Familiar Vows

by Caroline Burnes

“Then that’s what we have to do.”

  “I like your determination. Now try to rest. I’m going to do the same.”

  Lucas lifted her hand for one more kiss. Then he held it against his chest as he leaned back and closed his eyes. To her surprise, Michelle discovered that the talk had relaxed her, too. She slumped down and closed her eyes. She didn’t even remember falling asleep.

  AREN’T THEY CUTE? A couple of Sleeping Beauties. And a good thing. All that chitter-chatter was distracting me from my job as lookout. I gotta say, standing guard in a vehicle is a lot different than lounging against a saddle at a campfire. I’ve done a little of that, too. At least here in this affluent area of South Alabama, there aren’t wolves or bears or coyotes. There are some mighty big snakes, though, and one slithering around the area is Robert Maxim. I just don’t buy the fact that Robert took a public humiliation and slinked off to his hotel room.

  Funny, but at first glance, I thought he was a handsome man. Of the tall, dark and virile variety. Expensive clothes, well-groomed. Easy to see he came from money. A man with his physical grace and looks could have gone anywhere. And then I looked into his face and saw that he had the eyes of a dead man. There’s not much that money, makeup, or even plastic surgery can do for a man whose soul is dead.

  I’ve worked some tough cases, but Robert Maxim is a breed of criminal that I haven’t seen a lot of, thank goodness. Greed, desperation—those are things that I don’t like, but I can at least comprehend.

  Robert, and apparently his brother, Antonio, had the world at their fingertips. They had money and a plush lifestyle. Their father was a respected businessman who is likely turning in his grave at what his sons became. What thing twisted the two boys into such monsters? That’s a question that’s a bit too big for even Familiar, the black cat detective. All I know is that neither brother can be allowed to remain free.

  Eleanor told me a bit about Harry West’s death. Harry had followed the trail of two young girls who’d been lured up to New York City by the promise of a glamorous life as a model or a TV star. They’d left their small Texas towns and headed up to the Big Apple on a bus. There, someone from the Maxim organization had met them. Before they could say “photo shoot,” they were working the streets to pay for the bus ticket and cheap room in a sleazy hotel. To make sure they stayed in line, the Maxims introduced them to meth. Euphoria for ten seconds and then a lifetime of suffering. And a short lifetime at that.

  Harry did a lot of legwork, with the help of the NYPD. He found the girls and spirited them out of the Maxims’ network. Once they were in a rehab center and cleaned up, they agreed to testify against the Maxims.

  The case was almost closed, and Harry was going to be the prime witness against Antonio. Then he got a call from one of the girls. She was in trouble. He called for backup but went on ahead. Antonio Maxim was waiting for him. Harry came around a corner, and Antonio stepped out of a car and shot him point-blank in the heart and the head. He died within seconds.

  Antonio got in his car and drove away. The two girls, Ellie and Ginger, were also found dead. Someone had shot them in the hotel room where they were supposed to be safe. There were phone calls from the hotel room to Antonio Maxim, which indicated that the girls had lost their nerve or couldn’t handle the craving for more drugs and decided to return to the Maxim stable. There was also a call from one of them to Harry’s cell phone, which must have been the distress call that he rushed to answer.

  Complicated scenario. Especially when it’s crossed my fevered little brain that perhaps someone was sitting in that hotel room with Ellie and Ginger, with a gun pointed at them to make one of them place that call.

  Call me an untrusting feline or a paranoid feline or a clever feline. Doesn’t really matter. I have my instincts, and I trust them. Which is why I’m sitting guard right this minute. Something tells me that Robert Maxim heading to his hotel room like a whipped dog doesn’t ring true. He’s up to something, and I intend to be sitting right here when he or his minions show up to try to hurt Miss Shutterbug and Cowboy Lucas.

  It’s almost midnight now. The moon is bright and clear, and I spy movement near the guard post at the hotel. The guard is a courtesy, a service of the hotel to protect guests and visitors from intruders who might be looking to break into cars or rooms.

  There’s no reason for the guard to pay attention to a guest walking out empty-handed. Or what appears to be empty-handed. I know better. This guy is armed. All very well-timed, too.

  Let me awaken Cowboy and his sleeping photographer. I think they need to be ready for this.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Michelle awoke to a cat paw on her lips and the not-so-gentle head-butt of Familiar, forcing her out of slumber.

  “What?” She sat up.

  Lucas put a hand on her shoulder. “Start the car, but don’t turn on the lights.”

  She didn’t waste time asking questions. Lucas’s voice let her know this was serious. She glanced across the road to see if Robert Maxim was on the move, but the driveway into the hotel was empty.

  Which meant that someone on foot was out there.

  At last she caught sight of a dark shadow moving along the palm trees beside the high brick wall of the subdivision in which they’d parked.

  “Get us out of here,” Lucas said. “Head east.”

  She punched the accelerator and roared out onto the road, squealing the tires as she turned left. Expecting gunfire, she was surprised when the guy in the shadows merely ducked behind a tree.

  She was half a mile down the road before she turned on her headlights. Lucas was kneeling in his seat, watching behind them. Familiar was right beside him.

  The dashboard clock showed they’d been asleep for only half an hour. Which meant they’d been had by Maxim from the get-go.

  “Why didn’t he shoot?” she asked as they continued.

  “That troubles me,” Lucas admitted.

  Before he could say anything else, his phone rang.

  “It’s Will.”

  She felt the tension in him. “Can you put it on speaker?”

  “Sure.” He answered the phone, and she could hear the New York accent of Will Bennett.

  “We found the place they were holding Kevin Long, but they moved him,” Will said. “Sorry, Lucas. We got there quickly, but he was gone. We spent a while searching the area, hoping to find some leads. The place was cleaned by a professional.”

  “Nothing?” Lucas’s voice held disappointment.

  “Nada,” Will said. “These guys are thorough. There wasn’t even a gum wrapper or cigarette butt.”

  “Turn around.”

  Michelle didn’t realize he was talking to her until he touched her shoulder. “Turn around. Quick.”

  The road was empty, as if all around her had settled in for a long sleep. Michelle executed a U-turn in the middle of the road.

  “Why are we turning around?” she asked.

  “Will, you’ve got to get a lead on Kevin Long.”

  “It isn’t as if we aren’t trying.” Will sounded defensive.

  “I know that. But we’re in a delicate place with Robert down here. We can’t keep this stalling game going for long.”

  “I have some news, and I suspect you aren’t going to like it.” Will said. “Antonio’s appeal is definitely set for Thursday. The prosecutor couldn’t get a delay.”

  Michelle could see the stricken look on Lucas’s face. His tone indicated the depth of his shock. “This has to be postponed, Will. There’s no way to produce the witness that fast.”

  Bennett’s voice was loud enough for her to hear. “The marshals surely have a handle on her, right?”

  “Will, she’s missing. No one has located her.” Lucas exhaled, and Michelle could see the struggle it took to keep his voice steady. “If Maxim is pushing for an early court date, they know we can’t produce Lorry.”

  “Either that or they’re counting on the fact that she’s too afraid to show up in court. Damn it,
if she doesn’t show, he’ll walk. If Antonio wins the appeal, he can’t be tried again for Harry’s murder.”

  “Antonio is smart. He’s making this situation work for him.” The muscle in Lucas’s jaw flexed.

  “I guess they figured you could flush her out of hiding.”

  Lucas’s features froze into an expression of fury. When he spoke at last, his voice was neutral. “Who expedited this appeal?”

  “Judge Franklin ruled, and that was it.”

  “Exactly how is the witness supposed to know the appeal date has been changed?” Lucas’s voice now held an element of danger.

  “I don’t know. I’m just a city cop, and I don’t talk to the marshals about witnesses or to judges about court dates. The only thing I can come up with is that everyone thinks you have her stashed, Lucas.”

  “This is a death sentence for Kevin Long, Will. I can’t believe this has happened. It’s clear to me that the judge doesn’t want the witness in the courtroom.”

  “What can I do?” Will asked.

  Michelle began to slow the vehicle. They were close to the hotel. She scanned both sides of the road, looking for an ambush, hoping Lucas would tell her what he had in mind.

  “Get the prosecutor to get a delay.”

  “How?”

  “Be creative, Will. You have to postpone this appeal until I can find Lorry and get her to New York. You have to find a way.”

  “Lucas, you sound way too much like Harry now. He took matters into his own hands, and it got him killed.”

  “Antonio Maxim will pay for my brother’s murder, and I’m taking Robert down with him. Enough is enough, Will. If the justice system is going to work to aid and abet these criminals, then I’ll do what I have to.”

  “You’re talking dangerous stuff.” Will’s voice came through the phone sharp and upset.

  “Then don’t listen.” Lucas snapped the phone shut and held it so hard that Michelle thought he might crush it.

  “We’re at the hotel.” She had slowed to a crawl. There was no evidence that anyone was about. She wanted to talk to him, to say something that would reassure him, but she didn’t know what to say. She reached across and touched his arm. “I’m sorry.”

  “Go down the road two miles, and turn around again.”

  Though she wanted to argue, she didn’t. Kevin’s and Lorry’s lives were at risk, and Lucas had already lost his brother. There wasn’t anything she could say that would change this.

  Without Lorry’s testimony, a murderer would go free.

  Now wasn’t the time to point out to Lucas all the things that could go wrong. Whatever it took, she would help him.

  “Me-ow.” Familiar nudged her elbow with his head.

  And Familiar would help, too.

  AS THEY APPROACHED THE hotel entrance for the fourth time, Lucas reached out to touch Michelle’s arm. She’d been a strong, silent support as he’d tried to come up with a way to find Lorry and get her to New York and save Kevin Long. There was really only one course of action open to him. It wasn’t a good choice. In fact, it was a downright bad one. But he didn’t see any other way.

  “Michelle, I’m getting out by the marina. I want you to keep driving around this area. If I’m not back in half an hour, I want you to head north. Seriously north. Like Idaho or Minnesota.”

  “Because you’ll be dead?”

  “There’s a chance of that. And if Lorry doesn’t testify, then Antonio will be cut loose. He’ll do everything he can to extract revenge on anyone he thinks worked against him.”

  “So I’ll lose everything.”

  “I’m sorry. I wish you weren’t involved.”

  “If I weren’t involved, we wouldn’t be in this situation.” She held up a hand. “Broken record, I know.”

  “Promise me that you’ll leave in half an hour.”

  “Sure.” She put a hand on his arm and squeezed. “If I’d done what you told me from the first, maybe things would be different. You’re the expert. But if you need to find me, I’ll be—”

  “Don’t say it.” He covered her mouth with his hand. “Don’t tell me anything that could put you in danger.”

  “You’re afraid they’ll torture you.” Her voice broke as she said the words. “Lucas, I can’t just drive off and leave you.”

  “You have to. I’m counting on you.” He could see the tears in her eyes, and he swallowed hard. “If I know you’re safe, I’ll be okay.”

  “Surely we can think of another way, another plan where you don’t go in there alone. He has at least three men with him. They’re armed. We should go buy a gun or something.”

  “We don’t have time.”

  She grasped his hand and kissed the palm. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do this,” she said.

  “You are.” He nodded. “Stop here.”

  She braked, and the car rolled to a stop. “Lucas…”

  He leaned toward her and kissed her. He couldn’t help himself. Why hadn’t he found this woman years ago, back when Harry was alive and his world was a place of hope, with the promise of a future filled with love and family?

  Her response made his body clench. Michelle didn’t hold back. Not in her photography or her courage or her passion. Her lips were soft and hot and demanding, and for one long moment, he forgot everything except her.

  It was only headlights approaching from behind that made him break the kiss. If he could have stayed in that moment for the rest of the night, it would have been bliss. But too much was at stake.

  “You gave me your word. Half an hour, then leave. Get a different car. Pay cash. Then get out of here.”

  “I promise.”

  He touched a silvery tear as the car passed them, highlighting for one moment the sadness in Michelle’s eyes.

  Before he could weaken, he opened the door and stepped into the darkness. High shrubbery gave him the cover he needed. If Robert Maxim wanted a war, Lucas would take it right to his door.

  WHAT IS WITH MISS SHUTTERBUG? She dried her tears on the back of her hand. Punched the gas and took off like a, well, a scalded cat. Isn’t that the most vulgar expression you’ve ever heard? Repulsive, actually.

  If one is to use slang, I much prefer the dog references—crazy as a run-over dog. Now that’s descriptive. And how about this one: as happy as a one-eyed dog on a gut wagon? Lovely Mississippi colloquial descriptive term.

  Let me see, an expression to indicate haste. How about as frantic as a humanoid at a going-out-of-business sale? Yes, I like that much, much better.

  But to the point. Miss Shutterbug has zoomed down the road to a service station. She’s filling the car and also filling a small gas can. And now she’s inside, paying and buying a cigarette lighter. But she doesn’t smoke, and I don’t think we’re going to build any campfires.

  So what’s up?

  Uh-oh, she’s driving back toward the hotel. I can see that she must have had her fingers and toes crossed when she gave Lucas her word that she would leave. The truth is, I never expected she would. That concession was far too easy. A few tears, a flame-seared kiss. He was putty in her hands.

  Men. They just never learn. As if Michelle would suddenly turn into a tractable, docile, obedient feminoid. Right. And that’s exactly why I adore her. She’s exactly like a feline. Independent, stubborn, and determined to be in on the action.

  Let ’er rip, Michelle. I’m with you all the way.

  THE SECURITY GUARD WAS young and bored. Michelle sized him up in a matter of seconds as she pulled up beside the booth where he sat with a sports magazine in his hand.

  “Hello,” she said.

  “Can I help you, ma’am?” he asked.

  “Depends, Officer.” She smiled. “I need to find the front desk. I’m here for a photo shoot for Prime Resort magazine, and I’m running very late.”

  “Straight down the road. Pull under the portico, and you can check in there. They’ll help you find your room.”

  “Thank you, sir.” She
gave him another smile. It never hurt to be charming; that was one lesson she’d learned from her parents that served her well.

  She felt the cat’s gold-green gaze on her, and she reached out to scratch his head. “It’s part of the game, Familiar. Don’t act so shocked. You do it all the time, rubbing against people and pretending to be so cuddly.” She found the spot on his back that drove him wild and gave it a gentle scratch. “I’m learning from a pro.”

  She pulled under the portico and held the door for him as she entered. “I’ll distract the clerk at the desk. You find Robert Maxim’s room.”

  The cat scooted across the lobby before anyone noticed him. He disappeared at the desk. There was a big advantage to being short, black and sleek.

  “Hi. I need to check in. Pamela Anderson.” It was the first name she could think of.

  The clerk, a young woman with sharp green eyes, gave her a long look but began the process of looking up her name.

  “I’m sorry, but there’s not a room reserved here for you.”

  “But there must be.” Michelle could play confused. It wasn’t far from the true state of her mind. “I booked it weeks ago. Full spa treatment, room with a view of the water. It’s my present to myself for the divorce.”

  The clerk returned to her keyboard, tapping in her name again. “Ma’am, I am sorry. I don’t have a thing.”

  Michelle willed the tears to form in her eyes. She let them slide down her cheeks. “This isn’t possible. This is the only thing that’s kept me sane. Bobby got the house and the kids and the horses. I’m left with nothing. This was to be my last fling.”

  The clerk hid her annoyance pretty well. “Come over here and sit down,” she said. “Let me get you a tissue.”

  By the time she’d stepped into the office, Familiar was at the keyboard. He was gone before the clerk returned.

  “Here you go,” she said to Michelle, offering the box of tissues. “Let me see what we can do. Maybe there was a cancellation.”

  “It’s okay.” Michelle stood up. She took a tissue and wiped her cheeks. “It isn’t the end of the world. I can drive on to the beach and find something there. Thanks for your time.”