Hidden Deception: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

by Colleen Helme

His eyes widened. “You think the place is haunted?”

  “Uh… haunted?” I snickered. “What a silly idea. Of course not. I just think they could use some closure… uh… I mean, the families. The families could use some closure.”

  Ramos nodded, thinking I wasn’t very good at lying, and he knew something had spooked me. “Well, I hope you figure it out, then.” He wondered if there was something about reading minds that made me extra-sensitive to… dead people? He did a mental head-slap. That was ridiculous. Dead bodies would freak anyone out, and I tended toward the dramatic when it came to blood, so that was probably it.

  “Well,” I said, not liking that he thought I was overdramatic, “now that I know there are surveillance cameras in the elevator, I’ll be sure to make faces when I’m in there all the time, just to keep you entertained.”

  He smiled. “I look forward to it.”

  “So what’s going on?”

  His smile fell away. “It’s bad, but I’ll let Manetto explain.” He motioned me toward Uncle Joey’s office and let me lead the way. He was thinking this could get real ugly, and he hoped I could help them, otherwise no one in Manetto’s organization was safe from the far-reaching threat Zack had brought down on us all.

  Holy hell! What had Zack done? A shadow of doom fell over me, and my stomach twisted in a way that was sure to give me a whopping stomachache.

  Chapter 6

  Ramos opened the door to Uncle Joey’s office and followed behind me, gently closing the door. Uncle Joey stood gazing out the windows but turned as we entered. He held an empty glass in his hand and motioned toward the couch. “Take a seat, Shelby. Can I get you anything?”

  “Uh… no thanks.”

  He nodded and poured another shot of amber liquid from a crystal decanter into his glass. “Ramos?”

  “No, sir… I’m good.” Ramos wasn’t about to indulge right now, but he could certainly understand why Manetto needed a stiff drink. He’d do the same in Manetto’s shoes.

  Uncle Joey’s lips thinned with wretchedness, and he nodded, then took a seat in the leather armchair across from me. After he got settled, he drained the glass in one big swallow and set it on the table beside him.

  I’d never seen Uncle Joey like this before, and my heart-rate spiked along with my blood pressure. Whatever had him rattled was bad if he needed a drink to get through it, and a shiver of foreboding brought another rash of goosebumps to my arms. I knew at this rate; I’d never get rid of them.

  “I’m sorry to bring you in on this, Shelby,” Uncle Joey began. “But I can’t see a way out of it without you.”

  “What happened?”

  “Zack,” he said, shaking his head in disgust, and thinking all kinds of four-letter words to describe him. “He double-crossed me. After everything I did for him. I can hardly believe it. That schmuck.” He took a minute to calm down before continuing.

  “He was delivering a shipment for me. I have a vested interest in a diamond mine. My buyer, Yuri, isn’t always in the states, but he was here yesterday, and Zack was to make the trade. Diamonds for the money… exactly twenty million dollars.” Uncle Joey sighed; this was where it all went wrong.

  “Zack successfully made the exchange, but Yuri discovered that only a few of the diamonds were real. Since he had already given the money to Zack, he sent his men after him. But when they found him, Zack was dead, and the money was gone.

  “Yuri sent Zack’s body to me, because he thinks I double-crossed him, and he’s threatening me for the money or the diamonds, he doesn’t care which. I can get the money together, but how do I know this isn’t an elaborate scam on his part?”

  He was thinking it was a possibility, but not likely after all the years he’d done business with Yuri. No. It had to be something Zack did, mostly because he’d personally checked each diamond for authenticity before the exchange, and the only person who could have switched them was Zack.

  “I’ve set up a meeting with Yuri… a truce, if you will… to see what we can do to straighten this out. That’s where I need you, Shelby. You’re the only one I trust who can get to the bottom of this.”

  “Uh… yeah… I can see that,” I agreed. “But are you sure he won’t try to kill us?”

  “Yuri’s a reasonable man. I think he wants to know what happened just as much as I do. But he also has quite a temper. That’s why we’re meeting him in a place with a lot of people.”

  “Uh… that’s good, I guess. So you mean like during the day, out in the open, where you can see anyone coming? That sort of thing? Because if it’s late at night, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. Anyone could sneak up on you in the dark. Right?”

  Uncle Joey shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s all set up for tonight. We need to be discreet. Too many people to witness our exchange would be bad.” He was thinking that Yuri already had a few interested parties keeping tabs on him, and it was best to keep a low profile.

  “So where is the meeting?”

  Uncle Joey glanced at Ramos, who picked up the narrative. “At a private club. We’ve done business there before. They’re highly discreet, and their surveillance is top-of-the-line. No one gets in or out without them knowing about it.”

  “So no one can sneak up on you?”

  “Exactly,” Ramos said giving me an indulgent smile.

  Why didn’t that make me feel better? “Who will be there?”

  “It will be the three of us,” Ramos answered. “And Yuri will be accompanied by two of his people as well.” Ramos thought we’d be outnumbered because Yuri would have two bodyguards, but taking my talent into consideration, we had the upper hand, because I could alert him to their intentions long before they acted on them.

  His gaze caught mine. “You won’t be in any danger there, that’s a promise.”

  “Okay, I can come. But won’t they be suspicious that I’m there, since I’m not a bodyguard or anything? I mean, why bring me, right?”

  “We’ve got it worked out,” Uncle Joey said. “Last time I had dealings with Yuri, I told him that I was grooming Kate as my successor. You can assume her identity, and it will make perfect sense as to why you’d be there.”

  “Are you kidding me? I have to be Kate?” I hated Kate. She’d caused me more trouble than anyone I’d ever known in my whole entire life! And now this?

  “You don’t want these people to know who you really are, Shelby. They have long memories. I’m doing it for your own good. It’s a good plan.” But Uncle Joey thought there might be a slight problem with the plan, but nothing he couldn’t straighten out.

  “What problem?”

  “Dammit, Shelby.” He hadn’t wanted me to hear that. “Okay. I’ll lay it all out for you, but only because I don’t want you to worry. So here it is. If you’re Kate, Yuri might think this is your fault, because you’re my successor. He’d think you could be behind it all, and I’m too dumb to see it. See what I mean?”

  He thought Yuri might think that, because it was something he’d think. Plus, Kate doing something like that was a real possibility… not now of course, but if she were still his successor, who knew?

  “So if Yuri accuses you of anything,” he continued. “I’m sure I can straighten him out. Is that clear?”

  “Uh… yeah. Okay. Sure.” This sounded worse and worse. How in the world did Uncle Joey think he could straighten Yuri out? He was right, Kate probably would have done it, which made me wonder. “Are you sure someone else in your organization didn’t do this? I mean… if Kate could have… what about the rest of them?”

  A smile creased Uncle Joey’s lips and, for the first time since I’d been there, his face lit up. “Very good, Shelby. You’re picking this up quite well. That’s the other reason I wanted you here. I’ve called an emergency meeting to explain what’s going on and to get the word out about my missing diamonds and money. My organization heads should be arriving any minute now.”

  Too shocked to say a word, I just sat there with my mouth open. Then I tr
ied to swallow, but my throat was too dry for that. “Oh. Uh… this is… a lot to take in.”

  Ramos picked up on my panicked, glassy-eyed state, and offered a reprieve. “Let’s take a break. I think Shelby could use a Diet Coke. I’ll take her to the apartment to get one and bring her back to the conference room after that.”

  “Good idea,” Uncle Joey agreed.

  “Come on, Shelby. Let’s go.” He helped me up from my chair and led me out of the room like I was a fragile, old lady.

  “You can let go of me. I’m fine.”

  Ramos didn’t believe it for a minute, but he dropped my arm and opened the door. I followed him down the hall to the other end of the office that opened into an apartment where he stayed… most of the time. I knew he had another place that was all his own, but where it might be was a mystery to me.

  As we stepped inside the apartment, the cool elegance of the place washed over me. It was decorated in stark black and white, and as my feet sank into the deep, plush carpet, some of the tension left my shoulders. I wandered into the kitchen and waited while Ramos got me a glass of crushed ice and a can of soda.

  I poured a little before taking it into the living room, where I sank into the couch and took a sip. Ramos leaned against the door frame and left me alone until my glass was nearly empty, then he sat down beside me.

  “What do you think happened to the diamonds?” I asked him.

  “I have no idea,” he answered. “But we need to figure it out. Soon.” He thought Yuri was a cold-blooded bastard and one of the few men he didn’t care to cross. The fact that Yuri was willing to meet with Manetto spoke volumes, so maybe it wouldn’t come to that. “I’m sorry you have to do this, but I can’t see a way around it. All I can promise is that I’ll keep you safe.”

  “I know you will,” I said. “We’ll figure it out. We always do, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Hey, that reminds me. I never got a chance to tell you, but yesterday I got an email from Javier.”

  Ramos’ brows rose in surprise. He’d wondered how his brother was doing, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up for an actual email or anything. “Is he okay?”

  “Yes. He’s doing great. Let me show you the email, and you can read it yourself.” I pulled my phone from my purse. After opening the email, I handed it to him.

  He read with a thirst I hadn’t seen in him before, and his eyes shone with pride. “He’s graduating. That’s great, isn’t it?” Seeing the picture of his family sent a strong wave of longing through him, and he wished he could be there for his brother.

  “Maybe you could go to the graduation?”

  “No.” Watching his brother receive his diploma would be pointless if he couldn’t even talk to him.

  “Oh yeah, but… Ramos, maybe it’s time. He’s clear down in Miami, who’s going to know?”

  “No.” He wasn’t going to budge on this, so I might as well keep my mouth shut.

  “Fine. But why don’t I forward you the email so you’ll at least have the picture?”

  “Shelby… stop. It’s not a good idea. Not right now. Maybe someday.” He only said that to appease me, because he didn’t think it was going to happen for a long time. He also didn’t want anything to tie him to Javier, not now that they were dealing with the Russian mob.

  “What?” My heart rate spiked. “Yuri’s with the Russian mob? I’ve heard about them. They’re… like… the worst kind of mob people. This is awful. We could all die. Especially if they think we double-crossed them. No wonder Uncle Joey was drinking.”

  “Hey… now just a minute.” Ramos’ brows drew together with annoyance, and a little hurt thrown in for good measure.

  Oops. I’d just offended him, and he didn’t like it one bit. “Uh… I’m sorry. I’m sure you’re just as bad as they are… I mean… not that you’re bad. You’re great and… I’m sure you can handle one Russian mobster, no matter how big he is. I was just surprised, that’s all. But now that I think about it, there’s no reason for me to be worried. Not at all. In fact, they probably agreed to meet with Uncle Joey, instead of fighting it out, because of you and your reputation. So that’s good, right?”

  “That’s right,” he said, his voice low, and his cold gaze trapping mine. He was thinking he was ‘The Best’ at what he did, and he didn’t like his abilities doubted, especially by me. Hadn’t he saved my hide plenty of times? The fact that I was still alive proved how good he was.

  I swallowed as guilt twisted through me. I was ready to grovel with every apology I could think of until I picked up a strong hint of underlying amusement, along with the thought that he loved to push my buttons.

  “You… you’re…” I wanted to say teasing me, but since everything else he’d thought was true, I took the high road and offered to be agreeable instead. “Um… absolutely right.”

  “Good. I’m glad that’s settled. We’d better get back before they think the worst.”

  His meaning came through loud and clear. Here I was in his apartment, and we were all alone. I gulped down the last of my drink and stood. “Okay, let’s go.”

  He smirked, then led the way through the kitchen, where I deposited my glass and followed him to the door. Before opening it, he paused to catch my gaze. He worried that he’d been too hard on me, but on the other hand, I needed to be reminded that he was a ruthless hired gun, and it wasn’t something he was about to change for anyone. Not even his own brother, and certainly not for me, and he didn’t want me to ever forget it.

  “I get it,” I said, then stubbornly lifted my jaw. “But I still think you should keep your options open. Maybe when Uncle Joey retires, you could too. I’m sure there’s other things you’re good at. Maybe you could even work for Blake. You did a great job in Paris.”

  “Shelby,” he growled. “I happen to like my job.”

  “Oh… well… there is that.”

  He let out his breath, and I picked up that I exasperated the hell out of him. But even if I was a pain in the butt, he wouldn’t change a thing. Sure, his life would certainly be less complicated without me in it, but then he’d miss seeing me make faces in the elevators or, even better, drool over him and his motorcycle. Now that was a hoot.

  “Hey,” I said. “That’s not entirely my fault. Most women would do the exact same thing.”

  That brought a chuckle out of him, and he opened the door, gesturing me to go through first and glad I wasn’t so worried about Yuri now. I let out my breath and led the way, conscious of every step I took while he watched from behind.

  With the conference door open, the voices from the conference room sounded extra-loud. I glanced in the room to find twice as many people as I expected, and I hesitated to enter. I only recognized a handful and had no idea who the rest of them were.

  Uncle Joey caught sight of me and stood. All at once, the chatter died, some in mid-sentence, and the room went silent. Most of them glanced at me with interest, and Uncle Joey indicated a chair next to him. I swallowed and hurried toward it, feeling like a lamb entering a lion’s den.

  After I sat, Uncle Joey stayed standing and called the meeting to order. He didn’t waste time, telling them the situation as succinctly as possible. Then he stopped and glanced at each person in the room. “Did any of you have anything to do with this? Were any of you helping Zack?”

  I listened closely to their thoughts, hoping I’d catch guilt and remorse from someone. But it was a dead end. None of them knew anything about it, and a few were totally outraged at what Zack had done, even wishing they could have killed him first.

  A couple were even thinking that Uncle Joey never should have trusted Zack after what happened in Seattle. That came from Nick and David Barardini. At this point, I mostly agreed with them.

  Uncle Joey finished his speech with the admonition that he was taking care of the problem, but everyone should take extra precautions against retribution from Yuri. Then he told them to get the word out that he wanted his diamonds and money back,
and that he wouldn’t stop until he found them, no matter what it took, or who he had to kill.

  They somberly filed out, most thinking about getting more ammo for their guns and taking extra measures for the safety of their families. Along with a hefty dose of anger at Zack, they trusted Uncle Joey to figure it out, and I had to admire their loyalty.

  After they were gone, Uncle Joey took his seat and turned to me with raised brows.

  “Uh… it’s not any of them. You can be confident in their loyalty to you. They’re also counting on you to take care of the problem.”

  His shoulders sagged with relief, and he let out a breath. “That’s good to know. Thank you, Shelby.”

  “So what’s the plan for tonight?”

  “Our meeting’s at nine. I made it early just for you. We’ll come by at eight-thirty to pick you up. I’ve already taken care of Chris, so he can’t object to your absence.”

  “Huh?” My breath hitched. “What do you mean?”

  “Oh…” he snorted. “I just mean that he’s busy with an important client and won’t get home until late, so you can sneak out, and he won’t be upset that you’re leaving.” He knew Chris would object, and this seemed like the perfect way to handle it. “You won’t even have to tell him about it.”

  “Oh… okay.” Was he serious? Did he have that much control over Chris’ professional life, as well as mine? That kind of creeped me out. “What should I wear? It’s not some sleazy place is it?”

  “No, of course not. But you should wear something befitting your station as my successor. It’s an exclusive private club where business dealings are made. So think about what Kate would wear, and wear that.” He was thinking Kate always looked classy without being slutty at the same time.

  “Okay… I’ll see what I can come up with.”

  “Good.” He stood, clearly exhausted, and led the way to the door. At the exit, he turned and took my hand in a gesture of sincerity. “I know this isn’t something you want to be involved in, but I want you to know I appreciate your help. You’re part of the family now. Don’t you forget that.”