Familiar Vows

by Caroline Burnes

  “I’m not going.”

  His temper jumped so high, he felt the pulse in his jaw. Why was Michelle being so ornery when he was trying to save her from being hurt?

  “You’re going, and you’re going to behave.” He could see that his authoritative manner was only antagonizing her more.

  “I’m going to shower and dress.” She downed the last of the coffee and stood.

  “Now that’s a sensible way to act.”

  She didn’t comment as she left the room and went to what he presumed was her bathroom, to get ready. He drummed his fingers on the table and watched the black cat, who was snooping around the apartment.

  A cat detective. Even in Texas, where the tales were tall, he’d never heard of such a thing.

  The cat sashayed out of the kitchen, and he was left alone with his thoughts. Lorry would be careful. She knew what was at stake, and she’d take precautions. Once he found her place, he’d search it and figure out where she might have gone. But he had to get there first, before Robert Maxim sent some of his goons.

  He paced the kitchen, and as he moved toward the narrow hallway, he heard the shower running. He checked his watch. Ten minutes. How long did it take a woman to shower?

  Moving back to the table, he sat and drummed his fingers more. Patience was not one of his virtues, and the years of working as a law officer hadn’t helped any. That was one of the things he loved about the job. Action and more action.

  Harry had loved his work, too. He thought about his brother, how he’d been so excited about going to New York undercover. Harry had been caught up in the case of a young Austin girl who’d disappeared. Her trail had led straight to New York and Antonio Maxim.

  The NYPD had found her body in a Dumpster outside a fleabag hotel. She’d been loaded with drugs and then stabbed. It had deeply disturbed Harry, and his investigation of Antonio Maxim had become personal. Very personal.

  A loud cry came from the living room. It sounded like a cat in distress. He jumped to his feet just as the door slammed.

  Dang it all to hell and back! He was across the living room and into the hall just in time to see Michelle disappear down the stairs. The crazy woman was running away from him. The black cat was right on her heels.

  He was a flight of stairs behind her, and once she got to the street, she might disappear into the crowds of pedestrians that streamed down the city sidewalks.

  “Michelle!” He called her name, but she didn’t slow. “Michelle! Don’t do this!”

  He was on the sidewalk when he saw her at the bus stop, moving fast. To his utter amazement, the black cat darted between her feet.

  In another moment, she was sprawling on the sidewalk, cursing the cat like a whorehouse hussy. Lucas jogged to her side.

  He offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet. “That’s some impressive language.”

  She gave him a look that would curdle goat milk. “That cat tripped me on purpose.”

  “So it would seem.” Lucas bent down to stroke Familiar’s back. The cat purred and rubbed against his legs. “Glad to see at least he has good sense. I guess I owe Eleanor an apology.”

  “He could have broken my neck.”

  “Which would be a lot less painful than what the Maxims will do to you if they catch you.” Lucas surveyed the area. Except for a black car with heavily tinted windows parked halfway down the block, motor running, nothing looked suspicious. The car was expensive and could easily be a hired car or ride for a corporate type. Then again, Antonio Maxim didn’t hire thugs who looked like thugs. His men maintained the appearance of white-collar professionals. The car made him nervous. “Let’s go,” he said to Michelle.

  She dusted her hands on her jeans and started back toward the apartment. Lucas walked beside her, the cat right in step with them both.

  “We’re taking the cat to Mobile,” he said.

  When he didn’t get an argument from Michelle, he hid the grin that touched his mouth and made his eyes crinkle. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

  Now all they had to do was get to the airport and board their flight—without being followed.

  Chapter Five

  By the time the plane touched down in Mobile, Michelle had gone from seething to worried. Her actions, though innocent, had created a landslide of possible tragedy. No matter how she thought it through, she’d put a woman at risk. Not to mention herself, provided Lucas wasn’t exaggerating.

  He’d been a gentleman for the entire trip, making sure she had food and coffee and something to read, but she could tell he viewed her as the cause of trouble. The accusation was there in his intense gray gaze.

  The cat, on the other hand, had curled up in her lap and gone to sleep, waking only to charm the flight attendant out of some heavy whipping cream. He was certainly a special creature.

  As they walked through the small Mobile airport, she glanced at Lucas. He was a handsome man, even when he was displeased—which seemed to be most of the time. And he was as edgy as a cat on a fence. He kept looking behind him, and then left and right, as if he expected the bad guys to jump out from behind a potted shrub. Or that she was going to make a break for freedom. She bit her lip at the memory of her failed escape.

  Lucas had good reason to be annoyed with her, but she wasn’t going to apologize again. Apologies wouldn’t change a blasted thing, and she’d done it once and meant it. If he couldn’t accept it, that was his issue, not hers.

  Lucas rented a car, and they drove through the old downtown of the port city that had served under seven flags of occupation. In the older parts of town, where developers hadn’t run rampant, oak trees canopied the street.

  The antebellum homes, set back from the road, on lawns filled with the floral frills of a subtropical climate, spoke to Michelle of another time, when chivalry and honor were supposed to be important. How in the world had she ended up in such a mess as this? She’d only wanted to do her job, to take photographs.

  They entered a tunnel that went beneath the Mobile River, and when they reemerged, she looked out the window on glittering Mobile Bay, which she remembered from her previous trip. Lucas ignored the beauty of the scene, focusing entirely on his driving and on watching the rearview mirror. Even the cat kept looking behind them. She glanced back, wondering if she’d be able to detect a tail if there was one behind them. The idea made her distinctly uncomfortable, so she focused on the road ahead of them.

  They were close now. She could only hope that they’d find Lorry and Charles safely at home, honeymooning and not answering the phone. Once Lucas had Lorry safely in his care, maybe he’d let her return to New York and her life.

  “What happens when we find her?” Michelle asked.

  “I’ll get her back to Austin. The marshals will help her get a new identity.” He gave Michelle a hard look. “And you, too.”

  “Me, too, what?” Michelle asked. The bottom had dropped out of her stomach.

  “A new identity. The Maxim family won’t give up, Michelle. You’ve stepped into this now, and if you’ll pardon the Texas slang, you’ve got it all over your boots. You’re tracking it behind you, and there’s no way around it.”

  “I will not give up my identity.” The very idea of it made her want to open the car door and risk bodily harm in an attempt to escape Lucas. “Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked to build a name and reputation? The years of—”

  “Is it worth your life?”

  “That’s not a fair question.”

  “Do you think what happened to Lorry is fair? She stumbled on a murder. She lost her family, everything. And now she’s going to have to lose it a second time, because of you. Talk to me about what’s fair now.”

  Michelle couldn’t answer. The lump in her throat was too big, too painful. Everything Lucas said was true. Had she never printed the photograph, none of this would have happened. Her moment of vanity had brought this down on the heads of everyone involved.

  They crossed the bay and tu
rned left at the intersection.

  “I’m sorry,” Lucas said softly. “That was cruel, and I shouldn’t have said it that way.”

  “It’s true. How else is there to say it?” She stared straight ahead, fighting to control her emotions and the rising panic.

  “You didn’t mean for this to happen, but it has. Now the easiest thing for all of us is to deal with it. To figure out the safest thing for you and Lorry and make sure that happens.”

  “My name is everything. If I have to change it, I won’t have a career or a way to make a living.”

  Lucas sighed. “People adapt, Michelle. A different life is better than being tortured to death. That’s what will happen if the Maxims get their hands on you.”

  “What if we can’t find Lorry?” As soon as the question was out of her mouth, the black cat sat up and put a paw on her lips.

  “Listen to the cat,” Lucas said. “Don’t go there. Don’t even think that.”

  “Shouldn’t you call in the feds?” she asked.

  She knew it was the wrong question by the way his hands clenched the steering wheel. The truth was, it seemed that no question she asked was the right one. He’d made her feel like crap, and now he was acting like she was a nitwit.

  “What? Did I say something wrong? Isn’t it normal to call in the FBI when a person is presumed to have been kidnapped and possibly tortured because she’s a witness in a murder case?”

  “You can’t let it go, can you?” Lucas responded, his hands tightening on the wheel.

  “No, I can’t. You’re telling me I have to reinvent myself, but you won’t answer a single question.”

  “Here’s your answer then. Someone blew my brother’s cover. I can’t prove anything, but I don’t trust the FBI, the marshals or anyone else. Lorry is my responsibility, and like it or not, so are you. Lorry is in this because she wanted to help me achieve justice for my brother’s murder. She could have run away or ‘forgotten’ what she saw.” But she stood her ground and told the truth. Now, because of your photo, she could be killed. So I’ll find Lorry, and I’ll protect her. Once Antonio’s appeal is over, maybe we can put this behind us. Until then, I can’t risk putting my trust in anyone. Not the feds, not the marshals, not even my partner, who was like a brother to me.”

  She remembered the way his hand had gone for a gun. “You’re a cop, too, aren’t you?”

  “Not anymore.”

  She could tell he didn’t want to talk about it, but so what? She didn’t want to be in the car with him. “What kind of cop?”

  “A federal one. Not FBI.”

  “So your brother worked for the Dallas police and you were with the U.S. marshals?”

  He gave her a look that told her to shut up and back off.

  “Is your dad in law enforcement?”

  His sigh was long and loud. “My past is my business, Michelle. Drop it, okay?”

  “So you’re the only one who can ask questions?”

  “Ask questions about something else.”

  “Like what? The weather? It isn’t as if we share a whole bunch of interests. What about golf? Is that a good topic?” She was deviling him now, and it was satisfying.

  She felt the cat’s sharp claws dig into her thigh. “Ouch!”

  Lucas laughed, and she saw what he might look like if he didn’t carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was a striking man.

  “Are you married?” she asked.

  “Man, you just go from bad to worse, don’t you?”

  “Divorced, eh?” She felt a moment of strange kinship. “Must have been bad, too, from the way you’re acting.”

  He drove in silence, and she looked out the window. They’d circled around and cut through the woods, so that they were cresting a high bluff that gave frequent glimpses of the bay flashing by. She was struck by a memory, and she spoke before she thought. “You know, when I was a kid, I came to Alabama to camp. A photography camp. That was the best summer of my life.”

  She felt his gaze on her, but she kept her eyes focused out the window. The water was beautiful in the afternoon light. How was it possible that only a few weeks earlier, she’d crossed the same body of water on her way to photograph a wedding? Her world had been in order. She’d been dreaming of her gallery opening, something that she’d walked away from without even a phone call to Marco. Lucas hadn’t allowed her to contact anyone.

  Her cell phone was in her purse, and she could call the gallery owner as soon as she got a moment alone, but Lucas had warned her that anyone she drew into her web of trouble could be hurt.

  She wouldn’t put Marco or Kevin at risk. They would worry for her, but worry was better than being tortured or killed. And for whatever strange reason, she believed Lucas. He wasn’t the kind of man who exaggerated the danger that now surrounded her and Lorry.

  “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen,” Lucas said.

  She wanted to pretend to clean her ears, as if she hadn’t heard properly. Sarcasm had always been her best defense. Instead, she asked, “What if Lorry is hurt?”

  “Think positive, but be on the alert for negative.”

  “Is that the lawman’s code?” Her emotions shifted yet again, and she found tears welling in her eyes. She didn’t like to cry in front of people. Had never liked it. She’d been taught it was a weakness, and her parents detested weakness in any form.

  “It’s my code. Look, I’m sorry I snapped at you and accused you of things.”

  “It was the truth.”

  Familiar stretched and licked her chin, giving her comfort she hadn’t realized she craved. He used his head to butt her cheek, and she felt her spirits lift a little.

  “Truth is a strange thing, Michelle. You could never have known why I didn’t want Lorry’s picture taken. I couldn’t tell you. After I saw the photograph, I understood why you wanted a print for yourself.”

  “It was meant only for me. It may be the best work I’ve ever done, but I would never deliberately have shown it without permission.”

  He took a single-track lane deep into the beautiful woods.

  “Let’s make a deal,” Lucas said. “We put the past behind us. We forget how all this began and simply do our best to bring it to the right conclusion.”

  She wanted to nod, but something held her back. Guilt? Remorse? Stubbornness? She wasn’t certain. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this. You’ve had enough loss.”

  “This was part of my job. I’m not a lawman anymore, so this time I’m not bound by the conduct that governs law officers.”

  His voice was so cold and deadly that a chill slid over her. “What does that mean?”

  “It means that as an officer of the law, I was sworn to bring Antonio in alive. Or at least to try to.”

  “And now?”

  “If Robert or any of his goons have harmed Lorry, I’ll do whatever I have to do.”

  She swallowed. A question stuck in her throat. Sometimes it was best not to know. As they turned down a tree-shaded lane toward a lovely cottage, she realized that she’d just learned her first valuable lesson from Lucas.

  EVER SINCE LUCAS GOT LORRY and Charles’s address from Eleanor, he’s been focused on getting to Spanish Fort. I didn’t see anything suspicious in the Mobile airport, but I had the sense that we were being followed at Kennedy. There were men outside Michelle’s apartment this morning. Lucas saw them. He did his best to give them the slip, getting the cab driver to head toward Brooklyn and then veer off to the airport. I’m not certain he was successful, though. This Maxim organization has a long reach.

  Michelle is wallowing in guilt. Both of them have forgotten that a cat needs sustenance. The cream on the plane was a nice surprise, but let’s just say I’m not the type of cat who likes a liquid diet. The bipeds don’t understand that I need small, frequent meals. It’s part of my diet plan to maintain my svelte figure.

  So here’s Lorry’s cottage. Cute as a button, and just exactly what I would have imagined. Big screen
ed porch to watch the sunset over the bay, shady lawn with that lush green grass that folks around here call Centipede. It’s heavenly.

  And a kitchen stocked with food. Let’s see. Once I find something edible, my brain will work better. Hmm, a small tin of sardines. Well, it isn’t up to my normal standards, but if I can get Miss Shutterbug’s attention, she can open it for me.

  Ah, she’s not as self-absorbed as she acts. She has it open and has dumped it in a saucer for me. A tasty little snack to tide me over until mealtime. Fish oil is vital to the health of my coat, after all.

  Now let’s see. Lucas is searching the living room. And Michelle has the bedroom, though she doesn’t even have a grasp of what she might be looking for. I’ll take the bathroom. Always a few good clues there.

  The medicine cabinet is empty. Now that’s a big clue. Most people take only what they need for a trip. This bathroom has been stripped down. And I hear Michelle.

  “LUCAS, SOME OF THE DRAWERS in here are empty. It looks like all of Lorry’s personal items are all gone.”

  UH-OH. A PERSON doesn’t pack everything for a honeymoon. Not even a long one. This doesn’t look good.

  Chapter Six

  Leaving Michelle searching inside, Lucas went over the garage. Time was slipping away. He was already far behind. He couldn’t say why, but he had the sense that the Maxims had been to the cottage first. They’d been—and gone. With Lorry and Charles? That was the question.

  While he was out of Michelle’s sight, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Bride Magazine. He used Michelle’s name to get to Iggy Adams, and when he had the editor on the phone, he realized that his worst suspicions were in order.

  “Yes, I did get a call early this morning regarding a photograph Michelle took,” Iggy said in answer to his question.

  “What did you tell them?”

  “I didn’t have a lot to tell,” she said. “It was someone asking about the bridal photo that caused such a stir on the news. I told them she’d taken the picture in Baldwin County, Alabama.”