by Cat Johnson
Chapter Five
Two things hadn’t happened to Jack since he was a teenager. The first, being with a girl and coming before he even got his pants off. The second, getting busted by the cops, half-naked in a car with said girl. And yet here he was, in his thirties and reliving his teens.
He managed to find his T-shirt and drape it over Nicki’s bare breasts before the sheriff leaned down and peered into the open passenger window. The cops had always been considerate about giving you a few seconds to cover up.
“Jack Gordon. Is that you?” The flashlight blinded him, but he recognized the voice immediately.
Frowning, he shielded his eyes against the glare with his hand. “Bobby Barton? Is that you? A sheriff? You got to be kidding me.”
The light switched off and Bobby leaned a forearm in the open window. “Deputy sheriff actually. What’re you doing back here? You home for good?”
Jack overcame the surreal feeling of having a conversation with an old school chum while holding a topless Nicki in his lap, all the while ignoring his own now warm and wet boxer shorts. “Nah, I’m home on furlough for two weeks.”
Bobby nodded. “How’s your mama? And Jared and Jimmy? I heard Jimmy got a bit banged up.”
“Yeah, he’s recovering. Everybody’s fine.” Enough with the chit-chat. Jack had a girl in his lap, but it was as if Bobby hadn’t noticed.
“So, who’s your friend?”
Or maybe he had.
“Um, this is Nicki Camp. Jared hired her to help around the farm. She’s great with the horses.” Yeah, this wasn’t too weird at all.
Bobby extended his hand. “Nice to meet ya, Nicki.”
Nicki had to clutch his T-shirt to her chest with her left hand while pulling back from Jack far enough to shake Bobby’s hand with her right. “You too.”
Jack had to smile. This girl was a trooper.
“It was good seeing you again, Jack. I’ll radio to the other car and tell them to give you two some privacy.” Bobby—thank God—was finally wrapping this up.
“Thanks, Bobby, but I think we’re about to head home.” Privacy or not, Jack wasn’t about to continue anything with Nicki here.
Bobby nodded. “All right, then. Night, Jack. Night, Nicki.”
Nicki nodded back as Jack answered. “Night, Bobby.”
When the sheriff’s car pulled away, Jack let out a long, slow breath and dared to look at Nicki’s face. He felt her shaking and realized she was silently laughing, and then not so silently. Jack joined her until he had to wipe his eyes.
He finally caught his breath enough to speak. “I was going to ask if you were all right, but I guess you are.”
With the back of one hand, Nicki swiped at her own eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing, but this is the craziest thing that has happened to me in a long time.”
He ran a hand up and down the bare skin of her back. “Don’t apologize. It’s good to see you laugh. But besides good old Bobby, are you okay with…you know…what happened between us?”
She nodded, more serious now. “Yeah. That was pretty crazy too, but I’m fine. Are you?”
“Besides performing like an untried youth—” and really needing to get out of his boxers, “—yeah, I’m fine. I usually do have a bit more finesse. I promise.”
“You’ll have to show me some time.” She smiled and leaned in, planting a quick, light kiss on his lips.
With that, just like when he was a teenager, Jack was hard as a rock again. “Let’s get out of here.”
It was time to go home and hopefully get naked someplace private so they could get to know each other better.
They pulled their shirts back on. Jack moved Nicki over slightly and slid back into the driver’s seat.
Jack started the engine and put a little distance between them and Lover’s Lane. It had been a hell of a good night, but he was old enough now to appreciate the qualities of a good mattress and the privacy of four walls and a door with a lock. He was just about to turn onto the road that led to his mama’s farm, where he hoped to find all those things and more in Nicki’s apartment, when his cell phone rang.
It had to be after twenty-three-hundred hours. The only calls that came that late at night were bad ones. He pulled the cell out of the console and saw Jimmy’s name on the read-out. His heart nearly stopped. What the hell had happened at home?
As fast as he could safely manage it, Jack steered to the side of the road, shifted into neutral and yanked up the emergency break. He flipped open the phone. “Jimmy, what’s wrong?”
“Now, Jack, it could be nothing, but my sixth sense kicked in and I wanted to run it by you right away.”
He finally breathed again. At least the barn wasn’t on fire or something, but Jimmy’s sixth sense was rarely wrong. He’d been on too many missions with Jimmy to ignore his brother’s gut feelings, so this wasn’t good news.
“Okay. What’s the situation?”
“Two thick-necked bruisers in cheap suits stopped by about an hour ago. They spoke like those mob guys in the Godfather movies. They were asking about Nicki.”
Jack’s training kicked in and he started formulating a plan while he turned off the car lights. While cradling the phone on one shoulder, he pulled the car back onto the road. He’d drive Nicki out of state if he had to, but he could not take her home now. “What exactly did you say to them?”
“Nothing. I told them I’d never heard of her. Something’s not right. Who the hell comes knocking unannounced this late? Besides that, I didn’t like the vibe I got from them. I’ve been out of action for a little while, but I’m not stupid. I know Nicki’s hiding something. I figured she was just running from a bad relationship, but if these guys are any indication, she’s in big trouble and needs help.”
“I’m on it. I’m heading for the old hunting cabin. I’ll call Matt and Trey. They’re both still at the base. They can be here in a few hours if they drive fast enough. You get a hold of Jared and explain things. And see if you can get Mama out of the house without scaring her. Send her to Aunt Lydia’s for the next few days.”
Then Jack remembered the physical state his brother was still in. “Go with her, Jimmy.”
“No way.” Jimmy sounded adamant.
That was the exact response Jack expected from him, but he was prepared for it. “Jimmy, they’re probably watching the house. I don’t want Mama driving alone and getting picked up by them.” It was true, but also a way of keeping Jimmy out of harm’s way.
He heard Jimmy huff out a big breath. “All right. Keep in touch.”
“Take your gun with you,” Jack reminded.
Jimmy snorted. “Are you kidding me? I strapped on my holster the moment I closed the door on those guys. I only wish I had my flak jacket here.”
Jack was feeling pretty naked himself without a flak jacket as he wrapped up the call with Jimmy.
Nicki was practically vibrating next to him in the car in obvious reaction to the half of the conversation she’d heard. Taking a deep breath, Jack forced himself to ignore her and stay focused on the task at hand. He hit the speed dial for Matt while driving. His teammate answered after the first ring. You could always count on Matt to be wired for technology at any time of day or night.
“Jack. What’s happening?” Matt’s voice came through the phone sounding wide awake in spite of the late hour.
“It’s come to a head. Two men came to the farm looking for her. We’re safe for now, but I need you and Trey down here ASAP.” They discussed logistics for a minute, then Jack ended the call. This time of night Trey and Matt could break a few speed limits and hopefully cut the drive time down to an hour and a half, barring any radar-happy state troopers.
Two New York mobsters against two, soon to be four, highly trained special operatives. He liked the odds. What he didn’t like was the risk for collateral damage. Nicki, his mama and both his brothers were in danger.
He glanced sideways at Nicki. She was watching him wide-eyed. He sense
d her trembling increase.
“Jack,” she whispered. “What’s happening?”
“That’s what I need you to tell me, darlin’. All of it.”
Please let it not be too bad. He said a quick prayer for her sake as well as his own. He’d let himself get attached to her, and he didn’t think his heart could stand another heartbreak soon.
Nicki’s stomach clenched. She feared she might lose it out the car window as Jack sped down the dark road with the lights turned off. It wasn’t his driving making her feel ill. There was enough moonlight for him to see the road, and he seemed to know where he was going. It was that they had found her somehow. She was no longer safe.
Things were bad. Very bad. And not fifteen minutes ago she had been happy, very happy, in his arms.
Time to tell the truth, before her lies got her and Jack’s entire family killed. She took a deep breath to steady her stomach.
“My real name is Niccolina Campolini. My father breeds and trains racehorses near Belmont Park in Long Island. You’ve heard of Belmont. It’s the third leg in the Triple Crown after the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.”
He glanced quickly at her like she was an imbecile, so she continued. “Sorry, of course you’ve heard of it. Anyway, this guy was putting pressure on my father to throw a race. Tell the jockey to pull up, make the horse lame…whatever. He didn’t care, as long as this horse didn’t win the race. My father was pretty tired of being a pawn for these guys. He’d owed them some money, but he’d paid it all back plus a ridiculous amount of interest. In his mind, his obligation was done, but they kept demanding favors. He decided to end it there and then and his horse won.”
“And they weren’t very happy with him.” Jack was only guessing, but it seemed like a logical assumption.
“No, they weren’t. They took me as collateral so he would have to do what they said and to teach him a lesson for crossing them.” Her voice started to shake.
Jack took his eyes off the road long enough to look at her for a few seconds. He put one hand on her knee and squeezed. “Go on, darlin’. Tell me what happened.”
In the dark, she could see the firm, angry set of his jaw as he waited for her to finish. “The head guy had always liked me, so he decided he would make me his woman, then he would have control over my father forever.”
She glanced at him. This next part was going to be very hard to say, especially to him. Particularly now, after what had happened between them. “I was under constant guard until one night when he summoned me to his bedroom. The arrogant bastard dismissed the guards so we were alone.”
Her heart pounded just remembering it. Jack squeezed her leg again. “Don’t, darlin’. It doesn’t matter what you had to do. You got away. That’s all that matters.”
She shook her head. “No, I need to tell you this. I went along with him until he was…in a vulnerable position. Then I bit him, hard, down there.” Cringing, Nicki remembered too vividly the metallic taste of his blood in her mouth.
The car jerked a bit as Jack’s surprised gaze flew to her. She continued with the sordid tale. “He didn’t even scream for the guards. I guess he was in so much pain. So I grabbed the brass lamp next to the bed and smashed him over the head. I don’t know if I killed him. I didn’t care. I somehow slipped out of the house unnoticed. I ran until I couldn’t run anymore. I stole a woman’s purse at the bus station. I’m not proud of that, but I had nothing with me and I was desperate. I bought a ticket with cash on the next bus heading away from New York.”
They turned onto an unpaved, very bumpy and winding path, not even a road. Jack flipped on the lights again and slowed the car to a crawl. She assumed they were nearing their destination as she finished her confession. “I ended up in Pigeon Hollow with nothing but the clothes on my back and a few dollars in a stolen purse. I heard your brother in the diner saying he wanted to hire more help on his horse farm. Here I am.” She shrugged with the completion of the story.
Jack brought the car to a stop behind an old cabin that looked like it had seen better days. She doubted they’d be found here and that was good enough for her.
He yanked up the brake and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry, darlin’. But you did good. You were very brave.”
“But they found me somehow and now your family is in danger because of me. I should have told you all the truth sooner. I shouldn’t have stayed in one place for so long. I meant to keep moving, but everyone was so nice. Then I met you…”
He pulled back and held her face while he looked at her. “Shhh. Regrets do nobody any good. I’m glad you stayed. I can help you.”
She was about to protest again when he silenced her with one finger on her lips. “Listen to me now. This is what I do. Those guys don’t stand a chance. Trust me.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I do.”
He smiled and kissed her quickly before opening the car door. Then he led them into the dim, musty interior of the cabin.
Chapter Six
“So let me get this straight. The one guy’s name is Paulie the Pudge and the other guy’s name is Vinny Don’t Know?” Trey’s gaze moved from Jack to Matt.
Jack looked up from checking his cell phone for an update from Jimmy and nodded. “That’s what Nicki said.”
Another call to Jimmy had provided Jack with enough of a physical description of the two men for Nicki to identify them. Now Jack’s quickly assembled team had names to go with the bad guys chasing Nicki, but he still didn’t know how they’d finally located her at his family’s farm.
“Yeah, but you got to say it like you’re from Brooklyn. Vinny Don’ Kno’,” Matt, being from New York himself, explained. He’d arrived at the cabin toting his laptop plus a bunch of other electronics and was currently tapping away on the keyboard.
Trey let out a long breath. “This is like a really bad movie.”
Jack glanced over to make sure Nicki was still asleep on the cot in the corner of the cabin. Poor thing was exhausted. He didn’t blame her. She was sleeping so soundly she was snoring lightly. “Matt, what have you got on Vinny and Paulie’s boss? This Tony guy.”
“It looks like he recently dropped out of sight. After what you told me Nicki did to him, I’m sure he crawled away to lick his wounds in private. No mobster would want that story to leak out.”
Jack cringed at the thought of the wounds Nicki had inflicted on Tony. Not that the bastard didn’t deserve that plus more.
Matt continued. “But she definitely didn’t kill him. Word would have got out if he’d died. He’s too big 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.”
“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 by nodding once. “What’ve you got?”
“I’ve hacked into this guy’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 Vinny 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 accounts everywhere. 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 in the lamplight.
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.”
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 flipped it open. “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.”
Jeez. Jack hadn’t even considered the safety of the animals in his worry about Nicki and his family. “Good. Where are you?”
“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 asked? “Why aren’t you staying with Jared or 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 McDonald’s drive-thru, 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, but he wasn’t willing to risk anyone by betting on that. On top of that, Jimmy was still injured. 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?”
He shook his head. “I’d rather not do this at the cabin. Nicki’s here.”
