When she hung up, she put the phone in her pocket and hurried to the bathroom. She’d noticed a window. Pushing it open, she called the cat. Before he could protest, she dropped him outside and climbed after him.
She hit the ground with a soft thud, falling onto the silky sand. From the condo came the sound of a door crashing open. Bullets sprayed the walls.
Before she could even think, she was running to the rental car, the cat at her side.
GOOD GRIEF. I HAVEN’T been shot at in a while, but Miss Shutterbug is doing her best to make sure we come as close to death as possible. She has to realize that she isn’t blessed with nine lives like I am. It would behoove her to use a little more care.
I heard her talking to that Maxim thug, and I honestly didn’t believe my ears. The girl has got a set of brass…Excuse me, I shouldn’t even think such things in polite company. Let’s just say she’s not lacking in courage, but her good sense is in short supply.
At last we made it to the car. I can see those men in the open doorway of the condo.
And thank goodness, here come the police. Blue lights have never looked better. Ah, the bad guys are scattering. There they go, tires squealing, and the cops are after them. Now’s our chance to get in the car and get away from here.
We don’t want to be caught by the bad guys, and we sure as heck don’t want to be picked up by the police, though they might know Lucas.
That’s what we should do. We should go find Lucas. Michelle is too hardheaded to admit that she needs him. In fact, I think she’s more afraid of needing Lucas than she is of Robert Maxim. That tells me she’s got a big old wound that’s in the driver’s seat of her life. I’ve got more hair than Dr. Phil, but I’m just as fast at diagnosing emotional issues.
Okay, so we’re on the road. That’s good. And I see the bay sparkling in the starlight in front of us. So we’re headed west. I wish she’d let me steer. I’d take us straight to Lucas. But since that isn’t going to be the case, I guess I’ll just curl up and take a nap. As soon as she stops again, I’m sure she’ll need me to keep her from getting her butt shot off. Geez, Miss Shutterbug is a whole lot of woman and a whole lot of work.
LUCAS AWOKE TO A RINGING telephone. His cell phone. He found it, feeling the pounding of a fierce headache as he pushed himself off the floor.
“Hello.”
“Lucas, it’s Frank.”
His ex-partner’s voice was a welcome surprise. “Frank, why are you calling?”
“Where the heck are you, man? We picked up a report from the local sheriff’s office in Baldwin County, Alabama. There was an attempted murder in a condo unit rented by Charles and Lorry Kennedy—our only witness against Antonio Maxim.”
Lucas sat down on the edge of the bed. “When?”
“Last night, about ten-thirty. That was the second call for the local sheriff’s department. They’d been there once before, on a call from a neighbor about a fight between some dangerous-looking men. Lorry’s new handler tried to contact her, but she’s not responding. What the heck is going on?”
“There’s trouble, Frank. I lost the photographer.” Lucas gave him a thumbnail account of events. “The photographer slipped me a Mickey.” He felt like a fool confessing it. He’d been sitting across the table from her, watching the candlelight in her hair, the play of shadows on her creamy skin. He’d been an idiot.
“Captain Wells is going to be upset. What are you going to do? Have you heard from the witness?”
“Nothing. She’s on the run. She must know she’s in danger, and Lorry’s smart. She’s a survivor.”
“And this photographer? What about her?”
He wanted to say that when he found her, he’d wring her neck, but he bit back the words. The redhead had frustrated him at every turn. She’d invaded his dreams, making him worry even when he’d been drugged. Besides, he’d never been one to make idle threats. “I’ll find her.”
“It gets worse. Maxim’s lawyer is asking for an expedited appeal. He wants to push it through in two days. We have to have Lorry at that hearing.”
“I know.” The Maxims were smart and deadly. They’d killed his brother in cold blood, knowing he was a police officer. It had been calculated, a clear message to anyone else who tried to interfere in their business.
Frank sighed. “We’ll send a team down there.”
“This is something I need to handle on my own.”
“You’re not a marshal any longer, Lucas. You can’t handle this.”
Lucas swallowed. “Lorry never trusted anyone but me. You know that. I can find her and get her to that hearing. I’m not sure anyone else can.”
“Damn it, Lucas. Without her testimony, Antonio walks.”
“I’m aware of that, Frank. Antonio killed my brother, remember.”
There was a hum on the line before Frank spoke again. “Call me if you need anything. And stay in touch.”
“You bet.” Lucas ended the call. He was torn. He had to assume that Lorry and Michelle were headed in different directions. What course of action would draw the Maxims away from Lorry? As much as he hoped to protect Michelle, Lorry was his priority. She’d sacrificed everything to get justice for his brother.
Chapter Nine
The sun rose above the tops of the pine trees, causing the dew-soaked grass to sparkle. Michelle yawned and sat up in the car. Her body was sore and achy, the result of sleeping in a cramped position on the car seat. Beside her, Familiar batted the door handle to let her know he needed out.
That was fine for him. There were woods everywhere. But she needed running water, a hot shower, and a bathroom. She’d never slept in a car. This wasn’t the life she aspired to.
She’d driven for a couple of hours in sheer terror. The attack by Maxim’s henchmen had brought home the foolishness of her conduct. Yet she couldn’t turn back. She couldn’t simply quit. She’d set this in motion, and she had to try to do something to make it right.
She watched Familiar head into the woods and then return. Good grief. When he got back in the car, he gazed at her, and she thought for a moment that she saw disappointment. Well, he had a right to be disappointed in her. They were both starving. She had a flash of what Marco and Kevin would say if they could see her. If the situation wasn’t so dangerous, it would be funny.
She started the car and drove out of the woods on a search for food. Even in the wilderness, people had to eat. And speaking of wilderness, she’d never seen such vast stretches of trees. The asphalt road wound into the distance, a gray whisper that was lost in the darkness of the woods.
Where was she? Since she didn’t have a map, she didn’t have a clue. The only thing she knew was that she’d followed Interstate 65 North across what was marked as the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. She’d driven another forty miles before she’d taken an exit and found herself in an isolated area.
But she’d passed a restaurant, and that was where she was going. There was no possible way the Maxims had been able to track her. She was safe enough to have some breakfast and wash her face in the bathroom.
“How about some bacon and eggs?” she asked the cat.
“Meow.”
Funny, but it sounded exactly as if he’d said, “You bet.” She stroked his head as she drove along the quiet road and back to the parking lot of Beulah’s Diner.
Even though it was just after six in the morning, two dozen vehicles crowded the small parking lot. When she pushed open the door, a bell jangled and several men looked up at her. She’d had no experience with men dressed in overalls, but she guessed them to be farmers. Others in khakis and suits were probably local businessmen.
She was distinctly out of her element, but she ignored the curious looks and went to a small booth. Familiar had slipped in beside her. It would likely be difficult to explain the cat, but she wasn’t going to eat without him.
A waitress with a name tag that read Donna showed up, pad and pencil in hand.
“Coffee?”
“Please,
” she said.
“That your Seeing Eye cat?” Donna asked.
“Yes. He is. He navigates and I drive.”
Donna’s laughter was rich. “That’s a good one. Beulah isn’t here, or she’d throw him out. Health department violation and all. But what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
“Heavy cream for the cat,” Michelle said. Smiling back at Donna, she felt for the first time in what seemed like ages that maybe things might be okay.
Donna returned with her coffee and cream. “Turn the latch on the bathroom door so that it locks good, and you can wash up a little. I’ll keep an eye on the cat while you’re cleaning up. And I’ll put your order in. By the time you come back, the food should be on the table.”
“Give me the works,” Michelle said. She could eat a cooked pigeon she was so hungry. “And give the cat some…”
“We have some leftover catfish. Delicious. I never met a cat who could turn down Beulah’s fried fish.”
Michelle smiled. “Perfect.”
Familiar was lapping the cream as she hurried into the ladies’ room to do the best she could to straighten herself up.
DEPUTY MARK BEWLEY LET Lucas into the condo. Lucas examined the scene, stifling his twinge of conscience at the fact that he was impersonating a U.S. marshal and taking advantage of a young deputy’s naiveté. As he did a cursory check of the condo, he made the same deductions that the Baldwin County deputies had made. Someone had forced their way through the front door, spraying bullets, while their quarry had escaped out the bathroom window.
According to the deputy, the blood in the bathroom was the result of a prior incident—after Lorry had left the condo and before Michelle arrived. Looking at it, Lucas felt relief. From what he could tell, Michelle hadn’t been injured. And he had no doubt that it was Michelle who’d made her getaway through the window. Lidell, a talkative neighbor, had identified Michelle and even talked about her career as a photographer.
She’d also positively identified Lorry as the woman who’d rented the condo and disappeared before Michelle arrived.
Whatever the redhead was up to, she was making no attempt to disguise who she was.
And that bothered him. He suspected Michelle was using herself as bait. That could ultimately result in grave injuries and possibly death.
Michelle was just smart enough to get herself in serious trouble if she didn’t watch out.
“We matched some of the prints we took in here,” the deputy said. “Couple of thugs out of Texas. You know anything about that?”
How much to tell? “I do,” he said. “Those are hired guns for Antonio and Robert Maxim. Antonio was convicted of capital murder for killing a Dallas police officer working undercover in New York. Antonio’s appeal is coming up, and a witness in the case against him was staying in this condo.” He kept it all business—only the bare facts. He couldn’t afford for the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department to view him as a brother set on vengeance.
The deputy nodded. “How does the photographer fit into all this?”
Lucas wanted to sigh, but he didn’t. “Accidental involvement. Wrong place, wrong time.”
“That’s tough.”
Lucas nodded. “Yeah, it is. If you get any leads on where either the witness or the photographer might have gone, please notify me.” He gave his cell phone number. “Both women are in danger.”
“We’ve got an APB out on the rental car. We’ll check into the DMV records to find out what the witness was driving.”
Those were the basic beginning steps, but Lucas had to take action now. “Thanks. I appreciate the help.”
“When a marshal says he’s on special assignment, we take notice,” the deputy said.
It was only a little white lie that Frank Halcomb had helped him pull off, while diverting Lorry’s new case handler. The problem was that it put Frank in a bad position; he was lying, too, and Frank still had a career to wreck. But without the facade of law enforcement authority, Lucas would never have been allowed into the condo, and he certainly wouldn’t get any assistance in finding Lorry or Michelle. Truth be told, he’d probably be sent packing back to Texas. And he couldn’t let that happen. Time was critical. Antonio’s appeal loomed. Lorry’s life hung in the balance. He’d promised her she would be safe. He’d promised his brother that his killer would pay. And he kept his word. Though one redheaded female photographer was doing everything in her power to prevent him from doing so.
Lucas followed the deputy out of the condo and went to the new rental car. Frank had rented him a second vehicle because the first one had not been returned. Another reason for him to be furious with Michelle.
Instead, he was worried. The hot anger had cooled, and he was left with deep anxiety. For Michelle and for Lorry.
He placed a call to the gallery owner in SoHo, hoping that Michelle had tried there. He had to find her, put her someplace safe, so he could focus totally on Lorry’s safety and getting her to New York for the appeal.
Marco answered on the third ring, and Lucas explained that he was calling on Michelle’s behalf.
“Where is she? We’ve been worried sick,” Marco said. “It isn’t like Michelle to disappear, especially not when her photos have just been hung. I’ve called the magazine. No one has seen or heard from her.”
“I was hoping she’d called you.”
“No. Not a word. Ever since those men came by this morning, I’ve been terribly upset.”
“What men?”
“They were undercover police or something. They said it was urgent they find Michelle.”
Lucas took a breath. “Did they show you any credentials?”
There was a pause. “I didn’t ask, and they didn’t offer. They knew about Michelle and the exhibit, and the fiasco with that wedding picture.”
“Did you show them the photograph of the bride?” Lucas couldn’t be certain what clues were hidden in that picture. It was imperative the Maxims not be allowed to study it.
“Absolutely not! They said they’d come back with a warrant, and I told them to do so, but until I saw the warrant, I refused to let them look at the photograph.”
“That’s good, but you may have put yourself in harm’s way. Those men weren’t federal agents. They’re criminals, and they have no boundaries. They’ll use whatever force is necessary to attain their goal, and you have to know that you’ve stepped right into their path.”
“Michelle is in trouble, isn’t she?” Marco was agitated. “That’s why the bride didn’t want her picture hung or put in the magazine. Oh, my goodness, what has Michelle gotten herself into?”
“Let’s just say that it’s dangerous. You need to get rid of that photograph. Now.” Lucas could see the Maxims torching the photo gallery in an act of revenge. They’d ruled through fear for so long, it was second nature to them.
“Get rid of it how?” Marco asked.
“Take it to the district attorney’s office. Tell them it relates to the capital murder case of Harry West.”
“West? Isn’t that your name?”
“He was my brother.”
“I’m so sorry,” Marco said. “I’ll do what you say.”
“And if Michelle should call you, urge her to get in touch with me. I can protect her.”
“Oh, my,” Marco said. “Michelle is difficult. She has the idea that she has to be this tower of strength. She’s never been able to rely on anyone else.”
“She’s making my job a lot harder than it has to be.”
“I know,” Marco said. “It’s just that her parents…Well, let’s say they don’t approve of anything about her. Any success she has is a fluke, and any failure is what they expect and seem to relish.”
“So you’re telling me that she wouldn’t call her parents if she were in trouble.”
“If hell froze over.”
“Give me their number. You know that, but the Maxim brothers don’t. Michelle’s parents could be their next target.”
WITH
HER FACE WASHED AND her belly full, Michelle felt infinitely better. Familiar snoozed in the sun on the passenger seat of the little car, and she tooled down the highway, wondering what to do next.
There was no sign of the Maxims. She still had the cell phone, and while the cat was asleep, she pulled it out. With the food, her nerve had returned. It was time for another taunting phone call.
One eye on the road and the other on working the phone, she was about to make the call when Familiar reached out a paw and knocked the phone from her hand.
“Hey!” She frowned at him. “That was rude, even for a bossy cat.”
Familiar only gazed at her, and she had the distinct sense that his judgment of her mental abilities was not kind.
The phone had fallen underneath her foot and the accelerator. The road was empty, and she slowed to a near stop before she reached down to fumble for it.
Slippery and difficult to grasp, the phone eluded her.
She cut loose with a string of curse words, which brought a slap on the back of her head from the cat. Stung, she lifted her head in time to see a car speeding toward her.
Familiar jumped at the steering wheel, wrenching it to the right and sending the rental car careering toward a ditch, narrowly avoiding the oncoming car.
Michelle struggled to bring the vehicle to a stop. The cell phone had slipped beneath the brake pedal, blocking it. With a kick, she sent the phone out of the way, stood on the brakes and stopped the car.
As she watched the speeding car depart in the rearview mirror, she heard sirens in the distance. Surely not in response to her near accident. Law enforcement couldn’t have arrived so quickly. Not here, on the back side of nowhere.
She’d just pulled the car back onto the asphalt when she heard a dozen loud pops, like firecrackers.
She hesitated. In the rearview mirror, she saw sheriff’s deputies take cover behind their two vehicles as the car that had nearly run her off the road careened past them. A man hung out the window, a gun extended as he fired at the deputies.
Familiar Vows Page 7
