He removed her hand from his arm. “Thanks, but no. Once I get rid of her, as you say, I’m going back to Miami.” He paused for a significant second and added, “On a different airline.”
He nudged Quincy forward, and they made their way to the bridge and up into the terminal. When they got inside the building, Quincy said, “That was kind of harsh, wasn’t it? A different airline?”
“You sure are forgiving. She didn’t want to get you any help earlier.”
“Nothing to forgive. She was just put out. She wanted you and saw me as the impediment. I’m not, of course, but that’s how she saw it.”
“What do you mean?”
“A woman knows when another one is eyeing a man. Even if she hadn’t been so blatant, I could’ve told you she was on the make.”
“No. I mean, what do you mean you weren’t the impediment?”
“I’m not the reason you turned her down. We both know that.”
“Do we?”
She looked at him sideways as they walked but he stayed silent.
As they continued toward the arrivals area to the ground transportation hub, Finn said, “You ready for this? I’m sure once we get through the secured area, there will be media. I bet they knew as soon as you left Bali that you’d left. And when you’d get here.”
“Gotta do it sometime, and since we ate a long time ago, I shouldn’t vomit.” She smiled the first real smile since she’d gotten on Percy’s Lear jet so many days ago. “Now’s as good a time as any. I can’t live in the airport, after all.”
“Then let’s do it.” He reached to open the door that led out to the unsecured area of the airport.
She put her hand on his to stop him. “Can I ask you something first?”
“Sure. You know you can. You know you can ask me anything, Q.” He led her to the side wall out of the way of the crowds.
“No, Finn, I don’t know. Remember, we don’t know each other anymore. But I have to know what’s next. What’s gonna happen to me now?” She looked down at her hands. “I mean, I see there’s no cuffs on me now, but there are still charges pending against me. Am I going to jail from here? Are you really dropping me off and going back to Miami?”
“No, you’re not going to jail. We’re taking you to a safe house. We want you to testify against Percy Hicks.”
She gaped at him. “I don’t know anything about him. Not that I can testify about. All I know is he’s an antiques dealer.”
Finn looked at her. “Let’s talk about this at the safe house. Over food. Quietly and rationally. Not in the middle of an airport.”
Her chin jutted out. “Fine.”
“I know that look, Quincy. Let’s get you out of here before you start yelling at me. That temper of yours scares me sometimes.”
She looked at him and grinned. “You don’t scare, cop. You’re a big, bad Special Agent, remember?”
He smiled. “Glad you seem to be getting some of your spirit back, sweetheart.” He opened the door.
They went down the ramp to the baggage claim area. He was right. The media was out in force. Cameras and microphones were shoved in her face. He grabbed her hand to lead her through the gauntlet. She tugged on his hand and tried to pull hers away. “Let me do this, Finn.”
Quincy stopped, let go of Finn’s hand and said to the gathered crowd, “I’m gonna say this once, so get it now or never. I’m innocent. I had no idea that the plane I was to come home on had any illegal items on it. I’m determined to prove my innocence. I refer all questions to my agent.” She turned to Finn. “We’re done here. Get me out of this place.”
class=WordSection5> Finn grabbed her by the elbow, and his professional training took over. He had her out the door and down to the taxi line in fifteen seconds flat.
They stood in the line of about thirty people. Percy Hicks, dressed in a four thousand dollar suit, walked up. “Quincy?”
Finn said, “What are you doing here?”
Percy stood taller and looked down his nose at Finn. “Do I know you? Who the hell are you?”
“I’m your worst nightmare.” Finn’s hands made fists at his sides.
Quincy said, “Stop. Both of you.”
Percy looked at her and tilted his head to the side. “Can I talk to you alone?”
“Hell, no, you can’t.” Finn growled.
“Like I said, mate, who are you? And why are you with my fiancée? You some kind of guard dog?” He turned to Quincy. “Who is this bloke?”
Finn flashed his ATF badge. “I’m Agent Smith, and your fiancée is in my custody.”
“I see no handcuffs on her.” Percy sneered at Finn and sniffed audibly.
Finn took Quincy by the elbow. “Let’s go.” He moved forward in the line.
Quincy stood in place and didn’t move. When Finn looked back at her, she said, “Let me talk to him a moment. Then I’ll be ready to go with you.”
He leaned in and said, “I’m not sure this is in your interest. Talking to him, that is.”
“I need to do this, Finn,”
He nodded his consent, and they stepped out of line.
Quincy and Percy walked over to the concrete wall and stood facing each other with their shoulders touching the façade of the building.
Finn kept an eye on them but didn’t get close enough to overhear. He muttered to himself, “Hope she’s dumping the bastard. In his damn expensive suit and shoes. Looking like a model. Yep, I can see the attraction for her. After the big cop, a dignified svelte dude would be her next choice.”
Finn snorted. He took out his cell phone and punched in a number. He talked on the phone as he watched the interaction between Quincy and what he hoped was her former fiancé.
* * * *
“You came all the way here to Los Angeles to see me?”
“Of course I did. Don’t you remember? We have a date. You were going to win a championship, and we were going to meet here and dine.” He lowered his voice. “And make love.”
She stared at him as if he’d just stripped and jumped in the Trevi Fountain in Rome. “Are you insane? Have you no idea where I’ve been? Hell, where your Lear Jet is? You know that big flying thing you paid a fortune for?”
Percy patted her arm. “Yes, I know. I know. But it’s fine. No harm done.”
Her eyes bugged out. “No harm? What are you talking about?”
“Sometimes mistakes are made. It’s the cost of doing business.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. Was he confessing to gun running? “Percy, what are you saying?”
He shrugged. “I’m saying it’s all gonna work out. I’ll get the plane back. You’ll see. It’s all a mistake. Sorry you got caught in the middle, but it’s a mistake.”
“You’re sorry I got caught in it? Why didn’t you come to straighten the mistake out?”
“Sorry, darling. Couldn’t risk it. They might have thought I was involved.”
“So it was all right for me to sit in an Indonesian jail, but you couldn’t risk it for yourself?” Her voice rose on the last word.
Finn made a move toward her at the sound of her raised voice. She noticed and waved him off.
Percy said, “I’ve got to admit, you’re stronger than me. Raised in a way I wasn’t. I couldn’t have done jail time. I admire that you could come through it unscathed. You look great. Except, of course, it seems something will have to be done about your hair.” He flicked her matted hair and made a face.
“What the hell do you mean that I was raised in a way you weren’t? Are you saying I’m lower class than you?”
“Of course not, darling, but you have to admit, you were raised by middle class people.” He touched her hand that hung at her side.
“Percy, you’re making this worse on yourself. You need to just shut up.”
Offended, he said, “Did you just tell me to shut up?”
“Yeah, I did.”
She turned to walk away, and he grabbed her upper arm. “I’m not done. I want you to lose
your cop over there and come home with me. Come home to England. Right now.”
“I can’t do that yet.” She removed his hand from her arm. She knew Finn was getting impatient and would interrupt any second. Sooner if he thought she was in danger from Percy.
“Why not?”
“I’m still in custody, and there are still charges pending against me. I have to deal with that first.”
“Like I told your bulldog over there,” He pointed a thumb at Finn. “I don’t see any cuffs.” He smiled a smile she’d never thought of as smarmy before, but now it screamed jerk to her. “When will you come?”
“Next week.”
“And then we will make love? Get married?”
“Yes. We’ll still have the wedding.” She tried not to wince as she said the words. Not while I’m still breathing, asshole. You’ll never touch me again if I can help it.
Percy took her hand, pulled it to his lips and kissed it. “See you next week, then, my love.”
Quincy willed herself not to wipe her hand on her pants leg. She turned and walked over to Finn. “Ready?”
He peered at her face. “Ready.” He held his arm out, and she took it. They walked back over to the cab line that was now empty and hailed a taxi to what Quincy thought would be the safe house.
* * * *
Finn had the cabbie drive them to the local Federal office building where the nearest ATF office was headquartered. It was a long drive from the airport to the offices in Glendale. Quincy sat silent for most of the ride. Seeing Percy again was hard. He looked so handsome and debonair. He was a gorgeous man with his light brown hair and brown eyes to match. A gorgeous man with no soul. She wanted to vomit. What an attitude he had. So blasé about her ordeal. That hurt. A lot. The nerve of him to say what he’d said. I could handle it better than him indeed. We’ll just see about that when I nail his ass.
Finn interrupted her thoughts. “Why so quiet, Q?”
“Just thinking.” She stared straight ahead at the back of the cab driver’s head.
“About testifying?”
“No. About my life and where to go from here.”
“You need to help us put Hicks away. We both know it.”
She twisted in the seat and faced him. “Finn. I have nothing that’ll help you. You were a homicide cop for years. You know you have to have evidence. Real evidence. Not just the fiancée of the accused to take the stand and whine about her problems in Bali. That proves nothing against Percy, and you know it. You said it yourself on the plane. The flight plans were filed in my name. All the evidence you have right now points to me. That’ll get you exactly nowhere.”
She reached over and tapped his hand where it rested on his thigh. “You’re blinded by the need to take him down for some reason, but you’ll have to do it without me. I have nothing to offer. Nothing.”
He looked at her, willing her to help him. “I think you probably do. You just don’t know what you know.”
“Bull. The man never shared anything about his work with me. Even the auction house. I visited his family once in London, and we went to the auction house only one time the whole trip. On that visit, I walked around and looked at the oil paintings that were to go under the hammer that weekend while he made some calls in his office. I wasn’t even in the room where he was.”
She shrugged. “I can’t get up on the witness stand and say anything that will help you. All I’ll accomplish is making what you tell me is a very bad person mad at me. And then what?”
“You could go into witness protection.”
She shook her head, emphatically. “Uh-uh, no way.”
“Why not?”
“Why not give up my life? Give up my job, my friends, my very identity? I dunno, Finn, you tell me.”
“To put away someone who kills people every day with his illegal weapons? You know you hate guns and all they stand for. After your parents died—”
She interrupted him. She did not want to talk about her parents. “Did you go deaf in the last two years? What part of I have no useful information don’t you get? I’m not giving up my life for no reason. I won’t.” She shook her head again.
They had pulled in front of the Federal office building, and Finn opened the car door. He reached over the seat and paid the fare. He stepped from the car and reached back in to assist her. She ignored his extended hand, slid across the seat and out of the car.
“Why the Federal building? I thought we were going to a safe house.”
“I have to report in. Show the Special Agent in Charge that you’re here. And I thought you might want to get your baggage. Marta brought it.”
“Marta’s here? Wonderful, I can’t wait to see her.”
He nodded. “I called her while you were speaking to Hicks. And speaking of him, another reason we’re here is to change vehicles and get you to the safe house without being followed.”
“You think Percy followed us here?”
“I’m quite sure of it.” He took her elbow. “Let’s get inside.”
Finn walked her across the sidewalk and opened the door. Before she went in, she heard a clap of thunder. She looked up at the sky. “Looks like rain on the way. I thought it didn’t rain in this part of the state.”
“I think it’ll blow over fast. C’mon, let’s report in so we can go.”
She got back to the prior discussion. “Why do you think Percy followed us?”
“Because he’s a criminal, and he thinks you’re gonna rat him out.”
“And you think he’s gonna try to stop me?”
They arrived at the security gate and Finn flashed his ID. The officer in charge let them through. Bypassing the magnetometer, Finn escorted her to the escalator. Once they’d stepped on, he responded, “Yeah. I think if he thinks you’re going to talk, he’s going to stop you.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that.”
“Why?” He looked at her askance. “I think I do need to worry about it, Q.”
“Don’t think so. You see, he thinks I’m coming to London as soon as I can next week. To marry him.”
“What?” His voice cracked. “Are you crazy? After all you’ve just been through because of him? You can’t be serious.” He gaped at her.
“Oh, I most assuredly am serious about going to London.”
They walked off the escalator and to the door of the ATF offices. “I can’t believe you.” Finn ran his hand through his hair. “Was all that carrying on when we were on the plane an act? I wouldn’t have believed it. It seemed real enough.”
“No. It was not an act.” She shook her head and then thought about what he’d said. “I did not carry on.”
“Yeah, you did.”
Before she could respond, another agent walked up and grabbed the door knob. “You going in—” He looked at Finn, then at Quincy.
Finn held out his hand. “Special Agent Smith. Fennimore Smith, SouthFlorida field office.”
The man let go of the door knob and shook Finn’s hand. “Robert McAdams. We’ve been expecting you.” He looked down at Quincy. “This our little gun runner?”
Quincy pulled herself up to her full five-foot-four inch height. “Hey—”
Finn interrupted, “Quincy Holt, this is officer McAdams.”
“So I heard.” She made a face. “Let’s get this part of the humiliation over with.” She turned the knob and walked through the door.
As soon as Quincy stepped into the office, she heard a squeal. “Quincy, Quincy, oh thank God.” Marta grabbed her in a bear hug.
“Oof.” The air whooshed out of Quincy’s lungs, and she tapped Marta on the back. Her voice muffled in the shoulder pad of her agent’s suit jacket, “Let me go. I can’t breathe.”
Marta pulled back and searched her client’s face. “You all right? God, I was so worried. Gee. What did they do to you? Your hair looks like hell. You’ve got no makeup on. Dear God, Quincy, what’s going on?”
Quincy laughed. A real laugh, from her belly,
and grabbed her agent. This time, she was the one to hug someone too hard. “Thank God some things don’t change. You have to stop between sentences to breathe, Marta.”
“No time for that. Not when there are questions to be answered.” Marta hugged her again. “Thank God you’re home.”
“Hello, Marta. Remember me?” Finn interjected.
She let go of her client and eyed Finn. “Yes. I remember you, you handsome devil. You were such a nice man. Before you broke my friend’s heart, that is.”
Finn stood silent at that remark, and Quincy took pity on him. “Finn, is there a place I can talk to Marta for a minute before I give my statement?”
“Let me find out. This isn’t my territory.” He walked over to Special Agent McAdams and spoke to him for a minute. When he came back, he pointed across the room to a closed door. “There’s a room right over here. I’ll take you in, and you can talk to Marta a minute. But then it’s time to get serious.”
She saluted him. “Aye, aye.”
“Smart ass.”
“That’s me,” she said over her shoulder as she walked over to the room with Marta on her tail. She opened the door, and they went in.
The interrogation room looked a little cozier than the one in Bali, but not much. This one at least had carpet on the floor and a wooden table. And most importantly, an American Flag in the room and pictures of the President of the United States and the seal of the Department of Justice on the walls. Quincy looked around before she sat “Just wanted to ask you about the sponsors. Is that all over? I’m sure BongoMongo bailed. Used the morals clause I wasn’t concerned about. But what about Silver Liquid?”
Marta sat on the corner of the table. “Yep, Murray said he wants out. I’m trying to get them to wait until we can get the charges dropped, but he’s making a lot of noise about your squeaky clean image being tarnished.”
“Marta, what about Silver Liquid?”
Chantal, Jillian - Surfer Bride (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 12
