Familiar Vows

by Caroline Burnes

  “I never got into technology, but—” He hit the On button and checked the phone. “It works fine without that chip, so I’d say that might have been a GPS plant.”

  “Now what are we going to do?” she asked.

  “You and Familiar get out and walk toward the truck stop. I’ll hot-wire the car and pick you up. Just act natural, and when I stop, get in quickly.”

  She nodded. There was no point in arguing now. Lucas was in charge.

  Just as she opened the door to get out, the phone Lucas still held began to ring. He checked the caller ID, hesitated, then handed it to her.

  She noted the Dallas area code. “Hello.”

  “Have you made up your mind to cooperate?” the male voice asked.

  “I’ll do what you say.” She sounded tired and defeated even to her own ear.

  “Where are you?” he asked.

  She hesitated while Lucas grabbed a notepad and pencil and wrote On the way back to Mobile.

  “I’m heading back to Mobile now.”

  “Someone will meet you at Felix’s Fish Camp on the causeway.”

  “What time?” she asked.

  “At six. Dump the marshal, and tell him for me, he’s going to join his brother underground. It’s just a matter of time.”

  Michelle was spitting mad. “You sorry sack of—”

  Lucas grabbed the phone from her and snapped it shut. “Don’t provoke him.”

  “He said he was going to kill you.”

  Lucas nodded. His gaze was on the truck stop, where a busload of middle-aged women was unloading for a rest break. “I’ve become a thorn in his flesh.” He arched an eyebrow at her. “And I intend to become a stiletto in his heart.”

  “It’s just that he assumes he’ll kill you and get away with it, like it was nothing.” She bit her lip. “He’s going to kill Kevin, isn’t he?”

  “Unless we figure out a way to stop it. The problem is, Kevin is in New York, and we’re down here.” He put a hand on her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “But Harry still has friends on the NYPD force. As soon as we get a different car and get moving, I’ll call some of them and put them on it. I’ll trust them as much as I can.”

  “I’m supposed to be at a restaurant on the causeway at six this evening. Do you think Robert Maxim will be there himself?”

  Lucas rolled his shoulders. “Robert is an arrogant man. He likes to handle things personally. Antonio had the same trait, which is why he personally shot Harry. He could have sent a hired gun, but he wanted to do it himself. There’s a good possibility Robert will show tonight. And this may be our only chance to find out where he’s holding Kevin. Now, I want you to do exactly what I tell you.”

  His instructions were interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. The number wasn’t familiar, but he answered quickly.

  “Lucas, it’s me. I’m okay. Don’t hunt for me.”

  Michelle sat forward at the expression on Lucas’s face.

  “What?” she asked.

  Lucas spoke into the phone. “Lorry, the appeal has been—” He closed the phone.

  “Is she okay?” Michelle asked.

  “She is. For the moment. I didn’t get a chance to tell her the appeal had been pushed up.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Get us down the road.”

  LUCAS WASN’T KIDDING when he said he could hot-wire a car. He boosted this Volvo in the park-and-ride in a matter of seconds. He’s a careful man. He needs to be. The more I’ve heard about these Maxim brothers, the bigger I see the trouble Michelle and Lorry are in.

  The good news is that Lucas got a message from Lorry. She said she was okay. That was it. No indication of where she was, but Lucas will track her when it’s safe. He isn’t going to risk Lorry’s life. And he had no doubt she was using a disposable cell phone. He’s taught her all the tricks to keep herself out of harm’s way.

  As it is, I’m watching over the sleeping Miss Shutterbug. Lucas gallantly stole a vehicle that allows the seats to fold down and create a snuggly rest area.

  Lucas left me with explicit instructions to alert him if Michelle wakes up and tries to go anywhere. He’s making a few phone calls himself, and I don’t think he wants her to hear the gist of his calls. Something has to be done to help Lorry and Kevin.

  Whoever would have thought that by attending a simple wedding in Spanish Fort, Alabama, I would end up in the middle of a Texas-mob adventure?

  Life for a sleek black detective is one exciting moment after another. The bipeds should take note. Like my humanoid counterpart, the intrepid 007, I am always well-dressed, always urbane, with never a hair out of place.

  Ah, the princess stirs. Let’s just hope she reads Lucas’s note that tells her to stay put and that she abides by his command. I’m ready for some chow, and if Miss Shutterbug misbehaves, that will only delay mealtime.

  “I’D APPRECIATE ANYTHING you can do,” Lucas said softly. “I’ll be glad to wait until Will Bennett can talk to me.”

  He stood looking at the gently lapping water of Mobile Bay. To the south, above the water, the Jubilee Parkway spanned the breadth of the bay and delta area. The Mobile Bay Causeway, a man-made strip of narrow land, was the original roadway across the bay.

  He’d learned that the area was once a thriving tourist zone, where fishermen came to catch the crabs and flounder that proliferated in the brackish waters.

  Though over a hundred miles from the landfall site of Hurricane Katrina, the causeway was almost destroyed by the tidal surge that swept along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida.

  While many of the hotels, restaurants and service stations had not rebuilt, the natural environment of marsh grasses and water birds was coming back. He watched a huge brown pelican coast over the water. It was a beautiful area. A place where he imagined life was serene and bountiful.

  From his vantage point, he could see both the city of Mobile and the bluffs of Spanish Fort on the eastern shore of the bay. Not fifty yards away, parked in the shade of several willow trees, was the vehicle where Michelle napped, Familiar at the ready. He had to smile. The cat was everything Eleanor had said he was. Never again would he doubt her word about the animal’s amazing abilities.

  A voice came through the phone. “Lucas, it’s Will Bennett here. We did a thorough check, very discreetly, as you asked. Kevin Long is missing. He hasn’t shown up for work. No one has filed a missing person’s report yet, but it won’t be long. His friends and family are beginning to get concerned.”

  Lucas had held out a tiny hope that Robert Maxim was bluffing—that he hadn’t snatched Kevin. Now that hope was gone. Kevin Long was missing, and no one who knew him or worked with him could account for his whereabouts.

  Which meant that Robert had him.

  And would kill him.

  “Will, do you have anyone on the inside of Maxim’s New York business?”

  There was silence. “I can’t discuss that. You turned in your badge.” There was a long pause. “Maybe you should pin the badge back on.”

  “Maybe.” It wasn’t the first time Lucas had thought about it. He needed the authority of the law and the right to carry and use a weapon if he was going to protect Michelle and keep Lorry safe. But being a free agent also had benefits. He was no longer bound by conduct that would prevent him from doing whatever was necessary to protect the two women and see Antonio Maxim rot in prison.

  “Why are you so interested in Kevin Long?” Will asked.

  Lucas hesitated. He’d grown distrustful of everyone. Even his fellow marshals. Somewhere, deep in his heart, was the fear that one of his fellow officers had betrayed Harry. How else had Antonio known exactly where to find his brother? How had the criminal known the exact location? Yet Will had been Harry’s close friend. Lucas had to make a choice—either he could trust Will or not. And he dang sure needed someone he could trust.

  “The witness in the appeal against Antonio Maxim has been compromised.”

  “Ho
ly—” Will broke off.

  “I know. Anyway, the witness is on the run, and I have reason to believe she’s safe enough. For the moment. But the problem is that Kevin Long is an associate of the photographer who accidentally blew the cover on the witness.”

  “So Robert Maxim has snatched her friend to try and force information out of her.”

  “That’s pretty much it in a nutshell.”

  “And you guys are where?”

  “South Alabama.”

  “I won’t even ask why. I’m sure that’s a mystery you’ll never be able to explain.”

  Lucas couldn’t help but smile. Will, a third-generation New York police detective, had never seen the beauty of the South, or he wouldn’t have to ask why. “I need someone to find out where Kevin is being held.”

  “Easier said than done, my friend. While Robert Maxim is down in Texas, his organization is still highly effective up here. And since Antonio was arrested, they’ve gotten more clever about hiding their activities.”

  “Before he was shot, Harry told me that he and his partner had infiltrated the Maxim interests in New York.” Lucas put it on the line. Either Will would help or not. “Could you ask his partner?”

  “I’ll see what I can do. No promises.”

  “I understand. But if you do turn up something, will you call me?”

  “What can you do down there without legal authority?” Will asked.

  “The fact that I’m not in law enforcement may be an asset.”

  “Hey, we don’t need any cowboys going for shade-tree justice.”

  “Will, my brother is dead. I’ll take justice pretty much any way I can get it. Just let me know if you find Kevin.”

  “You either get your badge back or go home to your cattle ranch and stay out of this.” Will’s voice was stern. “You pop a cap in Robert Maxim, you’ll be charged with murder. You know that, Lucas. For your brother’s sake, don’t throw your life away.”

  “Thanks, Will.” There was a lot of truth in what the NYPD officer said, but Lucas knew he wasn’t ready to listen to it. At least not yet.

  He put the phone in his pocket and headed toward the vehicle. He wanted to prep Michelle for her meeting tonight. Robert was more reckless than his older brother. If he showed up in person—a gesture meant to let Lucas know how powerless he was—Michelle might be able to turn it to their advantage.

  Lucas had a few tricks up his sleeve. One required a stop at an electronics shop.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Michelle kept her gaze focused on the restroom wall of the Charco-Burger fast-food diner. Lucas’s warm fingers traced the flesh of her chest and torso as he taped the wire into place. He was the ultimate professional, but that didn’t keep her from blushing. The wire ran between her breasts, and as he secured the microphone and wire, he was explaining how the device worked.

  “I’ll be able to hear everything that happens,” he said. “I’ll also make a tape.”

  “That’s good.” She couldn’t help the nervous flutter in her voice.

  “Michelle, you can do this without blinking an eye, but understand that you don’t have to. I won’t kid you. This is dangerous. If Robert actually shows up in person and he suspects you’re wired—”

  “Right. I know what will happen. If he doesn’t kill me on the spot, he’ll certainly kill Kevin.” At last Lucas was finished, and she tucked her shirttail back into her jeans.

  Along with the equipment Lucas had purchased, she’d gotten new clothes and a blouse made of thick oxford cloth in a dark green. It was the best she could find to cover up the wire.

  “Now, what is your objective?”

  “To get him to tell me where Kevin is.” That was her main objective.

  “And what else?” Lucas prompted.

  “To get him to talk about anything criminal. Murder, attempted murder, extortion, whatever.”

  “Robert likes to brag. If we can get anything criminal from him on tape, we can pick him up and force him to tell us about Kevin.”

  “If I screw this up, Kevin will die.” She said it softly.

  Lucas put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s possible Kevin is already dead.”

  She turned away and washed her hands at the bathroom sink. There was a loud knock on the door.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Lucas said.

  “People are going to talk.” She tried to interject a light note as he unlocked the door and they both walked past a startled woman with a toddler in tow.

  “Hey, this is a woman’s bathroom,” the woman called after them. “Damn perverts!”

  Michelle felt the color heat her face, but she didn’t turn around. Lucas had already picked up some burgers—an entrée that Familiar was not pleased about. He was a hardworking cat, but he had definite palate issues. High class. High maintenance. Once Kevin and Lorry were safe, she’d see that Familiar had a seafood smorgasbord that would put five pounds on his sleek frame.

  She settled into the front seat, and Familiar hopped into her lap. He head-butted her chin a few times and kneaded her thigh, purring loudly.

  Lucas got behind the wheel and drove slowly down the steep bluff to the causeway. They’d already scoped out the restaurant where she would meet Robert or his emissary. Lucas had found a place where he could watch a large part of the restaurant through the huge window that fronted the bay.

  When he pulled into the parking lot, she had five minutes.

  She took a deep breath and started to open the door. To her complete surprise, Lucas caught her hand and pulled her toward him. The kiss he gave her was passionate and fast. For one brief moment, she forgot about the danger and the Maxim brothers and allowed herself the luxury of the white-hot desire that flooded through her.

  When he broke the kiss, she was breathless.

  “Be careful,” he said.

  “I’ll do my best.” She felt flushed and unsettled.

  “I didn’t want you to go up there without knowing that I care about you. And I have every confidence in you.”

  She felt a lump in her throat. “That means a lot to me, Lucas. More than you know.”

  “String him along. Let him think you know where Lorry is, but that you won’t give a shred of info until Kevin is released.”

  She nodded.

  “Robert won’t try to hurt you in public. But he will try to scare you.”

  “I understand.” They’d been over this before, but she knew this was how professional law officers prepared. Repetition, repetition, repetition. It might save her life, or Kevin’s.

  “I’ll be over there in the marsh grass, with the binoculars. Try to manipulate him to a table with a view.”

  “Will do.” Impulsively, she leaned toward him and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “I didn’t want to leave without letting you know how I feel.”

  She was smiling when she ducked out of the vehicle. As she hurried toward the ramps that led up to the door of the restaurant, she didn’t notice the small black shadow that darted behind her.

  As she slipped through the front door, Familiar was at her side.

  LUCAS CHECKED THE EQUIPMENT for the hundredth time. He could hear only a roar and a clatter, until Michelle spoke. He had her clearly, the tape recorder whirling. As soon as he was certain the conversation would be taped, he got out and moved to the blind afforded by the tall marsh grass. He had a perfect view of the restaurant window, and just as he’d hoped, he saw Robert Maxim hold Michelle’s chair for her at a table right beside the huge window.

  Like it was a date.

  The idea made him bunch his fists, with an eager desire to connect with Robert’s handsome face. Yet again, Lucas realized he simply didn’t understand the dark drives of Antonio and Robert. They were both handsome men, well-educated, cultured, who’d inherited an empire from their father.

  It wasn’t need or desperation that had sent them into the white slavery business. It was greed and a desire to inflict pain and suffering on those weaker than them. To him,
the Maxims were the worst of what evolution had brought about in humankind—strong, intelligent men who sought to destroy weaker individuals. And Lucas intended to take them out, any way he could.

  “I’m not very hungry,” Michelle said in response to Robert’s question about whether she wanted an appetizer.

  “The lady will have the crab claws and a glass of champagne.”

  “The lady is not interested in alcohol or food.” Michelle spoke calmly, but her tone was an affront to Robert. Through the binoculars, Lucas could almost see Robert’s face harden. Good for Michelle. She was playing it perfectly.

  “Bring the food and champagne,” Robert said. “Now.”

  The waiter hurried away, and Robert leaned toward Michelle.

  “Where is Betty Sewell? Or shall I call her Lorry Kennedy?” Robert said.

  “Where is Kevin?”

  “You aren’t in a position to bargain.” Robert sipped his water.

  “Release Kevin, and I’ll tell you what I know.”

  “How am I to be sure you know something worthwhile?”

  “You abducted my friend. You must think I know something of value.”

  Robert chuckled. “You’re a clever girl, aren’t you?” The waiter brought the champagne and poured two glasses. Platters of food arrived.

  From his position in the marsh grass, Lucas could only watch, helpless to assist Michelle. But she was handling it fine. She had grit and courage and attitude.

  “First of all, I’m not a girl, Mr. Maxim. I’m a grown woman. And I have a question for you. Why are you here in person? Why not send one of your hired hands for this?”

  Lucas wanted to hug Michelle. She was perfect. She was taking the offensive, which Robert would never expect.

  “I like to tie up loose ends myself,” Robert said, tension in his voice. “And I heard you were beautiful as well as talented. I have a need for a photographer. Some of the young ladies who come to me need portfolios. For their modeling careers, you know.”

  Michelle didn’t respond, but Lucas could almost sense the answer she wanted to give, which would have been explicit and rude.