Untraceable
Page 17
He didn’t say anything as he forced me to sit on the bed. His emotions were gone as he reconnected my bonds to the bed and released the handcuffs from the cable.
“Why?” I repeated softly, this time allowing my hand to touch the back of his.
He jerked away from me as if I shocked him. His head cocked slightly sideways and then he lowered his face toward mine. I didn’t like him being so close but my instincts were telling me to hold very still.
“I gave them to Chelsea as a gift.”
“Who’s Chelsea?”
“Your body double. What she did not know was they were necessary so your remains could be identified. She was a beautiful girl, but a little too fond of OxyContin; she would do anything to acquire a bottleful.”
“You—you killed her?”
”She did not suffer—much. I am afraid I could not leave any DNA behind for them to discover you were not in the car. They may figure it out eventually, but if they do it will take them a while.”
“You killed her?” I repeated.
He was inches away from my face; his expression completely void, “Do not feign disgust, Annalisa; I am no different from your husband.”
I wanted to argue the point, but he was actually right. “I sincerely hope your telling me the truth,” I stated carefully, “because that means there’s hope for you, too.” I watched an unusual and shocked expression fill his face.
The bedroom door opened wider and the man motioned to Jonathan, “We’re ready, let’s go.”
Jonathan’s gaze never wavered from mine, but the expression dissolved, “You are sadly mistaken, Annalisa. He and I are from the same cloth—there is no hope for either one of us.”
“Now,” the man stated with a little more volume.
“Get your ass downstairs,” Jonathan fired back, turning to face him. “I will be there when I am done with her. Go!”
The door closed.
“Where are you going?” I tried to ask calmly.
“Do not worry; I am not going to kill him. If losing you does not finish him off, Sharon will break him. I admit, she is good at that, truly an expert. I have given orders that your guard is not to touch you, nor even come into the room. Do not try anything foolish while I am gone. If you arouse his curiosity—well, let me just say you do not want him in the same room with you.” Then very succinctly he calmly added, “Do you understand me?”
He was cautioning me with what appear to be true sincerity. In that moment, I realized Jonathan didn’t like the idea of me being alone with this person.
“Can’t you stay?” I whispered back, suddenly more fearful than when I discovered my predicament.
“No. Be quiet and well-behaved. Understand?”
Tears filled my eyes again as I nodded.
“I will return in a few hours. You are safe as long as you do not cause any problems.”
With those words spoken, he turned and walked away.
I would heed his warning and be silent, praying that whoever had been left behind as my guard feared Jonathan enough to follow orders.
CHAPTER fifteen
Micah parked and mentally readied himself to meet Sharon. The closest he had been to her was when he blew her shoulder apart at the beach house; now they would be alone together. The fact that she had Leese tucked away somewhere brought a whole new element to this meeting. He’d never wanted to kill someone so badly in his life. Even D’Angelo’s death paled in comparison to what he’d like to do to Sharon. Evidently, the woman was an excellent manipulator. She had worked Jack and Ricky for years, and then Robert, and finally had D’Angelo ready to combine families.
He lowered his arms to his sides as he removed the key from the ignition of the rental car, feeling the comfort of a pair of Glocks. He wouldn’t fail Leese, but he would have to fight his urge to blow Sharon away with every passing second.
The lobby of the Crowne Plaza was quiet. It only took a moment to spot the lanky blonde seated at the far end smiling serenely, but as he drew nearer her smile became broader.
“Finally, a face-to-face,” she smoothly spoke.
It wasn’t hard to figure out how she so easily used the men in her life. She was, with the exception of the dyed blond hair, all Italian. She reminded Micah of a thoroughbred. Her skin was a natural creamy tan and her legs were long and muscled. Her hair was softly waved, resting gently on her shoulders. Her face was angular with defined cheekbones and a chin with a soft cleft, the kind of chin that reminded you that when she set her mind to something, she had enough determination to make it so. Her eyes were a shocking shade of amber honey so light that they appeared to be illuminated. Her lips were full and pouty and pulled into a seductive bow.
She looked as if she had dressed for an elegant evening. She wore a snug, black skirt that hugged the shape of her hips and a top that draped low and loose in the front, easily revealing the edges of her taunt, high breast line. One slight movement the right direction and she could allow someone to see what was barely covered by the silky fabric.
At that moment, Micah knew she played the seduction game very well.
“Let’s have a drink, shall we,” she stated, rising and tucking her small clutch under her left arm. The limited movement of her arm reminded Micah that underneath the shimmering silk was the damage he’d inflicted. This was one time he was wishing his aim had been off; just a little lower and to the center of her chest and none of this would be happening—Leese would have been safe. His teeth ground together.
“I don’t drink,” he managed to state while his blood was reaching a boiling point under his skin.
She shrugged and gave him an annoyed glance, “Then have a glass of water, but we can’t discuss business out here. You did come here to take care of business, didn’t you?”
A smile curled onto his face, “Yes, I did.”
With a toss of her soft hair, she walked ahead of him toward the lounge. She picked a table in the most recessed portion and slid into the secluded booth. It was a booth for two and there would be little he could do to keep from getting close to her.
She smiled and then reached out and felt his bicep under the cover of his light jacket.
He snatched his arm away from her touch.
“Oh, now let’s not be this way, Micah. This is the first time I’ve gotten to handle my best weapon.” She had a quality to her voice that made the words come out as if her vocal cords were made of velvet.
“I’m not your—”
“Oh, but darling, you are. You’ve been working for me for months, although I admit that I did want you dead at first. How you and that idiot brother of yours ever pulled off getting out of South America alive after I warned Martinez, still amazes me,” she said with a tiny smile. “But you did it, and got my drug supplier back to making regular deliveries. You killed three capos, an underboss, and an associate for me. And I have to especially thank you for killing that annoying D’Angelo. He honestly thought he would become the boss and I’d be his second in command—that was foolish, but you fixed that for me. So let’s not be…” Her hand slipped easily back to his muscled arm, “…rude to each other. Not only will I keep your wife alive, but I might prove to be more fun than you expect.”
Her hand dropped from his arm and moved under the table, sliding up his leg. He quickly stopped her, knowing he could easily crush her hand with his own, but not now. She had the advantage and he’d have to keep himself restrained.
She smiled as his hand remained on hers. Either way she got what she wanted; a chance to feel the equipment or simply a chance to get him to touch her.
The waitress appeared, smiling politely at the handsome couple, “What can I get you folks to drink this evening?”
“I’ll have Southern Comfort on the rocks and he’ll have—”
“I’ll have a club soda with lime,” Micah interrupted her.
The waitress smiled and left them alone.
“You don’t like a woman taking charge, do you, Micah?”
“Oh, I’m not that bad. A little ambitious maybe, but I think you could come to like me if you tried,” she said as she leaned slightly forward and twisted just enough for the fabric to move and give him a view of her exposed breast. “I’m sure I could begin to like you, as well.”
Micah wasn’t going to take the bait and divert his eyes to what she was exposing, but even without moving his eyes, it was well within his peripheral vision. He turned his head and watched the waitress across the barroom heading their direction with the drinks they ordered. He could tell immediately that Sharon didn’t like his refusal to take in the sights she offered.
He was still holding her hand under the table, knowing if he should release her, she would continue further up his leg. She slipped her hand out from under his as the waitress placed the drinks in front of them and gave them the tab.
“Be a darling and catch that for me,” she said as she moved to feel his hair.
He leaned away and looked back into her hungry eyes, “It’s your meeting. You can pick up the check.”
Surprise was written all over the waitresses face as she turned to Sharon.
Sharon gave a slow sigh and reached for her clutch. “Men,” she stated as she handed the girl a ten. “You can’t find a good one who isn’t either married, broke, stupid, or stubborn. Keep the change. Now, where were we?” she continued as the waitress walked away. “As I was saying, given an opportunity you might actually find you like me.”
“I didn’t come here to sleep with you. I’m here to get my wife back and that’s all.”
“What if sleeping with me becomes part of the deal? I’m starting to get the feeling you could be an excellent lover, maybe even the best I’ve ever had.” She was leaning into his arm now, allowing her breast to rub against his thick muscles.
“I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you couldn’t arouse me if you tried.”
“Really? That’s okay, darling, they make medication for that problem. I can make you viable for hours of fun.”
Micah sighed and moved slightly away from her, “There isn’t enough Viagra in all of South Carolina to give me a hard on for you.”
“Oh, but there is an attraction; I can see it in your face, Micah.” Then she leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “You would like to get me alone somewhere, wouldn’t you?”
She was absolutely right. The more he thought about it the more he’d like to take her somewhere private and become the animal he kept well suppressed. He’d like to listen to her scream in pain as he ripped her apart, and then to wrap his fingers around her throat and apply every ounce of strength he possessed.
A momentary flashback to when he was a very young boy ran through is mind. He would play in the yard with David and they would catch dragonflies and pull their heads off and watch them flail around in a dismembered state. He realized now that it had been horribly cruel, but at the time he felt no remorse for the creatures. He wondered, as the smile rose to his lips, if he could actually apply enough strength to pull her head from her body?
In his momentary distraction, he hadn’t realized that she was now pressed to his side and her hand was rubbing firmly against his crotch.
“See, you don’t need any medical help,” she gave an easy laugh.
He pulled her away from his rock hard body and applied enough pressure to her hand that her eyes grew large.
“No, no, no, Micah. You don’t want to hurt the person who is keeping Annalisa alive.”
Just the sound of her name caused him to snap out of his need to kill. Sharon had been foolish enough to believe that his arousal was due to her sex appeal, but she had no clue the kind of arousal he was experiencing was deeply rooted in his psyche—and it was linked to murder. “I want to see my wife.”
“Sure, how about we hop in my car and I take you there right now? Please don’t even think of me as being that foolish. If I took you to her, I know what would happen, and you wouldn’t be aiming for shoulders,” she said with an easy laugh.
She was right. If he could only get to where Leese was being held, he’d kill Sharon, Giovanni, and anyone else there in a matter of seconds.
“But I did consider you’d ask so I’ve made arrangements for you to see her,” she said as she opened her clutch and pulled out a sleek touch screen phone.
“A video won’t do,” he added. “You could have taken it hours ago.”
“I had to get new phones to make this work so don’t annoy me. You’ll be able to see her and speak with her so you’ll know it wasn’t done prior—take it or leave it, but it’s as close as I’ll allow you to get.”
Micah nodded as she put the phone to her ear. He watched as she became agitated waiting for someone to answer on the other end.
“What the hell took you so long?” she snapped. “Put her on video. I don’t care if she just went to sleep or not, wake her up.”
Micah’s heart gave a heavy thump as he almost told Sharon not to bother her if she was sleeping, but he had to see her. He had to know she was still alive, but he also knew how difficult sleep would be for her without him or Ryan to comfort her. When he considered the added stress of her pregnancy, he was certain she would be in bad shape and he’d have to get to her as soon as possible or exhaustion would put her in dire straits.
The video clicked on as the person opened a door and entered a dim room. Suddenly the room was illuminated and she was there, lying on the bed, eyes open but seemingly in a trance. Her skin was ghostly pale, her eyes sunken and sallow with dark purplish circles underneath.
“Your husband is on the phone and wants to see you.” Came a voice. “Sit up so he can see that you are all right.”
Micah recognized the voice; Giovanni was speaking to her.
Life seemed to reanimate her as she rose and reached for the phone with a thin hand. That was when he saw the handcuff on her other wrist clipped to a chain and the chain appeared to be attached to the bed frame.
“Micah?” she asked as she stared into the display.
“You cannot see him, yet,” Jonathan told her. “This is video to him, but I can let you see him in a minute. You can talk to each other, just—”
“Leese,” Micah said gently. “Are you okay, baby? Have they been taking care of you? Are they feeding you enough?”
“Yes—I’m just so tired, I can’t—”
“I know, baby, but you’ve got to rest. You’re going to have to remember that I’m always with you, no matter where you are—I love you, Annalisa.”
“I want to see him,” she mournfully pled, looking up to the person out of camera range. A hand covered the phone for a brief moment and suddenly the video feed stopped.
Sharon gave an annoyed sigh as she reached over and touched the screen. Suddenly Micah was looking at himself as the camera recorded. He heard Leese cry out.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” he demanded, thinking someone had done something to her now that he could no longer see what was happening.
“No, it’s okay, Micah. I just never thought I would see you again. I love you, baby.”
“Don’t worry,” Sharon laughed loud enough for Leese to hear, “I’ll keep him happy while you’re tied up.”
Even through video, Leese could see his face become the deadly blank that she knew came just before he killed someone, “Don’t do it, Micah. I love you and I want you to keep your promise to me. Don’t do what she wants.”
Sharon quickly reached over and touched the screen and the call was lost.
“Get her back,” he ordered, still holding the phone.
“I said you’d get to see her. I never said for how long and besides all the ‘I love you’ crap was starting to make me nauseous. You do as I say, and Giovanni won’t have any fun on this assignment.”
It was time to learn about his true adversary, “How long has he been in your family? I know he’s new.”
“Actually, Giovanni is an ou
tsider. It seems Leonard Caprizio has taken an interest in me. Giovanni has been his protégé for the last few years, and when I told him I needed someone to be safely hidden, he loaned him to me.”
It was as if someone poured ice water down his spinal column; he suspected this from the moment Gwen’s investigator told him he’d only seen two similar jobs, both in New York. It came full circle, and that circle surrounded the most powerful mafia boss in the U.S. The Capo dei Capi had upheld Micah’s untouchable status and now it appeared it was so Sharon could force him into doing her dirty work. He’d never felt such complete hopelessness in all of his life, even when Leese ran from him, he still had hope that someday he’d get her back, but this was different. If Caprizio taught Giovanni the art of making people untraceable, Leese was as good as gone from him—permanently.
“Caprizio must hate your father,” Micah stated, his finger raking a single clean line through the condensation on his glass.
Sharon gave a strange smile, “Not at all, actually. He and my father were friends years ago when Caprizio took the top position. Caprizio doesn’t know what I’m really after. I’d say he saw this as an opportunity to help the daughter of an old friend—he may not like what happens, but I’ll claim daddy’s murder as your fault,” she laughed. “No one will doubt that. I mean, honestly, anyone attaining your position and then to turn around and risk everything to get out of the Family over something as ignorant as love is certainly crazy. They’ll all believe you did it to hurt me.”
He could tell Sharon didn’t understand the kind of fire she was playing with when it came to Caprizio. She’d never been known for being careful and cautious and now she was dabbling in a league of men far beyond even her class of ruthlessness. Caprizio wasn’t doing this as a ‘kindness’ to an old friend. He would tolerate Sharon, allowing her to play her wicked games, but something else was motivating him. Micah needed to discover what that ‘thing’ was and use it as leverage.