No Escape

by Heather Lowell

  “And leave my new friend?” Tessa asked under her breath as she followed him out of the bar.

  “Lucky girl,” Crystal said. “Julio is one of the biggest names in hip-hop right now. He treats the girls a little rough, but always tips nice. You might not want to start out with someone like him, though. He’s into bondage and domination.”

  “Maybe I should stick to one new experience at a time,” Tessa bubbled. She swallowed hard when Crystal took her hand and began a slow, stroking motion as they climbed the carpeted stairs to her private apartments. Giving Luke a panicked look over her shoulder, she caught him gaping.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you,” Crystal purred. Keeping hold of Tessa’s hand, she led the way down the hall. Her hips were tiny—she couldn’t have been more than a size 2—but they nevertheless swayed seductively as she approached a private sitting room and opened its door.

  Luke rubbed a hand over his mouth to hide his grin when Crystal pressed Tessa’s hand against her improbably large breasts and offered to get her a drink.

  “Vodka. Double,” Tessa squeaked.

  When Crystal went to get the drink, Tessa glared at Luke and made an encouraging motion, signaling him to end the ruse before it went any further.

  Damn, Luke thought. Duty calls.

  “Actually, Crystal, we aren’t here for a threesome,” Luke began.

  The other woman looked back over her shoulder. “Cops. I knew it.” She sighed.

  “Not really,” Tessa said. “If you’d just hear me out. I swear we’re not here to arrest you.”

  Crystal took a seat, but warily kept to the edge of her chair.

  “Is this a private room?” Luke asked. “Can anyone hear us?”

  Crystal nodded, then stood up and beckoned them to follow her through another door. “This is Ricky’s private office. He’s not here right now, and he lets me in to use the secured phone line when I need to.”

  “We’re here about Kelly,” Tessa began, watching as Crystal leaned against a huge mahogany desk. “I work for the District Attorney’s Office, but right now I’m here as Kelly’s friend. We need your help to find her and get her away from Ricky.”

  “I should have figured a girl as pretty and sweet as Kelly would cause trouble. I told Ricky to let her go, that the kid would never adjust to this life. Stubborn bastard was sure he could threaten and bully her into staying.”

  “We’ve been led to believe that you consider Kelly a friend,” Luke said. “Do you want to help her?”

  Crystal nodded. “I even told her which girl would take a letter out of the club and mail it for her, but Ricky found out somehow. Luckily, he didn’t know I was involved, but he came down on Kelly hard. Too hard. She’s just a scared kid, way too soft for this life.”

  “What about you, Crystal?” Tessa leaned forward earnestly. “Do you want out, too? We can help get you away from prostitution and living your life as some man’s thing.”

  Crystal laughed bitterly. “What do you think I used to do in Reno? That’s where I met Ricky, you know. A couple of lifetimes ago. I’d just graduated from high school in Carson City, and thought Reno was the center of the universe. I started out dealing cards, but there’s more money in stripping. And even more money in being a high-end escort. I’m into shortcuts,” she added, with a shrug.

  “If you want a fresh start, all you have to do is ask,” Tessa said.

  “It’s not such a bad life,” Crystal replied. “The money is great. Ricky treats me okay, and I’ve got seniority here. I get to meet a lot of famous people, drink nice booze, smoke the finest grass money can buy. Life here is a twenty-four-hour-a-day party, and I’m a party girl. It’s a good deal for someone like me.”

  “But not everyone is cut out for the life,” Luke said.

  “No,” Crystal agreed. “I could see Kelly was destined for better things right away. You ever hear her sing? She’s got a real pretty voice.”

  “So she told you her dreams,” Tessa said. “She must trust you. I hope you’ll help us find her.”

  Crystal lit a cigarette she found inside the drawer of Ricky’s desk. “Ricky was furious when he found out Kelly had given Tina a letter bound for outside. He didn’t even stop to read it or anything, just ripped it to shreds. Then he said he’d had it with her—said she needed to learn to appreciate the things she had instead of whining for what she couldn’t have. When he put her in a car with Otis, I figured he’d be taking her to the mountains for a little lesson in obedience.”

  “And you just let him take her?” Tessa asked.

  Crystal shrugged. “What could I do? I’ve got no power to override him. But I did let Ricky know how much money I thought Kelly could bring in. It was the only way I could think of to make him reconsider hurting her. Look, Ricky has a temper. But he’s kind of spineless, you know. He’d never really do damage to Kelly.”

  “What if she threatened his club?” Luke asked. “What if Kelly stood between him and something he wanted?”

  “If Ricky wanted something bad enough, he might get violent. But I don’t think so. He’s real big on having other people do his dirty work. I think Kelly is still okay.”

  “Why do you say that?” Tessa asked.

  “Because if someone is going to do an unpleasant job for Ricky, that someone would be Otis. And I heard Ricky promising Otis he could stay at the Reno Casino for a couple of days, on Ricky’s nickel. Kelly is in the area with them—I saw her get in the car. There’s no way Ricky would do anything to Kelly in his favorite casino, that place is like his church. And there would be too many witnesses.”

  “So the plan was to go up and play some cards at the hotel?” Luke asked.

  “Sort of,” Crystal replied. “Ricky also has a cabin up in the area, between Lake Tahoe and Reno, actually. It’s very isolated, in the mountains. If Ricky were to take Kelly there, then I’d be worried.”

  “What’s to stop him from going there after he sees the sights in Reno?” Tessa asked.

  “Nothing. I mean, that was their plan, I think. Ricky’s got a real connection to the cabin near Tahoe. He goes there to think, to solve problems, to woo a new girlfriend. Also—” Crystal paused to wet her lips.

  “What? Has anyone ever gone there and disappeared?” Tessa asked.

  “No, it’s not that. I think that’s where Ricky keeps his stash. It’s supposed to be a big secret, you know, but I heard Ricky is sitting on a lot of money. Millions, even.”

  “Why would he advertise something like that?” Luke asked skeptically.

  “He doesn’t, that’s why I think it’s true,” Crystal said. “No one knows where that cabin is except Ricky. There’s no address.”

  “What’s the closest town to the cabin?” Tessa asked.

  “Reno and Lake Tahoe. I told you, it’s out there.”

  “And you think he’s taking Kelly to that place?” Luke asked.

  “I don’t know. All’s I know is that he is going there at the end of this trip to Reno. He’s probably got some cash to drop off or something.”

  “Crystal, do you understand that Ricky in all likelihood is planning on getting rid of Kelly—permanently?” Luke asked bluntly.

  Crystal looked confused. “He really isn’t like that. He’s is like the school bully, you know. But he’s never killed anyone. He talks big and all, but he’s closer to Hugh Heffner than Jack the Ripper. He likes refined things, and this club is his baby. Why would he do anything to risk that?”

  “Exactly our point,” Tessa said. “He’d do just about anything to protect it. Right now, Kelly is a threat to him.”

  Crystal chewed on an acrylic nail extension as she thought. “I suppose he could be dangerous if enough money was involved. Or if someone else was pushing him.”

  “I heard Papa Ianelli has been trying to deepen their business relationship,” Luke said.

  “Sure,” Crystal nodded. “Ricky wants to expand his operations to Reno and Las Vegas, which would require help from the
Ianellis. I heard of them even before I moved to California.”

  “You said Ricky was going to the Reno Casino, then his cabin in the mountains. How do we find this place?” Tessa asked. “We can’t sit around and assume Ricky is harmless, not when he’s holding Kelly against her will.”

  “I’ve never been to the cabin. But when Otis had to go there on his own last year to drop off something, Ricky gave him a set of numbers. I have no idea how these helped, but—”

  “They’re probably GPS coordinates,” Luke said. “Do you know where they are?”

  “Right here, on the inside of his desk drawer,” Crystal said. “He keeps his computer password and bank PIN code there as well.” She rolled her eyes.

  Luke ripped out the piece of paper taped into the drawer, then turned to the blue-haired woman standing uncertainly at the edge of the desk. A quick check of the clock confirmed that the task force would be coming through the door momentarily.

  “Listen, Crystal. The FBI is going to raid Club Red tonight—in a few minutes, actually.”

  “Oh, man.”

  “They’re not here to charge the girls, but I’m afraid everyone is going to be arrested and held for a few days. Just do whatever the agents tell you, and you’ll be out soon,” Luke said. “Don’t say anything about what you’ve told us tonight. Just say that you don’t know where Ricky is for sure, and we left after talking to you and finding that out. Can you do that?”

  Crystal nodded with a little grin. “It won’t be the first time I’ve lied to the police.”

  “We’ll make sure they know how helpful you’ve been. Believe it or not, we’re on the same side,” Tessa said, giving Luke a frown.

  He shrugged. “We just need a head start to find Kelly. I’m sorry about needing to arrest you, but we have to make sure no one can alert Ricky about the raid.”

  Crystal smiled ruefully. “Okay, I guess. But you may be interested to know that we all have instructions to call the same lawyer in the event of a bust. The guy’s crooked, and in on everything that’s going on at Club Red. If you want Ricky to be kept in the dark until you get to Reno, you’d better make sure no one calls the Krugman law firm.”

  “Thanks,” Luke said. “That information will help a lot. I’m going to give you my business card. Show it to Gil Rabani, tell them you have information about the Club Red lawyer, and he’ll see to it that you’re treated like royalty. Just don’t say anything else about Ricky, okay?”

  “We’ll call him to make sure you’re treated well,” Tessa assured her. She took Luke’s business card before he could hand it to Crystal and wrote something across the back.

  Crystal took the card and read the writing, then tipped her head back and laughed with real humor.

  Get out of jail free.

  “Thanks, miss. I hope Kelly’s all right when you find her.”

  “Me, too.” Tessa’s head jerked up at the sound of orders being shouted over women’s screams downstairs. “It’s show-time. Let’s go get Kelly.”

  “Follow my lead, okay?” Luke said as he pulled her down the hallway. “We can’t let on that we know where Ricky is.”

  “I got that, but is it—” Tessa began.

  “Our best chance to get Kelly back safely is to go in alone. No cops, no police, no SWAT team. We have to be able to move quickly, change plans, and make decisions in the field. If we’re dealing with four different agencies, multiple jurisdictions, and competing egos we can’t do that.”

  “What about Ronnie?” Tessa asked faintly. How could she lie to her friend?

  “We hope she doesn’t see us as we leave.”

  Tessa was silent as they made they’re way down the stairs, stopping several times to confirm their identity with the federal agents swarming the premises. Once they got outside, she pulled Luke to a stop. “I’m not sure if I can do this.”

  “Which part?”

  “Lying to Ronnie. And the police. And my boss—”

  Luke turned her toward him and gently grasped her shoulders. When he spoke, his voice was low and serious. “Do you believe I’d ever do anything that would put you or Kelly at risk?”

  “No. Never,” she said with absolute conviction.

  “Then I need you to work with me on this, baby. I’ve done a lot of extractions in the past, in a lot of different ways. You have to believe me when I say it will go down better without involving any major branches of law enforcement.”

  “I know I said that getting Kelly back was the most important thing, but…what you’re planning might be illegal. Certainly it’s unethical. How on earth are we going to pull it off?”

  “Quickly,” Luke said. “The clock is ticking now that the bust has occurred. We run the risk of the media hearing about this and reporting it on the news in the next few days. Even though the officers here are all in plain clothes, and there are no marked cars outside, someone is going to spill the beans soon. It will only be a matter of time before word makes its way to Ricky.”

  “And you truly believe that bringing in the police or FBI would limit our ability to move quickly?” Tessa asked.

  “I know it. And then there’s the fact that their priority will be Ricky. Ours is Kelly. I don’t want to get into a situation where that girl is sacrificed to their desire to make a big bust. We already warned Rabani and Peebles that we were going to do things our way. This won’t be a surprise to them, trust me. I need you to trust me, baby.”

  She looked into his eyes and thought about all they’d been through together. When all was said and done, making the decision was easy. “Okay, let’s go to Reno.”

  Chapter 44

  Reno, Nevada

  Wednesday night, March 17

  Tessa stood on the balcony of a hotel suite in the Reno Casino and looked out at the rolling hills surrounding the small city with big ambitions. The “strip” section of town could have been Las Vegas, for all the flashing lights, glowing marquees, and pedestrian traffic.

  But the Reno skyline was abbreviated, and the town had only a fraction of its more famous sister city’s population. Instead of being surrounded by searing desert, Reno was located at five thousand feet, not far from the crystal blue depths of Lake Tahoe. The wilds of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains were a stone’s throw from the luxurious casino where she would stay the night with Luke and his team until they could get Kelly back.

  According to Luke’s research, the GPS coordinates for Ricky Hedges’s cabin placed it squarely in the middle of the rugged Sierra Nevadas. They knew that getting Kelly back was not going to be an easy proposition.

  Luke had called a local hunting and backpacking guide earlier in the evening, and the man had told them there were no accessible roads around the cabin. Rugged backcountry roads could be traveled using a four-wheel-drive vehicle, but the final two miles of approach to the cabin required trekking in on foot, using all-terrain vehicles, or driving in on snowmobiles, depending on the season.

  Since large, heavy snowflakes had been falling steadily since their arrival at Reno’s tiny airport a few hours ago, it seemed like snowmobiles would be the only way to get to Ricky’s mountain hideaway. There was a base of six feet on the ground at the higher elevations, thanks to a late-winter storm that had come through ten days ago. The temperatures hadn’t been above freezing since.

  “It’s hard to believe that just a few hours ago we were in sunny Los Angeles.” Luke came up behind her and looked out the window. He raised his hands to massage the knots of tension from her shoulders. With a sigh, she let her head fall back against his chest, knowing that it was pointless to be so taut and ready for action right now.

  Part of the stress was due to guilt about dodging Ronnie and the FBI when they left Club Red. Luke had let her make a call to her friend from a pay phone, saying that they were all right and following a new lead that might be a dead end. Tessa had promised to update her the next day, and hoped that they would already have Kelly out by then.

  But after surveying the area s
urrounding Ricky’s cabin, it had been agreed by the entire team that trying to get the girl out without detailed planning would be foolish.

  So despite the urgency screaming through her system, and the knowledge that as the hours went by Ricky might discover that his club had been raided, they would have to wait until the following evening to attempt a rescue.

  He stopped the massage on her shoulders and dropped his chin down to rest on her soft hair. “I know you wanted to go in tonight and get Kelly. But we’re not even sure she’s at the cabin. And if we don’t plan the extraction operation carefully, we could end up doing more harm than good. MacBeth and Stone are getting gear together to scout the property and set up our escape plan.”

  “I know,” Tessa said. “And we meet the hunting guide tomorrow morning at eight to pick his brains on the best roads to take in and out. That will leave all day tomorrow to set things up, rent equipment, and so forth. But I’m still concerned about news leaking before we’re ready to move. The clock is ticking.”

  “I talked to Rabani an hour ago, and he assured me that everyone swept up in the raid is being held incommunicado. The task force operations units cut the phone lines to Club Red before they went in, and they were able to disrupt cell service to that area for a couple of hours. It’s an isolated property, and no one was rubbernecking as the vans pulled into the parking garage beneath, so it looks like we’re okay.”

  “Do you think he knows what we’re doing, or where we are?”

  Luke shook his head, the point of his stubbly chin ruffling her loose blond hair. “After the deal we made regarding Ricky, the AUSA and FBI both realize we aren’t going to share any information with them. I’m sure they have no idea where we are, and by the time they figure it out, we’ll have Kelly back here.”

  “It feels wrong, even though I understand your reasons for wanting to do this with a small team of people you know you can trust.”

  “Listen, baby. When the army or Marines have a delicate, time-sensitive operation, do they send in a battalion to do it?”