Killer Romances
Page 191
The dining room had cleared except for the last table Shelley waited on, and Nick approached, jerking his head toward the kitchen. “Let’s talk.”
Carlie nodded and puffed out a long breath, nerves tickling her stomach. It was close to time for them to leave. She hoped she’d made the right choice.
When they walked into the kitchen, Nick took her hand and pulled her close for a kiss. “Are you almost ready?”
“Yes.” Her voice sounded more sure than she actually felt, which was good. “I’ll clean up with Shelley, then write a letter to Bradley after taking care of the money.” She furrowed her brow. “I guess I’ll just leave the money in the safe? If he comes out here, he can get it later or send someone after it. I’ll leave him the combination.”
“How much time do you need?”
“I usually leave around six-thirty or seven on Fridays.” She shrugged. “Probably don’t want to change up our schedule if the FBI guy is monitoring you.”
Nick glanced at his watch. “More than hour. That should give me enough time.”
“What are you doing?”
“Packing up what I think I safely can and buying us a different car.”
She was glad he thought of that. The Porsche was awfully conspicuous for people on the run. “Don’t forget my dish detergent.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed briefly. “I, uh, I’ll be sure to grab it. You really don’t have to worry about money, though. Once I transfer funds from my overseas account, we’ll be set.”
“I’m not worried about whether you’ll take care of me.” She rested her hand against his cheek, hoping to calm his fears. “It’s not the money I care about. I need the jewelry you gave me and Gabi’s bracelet.” She kissed him softly. “No reason to leave the rest behind, though. It might help us out later if your money is delayed.”
“Good point. Now, I need your cell phone.” He held out his hand.
Slowly pulling it from her pocket, Carlie held it in her hand. “What are you doing with it?”
“I’ll get all your important phone numbers off it and then ditch it somewhere with mine. I don’t want my b—uh, the FBI agent following us. We can’t keep our phones. I have a new one no one except Donovan knows about.”
She handed it over, not entirely happy, but she knew he was right. They had to remain hidden. In the past, she never worried about her phone, but the FBI could use the phones’ built-in GPS tracking devices and find them. Above all, she had to make sure they kept Nick out of jail.
“Make sure you get Shelley’s number and my parents’,” she said. “Bradley’s and Muhammad’s, too. I wish I could tell them we’re leaving, but I’d at least like to contact them when it is safe. Then, I can explain why.”
Nick’s lip curled and he wrinkled his nose. “You want Muhammad’s number?”
She stepped back, shaking her head. “Please don’t start that, not now. Muhammad is my friend—just my friend—and not a terrorist.”
“Sorry. You’re right. I’ll copy his number.” He kissed her and headed for the doorway. “I’ll be here by seven.”
“I’ll be ready,” she promised.
Carlie trailed behind him into the empty dining room, watching as he left through the front door.
Shelley wiped down tables and chairs, but looked up when Carlie crossed to lock the door. “Where’s Nick going?”
“He had an errand to run. He’ll be back to get me later.”
She longed to tell her friend what was going on. Really, who would Shelley tell? Didn’t she deserve to know she no longer had a job?
Walking to the cash register, Carlie took the money out, and an idea slowly percolated through her head. Nick said he’d send money to Bradley, so he didn’t need this one last deposit. Shelley, however, could use it as severance pay.
But how could she explain that? Nick would be angry if she told Shelley they were leaving. She knew he would. Carlie put the money in the office and then helped Shelley clean the shop, torn about what she should do.
They were finished cleaning by 6:30, and Shelley brushed her dark bangs from her eyes. “That’ll about do it, boss lady.” She grinned. “I’m going to karate class tonight. Sensei’s holding it even though people will be out of town for the holiday. Want to come? We could take my car and be sparring partners.”
Tears gathered in her eyes and Carlie shook her head. “It’s been so nice having a girlfriend.” She pulled Shelley into her, hugging her tight. “I’m going to miss you.”
“Miss me?” Shelley pushed away, confusion on her face. “What are you talking about?”
Sighing, Carlie motioned for her to follow and led the way to the office. She grabbed the bag of cash from the safe and handed it to Shelley. “I won’t be coming back tomorrow, Shelley, but you can’t let anyone know.”
Her eyes grew wide. “The assassins are back? We should fight them!”
“They aren’t the problem, not yet, anyway.” Carlie shook her head. “It’s Nick.” She didn’t know how much she should reveal. Then again, Shelley already knew all her secrets. What was a few more? “He’s in a bit of trouble—something about terrorist plots and an FBI agent. He has to leave the country. I’ve agreed to go with him.”
Shelley’s mouth opened, but she closed it again without speaking and blinked several times.
“I know,” Carlie said. “It’s a lot to take in. I’m sorry about leaving you jobless, but I love him. I have to go with him and give myself a chance at a happy life.”
Shelley thrust the cash toward her. “You’ll need this for yourself.”
“No. Keep it. This will at least help until you find another job.”
Shelley stared at the floor for several moments. “Will I ever see you again?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can I call you and check in?”
Carlie shook her head. “Nick’s getting rid of our phones so no one can track us. That’s one of the errands he had to run. I’ll call you when I get a chance, though.”
Her friend’s blue eyes met hers and tears welled in them. “I’ll miss you so much.”
“I’ll miss you, too.” Carlie grabbed her in a hug. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”
She hugged her back and then pulled away, wiping tears from her cheeks. “I have to get out of here before I have a total breakdown. Tell Nick I said goodbye.”
Carlie nodded. “I will.”
Shelley hugged her again and then walked swiftly to the doorway, not turning around again.
Giving her a few minutes to exit the store, Carlie made her way to the front of the building and locked the door. She struggled against her own tears. Normally when she left a place, there wasn’t anyone to say goodbye to, nothing to sacrifice.
Sighing, she returned to the office, knowing she had to word her letter to Bradley carefully. He needed to know a lot of things, but she couldn’t do it in a way that could tell the FBI where to find them.
Being with Nick was worth it. She had to keep reminding herself why she was giving up her shop and her friends. She loved Nick, and he loved her. As long as they were together in an honest, loving relationship, it was worth all the sacrifice.
***
Nick dropped the man he bought the car from off at his house. The guy waved happily before walking up the porch steps. It hadn’t taken much to convince him to meet at the twenty-four hour supermarket and leave the late 90’s model sedan there. A few extra bucks helped ease away any questions.
Now Nick and Carlie could leave the Porsche in that parking lot and switch to the new car. With any luck, no one would realize the Porsche was abandoned for a couple days, and Paul wouldn’t know they were in a different car. By the time he figured it out, Nick and Carlie would be long gone.
He’d already packed their belongings in the sedan’s trunk, including Carlie’s jewelry. When she asked him to grab it, he’d nearly broken down again and told her the truth about his life as an agent. Her bracelet had been inside the wall saf
e of his hotel ever since she kicked him out of the house Wednesday. It was a lucky break Carlie hadn’t wanted to show the necklace he bought to Madeline. He would have had a lot of explaining to do.
Taking calming breaths, Nick reminded himself everything would be fine. Carlie had no way of knowing it hadn’t been under her sink when he packed it. She’d just be happy he grabbed all her jewelry.
There was only one thing left to do before picking up Carlie. Nick pulled out his cell and punched in the boss’ number—one last call before he got rid of the phone and gave up his life as a spy.
It only rang once. “Did you take care of the problem?”
Obviously Paul had anxiously awaited his call. “Not yet.”
“What’s the hold up? Do I need to send in Stephen?”
“No. Don’t do that. I’ve set everything in motion, but I’m assuming you want this to look like an accident.” Nick had been thinking hard about this. He hoped to trick Paul into waiting a couple days before expecting to hear from him again. That would give them the best chance to leave undetected, but he needed a good story. “I’m thinking I should knock her out and drive her car into a nearby lake. If she drowns in an accident, that’ll be less paperwork for you.”
Paul hummed on the other end of the line. “You’ll do it tonight?”
“Yes, but I’ll have to get back from the lake undetected. I’m thinking of walking back to town, so don’t expect to hear from me until tomorrow. Maybe even Sunday.” This was the tricky part, and he hoped Paul bought his reasoning. “I’m going to leave my car here with my phone and everything else. I don’t want to accidentally leave something behind with the target’s body and cause complications for you to cover up.”
“The target, huh?” Paul exhaled loudly. “So, what, you don’t love her anymore?”
That could be a double-edged sword. Nick didn’t know the appropriate answer. However, Paul had implied he understood being broken hearted before, so perhaps he’d once been in love.
“I do love her, but not more than I love my country.” Nick hoped that had the ring of truth and was the sort of patriotic talk Paul would believe. “I’ll take care of her and make sure innocent people don’t suffer.”
Essentially, that was true. It was just that he believed Carlie was the innocent person here, and he didn’t intend to let her suffer. And he did love his country, but what he had with Carlie was more important, and worth leaving and starting over somewhere new.
“I’m not sure about your plan,” Paul said slowly. “Tell me what lake you’re taking her to. I’ll send Stephen to pick you up after the job’s done.”
“Sir, with all due respect, Stephen’s a moron. I don’t want him anywhere near the scene. He’s bound to screw up somehow and get us both caught.” Please believe that.
“Hmmmm...” The only sound for several heartbeats was Paul’s breathing. “You’re probably right. I haven’t used him much, but he screwed up major the other night by disobeying my orders.”
Nick tried to stifle his sigh of relief, not wanting Paul to overhear. “That’s what I was thinking too, sir.”
“How long until you meet with the target?”
“I left her closing the shop. I needed some supplies.” Nick glanced at his watch. “I’m supposed to meet her in a half hour.”
“Fine. Before you get her, go talk to Stephen. I know you don’t like him, but he has some papers you’ll need in order to get that damn bracelet safely to D.C.”
Nick didn’t want to waste time talking to Stephen—who he’d still rather punch than speak with—but it would look suspicious if he refused. “Will do, boss.”
“You do have the bracelet secured, right?”
“Of course I do, inside the safe in my hotel room closet. Try not to worry. This case will go smoothly now. I have it under control.”
In typical Paul fashion, he grunted and hung up without saying anything else.
Nick put his phone down and started the car. He had just enough time to drive to Stephen’s, grab whatever the man had, and get to Carlie. It was slightly worrisome that Paul sent paperwork to Stephen. That meant he had expected Nick not to kill Carlie and Stephen to step in. Good thing they were leaving tonight. If they had put it off until tomorrow, Paul would have turned Stephen loose.
He wished with every ounce of his being that he could pick her up and leave right now. The closer it got to time to go, the more nervous Nick became about Paul or another agent catching them. Especially since there was still so much they needed to do before leaving.
Pulling the Porsche out onto the main road, Nick wondered what Carlie would think of his getaway plan. Though he’d have to put a slightly different spin on it for her benefit, hopefully she wouldn’t have any objections to sinking her car to the bottom of a lake on their way out of town.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Carlie folded the paper neatly into thirds and stuffed it inside an envelope. She felt guilty about leaving Bradley and Shelley in a lurch, but there really wasn’t much choice in the matter. A glance at the clock revealed Nick should be back anytime.
Wrinkling her nose, Carlie realized the odd smell she’d noticed the last few minutes was stronger. She was certain she turned off the stove and oven, but it smelled like something was burning.
She placed a stamp on the corner of the envelope and quickly addressed it. Rushing across to her purse, Carlie stuffed the letter inside. Anxiety and increasing alarm filled her. The fire detectors hadn’t gone off, but something was wrong.
Carlie slipped her arms into the bulky, brown coat and hurried to the office door. Turning the handle, she pushed on it, but the door barely cracked open before butting against something in the hallway. The smell of burning intensified and dark smoke rushed into the doorway.
Fear clutched her insides. She pushed harder, but whatever blocked the doorway didn’t budge.
“Okay, Carlie. Don’t panic,” she said aloud. “You’re going to be fine.”
The words did nothing to calm her pounding heart. She pulled the door closed to keep the smoke from filling the office too quickly.
It wasn’t impossible for an accidental fire to break out, but the doorway was blocked and the smoke alarms never sounded. It appeared the assassins decided to come after her again, only this time Nick wasn’t around to save her.
A loud crash came from the kitchen area, and she wondered if the fire was already so bad that it destroyed the structure of the building. She had to get out of the office before she burned alive.
Rushing to the phone on her desk, Carlie picked it up and punched in 911. It took a few seconds for her to realize the line was dead. And Nick had her cell phone.
Another crash sounded out beyond the office and the lights flickered and then turned off.
“Crap.” Carlie raced back to the door and opened it up, ramming against it with all her might. Whatever blocked the way gave slightly, but smoke also poured into the room at a rapid rate.
Coughing, Carlie slammed her shoulder against the door again and again.
There was no more telling herself not to panic. This office was about to become her crematorium.
***
Nick’s unease mounted as he drove toward Carlie’s Creations. Stephen hadn’t been home, nor was his car parked at the karate dojo. It was a little past seven, and Nick wondered if Paul sent him on a wild goose chase to keep him away from Carlie.
Though he’d called the business line at the shop twice, it went directly to a busy signal. There was no reason for Carlie to be on the phone or have the line off the hook. She should be sitting in the dining room, wondering where he was and why he was late. If she called anyone, it should be him.
Something was wrong.
Racing into the parking lot of the shop, all looked quiet. He might have believed he’d overreacted about things, except for one little problem. Every light was off inside the shop, even the security light just inside the doorway—that light never turned off.
Blindly grabbing one of the phones from the pile on the seat beside him, Nick slammed the car into park. He jumped from the Porsche. Then, the scent hit him.
Everything might look normal, but the smell of smoke filled the evening air. As Nick watched through the front windows of the shop, a suspicious glow of orange crept across the hallway and rolled onto the dining room floor.
“Shit!” Nick punched in 911 on the phone, searching the parking lot for any sign of Carlie’s blond head. She couldn’t still be in there, could she?
“9-1-1. What’s your emergency?”
“Send a fire truck to 858 Dixon Drive immediately,” Nick barked into the phone. “Carile’s Creations is on fire.”
Without waiting for a response, Nick disconnected the call and rushed to the back of the building. If Carlie was still inside the office, the fire in the hallway blocked off her escape route.
Paul must have hired Stephen to do this, and that’s why he sent Nick running around town and kept him away from the shop. He felt sick wondering what Stephen did to her to keep her from exiting the building. The one thing he knew for sure was that the fire department wouldn’t make it in time to help her.
As he rounded to the back door, the window in the kitchen exploded. Glass shattered and fire rushed out of the sudden opening, consuming the new source of oxygen and blasting Nick with intense heat.
He shielded his face with his arm, though his heart sunk. That window had been his plan to get inside. With the inferno blazing through it, that was now impossible.
“Carlie! Carlie! Where are you?”
He searched all around, praying with all his being that she stood somewhere just out of his line of vision in the delivery truck parking area. Praying she wasn’t inside her office. She was nowhere to be seen, however. S.A.T.O. wanted her dead. Stephen wouldn’t have let her escape.
Desperate, he grasped the metal handle on the back door, hoping it was unlocked. The super-heated metal scorched his fingers, but Nick forced it down despite the pain. The handle jiggled but didn’t open the door. Locked.
“Shit.” He rushed back to the window. The fire crackled, smoke filling Nick’s senses. Items inside the kitchen popped under the heat. “Carlie!” he screamed into the opening. “Carlie? Are you in there?”