by Lynn, JB
I watched out of the corner of my eye as Delveccio nodded slowly.
“Reese,” he muttered. “Reese made this mess.”
“And now we’ve got to figure out how to clean it up,” Gino groaned.
37
“I have to go,” I told the two men, pushing my chair back and getting to my feet.
“You didn’t eat,” Delveccio complained.
“Next time,” I promised. “I’ve got to get home. Someone’s trying to take Katie or kill all of us, and there’s a family meeting.”
Delveccio steepled his fingers and scowled at me. “Why haven’t you asked for my help with this Daphne woman?”
I blinked, surprised he knew her name. I glanced over at Gino, who shrugged guiltily.
“I’ll take care of my own problem,” I told the mob boss.
“He asked for time off to take care of it for you,” Delveccio revealed, tilting his head in Gino’s direction. “But things have been so crazy here, I couldn’t let him go.”
“Thanks,” I muttered awkwardly. “But like I said, it’s my problem and I’ll take care of it.”
“You should stay away from it,” Delveccio warned. “Stay far away from that woman.”
“I can’t,” I told him. “She wants to destroy my family.”
“Won’t happen,” he promised.
“It almost did,” I choked out, remembering how the carbon monoxide had almost killed us all.
“You get yourself popped for her murder, who’s going to take care of your family?” Delveccio asked.
“If I don’t do anything, I won’t have a family to look out for,” I countered firmly.
“You think Griswald won’t turn you in if she ends up dead?” the mobster challenged.
I shrugged. Watching him deal with Mrs. Hallangen had revealed Griswald’s gray side. Maybe he’d let it go if I murdered Daphne to protect the family. Maybe. Or maybe I’d take Gino’s clean car and make a run for it, leaving everything behind, knowing that my family was safe. “I have to do something.”
“Go home, Maggie,” Delveccio told me. “Attend your family meeting. Sit tight. Gino will be in touch once we figure out what to do.”
“It’s not your problem—” I began.
“You’re family, Maggie,” the mobster said. “I—”
“Maggie! Maggie!” Dominic yelled, running into the kitchen, waving sheets of paper. “I wrote thank you notes.”
“Good job, buddy,” Gino cheered.
“I’m sure the girls will love them,” I assured the boy, bending down to give him a hug. “These look great.”
“We can play soon?” he asked hopefully.
I glanced at the mobster for guidance.
“Soon,” Delveccio promised his grandson.
Gino led me to the front door. “Sit tight, Maggie,” he murmured. “I know you’re upset, but that’s just increasing your chances of making a mistake. This will be cleared up.”
“Thanks for believing me about Reese,” I replied.
“Like I said, you’re beautiful and clever,” he said with a wink. “Go spend time with your family.”
Nodding, I clutched the papers and hurried out to my car.
“You just faced a mobster,” God pointed out. “How much worse could this family meeting be?”
“Worse,” I muttered. “I’m guessing much worse.”
I was a half-mile from home when the SUV swerved into my lane, cutting me off.
“Whitehat,” I muttered as I slammed on the brakes. “The woman is a menace.”
I pulled off onto the shoulder, expecting her to do the same. Instead, the other car flew into reverse. That’s when I realized there were four people in it, three men and one dark-haired woman. It wasn’t Whitehat. It was Daphne.
And a gun was pointed out of the rear, aimed straight at me.
“Duck!” God yelled, diving for cover.
Even as I dropped down in my seat, I had to admire the accuracy of Armani’s prediction.
Bullets shattered the windshield, glass flying everywhere.
I tried to back the car out of the way, but I was too slow. The SUV slammed into me, driving my car backward into a ditch on the side of the road.
I was bounced around, God screamed, the airbag deployed, and then everything went black.
38
“Wake up, Maggie.”
I heard the faraway voice but couldn’t identify the speaker.
Everything was still so dark. Heavy. It hurt to breathe.
“Maggie!” The voice was sharper now, more urgent. “Open your eyes, sweetheart.”
I strained to get closer to the voice, reaching for it, knowing it was a lifeline out of the darkness that I had to get a hold of.
“Come on, Maggie. You can do it.”
The voice was clearer. Familiar.
“Open your eyes, sweetheart.”
It took a great effort, but I managed to focus on the voice. I knew him. Despite the rumbling and wailing in the background, I knew him.
“Hold on, Maggie.”
I felt him take my hand. I squeezed back.
“That’s it. You’re doing great,” he coached.
“Zeke,” I groaned.
“I’m here,” my old friend answered. “Can you open your eyes? Can you look at me?”
I forced my eyes open and found Zeke’s worried face staring down at me. His expression was illuminated by flashing lights.
“That’s my girl,” he said with a weak smile. “Just hold on.”
“Car,” I croaked out weakly.
“You were run off the road,” he explained.
“Da--” I tried to get out.
“You’re going to be just fine,” he interrupted loudly, squeezing my hand harder.
“Miss Lee,” another voice said. “You were involved in a car accident.”
I shifted my gaze toward the unfamiliar man. I could tell from his uniform that he was an Emergency Medical Technician.
“You’re in an ambulance,” Zeke supplied. “We’re taking you to the hospital.”
I turned my attention back to him, trying to make sense.
“You were in a car accident. You’re being transported to the hospital.”
I closed my eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. The SUV had intentionally run me off the road. Why?
My eyes snapped open and I struggled to sit up. “Katie,” I gasped.
The EMT and Zeke held me down.
“Easy,” the medical professional murmured. “You need to be still until you get checked out.”
“Katie’s fine,” Zeke assured me.
“She’s in danger,” I told him desperately.
He looked down at me. “Katie is okay.”
“You were the only one in the car, ma’am,” the EMT assured me.
I stared up at Zeke. “Call Griswald. Warn him. Everything is connected.”
He shook his head.
“Zeke, please,” I begged.
“I promise you that Katie is safe,” he told me somberly. “But I’ll also call.”
The ambulance doors opened and I was whisked away.
“Call, Zeke!” I pleaded as he disappeared from my line of sight.
The next few hours were a blur of medical tests and examinations, but ultimately, I was diagnosed with a bunch of bumps and bruises, and a concussion.
“I need to go home,” I kept insisting the whole time. My family was in danger. I had to protect them.
“They’re safe, Maggie,” Zeke said as he walked into the room where I was ranting at a nurse who refused to discharge me.
I frowned at him. “How do you know?”
He flashed a charming smile at the nurse. “Could you give us a moment?”
He closed the door of the exam room, isolating us from the rest of the hospital.
“Did you call?”
He nodded. “I said I would.”
“And they’re okay?”
“Yes.”
“How
do you know?” I asked again.
He pulled me into a tight hug and whispered into my ear. “I know, Maggie. I promise you that I know.”
“She tried to kill me,” I whimpered into his chest.
“She’ll never do that again,” he promised. “To anyone.”
My breath caught in my throat as I realized what he was trying to tell me. I looked up and saw the truth in his gaze.
“Thank goodness you found her, Zeke,” a voice said before I could ask him anything.
He released me and let Susan take his place.
I spotted Marlene and Doc standing in the doorway as my aunt hugged me gingerly. “The doctor tells me you want to come home.”
I nodded, blinking back tears.
“Don’t cry, child,” she murmured. “It’s going to be okay. It’s all going to be okay.”
I fervently hoped she was right.
Everyone was waiting for us when we got back to the compound.
They were all safe.
I glanced over my shoulder at Zeke, wanting to know what had happened to Daphne and her crew, but there hadn’t been an opportunity to ask.
Once everyone had assured themselves I’d survived my “car accident”, they all went their separate ways until only Zeke, Armani and the animals remained.
“Did you duck?” Armani asked.
I nodded. “I usually do what you say.”
She nodded her satisfaction, limped over to me, pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and left the room.
I looked over at Zeke. He was shaking his head, indicating this wasn’t the time and place to have the conversation I so badly wanted to have. I knew he was right.
“Thank you for finding me,” I said instead.
He offered a half-smile. “Scared me to see you like that in the car. I’m glad you’re okay. I should go.”
I nodded my understanding and watched as he walked out the door, leaving me alone with my menagerie.
“Where’s God?” Piss meowed the moment he was gone.
“God is where?” DeeDee repeated.
A wave of panic hit me. I’d been so worried about my human family that I’d forgotten all about the first animal I’d ever had a conversation with. “God,” I gasped, struggling to get to my feet. I had to find him.
I was sore and dizzy from my ordeal, but I would do whatever it would take to find the lizard.
I stumbled to the door, intent on getting to the accident site. The idea of him being out there alone in the dark, all night, made me cry.
Tears blurred my vision as I yanked the door open, and I had to blink at who I found standing there.
“Maggie,” Gino murmured, pulling me into a tight embrace that was both painful and comforting. “When I heard…”
“I need your help,” I told him. “I have to find God.”
“The lizard?” Gino asked.
“Yes. We were separated during the attack. He’s out there somewhere.” I pulled free of his grasp, pushed past him, and limped out the door. “I have to find him.”
“He’s not out there,” Gino insisted from behind me.
“He has to be,” I wailed, my heart breaking at the thought of losing him.
“I’m right here,” God said.
I spun around, almost knocking myself over in the process. Leaning against the door jamb, I spotted the lizard in Gino’s outstretched palm.
“God home is,” DeeDee yipped happily.
“H-how?” I stuttered tearfully.
“I went to the crash site to look for him,” Gino admitted sheepishly. “I couldn’t go to the hospital, but I thought maybe there was something I could do there that could be helpful.”
“And you found him?” I asked, holding out my hand so that the lizard could run up my arm and perch on my shoulder.
“He found me,” Gino corrected.
“He couldn’t get too close because of the police activity,” God explained. “But I can’t tell you how relieved I was to see a friendly face and to hitch a ride home.”
“Thank you,” I told Gino, unable to stop the torrent of tears streaming down my face.
“I should go,” he said quietly. “I just wanted to bring him home to you.”
He kissed my cheek and then slipped out the door.
I sat down on the couch. Piss climbed into my lap, DeeDee settled beside me, Matilda stretched out at my feet and God dove into my bra.
I closed my eyes and soaked up a few quiet moments of peace with my loved ones.
39
The peace and quiet didn’t last for long. There was a soft knock on the door.
“Jack,” DeeDee woofed softly.
“Come in, Jack,” I called. “It’s unlocked.”
The door swung open and the crime reporter stuck his head in. “How’d you know it was me?”
I couldn’t tell him that the dog had told me, so I stayed silent.
“I was hoping we could talk,” he said. Eyeing the animals surrounding me, he added, “But if there’s a better time for me to come back…”
“Sit,” I told him. “But I’ll tell you the same thing I told the cops. I have no idea who ran me off the road.”
“And shot at you,” he reminded me. “I’m glad you’re okay. Cop on scene said it was a miracle you survived.”
“Not a miracle. Armani,” I told him.
I saw skepticism gleaming in the reporter’s gaze.
I shrugged. “She predicted I should duck. She was right. You can put that in your story if you want.”
He nodded slowly. “That’s not actually why I’m here.”
“No? What kind of reporter doesn’t report on a shoot-up?” I teased.
“I’m here because I need your help.”
He sounded so gravely serious that I sat forward in my seat. “What’s wrong?”
“I told you I was working on a human-interest piece about the Delveccios.”
I nodded, adopting my best poker face. “I don’t think I’m the person to help you with this, Jack. They were very kind to Katie through her whole ordeal.”
He nodded. “That’s what gave me the idea. The notion that people I thought of as ‘bad’ could do such good. Then, I flipped it around and wondered who I thought was ‘good’ was really bad. And that’s where you come in.”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my expression frozen. I was a “good” person who’d done some very “bad” things. What had Jack Stern discovered about me?”
“It’s about your dad,” he continued.
“Huh?” I blurted out.
“I think he’s being framed for murder,” Jack revealed.
I nodded slowly. I thought that, too, but I doubted we had the same prime suspect. “He didn’t kill and dismember his former cellmate.”
“No,” Jack agreed. “But I need your help to keep him from ending up dead, too.”
I shivered at the icy certainty I heard in the reporter’s tone. “You think my dad’s in danger?”
He nodded. “And I think that Delveccio is going to be framed for the murder of Archie Lee.”
His theory hit me right in the gut, and I gasped. It made perfect sense that Delveccio was Reese’s ultimate target and that my dad was just a pawn being used. “Why?” I managed to ask.
“Because Angel Delveccio took the mastermind’s daughter away and this is his way of getting revenge.”
I considered how to proceed for a moment. “The District Attorney?”
Jack cocked his head. “You know about him?”
“I know that Angel and the girl had some sort of Romeo and Juliet type thing, way back when. Two families at odds, but they fell in love.”
“He told you that?”
I nodded. “When they were getting ready to leave town together.”
Jack shook his head. “Of course, he would. Angel really is a straight arrow, despite his genetics.”
“He is,” I agreed.
“Yeah, the D.A.,” Jack confirmed. “Reese.”
“A
nd you think he’s going to kill Archie and frame Delveccio for the murder?”
“Yes.”
“Then we have to save my dad,” I said.
“That’s why I came to you for your help,” Jack said.
“What do you need me to do?”
He got to his feet and extended a hand. “I need you to come with me. Now.”
“I don’t like this, sugar,” Piss mewled softly.
“Guard?” DeeDee panted.
I thought about Zeke’s assurance about Daphne. He’d seemed certain that she no longer posed a threat to my family.
“I’ll go with you,” I told Jack. “But the cat and dog are coming with me.”
He rolled his eyes. “Fine.”
I struggled to my feet. “Then, let’s go save my dad.”
“Matilda, you go guard Katie,” God ordered.
The pig oinked her agreement and waddled away.
“You sure you’re up to this?” Jack asked as I swayed dizzily.
“I’m always up to protecting my family,” I told him.
Looping his arm through mine, the reporter kept me on my feet as he led me out to his car.
“Maybe you should tell someone where we’re going,” God suggested.
I shook my head. The less people involved in whatever this was, the better.
“What is it you need me to do?” I asked Jack once we were on the road.
He shrugged. “Keep your father alive.”
“How?”
“I’ve been told there’s going to be a raid on his place.”
“He doesn’t have a place.”
“Your Uncle Thurston’s place. From what I understand, when that happens, your father will be allowed to make a run for it. I would imagine that when he escapes, he’ll be killed…and Delveccio will be framed for the murder.”
“If Ian’s there, he can warn Archie,” God told Piss. “You’ll have to get to Ian.”
“Got it,” the cat meowed back.
“Are they talking?” Jack asked.
I laughed and lied. “I didn’t know there was such a thing as different species communicating. How come you know so much about this plan?”
Jack shrugged.
“Jack?” I pressed.
He sighed. “I have confidential sources.”
