Code Word

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  Even though she slept, Jay could still see the little line of worry between her brows. The invisible shield she had so fiercely cloaked around her when they had first met was gone, destroyed in that moment last night when he had kissed her. He supposed he had been chipping away at it long before he had held her in his arms last night, and looking back, he was a little surprised to realize he had been driven to understand her almost from the first moment he had met her.

  He couldn’t say when she had gone from just another pretty face to someone he truly cared about, but he’d been serious when he’d told her last night that he planned to be around for her after this whole ordeal ended. He just hoped for her sake that it ended soon.

  Carina hadn’t been able to relax last night until Gianna called on her new cell phone to let her know she had arrived safely in Park City. After she had ended the call, she and Jay had stayed up late, sitting on the beach and talking.

  She had shared a lot of her memories of Lou, from her childhood as well as the last few years. The way she spoke of him, it was obvious that Lou was just as close as a family member and was likely the person she had visualized as her father figure for most of her life.

  Jay hated seeing her life so unsettled, and he had found himself praying once more that he and his friends could help her find a sense of comfort and safety soon. That prayer hadn’t been answered as immediately as he had hoped.

  Shortly after Carina had fallen asleep, Seth had called to tell him what had transpired at the Whitmores’ house. Jay had deliberately neglected to tell Carina about the shooting, not wanting to give her any more stress than necessary. Besides, Seth had been so concerned about getting Vanessa and Bianca safely away from the Whitmores’ that he had only given him the short version of what had happened.

  Now Jay was eager to get to their temporary safe house to find out what other information Seth might have uncovered.

  He had deliberately left before dawn, hoping to get past Jacksonville ahead of the inevitable weekend traffic. Jay had expected Carina to complain when he woke her shortly before four a.m., but she had simply dug her little make-up case out of her suitcase, disappeared into the public bathroom for five minutes, and returned to help him finish loading the car.

  They had successfully switched vehicles at the naval base in Orlando and had only hit one major slowdown outside of Savannah. The Dramamine Carina had taken before starting the long drive seemed to be working, although he suspected she was using sleep to escape any lingering symptoms.

  She shifted in her seat, her eyelids still half closed when she turned toward him. She offered him a timid smile and sat up straighter. “Where are we?”

  “Almost to the ferry.”

  “We’re almost there?” She looked out the window just as he made the final turn toward the ferry landing.

  Jay glanced down at the clock on the dashboard. “We’ve still got about an hour before the ferry leaves. Let’s check in, and then we can see if there’s someplace we can grab a bite to eat. You must be starving.”

  “Actually, I don’t think I want to eat much right before going out on the ferry,” Carina admitted.

  “Then we’ll go find someplace that has saltine crackers and ginger ale.”

  “That sounds like a great idea.” Carina chuckled. She looked out the window and then turned back toward Jay. “I was just thinking, what am I going to do about my car?”

  “I think my dad still has your car keys.”

  Carina nodded. “I haven’t seen my keys since this whole thing started.”

  “Any chance you would consider selling your car? Trading it in for something else?”

  Carina immediately shook her head, her expression adamant. “That car was my mother’s. I don’t want to drive anything else.”

  “Okay,” Jay conceded. “I can see if my dad can pick it up in a couple of days. With the jamming device I had him put in it, either he or CJ can probably keep it parked at their house until we figure out what to do.”

  Jay hesitated as he thought of Carina’s car and the obvious lack of maintenance before he had worked on it. “Remember how I told you that Lou said something about having you keep up the maintenance on your mom’s car?”

  She nodded. “I have no idea what he meant by that.”

  “Did Lou normally take care of the car’s maintenance? Or did he ever remind you about that before?”

  “He must have thought that I knew how to take care of the car.” Carina shook her head. “That was a pretty big assumption on his part. The only thing I know about cars is that they need gas to run.”

  “They need a little more than just gas.”

  “I guess I should have paid more attention to the maintenance log my mom kept in the glove box,” she admitted. “It was just one of those things I didn’t worry about since everything seemed to be working.”

  Jay’s eyes sharpened. “Did Lou know about the maintenance log?”

  “I don’t know,” Carina told him. “He never mentioned it.”

  Jay replayed the older man’s last words through his mind, wondering if there was more to the message than he had originally thought.

  “What?” Carina asked.

  “I’m not sure.” Jay pulled the car to a stop by the ferry landing. “But I think I’m going to have my dad take a closer look at your car.”

  * * *

  Carina gripped the dashboard to steady herself as Jay drove through the sand dunes near the beach. She could see why four-wheel drive was necessary to get to the beach house. There was no way a car would make it through what could only loosely be termed a dirt road. She had the window down, and the wind whipped through her hair, the scent of the water rushing over her.

  “Are you doing okay?” Jay asked, clearly keeping his speed down to keep their car from jostling her any more than necessary.

  “I’m fine,” Carina told him. “The ferry wasn’t nearly as bad I’d expected.”

  “Or your medicine worked better than you thought it would.”

  “That’s probably it,” she agreed with a smile. “How much farther?”

  “I think that’s it up there.” Jay pointed to the white clapboard house nestled on the beach of Pamlico Sound. The front of the house faced the water, and an old Jeep was parked near the entrance at the back. Jay slowed down, a look of indecision on his face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t recognize that vehicle.” He glanced down at his directions again, and his eyebrows drew together. “I want you to stay in the car until I check the place out.”

  “Okay.” Carina nodded. Then Seth stepped out onto the back porch and lifted a hand in greeting. “I guess it’s safe.”

  Jay nodded and parked in the gravel driveway.

  “I was hoping you were on the last ferry,” Seth said as soon as Jay and Carina got out of the car. “A storm’s supposed to be coming in, and there isn’t going to be another one to this island until tomorrow at the earliest.”

  “Glad we got up early, then.” Jay pointed at the Jeep in the driveway. “Whose car is that?”

  “The guy who owns this place. He keeps it garaged in town for when he comes here. We picked it up when we got the house keys from a friend of his. That’s where we left your car for now.” Seth’s jaw tightened, and he asked Jay, “Did you hear the news?”

  “What news?”

  “Double suicide bombing in Islamabad. Apparently the Taliban are retaliating against the bin Laden attack.”

  Jay looked grim, and Carina felt his tension level rise when he asked, “Are we going active?”

  “Not yet.” Seth shook his head. “We’re in the wait-and-see mode right now.”

  “Hopefully we’ll stay in that mode for a few more days.”

  “I don’t think we’re joining in on this one quite yet.” Seth motioned toward the house. “Come on in and check the place out.”

  Carina stepped through the door Seth held open for them. She was immediately drawn to the view of the w
ater. Windows lined the entire far wall of the living room. A couch and several chairs made up a cozy conversation area, and a wooden table and two matching chairs were tucked into the corner of the room, where someone could sit and watch the waves.

  “This is gorgeous,” Carina said, turning back to look at Jay. Then she heard footsteps on the stairs, and Bianca rushed into the room.

  “Carina!” Bianca rushed into her arms, clinging to her as though they hadn’t seen each other in months. “I’m so glad you’re here. I was so scared.”

  Carina’s hold tightened on her sister, her eyes meeting Jay’s over Bianca’s shoulder. Something had happened. She could see it on Jay’s face and feel it in the way her sister trembled. Though she wanted to demand an explanation, for now her sister had to be her primary concern. “It’s okay, Bianca. We’re together now. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  “I’m so sorry I gave you such a hard time.” Bianca released her now and stepped back to look at her with an earnest face. “I know you were only trying to keep me safe.”

  “It’s okay. I know what it’s like to be pulled away from friends,” Carina told her. “It’s not easy.”

  Vanessa stepped into the room from a doorway opposite the expansive kitchen. “Carina, I know you’ve been in a car most of the day. Why don’t you and Jay take a walk on the beach before the storm comes in? Seth can bring in your luggage while Bianca and I start dinner.”

  Realizing Vanessa was giving her the opportunity to talk to Jay alone, away from Bianca, she nodded. “That would be great, thanks.”

  Jay led the way to the front door, and she followed him out onto the porch and then down the half dozen steps onto the beach.

  They started down the stretch of sand that led away from the windows overlooking the sound, away from where anyone could glance out and see them. Carina waited until they had walked several yards before she turned and demanded, “What happened?”

  Jay stopped walking and shifted so he was facing her. He looked concerned, and his tone was apologetic. “There was an incident at the Whitmores’ house last night when they were getting ready to leave. I didn’t find out about it until after you had fallen asleep last night, and I haven’t had a chance to talk to Seth to get all of the details.”

  “But you know something,” Carina surmised. “Exactly what kind of incident are we talking about?”

  “All Seth told me was that someone broke in. Apparently, it didn’t end well.”

  Carina’s eyes widened. “Are you saying there was a shooting? While my sister was in the house?”

  Jay nodded. “Look, obviously Bianca is still shaken up about this, and I really think we should wait until she’s not around to talk about it.”

  Carina folded her arms across her chest. “She’s not around right now.”

  “I meant that we should wait until she goes to bed before we get the whole story from Seth,” Jay corrected.

  The idea of Bianca in the same house with someone trying to hurt her sent a ripple of terror through Carina. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this before? You could have told me about it this morning.”

  “You’re right. I could have, and I didn’t,” Jay said matter-of-factly. His voice was calm as he continued his explanation. “By the time we got on the road this morning, Seth and Vanessa were already on their way here. There wasn’t anything you could do except worry, and I wanted to spare you that. I knew that making such a long drive was going to be hard enough, and I didn’t want to add any more stress any sooner than I had to.”

  “I had a right to know,” Carina said evenly.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, though he looked anything but remorseful. “I was just trying to protect you.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to be protected.” She let out a frustrated sigh, a well of emotions bubbling up inside her. “All my life, someone has been protecting me. My mother, Lou, maybe even my father.”

  “And in turn, you try to protect your sisters.”

  “I’m the oldest. They’re my responsibility.”

  “You care about them.”

  “Of course,” Carina said with an exasperated sigh.

  Jay reached out and ran his hand down her arm before linking his fingers with hers. “And I care about you.”

  Carina stared at him, not sure what surprised her more, the words he had spoken or the way he had so neatly turned the argument around on her. Her voice no longer held any heat when she spoke again. “You should have told me.”

  Jay looked at her a moment, as though gauging her mood. “Come here.” He tugged her gently toward him and pulled her against the solid warmth of his chest.

  She leaned into him, settling her head beneath his chin. She held on for a long moment before asking the question still forefront in her mind. “Is this ever going to end?”

  “It is.” Jay pulled back so she could see the certainty in his eyes. “We’re going to get through this. Life may not go back to the way it was before, but we’ll find a way for you to be able to live your life again without interference. We’ll find a way to make you feel safe.”

  “You sound so convinced that I almost believe you.”

  “Believe me.”

  When Jay lowered his lips to hers, Carina let herself believe.

  31

  Nick held his phone in his hand, debating what to do next. He had failed to complete his assignment, and the man who had sent him here was now dead. He couldn’t contact Giovanni Perelli directly for fear that the authorities would connect him to the Perelli family, and the only liaison that had communicated between them was Frank Tesan.

  He flexed his free hand, hoping that his fingers would remain intact after he made the phone call he was currently dreading. He dialed the number, holding his breath until Marciano Perelli answered.

  “Marciano, it’s Nick Baldino,” he said tentatively. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I didn’t know who else to call.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m sorry. I tried everything I could think of, but I couldn’t convince Carina to come back to Chicago.”

  The voice on the phone turned sharp. “Who sent you after her?”

  “Your brother, Giovanni.”

  “But who actually gave you the order?” he demanded. “I know you didn’t talk to my brother directly.”

  “Frank Tesan gave me the message,” Nick told him, growing more confused by the second. Surely Marciano would have known that his brother had sent him. Or had he? “He told me to talk to Carina and convince her and her sisters to come back to Chicago. He said that someone might be after her, that she needed to come back to the family so we could keep her safe.”

  “Where is Frank now?”

  “He’s dead. He was shot and killed last night. So was Guido Manchione.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “Miami. This is where Carina has been living for the past few months.”

  “I know exactly where she’s been,” Marciano said shortly. “I want you to tell me everything that’s happened since Tesan sent you down there. And I mean everything.”

  Nick swallowed hard and nodded to his empty hotel room. Then he proceeded to tell Marciano everything.

  * * *

  Carina stood on the balcony and stared out at the water and the clouds threatening in the distance. The bedroom behind her was simply furnished with a queen-sized bed and an oak dresser. A long storage bench ran beneath the windows in the corner of the room, and Carina had found an abundance of quilts and blankets inside. French doors led to the balcony she was standing on now. Another door across the room led to the Jack-and-Jill bathroom that connected her room to Bianca’s.

  Downstairs she could hear chatter while the men cleaned up the kitchen. Carina had offered to help after dinner, but Jay had insisted that she take some time to settle in. He seemed to understand that she needed a few minutes to herself; Carina was amazed that he was so perceptive when it came to her needs.

  Her heart ached a little
when she thought about his admission that he wasn’t LDS. She hadn’t thought something like that would be that important to her, not with how casual she had been about religion lately. Finding out what had happened with Bianca, hearing her sister’s account of Seth’s inspiration in defending her, gave her a sense of gratitude and a realization that the Lord had been watching over Bianca when she herself hadn’t been able to.

  With that realization came new questions, this time not about her past but about her future. She wondered if it would have mattered had she known sooner that Jay wasn’t Mormon, if she would have somehow been able to stop herself from falling for him.

  She heard a door open and turned to see Vanessa walk out onto the balcony from the bedroom next to hers.

  “Hey, there,” Vanessa greeted her and then held out the gun that Carina recognized as her own. “I wanted to give this back to you. Jay said it’s yours.”

  Carina nodded. “Thanks.” She took the weapon from Vanessa and motioned to her room. “Let me just put this in my bag.”

  She went inside and secured her gun before joining Vanessa on the balcony once more.

  As soon as she returned Vanessa asked, “How are you holding up?”

  “Okay, I guess.” Carina rested a hand on the railing.

  Vanessa looked at her intuitively. “Is something wrong?”

  “I was just thinking,” Carina said, hearing the wistfulness in her tone. She shrugged her shoulders and shared her thoughts. “I was just wishing that Jay was Mormon.”

  “You’re LDS?” Vanessa asked, surprise sounding in her voice. “I didn’t realize that.”

  Carina nodded.

  “I gather you have feelings for Jay.”

  Again, she nodded.

  “It’s a challenge when you realize you’re in love with someone who can’t take you to the temple.”

  Shock came first, pure and simple. Shock at Vanessa’s words and shock that they might hold a thread of truth. “I never said I was in love with him. I hardly know him.”