by JB Lynn
He wasn’t going to let me pass.
And I didn’t have the time or oxygen to try to explain things to him.
“Oh my,” God murmured worriedly. “This won’t end well.”
And it didn’t.
Chapter Twenty-seven
For some reason I got it into my head that I’d be able to slide right between Vinny’s legs, through the open door and straight into the room.
So that’s what I attempted.
Key word attempted.
What actually happened was I slid right into Vinny, knocking him over, so that he fell right on top of me, forcing any remaining air out of my lungs and making my body hurt in a dozen different places.
I’m pretty sure from the hatred I glimpsed on the bodyguard’s face that he wanted to hurt me in a dozen more.
I cowered against the cool tile of the floor as he raised his fist over me.
Vinny paused, savoring the moment.
That’s when I heard Patrick’s voice in my head, repeating the lesson he drilled into me. “Eyes. Nose. Throat. Groin. Eyes. Nose. Throat. Groin.”
Vinny’s face was out of reach, but his groin was a prime target.
As his fist crashed down toward me, I kicked out with everything I had, connecting with his groin with a satisfying thud.
He crumpled forward like a paper cup.
And I kept attacking, kicking his nose and throat.
There was blood, a weird rasping sound and an animal-like cry of pain.
And none of them came from me.
Having disabled the bodyguard, I looked up.
Gino, an IV stuck in his arm, had thrown himself between a wide-eyed Dominic and the adults grappling on the floor. The action had reopened his wound and I saw blood spreading across his hospital gown.
“Where is he?” I gasped, still breathless from my impromptu run. “Where’s Delveccio? He’s in danger.”
Gino looked from me to Vinny. “He went up to the roof with his daughter. She wanted a smoke.”
“Tell Angel,” I panted and then ran out of the room.
“Stop!” God bellowed as I stumbled down the hallway.
I did as he ordered, looking around for him.
“Over here.”
Spotting him, I bent and scooped him up. “They’re on the roof.”
“So I heard. What are you waiting for?”
Once again people cleared a path as I staggered wildly toward the stairs. I had to use the railing to haul myself up the two flights of stairs to the roof.
Throwing the door open, I stumbled onto the roof, the cold night air smacking me in the face.
Spotting Delveccio and his daughter, I rushed toward them. “Watch out,” I warned weakly, unable to catch my breath.
Delveccio’s gaze widened and then narrowed. “What?”
I stumbled toward him without taking my eyes off his daughter. I saw her expression harden as she realized who I was and that I knew her secret.
“Look out!” I gasped as she reached into her pocket.
“Behind you!” Delveccio warned.
“Cupid!” God shouted. “Duck!”
I fell to my knees as an arrow whizzed past my head.
“Stop! Police!” a man yelled.
I glanced in his direction and saw Detective Brian Griswald aiming his gun. Looking back toward Delveccio, I saw that his attention was on Cupid.
A fact that his daughter was using to her advantage. She pulled a gun from her pocket.
“Drop it!” Brian yelled at Cupid.
“Stop her!” God shouted at me. “Use the handcuffs.”
So I took his advice and did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed the handcuffs and chucked them at the daughter’s head.
The action didn’t stop the woman, but it did redirect Delveccio’s attention toward her.
Two gunshots rang out.
I covered my head with my hands as though that would somehow protect me from flying bullets and arrows.
As I huddled there on the roof, waiting for the shooting to stop, it occurred to me that I’d never opened the diary I’d found at Belgard’s house. I might never find out what secrets it held. I might never find out what happened to Darlene.
“Maggie? Maggie are you okay?” Brian asked.
Slowly I raised my head and looked around.
Delveccio had his daughter’s arms pinned behind her back.
Twisting around, I saw Brian standing over Cupid who was lying on the ground clutching his shoulder.
“You okay?” Brian asked again.
“I’m good,” I groaned, as I struggled to get up.
“Just stay there,” Brian ordered.
Considering I was still gasping like a fish from my run, I was happy to do as he asked.
As I tried to regulate my breathing, I looked back to Delveccio and then to the gun that lay on the ground a few feet away from him.
The mobster’s face was an unreadable mask. I couldn’t tell whether he was furious with his daughter or disappointed in her, or perhaps shocked by what had just happened.
“This isn’t good,” God whispered.
Considering Delveccio was still alive and Cupid had been caught, I disagreed with him.
“You’re going to be questioned forever,” the lizard continued, “which means you won’t get back to let the dog out to pee any time soon.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
Cupid, Delveccio, and his daughter were all hauled off, but Brian Griswald ordered the uniformed officers to leave me alone.
Instead of being dragged down to the police station, he took me to the hospital cafeteria and bought me a cup of coffee.
He left me there, sitting at a table alone for a few minutes while he conferred with other cops. While he was gone, I studied the cheesy red heart décor blanketing the space and realized that every moment I stayed was a chance to miss out on potential sales at The Corset.
Aunt Loretta was never going to forgive me.
Finally Brian joined me at the table.
“You okay?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Strange night.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I guess this will prove your father didn’t kill Belgard.”
I nodded.
“And I assume that’s what your little adventure was all about.”
I didn’t answer.
Brian rubbed his forehead as though trying to keep a headache at bay. “I don’t suppose you want to tell me what happened.”
I sipped my coffee, stalling for time. Finally I said, “My father told me Delveccio’s daughter had hired Cupid to kill Delveccio.”
Brian sat up a little straighter, surprised by my cooperation. “And how did he know that?”
I shrugged. “How does he know anything?”
“And you decided it made more sense to rush over here and try to save the day yourself rather than calling the police?”
“Would you have believed me? Would you have believed a word my father said?”
“I believed your friend.”
“Which friend?”
“The one who had the sense to call me and say he thought you and Delveccio might be in danger. That one.” He jutted his chin in the direction of the cafeteria entrance.
Angel, arms crossed over his chest, was leaning against the wall, watching us. Like his uncle, his expression was unreadable.
The irony that a member of the Delveccio crime family had been the one to call in the cops did not escape me.
“Where’s your father now?” Brian asked, bringing my attention back to him.
I remembered advice Patrick had given me once, that it was easier to remember the truth than to make up a lie, so I said, “In a safe house.”
Brian hung his head. “I don’t suppose you know where.”
“Sorry,” I replied smoothly. Technically it wasn’t a lie, more like a non sequitur.
“If you hear from him, I’d like to talk to him.”
I nodded, more an acknowledgement
of his wishes than agreement.
“I’ve got a lot of paperwork,” Brian said slowly, “so I’m going to cut you loose. You’re not planning on taking off, are you?”
“I’m planning to go to work at The Corset,” I replied.
He nodded and stood up. “Try to stay out of trouble, Maggie.”
“I’ll try,” I promised, and I meant it, even though I knew it wasn’t likely to happen.
The detective stopped to exchange words with Angel before he left the cafeteria. Once he was gone, Angel walked toward me.
“Hey!” I waved weakly.
He frowned at me.
“I’m sorry to have dragged you into this.”
He shook his head. “Gino wants to see you.”
I got to my feet slowly, various parts of my body hurting from my scuffle with Vinny. Obediently I followed Angel back to Dominic’s room.
Neither of us spoke. The silence made my stomach clench with anxiety.
Gino, still hooked up to an IV, was propped up in a chair at the foot of Dominic’s bed. He raised a finger to his lips indicating we should be quiet and slowly stood.
I could see that the little boy behind him was asleep.
Angel and I walked back into the hallway.
Gino joined us. “You’ve got a problem.”
“Me?” Angel and I asked simultaneously.
“You.” Gino pointed at me. “Vinny is pretty pissed.”
“About what?” Angel asked.
Gino and I shared a look.
“You’re not telling me that she was the one who beat the crap out of him,” Angel asked incredulously.
Gino nodded excitedly. “He was ready to give her a pounding and she kicks him in the balls. Then bam! Bam! She’s kickin’ him in the face, breaking his nose and shit.”
Angel looked at me in horror.
Gino grinned. “It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
“Why would you do that?” Angel asked, looking at me with a mixture of surprise and respect.
“I needed to warn your uncle and he wouldn’t let me past,” I replied defensively. “What was I supposed to do?”
“Do what I did,” he growled. “Call the cops.”
“You’re the one who called the cops?” Now it was Gino’s turn to sound horrified. “The boss isn’t going to be happy when he hears that.”
“The boss is still alive because I did,” Angel snapped. “Where’s Vinny now?”
Gino shrugged. “Don’t know. All I know is that he was muttering about killing that bitch…no offense, ma’am. That’s why I wanted to warn her.”
“Consider me warned. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.” Spinning on my heel, I headed for the elevator.
I’d almost reached it when Angel caught up with me.
“Where are you going?”
“To The Corset.” It was a half-truth. First I was going to let DeeDee out of the safe house. Then I’d go work at The Corset.
“It’s covered,” Angel said as we stepped into the elevator.
“What?” I jabbed at the floor button.
“The Corset is covered. Armani and Templeton are there. They said you can take the night off.”
“But--” I protested.
“You should go home and get some rest.” He held the door open for me as I departed the elevator. “You look like hell.”
“You’re too kind,” I told him drily while wracking my brain for an excuse to get to the safe house. “Okay, I’ll go home as soon as I take care of something.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, that’s okay, I can handle it.”
His response was an unintelligible grunt of frustration.
We walked across the parking lot toward my car. When we reached it, I looked up at him.
“Thanks,” I said.
“For what?”
“For showing up when I called. For calling Brian. For letting me go now even though you don’t want to.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by someone calling, “There you are, beautiful.”
I turned and found Jack Stern marching toward us. I may have groaned aloud at the reporter’s approach. Angel looked at me sharply, before shifting his body slightly so that he was positioned between me and the approaching man.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “He’s harmless. A reporter,” I added, remembering that Jack and Angel had not crossed paths when the body had been found since the cops had hauled Angel down to the station for questioning the moment they’d learned his last name.
Angel relaxed slightly.
“I hear your father is off the hook,” Jack said. “I don’t suppose you’d like to make an on-the-record statement about that.”
“You suppose correctly,” I told him.
The leather-coated reporter looked at the t-shirt clad manny. “Aren’t you cold?”
“I ran out of the house unexpectedly,” Angel replied smoothly.
“Jack Stern,” the reporter offered his hand, “and you are?”
“Angel Delveccio.”
I guessed from the way Jack winced slightly during their handshake that Angel’s grip was a little more intense than necessary.
Still, Jack’s a pro, so he asked a follow-up question. “Of the well-known Delveccios?”
Throwing back his head, Angel laughed. “That’s one way to put it.”
Jack’s gaze was assessing as he studied the man in front of him. “But you’re not in the family business?”
“I am not.”
Jack nodded. “There are stories about you. You ran off and joined the Army,” noticing Angel’s t-shirt, he corrected himself, “make that the Navy, right?”
Angel nodded.
“So are you back on leave or permanently or what?”
Angel shrugged. “Not on leave, but whether I’m back permanently, that’s still up in the air.”
I blinked. That was news to me.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Stern.” Angel nodded at the reporter before he looked at me. “I’ll see you at home soon?”
I nodded.
He hurried off across the parking lot.
Jack watched him go for a long moment before asking, “You two live together?”
“He lives at the B&B. He’s my niece’s physical therapist.” I kept the “manny” part to myself.
“Must make things interesting,” Jack murmured.
“My life was already too interesting before he moved in,” I replied honestly as I shivered against the cold.
“I’m happy for you.”
“For what?”
“That your father was exonerated.”
“Thanks.”
“You don’t sound happy about it.”
I shrugged. “He’ll just find something else to get himself in trouble with.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
After I left Jack, I hit up a nearby ATM for some cash, practically emptying my checking account, and returned to the safe house.
I was about to put the key in the door when I heard a quiet, “Hey, Mags.”
Startled, I saw Patrick standing a few yards away.
“Heard you had an exciting day,” he said with a half-smile.
I nodded. “This,” I pointed to the safe house, “came in handy. Thank you.”
He nodded. “Not exactly how I thought you’d use it, but I’m glad it was useful.”
“You know he’s in there?”
He nodded, stepping closer.
“It’s ruined now, isn’t it?”
He tilted his head from side to side. “Its purpose has been defeated. It’s no longer a secret spot for you.”
