by Karen Rose
She exhaled, squaring her shoulders. ‘Six thirty. My first appointment is at eight, but I have to drop Jimmy at day care first.’
Six thirty could work. Assuming he could hide from the door-to-door searches until then. ‘We’ll figure that out. What do you drive?’
She frowned. ‘A-a-a car?’
He fought for patience and lost. ‘What kind of car?’ he snarled, and she flinched. Good. I want her to be afraid of me.
‘A Civic.’
That wasn’t going to work. There was no place he could hide in a vehicle that small. Then something clicked. He pulled one of the aprons from the closet and pointed to the printed logo. ‘Zoom ’N Groom? You have a pet grooming van?’
She swallowed hard. ‘Yes.’
‘Is it here?’
‘In my driveway.’
‘I didn’t see a dog grooming van in your driveway last night.’ He’d passed by this house on his way to Dani Novak’s.
‘It’s just a white van. I have a magnetic sign. I take it off at night.’
‘Why?’
‘Homeowners association rules.’
‘Ah. No commercial vehicles in the driveways.’ He smiled at her and was gratified to see her flinch. ‘You’re a rule-breaker, Evelyn. I like that.’
She took a step back. ‘What do you want from me?’
‘Just a ride. And for you to get rid of the cops when they knock on your door. Tell them whatever you want, as long as you don’t mention me and you make them leave.’ He paused, giving her a long, hard look. ‘You will help me, because once you drive me out of here, I’ll leave you and your baby alone. Do you understand?’
She swallowed hard again, her gaze dropping to the baby in Cade’s arms. ‘Yes.’
‘Good. Now bring me whatever first aid supplies you have.’
Bridgetown, Ohio
Monday, 18 March, 3.45 A.M.
Diesel could feel his body vibrating with the need to get away from the police and get to Stone. His friend’s heart had stopped beating. Just . . . stopped. Diesel had been through a lot in his life, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever been so terrified as he was when he’d heard Dani say cardiac arrest and chest compressions. Stone would be at the hospital by now, and Diesel was a breath away from ditching the questioning cops and getting himself and Dani to the ER as fast as his truck could carry them.
The sight of the Chevy Tahoe coming up the drive had his gut relaxing a fraction. When Adam got out, Diesel didn’t think he’d ever been as glad to see a cop.
Adam strode over to them, noting Diesel’s arm around Dani with a raised brow. ‘I’m glad at least one thing went right tonight.’
Diesel pulled her closer, letting the chocolate scent of her hair fill his head. Yes. That had gone more than right. He needed to hold on to that. ‘How is Stone?’
‘In surgery,’ Adam said quickly, then hesitated. ‘The boys are fine.’
Dani stiffened. ‘What happened?’
Adam tried to smile, but it looked forced. ‘There was a commotion at your house. Your front lawn will need to be re-sodded,’ he said lightly, then sighed when neither Dani nor Diesel relaxed an iota. ‘King attacked the house. Tried to set it on fire with a Molotov cocktail, and it could have been bad. He threw a rock first so that his bottle would land farther into the living room. It was filled with a tar mixture, so it would have stuck to the carpet and walls and everything else it touched.’
‘But that didn’t work,’ Dani said flatly. She looked up at Diesel. ‘Impact-resistant windows, all through the house.’
‘Smart,’ Diesel said. ‘So the Molotov just bounced off the window?’
Adam shook his head. ‘No, the rock bounced off the window. King threw the Molotov at Kate when she confronted him. She’s a damn good leaper, luckily. Her hands have some burns, but she’s mostly unhurt. Decker was up next, and King threw a grenade at him.’
Dani gasped, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. ‘God.’
Diesel frowned. ‘Did you say a grenade? An honest-to-God hand grenade?’
‘I know, right?’ Adam shook his head again. ‘But yes, that’s exactly what I said. Decker saw it and his army training kicked in. He threw himself under Deacon’s Suburban, but got a piece of metal in his thigh – from King’s own vehicle, which King blew up instead of Decker. Satisfyingly enough, Kate shot King in almost the same place that Decker got hit. Deacon got him, too. So King’s wounded.’
‘And in custody?’ Dani asked darkly, and Adam scowled his frustration.
‘No. Fucker came armed to the teeth with handguns and a converted AR-15.’
‘Converted to full auto?’ Diesel asked.
‘Yep. Sprayed bullets at anyone who approached him. Then tossed a second grenade that blew a crater in one of your neighbors’ backyards. When the dust cleared, he was gone. He had to have ducked into one of the houses nearby. We have the neighborhood surrounded and roadblocks at every exit. We’re doing door-to-door searches now.’
‘The boys must be so afraid,’ Dani murmured.
‘Deacon says that Joshua thought the grenades were fireworks,’ Adam said. ‘Michael knows the score but he’s holding it together. He keeps asking for you two, though.’
‘We have to go to them,’ Diesel said quietly.
Dani’s gaze shot up to his. ‘You wanted to go to Stone.’
‘Stone’s got a lot of people at the hospital right now,’ Diesel said. ‘And as much as I want to be one of them, those kids need us.’
Adam frowned. ‘Faith and Deacon won’t leave them. You know that, right?’
‘I know.’ Diesel knew that Deacon and Faith would have protected those kids with their lives. ‘But Faith is Stone’s family. She needs to be at the hospital, for Jeremy if nobody else. If it was you in the hospital, Adam, Dani would want the same.’ He knew that Faith was as close to her cousins, Stone and Marcus, as Dani and Deacon were to their cousin Adam. Cousins were more like siblings in their circle of friends. ‘Those boys are legally Dani’s responsibility. They’re morally my responsibility. And Dani is just mine, so I go where she goes.’
‘The big ones always fall the hardest, y’know?’ But Adam grinned, clearly happy with the change.
Dani ignored him, her focus on Diesel as a smile curved her lips. ‘Thank you.’
Diesel felt his own mouth curve of its own volition. ‘Any time.’
Adam cleared his throat, reclaiming their attention. ‘Pack a bag, Diesel. I’m your chauffeur tonight.’
‘Where are we going?’ Dani asked.
‘Where we always go,’ Adam told her with a grin. ‘You’re movin’ on up, Dani.’
That told Diesel exactly where they were going – a condo belonging to one of Adam’s friends. The guy was always out of the country, so he let Adam use the place whenever he needed it. It was the penthouse floor of an exclusive tower in Mount Adams. The condo was luxurious, the view of the river phenomenal.
‘I’ll need my laptop,’ Diesel said cautiously.
Adam nodded once. ‘The network’s secure. And private.’
Translation: do what you need to do. Diesel felt pride knowing he’d earned the detective’s trust.
‘I’ll be right back.’ He released his hold on Dani, placing his trust in Adam to keep her safe until he returned.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Monday, 18 March, 4.15 A.M.
It wasn’t a great plan, Cade conceded, but he was running out of time. He’d cut two boxes that had once held toilet paper, taping them together to form one large hollow box that still looked like two boxes sitting next to each other. On top of the hollow box, he’d stacked others holding what the labels claimed.
‘It’ll be snug, but I think Junior and I will fit.’ It was unlikely that the police would come into the house, but he wanted to be prepared in case they did. If the cops
searched the garage, all they’d find would be a tiny Honda Civic and a bunch of boxes. Luckily, Evelyn bought everything in bulk.
‘What if Jimmy cries?’ Evelyn asked, her voice shaking.
Cade gave her his best extra-cruel smile, the one he practiced on his father when the nursing home staff wasn’t looking. ‘Let’s hope he doesn’t.’
Evelyn closed her eyes, swaying on her feet. Cade hoped the kid would stay quiet. For the most part, he simply watched Cade with wide, interested eyes. As long as he had a bottle or pacifier, he was golden, and his mama was very attentive. In fact, she hadn’t let the baby out of her sight, except for the time she’d run to get his bottle warmed up.
Must be nice to have someone bring you bottles. A bottle of booze would make an amazing pacifier, because Cade’s leg hurt. Not like he would die, but it was sore as hell. He hoped the FBI agent who’d taken the grenade was hurting a lot worse.
And of course, Detective Stone wasn’t complaining anymore. He’d be long dead by now.
Cade stilled. Unless he wasn’t. ‘Fuck,’ he muttered aloud.
‘What?’ Evelyn asked.
‘Nothing,’ Cade grunted. But it wasn’t nothing. It was a big something. Deacon Novak and those two Feds had evacuated the house. That was why everyone had left. And that was why they’d been so quiet, not speaking to one another.
They’d known he was out there, watching them.
And then there were the dogs. Dammit. Those fucking dogs. He hadn’t thought about it at the time, but not one of them had brought a dog out when they left Dani’s house. All seven of those fucking dogs were still in the damn house.
They hadn’t seen him inside his SUV and he’d switched the plates so that the vehicle itself was untraceable. The only way they could have known he was there was if Stella Brewer had told them – and she hadn’t because she really was dead – or if Detective Stone had.
The man had known all along that Cade had been following him to the house in Bridgetown, because he’d doubled back to confront him. He must have realized that Cade was looking for Michael and told the others. That was only possible if the detective had somehow survived and called them. How had he done either? Cade had shot him twice and taken his phone.
Right now, he didn’t care how they’d found out. He only cared that they’d tricked him.
Motherfuckers.
He realized his fists were clenched when Junior started to fret. He drew a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. To breathe and to think.
It didn’t matter what the Feds had known. It only mattered that he get away.
The doorbell rang, its sound muted here in the garage. It was showtime. Cade turned to Evelyn. ‘You’re going to go to the door and tell the cops what?’
She licked her lips, terror flickering in her eyes. ‘That nobody’s here. That I need to get to work. To please let me pass through the roadblock.’
‘And if they ask where Junior is?’
‘I’ll say that he’s with my mother.’
‘And where will I be?’
‘In the box.’
‘Now tell me what will happen if you say a word that makes the cops suspicious.’
‘My . . . baby . . .’ She faltered.
‘Say it.’
She closed her eyes. ‘Dies.’
‘Very good, Evelyn. Now go.’
He waved her toward the door to the house and climbed behind the hollow box, taking care not to topple the stack he’d so artfully arranged. Grimacing, he lowered himself to the floor and slid into the hollow box from its open back. For his part, Junior remained quiet, and Cade held his breath that the baby would continue to cooperate.
He didn’t like this. He didn’t like having no way out. But it could work. He really hoped it did work. He really hoped Evelyn was a good actress, because he really didn’t want to kill the baby.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Monday, 18 March, 6.20 A.M.
Dani paced the length of the safe house’s living room, with its tall windows that would provide the most amazing views of the river when the sun came up. Which was going to be soon. She’d visited this luxurious penthouse condo several times in the past when she’d cared for her friends who’d hidden here. With one entrance and a dedicated elevator that now had a twenty-four-hour Cincinnati PD guard, its security was top notch. As amenities went, it offered everything anyone could want.
If one had to hide, it didn’t hurt to have to do it here.
But the boys weren’t here yet and she became more worried with every minute that ticked by.
‘Dani, honey, relax,’ Diesel rumbled from behind her.
His big hands lifted to rest on her shoulders and it felt like the only thing keeping her contained within her own skin. ‘I can’t. What’s taking Deacon so long getting them here?’
‘He’s being careful. They have standard operating procedures for transporting witnesses so that they’re not followed. You told me this yourself.’
‘That was before he was more than two hours late without calling us.’
He leaned in to kiss the side of her neck. ‘You were so calm when you were saving Stone’s life. What’s all this about?’
She turned into his arms, exhaling when they wrapped around her, holding her tight. ‘I think it’s all finally hitting me. Scott King tried to burn down my house. Stone’s in ICU, Decker needed thirty-two stitches for shrapnel wounds because King blew up his own SUV . . . And the boys are out there somewhere and I don’t know where.’
He stroked her hair. ‘You want me to say something to make you feel better or just listen to you decompress?’
The chuckle that bubbled from her throat shouldn’t have surprised her. This man was adept at making her laugh when everything looked bleak. ‘You did just make me feel better, so thank you.’
‘Anytime. It may make you feel even more better to know that Stone’s awake. Marcus texted me. Delores is with him and he’s being cranky with the nurses.’
‘Good. Not that he’s tormenting the nurses, of course. He really ought not to do that. Nurses can make his life either comfortable or really uncomfortable.’
‘Apparently Delores keeps trying to tell him that.’ Diesel swayed back and forth, rocking her where they stood. ‘And Decker says to tell you that his ass cheek hurts because that’s where he took the biggest piece of shrapnel, but he’s had “a lot worse”. His words, not mine.’ His fingers began moving, massaging the tight muscles of her back. ‘I’d tell you to go to sleep, but you wouldn’t listen.’
‘Not until they get here.’
‘They’re here,’ Adam said from his post by the front door. ‘They just pulled into the parking garage. They’ll be up in less than a minute.’
It was still a long, long minute before the door opened and Joshua bounded in, still wearing his Spider-Man PJs, his new stuffed dog under one arm. He made a beeline for Dani, throwing his arms around her and holding on tight.
‘We did an adventure,’ he told her solemnly when he finally let go. ‘We went in a van with no windows after another van pretended to drive away with us.’
‘A decoy,’ Diesel said.
Joshua nodded. ‘That’s what Mr Deacon called it. Then another van left after us, so it was like a trick. The third van had the dogs. They went to Delores’s house because she has places for them to sleep. Then we changed vans. The first one was white and the second one was . . . white.’ His forehead crinkled. ‘So was the third one.’ His sunny smile returned. ‘And Miss Faith gave us cookies.’
‘So many cookies,’ Deacon groaned, signing the conversation for Michael, who walked sedately at his side. Hawkeye trailed behind them, never more than a snout’s length from Michael. ‘I kept telling Faith that the sugar would keep him up all night, but she said that would be your problem, Dani.’
Dani’s eyes met Micha
el’s and she saw true exhaustion. And fear. And maybe some guilt. Faith had texted her that Michael blamed himself for Stone and Decker’s injuries. They’d have to work on the guilt later. The fear she understood, because she felt it, too. The exhaustion, however, she could fix right now.
‘You look tired, Michael,’ she signed. ‘I fixed a room for you. I’ll show you where it is. Even though I know you’ll sleep on the floor in Joshua’s room.’
Michael just nodded.
Diesel picked Joshua up and swung him around, making the little boy laugh. ‘I think you need to brush those cookies off your teeth, then off to sleep for you, too.’
‘Do I get a story?’
Diesel looked at Deacon. ‘Did we bring any books?’
‘I did.’ Michael dug in his backpack and pulled out five children’s books.
Joshua leaned over, still in Diesel’s arms, to look at them. ‘This one!’
Diesel laughed when he saw the title. ‘No, David! I like this book.’
Dani stared at him. ‘You’ve read No, David!?’
‘Of course.’ Diesel righted Joshua on his hip. ‘Sometimes when the weather is bad or if a parent is late picking up a kid, we read. Right, Joshua?’
Joshua grinned. ‘Right, Coach.’
Dani guessed that Diesel would be tucking Joshua in tonight, and that sent a nice shiver down her spine. Like a family. She patted the little boy’s back as he and Diesel passed by. ‘Good night, sweetheart.’
‘Good night,’ Joshua said. ‘Even though it’s almost morning.’
Dani motioned Michael into the room that would be his and showed him the adjoining bathroom. ‘You and Joshua will share this bathroom. Both bedrooms have doors that lead into it. There are no strobe lights for the smoke detector, but I’ll ask Coach Diesel if he can install them tomorrow. He’s good with stuff like that.’
Michael nodded numbly and let his backpack slide off his shoulder and onto the bed. ‘I’m tired.’ He spared a weary stroke for Hawkeye, who was practically sitting on Michael’s feet, leaning his body into the teenager’s leg.