Fantasy Man

by Barbara Meyers

  “Already hit it.”

  “Anything back there I can secure him with?”

  The clerk came out from behind the counter with a roll of packing tape. He and Reif secured the guy’s feet and ankles. He wasn’t going anywhere.

  Reif got up and took Quinn’s arm. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Hey, where are you going? You guys are witnesses,” the clerk yelled after them.

  “Don’t worry. You got this,” Reif called back.

  They could hear sirens in the distance. “Shit.” Reif opened the gas tank and started pumping gas. “Get in,” he said to Quinn. “We’ve got to get out of here before the cops show up. Six hours answering questions is the last thing we need.”

  Quinn slid behind the wheel and adjusted the seat and the steering wheel. She checked on the ferrets, who were still sleeping. She was kind of amazed just how much they slept. She couldn’t tell if Reif was mad at her for acting the way she did. He better not be. She’d saved his life. Potentially. Still, she was pretty sure she had a lecture coming her way about risk and safety.

  Well, he could yell all he wanted. She’d rather have him alive and mad at her than lying on the floor of a convenience store in the middle of nowhere bleeding to death.

  Reif finished with the gas and hastily screwed the gas cap back on. Quinn started the car and put it in gear. He didn’t have to tell her to step on it once he was in.

  They managed to pull away just as the siren lights became visible in the distance in the opposite direction.

  “Good instincts back there,” he said once they were clear.

  Quinn glowed at the compliment. “Really?”

  “I surprised him. He probably would have shot me if you hadn’t jumped him like that.”

  “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “Coffee to the face was a nice touch. You did good.”

  “I thought you’d be mad at me.”

  “Why? For saving my life?”

  “For putting myself at risk.”

  Reif ruminated on that for a minute. “Yeah, alright, I see why you’d think that. But there’s a world of difference between putting yourself in a bad position, and dealing with a bad position you find yourself in the middle of. Like I said, you did good. You saved my life, Q. Thanks.”

  Quinn grinned. “Yeah, well, I’ll let you save mine sometime. Then we’ll be even.”

  “Deal.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Late that night they reached the cut-rate motel on the outskirts of Coral Bay. The only person they both trusted was Tony, and he’d told them to come here.

  Reif circled the lot, looking for any sign that the location had been compromised. When he was satisfied he parked a short distance from the rooms, killed the lights and left the engine running.

  The key cards for two adjoining rooms on the ground floor were hidden in the landscaping near the stairs.

  “Slide over here after I get out,” Reif told Quinn. “If anything happens, floor it and go. Call Tony or your dad. Do whatever you have to do. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  “Promise me.”

  “No. I’m supposed to leave you here to die fighting my fight? I can’t!”

  “Don’t you get it? If you don’t survive then none of this matters! Stop trying to be a hero for chrissakes.”

  “You’re only saying that because you want to be the hero.”

  Reif flashed a quick smile. “I’m the guy. That’s my job.”

  “Yeah, but you’re my guy. You’re my hero. I can’t let anything bad happen to you.”

  Reif looked around at the darkened, nearly deserted parking area. There were only a few cars parked outside the rooms, most of which were dark. The orange security lights barely penetrated the night. Tony couldn’t have chosen a more desolate non-descript place for them to hole up.

  Although it was near the interstate, other chains boasted better accommodations and free breakfasts. This place probably didn’t even have vending machines and if it did they were probably on the blink.

  A crumbling service road ran along the back of the property, separated from the parking area by a chain link fence, obscured by unkempt landscaping and weeds.

  “Honestly, I don’t think there’s going to be a problem. But if there is I need to know I can trust you. Can I?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “No buts. Promise me again, if anything happens, you go and don’t look back.”

  “I…” Quinn stared at him. This was what she’d signed on for. Better or worse. She just hadn’t wanted to accept what worse could entail. “…promise.”

  He kissed her hard, then he was out of the car heading across the parking lot to the stairs. Quinn squinted to keep track of him in the poor light until she saw him disappear inside the motel room door.

  She didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath the whole time until she finally saw him coming back.

  He opened the back door and grabbed their bags. “Let’s go.”

  * * * * *

  A half hour later Quinn sat in the middle of one of the flimsy beds and towel dried her hair. She’d stored Fudge and Pudge in the adjoining room’s bathroom and let them run loose in there. “Aren’t you going to take a shower?”

  Reif had done little except check and recheck his guns and peer out the door’s peephole or the edge of the curtain.

  “No.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing.” Reif looked away uncomfortably, but not before she saw something in his eyes.

  She scrambled off the bed and forced him to look at her. “What?”

  Reif was having a hard time containing his emotions. He was worn down, exhausted, on edge. “What if I’m not up to it? That’s what I keep thinking. If they find us and I blow it and they kill you—”

  “Not happening,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. It was the best feeling in the world. She took in his scent, the texture of his T-shirt, the reassurance of his strength. “For one thing I couldn’t live with the guilt.” She tilted her head back. “I mean, that would really suck.”

  That got a reluctant smile out of him. He bent and kissed her, relaxing a little bit. “Tony said your dad will be here soon. Try and get some sleep, okay?”

  “What about you? You must be exhausted.”

  “Not until you’re surrounded by armed guards and you step off the witness stand after you testify. Then I’ll consider sleep.”

  Quinn didn’t think she’d sleep a wink. Not with Reif sitting in the chair next to the window. Not knowing how easily she might be found. It would be a simple thing to mount an attack on this motel room. Tony was very closemouthed. Only a select few even knew where they were. But the reason Tony had sent her away in the first place was because there was a mole somewhere. As far as Quinn knew, they still hadn’t found it.

  She woke at midnight. A bit of weak light seeped around the edges of the curtain. She turned on the nightstand lamp. Reif was still in the chair, elbows on his knees. He wasn’t looking out the window. He was looking at her.

  She smiled. “Hi.”

  He looked wrecked. Dark circles under his eyes, beard stubble, his eyes bloodshot. She’d done this to him.

  “Look at you. I’m a terrible wife.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think I’d have you any other way. Besides, I think I’d have more luck training those ferrets.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him.

  “Just need the bathroom a minute, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  He took another peek out the edge of the curtain before he picked up Vinnie’s gun and gave it to her. “Use it if you have to.”

  “Okay.” Quinn held on to the gun and tried to imagine herself as the femme fatale of a noir film, checking her reflection in t
he mirror, but the severity of their situation drained away any fun she might have had. The fact she was wearing Hello Kitty pajamas didn’t help.

  The toilet flushed and water ran in the bathroom. There was a tiny tap on the door. Quinn’s heart started racing. She tiptoed toward it, staying to one side.

  “Antonia’s Pizza. I got two pies.”

  Quinn breathed a sigh of relief at hearing the proper passwords. Any deviation, for example Antonio’s Pizza or only one pie, and she’d have to prepare for the worst. Still she looked through the peephole before she unlocked the door and turned the knob. Her father slipped inside and relocked it. He wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug, anxiously kissing her hair while murmuring the Italian nicknames he’d called her since childhood.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, Dad.”

  The bathroom door opened. Quinn let go of her father and Rocco shook hands with Reif. “Thank you for keeping my daughter safe.”

  “She didn’t make it easy, sir.”

  Rocco gave him an understanding smile. “She never does.”

  “What happens now?” Quinn asked.

  “We wait.”

  “Where’s Tony?”

  Rocco glanced at his watch. “He should be here soon.”

  “You think they’ll come after us—me, I mean, here?”

  “We’re not taking any chances. Dave and Colin are in an unmarked car across the parking lot, keeping watch.

  Quinn rubbed her eyes. The strain of the past few days along with that of the past few months were taking their toll on her.

  “You need to get some sleep,” Rocco informed her.

  “I’m fine,” Quinn assured him. “Reif’s the one who needs to sleep.”

  Reif insisted he didn’t, looking at Quinn as if she’d insulted his manhood.

  “I’ve got to make a couple of calls and talk with Tony when he gets here. We can use the other room, but I’d feel better if you weren’t alone.” Rocco looked to Reif. “Are you up to standing guard awhile longer?”

  Quinn almost laughed out loud. If her dad had known what she had pulled the past couple of months, Reif would be the last person he’d entrust with her safety, or her honor.

  Reif nodded. “If I can get a shower and some caffeine into my system, I’ll be good to go.”

  While Reif showered, Quinn brewed a pot of the motel’s sub-standard coffee for him.

  She explained how she’d come by the ferrets as she followed her dad into the adjoining room to introduce him to Fudge and Pudge.

  They scurried over to sniff his shoes and pants leg before losing interest. “They look like oversized rats,” he said in disgust.

  “They’re not rats, Dad. They’re very sweet. And really no trouble at all,” Quinn assured him.

  “What’s that?” He pointed to a small brown mound in the corner.

  “Oh, well. Sometimes they leave little surprises like that around.” She grabbed a wad of toilet paper and disposed of the gift.

  “I think you should lock them up,” Rocco said.

  “Halleluiah!” Reif called out from the other room. She had no idea how he’d heard that.

  “Dad they’ve been cooped up in the car with us. They just need a litter tray, is all. They’ll be fine. In fact, they’ll probably curl up somewhere to sleep and you won’t even notice them.”

  Rocco didn’t look convinced but he didn’t argue further. “You’re the one who needs to sleep. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

  She hugged him and went back to the other room.

  Reif was dressed and sipping coffee from a Styrofoam cup.

  “I wish you could get in bed with me,” Quinn said. “I know you’re exhausted.”

  “I’ll be okay.”

  “Okay.” Quinn crawled under the covers. Reif took a seat in one of the chairs. “Come over here by me,” she said. Reif moved the chair closer to the bed. Quinn turned out the light. “Now come here and kiss me,” she whispered.

  Reif glanced at the adjoining door. He could hear the murmur of conversation from Rocco’s end of a phone call.

  “Do you want us to get caught?”

  “Exciting, isn’t it?”

  “Quinn…”

  “We’re married, remember?”

  “What I remember is Tony telling me about your dad’s extensive collection of antique torture devices.”

  “Come on. This could be our last night on Earth. Who are you more afraid of? The mob or my dad?”

  “You got a coin I can flip?”

  “Would you just kiss me already?”

  He leaned forward and touched his lips to Quinn’s. She sighed and clasped her hands around his neck.

  “I miss you,” she whispered, her breath hot against his ear. “Having you here, like this.”

  “I know. Me too. When this is over, let’s take a trip somewhere.”

  “A honeymoon? A real one?” He could hear the smile in her voice.

  “Definitely. You deserve that.”

  “So do you.”

  “And a real wedding.”

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot about the wedding.”

  “Get some sleep, Q.”

  “Okay.” She snuggled down in the bed. “Reif?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” he whispered, even though she’d already fallen asleep.

  * * * * *

  “I can’t believe you stayed there all night,” Quinn said when she woke up.

  Reif stretched his arms. “It wasn’t that bad. Don’t tell your dad and Tony, but I might have dozed off a couple of times.”

  “I don’t see how.” The wood chair had a low back and a small curved seat, hardly built for comfort. “Wait. Tony’s here?”

  “He poked his head in a couple of hours ago. He and your dad were conferencing but it’s been quiet for a while now. Maybe they’re trying to get some sleep.”

  Quinn sat up and reached for her robe. Reif watched the way she lifted her hair away from the collar and let it fall back down.

  “God, you’re gorgeous.”

  Quinn grinned. “And you’re sleep-deprived. Want to stretch out here for a minute while I’m in the bathroom?”

  They stood at the same time. “Don’t let me fall asleep. Your dad will have my head.”

  When Quinn came back out she found Reif’s top half reclining across the bed, but his feet were on the floor. His eyes shot open when Quinn straddled him.

  “What the?”

  She brushed her fingertips along the two-day stubble of beard. “Shhh. I like this look. It’s ruggedly sexy.”

  He ran his hands along her thighs under her untied robe. “I like this. It’s soft and sexy.”

  Time and place and the connecting door were forgotten as they concentrated on each other. Reif rolled so she was beneath him. He drew back and played with her hair. “I can’t wait until this is over. We can tell everyone we’re married and get on with our lives.”

  “I know.” She hugged him closer, wrapping her arms and legs around him.

  He kissed her and was about to disentangle himself when a sound from the doorway snared his attention. Before he could move he was yanked off the bed and shoved against the wall.

  “You fucking… How dare you?” Rocco growled. “I trust you to look out for my daughter, to protect her and what do you do? You try to seduce her?” He swung a fist at Reif’s chin which Reif barely managed to avoid. Rocco was older and shorter, but he had fatherly anger on his side.

  “It’s not what you think!”

  “Daddy, stop it. Let me explain,” Quinn cried.

  “I know what I saw.” Rocco went at Reif again. “You low-down, no-good dirty scumbag. Quinn is not like other young women—”

 
; “Believe me, I know—” Reif sneezed.

  “Pop, what’s going on?” Tony entered the room bleary-eyed, wearing a T-shirt and jeans.

  “This friend of yours compromised your sister.”

  “Reif? No—”

  “I know what I saw!” Reif continued to deflect his blows but Rocco was tough and persistent and he landed several.

  “Daddy, we’re married!” Quinn’s loud statement froze everyone.

  Her father stared at her. Tony’s gaze went from his sister to his best friend and back. When it returned to Reif, he looked like a kicked puppy.

  Rocco spoke before anyone else could. “No. You did not marry this—this scoundrel! You would not. You would do it properly. He would come to me, ask for my blessing. There would be a suitable engagement period. A wedding in the church.” He switched his attention to Reif. “You took advantage of my daughter. That I can never forgive.”

  Tony came toward him. “What the hell, Reif? I ask you to look out for her and you go behind my back, sleep with my sister?”

  “Tony, come on, you know me better than that.” Reif was angry now. He sneezed three times in quick succession.

  Quinn cleared her throat. “Excuse me, Tony, but you’ve got a lot of nerve to talk after what you did to Emma.”

  Now it was Reif’s turn to stare at Tony. “Emma?”

  “Who’s Emma?” Rocco asked.

  “She’s my sister.” Reif looked from Tony to Quinn and back. “Are you—did you—you knocked her up and just left her?”

  “Anthony!” Rocco blustered. “What is this?”

  “I can explain,” Tony tried as Reif advanced on him.

  “You no-good, dirty, rotten sonofabitch! She’s my sister for chrissakes!”

  “Yeah? And Quinn’s my sister.”

  “If you’d just let us explain—” Quinn started.

  Her father turned on her with such venom in his eyes she shrank back. “I will deal with you later. Not another word.”

  Rocco inserted himself between Reif and Tony. “Is this true?” he asked his son. “You abandoned your friend’s sister, knowing she was pregnant?”

  Tony was beside himself. “I didn’t know! I had no idea until just now. And I didn’t abandon her.”