by Jayne Blue
I nodded. “I’ll just meet you at your place. Should I pack a bag?”
He leaned forward and let his lips graze my temple. “Yeah.”
He pulled away, not giving me any further clue what his plans were. It didn’t matter. For the first time in days, I had something to look forward to.
Beckett straightened, put on his hat, shot me a wink, and walked out the kitchen door.
* * *
I should have been worried about the state of my business at the coffee shop. It was failing. Maybe it was Garnett’s word, maybe it was Tommy, maybe it was just bad luck. But as I threw a change of clothes into an overnight bag, I couldn’t muster the energy to care. I just wanted Beckett. For twenty-four hours or as long as we had together, I wanted to pretend we were the only two people in the world. I could make him understand. I could fix things. I was right about my brother. This was his pattern. He’d mess with me until something else drew his attention away or my father called him back. I just needed time and Beckett’s patience and trust. I prayed I’d earned them.
The shop looked ghostly as I pulled the window shades and checked the locks. Part of me worried I might never open them again. But I couldn’t think about that now. That particular problem would still be there tomorrow.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed for the back door. A warm breeze lifted my hair as I walked outside. I saw a flash of movement to my left. A cat maybe. I turned toward it. An engine roared at the end of the street. It seemed odd, incongruous with the still of the evening. I never made it to the end of the alley.
A hand closed over my mouth and yanked me back into the darkness. I never even had time to scream.
Chapter Eighteen
Beckett
I knew by eight thirty that something was wrong. Hell, maybe I knew it would be even before that. But I felt the heat coming off Lila when I touched her this morning. It burned for me too. This was nuts. It could jeopardize everything I’d built for myself in Crystal Falls. As I sat there staring at the empty pasture in front of me, I got a clarity I hadn’t had since ... maybe never.
I wanted Lila. Plain and simple. The nightmares stopped the moment I touched her. They came back when I let her go.
Eight thirty-two and she still wasn’t here. I took a slow sip of beer then set the amber bottle on the wooden arm of the porch chair. Punching her number in, I waited for it to ring. It never did. Instead, my call went straight to voicemail.
It would take almost fifteen minutes to drive over to her shop. I picked up the phone again and called Crane. The demons were swirling around my heart. Slow. Steady. Think.
“Hey, Boss!” Crane answered, his cheery voice grating on me tonight.
“Hey. You get the answers for that little homework assignment I gave you yesterday?”
Crane went silent. I knew this whole business made him uncomfortable. He was a good man. One of the best I’d ever known. But Crane was used to seeing things in black and white. Good and evil. He didn’t understand how to operate on the edges. He didn’t understand the gray.
“Yeah,” he said. “Two things. There was a navy-blue sedan Kirkus picked up at his checkpoint near the freeway. Followed the Mercedes out of town. It was a rental. Registered to a Damon O’Keefe.”
“Where’d they go, Crane?”
“Now, Beckett ... I told you. They went out of town.”
“Tell me anyway,” I said, raising the beer bottle back to my lips. Here we were, in the gray. Maybe I shouldn’t have even asked Crane to get involved this much. It was because he wouldn’t stay from the lines. I couldn’t trust myself not to follow this lead even before tonight.
“They’re in Austin,” he said. “Staying at the Corbett Arms. Penthouse suite. It’s actually a little away from downtown. Kinda low end for who we’re talking about, if you ask me. I’ve got directions …”
“I know where it is,” I said. “Is that all you know?”
“Well, I mean, I haven’t had anyone tailing Kelly. You never said …”
“It’s fine, Crane. It’s better than fine. I’ll call you in a couple of days.”
“Beckett.” He sighed. “Now you’re not going to go off …”
“Goodbye, Crane.” I clicked off the call. I’d only finished half of the one beer. I poured the rest into the grass. Old instincts buzzed through me. I pushed them down and grabbed my keys off the counter. I hoped to God I was wrong.
* * *
Lila’s shop was dark. She’d put a sign in the window saying she’d be closed for the weekend but open again on Tuesday morning. I peered through a small gap in the blinds. The dining room was deserted and the kitchen doors were shut. I dialed her number again. Still straight to voicemail.
Her little red Honda was parked in her usual spot beside the building. I gritted my teeth as I walked up to it. “Dammit, Lila. Don’t lie to me,” I muttered. “I’ll always know.” I put my hand on the hood of the car. The engine was cold.
I walked around to the back alley. The lock on the back door was easy to pick. I did it without thinking. As I stepped inside, I punched the code into the keypad, disarming her alarm system. The place was dark, clean, and quiet. I wanted to think she’d put things in order so she could spend the time away with me. I wanted to believe everything she’d told me. Except she was gone.
I stood in the empty, quiet kitchen for a few minutes. I could still feel Lila here. I could still smell her. My heart stirred thinking about the warmth of her skin pressed against mine. My fingers itched to skim her hips, touch her breasts.
Something moved behind me. My hand went to the weapon at my side. A cat screeched and metal clanged to the ground. It was only Chester, the town stray. He was half blind and prone to running into garbage cans.
I turned and walked back into the alley, locking the door behind me. Chester darted in front of me, hissing. That wasn’t like him. Something had him spooked. I drew my weapon. Scanning the alley, I looked for the threat.
“Lila?” I finally called out. My vision tunneled. It took a beat for my eyes to focus and my brain to register what I saw.
There, on the side of the dumpster, a red leather bag lay on its side. Right next to it was a single shoe. Crouching low, I pulled the bag into the glare of the streetlamp. It had Lila’s name on the tag. Even without that I would have recognized it.
Adrenaline coursed through me. Chester got close, nuzzling my leg. I grabbed the shoe. It was a red leather pump, matching the bag. I’d seen Lila wear these in the diner. The heel was cracked off and blood stained the side.
* * *
Men like Tommy Shelly were easy targets because they think they’re not. His old grandad would have understood. He would probably roll in his grave if he knew how exposed Tommy Jr. was.
It was an hour to Austin. I parked in a service lot across the street from the Corbett Arms. He picked the penthouse because it was the best. It made him more vulnerable. Everyone always thinks there’s only one way in and one way out. There is, unless you know what to look for. I do.
I took the stairs after I got off the fourteenth floor. A hundred-dollar bill and a bellboy was all I needed. As I suspected, either Tommy or one of his men had treated the staff here like crap. He was only too eager to lead me to the stairs reserved for emergencies. I gave him another fifty to buy his silence.
I checked my weapon. Small arms and hand-to-hand combat were one of my specialties. I carried my MK3 knife strapped to one ankle, a little .45 to the other. But my Nine was part of me. Still, for this job I knew I’d need neither.
“Two outside?” I asked the bellboy. He was maybe twenty, Latino, with wide eyes and a ready smile. He told me his name was Peter.
“Same two always,” he said. “Today I seen two other men go in with him though. They got here about three hours ago. Delivered pizza to them. They’re pigs. Sandra, one of the maids, won’t even go in there anymore. One of them tried to lay hands on her.”
“Tell Sandra she won’t have anything to w
orry about after today,” I said.
“They had trouble with management,” Peter said. “Angry cuz we don’t honor ‘do not disturb’ anymore. Since Vegas, no one does.”
“Right,” I said. “You’re good, Peter. Thanks.”
He shook my hand and went back down the stairs.
I heard muffled laughter as I emerged from the stairwell. It opened to a small utility closet. Tommy Kelly’s men would likely be stationed near the opposite end of the suite near the elevators. They’d stupidly think that’s where any threat would come.
According to Peter, this door opened to the hallway across from the master suite. Going through it would be the most dangerous part of my mission. If anyone stood near it, I’d lose the element of surprise.
I tested the lock. Peter stopped at giving me the key. I believed him when he said even he didn’t have access to it. It wouldn’t matter. I pulled out my kit and picked it. It took all of ten seconds.
The laughter rose, drawing closer to my location. I held my breath. I recognized Damon O’Keefe’s voice.
“I’m just anxious to get back,” he said. “I don’t like the heat.”
It’s about to get even hotter, mother fucker.
Someone answered him. Tommy, maybe. Then Damon moved away, heading to the front of the suite. I opened the door slowly.
The hallway was dark and empty. The master suite was to my left. The door to it stood open; the lights were off. All sound and movement came to my right, near the main sitting room. I knew there was a bar and a fireplace out there. More recon would have been better, but I’d work with what I had.
Pulling my weapon, I dashed through the doorway of the master suite. It took me five seconds to clear it. Silently pulling the door closed behind me, I made my way toward the main sitting room.
Tommy Kelly’s guards stood with their backs to me, facing out into the main room. The elevator was to my left. Damon sat at the bar. There was another man beside him, dressed in almost an identical suit. A third man, taller than the rest, stood behind the bar, pouring bourbon from a crystal bottle.
Tommy Kelly. I recognized him from his pictures. He’d been at Lila’s shop today too, though he’d ducked into the kitchen before I got too close.
I took out Tommy’s guards by the elevator in three seconds. One quick hit to the pressure points in their necks and they dropped like stones. They were big, but slow. They weren’t trained for someone like me.
Damon had told an off-color joke, drawing laughter from Tommy and a third man at the bar. I dropped to my knees, taking myself out of their line of sight. The goons at the elevator would walk up in maybe thirty seconds. I’d only need half that.
Damon and his companion were in shirtsleeves; their jackets were thrown over the couch. Only Damon wore a leather shoulder holster. Sure, maybe Tommy was packing, but it wouldn’t matter. It would never matter again.
Damon’s reaction time was twice what mine was. One quick movement, and I had him disarmed. He reeled backward, spinning his arms. Before the other guy at the bar could get anywhere close to me, I had my weapon drawn and pointed straight at Tommy Kelly’s head.
He was cool. He smiled and lifted his glass of bourbon to me, in a toast. Damon sat there sputtering and swearing. The third man made a move. I shot once, grazing his shoulder. He squealed like a pig and rolled to the ground. I aimed back at Tommy.
“Where is she?” I asked.
Tommy raised a brow and set his glass on the bar.
Chapter Nineteen
Beckett
Tommy Kelly raised his glass to his lips and slowly took a drink. To his associates, he projected calm, amusement even. But I saw right through it. The man was scared shitless. I saw it in the flicker of his eyes. His pinky finger twitched a little as he held the glass then slowly brought it down. I zoned in on him as if I had infrared vision. Just the slightest beading near his brow, but the man had started to sweat.
“Sheriff Finch, is it?” he said.
“You know who I am. You know why I’m here.”
Damon got bold. His face red, he made a move. I never took my eyes off Tommy. I held my weapon steady and trained on Tommy. I reached for Damon with my left hand and pressed a thumb into the pressure point at the base of his neck where it met his shoulder. I could make him piss himself if I wanted.
“Get rid of these assholes,” I said. “You and I need to talk in private.”
Tommy raised a brow. “You think I’m stupid enough to send them out?”
This got a genuine smile out of me. “Well, they’re pretty much too stupid to provide you with real protection. You didn’t notice that part? If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”
“Boss?” I’d let Damon go, but he sat snorting and rubbing his neck.
Tommy dropped his gaze from me and looked at Damon. “Take Joe and the others. Wait out in the hall. This will only take a few minutes.”
Damon made a protest through clenched teeth, but he followed Tommy’s orders. The four men left the room by way of the elevator. The two I’d knocked out first rubbed their necks. Their eyes were still watering.
I cracked my neck but kept my Nine trained on Tommy. He poured himself another drink. I waved him off when he pulled an empty glass from under the bar. I watched the whole thing from the mirrored wall behind him. Waving my gun toward the couch, I gestured for Tommy to sit. He poured himself a second drink and slowly came out from behind the bar.
“I can’t figure out if you’re brave or stupid,” he said, lowering himself to the couch. He set his drink on the end table beside him and leaned back into the cushions.
“I came here for one thing. So, let’s get to it. Where’s Lila?”
Tommy raised a brow. “Did you lose her?”
I didn’t like the expression on his face. He’d gone from that thin mask of fear to complete calm. I didn’t like the implication.
I lowered my weapon, but kept it ready. “You don’t strike me as a complete idiot,” I said. “Only partially. But that’s how it is with men like you.”
“Men like me?”
“Those men out there follow you because of your name. They’re afraid of your father. He must be something to be able to hold that kind of loyalty from the other side of the ocean.”
God. He was easy. Tommy Kelly wouldn’t even make a good training scenario. His eyes darted from side to side and a tiny vein popped in his temple. “You maybe don’t want to test that theory, Sheriff.”
“Here’s the deal. I don’t give two shits about you or your father or what you do to line your pockets. As long as you keep it far away from Crystal Falls.”
He leaned forward and his eyes narrowed. Ah. There it was. There was the bravery a man like him needed to keep on top. “Or what?” he asked.
I was on him in a split second, my gun pressed to his temple. He put his hands up, gritted his teeth, and leaned back. “Or I get to you. Those men out there? They can’t protect you. Not from somebody like me. I did my research on you, Tommy. Did you do yours on me?”
He let out a hiss; his skin purpled with rage. “You used to be Navy SEAL.”
“That’s right. Except it’s not something you ever used to be. It’s who I am.”
I let go of him and sat in the chair opposite him. Tommy leaned forward, reaching for his glass. His hands were shaking openly now.
“I could use you, you know,” he said. “I’ll give you that. You got in here too easy. Trust me, that won’t happen again.”
“Trust me when I tell you it absolutely will. No one’s untouchable, Tommy. Not from me. So now, you’re going to tell me where Lila is. After that, you’re going to get the hell out of Texas and not look back.”
Tommy downed the rest of his bourbon. His temper flared and he threw the glass across the room. It shattered against the wall.
“I don’t have a clue what the fuck you’re talking about. I don’t know where my sister is.”
I reached into the pocket of my leather jacket and pul
led out Lila’s bloodied shoe. I tossed it to Tommy. He caught it against his chest. It took him a second, but his eyes registered new fear as he realized what it was. My stomach flipped. Tommy Kelly looked legitimately surprised.
“Where’d you find this?”
“In the alley behind her store,” I answered.
Tommy met my stare. “I didn’t do this,” he said. “Now, I’m going to reach into my back pocket so I can get my cell phone. If you really care about what happened to Lila, you’ll let me.”
I nodded. “On speaker.”
Tommy shrugged. “Fine.” He pulled out his phone, punched in a number and set the thing on the table between us.
“Yeah, Tommy?” The voice on the other end was gruff, with a thick Irish brogue.
“Where’s Lila?” Tommy said, meeting my eyes.
There was silence on the other end. My heart nearly stopped. I knew the answer. The truth had been in my own words.
“I got jumped, Tommy,” the man said. “Last night.”
“Why the fuck am I just now hearing this? You had one job, Paul. Keep your eyes on Lila. That’s it. What did you hear? What did you see?”
“Nothing. I’m sorry. I’ll fix this. I’ll figure out where she went. Guy came out of nowhere. One minute I’m walking down the street. The next I’m waking up in a ditch. He was a fucking ghost. Swear to God.”
A ghost. I wished it were true. When Tommy Kelly finally hung up the phone, his cold eyes fixed on me. He wasn’t untouchable. Not to someone like me. My heart thundered in my chest.
Tommy’s eyes widened. “So, you have any theories, Captain America? Because I’d really like to know where the hell my sister is.”
I came here thinking Tommy Kelly’s men had hurt Lila. As the words from that phone call echoed in my mind, I knew the truth was much, much worse. He was a fucking ghost.
