Sweet Vengeance

by Cindy Stark

  She took a bite, and her eyebrows drew together in a frown.

  "Something wrong with it?"

  "No, it's wonderful." She paused, taking a roll from the basket. "It's just, I'd like to call my aunt. I'm sure she's really mad at me, but I think I should let her know I'm okay."

  Jase wasn't sure that was a good idea, but how could he deny her? "Fine. I'll make you a deal. Let's enjoy dinner first, and then we'll call your aunt. There's some other stuff we need to talk about, but it can wait. Right now, I have a beautiful woman and some decent food, and I intend to enjoy it."

  She smiled. "Sometimes it's hard to remember you're a dangerous man."

  He didn't quite know what to think about that.

  After dinner, she tried to take on the dishes, but he refused. Her hands shouldn't be submerged in water. She argued he was hurt worse, and she wouldn't cave. He finally conceded. "Fine." He tossed a dishtowel at her. "You can dry."

  "Where's Boo?" she asked as she finished drying the last pan.

  "At a friend's house. He gets stir crazy if he stays here too long, and there's nowhere very good for him to take a—use the bathroom." He let the water drain out of the sink and then leaned back against the counter. He couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed being with someone so much. "Besides, dogs need fresh air and exercise."

  "I'm starting to relate to him." She hung the dish towel on the oven. "Why don't any of your windows open? It makes this place feel like a jail."

  He shrugged. "For security. I don't want anyone coming in here unless I say so."

  She walked around the counter and sat on a barstool, resting her chin on her hand. "But Max did."

  "Max was being an asshole." More than an asshole.

  "You got that right. For some reason, that man does not like me."

  "It's not that he doesn't like you. He just sees you as a distraction to the men." And Jase. "Max only got in here because the guys knew it was okay. Otherwise, he would have never made it this far." Jase walked closer to her, needing to reassure her. "You can feel safe here."

  She nodded, but he wasn't sure she believed him. Her eyes met his, and he felt the familiar tug of attraction. Obviously, he couldn't have her, but he didn't want to think about that right now.

  "So how am I supposed to get fresh air and exercise?" she asked, changing the subject. "I'm going to go nuts if I stay locked up here twenty-four, seven."

  Jase smiled. "I know a great place we can go. It'll give you some fresh air, and we can talk."

  He led the way upstairs and into the room she'd occupied the previous night. He didn't want to push for information, and he certainly didn't want to tell her she had to leave. Honestly, he wanted the world to go away.

  He opened the closet door and reached up under the overhead shelf. He found the hidden latch and lifted away a small panel. The light from the bedroom shone on a set of steep stairs.

  "This place is full of hidden surprises." Allie shook her head, a disbelieving smile on her face. "What else will I find?"

  Jase chuckled and grabbed a flashlight from the shelf above his head. "In my line of business, a back way out is a must." He climbed up the narrow steps and Allie followed. At the top, he slid open the bolt on the ceiling above him and lifted. Cool evening air swirled down around them. Jase walked up the last few steps and then turned to help Allie out of the hole and onto a section of the warehouse rooftop.

  She inhaled, stretching her hands out to her sides before dropping them. "Air." He stayed near her as she walked across the gravel and tar roof. "I can see for miles."

  He glanced up the Chicago River to the massive buildings that lined it. "Great view, huh?" He switched off the flashlight.

  She rolled her eyes. "It's awesome."

  "I come up here sometimes when I need a break. No one but Max knows about its existence." Jase wondered briefly if he should have showed it to Allie, but in his heart, he knew he was more of a threat to her than she was to him. He pointed to a cinderblock wall. "That separates the rest of the building's roof from this part. There's another hidden door right next to it that leads down to a closet in my office."

  She nodded, before turning her gaze to the sights below. She leaned out over the thigh-high wall as though to see better, and Jase had to stop himself from grabbing her. It didn't make him feel any better when she turned and sat on the short wall, facing him. If she leaned too far back, she could fall.

  "Are you afraid someone might betray you, and you'll need a back door?"

  "No. This place is a fortress." He walked and sat next to her, glancing over his shoulder at the passing cars. The street was a long way down. A siren sounded in the distance, but his block was quiet. "The men I've hired are loyal, and I'm not worried." At least, not much.

  When she spoke again, her voice was more subdued. "How long are they going to look for me?"

  "Honestly, I don't know." He sighed and put a protective arm around her. The constant need to watch over her baffled him. "Is this okay?"

  She leaned against him. "It's nice."

  It was nice. Too nice. "I'm not sure why they're so desperate to get their hands on you."

  "I saw them kill Joey," she whispered. "You know that."

  "I know, and I could see them taking you out if they saw you on the streets." It made him sick to think about it. "But this is more than an active interest in finding you." He turned to her, wondering how to approach the subject of what Joey may have passed along to her. "Could you identify who shot him?"

  "No." She shook her head, a sad look crossing her face. He hated to keep reminding her of the previous night, but they both needed answers.

  "A green sedan came out of nowhere, and the next thing I knew Joey was laying on the ground. It all happened so fast."

  "Exactly how they wanted it. The Trasatti organization is good at what they do."

  "I can't believe the Trasattis would kill him. Joey was friends with them, with Benny Trasatti. They might beat him up, but they wouldn't kill him." She paused, a worried look on her face. "Would they?"

  Jase shrugged. "Word on the street today is that's who made the hit." Now was his chance. "Did Joey ever talk about them to you? Did he ever give you anything unusual or ask you to do something odd for him?"

  "No." She shook her head slowly. "He didn't ever give me anything unusual. He did mention something about giving his 'boys' what they wanted. But I don't know what that was." Tension grew on her words. "He said if he gave whatever it was to them, everything would be fine. There wouldn't be anything to worry about."

  She pulled away from Jase and stood, looking out toward the city. "Plus, he was best friends with Benny Trasatti. Benny wouldn't hurt him. Not to mention, he hadn't had time to return whatever it was. He'd barely told me this, and—" her voice dropped to a whisper, "—then he was shot."

  Jase stood, too. "Yeah, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to demand something one minute and kill him the next."

  Allie wrapped her arms across her chest. "I just can't believe Benny's family would kill Joey. He and Benny had been best friends since grade school."

  Jase studied her, trying to get a sense of whether or not she was withholding anything. She seemed pretty straightforward. "Any idea what this 'thing' might have been?"

  "No. I have no clue."

  "You must have some kind of an idea." He hated giving her a mental push, but it was necessary.

  She turned to him with wide eyes. "No. In fact, last night was the first night he'd ever mentioned having any real trouble."

  Jase raised his brows, but didn't say anything.

  "Do you think I wouldn't tell you if I knew? You're trying to help me." Emotion shadowed her words making him feel like a jerk.

  "To be honest, I'm not sure." He turned his gaze, looking at the skyline. He couldn't bear to see the fear in her eyes, but he needed to play this role a few minutes longer. How did either one of them really know they could trust the other yet? "Max thinks you know something."
<
br />   "Jase." She wrapped her cold fingers around his wrist. "I'm telling the truth. You're the only thing protecting me from people who want to kill me. If I knew something, I'd tell you. I have no reason to hide anything. Joey's dead. That part of my life is over."

  Jase persisted. "There's nothing tying you to them at all? No friends? No family?"

  She glanced away, dropping his hand. "I'm on my own now."

  Was that guilt or pain he'd seen flash in her eyes before she looked away? His gut told him to trust her, but he just wasn't sure.

  There was no obvious reason for her to protect the Trasattis, unless it was the fear of being whacked for talking to him. Then again, the mob had made it pretty clear she'd end up dead if they had things their way. He looked at her. "I'm just trying to figure out their motivation."

  She stared off into the distance. "If I knew something, I'd tell you. I promise."

  "Okay." Maybe his gut was right. "I'm guessing they've figured out Joey didn't have what they wanted, and they must think you do." He paused, knowing he should tell her about the bounty on her head.

  "Allie?" He turned to fully face her, taking her hand and folding it between his. This would be hard for her to hear.

  She met his gaze, fear making her eyes large. "What?"

  Shit. He couldn't say it. Not yet. She needed someone to protect her, not scare her worse than she was. "I have my cell phone if you want to call your aunt."

  "Yeah." She exhaled. "I should make sure she knows I'm okay."

  He hesitated, knowing his next words wouldn't help her trust him. "She's already gotten the word."

  "What? When?" Allie drew her eyebrows together. "Did you call her?"

  "I had Max call earlier, this morning. We needed to find out if anyone had been sniffing around there."

  "Had anyone? Are my aunt and cousins okay?"

  "Your aunt didn't comment on that."

  "What did she say?"

  "Not much." He shifted his stance. "She was more interested in who was calling than in giving any details or getting information about you."

  Allie snorted. "Figures. But still...I'd like to call her. I need to know they're okay, too."

  Jase reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, not sure it was such a great idea. "Here you go, but I want you to put it on speakerphone, and make sure you don't give her any kind of specific information. It could put us all at risk."

  "From Aunt Rita?"

  "You never know."

  She gave him a wounded look. "You don't trust me."

  He actually did trust her, he realized. There were so few people he could put his faith in, and yet, he'd brought Allie to his inner sanctum with very few questions. "I'm sorry. There's a lot at stake right now. It's nothing personal, but I can't take chances."

  His answer didn't seem to make her feel any better. She eyed him warily as she took the phone and then turned her back to him. He couldn't blame her for wanting privacy, but he prayed she'd follow instructions and not say anything she shouldn't. Max would have his head for allowing the phone call in the first place.

  A dial tone sounded on the speakerphone, followed by the beeping of buttons. As the sound of a ringing phone echoed in the night, his gaze traveled up the loose jeans that hid the nice shape of her body to the T-shirt that outlined every curve. She'd looked good in the skirt she'd worn the night before, with her sexy-as-hell legs on display. He rubbed his hand across his head and looked away. His efforts didn't last long.

  A woman's voice answered, and Allie's posture stiffened.

  "Aunt Rita, it's Allie."

  "What the hell do you want?"

  Allie tucked her hair behind her ear. "I just wanted to let you know I'm okay. Is everyone there fine?"

  "Fine?" The woman's voice shot up an octave. "I've had people casing the joint all damn day. I'm surprised we haven't been murdered in our beds. What the hell have you done?"

  Allie shifted, and Jase moved so he could use the ambient light to get a better look at her face.

  "I haven't done anything." She paused and tension rolled off her in waves. "Joey was murdered last night." Her voice shook. "And I think they're after me."

  Jase took a step forward, preparing to grab the phone from her if she made any mention of him or where she was hidden.

  The woman on the other end half gasped and half laughed. "God, they'd be doing me a favor."

  "It's not a joke, Aunt Rita. I think they really want to kill me." The crack in her voice tugged at Jase's heart.

  A long pause followed, and he started to wonder if her aunt was still there. "You've been a goddamn nuisance since the day you were dumped on me. I took you into my house, took food from my kids' mouths to feed you, and this is the thanks I get. As far as I'm concerned, you're on your own. I don't need you bringing your shit to my doorstep any longer."

  The line went silent, and for a few moments, neither of them moved. What the hell did he say now? Her aunt was a complete bitch. He'd never be able to figure out why God took good people from the earth like his family and left the trash. It was some kind of sick joke.

  Allie released a ragged sigh and held out the phone to him. "Thanks for letting me use it." Her voice was subdued, and he could tell her aunt's words had pierced her like no bullet could. Bullets were cold, hard and quick. The wound Allie had sustained would be deeply painful, and she might never heal.

  "I'm sorry." He stepped forward to take the phone.

  "For what?" She looked at him now, her tears glistening in the soft light.

  "You okay?"

  She nodded, looking away, and then sniffed. "I guess you heard. She said I can't come home." That was a nice way of putting it. "So I need to find somewhere else to go." Her lips trembled.

  There lay his problem. "You can't stay here."

  Her gaze jerked to him, a hurt and confused look on her face. "I thought you said I had to stay. Now you're kicking me out, too?"

  "No." He was careful not to bump her injury as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her to him. He skimmed his fingers down her skin that had been chilled by the night breeze. "But I've realized this is not a good place for you to be."

  She frowned. "I thought you said I was safe here."

  He wasn't making himself clear. "You are safe. But I don't know for how long. Eventually, word will get out you're here. That puts you, my guys, and my whole operation at risk. Besides, you said you were getting cabin fever, staying locked up for just a day." Not to mention, he had a hard time thinking straight with her so close. "There's a place out in the suburbs where no one will think to look for you. A lady named Jenna—"

  "Is that where Boo is?"

  "Yes—"

  "Is Jenna your girlfriend?"

  "What? No, she's not my girlfriend." He circled in front of her, putting both hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "I pay her to keep the house ready in case someone needs to lie low. Max was out there this morning and gave me the idea. I think it will be good for you to go there. Tomorrow."

  "You want to get rid of me."

  Jase couldn't stand the despondent look on her face. "I want to help you, Allie." More than to just find a protected place to lie low, he realized. He wanted her safe and happy for the rest of her life, and he could give her that if she'd agree. He exhaled a breath.

  "Have you ever thought about going to school?"

  A look of surprise crossed her face. "School, as in college?"

  He nodded.

  "I wanted Joey to go so we could leave Chicago and start fresh, somewhere new, but I hadn't really thought about it for me."

  "Well, Joey's not here anymore." He tried to be gentle. "But you could go and get that fresh start for yourself. What do you think?"

  She let out a soft sigh, her demeanor calmer than before. "I guess so. I mean I'd always dreamed about it when I was younger. Breaking away from the neighborhood and making a good life."

  "If I helped you, would you go? If you say yes, I'l
l arrange a new identity for you and fund your education and expenses." It was crazy, he knew, to have formed such a strong attachment to a woman he hardly knew. But he had a powerful urge to help her, to take care of her. His occupation prevented anything other than friendship, but if he could have nothing else, he'd know she had a secure future. Maybe even a happy one.

  She looked at him with wide eyes. "How can you do that? How can you make that kind of offer to me?"

  "Money's not an issue." He had more than he'd ever need. God might not have given him love and affection in his life, but he sure as hell had provided plenty of greenbacks.

  "But you don't even know me. Not really."

  "Then call it me getting even with the warring drug families. They want you, but I'm not going to let them have you. It's payback."

  She bit her lip in indecision, but he could see the glimmer of excitement and possibility in her green eyes. He loved her eyes, the way they sparkled. Could he really be offering to send her out of his life?

  "If you don't go, what else will you do? I'll let you stay at Jenna's for as long as you need to, but then what?"

  "I'll be stuck here, or dead." She lifted her eyebrows as though contemplating the choices. "If I take you up on your offer, I'll owe you for the rest of my life."

  "No, you won't." This was a gift to him as much as her. Knowing he could help her gave him a huge source of gratification, something he hadn't felt in years.

  "Yeah." She smiled with tears in her eyes. "I already do."

  CHAPTER SIX

  Jase rolled over and punched his pillow. He couldn't sleep. The dark hour of midnight had long since passed, and all he could do was listen as Allie rustled around in bed in the next room. She obviously couldn't find solace in a peaceful slumber, either.

  He was glad she'd accepted his offer. Some would say it was too generous, but he wanted to give her a future and more. It puzzled him, this need to take care of her, the constant thoughts of what it might be like if he didn't have to send her away. But like Max had reminded him, having her around totally screwed with their plans for revenge.

  So, if he couldn't dream about enjoying her company, he would dream about the life she'd have. It would be better than what he'd been dealt.