by Shea Godfrey
“Ah…Finn.”
Finn followed the blood trail to the door and leaned her left shoulder against the frame as she looked into the room.
Asher leaned against a chair near the end of the bed and his shirt was soaked with blood, which he had tried to stop with a quilt.
Her heart rate spiked at the sight of him. “How many, please?” Her voice broke on the words.
Asher gave a pained smile. “Just…the two.”
Finn shoved the gun beneath her jeans at the small of her back and moved across the room. She slid upon her knees and caught him as he tipped to the side.
“Jesus, old man…” The quilt that he held to his chest was soaked with the warmth of his blood and it coated her fingers. “I didn’t know we were having company. I need to see,” she said and put her hand over his.
“No, no.” His voice was wet, she could hear it. “You don’t need…to see.”
Finn shifted his weight and grabbed for her phone.
“No!”
Finn leaned down as he pulled her hand to his chest and trapped her phone against the quilt. “Asher, please now, let me do what needs to be done.”
“They were Ketrin’s men.”
Finn looked to the doorway on instinct.
“They will find you.”
Finn turned back to him and felt the fevered warmth of his face against hers. “It’s all right, Asher, I don’t care. Let them come.” Her voice did not sound like her own. The strength of his right hand was beyond what she thought it could be, and he would not let go.
“Listen. Listen to me.”
“Let go of my hand.”
“Ketrin murdered Domino’s parents. He slaughtered them both, in a barn behind his house, in Baia Mare.” He coughed and Finn tightened her arm about him. She felt the faint spray of blood upon the back of her left hand, still held by his. “They had a secret…that he wanted.”
“Jesus,” Finn said. “Asher, please.”
“She was there, and he kept her after…waiting for her to grow. She was only a child.”
Finn closed her eyes.
“She does not remember.”
Some part of Finn’s mind still worked. “The orchard.”
“Yes, we were running…and your papa, he saved our lives.”
Finn pulled at her hand but he did not let go. “Give me the goddamn phone, Asher.”
“Let me confess!”
Finn’s heart stopped at the raw power in his voice, and then started once again within a sway of dread. She had always known there was something, but she had always been too scared to ask. She liked him too damn much, and he had saved her life.
“I was there…”
“Don’t say it.”
“I was there…at Badovinci.”
Finn pulled him close and shut her eyes, pressing her face to his.
“No, don’t—stop it, Finnegan…stop.”
“Asher,” Finn whispered beside his ear, “what have you done?”
“The man in the kitchen is Pavel Arshavin. He is the dumbest man I have ever fucking met…but he is Ketrin’s blood. I was caught, just outside of Prague, and taken to Ketrin. He liked me, I don’t know why. Maybe…”
“Stop talking, old man,” Finn begged in a desperate whisper. “Please.”
“Because I paid my debt. I think.” Asher’s tone was almost curious, despite the deep rattle in his lungs. “Perhaps…I was the only one to ever pay him back. And he must’ve known that I took his treasure. He must have. Who else would it have been?”
Finn turned her eyes to the bedroom window. The lights from street played off the green curtains, and she wondered what time it was. They would never arrive in time to stop it.
“They put me in the wrong room, I think, and I saw…I saw your Declan.”
Finn stared at their hands, still held together with strength atop the bloody quilt.
“He was wounded, but…but he was the boy who took the pictures that day. He was the boy who told me you would—” Asher coughed and Finn moved with him, holding him until the spasms passed. “I recognized Ian in him.”
“He took wonderful pictures,” Finn whispered.
“He told me to run, but he would not come with me. He would not leave his wife.”
You did it, little brother. Finn’s tears fell. You married the girl of your dreams.
Asher turned his head and met her eyes. “It was not too hard to get out. I was surprised by that…I called the police and waited.”
“But they never came.”
“No. No one came but Ketrin’s men. I ran farther, and I stole a car. In Loznica I was able to call Lyon, and I spoke to a man, he was from—”
“Interpol.”
“Yes.”
Finn nodded and leaned close. “You did good, old man…You did good.”
“But it was too late.” Tears slipped from his eyes. “Please forgive me, but I could not carry him, and he would not come.”
His words rang true. Declan would never have left Isabella. Not ever. “I forgive you.”
Asher closed his eyes and squeezed her hand. “I took a painting.”
“What?”
“Declan, he told me to take it. He said, it would be his revenge…He said that I must take it. That I had no choice.”
Finn stared at him, afraid to breathe.
“It is…Painter on the Road”—Asher licked his lips with blood and opened his eyes to hers—“to Tarascon.”
Finn stared at him, speechless.
“Yes.” Asher tried to smile. “My lovely Finnegan, I knew you would know.”
“It can’t be.”
“It is real, and there is proof…and my Domino will have it soon. She will try to sell it and run away from all this.”
“I’ll find her, Asher, I promise.”
“Eric Werner was there, at Badovinci…I heard his voice, when they brought me into the building. He is not a brave man, and his voice…” Asher made a strained face. “So high pitched, I heard him. Find him. She will sell the painting through him…but he is Ketrin’s man.” Asher moved and Finn tipped back as he let go of her hand and grabbed her jacket. “He still looks for her!”
“I need her full name.”
“No.”
“Asher, please, I can’t find her without it.”
“What sort of…fucking cop are you?”
Finn lifted her phone and he hit her wrist with unexpected strength. The phone clattered to the floor and slid away from them both.
He grabbed her jacket and jerked her back. “I cannot betray her, Finnegan. You must find her. Find my Domino.” He pulled in a wheezing breath. “I have fixed it, as best I could. They will come to you, Finnegan, all of them…if my Domino…if she stays true to her course.”
Finn grabbed his wrist with an iron grip.
“You gave your word. Protect her.” Finn turned her head at the distant sound of sirens, but Asher’s bloody laughter brought her back. “You will fall in love, I think, with my Domino.”
“I’m already half in love with her,” Finn admitted and smiled at him. “For all the good it will do me, you crazy old man.”
“You may be…surprised.”
“They’re coming now, Asher. It’s gonna be okay.”
“Take the box in the closet—it is for my girl…and take with you what is mine.”
Asher began to ease within her arms and Finn pulled him higher. “No. No, don’t go.”
“Kill them with Pavel’s silver gun.” Asher’s voice was thick, but he laughed. The blood gurgled in his lungs and throat and he let go of her jacket as it slid down his chin.
“Asher?” Finn gave him a gentle shake, but she could see him leaving her. His eyes were wrong, they were completely wrong. Finn leaned close and whispered fiercely in his ear. “We love you, Asher James. We love you.”
“Run…”
Chapter Thirty-three
San Francisco
Present day
Casey watched as Theres
ina Lazarini was shown into the back room of the Darjeeling Tea House by the owner, Duval Fararr. Duval was an old friend from Provence, and she had helped finance his venture in the States as repayment for an old favor. The Tea House was a fortress and it was also a well-known meeting place for Mabelle Babineaux and her clientele. More than one deal had gone down here, and a few of them had even gone well. But none, as far as Casey knew, had ever gone south.
Casey tried not to smile as Blackjack Vermillion held out his hand and helped her from her chair like a proper gentleman.
“How do you like my change in plans so far?”
Jack’s expression remained neutral, but his eyes were bright. “You sure know how to show a guy a good time, I’ll say that much.”
Theresina was dressed in black Versace, and the long silk jacket she wore swished around her calves in a gorgeous flow of fabric. Her hair was thick and straight as it fell loose about her shoulders, and her eyes were focused and clear.
The man who walked behind her was bigger than Jack, and his suit was cut to fit his overabundance of muscles and the weapons he wore, both of which were on display despite the suit. Casey was fairly certain Blackjack could take him, though she heard Jack make a small, disgruntled sound behind her.
Theresina approached without pause and held out her hand. “I’m Theresina Lazarini.”
Casey shook her hand. “Samantha Drake.”
“Your call was unexpected, Ms. Drake,” Theresina said with a curious smile. “Especially on my private line.”
“Shall we sit?” Casey asked and gestured to the table.
Casey waited for Theresina to take her chair before she herself sat.
“I would like to—”
“Have you seen Finnegan O’Connell?” Casey asked, interrupting her. It was a mistake, but she couldn’t stop it.
There had been only two options for Finn, and neither of them had pleased Casey in the least. Finn needed to find Eric Werner, or she needed to find Arshavin, and the opportunities that would help her achieve either were extremely limited.
Theresina started to answer, and then she smiled and changed her course. “Who are you, Ms. Drake, if you don’t mind my asking first?”
Casey considered the question, which she had already known was coming, and just as earlier in the evening, she was uncertain of her answer.
She was a thief and she was an orphan. She hadn’t always been either, but Asher had saved her from pretty much everything, and what he hadn’t saved her from, he had given her. But then he had died, and she’d been left alone once more. She was rich—she was that—and that made her a free woman of means. She had taken lovers when she wanted and she had traveled the world. She had eaten the best food, and savored the best wines, including a 1947 Cheval Blanc. She had heard Dame Marta Barchelini perform Puccini at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, and she had watched Eyjafjallajökull erupt in Iceland amidst a snowstorm.
There were so many beautiful and amazing things that she had experienced over the years, but what did they add up to when the final count was taken? She had either been alone, or with a lover who’d been a distraction from that loneliness, though nothing more. She had shared her life with Asher, and those times were embedded in her heart, but it wasn’t the same. He had tried to tell her as much, that night years ago in the Dordogne, but she had shrugged it off.
There was really only one answer to that question. “I don’t know yet.”
Theresina’s mask of cool slipped as a touch of surprise brightened her eyes.
“But I know…” Casey looked down at her hands as they sat on the table. Finnegan. And I know exactly who I am when I’m with her, and I like that person very much. When I’m with her, I am Cassandra Marinos, and there’s nowhere to run…and better yet, I have no desire to.
“What do you know?”
Casey smiled at the true interest she heard and she looked up. “I know I’m Finnegan’s lover, and that without her, nothing I could tell you makes much sense. And I can’t really think of anything, either, that’s worth all that much if she’s not with me. And while those things are new to my reality, that doesn’t make them any less true. And I know that both Finn and your family lost something extremely precious at the hands of Ketrin Arshavin.”
Her words were met with silence, though it was far from indifferent.
“Finn is trying to protect me from Arshavin because I have something he wants very badly. I think she’s going to come to you for help.”
“To me?”
“Yes,” Casey answered. “Is it true that your father once swore vengeance against her?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“And he told her she should never set foot in Italy again?”
“Yes, something like that was said.”
“Are these things still non-negotiable?”
Theresina let out a breath of surprised laughter. “Well, I suppose that would depend.”
“On what?”
“On what’s being offered to appease my father’s desire for vengeance. There is no price that may be placed on the pain my sister’s death has caused our family.”
“Of course not,” Casey said with genuine respect. “And I would never think that, much less suggest such a thing.”
Theresina leaned back in her chair just a bit. “But my father is old, Ms. Drake, and he’s very tired. And while the loss of Isabella still haunts his thoughts, in my opinion, I believe he would welcome an opportunity for closure. Nothing will bring her back, but at this point, a suitable rapprochement is a desirable alternative to further violence.”
“Would I speak to your father about this?”
Theresina smiled. “No, actually, you would speak to me.”
Casey held Theresina’s gaze and made her call, for she didn’t believe Theresina lied. Casey felt that she was hiding something, but since she had no idea what that something was, she’d have to let it ride. “Are you familiar with the works of Vincent van Gogh?”
* * *
The night air was cold as they stepped onto the sidewalk and Theresina Lazarini stopped at the curb within a swirl of silk, her sleek black limousine catching the light as it sat waiting for her return.
“It was a pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Drake,” Theresina said with a smile and held out her right hand. “An unexpected one, but a delight, nonetheless.”
Casey shook her hand. “You’ll let me know if she shows up?”
“Of course. But let me drop you off, won’t you? The Lazarini offices are not far from here, and we might as well finalize the transfer of funds this evening. I’m sure you’d like to know that such a significant amount is firmly in your accounts.”
Jack stepped forward and Casey glanced at him. Oh God, don’t do it, Jack.
“I’ve got that taken care of, Sina, but thanks for the offer. We can follow you.”
Theresina shifted her gaze to Jack, and though at first her look was cool and surprised, her eyes warmed as she looked him up and down.
Richard Burton in a wheelbarrow, we’re all gonna fucking die.
“That’s my ride, over there,” Jack said with a smooth grin.
Theresina turned and then laughed out loud, the jet-black Ferrari 458 Italia looking like a New Age God beneath the glow of the neon lights from the Tea Shop. She turned back to him. “Are you joking?”
“I never joke about cars.”
“That’s yours?”
“For the moment it is.”
Theresina’s eyes flashed. “Get in the limo, Samantha. I think I’ll take a ride with…?”
Jack stepped forward and extended his right hand to her. “Blackjack Vermillion.”
Theresina shook his hand, the motion slow and filled with questions, as was her expression. “I’ll ride with Blackjack Vermillion.”
“Ms. Lazarini, I don’t think that’s—”
Her man stopped speaking when she looked at him. “Follow Bennet, and we’ll follow you, does that seem fair, Danilo?”
“Of course, Ms. Lazarini.”
“I’ll be safe with you, Mr. Vermillion, will I not?”
Jack smiled yet again. “Call me Blackjack, please. And I suppose that would all depend on your point of view.”
“Get the door for Ms. Drake, Danilo.”
Theresina stepped aside as Danilo shifted his graceful bulk around and opened the door for her. Casey paused for just a moment and then she stepped forward. If Jack wound up with a bullet in his head, at least he would go out as he lived. Just like my Asher, she thought, killed while his house was being robbed, for fuck’s sake. And God damn it all to hell.
“Would you like to drive?” Casey heard Jack offer as she stepped into the limo.
Casey slid onto the seat and the door closed, and while she wondered, she was somewhat relieved that she couldn’t hear Theresina’s response. She looked to her right, caught by the shift of the faint blue light within the car.
Finn pulled at her leather duster just a bit and stretched her left leg out.
She was dozing, perhaps, Casey wasn’t sure, but she looked tired and so it made sense. Her hair was a heavy, lovely mess, and Casey caught her breath when Finn’s head bobbed forward slightly, only to be jerked back as she fought to wake up.
Casey’s body came alive, every bit of it, and she remembered their first kiss on the street, and the quiet perfection of finding what she’d always been looking for.
Finn’s eyes opened and she blinked at the privacy screen that shielded them from the driver. The front door closed with a slight, dull sound, and the engine turned over with an equally muted hum. Finn looked out her window. “Where are we?”
“Just outside of the Darjeeling Tea House,” Casey answered softly. The car pulled away from the curb and onto the street. “Or at least we were.” She could sense the change in Finn’s energy, and as the last thread of her composure stretched out before her, she cut it. She’d had enough. “You should really check your phone messages, Finnegan Whoever.”
Finn shifted, and even within the odd low light of the limo, Casey could feel the heat and warmth of those amber eyes.
“What are you doing he—”
