Sal took his time paying the check. He wanted to let the men get in position. If they felt they had the advantage, they were likely to be overconfident. With Olivia at his side and slightly behind him, they exited the restaurant.
He could have called 911, told the police what was happening, but what did he have to go on besides a couple of men in a restaurant looking at him and Olivia? Plus, he wanted to question the men. If they had anything to do with Chantry’s kidnapping, Sal needed to know.
He thought of telling Olivia to hang back, but he knew better. She wasn’t one to run.
Her grip on his arm tightened as they left the brightly lit building and the dark Georgia night closed in around them.
“It’ll be okay,” he said.
Before he’d gotten out the last word, the bigger of the two men, the one Sal had pegged as the leader, stepped in front of him. “We got a message for you. You and your lady are making certain people nervous. Real nervous. In fact, they’re so nervous that they want us to teach you a lesson.”
“Care to enlighten us as to who those people are?” Sal asked, angling himself between Olivia and the men.
“It don’t matter,” the second man said.
To Sal’s chagrin, Olivia stepped out from behind him. “The lady,” she said with emphasis, “can take care of herself.”
The second man grabbed her arms, held them behind her back. “You sure about that?”
Sal ground his teeth together. Anger that the man had put his hands on Olivia ran hot. No man, no real man, hurt a woman. He started toward the thug, intending on giving him a lesson in manners, when Olivia slammed her heel on the man’s instep.
The move, though simple, was effective, and Sal silently applauded. At the same time, he wished she’d done as he’d ordered. They’d talk about that. Later. First, he had to take care of the other thug.
Howling, the man who’d held Olivia released her. At that moment, the larger man advanced on Sal, raising a meaty fist. He was big but was starting to go to fat.
Sal didn’t retreat but instead moved in. Taken off guard, his assailant made a misstep. Sal let the man’s momentum carry him to the asphalt where he landed with a thud. Using the enemy’s energy against himself was the oldest trick in the book.
The man didn’t stay down, though. He pushed himself up, came at Sal with both fists raised, and got in a punch, splitting Sal’s lip.
Sal returned the volley with a shot of his own, hitting the man in the jaw. The big guy rubbed at his jaw. First surprise, then anger registered on his face. “The boss said not to kill you, but he didn’t say we couldn’t make you hurt.”
“Oh? How’re you going to do that?” Sal had been watching the man and noticed that he telegraphed his moves by wetting his lips. Sal slid a leg out, caught the man off guard. He fell to the ground a second time.
“This ain’t over,” the smaller man said, hobbling on his good foot and shooting angry darts at Olivia.
“Tell your boss to send some real men next time,” she said.
The larger man glared at her. “Sister, you better hope there ain’t a next time. ’Cuz you won’t like it.”
Sal had had enough. He slammed his fist into his opponent’s gut, followed up with a slice with the back of his hand to the man’s neck.
The smaller of the pair charged at Sal. Sal easily deflected the head butt. He wanted to finish the fight then and there, but he needed to get Olivia away from here even more. She was going to crash and burn after the initial surge of adrenaline wore off.
Eyes shining, Olivia pumped a fist in the air. “Guess we showed them.” The exhilaration in her voice was in stark contrast to her earlier fear.
Sal wanted to share in her triumph, but he had a bad feeling. Whoever sent the muscle after him and Olivia obviously had money and connections. It made sense that this was connected with Chantry’s kidnapping, but what if it was something else altogether?
He had been turning over rocks in the last couple of days. It looked like a snake had been hiding beneath one of them.
* * *
“Did the men look familiar?” Sal asked once they’d gotten back to Olivia’s place. “Could they be the ones who attacked you?”
She knew he was trying to make connections between the attacks but reluctantly shook her head as she tended his split lip. “No. The men in the office wore masks, but their builds were different. So were their voices.”
She studied her handiwork, decided it would do. “For having sent those idiots on their way with their tails between their legs, you don’t look very happy.”
Sal rubbed the back of his neck. “The guy you almost crippled—good move by the way—was right. Whoever sent them is probably going to send more men after us. And they won’t be so easy to take down.”
“Why do you think they were after us? Because of Calvin?”
“Could be. Or it could be something else entirely. We’ve been stirring things up at your office.”
Her response was emphatic. “Nobody there has reason to hurt me.”
“Sure about that?”
“Of course...” Her voice dwindled away. Bryan had been making noises that her pro bono work was cutting into the firm’s profits, but that wasn’t reason enough to send a couple of thugs after her. Was it?
“What?” Sal persisted.
“Bryan. I can’t imagine he’d be involved in something like this, but he’s never really been a fan of mine.” She made a face. “In fact, he’d like nothing better than if I quit the firm. He’s never said it out loud, but it’s there.” She explained about the pro bono clients. “Daddy and Calvin set up the firm so that even associates get a share of the profits. More than once, Bryan’s accused me of taking money out of his pocket so I can play do-gooder.”
Sal muttered something uncomplimentary about the lawyer under his breath. “We need to take a second look at him.”
“Bryan wouldn’t have any reason to kidnap Calvin.”
“Money’s always a motive. You said yourself that there was lots of money involved with the lawsuit. You never know what someone is willing to do until push comes to shove.”
She thought about it. Sal was right. She’d never imagined herself in a fight outside a bar. For the last two years, she’d been taking lessons in martial arts. They’d finally paid off.
He must have read her thoughts. “You handled yourself like a pro back there. Kept your cool and didn’t let them intimidate you. Where’d you learn that move?”
“Do you remember when those men tried to rob us two years ago? You took care of it, and I stood around like a helpless female. I decided that I wasn’t going to be helpless again and started taking lessons at a dojo. So, you get some of the credit.”
Sal grinned. “I don’t remember using my high heel.”
She laughed. “Maybe not. That was my idea. The instructor said to use what’s available. I figured my high heel was as good a weapon as any.” She couldn’t help it. She gave another fist pump. “It’s my first bar fight. Or almost bar fight.”
“I’d have never known,” he said straight-faced and gave her a hug. She leaned into it. Into him.
“It felt good. That guy will be limping for days.” There, with Sal’s arms around her, she remembered how good it felt to be held by him. She lifted her head, let her gaze meet his.
He lowered his head and touched his lips to hers in a kiss so sweet that it brought tears to her eyes.
When he ended the kiss, she knew an acute sense of loss. “I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened.”
He kissed her and then apologized? Any tenderness she might have felt evaporated.
“Those guys were hired muscle,” Sal said, as if he’d forgotten the kiss already. “Where there’s two, there’re likely more. I don’t know if they’re connecte
d to taking your boss, but you have to know that kidnappings rarely have a happy ending.”
Her annoyance of a few minutes ago died as she absorbed Sal’s words. “You’re trying to prepare me for the worst. I get it. But we don’t have any evidence to suggest that Calvin isn’t still alive. I’m going with that. I have to.” If she didn’t have hope to cling to, she didn’t think she could keep going.
She pulled away from him, reminding herself that falling for Sal again would jeopardize not only her heart but her sanity as well.
She wanted to tell him how she felt. At the same time, she shied away from putting her feelings into words. How would he react? Would he run in the opposite direction? Or would he understand that her feelings were all too real?
* * *
Sal breathed in deeply. Again. The deliberate motion helped to slow the adrenaline that continued to course through him.
Bit by bit, his body relaxed from its battle-ready tension. The tension was an invisible suit of armor soldiers donned when facing danger. The act was so ingrained as to go almost unnoticed, but the loosening of the muscles and the hyperawareness were unmistakable.
The body couldn’t sustain an adrenaline rush for extended periods of time. Too much energy, both physical and emotional, was needed to keep it up. Soldiers, especially those in special ops, learned to make the transition.
At the same time, he was struggling with his reaction to Olivia’s nearness and her response to his kiss. Kissing her had been incredibly stupid, no doubt about it, but he’d been unable to help himself.
There was no future for them. Not future at all. He hadn’t been honest with her, and without honesty, love withered and died.
“You must think I’m pretty foolish, acting like I’m some kind of kickboxing champion just because I got in one good hit,” Olivia said.
“No. You did good.” He let her take that in before continuing. “But next time, if there is a next time, you move when I say move.” He saw that she was going to object to that and hurried on. “Now we have to decide what to do next.”
“Finding out who hired Tweedledee and Tweedledum?”
“Yeah. I managed to grab a button from the big guy’s shirt. S&J has contacts in the PD. We’ll get an ID on his prints and go from there.”
“Not bad, Santonni.”
“We aim to please, ma’am.”
His smile was indulgent. Olivia was riding high right now. She’d fall soon enough. He’d be there to catch her when she did.
It happened sooner than he’d thought. One minute she was talking, the next she’d grown silent. And why hadn’t he noticed how pale she’d turned, how dark her eyes had grown? He’d been looking for the signs of adrenaline-fueled exhaustion, but he’d missed the most obvious ones.
“Come on,” he said. “You’re falling down tired.”
“I guess I am. I wasn’t...and now I am.” The surprise in her voice made him want to smile. As tough as Olivia thought herself to be, she was an innocent in the dark world of kidnappings and brawls. When would she figure that out?
In the meantime, it was his job to take care of her when she refused to take care of herself.
“I’ll overnight the button to Shelley.”
“How soon do you think you’ll hear back?”
“Maybe the day after tomorrow.”
Her sigh of disappointment matched his own. They needed answers now.
NINE
The next morning, Sal made a quick call to Shelley. After making sure she’d received the button he’d sent, he got down to business. “What have you found in Hewston’s background?”
“Not much. Yet. You think he’s behind the kidnapping?”
“I don’t know. But something about him is off.” Sal proceeded to tell her about last night’s ambush.
“Are you and Olivia okay?”
“We’re good.” A smile slid over his lips as he thought of Olivia’s pride in scoring a hit on her opponent.
“One more thing,” Shelley said. “And knowing you, you’ve already thought of it. It’s what, day three or more since Olivia’s boss was taken?”
Sal knew where she was going with this. “We’re running out of time to get Chantry back alive.”
Shelley didn’t say anything more. She didn’t have to.
A small groan sounded over the phone.
“What’s wrong?” Sal asked in quick concern. Not only was Shelley his boss, she was the little sister of his best friend.
“Nothing that having this baby won’t fix. I think he’s playing soccer—” another groan “—for both teams. Caleb,” she said, referring to her husband, “is in worse shape than I am. You’d think a big bad Delta could handle one little pregnancy, wouldn’t you?”
“Cut him some slack,” Sal advised, chuckling over Caleb Judd, a much-decorated Delta, struggling with his wife’s pregnancy. “Delta training didn’t cover pregnancy.”
Shelley’s answering laugh told him that she was enjoying her husband’s discomfort. “I’ll get back to you on Hewston as soon as I can.”
“Thanks. And take care, little mama.” There was real affection in the words.
“You, too.” She paused. “How’s Olivia?”
Now it was Sal’s turn to pause. “Okay.”
“That’s all? Just okay?” The words held expectancy.
She was more than okay. But Sal couldn’t tell his boss that. He couldn’t tell anyone how he felt about Olivia when he didn’t know himself.
An hour later, Shelley called back. “I struck gold on Bryan Hewston. He’s in debt to online gaming sites to the tune of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. He’s been embezzling from Chantry & Hammond for three years. I called some CIs in Savannah. Turns out Hewston’s in hock all over town and has some mean types breathing down his neck.”
Sal nodded. Shelley had a network of confidential informants throughout the South.
It wasn’t much of a stretch, Shelley continued, to discover that he had connections to a few ex-military types who would do anything for money. At that, Sal’s lips narrowed. He and his buddies had served America with honor and pride, some of them making the ultimate sacrifice with their lives.
Fury filled him at the idea of anyone using their training for ignoble purposes. It tarnished the name and reputation of every good man and woman who had served, past and present.
With an effort, he pushed his anger aside and did what he did best: confront the enemy. That this enemy wore three-piece suits and spent his days in an office rather than the mountains of Afghanistan didn’t change the hunt.
Sal was an apex predator. He waited for Hewston outside the law firm. When his quarry emerged, Sal followed him to a nearby watering hole that catered to young professionals. Sal slid beside Hewston in a booth, effectively trapping the lawyer.
“You sent those thugs after us. Why?” Sal knew the answer; he just wanted to see what the man would say.
Would he flat-out deny the charge? Or would he come clean and confess? Sal didn’t have much confidence in the latter. Everything he’d learned about Hewston said the man was weak, took the easy way out whenever possible and blamed others for his poor choices.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the lawyer blustered, confirming Sal’s prediction. Sal sighed. Sometimes he hated being right.
“And I don’t appreciate the accusation,” Hewston said, a sneer in his voice and his mouth curling in a scowl. “Did Olivia put you up to this? She’s always had it in for me.” Righteous indignation coated every syllable, but fear shadowed his eyes. He squirmed in the booth, eyes darting in all directions as he sought a way out.
“Knock it off. I know you were the one who hired them, so you might as well spill it.”
Before Hewston could register another protest
, Sal cut him off. “Don’t bother lying. I’ve got the goods on you and have already shared everything with the Savannah PD.”
The arrogance in the man’s eyes slowly faded away as he finally absorbed that he wasn’t going to bluff his way out of this, and, like a balloon losing its air, Hewston deflated. “I knew you were looking at me. It was only a matter of time until you’d find out what I was doing.”
“Embezzling from the firm’s clients.”
“Yeah.” The sizzle had fled, and his expression was that of a spoiled kid who’d just had all his toys stolen by someone bigger. “I couldn’t let it go that far. I’d lose my license, maybe even go to jail. I was just trying to buy some time.” There was no remorse in his voice, only resentment.
“So you thought you’d scare us off.” Sal didn’t bother pointing out that the man’s debts weren’t going to go away with a little time.
A jerky nod was the only answer.
“They could have killed Olivia,” Sal said, anger vibrating in every syllable. “Was covering up your habit worth that?”
“I told them not to kill her. Just rough her up a bit. I only wanted to make the two of you stop looking into my business.” Hewston offered the explanation as though that excused what he’d done.
“That’s how you solve your mess? By roughing up an innocent woman?” Sal had to stop himself from yanking the man out of the booth to show him just what he could do in the roughing-up department. He fisted his hands on the table, giving Hewston a hint of what he wanted to do.
The lawyer shrank back in his seat, all bravado gone.
“You’re going away, buddy. If I have my way, it’ll be for a long, long time.”
Sal had no sympathy for people who cheated their way through life. According to him, it was laziness that motivated them, laziness and greed. “We’ve already established that you’re a cheat and a liar. Are you also a kidnapper?”
“Are you crazy?”
“Like you don’t know. Calvin Chantry’s been abducted, and you’re suspect Number One.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hewston shot Sal a look of pure hatred. “I had a good thing going. I wasn’t hurting anyone. Those people I embezzled from have so much money that they didn’t even know there was any missing. Then you and that Goody Two-shoes Hammond had to go snooping around. I wish those guys really had hurt her.”
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