by June Kramin
She flipped through her recipe book, hoping to find a meal that would make Hunt melt in her arms tonight. He was trying hard to make her happy; she wanted to do the same. Amanda usually steered away from pasta dishes. Anything Italian reminded her of the days when she worked for Vince Menusco and ran around with his son, Angelo. Restaurants they’d gone to were always Italian and always owned by someone actively involved or under protection, willingly or not. They were usually private to Vince and his gang. Tie optional, guns not.
Amanda couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the memory of questioning Willy the Face over a meal and having the attention of the whole restaurant. She couldn’t believe he’d had her fooled about being a double agent.
She hadn’t thought of him in ages. Last she saw of him was at the hearing. At the time, she was more concerned with avoiding Hunt than with Willy’s sentence. She was sure he was locked away for good. The FBI wouldn’t let him out. That, of course, was if he survived prison at all. Whenever the word got around prison that he two-timed the mob, he was sure to be killed.
Mandy shuddered. “One strange sound and you’re back to tough girl status. Chill out.”
She returned to her dinner preparations, hoping Hunt would get home early and they could enjoy an empty house. After checking her temperature this morning, she was sure she was ovulating. She hoped last night had done the trick, but once more wouldn’t hurt. Or twice. She grinned as she chopped carrots.
Chapter Four
After hanging up the phone and returning to the table, Mandy smiled wide.
“You can read my mother like a book, babe.”
“I knew what packing a change of clothes ‘just in case’ meant. I never mind when they want her overnight. She loves them.”
“They have bragging rights with their friends, that’s for sure. No one sees their grandkids as much as my folks. Have I said how much I love you for putting up with them?”
“There’s nothing to put up with, Hunt. I love them.” She grinned.
“I know that grin. You love them more for keeping Hannah overnight. Table or couch?”
She slid herself onto his lap and kissed him fiercely. Wasting no time, she undid his shirt buttons slowly, one at a time. He moaned as he pulled her hips tighter to his. As she kissed down his neck, Mandy was certain there was a noise coming from the patio again. She stopped kissing abruptly and looked up.
“What is it?” Hunt asked her.
“Did you hear something?”
“Just my pants getting tighter.”
“Must be the neighbors.” She returned to kissing down his neck then went back to his lips. They were lingering over a long kiss, tongues entwined, when suddenly she was pulled off of Hunt’s lap. She kicked backward at her attacker and screamed.
Hunt tried to stand, but a rope was thrown around his neck. Someone was pulling against it, holding him down. He struggled with it until there was a click. Within a second, a gun pressed at his head. He looked over to Mandy, who had given up her struggle. She was held captive by a very large Italian man who had one hand around her waist and one over her mouth.
“Get your filthy hands off my wife.”
The man grinned and gave Mandy a kiss on the cheek. That got him an elbow to the stomach. She took his arm and tried to wrench it around but stopped when another gun clicked. Another man entered the kitchen and took a few steps closer to Mandy. She shook herself free, stepped forward, and kicked at the hand holding the gun. When the man that held her took a step closer, she kicked at his knee, sending him back a few steps. Hunt hollered, “Mandy stop!” when the man holding the rope at his neck aimed his gun her way.
Another man entered the room. He wasn’t holding a gun and was far too calm for the situation. Hunt figured he was in charge of whatever this was. “What do you want?”
“Where’s the kid?”
“With my parents tonight. They aren’t coming back. What do you want with us?”
“You? Nothing. Amanda we need to borrow for a few days.”
“Over my dead body.”
The man reached in his coat and pulled out a gun, aiming it at Hunt’s head. “That can be arranged.”
“No!” Mandy screamed and stepped forward. “Eddie, you touch my husband and so help me, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”
“Eddie? You know these guys?”
“Ugly Italians. What do you think?”
Eddie backhanded her across the face. Again Hunt tried to stand. This time he was hit in the head with the butt of a gun. He wasn’t knocked out, but it hurt like hell. The rope was let go and Mandy ran to him. She flew onto his lap again and threw her arms around his neck.
“I’m so sorry, Hunt.”
“This isn’t your fault, babe. How many times do I need to ask what the hell you thugs want? I know you’re not here to visit Mickey Mouse.” Mandy turned around, but stayed on Hunt’s lap. He held her tight.
The man that had been holding Mandy hobbled over to the table. He picked up the serving fork and helped himself to the meal.
Eddie spoke again. “We have ourselves a bit of a situation. We’d like the little lady’s help.”
“What can she do? She’s out. Been out for years. Both from the FBI and your little family organization. There’s nothing she can do.”
“I beg to differ.”
“If she were to step foot in that neighborhood, she’d probably be killed within five minutes. Anyone that wasn’t busted or killed would have it out for her. You know better than I do the things she saw.”
“Don’t forget the things she did herself.”
Mandy stood and addressed them both. “Quit acting like I’m not right here.”
Eddie pointed the gun at her and motioned for her to sit back down.
“What’s the matter, Eddie? You’ve never been such a pussy before. If you’re going to shoot me, shoot me already.”
“Just sit still. I don’t want to have to take either one of you out. I told you, I need your help.” He scratched his head with his gun. “To back up just a little, cop, it wasn’t made common knowledge that Amanda was a fed. You know she was kept out of the papers when the bust went down and Menusco was hauled off to jail.”
“He’s out now, though,” Mandy said. “I was mailed an article.”
“You were what?” Hunt shouted.
“It was from the FBI, Hunt. I didn’t think it was worth mentioning and upsetting you. We’re safe here.”
“I currently beg to differ.”
“You two shut the hell up. Vince hadn’t said a word about you to anyone. Those of us that knew what you were kept it to ourselves. No one else knows shit.”
“Why would you keep that a secret?” Mandy asked.
“Vince didn’t want it to look like the feds or a broad got the best of him.”
Hunt spoke up again. “It still doesn’t make it safe for her if we go back. There has to be people that will remember her, and not in a good way.”
“It ain’t about being safe for her.”
“The hell it’s not. Why don’t you come out and say what you want?”
“It’s not what I want. It’s who I want.”
It was Mandy’s turn again. “Who? What kind of pull do you think I have anymore that I can find anyone for you? I have no loyalties left for Vince.”
“Vince is dead.”
“What?” Mandy stood again.
“Last week. Things became pretty bad shortly after he was released from jail. We did what we could, but you know how stubborn he was. There was no covering him all the time. Someone got a lucky shot.”
Mandy walked over to the kitchen window. Hunt wasn’t sure how to take her reaction. Her heart couldn’t be bleeding for this man. She turned back around and leaned on the sink.
“How’s Angelo taking it?”
Now Hunt stood. “Excuse me? You really want to know how his son is doing?”
“Don’t give me grief, Hunter Blaine. You know how close we were. He saved o
ur asses back at that cabin.”
“I know, but you know what he is. He’s not someone you can be pen-paling with, babe. This life is past both of us. I thought we’d left it all behind.” The situation was finally registering. These men here and now made Hunt’s blood boil. His face reddened with anger as his hands balled into fists. He spun around facing Eddie, voice in full authority mode. “Just how the fuck did you find us anyway? Dammit all to hell! I don’t want this shit in my life!”
“You chose her, old man. Should have stayed away after the trial.”
Hunt lunged for him but was again stopped by a pointed gun and Mandy’s scream.
“I’ll tie your ass up, Blaine. Better just cool off.” He pointed him towards the chair with the gun. Hunt obeyed. He put his arm out to Mandy, wanting her with him. Once she was on his lap, Eddie started up again.
“It’s funny you should ask about Angelo. He’s who we want.”
Chapter Five
Mandy was confused. “What do you mean it’s Angelo you want? Where is he?”
“If we knew that, we wouldn’t be here. Angelo disappeared the night Vince was killed.”
“Who took him?”
“I don’t have a clue. That’s why I’m here to get you. You know who his enemies are better than I do.”
“I’ve been gone a long time, Eddie.”
“It’s still the same punk ass groups.”
“Why would they take Angelo?”
“You know why. Same reason they killed Vince. Gain more territory.”
“But you’d think they would have just killed him, too.”
Eddie dropped the gun. “Angelo isn’t the same man. He’s been slipping ever since you left. Drinks most of his life away. I think he misses you.”
“Go to hell, Eddie. This isn’t about me. You know we didn’t have that kind of relationship. He simply didn’t want that life anymore.”
“No. You didn’t want him to have that life anymore. It’s in his blood, sweetheart. You don’t up and leave the family business. Especially not someone in his position.”
“Well, it looks like he might one way or another.”
“You have any idea who would take him and where he may be held?”
“Two punks come to mind, but they don’t have the brains for this alone.”
“I can’t give up until I know for sure. You know what his disappearance would mean to the business.”
“And what do you think I can do?” Mandy asked.
“Get in there and get him back.”
“What if he’s dead?”
“Then confirm it. I can’t move forward on a rumor.”
Against Hunt’s protests, she stood again. “I don’t see how you think I can help or why you even think I would help. This isn’t my life anymore. That was never my life. I was undercover. You forget my job was to get you all behind bars.”
“You thought that was your job.”
She shook her head. “Right. I thought that was my job. I didn’t know I was just a pawn to keep exactly that from happening. Why do you even think I’d want to help? You don’t even know if he’s alive. Why would I risk my life to find a corpse? He could be at the bottom of the Hudson in a pair of cement shoes for crying out loud.”
Eddie closed the gap between them. “I didn’t want to have to play this card, Mandy.”
He handed her a handkerchief. Mandy opened it slowly then dropped it with a scream. Hunt stood so fast his chair flew backward. He held it up, not needing to ask the question.
“It’s his.” Mandy choked back a sob.
In the handkerchief was a pinky ring that belonged to Angelo. Unfortunately it was still attached to his pinky.
With guns finally put away and everyone sitting around the table, Hunt spoke up. “I still don’t see how you think Mandy can help you.”
“I already told you, no one knows she was a fed. People listened to her when she went places with Angelo. She was, or at least seemed to be, more serious than he was. She ran most of the show.”
Hunt gave Mandy’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m dying to see where this is going.”
“We need to get her back on the streets. They’ll buy what story we want them to buy. It’s believable that she was just let out of jail. We could set her up as the one they placed to be the ‘Patsy’ and had the longer sentence. She did kill her husband.” Hunt glared at him. “Sorry. Ex-husband.”
“You want me to take charge of the streets again?”
“I’ve seen you in action, sweetheart. Don’t even begin to tell me you didn’t enjoy it.”
“It wasn’t a fucking tea party, Eddie. I did what I had to do from both ends.”
“And I still say you would make one hell of a mobster.”
“I’m supposed to get out there and pretend I’m in charge with Vince dead and Angelo missing? Who’s going to buy that?”
“Everyone.”
“Hasn’t whoever has Angelo made demands to set up his release?”
“Yup.”
“Well, when the hell were you going to share them?”
“I just did.” Eddie patted the finger he placed back in his coat pocket.
“Getting me back is part of the deal?”
“I’m supposed to be with Lou expediting your release right now.”
“Who’s Lou?”
“Your new husband.”
“Wait a second!” Mandy stood up and slammed her hands on the table. “I’m not bringing Hunt into this.”
“Like hell you’re not.” Hunt stood and faced her. “There is no way I’m setting you loose in the middle of all this crap in God-knows-where backstreet New York.” He turned to Eddie. “I’m in. Whatever this is, I’m in.”
“That’s not what I meant. Lou took over where Gerard left off. I figured if she had the balls to bone one lawyer, she could do the other.”
Mandy reached for a gun that was lying on the table and aimed it towards Eddie. Before anyone else could pick theirs up, she fired.
Mandy walked past Eddie to the body that had come through the sliding glass door with a sawed off shot gun aimed at her. She gasped when she recognized one of Willy the Face’s men. She spun around and aimed the gun at Eddie.
“Why is Ray here, Eddie? You jerking my chain with this?” She cocked the hammer back and held the gun aimed squarely at him.
He showed no fear at all and reached into his pocket.
“Get your hands where I can see them!”
Eddie didn’t stop his task. Instead of a gun, he pulled out a cigar.
“I didn’t even know the bastard followed us.” He lit his cigar, still showing no emotion.
Hunt walked over and took the man’s pulse. “He’s gone. How does he fit into all of this, babe?”
Mandy grumbled, “Shit,” as she gave Hunt the gun and walked out to the pool. A neighbor was peeking over the fence.
“Sorry, Jimmy. I didn’t realize Hunt had a round in the chamber.”
“Finally off the old man?” he said with a chuckle.
“I grabbed it too fast trying to move it out of the way of a hot dinner pan. Luckily all it hit was the trash can.”
“I’m surprised at Hunt.”
“It’s my fault, actually. He’d never leave it sitting around loaded. Hannah is at her grandparents tonight. I was going to stake out that stupid raccoon that seems to be terrorizing the neighborhood.”
He laughed harder. “You housewives are a scary breed these days. All you need to go with that gun is a string of pearls.”
“I’ll tell Hunt you said so.”
He laughed again. “Good night, Mandy.”
“Good night, Jimmy.” Mandy walked back in and returned her attention to Hunt. “He was one of Willy’s men.”
“Willy the Face?”
“Yes.” She let a small smile show. “You really did pay attention.”
Hunt closed the gap between them. “It involved you. Of course I did. I have to admit I never expected things to come
back into play, though.”
She turned back around, glowering at Eddie. “You get your goons to load this thing up,” she said as she kicked the body. She knelt down and removed a ring from his middle finger. After putting it in her pocket, she stood. “And you’d better check in at work, Hunt, so no patrol cars show up. Someone else could have called in after hearing the shot.”
“I’m on it.”
Mandy glared at Eddie. “You know I have no ties left at the agency.”
“Ain’t a bunch of feds going to help us anyway.”
“I just murdered a man as a Joe-blow citizen, not an agent with a license to kill. This already stinks ten ways from Sunday, Eddie.”
“I don’t know what he was doing here. That’s the truth. He’s not with us, and I don’t know why he would have followed us.”
“Just fucking great,” Mandy said with a sigh.
Chapter Six
After calling the department about the shot, Hunt called his parents and explained that they found a last minute deal on a trip and had to hustle to the airport. He said there was a bag packed and by the door for Hannah, but they weren’t able to drop it off.
Hunt had more than enough vacation time and the pull to get the time off work. After speaking to his parents and making sure Hannah was taken care of, he called the station again to ask about taking a leave of absence.
“You want to do a drive by and do a visual on my wife so you don’t think I was lying about that shot and am fleeing the country?”
The officer on the other line laughed. “You’re good to go, Sheriff. You’re lucky the spring breakers are long gone or I’d never let you split.”
“I’d never ask if it was a busy time. I really appreciate this, Greg. Thanks.” Hunt hung up and spun around, glaring at Eddie. “It’s taken care of.”