by Adrianne Lee
As usual, traffic was thick, crowding all three lanes of the one way street. It was nearly lunchtime on a day that had already been too long for most of the Lincoln’s occupants. Foot traffic bustled along the sidewalks, colorful umbrellas and raincoats brightening the otherwise drizzly day.
Six blocks later, Roman pulled to a stop in front of an old three-storied parking garage with construction barriers blocking its entrance. Two men darted from the shadows just inside the arched opening. Both wore beige raincoats and felt hats. Both appeared to be federal agents of some kind; Roman’s associates, Kerrie guessed.
The shorter of the two nodded at Roman, then helped his partner roll open the metal gate. Roman drove through the gap, and the gate was rolled back into place.
Kerrie’s eyes widened at the abandoned look of the garage’s interior. “Are you sure this building is safe?”
“As a fortress,” Roman assured her. He lowered his window and spoke to the short man. “Are we set?”
“Second floor, Donnello. Just been waitin’ on you.”
“Thanks, Harp. I owe you one.”
“Damned straight.” The short man nodded and stepped back. As Roman drove ahead, Kerrie saw the man speaking into a two-way radio.
The ramp to the next floor was dark, creepy, but they emerged onto a fully lighted second floor. Like the showroom of a new car dealership, five other Lincoln Continentals were parked at angles to one another. All had blacked-out windows. All were forest green—exactly like the one they were riding in. Several men, each tall and well built, much like Roman and Charlie, milled about smoking and talking.
“What in the world?” Glynna asked.
“For security,” Charlie said.
Kerrie grinned at the cleverness of Roman’s plan. “Hide in plain sight, Mom.”
Roman stopped the car and shifted around to look at Glynna. “If our nemesis thought to follow us, this is our best bet to lose him when we leave here.”
“I see.” Glynna smiled. “He can’t go after all six cars at once.”
Roman smiled and nodded. “Exactly.”
Kerrie could see her mother visibly relax for the first time since they’d left Sophia’s house. Roman activated the trunk release and yanked open his door. “We’re also switching cars.”
Kerrie disengaged her seat belt, then Gabby’s and soon they were all out of the car. The garage smelled of mold and dirt and spilled crankcase oil. She hoisted Gabby into her arms. “Hang onto Maureen, Mom, or she’ll get filthy.”
“Let me,” Roman said, taking Maureen from Glynna. The shy little girl, who’d been clinging to her grandmother and staring at all the strangers, went gladly into Roman’s arms. He noticed, and Kerrie could see the look of sheer pleasure in his eyes as he hugged his daughter close.
“Glynna.” His voice was thick with emotion. “You can get whatever clothes you’d like from your suitcase. Charlie, see if one of these other Palookas will help you transfer the luggage to another car. I’m kind of busy right now.”
“Sure thing, boss.” Charlie strolled over to the group of men.
Glynna got busy digging the clothing she wanted from her luggage. Three minutes later, she stood in front of Roman, hugging navy cloth to her chest and frowning. “Where am I supposed to change?”
He shifted Maureen closer and pointed to a far corner. “Bathroom’s over there.”
Kerrie glanced to where he indicated, spotting a greaseblackened door. She hated that her mother was forced to use such distasteful facilities. Hated the man who was the cause of it.
Roman had the decency to look sheepish. “It’s not the Ritz, but I had it swept and disinfected before we arrived. I’m afraid all it’s got is cold water.”
Glynna gathered her clothes to her chest and lifted her head proudly. “A bit of cold water won’t kill me.”
The fact that Loverboy might, sent impotent rage swirling inside Kerrie. But she was proud of her mother for taking it all in stride.
As Glynna walked toward the bathroom, Kerrie said, “This isn’t easy for her.”
He glanced down at her, his expression serious. “This isn’t easy on any of us, Irish.”
She sighed and juggled Gabby in her arms. “Tell me something. Where, or should I say how, did you find this many cars the same make, model and color?”
He offered her his heart-stopping grin. “Friend of mine owns a Lincoln dealership in Factoria. I explained the situation and he loaned me these for the afternoon.”
“Generous friend.”
Charlie Wong rejoined them with another man in tow. “Roman saved the life of the car dealer’s wife a few years back. Get him to tell you the story sometime. It’s quite interesting.”
She gazed speculatively at Roman. He shook his head. “Why don’t you stick to your job, Wong. Get the luggage transferred.”
“Whatever you say, boss.” Charlie ran his hand across his shaved head as he turned to his companion. He and the second man moved to the trunk and began the transfer.
A moment later, as Charlie started past, a suitcase in one hand and a shopping bag in the other, Roman stopped him. “Wait. I’ll take that sack.”
It was, Kerrie noted, from the same department store where he’d purchased the girls’ bunnies. She made a face. “You’re going to spoil them.”
“This isn’t toys. It’s a little added insurance for their escape. Let’s get in the new car.”
Once all four of them were settled on the backseat, he opened the bag and produced two new, toddler-size winter ski-type jackets, one an array of blues and greens, the other a solid soft yellow. The coats were completely different than the denim ones the girls were wearing. The new coats were even different from each other in both style and design.
He steadied his gaze on Kerrie. “In case, he’s been watching the house and knows how you dress the girls.”
She nodded and tried swallowing past the lump in her throat. Gabriella was delighted with her new “lellow” jacket which accented the golden depths of her beautiful eyes. Maureen wasn’t as certain, but once she had the green and blue jacket on, she decided that she looked every bit as good in her new coat as her sister did in hers.
They both thanked Roman as he zipped the jackets closed and told them they were going bye bye again. Glynna appeared, wearing a navy pantsuit with large gold buttons, her makeup on, and her hair twisted into a french roll.
Roman got out of the car and met her at the trunk. She packed her sweat suit and the girls’ denim jackets into her bag. “Well, it looks like I’m ready.”
“Almost.” Roman reached into his wallet and produced a handful of bills.
Glynna shook her head. “I don’t need your money. I’ve got my checkbook and my credit cards.”
“You won’t be traveling under your real name. I don’t want you cashing any checks or using any credit cards until.”
She paled. “Oh, I hadn’t thought.”
Roman put the money in her hand and curled her fingers over it. “It’s two hundred in small bills. When that runs out Philip will give you more.”
“I’ll pay you back every penny of this.”
“I wouldn’t expect any less of you.”
She put the cash into her purse. Then Roman and she climbed into the back seat of the car with Kerrie and the twins. He lifted Maureen onto his lap. Next to him, Kerrie held Gabby on hers. Charlie sat in front with their driver. He spoke into a two-way radio. “It’s showtime folks.”
Car engines started and moments later all six Lincolns were pulling out onto Sixth Avenue. One after the other, like floats in a parade, they moved down the street. At the first stoplight the lead car turned left, the second car turned right and the other four went straight ahead.
At the next streetlight the procedure was repeated until the cars were all going in different directions. All would travel circuitous routes, through the occasional alley, pulling over to the odd curb. The agents in each car had instructions to watch for tails, obtain any s
uspicious-looking vehicle’s make and license number, and execute any appropriate action.
Holding his own child was something Roman had thought he’d never do. He hadn’t allowed himself to even imagine what it would be like to wrap his arms around a tiny person who existed because of him. Hadn’t expected that children could touch his very soul, infuse every fiber of his being, rouse such fierce protective instincts.
But this squirming little girl, who weighed next to nothing, who chattered with such delight at everything in her world, whose tiny hand felt like a velvet seashell in his, left him awestruck. Blessedly the gaping emptiness, which had resided in his-heart since he was a teenage boy, shrank with every second he held his daughter, with every mile closer to the airport.
How was it possible? He pondered the enormity of it, the simplicity of it, then decided, why question what likely had no explanation? Why not simply savor the indescribable bliss?
Roman gathered a huge breath and hugged Maureen, reached out to grasp Gabby’s hand, too. He closed his eyes and let joy wash through him. The car swerved unexpectedly. He stiffened. His eyes sprang open. But there was nothing to get excited about. No reason to panic. Just a car in the next lane veering too close to theirs. Still, if this ride were only a celebration of fatherhood, Roman knew his muscles wouldn’t be edged with tension. His body on full alert.
He counseled himself to calm down. But in his gut he feared he’d missed some detail, hadn’t covered every base, that Loverboy would discover their plans. Would come after his little girls. God help him, he wanted to board that plane with them and see them safely into Philip’s care.
Impossible. Kerrie and he had to get back to her house. Soon. Had to act as if Glynna and the girls were still in town and would be returning shortly. As if, despite the murder in their backyard, everything else was normal. Normal. He touched his chin to the top of Maureen’s head. Would any of their worlds be normal again? His wouldn’t. It would be both better and worse. Without Loverboy, he might never have known about his children.
A deep sadness filled him. Without Loverboy, Wendy would be alive to hold his children, to one day hold her own children. Some pains, he realized, never left a person’s heart. Accepting Wendy’s death had been awful enough, dealing with her loss on a daily basis. His throat muscles tightened.
It must be killing Philip. Before coming to Seattle, Roman thought he’d understood his friend’s grief. Shared it. He hadn’t, not really. He’d felt as if he’d lost a sister. That wasn’t the same as losing a child.
He shifted Maureen on his lap. Oh, how he understood now. Oh, how he empathized now. Oh, how empty his arms would soon feel—and he wasn’t losing his daughters, only putting them on a plane. It would be the hardest thing he’d ever done.
As SeaTac International Airport came into view, he glanced at Kerrie. The sorrow in her emerald eyes told him she was dealing with the same demons.
The driver pulled to a stop on the departure level. Everyone vacated the car. The men unloaded the luggage from the trunk, including Roman’s. Then the driver left in the Lincoln. Roman, Kerrie, and their entourage entered the terminal.
Roman said, “Charlie, you know what to do and where we’ll be?”
The big man nodded his shaved head. “I’ll join you shortly.”
Charlie gathered the luggage and hustled to a check-in counter. Hefting his own bag, Roman led the women and girls to a private room the size of a small bedroom. It had no windows, smelled faintly of cleansing solution and was sparsely furnished with two rows of armless, metal framed chairs with black Naugahyde cushions. Two oblong, folding tables stood against a back wall.
The girls immediately toddled over to the first row of chairs and began playing with their bunnies, jabbering to each other with serious faces. Silently the three adults sat and watched with rapt attention as though the child’s play were as fascinating as a Broadway production.
The door to the room swung open, startling Kerrie from her thoughts. It was Charlie, she noted with relief. The adults all stood. Charlie closed the door behind him and strode straight for her mother, offering her an airline ticket. “The plane is leaving on schedule. They’re boarding now.”
Roman hoisted Maureen into her grandmother’s arms. “Glynna, I want you and this other redheaded beauty to go directly to Concourse B, Gate 16, and board the plane. Charlie and Gabby will follow in a few minutes. Philip will contact me when you’ve arrived safely.”
Glynna frowned, then glanced anxiously from Roman to Kerrie. “You’re not coming to see us off?”
“We can’t.” Roman looked as if he’d lost his best friend.
Kerrie swallowed around the lump in her throat. But she knew Roman was right. “We’d be too easy to spot if we all went together. Mom.”
Glynna nodded, and Kerrie saw strength and determination in her mother’s eyes. She’d proved a real trouper when all the chips were down. Kerrie was extremely proud of her. She gave her a huge hug. “I love you, Mom. Be careful.”
“I will, and don’t you worry about the girls. I won’t let any harm come to them.”
“I know.” Kerrie told Maureen to mind Grammy, then hugged and kissed her. “I love you, angel.”
Roman tousled Maureen’s hair and kissed her cheek. Glynna shifted the child onto her hip, and they left.
The second the door closed on her sister, Gabby frowned and tears welled in her golden eyes. “Gabby, go. Gabby, go.”
Kerrie scooped Gabriella into her arms. “You are going, sweetie. With Charlie.”
Gabby shook her head. “No, not go wiff, Tarlie. Go wiff, you. Go wiff, Moman.”
Gabby began crying in earnest, and Kerrie felt as if her heart were being wrenched from her chest. She strove to comfort the little girl. Time was running out. Charlie and she had to board that plane.
Roman came up beside them. “Gabby, Charlie has some candy for you and he’s taking you to see Maureen and Grammy.”
“Now?” She sniffed and gazed at the candy bar in Charlie’s outstretched hand. She reached for it Kerrie transferred her into the security guard’s arms. Gabby took the candy bar and bit into it. Like a thin coating of gloss, chocolate smeared her heart-shaped lips.
Grinning sadly, Roman kissed her cheek. But Kerrie stepped back, fearing they’d never reach the plane if Gabby sensed her mother’s distress and threw another fit. “Mind Grammy and Charlie. I love you, Gabby.”
“Love you, Mommy.”
“Love you, Moman.”
“Hurry,” Roman instructed Charlie in a hoarse voice, opening the door and sending them on their way.
Fighting tears, Kerrie spun away from Roman and struggled to compose herself. She was grateful he didn’t try to fill the thick tension in the room with conversation. That he didn’t try to console her, or reassure her. Right now, any of those gestures would have reduced her to a quivering mass of motherhood.
They waited another minute, then hurried to the baggage claim level, stepped outside and hailed a taxi. Roman instructed the driver to take them to Southcenter Shopping Mall. There, he ordered another taxi. On the ride back to her house, neither spoke. We’re like two lost souls, Kerrie thought, who can’t reach out to anyone else, not even to each other, in our sadness and anger. How infinitely sad.
Since the back alley way was still officially a crime scene, Roman directed the taxi driver to her front door. One car remained parked at her curb. It belonged to patrolman Erikssen. He stepped out of the house and onto the porch as they climbed the stairs.
His gaze flicked over Roman’s bag, and one eyebrow arched slightly, but he kept whatever he was thinking about it to himself. He faced Kerrie. “Thought I’d wait around until you returned, Detective.”
Roman frowned at him. “Why?”
Erikssen looked offended.
Kerrie sighed. “Don’t mind Agent Donnello. His protective instincts are on overload.”
“I’m just being cautious, Irish.”
“It’s okay, man.” E
rikssen nodded understanding. “I would be, too. But you can both relax. Whole house was electronically swept. You’re bug-free.”
He ran his hand through his thick white-blond hair, and added, “Thought you’d like to know no one else had been in here while you were gone. And that only one bug was found. The one in the foyer.”
“That’s a relief.” Kerrie stepped over her threshold. “Thanks, Erikssen.”
He pressed his lips together, reached the top step, then glanced back. “Oh, by the way, Detective Cage has been trying to locate you since noon. Left his office number.”
“I’ll call him right away.” She stepped into the house and as soon as Roman joined her, shut the door. “I’ve come up with a new code.”
Roman watched her set the alarm and committed the new numbers to memory.
Kerrie spun toward him. As usual he stood too close. He needed a shave, needed sleep. But it was the other more basic need. standing hot in his smoldering eyes that sent her heart skittering, her imagination careening out of control. She stepped past him and ran into his suitcase.
Great. She’d just locked herself in with Roman Donnello. The man and his need were here to stay. Heat stole into her cheeks. In truth, she was more worried about her own need, her need for him. “You can have Mom’s room. The sheets need changing.”
She led the way, stopping only long enough to gather clean linen from a closet and hand it to him. “I’ll find out what Cage wants while you settle in.”
“Sure.” He looked appealingly ill at ease, the pink floral sheets in one hand, his bag in the other. “I’d like to shower and shave.”
“Of course.” The last thing she wanted was to imagine Roman shaving in her bathroom, naked in her shower. The images filled her head anyway. Reminding herself that she had a call to make, she left him, placed fresh towels in the bathroom and rushed to the kitchen phone.
Moments later, Cage barked, “Hello.”
He sounded annoyed, anxious.
She braced herself for a different kind of mental onslaught. “It’s me, Tully. Has something come up?”
“Muldoon.” His voice lost none of its tension. “It’s about time. Yes, actually. We located Jeremy Dane.”