“I have to go somewhere. Can someone take my class until I get back?”
“Of course. What’s wrong?”
“I can’t...” Letting the words trail off, she left the office. Karen moved quickly, though. Before Cassie reached the veranda, her boss, with the baby in her arms and Jethro stumbling over her feet, had caught up with her, catching her arm.
“What’s wrong? Is it your family?” Abruptly her face paled. “Is it Reid?”
“Reid’s fine. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Pulling free, she returned to the school, retrieved her purse from the bottom desk drawer, then left again.
Less than twenty minutes later, she was being escorted to Remy’s office by a gray-suited young man who’d probably had life a hundred times easier than Reid but didn’t wear the clothes as well.
Remy wasn’t alone. Her brother-in-law was standing in front of the agent’s desk, looking grim and very prosecutorial. Ignoring Remy for a moment, she fixed her attention on Smith. “So you’re in on this, too.”
Her accusation brought a wary look to his eyes. “In on what?”
“You’re part of his idiot plan—” she flung her hand in Remy’s direction “—to make Reid go to work for Jimmy Falcone.”
“No one made Reid do anything.” Remy gestured toward the chairs that fronted his desk. “Sit down, both of you. What do you know about our plan, Cassie?”
“I know you forced Reid to take a job with Falcone. He never would have done this on his own. He despises Falcone, and he’s tried so hard to get his life turned around. He never would have willingly put himself at risk. What did you do? Threaten him with jail?”
“We didn’t force him to do it, Cassie. We asked for his help, and he agreed.”
She shook her head. “Not just to be a good citizen. Not without some reason.”
“You’re right.” Smith walked over to the window and gazed out for a moment before facing him. “We told him—”
“I told him,” Remy interrupted, taking the responsibility. Taking the blame.
Smith shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “That his mother needed help. She thought he was the best one to give it.”
“His mother? Meghan’s in New Orleans?”
“She was.”
Very slowly Cassie sank down in the chair. All those years, Reid had hoped that his mother would come back. All those years, he had waited for her, and now she had finally come. She had finally needed him, and he had agreed. He had risked everything—maybe even death—for a woman who had made his life impossible from the day he was born. He was a better son than Meghan could ever deserve.
“You said she was in town. Where is she now?”
“We had to move her yesterday. She said Jimmy was getting suspicious. She was afraid of what he might do if he suspected that she was working with us.”
“It never crossed her mind to worry about what he might do to her son, did it? Or yours, either.” Bitter anger chilled her voice. “You moved her, but you left Reid there to deal with the consequences. You knew Jimmy was suspicious of her, but you didn’t care that he would also, naturally, be suspicious of her son.”
“Of course I care. You think I want anything to happen to Reid?” Remy had the grace to look offended. “If we had pulled him out, too, Jimmy would have believed that he was involved. He would have figured that Reid had been part of Meghan’s scheme all along—that he took the job so he could help her get away. Falcone would have gotten the truth from him one way or another, and then he would have...” He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to. “This way it looked as if she ran out on him along with Jimmy. Just like before.”
From the window, Smith spoke again. “How do you know about any of this, Cassie?”
Lacing her fingers together, she recounted every detail of Reid’s visit—save the kisses. When she was done, Remy exchanged glances with Smith. “I don’t suppose anyone has any outstanding warrants on him, do they?”
Smith shook his head. “But Falcone doesn’t know that.”
He pulled Cassie to her feet, slid his arm around her shoulders and started walking her toward the door. “If you see him again and you have a chance to talk, tell him to sit tight and not to worry if a couple cops come to pick him up.”
“What are you—?”
“You don’t need to know any more than you already do. Keep this to yourself, Cassie. As long as Falcone is walking around free, no one can know that Reid was working for us. If Falcone even suspects such a thing, sometime, somehow, he will make him pay.”
“But his parents—”
“Are just going to have to trust him. Until Falcone is behind bars or dead, Reid’s role in this is going to be your secret. Understand?”
She didn’t want to, but she did. It would be hard for Reid, having to start over, having to re-earn the respect and trust he’d lost, and it would surely be even harder knowing that he hadn’t done anything wrong. Everyone who’d thought and said the worst of him owed him an apology, but he couldn’t collect. He couldn’t tell them that he’d been working for the good guys, that to do it, he’d had to appear as one of the bad guys. He would have to keep that knowledge to himself and let the others think what they would.
She said a subdued goodbye, took the elevator to the ground floor and stepped outside onto the sidewalk. For a moment, she simply stood there, oblivious to the people and the traffic passing by, concentrating instead on all the unsettled emotions bouncing around inside her—guilt that she hadn’t had enough faith in Reid. Relief that he really hadn’t done anything wrong. Fear that he might pay a dear price for it anyway. Contempt for a woman who could risk her only son this way. Frustration because all she could do was worry. She couldn’t call him, couldn’t be with him, couldn’t know that he was safe. With a heart-heavy sigh, she started toward her car. As she stepped off the curb into the crosswalk, a car glided around the corner and stopped directly in front of her, blocking her way. Before the fact that it was a black limo could register, before she could even think about turning and running, the door swung open and a man coming up from behind took a firm grip on her arm and literally swept her into the car. She would have stumbled if another man inside the car hadn’t caught her and lifted her without effort onto the seat, where she found herself face-to-face with Jimmy Falcone.
Reid was in the garage, using a soft cloth to dry the last few spots on the just washed Jag when Vince came out of the house and headed his way. With Meghan gone, he had little to do, but he didn’t doubt that Vince or Jimmy would soon correct that. He just hoped Sinclair handled things on his end before it came to that.
Vince came to a stop a few feet away, brushed his jacket back and rested both hands on his hips. He didn’t look too happy. And was it just coincidence that his stance made the pistol holstered on his belt easy to see and easier to reach? “The boss wants to see you inside.”
Slowly Reid stepped back from the car and reached for his jacket. “What’s up?” he asked, sounding less worried than he felt. “Does he have something he wants me to do?”
“He wants to talk.”
Shrugging into the jacket, Reid adjusted it, then straightened his tie as he walked toward the house. With Vince only a few feet behind, he had the unpleasant feeling of a prisoner being escorted to his fate. Had Jimmy decided not to believe him regarding Meghan’s disappearance? If he had grown suspicious of her, was he equally suspicious of her son? Did he wonder how, only a short while ago, she could have wanted Reid around enough to finagle a job for him and yet, just a few weeks later, she could walk away without giving him a clue?
They went into the house, through the kitchen and down the broad hall to Jimmy’s study. The door was closed, which wasn’t unusual. According to Meghan, he always kept it closed, whether he was alone relaxing, discussing business with associates or handling problems. Reid’s smile was thin. This morning he certainly felt like a problem.
After one rap, Vince opened the door, then prodded Reid to go in. He hadn
’t moved more than four feet before absolute, pure panic swept over him, cutting off his breath, making his legs go weak. Jimmy was sitting behind his desk, a couple of his men were in the back of the room and sitting in the middle was Cassie.
God help them both.
He started to go to her, but Vince held him back. He had to be satisfied with simply looking, had to assure himself from a distance that she was all right. The color was drained from her face, and she sat with her hands so tightly clasped that she had surely lost feeling in her fingers. He could see the trembles that occasionally shook her, and her dark eyes were frightened, relieved and apologetic. Oh, God, what had she done? “Why is she here?”
“I brought her here,” Jimmy replied. “I thought we might all enjoy a chat. So this is your girlfriend.”
“She used to be. Until I started working for you.”
“Do you know who she is?” Jimmy almost smiled. “Of course you do. The more important question is do you know who her sister is?”
Reid shrugged. “Jolie Kendricks.”
“Jolie Wade Kendricks. A reporter—and a damn good one. The nosiest and most persistent woman I’ve ever met She caused me more grief than any woman ever should when she was with the Times-Picayune. She still pesters me from time to time for that magazine of hers.” Falcone gave a dismayed shake of his head before going on. “And do you know who Jolie is married to?”
“The U.S. Attorney who prosecuted you five or six years ago and won.”
“The convictions were overturned,” Falcone was quick to add. “And do you know—?”
“What is this?” Reid interrupted. “Twenty questions?” His boss’s smile was menacing. “Oh, I have far more than twenty questions. Out of the blue, your mother takes me up on my offer to come to New Orleans, where she doesn’t even get settled in before she implores me to give her son a job so she can get reacquainted with him after all these years apart. I agree, but soon after you come to work for me, Meghan disappears, and you claim to have no idea where she could have gone. So much for maternal angst. The very next day, I find out that your girlfriend is Jolie Wade’s younger sister and U.S. Attorney Smith Kendricks’s sister-in-law. As you probably know, they’re in tight with an FBI agent by the name of Sinclair and with Michael Bennett, who just might be the last honest cop in New Orleans. As you probably also know, Jolie has ties to Nicholas Carlucci, my former legal adviser and confidant, who currently resides in the federal penitentiary in Alabama after trying to send me there.”
Reid swallowed hard, hoping to steady his voice. “Yeah, I know all that. So what’s the big deal?”
The smile cooled and hardened a few degrees. “Maybe I can tell you something you don’t know. You know I’m not convinced that you’re as ignorant of your mother’s plans as you claim. You also know that after the incident with Carlucci, I’m a little more cautious—some might even say paranoid—than usual. That’s why I wanted you to move in. That’s why Vince went with you this morning to pick up your belongings.” Jimmy’s eyes turned fear-inspiring dark. “That’s why I sent Tony to keep an eye on anyone you spoke to while you were gone. Now, for the part you don’t know... Immediately after your visit with Cassie this morning, she made a trip downtown to the same building where the FBI offices are, where Remy Sinclair’s office is. Coincidentally Kendricks was there at the same time. Now, who do you think she went to see down there?”
Reid turned to stare at Cassie, all too aware that every bit of the shock he was feeling was apparent on his face: She squirmed uncomfortably under the weight of his gaze, as she damn well should. Didn’t she listen to him? Hadn’t he made it clear that she was supposed to call Sinclair? Hadn’t he made her understand that he was in serious trouble, that secrecy was of major importance?
Falcone was waiting for some response from him, but Reid’s mind was absolutely blank. He wanted to shake Cassie, to yell at her and chastise her. He wanted to demand to know how she could have put not only his life but also her own in danger. He wanted to do a dozen things, but every one of them would prove to Jimmy that his suspicions were well-founded, and then what kind of trouble would they be in?
The silence in the room grew heavier, alive with tension, distrust and fear. Finally Reid felt compelled to break it before he blurted out a confession, the truth, a lie—anything that might save Cassie’s life. He pushed past Vince and covered the distance separating him from Cassie. The fact that she shrank back from him was evidence of the fierceness of the scowl he wore. “You did it, didn’t you?”
She swallowed hard, nervously, guiltily, but didn’t look away.
“You said if I didn’t quit this job, you would go to your brother-in-law and his cop friends. You said you would get them to make my life miserable, and you did it.”
Unable to sit still any longer, she got to her feet, her arms folded tightly across her chest. The defiance she was trying to project was almost successful. If he didn’t know her so well, he would believe it. He only hoped Jimmy believed it. “Yes, I talked to Smith and Remy, and you’re right. As long as you continue to work for him, they’re going to make life very difficult for you. It’s not hard to do—just a few words from one cop to another, and you won’t be able to leave this place without getting harassed every step of the way.” Tossing her hair from her face, she shrugged. “It’s unethical, probably even illegal—misuse of authority or something—but hey, I’m family. They’ll do anything for family.” She turned a malicious smile on Falcone. “Especially when it means making life harder for you.”
“Damn it, Cassie—”
Before he could say anything else, Jimmy summoned the men at the back of the room with an upraised hand. “Take her to the sitting room. Have the cook provide her with lunch, and keep her company while she eats.”
The look she gave Reid was fearful, but she didn’t protest, didn’t make the men forcefully remove her. The door closed behind them, leaving Reid in a silent room with Jimmy and Vince. He rubbed his eyes for a moment, then sat down in the chair Cassie had just left. The air still held a faint whiff of her perfume.
“Do you really expect me to believe that the girl loves you so much that she would turn you in to the authorities?”
“Not the authorities. To her brother-in-law and his friends. She’s afraid that I’ll get into trouble. People who work for you have a tendency to end up dead or in prison.”
“So she’s trying to save you.” Falcone didn’t expect an answer. “Why didn’t you tell me about her—and her connections—sooner?”
“Why didn’t you know? There was a time when you knew every minor detail of a person’s life before he came to work for you.”
Jimmy gave Vince a narrowed look. “You’re right We should have known.”
The silence began building again. Even though his boss seemed to have bought their act, Reid still felt sick inside. He wanted Cassie out of there, wanted her safe and sound on Serenity.
That thought brought him a bitter smile. This estate was one of the most beautiful places in all of Louisiana. No expense had been spared on luxury or security, but Cassie would be a million times safer back home in her little apartment above the shabby bar. Safe on Serenity. Who could ever have imagined it?
“You’re going to let her go now.” He said it as a statement, though there was no doubt that it was really a question. A plea.
“I don’t know. She’s a very pretty young woman. She could certainly add beauty to my home.”
And, of course, she could be used to control him. For her, he would tell Jimmy everything about Meghan, her deal to trade his freedom for her own and his own role in it. For her, he would say anything, do anything. “You can’t seriously be considering keeping her here. You made such a point of reminding me who she was. Have you already forgotten? Jolie? Kendricks? Sinclair? Bennett?” He gave a warning shake of his head. “You don’t know what trouble is until you start messing with one of their own. They’ll destroy you this time, and all the lawyers, threats and b
ribes in the world won’t save you.”
Vince spoke for the first time. “He’s right, Jimmy. She’s not worth the trouble she’ll cause. Let me take her back now.”
“And what’s to stop her from running straight back to Kendricks to tell him that she’d been kidnapped?”
“Me.” Reid rose from the chair. His smile was meant to be careless, but it felt feeble. “She got into this because she was worried about me. I can convince her not to say anything to anyone, or I’ll suffer the consequences.”
Falcone considered it for a moment, then nodded. Before Reid could feel too relieved, though, he added one less than assuring promise. “You certainly will.”
Cassie sat in the Mercedes’s back seat, hands tightly clasped in her lap, and stared out the window. She felt like such an idiot. She had made a major mistake that could have been—still could be—of potentially fatal proportions. If she had caused Reid any further trouble...
He was sitting across the seat from her, staring out his own window. She couldn’t blame him for being angry. He had taken a risk to ask her to do one simple thing for him, and she had blown it. She had gotten herself kidnapped and given Falcone reason to look with even more suspicion at Reid, and she hadn’t even gotten a chance to pass on Smith’s message. Reid would have to be satisfied with knowing that Remy was aware of his predicament and would do his best to get him out.
As the car left the bridge, she twisted in the seat to face him, reaching out one shaky hand. “I’m sorry.”
He looked at her hand a long time before slowly wrapping his fingers around hers and holding on tightly. The gesture warmed her, but it didn’t ease the scowl that had settled on his face.
The Taming Of Reid Donovan Page 24