by Tracy Sharp
I smiled at Jack. “Aw, how sweet.”
“Think his wife approves of her?”
“Oh, absolutely. At least when he’s here he’s out of her hair. She probably picked her out for him.”
“Anniversary present?”
“It’s better than a tie.”
“Lucky bugger.”
“Don’t be jealous. Maybe when you and Sharon tie the knot she’ll get you one for your anniversary, too.”
“One can only hope. Well, I guess we’re staying the night. If Shanahan has Lilly in one of those houses, she’d be in bed by now. We won’t see anything until tomorrow.”
I nodded. “Yeah. We’ll get a good night’s sleep and come back early.”
“Where do you want to stay?”
“Well, that motel back there has color TV.”
Jack chuckled. “Must have to pay extra for that.”
“If it’s taken them that long to get color TV, do you suppose they’ve gotten around to new sheets yet?”
“Right. The chain hotel it is.”
Jack checked into a room with two double beds under the name Gern Blanston. I had to look away because it was impossible to keep a straight face.
The woman at the desk was round with a sunny smile and a bright disposition. “We do have rooms with queen size beds if you like.” She said this with a glint in her eye.
I stepped up to the counter. “Well, he steals the covers. So I like to have my own bed to sleep in. At home we sleep in separate rooms.”
“Yeah,” Jack piped in. “And she snores like crazy. But I can’t see paying for two rooms. I’ll just go a night without sleep.”
The woman giggled. “Wow. I guess the honeymoon is over, eh?”
We got room 217. I always thought seventeen was a lucky number, and I hoped it would be lucky for us tomorrow.
“I’m whipped,” Jack said. “I’m going to jump in the shower. Don’t open the door for anybody.”
“Oh, but I saw a really interesting fellow lurking in the hall carrying an axe. Can’t he come in just for a few minutes? He looks a little lonely and I’m sure he’s awfully nice.”
“Okay, okay. I get the point. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Take your time.” I sat on the edge of the bed, looking around the room.
It was a standard hotel room. Two beds. Dresser. Table. I yawned. I was whipped too. Sinking into a nice, hot bath would feel heavenly. I would run one when Jack was done with his shower. I thought of Lilly, and felt a pang in my chest. I prayed that she was all right. Her abductors were capable of savage murder, and it was clear they didn’t suffer from a conflicted conscience. One wrong move and her life would surely end.
But I couldn’t afford to think of these things. Fear would make me falter, putting Lilly at greater risk. The face of my little sister, whom I’d lost when we were children, floated before me. No. Not now. I shook my head, clearing it. I focused on clearing my mind and lay back on the bed, my feet still on the floor. Within moments I fell asleep.
I’m an incredibly light sleeper, and I vaguely remember waking up briefly as Jack was pulling off my boots. He pulled back the covers and coaxed me under them, and I grumbled something I’m sure I thought made sense when he pulled them over me, but his grin was the last thing I remember before falling back into a deep slumber.
The shrill ringing of my cell phone ripped me out of my sleep. I was disoriented and stumbled around the room trying to find the source of the ringing.
“It’s in your jacket,” Jack’s sleepy voice said in the blackness. “It’s hanging up. Just a sec. Don’t hurt yourself, for Christ’s sake.”
There was a click and light flooded the room. He’d turned on the bedside lamp. He sat, blinking his eyes and squinting at me. “Right there.” He pointed to a place next to me on my right.
My jacket was hanging on the bar that served as a closet next to the door. Jack had hung it up for me while I slept. I dug around in the pockets until I found it.
“What time is it?”
Jack peered at the clock on the bedside table. “Four a.m.”
“Shit.” I felt myself come alive as I thought of who could be calling. Nobody would call at that ungodly hour unless something was really wrong. I glanced at the caller I.D, but it was a blocked number. Of course. The phones could be bugged. Jesse would use a pay phone.
Jesse.
“Hello?”
“They know you’re here.” The voice came rushing out in a panicked whisper. A woman.
My stomach turned to ice. I looked at Jack, feeling my eyes widen.
Jack stood up from the bed, walking toward me, fully alert now.
I had to keep her talking. If she was warning us, there was a chance of her helping us get Lilly back. “Who is this?”
“Meet me in the park in ten minutes. If you’re not there, we’ll be gone. He’s going to kill her. She doesn’t have much time left.” There was a click and then the dial tone.
Oh, God. No. “Jack. Did you see a park on the way here?”
“No. Why? What’s going on?”
I grabbed my jacket and opened the door. “Hurry. A woman just called and said to meet her at the park. She has Lilly. She said he was going to kill her because they know we’re here.”
“It could be a setup, Leah.”
“We can’t take the chance that it is. She may be telling the truth.”
A gangly young man had replaced the round woman at the front desk. He was reading a science fiction novel when I approached.
I almost pounced on him. “Where is the park? Is there a park around here?”
He blinked. It was an odd question to ask at four a.m. “Uh, yeah. Just down the road heading that way.” He pointed to the left.
That was why we hadn’t seen it. We hadn’t come up on it yet. We kept the lights off and drove down the road until we found the park. Jack gripped his gun and I felt the reassuring weight of my knife strapped to my lower leg. I tried to walk slowly, but the blood was rushing through my veins as I scanned the park. It was still so dark outside. But there were a few street lamps on the road, their light throwing shadows across the grass. Shanahan’s men could be hiding behind any tree.
I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Jack saw it too. He pointed his gun at the silhouette heading toward us. But then she stepped out of the shadows and I could see that it was the woman who had greeted Shanahan at the house earlier. Her dark hair was inky under the star shine, and her eyes looked enormous in her pale face. She was a small woman, and it was disturbing to think of her surrounded by wolves like Shanahan and his men. It took a moment to realize that Lilly was beside her, holding her hand.
“Please, just take her. Take her back to her parents. There isn’t much time.”
“Leah?” Lilly hugged my legs and I lifted her up into my arms, pulling her close to me. She wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck like she’d never let me go. “I wanna go home.”
“We’re taking you home, baby.” I kissed the top of her head.
The woman turned to go but Jack reached out and held her by the arm. “So Shanahan did this?”
She shook her head, her eyes darting around the area. “Darcy didn’t know about it. Kidnapping wasn’t in the plan. Nelson, his limo driver, is out of control. Darcy told him to bring her back, but I don’t think she’d make it home.” She looked behind her, then back at us. “I have to go.” Then she quickly walked away.
“Why doesn’t Shanahan get rid of him?” I called out to her.
She shook her head as she walked back into the shadows but said nothing.
* * *
It was a question we chewed over as we headed home. Lilly slept in the back seat as dawn rose up around us, the sky streaked with gold. I’d called Mitch on my cell phone to let him know that Lilly was fine and on her way back home to him. His voice was thick with tears as he thanked God, then Jack and me. But there was no need to thank me. I was the one who had gotte
n her kidnapped in the first place. I found myself almost sobbing with relief every so often as I glanced back at Lilly slumbering in the back seat.
But the question remained. Why would Shanahan keep such a loose cannon around? Nelson, as the woman had called him, was apparently as insubordinate as they come when it came down to obeying orders. It was clear that he was the one who had butchered Suzanna Ellero, the dancer who had spoken to me. He was the one who had attacked and tried to kill me. I was pretty certain that killing me hadn’t been in the plan. Not yet, anyway.
“I don’t get it,” I said. “Why? To somebody like Shanahan, loyalty and obedience is everything in an employee. What is it about this guy that Shanahan feels he has to keep him around?”
“Especially since Nelson puts Shanahan directly under the cop’s suspect microscope. I’m starting to think that Nelson murdered Chloe.”
I nodded. That made perfect sense. “He’s impulsive enough to have done it. And to leave her clothes behind Shanahan’s club. That’s probably where it happened.”
“Think maybe Nelson had a little crush on Chloe? Maybe she rejected him.”
I watched the road, not really seeing it. “Nelson would definitely be stupid and crazy enough to go after Shanahan’s girl.”
“He would’ve probably been acting as Chloe’s driver too, then. So he had both motive and opportunity.”
“But Shanahan must know that it was Nelson who killed her. Why in hell would he let that slide? I mean, it’s not like a minor faux pas, killing off the girlfriend of the head of the Irish mob. Right?” I chewed my bottom lip, thinking.
Jack thought about it. “You think Shanahan was just tired of her or something?”
“He wouldn’t have ordered his limo driver to kill her. He’d be nuts to do that. And he wouldn’t be casual about Nelson killing her.”
“Yeah,” Jack said. “like ‘oh, I can get another one. There’s more where that came from’.”
“No way,” Jack said. “Back to the insubordination thing. You don’t step on the boss’s toes.”
I gave a humorless laugh. “Nelson’s been stomping on Shanahan’s head and getting away with it. Why?”
Then Jack looked at me. “He’s got to be a family member. That’s the only way he’d get away with the shit he’s been getting away with.”
“Right. Even a mob boss would let shit slide with a relative.”
“But only so far, right? I mean, murdering Shanahan’s girlfriend? Come on.”
It was all so strange. None of it made any sense.
Mitch was waiting on the steps when we pulled into his driveway. He came running toward the S.U.V, and Lilly, who was wide awake by this time, managed to get her seatbelt off and the door open before we’d fully stopped.
She almost fell as she jumped out of the truck. “Daddy!”
Mitch dropped down on his knees and wrapped his arms around her, twisting back and forth as he squeezed her tight. “Oh, baby. I’m so glad to see you. You have no idea.”
“I’m glad to see you, too, Daddy. I missed you while I was at that other house.”
Mitch gently pushed Lilly back so that he could see her face. He looked into her eyes. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
Lilly shook her head. “No. They were nice. We played games and watched cartoon movies. I ate ice cream. The lady was really nice and pretty. We did girl stuff.”
Mitch frowned and looked at us. “What lady?”
I shrugged and shook my head. “Lilly, do you mean the lady who brought you to the park?”
“Yeah. She was with me all the time. She was really nice. Can I visit her again?”
“What was her name, Lilly?” Mitch asked her, peering into her face, his gaze intense.
“She said to call her Colleen, but the man there never got it right.”
I knew that Mitch was about to ask her what man she was talking about, but if he started bulleting her with questions he stood the chance of confusing her, so I jumped in before him. “He didn’t?”
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “He kept calling her Chloe.”
Chapter Fifteen
Chloe.
I couldn’t believe it. The woman who had called me to warn us about Nelson, Shanahan’s limo driver, and who had brought Lilly to us in the park, was Chloe. Why I never considered that she’d really still be alive was beyond me. I’d taken things at face value. The bloody clothes. They were just a fake out to throw me off Chloe’s scent. But had Shanahan helped her fake her own death, or was he holding her prisoner at his house in Canada? If Chloe could’ve gotten away long enough to make a phone call to me, she could’ve called anyone for help if she’d wanted to leave. She had to have wanted to stay in Canada, with everyone assuming she was dead.
Whatever the reason, Nelson would be after me with a vengeance, now. That was twice that I’d pissed him off. First taking his eye out, then taking Lilly away from him, ruining his plan. Was Chloe in danger for bringing Lilly to me? My skin crawled as I thought about her in the house with Nelson. What had he done to her once he’d discovered that Lilly was gone? Would he know it was Chloe who’d called me?
I needed to talk to Shanahan. My only hope, aside from killing Nelson, was to reason with Shanahan. Get him to call off his dog. If that didn’t work, I’d have to find a way to put Nelson out of commission, because I sure as hell wasn’t hiding and I wasn’t going on the run.
I was guessing that because Lilly was gone, Shanahan would be coming back to Albany, figuring out his next move. It had to be crystal clear to him that scare tactics, threats of bodily harm and attempted homicide upon my person weren’t working. Either he’d have me killed or he’d want some kind of truce. I was hoping it would be the latter. Damn, I was tired.
Jack came with me to pick up Buddy, then we went to his place to get some shuteye. I needed a few hours of sleep if I was going to be able to think clearly. I was sure that Nelson would be in a homicidal rage the next time I encountered him. I was going to need to keep my wits about me.
I dreamed, but nothing that would catch hold in my consciousness. Nothing that made sense. Just a bunch of elusive images and shapes. The sound of voices, but the words muffled. There was nothing that I could grasp and run with. Then I’d almost wake up, feel the heat from the mid-afternoon sun radiating from the blinds in Jack’s spare room, and tell myself that I had to get up. I dreamed that I woke up and swung my legs over the bed. But then I’d be back in bed, unable to move, telling myself to get up again. Then I’d dream the same thing, thinking that this time I really was awake, only to find myself lying in bed again.
It was the low, comforting sound of Jack’s voice that finally woke me up. I squinted at him, my eyes still heavy. “You rescued me again.”
He sat on the edge of the bed. “Dreaming of me again, Kicks?”
I felt a smile spread over my face. “You wish.”
He chuckled low in his throat. “Nah. You’re hot as hell, but it would be like getting it on with my sister. Just wouldn’t be right.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Jack. You might start to believe it.”
In the soft amber glow of the room I watched him laugh and shake his head. “You’re something else, Kicks. You know it?”
I stretched my arms over my head. My body felt leaden. Maybe sleep had been a bad idea after all. “Uh huh.”
“You ready?”
“I was born ready.”
“All right. Let’s go.”
I grabbed my .38 from where I’d placed it on the night stand before I’d fallen onto the bed, and tucked it between my lower back and the waistband of my jeans. God only knew how many guns and knives Jack had on him. Whatever the number, I knew he had us covered in the weapons department.
But I hoped we wouldn’t need any.
Just as we’d predicted, the Mercedes was sitting outside Shanahan’s. Whatever his plans, I was sure he didn’t expect us to come walking through the doors. But that’s just what we did. I was n
ever one for waiting for somebody to come to me. It made me jittery.
Shanahan was sitting at the table in the corner. It seemed that table was permanently reserved for him. He could see everything from there, and his back was safely protected by the walls. Nobody could sneak up on him. One-Eye wasn’t with him. Instead, it was the man in the pinstriped suit who’d given me the “friendly” warning. Both men watched our approach, Pinstripe with the bright gaze of the predator and Shanahan with a look that could only be summed up as annoyance. It was clear I’d cramped his style.
Jack and I reached their table and stood before the two men. I nodded at Shanahan. “Mr. Shanahan, I regret that I can’t say I’m pleased to meet you under the circumstances.”
Shanahan did something I hadn’t expected. He looked at me, wide-eyed, then threw his head back and laughed loud and heartily.
Jack and I glanced at each other, and I could see the “well, this is different” look in his eyes. I grinned at Shanahan. Pinstripe was sitting forward, his hands under the table almost certainly gripping a gun. He wasn’t taking any chances.
When Shanahan got hold of his senses, he shook his head at me. “You’re somethin’ else.” His Irish accent was light, but I recognized it as northern. “I’ll give you that.”
“It’s not my intention to insult you, sir.”
His words came out in a burst, his smile wide. “Well, thank Christ for that! If this is you being polite, I’d hate to see what an insult from you would be like.”
To anyone watching us, it would appear as if we were all having a hell of a hoot. Just some pals glad to see each other and catching up. But watching Shanahan, a spooky realization came to me. There was a seething fury behind those seemingly dancing eyes. This wasn’t Shanahan amused. This was Shanahan pissed off. There was a good chance that if I nudged him just a little further, neither Jack nor I would make it home. In fact, if we made it out of Shanahan’s at all, we probably wouldn’t make it to the truck.
