Deadly Escape_A Shelby Nichols Adventure

by Colleen Helme

  “What happened?” Savannah asked, her wide eyes sparkling with curiosity.

  “Uncle Joey has family in New York, and they run his hotel. So to explain where I fit in, he told them his sister, Maggie, who is a nun, gave me up for adoption, and he just tracked me down about a year ago. It might have worked except Maggie showed up at dinner that night.”

  “Oh no!” Savannah exclaimed. “What did you do?”

  “I nearly had a heart attack! But she went along with it. That’s the amazing thing. After we had a long talk, she said she didn’t mind pretending to be my mother. She’s not really a nun, but she’s what they call a ‘sister,’ which is close to the same thing.

  “She’s really a great person, and since she never got to be a mother I didn’t mind, but I also didn’t know how that would work out once we took you guys to New York. You’d have to pretend she was your long-lost grandmother.” I shook my head, still shocked that I had gotten into that mess.

  “So, when we go, does that mean we have to pretend she’s our grandmother for real?” Savannah asked. She was okay with that because all the grandmothers she knew were great. Maggie sounded like she’d be great, too.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “It might be best if the New York Manettos think we’re related. On the other hand, it would sure be a lot easier if we just told Miguel the truth. But that’s something I’ll have to work out with Uncle Joey.”

  “Wow, that’s nuts,” Josh said. “And kind of weird. It’s like Uncle Joey wants us to be part of the family. You know?”

  “Yeah, I know.” I glanced at Chris. He had been quiet the whole time. He was thinking it was kind of a shock to have it all out in the open. He wasn’t sure he was ready for this, but would he ever be? Probably not. He’d wanted to protect us all. But maybe knowing what we were up against was the best protection we could have.

  “Well,” he said, glancing at Josh and Savannah. “Now that you know, I have to admit it’s a relief. I want you to know that your mom and I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. All right?”

  “Sure.” Josh shrugged. “But I can still have the job as a lifeguard, right?”

  “I don’t see a problem with that,” he said, then caught my gaze. “Do you, honey?”

  “No. It should be fine.”

  Josh smiled, thinking that the connection didn’t bother him. Not when he got a great job out of it.

  I just shook my head, knowing that was a talk for another day. “Who wants ice cream?”

  Chapter 2

  The next morning, I arrived at Thrasher Development at ten a.m. sharp. Jackie sent me to the conference room and let Uncle Joey know I was there. “The others should be arriving soon,” she said, leaving the door ajar.

  While waiting, I decided to stay put in my chair instead of taking my usual stretch. Even though I wasn’t wearing a short skirt, I didn’t relish the idea of someone walking in on me while I touched my toes.

  Uncle Joey came in and greeted me with a pleased smile. “I got your message about the lifeguard job, and I put a call through to the club. It looks like Josh can have it, so that’s good. They have some training that he’ll have to complete before he starts, so he needs to call them right away. Here’s the number.” He handed a business card to me, thinking that Josh had better come through after all he’d done for him.

  “Oh, he will,” I assured him. “He’s really excited about it.”

  “Good. Now…about this meeting…there’s something I need to tell you before the others get here. I’ve invited Ricky to join us, but we’ll talk to Jimmy first. You’ve heard about Ricky’s news, right?”

  “No. What news is that?” Ricky was part of Uncle Joey’s organization, but his job was mostly driving me around when Ramos was unavailable. I had no idea what else he did.

  “You didn’t hear the good news?” At my blank stare, Uncle Joey chuckled, thinking that, of all the people he knew, I’m the one who should have picked up the juicy gossip. “He’s getting married.”

  “Oh! Well…that’s nice. He thinks a lot about his girlfriend, but I didn’t know they were getting married.”

  “Yes. We’re all very happy for him. But the reason I’m telling you this is because I’m throwing a special dinner for him and his fiancée next week. We’d planned to have it at Jimmy’s restaurant, since that’s where Ricky and Aubree met. I made all the arrangements. But next thing I know, Jimmy’s telling Ricky to go someplace else. Since Jimmy won’t return my calls, I’d like to know what’s going on.”

  I nodded. “Okay, that makes sense.”

  “So Ramos is bringing Jimmy in, and Ricky’s coming as well. They should all be here in a few minutes, and you can help me get to the bottom of what’s going on.”

  “Sure.” I nodded, a little dazed at all the drama. Hearing voices in the hallway, I straightened in my chair. Ramos and Jimmy entered the room. Ramos sent me a nod, and his lips turned up in a smile. He hoped I was ready for a show, because he was pretty sure Jimmy was hiding something.

  I glanced at Jimmy, catching his confusion that I was there with Uncle Joey.

  “You remember Shelby?” Uncle Joey asked him.

  “Oh yeah, sure.” Jimmy was thinking that Manetto seemed to keep me around the office a lot, and he wondered if Manetto was grooming me to take over his organization. After what Kate had done, he wasn’t so sure that was a good idea. But I was probably there under duress like most everyone else.

  He hadn’t fared much better. Having Ramos show up at his restaurant and insist that he come to the office had sent his blood pressure up so high that he was pretty sure he’d barely survived a stroke. Now, with Manetto glaring at him, he hoped he’d get out of this alive.

  “Take a seat,” Uncle Joey told him. His stern gaze tracked Jimmy’s movements all the way to the chair across from me, where he sat down. The tension in the room skyrocketed, and I was sure glad that I wasn’t the one sitting in the hot seat. Jimmy swallowed. He finally glanced up at Uncle Joey, and fear shone brightly in his eyes.

  “Since you haven’t returned my calls, I had to resort to sending Ramos to bring you in. You should know better, Jimmy. I don’t like to do that, and it makes me wonder what’s going on. Are you hiding something from me?”

  “Uh…no not at all. I’ve just been really busy. I’m sorry I didn’t return your calls. It…uh…slipped my mind.”

  “Now that just sounds like an excuse. I don’t like excuses. I want the truth, and I want it now.”

  Jimmy sucked in a breath. It was happening again, and it wasn’t right, but with Manetto in this mood, he didn’t know if he should take a chance and tell him how he really felt, or if he should wait for a better opportunity.

  Uncle Joey raised his brow, clearly at the end of his patience. “I haven’t got all day.”

  That comment broke through Jimmy’s misgivings and he sat up, took a deep breath, and looked Uncle Joey straight in the eyes. “Fine. Here’s the truth. Ever since I took Johnny’s place, you’ve treated me like I’m not here. You set up this whole dinner without even asking me what I thought. It’s like you think I’m a kid or something, but I’m not. I deserve some respect, and I’m tired of everyone calling me Jimmy. It’s Jim. I go by Jim now. I’m not a kid, and I do a damn fine job of running that restaurant.”

  Uncle Joey’s brows rose with surprise. The kid had a backbone after all. “All right, Jim. Take it easy. You’re doing a great job with the restaurant. I just don’t understand why you told Ricky to go somewhere else for his party. Can you explain that?”

  Jim’s mouth opened and closed a few times while he tried to come up with anything but the truth. “That’s not a good night for me to close half the restaurant. It’s one of our best money-making nights, and…no one asked me if another night was better.”

  It looked like he was using the whole incident to make a point, but something didn’t add up. Then I picked up the real reason. He was struggling with Ricky’s upcoming wedding because of Aubree. H
e didn’t want Aubree to marry Ricky, because he was still in love with her.

  They’d been together for six months before they broke up and she’d started dating Ricky. At first he thought she’d done it to spite him, and a part of him still thought it was true. He was sure that if he told Aubree how he felt, she’d drop Ricky flat, but he hadn’t had a chance to talk to her.

  Yikes. Poor Jimmy…uh…Jim. That was rough. But was Aubree just toying with him, or was she happier with Ricky? That wasn’t something I’d know unless I could listen to her. Still, it looked like he couldn’t stand hosting a dinner party for them, and now I understood why.

  Uncle Joey glanced at me, wondering what I’d picked up, so I spoke. “Uh…I think Jim has a point. Maybe you should have the dinner someplace else.”

  “What the hell,” Ricky said, straightening from his spot in the doorway. None of us had noticed him until now. He surged into the room and pinned his hurt gaze on me. He was thinking that after all the time we’d spent together, how could I betray him like this and take Jimmy’s side? He thought we were friends.

  Oh great. I opened my mouth to tell him it had nothing to do with our friendship, but stopped, knowing that would give me away.

  Luckily, Uncle Joey took charge. “Ricky, come in and sit down. Let’s straighten this out like civilized people.”

  That was the last thing Ricky wanted to do, but he let out an angry breath and took a seat.

  “Thank you.” Uncle Joey narrowed his gaze and wondered what I’d picked up that had made me take Jimmy’s side. He had confidence that I knew what I was doing, so he’d have to go along with me this time. “So…uh…Jim, is this all because you don’t want to have the dinner that night, or is it that you don’t want to have the dinner at all?”

  Ooo…Uncle Joey was good at this. I smiled and gave him an encouraging nod to let him know he was on the right track.

  Jim licked his lips, thinking that maybe he’d carried this too far. He should probably just accept that Ricky and Aubree were getting married, and there was never going to be another chance for him with her, even if it tore a hole through his heart.

  Ricky stared at Jim, angry that he was making a big deal out of this. He knew Jim and Aubree had dated, but she’d chosen Ricky, and Jim needed to get over it.

  I was beginning to wonder if Aubree was the right person for either of them. To pit them against each other seemed cruel. I turned to Ricky. “Would Aubree be okay with having the dinner at a different restaurant?”

  Ricky’s lips turned down. “I don’t know. Probably. But that’s where we met, and it seemed like she really wanted it there.”

  “Why don’t you call her and ask what she wants?” I asked.

  “What…right now?”

  “Yes,” Uncle Joey said. “Right now.”

  With a shake of his head, Ricky pulled out his cell phone and pushed her number. He stood and moved to the doorway, uncomfortable with all of us listening in. “Hey Babe,” he said. “Are you okay if we have our engagement dinner someplace else?”

  I listened with all my skills, hoping to catch a glimpse of her feelings through the phone. Ricky was thinking that he should have told her that Jimmy didn’t want them to have the dinner in his restaurant before now, but it was too late for that.

  “I get it,” Ricky said. “I know you have friends there, but Jimmy’s not too happy about it. Maybe you should talk to him. Yeah, he’s right here.”

  Jim’s face filled with alarm, and he took a deep breath before jumping up to take the phone from Ricky. Instead of standing where everyone could hear his side of the conversation, he bolted out of the room and down the hallway.

  Ricky stood by the door with his hands on his hips and wondered how it was all going to turn out. He didn’t think Aubree would ever go back to Jimmy, but what did he know? Still, it was better to find out now if she wasn’t sure. Maybe this was all a mistake, and they weren’t ready to get married.

  He glanced at Uncle Joey, thinking that the worst part was having all of us involved. He didn’t like how we were all staring at him. He should have taken care of this on his own instead of involving Manetto. That was a big mistake. Manetto’s opinion meant a lot to him. Now look at the mess he was in.

  Wanting to take the attention off Ricky, I glanced at Ramos. “So Ramos, how’s it going? Did you do anything fun last night?” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wished I could take them back. I’d always made it a policy not to ask Ramos what he did away from the office, mostly because I didn’t want to know if he was with a woman, and what they’d done together.

  Ramos smiled and cocked a brow at me, surprised that I wanted to know. I’d never asked him that before, but then he realized I was making small talk for Ricky’s benefit. “Yeah, I did. I had tickets to the game, and our team won.”

  “Oh that’s right. I bet that was fun.” I picked up that his date was pretty hot too, and my face turned pink. Then Ramos chuckled and shook his head, thinking that he sure enjoyed teasing me.

  Just then, Jim came back and handed Ricky his phone. After Ricky left to talk to Aubree, Jim glanced at me and Uncle Joey with chagrin. “Uh…I’ve changed my mind. The dinner will be at my restaurant as planned. Sorry about the confusion. I need to get back. Can I go now?”

  Uncle Joey glanced at me and I nodded. Then he turned back to Jim. “Yes, of course. And Jim, next time you’re not happy with something, please come to me with it. I’m always happy to help, and I like people with new ideas and some initiative.”

  “Sure boss. I’m sorry you were involved in this. I do have some things I’d like to talk to you about. Maybe sometime next week?”

  “Of course.” Uncle Joey nodded at Ramos, and he stood to take Jim back to his restaurant.

  A few seconds later, Ricky came to the door and glanced inside. Relieved to find Jim gone, he spoke. “It looks like Aubree got everything cleared up, so we’re good now. Sorry to involve you.”

  Uncle Joey waved his concern away. “It’s fine. So the dinner is still on for next week?”

  “Yes. We’re all set.”

  “Good. I think we owe Shelby some gratitude for helping out with the situation.” He smiled at me. “Why don’t you and Chris come to the dinner? It would be nice for you to meet Aubree. What do you say?” He was thinking I’d better say yes.

  “Uh…sure. I’ll let Chris know.”

  “Good. It’s next Tuesday night at seven.” Uncle Joey was thinking that he wanted me there in case there was more trouble. He also wanted to know what Aubree’s true intentions were. He didn’t trust a woman who caused any kind of bad feelings in his organization.

  “Are you good with that?” he asked Ricky, wanting to make sure he and I were on good terms.

  “Of course,” he answered. “And I’m sorry about the whole thing.”

  “Forget about it. I know that it’s sometimes hard when a woman is part of the equation, just remember that for future reference.”

  “Sure, boss. I’ll get back to work.”

  After he left, Uncle Joey let out a sigh. “Well, at least that turned out all right. What was Jimmy’s problem?”

  “Jim and Aubree were a thing before they broke up and she started dating Ricky. Jim still has feelings for Aubree, and he didn’t want to do the dinner for her and Ricky.”

  “Figures.” Uncle Joey was thinking that it was usually money or a woman that caused most people’s problems. He glanced my way, knowing I’d heard that, and shrugged. “They do complicate things, but I suppose it’s worth it.”

  My brows rose. “I certainly hope it’s worth it…at least the woman part.”

  We heard voices out in the hall and, a few seconds later, Jackie came to the door with two men trailing behind her. “Joe, these men need a word with you. Is now a good time?”

  I took one look at their faces and dove under the table. With my heart racing, I held my breath and hoped that, with Jackie in the way, they hadn’t seen me.

  Uncle
Joey glanced down at me, wondering what the hell I was doing. Then he got a good look at the men behind Jackie, and it all became clear.

  “Of course,” he said, standing up and crossing the room to meet the men as they entered, hoping to keep their attention on him so they wouldn’t notice me crouching under the table. “What can I do for you gentlemen?”

  “Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Manetto,” Dimples said. “But we felt we should give you a heads up.”

  “What is it?”

  “Leo Tedesco escaped from custody a couple of hours ago. I know you testified against him at his trial, and I thought you should know.”

  Uncle Joey froze. He hadn’t thought about Leo Tedesco for years. Not much could render him speechless, but this news was about as bad as they came. “I appreciate that. How did he get out? Was it an inside job?”

  “We don’t think so. It looked like a crime of opportunity. He was in the hospital for some tests and overpowered his guard, killing him and a police officer to escape. By the time we mobilized our forces, he was gone. He took the guard’s gun, so he’s armed as well, but we can’t imagine he’ll get far. Since you’re the one who put him in prison, we thought you should know.”

  Uncle Joey sighed. This was terrible news. “What kind of tests? He must not be too sick if he overpowered a guard.”

  I picked up from Dimples that he wasn’t sure it was something he could tell Uncle Joey, but it looked like the guy had been diagnosed with lung cancer. “I don’t know the diagnosis for sure, but once it’s confirmed, I’ll let you know.”

  Uncle Joey wasn’t sure he believed him, but nodded politely. “Please keep me informed. I’d like to know if you catch him.”

  “I will,” Dimples agreed. “There’s an all-points bulletin out on him, and we’ve got everyone we can spare looking for him, so I don’t think you have to worry. We’ll catch the guy.”

  Dimples was thinking that this was also more of a courtesy call, since none of the police really cared if Uncle Joey got killed. But there was always collateral damage, and Dimples worried about me. He’d come to tell Uncle Joey in order to keep me from getting caught in the cross-fire, if it came to that.