She pushed his dark hair back from his forehead. Suddenly, everything was clear to her. “The one thing I’ve learned since coming down here, Lucas, is that every minute is stolen. Something could happen to disrupt or destroy our lives even if we lived next door to each other and courted for ten years. I want to believe in a future, but I think we should take whatever joy life offers us. We should relish it and live it and not hold back. Because no matter how safe or perfect something looks, it can disappear.”
His answer was another kiss. One that fueled the fire that was already burning. For the first time in her life, she gave herself totally to a kiss. She held nothing back.
Lucas picked her up and took her to the bed. He placed her gently upon it, never breaking the kiss. When he finally stood up, he looked down at her, the morning sun filtering through the gauzy draperies at the window. The muffled sound of birds could be heard through the glass.
“Woman, you may be more deadly than a Maxim bullet,” he said as he slowly unbuttoned her blouse. He removed her clothes carefully, taking his time.
“I’ve run from real emotion all my life,” she said. “Now I’m going to face it.” Her smile matched her tone, and she saw that it aroused Lucas even more. “Think you can handle it?” she asked, knowing that above all else, Lucas loved a challenge.
“I’m just about to prove that I can.” Lucas unbuttoned his shirt and stepped out of his jeans.
I FEEL REFRESHED. A nice nap, and Greg found some cream in the refrigerator for me. In fact, he’s scavenged up quite an omelet. Now all he has to do is get Miss Shutterbug and Ranger Rex untangled from the sheets and in the kitchen to eat.
I’m sure someone will feed Robert Maxim, but not for a while. He’s too busy grumbling and threatening. He knows he’s whipped, but he just won’t accept it.
My keen hearing has been attuned to the sound of Lucas’s telephone ringing, signaling a call from Antonio’s lawyer. So far, nothing. I’d like to see them scrambling around, trying to come up with a reason to postpone an appeal that they fought so hard to set. It does my little kitty heart good to fantasize about such things.
It’s strange. I was asleep for only a short time, but it’s as if we’ve entered another chapter of this story. Felines are incredibly perceptive about time issues. Well, to be honest, we’re just perceptive about everything. Like I can predict that when Lucas and Michelle come out of that bedroom, she’ll blush, and he’ll grin. There are just some things a cat can tell.
I feel much better after my nap, and even Greg, who got outside in the fresh air, seems to have recharged. Time hasn’t really stopped, but we all needed an hour to recover from several long days of being on the run.
Since Greg is reluctant to disturb the lovebirds, I’ll do it. Hey, while I’m a fool for love, I’m also a practical detective.
Just a little nudge against the door. I hear them, awake and likely scrambling for clothes. My job is done. Oh, my, I wish I had time to call Eleanor and let her know somehow that Lucas has fallen under the spell of Michelle Sieck. When a six-foot Texan falls, he hits hard.
Now let’s get some grub and pray the phone rings.
ALWAYS A MAN TO KEEP HIS personal feelings private, Lucas couldn’t help the silly grin that he wore. No matter how much he tried to keep a straight face, one look at Michelle and he felt the muscles of his cheeks pulling tight and a goofy smile springing up.
Michelle, he noticed, was a fine pink where a blush had stained her lovely white skin from her neck to the roots of her hair. And who said redheads couldn’t wear pink! She looked incredible.
Lucas buttoned his shirt and glanced at Michelle as she did the same. Texas had its share of beautiful women, but none could compare with the fiery beauty that stood beside him.
“Once this is over, there’s a conversation I want to have with you,” Lucas said. He wanted to tell her about the ranch, about the day-to-day pace, where life took on the rhythm of a cattle herd, and about long, quiet nights filled with stars. Maybe it wouldn’t be for her, but he’d never know if he didn’t ask.
“Do you think this will ever be over?” she asked.
“We’re close. Just hang on to your faith a little longer.”
She turned to him, her hazel eyes searching his face. “You really believe that.”
“I do.”
The repeated bump against the door told him that Familiar was demanding to see them. He couldn’t get upset with the cat. Heck, Familiar had saved his neck more than once.
“Let’s see what’s happening out there,” he said.
Michelle followed him out the door. For one moment, her fingers curled around his upper arm, and he felt a rush of pleasure. It was the signal that a woman used with her man.
He turned to her. The lines of tension were erased from her face. She was tired—they all were—but she looked like a…blushing bride.
“You guys hungry?” Greg asked. He waved a skillet filled with what looked like a Spanish omelet.
Lucas realized that he was ravenous. Michelle had filled an emptiness in his heart, but his body was demanding fuel, and the delicious smell of the sautéed onions in the omelet had his mouth watering.
“I’d love some eggs,” he said.
“Me, too.” Saying the words only deepened Michelle’s blush.
Greg served the plates, including a share for Familiar. “I’ll feed Robert last,” Greg said. “Let him get used to the way it’s going to be in prison.”
“Have your fun,” Robert said. “When I’m free—”
“Hell will be frozen over,” Lucas interjected. “Just hope your brother’s lawyer calls with the news we want to hear. But while we’re waiting, we might have to have a little talk about Lorry, or Betty, if you prefer. If you really know where she is, you’re going to tell us.”
Robert glanced out the window, without a snappy comeback. Lucas registered the disappointment, but he kept eating. Robert Maxim had no idea where Lorry had gone. He was bluffing. Par for the course.
Lucas had just cleaned his plate and taken it to the kitchen sink when his cell phone rang. He checked his watch. Antonio’s appeal would be heard in less than twenty-four hours.
“It’s Benjamin Lumet here, Antonio Maxim’s legal advisor.”
Lucas looked at Greg and Michelle and gave them a thumbs-up. “Good to hear from you, Mr. Lumet. I hope you have the news we expect.”
“The appeal has been delayed until Friday afternoon. I don’t know what you hope to accomplish with this, but understand that I have lawyers in Houston working on filing kidnapping and torture charges against you, Mr. West. You and your sidekicks.”
“File away. Just understand that if anything happens to Lorry Kennedy, otherwise known as Betty Sewell, or to Kevin Long, who is being held hostage by Robert’s New York syndicate, then we’ll take a pound of Robert’s flesh. Pound by pound. We’ll slice him up in ways you don’t want to imagine. So tell Antonio that. And tell him if he has any sway with the men holding Kevin or tracking Lorry, he’d better get them in line.”
“My client doesn’t have a clue what you’re talking about,” Lumet said in a cold, dead voice.
Lucas noticed that Familiar had eased over to Robert. He was actually rubbing against the man’s legs, as if they were friends. He pointed at the cat.
Familiar yawned, stood on his back legs and put his paws on Robert’s knees. He only had to look into the gangster’s eyes and Robert began to scream.
“Hey, and we aren’t hurting him. We really aren’t,” Lucas said. “He’s just a little gun-shy, I suppose.”
“Antonio is not happy, Mr. West. You have no authority to hold Robert, and you certainly have no right to harm him.”
“I want Kevin Long. I want him on the phone to me and then on a plane to Mobile, Alabama. When that’s a done deal, say by early afternoon, then we’ll talk about keeping Robert safe.”
“You won’t get away with this.”
“Oh, I expect we’ll get away with this
and a whole lot more, Mr. Lumet. As you pointed out, I’m no longer held in check by the honor and integrity of the U.S. marshals. I’m a free agent. Your client shot my brother in cold blood. Don’t you see a bit of Biblical destiny here? An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A brother for a brother.” He ground out the last words. “Tell Kevin to call this number after he’s boarded the plane.”
“You’ll release Robert then?”
“Call off your dogs. Get them off Lorry Kennedy’s trail.”
“You’re going to regret crossing swords with the Maxims.”
“No, Mr. Lumet, it’s you who will live with regrets. You serve men who are evil and cruel. You know the money they pay you is acquired through the blood and suffering of young women whose only fault is that they have a dream. They want to be somebody. The Maxim organization turns them into drug addicts and prostitutes. That’s where your money comes from. Enjoy it now, because one day you’ll be paying the price.”
Lucas softly closed the cell phone. Michelle was deathly pale. Even Greg had a furrow between his eyebrows.
“What?” Lucas asked.
“You really like to tease the lion, don’t you?” Greg said.
“I’m hoping to prompt them to action,” Lucas replied. He turned to Familiar. “Excellent work. You’re the partner every lawman dreams of working with.”
His comment broke the tension that had collected around the table. Michelle stood and gathered up the dishes. “I never thought I’d say that I looked forward to doing the dishes, but it actually sounds pleasant. Safe and humdrum and…pleasant.”
WITH HER HANDS SOAKING in the hot water, Michelle hurriedly washed the plates and silverware and set them in the drain board. The hot water was a soothing influence as she let her thoughts drift back to the hour she’d shared with Lucas.
Desire, mingled with a hefty dose of fear and uncertainty, made her bite her lower lip. Lucas had chipped away the foundation she’d worked so hard to build—one that kept her feelings safely buried. Now she was experiencing a tidal surge of emotions.
The key element was joy. She’d never known what it felt like to truly share with another human, but she did now. And she wanted more. Whatever it took, she wanted to spend more time with Lucas. They were so different, their lives thousands of miles apart. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered when she remembered his kisses or the way his hands had moved down her body, stirring feelings she’d never experienced before.
“Me-ow.” Familiar brushed against her leg, winding around it and purring so loudly, she could hear it.
“Just one second.” She finished the dishes and drained the sink, then tidied up the counters and stove top. When the chore was done, she sat at the table and pulled Familiar into her lap. “I owe you a lot,” she said. “For so many things. Let’s just say, I’ll never be able to repay you for all you’ve done. But I want to do that series of photographs. I’ll make a copy for you. A gift.”
She brushed the top of his head, and he purred even louder. Both front paws came up and captured her hand.
“What?” she asked.
“Me-ow.” Familiar went to the garbage can that held old newspapers and managed to pull one out. “Meow!” he insisted as he tapped his paw against the paper.
Michelle knelt down beside him, examining the paper. Maybe they’d missed a news story about something important. Instead, she found that she was looking at the Classified section.
Familiar batted the page, and she turned it. His black paw centered on Lost and Found. Curious, she read the several notices about pets missing or pets found, purses left behind and some Good Samaritan who’d found cash and wanted to return it to the proper owners. Amazing.
“What am I looking for?” she asked the cat.
He pawed an ad about a found pet; she read it carefully but still didn’t understand.
Familiar got the camera she’d bought. He brought it to her and then went and stood in front of the lens.
When she saw that, he went back to the newspaper and patted the found-pet ad.
When she caught on to what he wanted, she almost squealed with pleasure.
“Lucas, Greg, come here. Familiar has a brilliant idea,” she said.
The two men came into the kitchen. Lucas touched her shoulder as he passed, and heat sizzled through her, but she ignored it.
“Look,” she said, pointing to the ads. “We can run an ad in the newspaper about a found cat. We can call him Familiar, and we can use a photo of him. We can place this ad in the newspaper with a phone number. When Lorry sees it, she’ll call in! This was all Familiar’s idea.”
Lucas nodded. “It’s a good one, too, assuming Lorry is still in this area.”
Michelle felt her bubble burst. Lorry could be in Hawaii by now. But as soon as her hopes fell, she felt them rise. “I believe she’s close, Lucas.”
“Why do you believe that?” he asked gently.
“Where would she go? She’s safest in a part of the world she knows intimately. She could hide here for the next ten years. She’s got friends to help her, and this is her home.”
Lucas nodded. Michelle could tell she was getting to him, making sense.
“And what will it hurt to run the ad?” she said. “Lorry will recognize Familiar, and the Maxim minions will never think to look in the classifieds, under lost and found pets.”
“You got a point there,” Greg agreed.
“Let’s give it a shot,” Lucas said. “I’m ready to hear that Kevin is on a plane and that Lorry is safe. Let’s see if we can make both of those things happen.”
Chapter Nineteen
Michelle scanned the lost-and-found section of the Mobile Press-Register and quickly found the photograph of Familiar, looking pitiful and lost. She’d e-mailed the photograph and ad content to the paper Wednesday morning. Now, she read the ad with grim satisfaction. If Lorry/Betty was checking, which Lucas had prearranged with her in case of trouble, she’d get the message clearly. Lorry would certainly remember Familiar from the wedding. Who could forget the black cat swiping food from the buffet table?
Michelle put the paper aside and began preparations for breakfast. The night had passed in a state of bliss. She and Lucas had made love until exhausted, and they’d fallen asleep holding each other. Each moment had been precious.
Even as she cooked the bacon that Greg had purchased at a store nearby, she couldn’t dispel the sense that time was slipping away from them. It was Thursday morning. They had so little time to find Lorry and get her to New York if she was going to testify against Antonio Maxim.
If Lorry didn’t testify, a murderer would walk free. And Kevin would die. And she and Lucas and Lorry would be hunted and killed without mercy.
She took a cup of coffee to Robert and uncuffed one hand while he drank it. She stood ten feet away, Greg’s gun at the ready. Funny, but while she understood Robert was a dangerous and ruthless criminal, she was no longer afraid of him.
Robert eyed her speculatively as he sipped the coffee. As long as Familiar wasn’t in the room, he acted the tough guy. The cat, though, could make him scream simply by walking past him.
“Look at you,” Robert said softly. “Holding a gun on an unarmed man. You’re a kidnapper, a torturer. A week ago you were the toast of SoHo as a photographer.” He chuckled to himself. “What a comedown.” He paused dramatically. “But I can change all of that. I can make it disappear. I can give you a new identity and enough money to set up your photography business in Paris or Rome.”
“And you’d do that for me? Why?” She knew the answer, and beneath her calm questions, she felt a surge of anger that Robert thought he could manipulate her so easily.
“Because you let me go. If you’ll put the gun down and unlock this other handcuff—”
“You’ll forget all the things I’ve done.”
He nodded. “Not only forget, but give you enough money so that you can forget, too.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “How much?”
“What about Lucas and Greg? And Kevin?”
“Kevin will be released. He knows nothing of value. The U.S. marshal…” His face tightened into a mask of hatred. “He will pay. He has to. The other one.” He shrugged. “He dies, too.”
“You are something,” Michelle said softly. “You think I’d betray these two good men for money?”
Robert merely stared at her. “A million, then.”
She used the barrel of the gun to indicate the floor. “Put the coffee cup down, and scoot it to me with your foot.”
“I can make you wealthy and famous.”
“And I can make you dead.” She leveled the gun. “Not everyone in the world can be bought, Mr. Maxim. Ponder that while you rot in prison.”
She picked up the coffee cup and stepped back. “Lucas!”
He appeared in the hallway, his shirt and hair rumpled and a shy grin on his face. “Yes, ma’am?”
Michelle thought her heart would leap from her chest. Looking at him brought back every intimate second of the previous night, and she forced a gruffness into her voice that belied the heat that touched her cheeks. “Hook him back up. He’s had his coffee. Maybe Familiar will feed him breakfast.”
Lucas looked at her. “What’s got you so hot under the collar?”
“Interacting with scum, I guess. We’ll talk later.” She went back to the kitchen and began preparing eggs. When Lucas entered, she gave him the newspaper and watched the smile spread across his face.
“If Lorry is in the area, she’ll respond to that. She knows to check this paper online, too. She’ll call. Especially since the number listed is her home phone. That was an ingenious idea, Michelle. And putting in there that Friday is the deadline before the cat will be sent to a shelter was so smart. Lorry can read between the lines. She’ll know exactly what that means. I’m sure she’ll call us.” He walked over to her and pulled her against him. His lips warmed her neck.
Familiar Vows Page 15