Enzo reached the dock and yelled for the boat to stop. He ran all the way to the end of the pier, but the boat moved out of reach, leaving him behind. His chest heaving, Enzo turned around, only to find a police officer pointing a gun at his chest. He quickly raised his arms in surrender.
The yacht continued out onto the river, taking Ramos with it.
Worry tightened my chest. Could Ramos stop Zio without getting killed? The crack of gunshots carried over the water from the boat, and my breath caught. As the boat continued away from the dock, my eyes filled with tears. Had Zio shot Ramos? No. Ramos couldn’t be dead.
Uncle Joey put his arm around me. “He’s fine. You’ll see. He’ll come back.” I leaned against him and slid my arm around his waist, praying that he was right, even as the lights from the boat disappeared from view.
CHAPTER 16
“Are you guys okay?” Hawk asked, joining us.
“Have you heard anything from Ramos?” Uncle Joey asked, thinking about the camera Ramos had been wearing.
Hawk shook his head. “The feed stopped after he boarded the boat. I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve alerted the NYPD boat patrol. They’ll begin a search for the yacht.”
“Good,” Uncle Joey said. “Let me know the minute you hear anything.”
“Of course.”
“What about Milo?” Uncle Joey asked. “Is he still alive?”
“Yes. They’re working on him now.” We turned back to the parking lot, which was lit up like a Christmas tree with all the flashing lights. It surprised me to see the paramedics and an ambulance already there.
“You shot him in the neck,” I told Uncle Joey, picking it up from the paramedics. “But it missed his jugular, so he’ll probably survive.”
Hawk’s mouth dropped open. How did I know that? I picked up Uncle Joey’s satisfaction that he’d shot Milo. Now he was suffering, and he hoped he suffered for a long time.
I glanced back toward the river, and my heart jumped into my throat. “Look. It’s the boat. It’s coming back.”
The yacht approached the dock, and everyone turned to watch. As soon as the boat got closer, the engine cut, and it continued to float into its place on the dock. I held my breath. Where was Ramos? I caught sight of wavy, dark hair, then Ramos appeared on the deck, looking healthy and unscathed. My heart burst with gratitude, and I sagged with relief against Uncle Joey.
Hawk called to several officers to help secure the boat. While they went to work, Hawk jumped aboard and joined Ramos on the deck. After speaking, they disappeared into the ship. Several minutes later, Hawk and Ramos came into view, and Hawk spoke into his radio.
With no sign of Zio, I hoped that meant he was dead. I knew that probably made me a bad person, but, after everything he’d done to me, I didn’t care.
A few minutes later, Ramos climbed down from the boat. He caught sight of us and hurried over, leaving Hawk behind. I couldn’t hold it in and threw my arms around him. “You’re not dead.” I sniffled. “I thought… I mean… after the boat kept going… and the shots… I didn’t know…”
“It’s okay, Shelby. I’m fine.” He held me close, enjoying the feel of me in his arms. He closed his eyes, grateful to know someone cared so much about him. He’d been worried about me too. This whole thing had almost gone sideways, and he’d never felt so helpless.
Tears clouded my vision, and I hugged him a moment longer, grateful we were both alive. Pulling away, I glanced up at him. “What happened out there?”
“Yes,” Uncle Joey said, stepping beside us. “Did you kill him?”
Ramos lowered his voice. “Yes.” He glanced at me, thinking that he couldn’t let scum like him live after the way he’d treated me. “But don’t worry. Hawk agreed that it was self-defense.” He was thinking that part wasn’t quite true, although he had waited for the assassin to go for his gun. Since he’d conveniently lost the camera, it had all worked out.
“Oh… oh… okay… that’s good,” I said. Ramos raised a brow, knowing I’d heard that last part. Did it bother me? “Uh… no.” I shook my head. “In fact, I’m glad he’s dead.”
Uncle Joey snorted, thinking I’d finally come around, then he bit back a groan of pain. I slipped my arm around his waist. “We need to get you to the hospital.” I glanced at Ramos. “He got shot.”
Ramos looked Uncle Joey over, finally seeing the red stain and torn fabric on his sleeve. “Did Milo do that?”
Uncle Joey scowled and nodded. “Stupid bastard. But I got him.” He glanced toward the ambulance, and we watched them load Milo inside. Another officer led Enzo to his car and pushed him into the back seat. With Zio dead, that basically took care of them all.
Still, Uncle Joey was embarrassed that Milo had shot him. How did he manage that anyway? It had to be a lucky break.
“You know what they call Milo don’t you?” I asked him.
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“His nickname. Remember? It’s Crack Shot.”
“Oh, right.” He’d forgotten that little detail.
“Well… don’t feel too bad he nicked you. That just means he’s lost his touch, right?”
“Oh… you mean because I should be dead?”
“Yeah. Although… if you hadn’t been wearing that bullet-proof vest, it might have turned out differently.” I knew that was why he’d stood in front of Milo’s car. Even so, it had scared me to death.
Uncle Joey shook his head, but his lips tilted in a small smile. He thought both Milo and Enzo should be out of the way for a long time, even though he’d wanted them dead. But, it had still worked out, and he’d have to be satisfied with them spending the rest of their lives in jail. Satisfaction, along with a healthy dose of retribution rolled off Uncle Joey. He’d done it, and now they would pay.
As the ambulance drove away, Hawk joined us, still in shock that we’d pulled it off. His gaze caught mine, and his brows rose. “How are you doing? Are you okay? You had us worried.”
It still surprised me to see him with Uncle Joey and Ramos, all working on the same side. “Okay… what’s going on here? When did you guys join forces?”
Hawk raised his brows, surprised that I didn’t already know. What happened to my premonitions? “Uh… that’s kind of a long story—”
“That’s true, and I hate to interrupt,” Uncle Joey said. “But I need to sit down.”
“Oh, yeah.” I glanced at Hawk. “He got shot. I think we need to get him to the hospital.”
“It’s not that bad,” Uncle Joey said, but this time his voice wasn’t quite as strong.
“I might need my arm looked at, too,” I added, gingerly lifting my arm so they could see the bloody bandage. “My stitches might have come out again.”
“The paramedics are still here,” Hawk said. “Why don’t we have them take a look at both of you? Then you can decide what to do.”
Uncle Joey brightened at that. He hated hospitals, and this was lots easier. “Okay, that works.”
I kept my arm around Uncle Joey and walked the short distance to the paramedics. They helped Uncle Joey take off his jacket, then his shirt, revealing the bullet-proof vest with an actual bullet in it. I knew he’d be bruised and in pain for a while. But at least he wasn’t dead.
As they got to work on his arm, I sat on the back of the truck while another paramedic removed my bandage. He found my arm swollen and bruised, but luckily, the stitches had held. With gentleness, he applied an antibiotic cream and wrapped it up, telling me to ice it and make sure to go easy for a few weeks.
I agreed and glanced toward Ramos who stood speaking with Hawk. He took off the wire he wore, along with the bullet-proof vest, handing everything off to one of the detectives. They spoke a little longer, and I picked up that the other detective wasn’t sure what to make of Ramos. He didn’t believe that Ramos had “lost” the camera after jumping onto the boat. He must have purposely removed it so they wouldn’t know what really happened between him and the hitman.
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br /> But he realized that Hawk seemed okay with it and let it go, so he would too. He knew the dead guy on the boat was a known hitman, who’d killed over a hundred people for the mob, so he wasn’t going to press the matter. But he couldn’t help wondering what deal Ramos had made with the police chief.
I thought that was a good question. What the heck was going on? More important, how had all of this worked out?
Hawk called me over for my statement. Ramos was still standing there, so I caught his gaze and widened my eyes so he’d know I needed help with my story. I had no idea what I should tell them and what I shouldn’t. Ramos sent me a quick nod, and helped me through all the pertinent details, most of which were exactly what happened. It was nice to have his help, but, by the end, I was exhausted.
“Can we go now?” I checked my watch. It was five o’clock in the morning.
“Yes,” Hawk said. “Sorry to keep you so long. I have to stay, but I can fill you in tomorrow if you have any questions.”
I nodded and leaned against Ramos as he put his arm around me, careful of my injury. We found Uncle Joey sitting on the back of the paramedic’s truck and joined him. They’d patched him up and told him to follow-up with a doctor, because he’d probably need some antibiotics.
He’d taken off the bullet proof vest and was shrugging into his shirt and jacket as we reached him. “We’re free to go,” Ramos said.
“Finally,” Uncle Joey said. Moving slowly, like the injured warriors that we were, we made our way toward the limo where Flint waited in the driver’s seat. After we settled in the back seat, Flint asked, “Where to?”
Uncle Joey glanced at me. “Ready to go home?”
“No,” I said, surprising him. “I need to know what just happened.” I shook my head. “You joined forces with Hawk, and—you had the drugs. How did you do it? I know Tony didn’t take those drugs, so how did you end up with them?”
Uncle Joey smiled, thinking he’d pulled it off and I’d never picked up a thing. “That, my dear, was part of my plan to get back at the Bilottis. I’m glad it worked, since it looked like they were going to kill you.”
“Yeah. They were. They would have, too, but the drug dealers called about the fake drugs, and the Bilottis had to change their plans. It saved my life.”
Uncle Joey nodded. “That was actually a lucky break, since I never expected Milo to kidnap you.” He shook his head, thinking it was a close call. He still didn’t know why Bilotti took me. Maybe I could tell him.
He opened his mouth to ask, but his stomach growled. He’d missed dinner, and he was starving. “Are either of you hungry? There’s a little diner not far from here that’s open all night. Let’s get something to eat, and I’ll explain everything.”
“Sure.” I was too exhausted to argue. But I couldn’t get over the irony that he’d kept so much from me… a mind reader… geez. I should have known something, right? Then I realized how late it was, and I hadn’t texted Chris. Hell, I didn’t even have my phone. “Crap. My phone is still at Milo’s club, and Chris doesn’t know where I am. He’s probably worried sick.”
“It’s okay,” Uncle Joey said, patting my hand. “He called me just after midnight when he couldn’t get a hold of you. By then, I knew Milo had you, so I told him you were helping me out, and you would be gone most of the night. So he’s not worried.”
Uncle Joey’s cavalier attitude surprised me. “Oh, good.” I was glad that Uncle Joey had lied to Chris, but I didn’t think for a single moment that Chris wouldn’t be worried about me. Still, I decided not to tell Uncle Joey he was wrong. “So… he has no idea?”
“Not a clue.”
“Okay. Thanks. I guess I’ll have to tell him what really happened.”
He shrugged. “You don’t have to tell him anything, unless you want to.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I tried that once… not telling him stuff. But it didn’t work out so well. So now, I usually tell him most of it… and maybe… gloss over the bad stuff. He mostly takes it in stride.”
Uncle Joey nodded, thinking it would be hard to be married to me. Chris should probably get a medal for sainthood. But, from all the times he’d spoken with Chris, Uncle Joey knew he loved me enough to go through hell and back, so I shouldn’t be too worried.
That brought a smile to my lips.
Ramos was thinking that Chris didn’t know how lucky he was, and, if he ever got tired of me… well… Ramos may not be husband material, but he could take care of me in other ways. And he was pretty sure I’d like it.
My face turned bright red, and I glared at him. He sent me that lop-sided grin that warmed my heart. I shook my head and smiled. I had to admit it. I loved that he teased me. After what I’d been through tonight, I needed some light-hearted banter, even if it was all in my head.
A few minutes later, Flint pulled to the curb in front of a building that looked like it had seen better days. A neon light flashed “open” on and off next to the door. In full bodyguard mode, Flint followed us inside, taking a chair at the bar where he could watch the street and the patrons at the same time.
I followed Uncle Joey to a circular corner booth. The red cushions were worn, but they were comfortable. I slid around the back, and Uncle Joey and Ramos sat on either side of me. It surprised me that the diner was more than half full. Didn’t people in New York ever sleep?
Menus sat on the table, and I picked one up, trying to decide what I wanted. Soon, the waiter arrived to ask for our orders, and I decided to splurge. I’d escaped death tonight, and it was time to celebrate, so I ordered fries and a chocolate shake.
The service was quick, and it wasn’t long before I was slurping up yummy chocolate goodness. The fries were crisp and crunchy, and I loved dipping them in my shake before munching them down. After several bites, we slowed enough to talk.
“Okay. So how did you get the drugs?” I asked.
Ramos smiled. “That’s a good question. You remember Lucas? Milo’s other son?” At my nod, he continued. “Well, that was one of the reasons I was on the party boat the night you and Hawk showed up. I’d tracked him down earlier, and he was more than willing to help us take Milo down. He told me all about the drug operation on that boat. He was pretty upset, because he’d just found out his date had been murdered.”
I gasped. “Merilee?”
Ramos nodded. “He realized Milo’d had her killed, and it tore him up inside. He figured Tony did it, and he wanted to make them both pay. So we devised a plan to replace the drugs with similar packages filled with cornstarch. That’s what I was doing on the boat. Lucas made the exchange while Tony was watching me… and later, you and Hawk.
“You actually helped us out that night. With all of Tony’s attention on Hawk, Lucas was able to smuggle them out and take them home. We were hoping to frame Tony by putting them in his apartment. Lucas would turn informant and call the police, and he’d be arrested. But things changed when Tony decided to take the money and run.
“Milo must have suspected Tony was working with us, and he had him followed. That’s how Milo knew we’d met Tony at the cleaners, and why Milo was on the boat for the exchange that night. It’s also why he killed Tony. But he had no idea the drugs were fake.”
“Did you ever find out exactly why Milo put the hit on you?” Uncle Joey asked.
“It was what we thought,” I answered. “When I showed up with Hawk on his boat, he thought that I was working with the police on your orders to take him down. Taking me out would send a message to you and hopefully stop the investigation.”
“I get that,” Ramos said. “But why did he kidnap you?”
“Uh… well that was probably my fault.” I took a big slurp of my shake to gather the courage to tell them. “I went back to the boat with Hawk, after Tony died at the hospital, to help them question Milo. You know… so we could get the evidence that would tie him to Tony’s death. But… of course, it kind of backfired and just made him mad. Before I left I sort of threatened him.”
“What?” Uncle Joey said. “How?”
“I told him that I knew he was the person who’d killed your grandparents and, if he didn’t back off, I’d tell you, and you’d kill him.”
Uncle Joey’s brows rose. “I see. Was that the secret you’ve been keeping from me?”
“Yeah. But you have to remember… I thought it was what your grandfather wanted. From the songs he sang to me, it didn’t seem like he wanted you to kill Milo for revenge.”
“I see,” Uncle Joey said. “But my plan was never to avenge the death of my grandparents. That came about because of his threats to me now. I might have let it go if he hadn’t threatened Miguel and tried to coerce me into doing business with him.”
“Yeah. I get it.” I nodded, understanding more and more how Uncle Joey worked. “And it makes sense that all of those times you were thinking about revenge, you weren’t thinking about killing him, you were thinking about destroying him. I wasn’t looking at the big picture like you were. I guess I should have trusted you more.”
Uncle Joey sighed. “It’s fine, Shelby. I’m a mob boss. It makes sense why you’d think that.” He was one of the bad guys. Even though he’d developed more of a conscience since I’d come into his life, he still had blood on his hands. He’d made some changes and done better lately, but he wasn’t going to give up who he was.
I nodded, grateful he’d understood and given me a way out. “So what happened during the drug bust? If you’d taken the real drugs, weren’t you afraid the police would figure it out and the whole bust would be for nothing?”
“Yes,” Ramos answered. “When you called, saying that you were going with Hawk and they were going ahead with the bust, we had to make new plans. Since it was too late to put them back, we thought that, if Lucas called Hawk as an informant, he’d have some credibility.
“That way, if the police managed to grab the drugs during the exchange, we hoped that, once they realized the drugs were fake, Lucas could point them to Tony’s apartment. Then Tony would get arrested for having the drugs, and the whole Bilotti operation would come to light.”
Ghostly Serenade Page 27
