When the waitress walked away, Joey said, “The last time I saw Donald, he was sitting on the john, reading a birding magazine.”
“Birding?” Foster chuckled. “I didn’t know he was queer.”
“Doesn’t mean he’s queer,” Joey snapped.
“Right,” said Foster. “Where was Donald when you were at the Latin Nookie’s place.”
“Latin Nookie?” Joey was more certain than ever that he disliked this asshole.
“Tell me you wouldn’t want to tap that.”
Joey breathed through his nose to try to get a handle on his composure; losing it right now wouldn’t be good. Clenching his fists under the table, he spoke slowly. “I’d already left Donald at that point. Pablo said the redhead with Hunter had a cell phone, and the GPS led us to…that restaurant.”
“Yeah, but it went back on the move.” Foster pulled a phone from his front pocket. “Two Harley drivers picked it up off the road.” He eyed Joey over the rim of his coffee cup. “Where did you leave Donald?”
“Some cheap motel off Highway 6.” Joey hoped like hell that there was a cheap motel off Highway 6.
Foster nodded. “You know, Lorenzo is pretty unhappy with him. He was in charge of making Hunter disappear. I don’t think Donald’s long for this earth, if you know what I mean.”
“I think you’re right,” Joey agreed.
“If you’d…take care of it, I’d bet Lorenzo would be ever so grateful.”
The waitress headed back to drop off Joey’s coffee. He picked up the cream pitcher and added some to his cup. “Normally, I’m not into taking care of those problems,” he said, once the waitress was out of earshot.
“Lorenzo said as much,” Foster admitted. “But he was hoping—”
Joey continued, “This time, I’ll make an exception.”
“I’ll pass that along,” Foster said. “I’m sure Lorenzo’ll want to speak to you.”
The idea of having to speak to his boss squirted acid into Joey’s gut. “Where’s Pablo and Corky?” he asked.
“Lorenzo has them stationed outside the local cop shop. He’s worried Hunter will try to go there, or that someone will catch him and bring him in. He’d like the guy taken care of before the judicial system gets its hands on him.”
“I thought he’d be halfway to Mexico by now,” Joey mused.
“Which is probably why he isn’t.” Foster picked up his cup. “He knows it’s what everyone expects, and so he’s doing the opposite.”
“Smart man,” Joey said.
“Not smart enough to stay alive. We got to make sure of that.”
“And how do we go about finding him?” Joey asked. “For that matter, how can you be sure he’s still here?” The more information Joey had, the better.
“Lorenzo’s sure. Hunter’s attempting to reach someone. Someone your boss has already reached. All we—” The waitress headed over with Joey’s burger, and Foster shut up. After the woman dropped off the plate, Joey picked up the conversation. “You said we’d have a fix on him by now. Do we have it?”
Foster looked at his watch. “We should have an exact location in a couple of hours. Best to take care of these things at night anyway. Don’t you think? Besides, I figure that will give you just about enough time.”
Kathy looked out the car window at the small café, while Luke checked the parking lot.
He’d left off his coat and tie. The blue oxford shirt looked good on him. It made his eyes looked bluer. Or maybe it was just the bruise under his eye.
He’d unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. “I was just teasing about the condoms.”
He’d already told her that once. She hadn’t answered, because that would let him off the hook. And she hadn’t let him off the hook because…well, for several reasons. The first was that she wondered whether he was really teasing. It appeared as if they may actually be staying the night together. And if they spent the night together…Her heart started to race. If they spent the night together, having sex was a real possibility.
Not that she wanted to have sex with him. Well, okay, so she’d wanted it that morning when she’d shown up at his place, frozen butter beans in tow. She’d admit that. Damn it, she’d also be honest with herself and admit that she probably still wanted it. But if Kathy had learned anything in this trek called life, it was that you didn’t get everything you wanted—and sometimes when you did get it, you wished you hadn’t. Just how unwise would it be to get sexually involved with this man, knowing what she knew about him? She needed to consider what she didn’t know.
Which led her straight back to the condoms. The fact that he carried them in his wallet meant…it meant he was seeing someone. That he was having sex with someone. And the most logical suspect was still Claire, the landlady. Kathy didn’t care that Luke insisted the woman was too old. Life had taught her different. Hell, for all Kathy knew, maybe all this pointed to a psychological defect on her part. Maybe for some unknown reason she found herself only attracted to men who ultimately wanted older women.
He touched her shoulder. “Why don’t you go on inside, order us a couple of hamburgers to go. Then pick up some muffins or stuff to eat tomorrow morning. I’ll walk Goodwill and take care of my own bathroom problems.” Without removing his fingers from her shoulder, he glanced around, then reached down to grab the leash at her feet. “It’s probably best if we’re not seen together in public. If anything seems suspicious, just get out. Get out fast.”
She nodded, desperately trying not to think about the tingle his touch was causing in her shoulder—a tingle that stemmed from the possibility of having sex with him tonight.
Which she wasn’t going to do. Right?
When the answer didn’t immediately echo back, she pushed the question aside for another. “What do you like on your burger?”
“Don’t make any special orders. The objective is to get the food and get out as soon as possible. You got that?”
She nodded.
His hand moved up to her chin, and his thumb traced her bottom lip. “Look around before you walk all the way inside. Lorenzo hires men by the pound. He likes them big, and he likes them to dress nice. If there are any big bozos in suits, get the hell out of there. You understand?”
She nodded again.
His hand shifted to the side of her neck, electrifying nerve ending upon nerve ending. “Have you forgiven me yet? For the condom remark.”
“Not yet,” she lied. She got out of the car and took off for the café.
Joey sat across from Foster and wanted to ask more questions about who Hunter was reaching out to, but if he appeared too curious he might make the trooper suspicious. Then Joey recalled what Foster had said.
“Time for what?” he asked.
“Time to eat your burger and take care of Donald. And make sure you dump the body so it won’t be found anytime soon.”
How could a person talk about eating and killing in the same sentence? Joey wondered.
The waitress moved in and smiled. “Is everything okay?”
Joey nodded. “Just fine.”
“You know what? Bring me one of those, too, sweetcakes.” Foster’s gaze was on the waitress’s breasts.
She frowned. “I’ll get you a burger, as long as you don’t call me sweetcakes again.”
Foster frowned. “Just get me a freaking hamburger, or I swear I’ll talk to Mr. James about firing your fat ass.”
“This fat ass, as well as the rest of me—and not just my breasts you’ve been gaping at like a horny fifteen-year-old—is Mr. James’s daughter’s fat ass. So good luck with that.” She swung around, not looking too worried about his threat or her slightly large backside.
Joey wanted to laugh, but something warned him any reaction might encourage Foster to become a bigger problem. Once again, he thought about Lola being out on the road alone with the likes of men such as this corrupt trooper dropping by.
Foster’s phone rang, and he pulled it off his belt. “Yeah, I’
m with him now. He said he’d do it.” He paused. “Really. No problem. I’ll be waiting. Yes.”
A bell jingled, and Joey’s gaze left Foster. The bright sunlight from outside spilled in as a woman walked through the café’s front door. Recognition hit like a kick in the balls. Goddamn. If it wasn’t the redhead. His gut went rock hard. His gaze shot to the trooper, who was still deep in conversation. Would Foster know what the woman looked like? Hell yeah, he would. God Almighty, this was going to get ugly.
Reaching into his suit, he drew his gun. Keeping it under the table, he pointed it at the trooper.
Chapter Seventeen
Luke watched Kathy walk inside the café. He searched the parking lot with his eyes again, checking one more time. Goodwill put his paws on the side of the car door, looked out and whined.
“You miss her already, don’t you? Me too.”
He picked up the puppy and attached the leash. The puppy looked up at him and then back out the window at the café, and whined as if he wanted out, to run after Kathy. Luke fought the same need, but he told himself she was fine.
“Separation anxiety,” he muttered.
The puppy barked again.
“Only a few hours with her, and you don’t want to let her out of your sight.” He sighed. “I know—she’s something, isn’t she?” he asked the dog. “She got to me just about that fast, too. But you’re lucky: she’s easier on dogs than men.”
Luke got out of the car and put the puppy down. “Nope,” he said, when the dog started sniffing at his shoe. He gave the leash a tug. “I figure we both probably need to go, but my shoes aren’t going to be involved this time. I work hard at not pissing on them, and I’d appreciate it if you’d do the same.”
The puppy looked up at him with those soulful eyes and barked.
“Okay,” Luke laughed. “Here’s the deal. You make her happy. I like seeing her happy. So I’m tolerating you. But no pissing on my shoes.”
The puppy hunched down on his paws and growled.
“Okay, you’re cute. I’ll give you that.” Luke knelt and gave the dog a good scrubbing behind the ears, then stared at the café again. “You’re one lucky son of a bitch. You see, you’re going to get to go home with her. Me? Well…I’m not sure she’s so willing.” He smiled at the dog. “You’ll like the kid. I do.”
A Ford Taurus passed the café and slowed. Luke made sure it didn’t pull in, made sure it didn’t hold any of Lorenzo’s men. When the car continued past, he relaxed. He stood and walked the dog to the edge of the lot where a tree would hide all the business being done.
“How about we make a pact,” he told the dog. “My job is to get Miss Callahan back to her son safe and sound. No matter what the cost. If there’s trouble, I’m getting between it and her. This means your job is to stay out of trouble’s way. Because I’m not going to worry about your canine ass if trouble arrives—you got that?” He watched the dog raise its leg. “Oh, and you keep making her smile, too. I really like seeing that.”
Goodwill barked, and Luke nodded. “Glad you see things my way.”
Kathy had stood in the tiny, closed-off entryway of the café for a minute, collecting her courage to move inside. The moment the café door swished closed, darkness surrounded her. She blinked, giving her eyes time to adjust. Her pulse throbbed in her neck as she stood in the entrance, waiting and inhaling the smell of fat-laden food, like burgers, french fries, and were those onion rings?
Her stomach rumbled, partly from hunger but mostly from fear that someone might turn around, point a finger at her and accuse her of stealing a car. Then the memory of gunshots echoed in her head.
A couple more blinks had the darkness fading. Kathy cut her gaze around. Two men wearing white paint-splattered overalls sat in one booth. Two women, grandmotherly types, occupied another.
Blinking faster, she focused on a dark corner. Her heart dropped into her empty stomach when she spotted a man, his back to her, wearing a trooper hat and uniform. She took a step back, and then her focus flipped across the booth and saw another man…a big man wearing a suit.
The breath caught in her throat, and Luke’s words shot through her mind: If there are any big bozos in suits, get the hell out of there—and do it fast.
She went to take another step back, but her feet felt nailed to the floor. Trying not to scream, trying not to call attention to herself, she realized that the suited big man was staring at her. Right at her. Oh, Lordie.
He shook his head ever so slightly, and his gaze flickered to the left. To her left. Left? Where the door was.
A scream climbed up her throat. She swallowed it. Mentally un-nailing her feet, she swung around and shot out of the café at a dead run. She ran toward the car but Luke wasn’t there.
“What is it?” He appeared at her side, puppy in one hand, as he zipped his jeans with the other, as if he’d been “watering a plant,” as her son referred to it. “What happened?” he asked.
“We…They…Shit!” Tears formed in her eyes. She couldn’t talk.
He clearly saw something was wrong. He grabbed her elbow and rushed her to the car. In seconds he had her in the passenger seat, Goodwill deposited in her lap, and he was darting around the car.
“What happened?” he asked again, sliding behind the wheel and slamming the door.
“A trooper and a…a big guy in a suit.”
Luke cursed. Starting the car, he swung around and looked back at the café. “Did they see you?”
She nodded.
He revved the engine. “Do you think they recognized you?”
She nodded again.
He flew out of the parking lot, tires squealing. Kathy’s throat stung with emotion, so she allowed a few tears to flow. Hey, she deserved a good cry at this point. Then again, she didn’t care if she deserved it or not; she was taking one.
“Buckle up!” Luke kept staring into the rearview mirror, his hands moving from the gearshift to the wheel so fast that she got dizzy.
“I want this to end. I want it to end now!” She ignored Goodwill, his paws on her chest, licking away her tears as fast as she could cry them.
“Are you sure they recognized you?” Luke’s gaze kept darting from the rearview mirror to the road.
“Pretty sure.” She hiccupped and set the dog on the floorboard.
Luke stopped looking in the rearview mirror to glance at her, concern flashing in his blue eyes. “I’m so damn sorry. I should have gone in myself. I didn’t think—”
She shook her head. “They would have come after you for sure.”
“Maybe, but—”
“No buts!” She dropped her face in her hands and tried to control her terror.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She stared at him. “No. I’m not okay. It’s not your fault,” she added with a sniffle, “but I’m not cut out for this. I’m not ballsy enough. I used my quota of ballsy when I whacked that guy on the head. That’s all the ballsiness I’ve got.”
He changed gears, pushing the car to go faster. “As hard as it is to think of you with balls, I have to tell you that you’ve done better today than some guys I know who are quite proud of their own pair. You’re doing great. Just keep telling yourself that.” He turned the car onto another road without slowing. The back wheels skidded, and the back of the Charger swerved. “They don’t seem to be following us. Are you sure they recognized you?”
“Yes,” she answered. “The big guy in the suit nodded at me.” She bit on her lip and tried to remember exactly what happened. “He shook his head ‘no,’ as if telling me not to come in. Then he…he looked at the door as if telling me to leave.”
“Umm,” Luke said.
Didn’t he believe her? “What are you saying?” she asked.
“I just…” He frowned. “I’m not saying you’re wrong. But I don’t think Lorenzo’s man would tell you to leave.”
“Maybe it was because the trooper was there?” she suggested.
He scratched his
five-o’clock shadow and divided his focus among the rearview mirror, her and the road. “If the trooper was with Lorenzo’s man, odds are he’s working for Lorenzo, too. Lorenzo’s goal and his men’s goal is to k…catch us.” Luke shook his head after stumbling over the word and continued. “If it was Lorenzo’s man, letting you walk out of that café would not have accomplished his goal.”
While she didn’t like thinking she’d been wrong or enjoy him telling her she was wrong, she could see Luke’s point. Could she have misread what happened? Maybe? Possibly? Oh, hell. Only a few hours ago she’d been hearing gunshots that weren’t there. Seeing flashbacks of the big guy on Luke’s bathroom floor. Perhaps it wasn’t so farfetched that she’d thought the man in the booth made a few head gestures he hadn’t.
Her empty stomach grumbled as she remembered the hearty aroma of the diner. “I guess I should have ordered the burgers, huh?”
“Oh, hell no. With that trooper there? Getting out was the right thing to do, no doubt about it.” He reached over and slipped his hand in hers. “You did good.” He squeezed tight. “I’m going to get you out of this, okay? I promise.”
She glanced at their linked hands. His palm felt warm against hers. It was comforting, a little like a hug.
A tiny voice inside her said she needed to pull away, to keep her distance emotionally. Call her weak, but she didn’t. Her hand remained snug in his, safe and protected. She needed the human contact, the warmth.
Not that she’d let it become a habit, or that she’d let it lead to anything else. As in something else that would require the use of the two condoms in his wallet. Nope. She was absolutely not going to let this lead to condom usage. Sure, she’d thought about it, thought about it a lot, but she wasn’t going there.
His thumb brushed over the back of her hand. Just a thumb, just a hand, but it all felt like so much more. Probably because she wanted more. Desperately. Was that insane?
Divorced, Desperate and Deceived Page 17
