Hit List

by Darcia Helle

  I thought you would like your package returned to you. We appreciate the information provided with this package. However, we now find it rather useless to us.

  On a personal note, I do hope that you have come to realize what it is I value in life. And that which I value is well protected.

  “What now?” Viper asked.

  “Kill the son of a bitch,” Nico said.

  The only evidence that Viper was the least bit flustered was the slight twitch in his left eye. Nico said, “Get a few of our best guys together. Find out where Kane was taking the broad. We’ll start there. I want that Martel bitch and her lunatic uncle dead tonight. Understood?”

  Viper moved away from the wall. “Sure thing, boss.”

  “I’ll meet you at my car. I’m driving.”

  Nico pushed through the door. Dean’s body had been removed. The security guards hadn’t returned, were probably busy trying to figure out what to do with the body. Incompetent losers. He strode out to his Lincoln. He needed some control back and he sure as hell needed to be doing something.

  He yanked his keys from his pocket and clicked the remote to unlock the doors. The parking lot was not even half full. The night was young. Most of his talented dancers went on later. Another two hours and the parking lot would be jammed. At least Dean’s body had been dropped at a time when there wasn’t much activity. Small fucking miracles.

  Just as he reached for his door, he heard a faint noise behind him. Then someone called his name. He spun around. At first he didn’t see her. She was squatting in the back of a pickup truck parked two spaces away. That was when he noticed that the light that should have been above him was out. This end of the parking lot was in darkness. At that same time he caught the outline of a gun in her hands. The bullet slammed into his brain before he could form another thought.

  Chapter 52

  When Kane’s cell phone whistled, Lucianna moved away from Ian and Alison. She watched Kane’s reaction as Vinnie spoke into the phone. A flicker of something like triumph passed through his eyes. The idiot expected Nico to save him. Let him have that delusion for now. He needed something to cling to.

  When Vinnie clicked the phone off, Lucianna motioned for him to follow her to the other side of the room. Once there, she said, “I don’t suppose you learned anything from Nico.”

  “Aside from the fact that his manners teeter on barbaric, not a thing,” Vinnie replied.

  “Alison doesn’t know anything,” Lucianna said. “She’s in shock. She might remember more details later but I doubt it. She said the guy didn’t talk to her.”

  “Maybe Kane will enlighten us.”

  “He strikes me as the type that’ll die for his cause.”

  “Yes, I agree. However, most people have a breaking point.”

  Lucianna frowned and shook her head. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “Then we won’t discuss it.”

  “Vinnie…”

  Tires crunched on gravel and Ian called, “Rob’s here!”

  Vinnie motioned for Lucianna to go. “Do your best not to let him in here. It won’t help him and we can’t allow him revenge at the moment.”

  Lucianna followed Ian outside as Alison ran to greet her husband. Alison fell into Rob’s arms. Rob held her close, tears sliding down both their cheeks.

  Ian kicked at the gravel with the toe of his boot. Lucianna murmured, “This was not your fault.”

  “I know,” Ian said. “But I still feel responsible.”

  Lucianna didn’t bother to argue with that. She understood the feeling. They stood together in the driveway, staring down at the ground, listening to Alison’s sobs. Lucianna’s own eyes welled up. The last thing she wanted to do now was break down into a whimpering fool. She took deep breaths and almost lost what little control she had when Ian grasped her hand. She didn’t look at him because seeing the pain reflected in his eyes would definitely open the floodgates.

  After a few moments, Rob looked over at them. “What the hell happened?” he said. “What’s going on?”

  His voice held no anger. It was more disbelief and exhaustion. Lucianna said, “She was kidnapped as a way to get our attention. The whole thing is very complicated. We don’t have all the answers yet.”

  Rob’s tone was more forceful when he asked, “Where is the son of a bitch who did this?”

  “He’ll be taken care of,” Lucianna replied.

  “That’s not good enough,” Rob said. “I want to wrap my hands around…”

  Rob stopped when Alison’s sobs grew louder. She looked up at him through red bleary eyes. Her voice cracked as she said, “Please Rob. I want to go home.”

  Ian looked at Rob, held his eyes, and said, “Take her home Rob. The guy will be handled. Trust me.”

  Rob’s eyes flickered to the house. He shuddered, then looked back at Ian. “I trust you,” he said softly. Then he led Alison to his truck and helped her inside. Before getting in himself, he said, “Make sure he suffers first. I want him to suffer badly. Promise me that.”

  Ian nodded. In that instant, Lucianna didn’t doubt for one minute that Ian would do as Rob asked. But Ian wasn’t a killer by nature and that kind of action, even when justified, would leave permanent scars. Suddenly she was relieved that the task would be taken care of for them.

  For the first time, Rob focused his attention on Lucianna. He held her eyes and said softly, “Thank you.”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat, barely holding the tears back. Rob climbed into his truck and the engine rumbled to life. Pieces of gravel spit out from under the tires as he backed out of the driveway. Ian leaned down and kissed her cheek, then they headed back into the house.

  ***

  Vinnie stopped them at the doorway. He said, “You two should go check on Ian’s mother.”

  “I’m not leaving,” Ian said. “That bastard -”

  “He will not walk out of here,” Vinnie stated. “You need not worry about that.”

  “I want to be here,” Ian said.

  Lucianna said, “No Ian, you don’t.”

  Vinnie shook his head. “She’s right. You do not want to be here for this.”

  “I’m not leaving,” Ian repeated stubbornly. “I promised Rob he’d suffer.”

  “And he will,” Vinnie said.

  “Ian, please listen to us,” Lucianna said. “It’s better if we let them handle it from here.”

  “Once again, she’s right,” Vinnie said. “As a matter of fact, I am not even sure I wish to be here for this. However, I will stay. We want information from him. He will not give that up easily. We’ll do whatever is necessary in order to obtain the answers we require.”

  Ian’s shoulders slumped. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he muttered.

  “Let’s go see how your mom is doing,” Lucianna said.

  “I want to know as soon as it’s done,” Ian said. “I want to be able to tell Rob. He deserves that.”

  “Of course,” Vinnie replied. He waved them away, saying, “Go home for now. And Lu, you watch yourself. Stay with Ian. Wait for me before visiting Sterling.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  “And be safe.”

  She kissed his cheek and said, “You too.”

  ***

  They had driven in silence for the past hour. The darkness and rumble of the engine had lulled Sam into a light sleep. He was suddenly jarred awake by the chirping of Cameron’s cell phone.

  Cameron fumbled for the on button while steering with his knee. Finally he poked the right switch and held the phone to his ear. “Yeah?” he said.

  The muscles in his jaw clenched as he listened to whoever was speaking on the other end. Finally he said, “How long ago?” A brief pause, then, “And you’re sure it was her?”

  Cameron flinched. His foot pressed harder on the accelerator. Sam watched the needle move past eighty. Luckily the traffic was light here in the evening. Sam wasn’t sure that Cameron was even paying attention to wha
t was in front of him. Whatever the call was about had him badly shaken.

  Another minute passed, then Cameron said, “Okay, thanks. Let me know if you hear anything else.” He clicked the phone off and let out a long breath. Then he pressed even harder on the accelerator.

  “What’s going on?” Sam asked.

  “Nico’s dead.”

  “Dead?” Sam had a moment of guilty pleasure. Maybe he could stop running now. He said, “How do you know?”

  “A friend inside. He keeps me posted.”

  “Who?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Cameron replied.

  “You think it was her? Sara?”

  “Positive. He was hit outside his club. Shot in the head. Then in the balls. Died instantly. Just like Ace.”

  “Anyone see her?” Sam asked.

  “Not her specifically. Someone saw a girl running. But she left a note stuck on a truck in the lot. Said “Two down”. Signed it Candy. Her name from the past.”

  “Jesus,” Sam muttered. “So she’s in Mass., not New York. She’s the one doing the killing.”

  “Right.”

  “And I assume that’s where we’re headed now?”

  “Uh-huh. We’re about two hours away.”

  Sam said, “No way we can make it in two hours.”

  The needle on the speedometer hovered at one hundred. “We’ll make it.”

  Sam let the information process for a few minutes. He didn’t like what he came up with. “Cam,” he said. “If she’s already in the city, she might go after Corinne next. She’s easy to find. Close enough, too.”

  “I know,” Cameron replied. “I thought of that as well. But it’s not likely. Corinne’s name was further down the list.”

  “I have to warn Ian. Just in case. He has to be told that his mother isn’t safe right now.”

  Cameron blew past a Mustang. He looked about to argue, then ran a hand over his face. “You’re right,” he said.

  “I need to call him.”

  “Yeah. Go ahead.”

  Sam grabbed Cameron’s phone from the console between them. He quickly dialed Ian’s cell phone number, ignoring the churning in his gut. Two rings, then three. Sam said a silent prayer for Ian to answer. He didn’t want to have to call Ian’s home number. He wouldn’t know what to say if Corinne answered. Hell, he wasn’t even sure what he was going to say if Ian answered.

  Finally, in the middle of the fourth ring, Ian answered with a gruff, “Hello?”

  Knowing he was probably the last person Ian wanted to speak to, Sam hesitated. Ian probably hated him. And with good reason. That made him sad and disgusted with himself for what he’d done to yet another good person in his life. He pushed aside his self-pity and said, “Ian. It’s Sam. There’s something you really need to know, so please don’t hang up.”

  A short silence was followed by a strained, “What do you want?”

  “Your mother is in danger,” Sam said. “Someone might try to kill her tonight.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Please Ian, you have to get your mother somewhere safe.”

  “Why the hell should I believe you?”

  “What possible reason would I have for lying to you now?”

  “What’s going on, Sam?” Ian demanded. “Who would be trying to kill my mother and why?”

  Sam glanced at Cameron. His eyes were focused straight ahead, his jaw set tight. Sam said, “It’s complicated.”

  “Does this have something to do with the baby my father sold?”

  “Yes,” Sam said quietly. “Yes it does.”

  “Who would be trying to kill her, Sam? And why? What the hell is going on?”

  Cameron looked at him. Sam motioned to the phone, held it out to him. Cameron nodded and muttered, “Let me pull over.”

  “Ian?” Sam said into the phone. “One minute, okay? I have someone here who can explain it to you a whole lot better than me.”

  “Who?” Ian demanded.

  “Hang on,” Sam said. “I need to take over driving.”

  Sam didn’t want to tell Ian that he would soon be speaking to his father. He didn’t want to chance Ian hanging up or give him too much time to think about it all. Cameron swung the car into the breakdown lane and climbed out. Sam did the same, leaving the phone sitting on the passenger seat.

  Chapter 53

  Lucianna had heard enough of Ian’s side of the conversation to know that there were big problems. They had just pulled into the driveway when he turned to her and said, “Sam’s putting someone else on the line. To explain. We need to get my mother out of here.”

  She yanked her own cell phone from her pocket. “I’ll call Vinnie,” she said. “Then I’ll go inside, send Greg home, and get your mom ready. We’ll take her to my apartment for now.”

  “This is nuts,” Ian muttered.

  “Yeah,” Lucianna agreed as she pushed open her door. “Would you rather I spoke to Sam’s friend?”

  “No. It’s okay. I’ll handle it.”

  “Meet me inside when you’re done.”

  She stepped out and shoved the door closed behind her. She dialed Vinnie’s number while hopping around in place to keep warm. The air had a raw chill that she hadn’t noticed earlier. She thought of Dylan and decided he must be furious at her by now. She’d left the heat turned down and his dinner was long past due. Soon he’d be even more bent out of shape when he found himself with a house full of company.

  Finally the connection clicked in, saving her from her cat worries. Vinnie said, “Yes, my dear?”

  “How’s it going there?” Lucianna asked.

  “Slow. He’s a stubborn one.”

  “I figured as much. We’ve got trouble here and we have to move Corinne somewhere safe. We’re taking her to my apartment for now.”

  Silence. Lucianna could almost see her uncle’s eyebrows knitted together and his grim expression. She said, “Ian’s on the phone with Sam. I’m not sure what’s going on but apparently someone wants Corinne dead.”

  “I see. I’ll be right there.”

  “We’re fine, Vinnie. We’re leaving for my apartment in a few minutes.”

  “Then I shall meet you there. Be careful.”

  Lucianna promised she would and hung up. She grabbed the knob on the front door, gave it a twist, and found it locked. So she rang the bell and danced around in place some more while she waited.

  The door swung open and Greg greeted her with a smile that made his eyes twinkle. Music played inside and Corinne sat on the couch clapping her hands. Lucianna felt a pang of sadness at having to interrupt the mood and possibly undo whatever good Greg had created. Knowing she had no choice, she stepped inside, quietly telling Greg that they had an apparent emergency and had to move Corinne out of the house.

  ***

  Peter Graham fiddled with the tuner on the car radio. Finally, and with great flourish, he switched it off. He stared at the hookers standing on the corner across the street from where they’d parked. He said, “Barbie’s putting on weight. Her tits’ll be hanging on the ground soon.”

  Ben Sterling didn’t respond. His mind was still on Corinne. His head throbbed and he wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep until this nightmare ended. After a moment he said, “Something’s up and it’s not good. Why would Vinnie be at her house today? And that other guy? A lot of activity all of a sudden.”

  “Yeah,” Graham muttered. He lit a cigarette, sucked in heavily, then blew a cloud at the windshield. “Wish we could’ve hung around, watched for awhile. Something’s definitely going on. Maybe they know. Maybe the crazy bitch finally snapped out of it and talked.”

  Ben clenched his fists by his sides but he didn’t bother to voice his irritation. He said, “We need to find Cameron.”

  “No shit.”

  “And the girl.”

  Graham smirked. “A little unnerved about that, huh?”

  One of the hookers slipped into an old Pontiac. The car s
puttered away and Ben tasted the bile that rose into his throat. He said, “We never should have let it get this far.”

  “We had a choice? Funny, I wasn’t aware of one.”

  “Jesus, Graham, we can’t keep this to ourselves any longer.”

  “Stop your whining,” Graham said. “You dug yourself into this shit hole.”

  “I didn’t -”

  You want the whole world to know you bought a kid on the black market? You want that, Sterling? How do you think the department will look at you then? And your friends? And how about your precious daughter?”

  “Don’t bring her into this.”

  “How can I not?” Graham asked. “You bought her. Left her twin, who is now out there killing people. That messed up twin made her birth mother go nuts and is probably loving every minute of it.”

  “I didn’t know she had a twin,” Ben murmured. “Not then.”

  “Fact is, you paid for her. Bought her on the black market from a street gang. And now you need to keep those tracks covered. Hell, I found out. How hard do you think it would be for someone else? If this girl keeps running loose killing people, how long do you think before the connection’s made?”

  Ben scowled but held his temper. He had his concerns about Graham and his methods of obtaining information. The man was arrogant and crooked as hell. But the fact remained that he did find out. And if this information went any further, Ben would be crushed. He could handle losing his job. He could even handle going to jail. The one thing he could never live with was his daughter knowing she was purchased like a sack of flour from the grocery store. That her twin had been sold to a creep who’d used her for sex and child pornography. That her twin was now killing everyone she blamed along the way.