by Cat Johnson
Matt continued, “But she definitely didn’t kill him. Word would have gotten out if he’d died. He’s too big a name for it not to.”
Too big. Great. Why couldn’t Nicki’s father have pissed off a small-time gangster instead?
“So we can’t just make him disappear is what you’re saying,” Jack guessed.
“As much as we’d all like to, no. He’d be missed. But I have an idea on that front. If you agree, Jack. This is your deal.” Matt waited a beat.
Jack accepted his role as leader of this operation with a nod. “A’ight. What’ve you got?”
“I’ve hacked into Tony’s accounts. Ridiculously easy. I thought mobsters would have better tech guys, but apparently not.” Matt shook his head.
“They hire guys like Paulie the Pudge and Vinnie Don’ Kno’ and you think they’re going to have state-of-the-art internet security?” Trey raised a brow.
“Okay, you got me there. Anyway, he’s got his fingers in businesses all over Long Island. There’s a paper trail of dirty money and how he launders it a mile wide. All I have to do is drop an anonymous tip to the IRS and FBI and this guy is going away on tax evasion and racketeering for life.”
Jack frowned. “I don’t want anything that can be linked back to Nicki. Those guys can do damage even while behind bars.”
“There’s no way he can trace it to Nicki or her father. In fact, I can bounce it from his computers so it looks like one of his own men turned on him.” Matt’s face glowed with satisfaction beneath the light of the kerosene lamp.
Jack considered Matt’s solution. Non-violent. It couldn’t be traced to Nicki and it would give this guy what he deserved—life in prison. “Do it.”
“All right. Now for some fun.” Matt rubbed his hands together, bent lower over the screen and started tapping away again just as Jack’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled it out and saw Jimmy’s name on the display. Jack answered but didn’t bother with a hello. “Jimmy, where are you and Mama?”
“I pulled some strings with a friend and she and Aunt Lydia are spending the next few days on a riverboat, wining, dining and gambling. I figured they’d be safer in a public place than at Aunt Lydia’s house way off in the country. Jared and the boys are hiding in the barn, well armed, in case these idiots get any ideas about getting to us by hurting the horses or burning us out.”
Shit. Jack hadn’t even considered the safety of the animals in his worry about Nicki and his family. “Good thinking. Where are you now?”
“I’m driving around town with the two New York idiots tailing me. I lost them on the way to drop off Mama, then I picked them up again on the road in front of the farm.”
“What?” Jack ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Why couldn’t Jimmy just do as he’d asked? “Why didn’t you stay with Mama where it’s safe?”
“And miss all the excitement? Hell no. Besides, these guys are fun to mess with. They really think I haven’t made them. So far they’ve followed me to the drive-up ATM, the diner for some coffee-to-go, and we even pulled up outside the late show at the drive-in theater and watched the movie for a bit. What do you want me to do with them now?”
Jack rolled his eyes. These gangsters did seem too dimwitted to be much of a danger against a trained operative like Jimmy, but he wasn’t willing to risk anyone by betting on that.
Not to mention that Jimmy was still recuperating. The doctor would definitely not approve of this latest activity. “You’re supposed to be resting, not acting as bait for two mobsters.”
Jimmy laughed. “Yeah. Two of the stupidest mobsters on earth, so don’t worry. Just tell me what to do. Are you guys set up? Do you want me to lead them there to the cabin?”
Jack shook his head. “I’d rather not do this at the cabin. Nicki’s here.”
Trey touched his arm to get his attention. “If we don’t do this here, we’ll have to either split up or leave Nicki here alone.”
Jack breathed in deep. He definitely wanted to be in on bringing down these two, but there was no way he was going too far from Nicki’s side either. He had no choice but to agree to Jimmy’s plan. “All right. Give us ten minutes and then lead them here.”
“Great! See you then.”
Jack could hear his brother’s excitement through the cell phone. Shaking his head, he said, “See you. And be careful.”
Trey was laying the spare weapons and flak jacket he’d brought for Jack out on the table when Matt closed his laptop triumphantly.
“Done. One mobster down, two to go.” Matt slipped his arms through his own bulletproof vest and then began checking his weapon. “And for once, I get to be in on the real action instead of stuck in a van full of computers somewhere.”
“So glad I could help entertain you, Matt.” Jack scowled, getting pretty tired of everyone enjoying this so much when all he could do was worry about Nicki and wish this bullshit was over already. “Now here’s the plan—we set up outside in the trees. We take these two down before they ever hit the front porch or set foot near Nicki.”
“Take them down how, Jack? What are we aiming to end up with here, bodies or prisoners?” Trey asked.
Good question. What sort of force was warranted? Usually this kind of decision was the commander’s, or Central Command’s. Jack was just considering that when the sound of tires on the road had all three of their heads snapping up.
“Car,” Matt announced, not that the rest of them hadn’t already heard it.
Jack killed the kerosene lamp, grabbed the handgun and stood behind the door. “That was not ten minutes and that doesn’t sound anything like my brother’s truck.”
Trey closed his flak jacket and turned to face Matt, whose weapon was already out. “You remember how to shoot that thing?”
Matt didn’t have time to answer because Nicki chose that moment to sit straight up. “Jack? What’s happening?”
“Darlin’, I need you to get up, go into the bathroom and lay down in that old cast iron bathtub. Don’t move until I come and get you. Okay?”
Trusting she’d do as she was told, Jack turned his attention back to the looming threat outside. Pressed against the wall, he snuck a quick glance out the window in time to see Bobby Barton getting out of his sheriff’s vehicle.
“Dammit.” Jack hadn’t seen Bobby in years, and yet here he was for the second time in one night. Jack strode to the doorway, cracked it open and called out, “Bobby Barton, get your butt inside right this minute. We have a situation here.”
Bobby glanced around him before approaching the cabin and slipping inside the doorway. He blinked in the darkness. “I got a call that a strange car was driving on the private road toward your cabin.”
His eyes must have eventually gotten used to the dim moonlight that filtered into the cabin through the windows, because he looked from one black-clad figure to the next to the last. “Uh, Jack? What’s going on here? You’re not a member of one of those radical groups that wants to blow up the government or something, are you?”
Jack would have laughed at that if he weren’t so wired. “No, Bobby. You know I’m military. We work for the government, not against it.”
“I know that, Jack. But you have to admit this looks pretty strange.” Bobby eyed Matt and Trey, suited up for battle, right down to night vision goggles.
Jack couldn’t blame Bobby for being doubtful. It wasn’t like this was an official operation by any stretch of the imagination.
“Deputy Bobby Barton, this here is Matt and Trey. They’re a couple of my teammates. I called them because we’ve got two New York mobsters out to hurt Nicki. Right now they’re following Jimmy and he’s leading them here so we can ambush them.”
And since local law enforcement was now on the scene, they all had the answer to the previous question. They’d have to take these guys alive.
The only remaining dilemma was what the hell were they going to do then? This wasn’t a government-sanctioned mission, but it involved
four special operatives who needed to stay off the radar and out of the local papers.
“Hey, Bobby. Wouldn’t it look really good for your career if you took these two bad guys down all on your own?”
Bobby glanced again at the three. “Yeah, Jack, I suppose it would.”
Jack smiled as a plan presented itself . . . right before all hell broke loose.
The sound of screeching tires cut through the night. Jack moved to the window as Jimmy’s truck fishtailed around the corner. A big, black car followed shortly behind him.
Since this was by no means a road and they were in the marshlands, the car didn’t stand a chance when the driver strayed too far off the path. Soon the car’s tires were spinning in the mud, giving Jimmy just enough time to jump from his truck and dive into the front door of the cabin.
“Dammit, Jimmy! Be careful of your spleen,” Jack yelled when Jimmy hit the floor with a tuck and roll.
“I’m fine. Hey, Trey, Matt. Bobby, how the hell are you?” Jimmy brushed himself off and pulled his weapon from the ankle holster.
“Good, Jimmy. You?” Bobby responded.
“Never felt better.” Jimmy grinned.
Jack smothered a groan as he glanced from one to the other. “Everyone all caught up? Now who’s got a plan? Because idiot number one and idiot number two just got out of the car.”
The two mobsters ducked behind the hood of their vehicle until only the tops of their heads and their overly big and showy guns were visible.
Jack couldn’t help but think what a perfect target they would make for a sniper’s rifle. The idiots didn’t even know enough to stay down. Duck and cover must have been in the mob handbook they didn’t bother to read.
Through the night air, Jack heard their conversation clearly since they didn’t seem to know enough to keep their voices down either.
“What do we do now?” one asked.
“Tell them we want Nicki,” the other answered.
“But, Paulie, how do we know she’s in there?”
“Use your brain, Vin. They must have her stashed in the shack. Why else would that hick from the farm come here after we showed up asking about her?”
“Hick?” Jimmy’s unhappy sounding whisper filled the cabin.
Jack shushed him and strained to hear Vinnie’s reply, though he liked them calling his family’s cabin a shack about as little as Jimmy liked being called a hick.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right, Paulie. Okay. I’ll ask them to send her out.”
“No, I’ll ask. You’ll probably fuck it up.” At that point in the conversation, Paulie actually stood, leaving himself totally exposed. “Hey! Give us the girl and nobody gets hurt.”
Jack sighed as their opponents’ idiocy seemed to increase. His finger on the trigger itched as he longed to teach the man a lesson. Maybe he could give the guy’s hair just a little trim on top with a well placed bullet.
He restrained himself and decided to answer their insane request instead. “Sure, hold on a sec. I’ll go get her for you.”
Vinnie stood too as Paulie yelled back, “Okay.”
Jack glanced over his shoulder at his team. “Do these assholes really think we’re gonna do that?”
Jimmy let out a short laugh. “I told you they’re not the sharpest tools in the shed.”
Bobby took a step forward. “I’m going to have to inform them I’m in here, Jack. I’m an officer of the law.”
“Go ahead. They obviously didn’t notice the big white sheriff’s vehicle with the lights on top, so you’d better say something.” Jack couldn’t help but let out a laugh himself. This situation was absolutely surreal.
“Hey, do you have the cops in there with you?” the skinny one asked.
Trey snorted. “I guess they’re not quite as dumb as you thought.”
Jack shook his head at the sheer stupidity of their question. “What do you think?” he yelled back.
“I don’ know. You tell me.”
Trey outright laughed at Vinnie Don’ Kno’s response while Matt blew out a huff of air. “Shit. They’re too dumb for me to even shoot. It wouldn’t be a fair fight.”
Bobby moved closer to the door. “I’m a local deputy sheriff. If you lay down your weapons and surrender peacefully, we’ll go easy on you. But if you insist on firing upon an officer of the law, I will fire back. This is fair warning.”
Jack was impressed. Bobby sounded very official. Much more imposing than in their youth. The memory of Bobby bent over, puking after a beer chugging contest at a graduation party briefly crossed Jack’s mind.
There was silence for a moment, so Jack risked a quick peek out the window. “Uh, oh. The two idiots are whispering to each other about something.”
“Jack?”
At the sound of Nicki’s voice, Jack spun to see her standing in the doorway of the bathroom.
“Jesus. Darlin’, get down. This ain’t over yet.”
“But—”
“Please.” Jack wasn’t above begging and pleading at this point. “I promise I’ll get you when it’s over.”
Nicki planted both hands on her hips and Jack suspected she wasn’t going without a fight. “Jack, I’ve been dealing with these guys for a lot longer than you have.”
“I understand that, but you’re not in New York anymore. You’re in my town now. Let me handle this.”
She hesitated with one hand poised on the doorknob. “Promise me you won’t get hurt?”
Hurt? By these guys? Jack laughed. “I promise. Now go back in the bathroom, close the door and get inside that tub. Okay, darlin’?”
Finally she nodded and said, “Okay.”
“Is that the looker you were parked naked with by the river tonight?” Bobby whispered after Nicki had disappeared into the bathroom.
Jack cringed. He could only imagine the reaction on the faces of Trey, Matt and especially Jimmy.
Jimmy muttered a cuss beneath his breath and said, “Now I owe Jared twenty bucks.”
Knowing he shouldn’t ask because he likely wouldn’t like the answer, Jack said anyway, “Why?”
“Jared said you’d have her naked before week’s end.”
“We weren’t naked.” Jack ground his teeth.
“Well, no. Not totally, but from the waist up you both were,” Bobby clarified.
“Really? Excellent. That might not count. Maybe I didn’t lose after all.” Jimmy sounded hopeful.
Feeling spiteful, Jack decided to burst his brother’s bubble. “You lose anyway. We went skinny dipping in the pond this afternoon.”
Jack smiled in victory at Jimmy’s second cuss in the dark.
Trey moved closer. “Hey, so what’s going on with you and Nicki?”
Good question. Bad timing. They had two idiots outside, still muttering to each other about what to do next, and Jack and his team were inside gossiping like this was the local hair salon.
“You think maybe we can talk when this is all over with?” Jack asked. Perhaps when there weren’t two armed goons intent on getting to Nicki. Maybe by then, Jack would have an answer to Trey’s question because he sure as hell didn’t have one now.
Matt glanced out the window, then pulled back. “We appear to be at a standoff, boys.”
“I could call for backup,” Bobby suggested.
“This is gonna be hard enough to explain. I mean, all of us, here and armed.” Jack nodded toward his teammates.
Bobby sighed. “You’re right.”
“Jack, I have an idea.” It seemed Nicki was determined not to stay safe in the tub as he’d asked her to. She came out of the bathroom, squatted and crab-walked her way across the floor to him.
At least she hadn’t stood in front of the window and made herself a nice target. He let out a patient sigh. “Okay, darlin’. What’s your idea?”
“I want to talk to them.”
“You aren’t going outside.” His voice sounded a bit more feral than he expected.
“I’ll yell from here.”
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He let out another breath of frustration. “All right. Give it a try if you think it will help.” He supposed it couldn’t hurt.
“Hey, guys!” She yelled from the floor.
“Nicki, baby. Come on out. Tony misses you,” Paulie the Pudge called back.
“Yeah, I really miss him too, but I got to tell you something. I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t.”
“What’s that, Nicki baby?” Paulie asked.
Was Nicki’s New York accent getting stronger just from talking to these two? Even so, Jack was happy to see they were responding well to her.
“Remember a few months back, when Tony was screwing around with Johnny Bag-o-Doughnuts’ wife?”
“Johnny Bag-o-Doughnuts?” Jack whispered to Nicki.
She shrugged. “He likes doughnuts.”
“Yeah,” Paulie said.
“Well, when Johnny found out and accused Tony, Tony said it was you she was fooling around with. So Johnny told your wife and that’s why she left you.”
“What? My bitch wife got the house and half my money in that settlement. You sure about this, Nicki?”
“Paulie, I was Tony’s hostage for a week. You hear things. Guards forget you’re there and talk. I’m sure.”
“Son of a bitch. But what am I supposed to do about this? I can’t cross Tony. He’d kill me.”
“You could both drive away from here and forget you ever found me,” Nicki suggested. “You may not be able to confront him, but you sure don’t want to make him happy by bringing me back, do you?”
Jack heard Paulie ask Vinnie, “What do you think?”
“I don’ know,” Vinnie answered predictably.
“I was wrong. This is worse than a really bad movie,” Trey mumbled from a dark corner.
Paulie and Vinnie seemed to reach some decision and he yelled, “If we forget we saw you, will this here deputy forget he saw us?”
Jack raised a brow in question. “Bobby?”
Bobby shook his head. “I wouldn’t know how to explain this in a report anyway.” He moved closer to the window. “You drive straight out of here, cross my county line and don’t look back and I’ll pretend I never saw you.”
