot about cars in the past, especially around the time Luke acquired a C63 Mercedes AMG.

  ‘Can’t beat a white company car for anonymity,’ he replied. ‘Do you have Josie?’

  ‘I do.’ Two short words, uttered in the confines of Luke’s car, and Nate realised Josie had become the most important thing in his life.

  Luke gave a relieved sigh. ‘How is she?’

  Nate held his mate’s gaze. ‘Better than you’d expect.’

  Luke wasn’t the demonstrative type, but his grey eyes twinkled, enough to reassure Nate his former employer had read between the lines.

  ‘Allegra will be over the moon.’

  ‘Not when she learns what’s going on at Grace and Poole she won’t. But I’ll get to that shortly.’

  Luke’s eyes turned serious again. ‘Are you undercover?’

  He nodded. ‘Altar Boys.’

  ‘I thought as much. The police got you in the ute the night Josie went missing. They’ve visited your place in Surry Hills.’

  Both men looked up as a seedpod fell from an overhanging tree and bounced off the Holden’s bonnet.

  ‘Are they looking for a Nate Jordan?’

  ‘Yes. Don’t go back there.’

  ‘I don’t intend to.’

  Nate spent the next few minutes filling Luke in with the details of the case.

  ‘How are Grace and Poole involved,’ Luke asked, ‘apart from Mulvaney trying to reach Allegra on the night he was murdered?’

  Nate took a deep breath, steeled himself for what he was about to reveal. ‘Henry Grace collected the money.’

  Luke’s fingers closed around the top of the steering wheel. ‘Jesus.’

  Nate swivelled in the seat, glancing over his shoulder to ensure no-one was showing any interest in them. ‘At first I thought he might be putting the money through the firm’s trust account, but the Law Society audits those accounts vigilantly. It’s more likely he’s writing up bogus receipts, putting it into the firm’s lending company.’

  ‘Loaning money to clients?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘He’s laundering money for the Altar Boys, while Allegra acts for the Southern Cross.’ Luke shook his head. ‘It’s bizarre.’

  ‘Someone’s got something on him, Luke. The Altar Boys or “O”. For all we know, the other partner could be in on it as well.’

  Luke turned to look at him then. ‘I doubt it. Simon Poole’s in the States. When Allegra spoke to him the other day, he didn’t even know Josie was missing.’

  Nate drummed his fingers on the door sill, and decided Henry Grace was a cock. ‘He’s keeping everything on the down low.’

  ‘Allegra was furious, and there’s something else you should know,’ Luke went on. ‘She met with Sandra Mulvaney. Lizard let his security go the night he was killed. He’d had enough, wanted the hit called off apparently. Maybe he was going to defect to the Altar Boys.’

  ‘Maybe.’ Nate ran a hand down his face. ‘I can’t see it happening though. Kennett and Mulvaney hated each other’s guts, ever since Mulvaney defected from the Altar Boys ten years ago.’

  Luke’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ‘That I didn’t know.’

  ‘Yep. Originally it was all one club. Kennett and Mulvaney were vying for chapter leader. They disagreed on a whole host of things. In the end, Mulvaney left, took a swag of members with him and formed the Southern Cross. They’ve been bitter enemies ever since.’

  They fell silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Nate stared through the windscreen and watched four ducklings paddle behind their mother on the pond, the setting at odds with the topic of conversation.

  ‘Murder the chapter leader, and you ensure the two gangs remain bitter rivals,’ Luke mused. ‘It’s an insurance policy. It puts paid to the two clubs merging and becoming one very powerful group, which we know the bikies are beginning to do. We need to work out who benefits from the current situation.’

  ‘A crooked cop, paid by both gangs to look the other way?’ asked Nate.

  ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Definitely someone on the take from both gangs,’ Nate went on. ‘I think it’s the overseer. He could have given Kennett the order to kill Mulvaney. I’m just not sure that person is Henry Grace.’

  Luke gave a slow nod. ‘Sure, how can I help?’

  ‘Do you still have that young gun hacker working for you?’

  ‘Tom Randall?’

  ‘That’s him.’ Nate had forgotten his name, but he could see the IT encryption expert in his mind. Tall, lean with long dark hair, the guy had a razor sharp mind.

  ‘I’ve got him for now. Costs me a bomb to keep him too.’

  ‘Could he hack into Grace and Poole, find out exactly what Henry Grace is up to?’

  Luke didn’t answer right away and Nate held his breath. He knew it was a big ask, but he also knew it had been done before, when Allegra’s career was under threat. Even then, she hadn’t been happy about it, in fact she’d been downright furious. And Luke had borne the brunt of it.

  ‘I’ll understand if you refuse,’ he said when Luke still didn’t speak. ‘Either way, I’ll be arresting Henry Grace, Ong Chung, Mitch Kennett and most of the Altar Boys’ inner circle in the next day or so, ideally before Lizard Mulvaney’s funeral. Obviously, it’ll tip off the overseer, if we haven’t nailed him by then.’

  Nate paused for a few moments. Luke Neilson wasn’t the type of guy you could pressure, and he’d make up his own mind when he was good and ready. Still, it was Josie’s life, and he had to do his best.

  ‘Josie and I are involved, Luke, and I know she’s close to Allegra. When all this is over, I want her to be safe in Sydney again.’

  Luke stroked a thumb across the scar on his cheek. ‘You need to take as many of them off the streets in a co-ordinated raid.’

  Nate didn’t want to get his hopes up, but he liked the way his collaborator was thinking. ‘Exactly.’

  ‘Josie is an innocent party, and if Henry Grace is a criminal, I know Allegra would want him caught.’ There was determination on Luke’s face now. ‘I’ll head back to the office, give Tom the instructions.’

  Nate went on to explain about Providence, the name Josie thought she recognised from Grace and Poole. ‘If he could follow the paper trail, it could point us to the overseer.’

  ‘He can get in anywhere.’

  Nate rested his head against the seat and closed his eyes for a beat. ‘I owe you one, mate.’

  ‘You’re tired. Two years undercover is too long — for anyone. The quicker you finish this, the better.’

  Nate gave a quick nod to show that he’d heard, and when he opened his eyes, Luke was checking his watch. ‘It’s two thirty. I don’t like keeping things from Allegra, but I won’t see her until she finishes around six. Hopefully, Tom will have your info by then.’

  There was a flash of excitement, and something close to anticipation shining in Luke’s silver grey eyes.

  Nate held out his hand. ‘Thank you, man.’

  They shook hands again, and Luke checked the side and rear mirrors. ‘All clear. Go now. Say hi to Josie.’

  Nate smiled to himself as he opened the door.

  He could count on Luke, for
Neilson loved locking up the bad guys — just as much as he did.

  Chapter 26

  2:40 p.m. Thursday

  Josie glanced at Dickson over the laptop screen. ‘Allegra’s going to be horrified when she finds out.’

  ‘She won’t be the only one.’ Dickson didn’t ask to what she was referring. They’d discussed little other than Henry Grace since returning to the hotel around mid morning.

  ‘Nate should be close to finishing with her husband.’

  The hours had crawled by, worsening Josie’s demeanour as road block after road block thwarted her progress. Her efforts to navigate the endless maze of companies had yielded nothing, while “providence” loitered at the edge of her memory, as annoying as a pebble in her shoe.

  She exited the ASIC website and typed “providence” into the general search engine, running her eye down the list of results.

  The first link gave a definition as divine guidance or care, while the second referred to the Rhode Island city of Providence in the New England area of America.

  Oh to hell with this!

  ‘I’m taking a break.’ On edge, and impatient to see Nate, Josie stood up and walked over to the bed, grabbing a travel magazine off the small table as she went.

  ‘Good idea.’ Dickson watched as she kicked off her shoes. ‘Nate will be back soon, and the sexual tension will be steaming up the room.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah.’ Since Barry Simpson’s attack, they’d grown more comfortable with each other, to the point where Josie could imagine them being friends in the future.

  Dickson grinned and returned to his work, and Josie stretched out on her side, propping her chin in her hand as she began flipping through the magazine. There were promotions for adventure tours into the Australian outback, and diving holidays on the Great Barrier Reef. There was even a feature article on golfing safaris, including a round of golf and lunch at each course.

  The magazine barely held her attention, and before long her limbs grew heavy and the print shimmied in front of her eyes. She roused herself as Dickson chuckled, blinked heavy eyelids at the page.

  God, she was tired. But she didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to hear what Nate had to say about his meeting with Luke.

  Josie yawned and continued flicking through the pages. Maybe she should get up, splash her face with cold water and make another cup of coffee.

  Then suddenly a photograph caught her attention. She became more awake, peering at the article featuring two Clare Valley wineries. There was an impressive cellar door, and a highly regarded restaurant which had featured in the Good Food Guide. One of the wineries had an art gallery attached to it, but it was the vineyard itself that evoked images from the past.

  The place looked familiar, though she’d never visited the Clare Valley — not even once.

  Distant memories rose, but like fragments of a dream that melted away upon waking, they stayed beyond reach.

  Providence?

  Trying to remember that name was making her crazy, and it was a miracle she hadn’t dreamt about it, not that she’d had much sleep the past week.

  She turned another page, telling herself she was still keyed up from seeing Mr. Grace this morning, when another photograph jumped out at her. Taken from the air, row upon row of grape vines stretched all the way to the mountains, turning the landscape into a green patchwork of rolling hills that contrasted brilliantly with an azure sky.

  She had seen it before.

  In black and white.

  Someone had shown her this picture.

  Josie sat upright, wide awake now, heart jumping in her chest.

  What was it she couldn’t remember?

  Conscious of Dickson watching her, she carried the magazine to where she’d been working on his computer. Sliding onto her chair, she typed the word “providence” into the search engine again.

  The same results came up. The definition. The city of Providence in Rhode Island. The symbol of the eye they’d studied yesterday.

  Josie scrolled down. There was Providence the TV series. A map of inner city Providence. Information on Brown University, the much sought after Ivy League College which drew young adults to the city.

  The next link was for Providence Winery.

  She glanced at the magazine article, beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead. Sliding her finger across the touchpad, she clicked the link and scanned the home page. Providence Winery was situated in the Napa Valley, California. And there, in the top left-hand corner, was the winery’s crest.

  An intricately designed Eye of Providence stared back at her, the lines of the crest sketched as vines.

  Memories snapped together like pieces of Lego, until they formed a picture in her mind.

  ‘What’s up?’

  She jumped at Dickson’s voice.

  ‘Nothing,’ she muttered, ‘I’m just tired of going around in circles.’

  ‘Welcome to police work,’ he replied, and she breathed a sigh of relief when he went back to what he was doing.

  Josie refocused on the screen and clicked on the “About Us” page. Finger working the touchpad, she clicked on the heading “History of the Vineyard”.

  And then her name flashed in front of her eyes, slugging her with the force of a king hit. Only it wasn’t her name, but one very close to it.

  Joseph Valenti.

  Her grandfather.

  Faint memories drifted back. Sitting on his knee in their family home while he showed her photographs of the vineyard where he’d grown up.

  This was it! He’d lived here, in the Napa Valley, before coming to Australia and starting the construction company her father had carried on. The vineyard was so similar to the Clare Valley vineyard, she’d thought it one and the same.

  Hands clammy, Josie scrolled further down the page. Oblivious to the room around her, she read about the family vineyard in America her parents had never bothered to tell her about.

  The Valenti family emigrated from Sicily after the First World War, purchased a small parcel of land in the Napa Valley and established a winery with vines brought from their native island. Joseph Valenti and his brother, Ziggy, had been born in the depression era. Joseph later emigrated to Australia, and left his brother to run Providence. Ziggy ran the winery until his death, and the company was now under the control of his son, Ziggy Jnr.

  Should we be looking for an American connection?

  She heard Dickson’s voice in her head and determinedly shut it down. The name had conjured up long forgotten memories — that’s all. It didn’t mean her family had any connection with the company Providence Pty. Limited, which they knew to be involved in the money laundering racket.

  The sound of the door opening had her spinning around in her chair. She leaped up, gasped as she came nose to nose with Dickson.

  She hadn’t even heard him get up.

  Past his shoulder, she could see Nate coming through the door.

  Then Dickson’s fingers closed around her arm, as if he thought she might run, eyes moving from her face, to the screen, and back again.

  ‘I think you’d better tell us what you’ve found, Josie.’

  Nate closed the door.

  He hadn’t caught Dickson’s words, but his offsider’s fingers were curled around Josie’s arm. And Josie was looking right at him, a shocked expression on her face.

  Nate’s heart shifted like a tectonic plate.

  ‘What’s going on?’ he asked, the words rough and harsh. He looked from one to the other, unsure if he wanted to learn the truth. Hell, it would be easier to just walk out and leave them to it.

  ‘Oh Nate.’ Josie stepped away and Dickson released her. ‘I’m not exactly sure.’

  And there it was — pain so fierce it felt like he was slicing off his skin without the benefit of anaesthetic. Should he be surprised? Not really. He should have known better than to get involved with someone so young, someone who didn’t know her own mind yet.

  But Dickson?

  Nate c
lenched his fists.

  He wanted to tear the bastard limb from limb.

  And then Dickson spoke, surprising him. ‘I knew by the look on her face she’d stumbled upon something. Take a look at this.’

  Nate blinked, saw Josie turn away, eyes wounded. She’d read his expression, knew he’d doubted her.

  Shit!

  He’d jumped to the wrong conclusion and he needed to apologise. Josie wasn’t the type of girl to flit from one guy to another, he knew that, so why had he assumed the worst just now?

  Take your pick, Hunter. Bottom line is, you’re nuts about her.

  He was nuts about her, and the unfamiliar possessiveness was weird and disturbing. On top of that, the horror and drama of his job was a permanent encroachment on their time together.

  And Luke was right.

  He was weary. More than anything he wanted the operation over, so they could spend time developing their relationship.

  But Josie knew none of this.

  He went to follow her, to apologise, to remove the hurt and admit to being a stupid arse. But Dickson stepped between them, pointing anxiously at the screen.

  ‘Look at this, Nate. We should pass it onto Neilson’s IT guy.’

  More than a little irritated, Nate stepped forward and peered at the screen.

  Right off, he saw the name — Providence Winery.

  A re-energizing buzz ran through his central nervous system. Was it connected to Providence Pty. Limited, the company involved in the money laundering racket? It had to be, for Josie and Dickson to be so strung out about it.

  He moved the cursor across the screen, clicking on the heading “History of the Vineyard”. In the seconds it took for the page to load, he looked across at Josie. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching him. He smiled in apology, but she didn’t smile back, just looked at him with unreadable eyes.

  Nate refocused on the screen, blinking slowly to clear his vision.

  What the fuck?

  The words seemed to jump out at him in bold type.