A man’s voice from only a few feet away startled me.
“Roxy? Don’t run. Please.”
“Skip? Sorry, I didn’t see you.” I shoved the cell phone in my back pocket.
“You were a million miles away.”
I smiled. “I was thinking about Lily.”
“Me, too.”
He stepped closer and pulled me to him. Feeling his warmth and strength reminded me of the road ahead. It was a road Lily and I would most likely have to travel alone. I pulled away and looked up at him. His jaw was set. I could see the worry. My voice cracked as I asked, “What are we going to do?”
“Find a way out of this together. Trust me.”
“That’s my problem. Trust isn’t something I do well.”
He put a finger under my chin and raised it. His lips touched mine, and I hated myself for ruining his life again. But there was no choice. And he was here of his own volition.
“I found Jackie Fontanal,” he said as he pulled back. “Actually, I spoke to the bouncer.”
“Maxie? He can be intimidating.” Under other circumstances, I might have laughed, but at this moment I felt drained. “Then you know I was there, too. That might have been a mistake…but I was desperate.”
“Shhh…” Skip pressed a finger to my lips. “All we have to do is find Lily before he does.”
Now I did laugh. “Always the optimist. Don’t you ever give up?”
“Nope,” he said with a crooked smile. “If I did, we wouldn’t be standing here right now. Where’s your car?”
“Back on Tremont.”
“Let’s go. There’s a lot to do.”
We walked side-by-side, but ours was not the walk of lovers, it was one of purpose and grim reality. Just thinking about how we’d never come here as a couple was enough to tear me in two. There were so many things we hadn’t done. And now, we might never do them. I took a deep breath. When this was over, I’d have to take Lily and disappear. It was the only way to ensure this never happened to her again. At the next corner, we turned right, then crossed the street.
“How do you want to play this?” Skip asked. “Your friend Jackie is determined to start a war with the Panamans, and it seems like appealing to his good side will not be very effective.”
“I’m worried about what Jackie might do, Skip. Sonny Panaman has to be behind this. I keep going back-and-forth about Bruno. There are things you need to know about him. I think this all has to do with a painting called The Last Warhol. It was Bruno’s prized possession.”
“I know,” he said. “Baldorf and I saw the empty spot on the wall.”
I shivered against the cold and eyed him. “You and Baldorf? How?”
“He has this little drone called the MD-1. It’s literally about the size of a mosquito. It’s amazing. Anyway, I flew it down the chimney and into the house. Sonny was walking through, so I hitched a ride on his towel on the way to the hot tub.”
I laughed again. Having seen Skip struggle as he played video games with Lily, I had a difficult time envisioning him piloting much of anything. “Someday,” I said. “Someday you’ll have to show me how good of a pilot you are.”
He nodded, then his voice turned somber. “It’s a deal. Anyway, we overheard Sonny talking to one of his henchmen. They’ve got Lily.”
I smiled, but it was a smile filled with regret. If Lily and I had to disappear…I reached for the kidnapper’s phone and showed him the proof-of-life email. He took a heavy breath as he gazed at it.
“Bruno has to know something,” I insisted.
“It’s possible. If he doesn’t, I’ll bet the house does.”
I frowned and looked away, letting my gaze follow the taillights of a passing car. Turning back to Skip, I said, “I don’t understand.”
“Sonny made the call we overheard from the hot tub. I’m wondering if he might do the same from inside the house. He can’t always be going outside to conduct business. I want to bug the house.”
I stopped, faced him, and raised my eyebrows. “That’s bold. And how, exactly, would you propose to pull this off? Fly back in with Baldorf’s little mosquito drone?”
“The problem with that option is power. The MD-1 only has a limited amount of flight time, and unless I could plug into a wall socket, I doubt if it would last long enough to tell us anything of value. This would have to be done old-school style.”
“There’s no time. The deadline for the ransom is tomorrow, and I don’t have five million dollars.”
Skip eyed me. I knew the look. Skepticism, and a sliver of distrust. “How much do you have?”
We were almost back to my car and there was a long pause as I considered my response. The truth was, Skip had probably suspected I had money hidden away for a long time. I’d only tapped it once to buy Lily a new phone, but the extravagance had been enough to catch his attention.
“Three million,” I said.
He swallowed hard and nodded. Rather than giving me a lecture about honesty, he said, “Then we need to find another two million dollars in the next twelve hours.”
I closed my eyes and shivered at the thought of how Jackie leered at me. How his offer to ‘work for him’ was nothing more than a blatant test to find my price. I’d been besting men like Jackie my entire life. I stopped and sucked in a small breath. Perhaps this was karma, finally rearing its head to teach me what it felt like to lose everything. As Bruno had.
“The Last Warhol,” I whispered.
“Now I’m the one who’s not following.”
“A little while ago I talked to a man named P.T. Richards. He told me the painting Bruno had on his wall is a forgery. Richards said he’s the only one alive who knows about this.”
“So he trusted you with the information?”
“I haven’t figured out why he’d do that yet, but it’s something I can work on. The other problem is that experts authenticated the painting so the world believes it’s the real thing. The angle is that Bruno sold the painting to Anthony Cardoza for less than it was worth.”
“Baldorf uncovered the money trail. As far as we can tell that was how he paid for Sonny’s legal bills.”
“Right. And now Bruno’s having seller’s remorse. If I’m right, I could…work for him. He wants to recoup his fortunes, and I could help him. In exchange for a promise to leave us alone, I’d help him get The Last Warhol back. He can never find out the truth about the painting—at least, not until after Lily is safe.” Even in the dim streetlights, I could tell Skip’s gaze was that of the analyst, evaluating me.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“My other option is to go to work for Jackie. At least Bruno wouldn’t be trying to turn me into an addict.”
“I’m telling you, Roxy, don’t trust Bruno Panaman.”
“I only need to get Lily freed. After that…”
I let the words hang in the air. Skip cupped my cheek with his fingers. “I understand. You’re desperate. But it’s way too soon to even consider any kind of deal with either of them. Whatever happens, we’re in this together. We might not have all the details, but we agree on the solution. Let’s take this a little at a time.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that you go back and work with Baldorf. If anyone can help you, it’s him. Have him show you what he’s got. With what you know now it should help him speed up his searches. While you’re doing that, I’m going to handle my end.”
“And what does your end involve?” I demanded.
“Trust me, Roxy. Please. I’m busting my butt to help you find Lily. At some point, you have to let down your defenses.”
I watched his face, let myself be taken in by the intense blue of his eyes. His gaze alone made my heart ache. Since the day we’d met, Skip had never done anything to hurt me. He’d taken extraordinary risks to be my knight in shining armor. So why couldn’t I let him in? I took his hand in mine and swallowed a deep breath.
“I’m trying. Really. But the life I’ve lived…�
��
He squeezed my hands. “I know. But I love you and Lily and will do anything for both of you.”
Love? Mom’s phrase. Love will carry you through.
My eyes burned with a sense of impending doom. “Skip…”
He shook his head. “No. I know what you’re about to tell me, and I will not accept it. If it’s the last thing I do, I promise you, we’ll get Lily back.”
I could feel my lower lip trembling, the emotions welling up from deep within, but I would not let those emotions change my course. I held up one hand and extended my little finger. “Pinky swear?”
Skip’s eyes glistened as he wrapped his little finger around mine. “Absolutely. Now, tell me about this painting—The Last Warhol.”
My car was just footsteps away. The passenger’s seat, right there. It’s where Lily usually sat. And this morning when I’d driven her to school, we’d laughed and chatted and she’d even told me about a boy she liked. Suddenly, I realized I was talking, telling Skip all of it. I stopped, shook my head, and said, “Sorry. I’m rambling.”
He smiled. “No. Thank you for opening up. It’s nice to have a reminder of why we’re doing this.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Skip
ROXY’S CAR WAS parked near a streetlamp and, as Skip looked around the dimly lit interior, he smiled at the signs of transformation. What had once been a car devoid of personal trappings now had become a certified Mom-mobile—a wrapper from a granola bar on the floor, a sketchpad containing Lily’s drawings on the back seat, and a girl’s sweatshirt lumped next to the drawings.
“Looks comfy,” he said.
“Hey, don’t criticize my car.”
He glanced at her and smiled. And Roxy, how she’d changed, too. “I wouldn’t think of it. In fact, I was just thinking about what a difference Lily has made in our lives—how much better we all are together.” He paused, then added, “I’m parked up on the other side of Coast Highway. You can drop me off. Take a right at the corner.”
Roxy pulled out and made the turn. As she drove, she said, “I’ve spilled my guts and told you everything I’ve been up to. What about you? Anything I should know?”
There were so many things he wanted to tell her, but how many of those could he disclose and still keep her safe? He needed her to be with Baldorf so he could operate without fear of what might happen to her. He shifted in his seat.
“Two blocks, then a left. I followed Sonny to Oceanside, but lost him at a light. One car with a slow driver blew my plan. I’m sure he’s somewhere in town, and that’s what I think you could help Baldorf figure out. If we can find that location…”
Roxy made the left. In the passing headlights of a car, he saw her purse her lips.
“And what will you be doing while I’m ‘working’ with Baldorf? Breaking-and-entering into Bruno’s house.”
He winced at the irritation in her voice. “It may not come to that. I’ve got a lead I want to follow up on. Here I am.”
“You’re driving Baldorf’s car?”
“Long story. I’ll follow you back to his place. He’s got a piece of equipment I need.” Without waiting for Roxy to respond, Skip got out, then leaned into the car and added, “See you there.” The moment Skip closed the door of his car, he began speaking. “Hey, buddy, you still there?”
“Heard it all, bro. You’re both headed here?”
“Yes. We should be there in five minutes.”
“Awesome.”
Skip pulled out onto the street and followed Roxy. “I want her to work with you while I plant a few of those fancy wireless bugs you’ve been working on.”
“A few? No can do, bro. The MD-1is a prototype. All I have are the static, nonflying kind. You know, plant and go.”
“Static is good. I don’t need them to fly. I’ll take as many as you can give me. Hang on.”
Roxy drove through a yellow light at Coast Highway, and Skip hit the gas to follow her, cringing when the light turned red midway through.
“Sorry, I had to run a light.”
“You, bro? The original conservative driver?”
“How long will the battery last on these bugs?” he snapped.
Baldorf snickered. “Testy, dude? Chill. I got you covered. In standby mode, they’ll go up to two days. In full-on record-and-transmit, maybe two hours. You’ll also need the relay transmitter if you want to broadcast beyond about fifty feet.”
“It’s all wireless, right?”
“Totally.”
“We’re almost at your place. Can you slip them into that fancy sling pack you’ve got? I need to grab-and-go.”
“Roger that, dude. Two minutes is all I need.”
“Also, I need you to keep her at your place, Baldorf. She’s way too emotionally involved and not thinking clearly. I’m worried she’ll disappear on us again.”
“Girl’s not going to stay here if she doesn’t want to, dude.”
“Just wow her with your genius, buddy. We’re here. Talk to you inside.”
Skip parked behind Roxy, who was already out of her car with her arms crossed as she watched him. When he approached, she said, “It looked like you were talking to someone.”
“Baldorf.” He turned his head sideways and pointed at his ear. “We’ve got these fancy earbuds that let us stay in communication. I wanted to let him know we’d connected and were on our way.”
“Oh. Makes sense.”
She grimaced, an action Skip was surprised she would let him see. “Shall we go see what the boy genius has in store?” he asked.
“Why not?” She drew a deep breath and walked toward the bungalow entrance.
The female voice of the security system responded with its pleasant greeting, advised them they were authorized to enter, then automatically unlocked the door.
“Freaks me out every time,” Roxy said. “Baldorf said the landlord wants to marry her.”
Skip smiled, but his sense of unease was growing. Roxy’s tones were flat and unemotional. It was as though she’d disconnected from her surroundings and was plotting her next move even as she went through the motions here. When they entered, Baldorf looked up from a computer monitor and waved, then stood to greet them and drew Roxy into an embrace.
“Hey, dude. I’m really bummed to hear about the kid. We’re working to get her back.”
Roxy hugged Baldorf in return, nodded, and smiled weakly. “If I can’t…” Her voice cracked and her shoulders trembled.
She gripped her sides as Skip pulled her close and held her. Roxy was not a crier, but here she was, in his arms, unable to keep her emotions under control. When she backed away, Skip guided her to a chair in front of the bank of monitors.
“Baldorf, why don’t you show her what we got earlier from the house?”
“For sure, bro.” Baldorf sat next to Roxy, tapped on one of his keyboards, and described what was on the screen.
Skip interrupted with a quiet, but insistent, “Do you have the bag ready?”
Baldorf pointed to where the sling pack hung on the back of another chair. Skip crossed the room, picked it up, and excused himself as the explanation continued.
The night air was a welcome relief from the tension inside Baldorf’s bungalow. Mentally, he apologized to his friend. He wasn’t used to seeing distrust on Roxy’s face. She had to know he was deliberately keeping her away, but what he was about to do was a one-man operation. If anything went wrong, he did not want to have the baggage of worrying about someone else.
He sat in the driver’s seat, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. “I’m doing this for you, Roxy,” he whispered. “And Lily.”
After checking his mirror, he began the drive back to Carlsbad. All he had to do now was break into Bruno Panaman’s house without being detected. He told himself it wasn’t a big deal. A walk in the park—or one on a tightrope with no safety net. It was all a matter of perspective.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Roxy
I SAT NEXT to Baldor
f, listening to him prattle on about drones and spyware, but my thoughts were on what Skip was up to. Finally, when I could stand it no more, I blurted, “What was in the bag?”
Baldorf did a double take, then grimaced. “He asked me to put together a little surveillance pack—a few standalone cams is all.”
“Standalone cams? You mean bugs.”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Now. He grabbed the pack when he left.”
“Don’t BS me. When did he ask you to do this?”
Baldorf winced and pulled back slightly. “Don’t beat me up, dude. It was while you were driving here.”
“He’s breaking into Bruno’s to plant these bugs…isn’t he?” I grumbled.
Baldorf shrugged. “He didn’t tell me where he was going, dude.”
“You’re a genius, Baldorf. Add two and two. Now I know what an untrusted child feels like.”
“Sorry, dude. He’s in protector mode. It’s been getting stronger ever since you called about Lily.”
“I tried to lose him at a stoplight at Coast Highway, but he ran the red. Skip doesn’t do that.”
“He’s a super conservative driver,” Baldorf snickered.
“Old lady,” I muttered. A moment later, I said, “Sorry. I don’t mean to take this out on you. Or Skip. I know he’s trying to help. It irks me that he goes all macho on me when this kind of crap happens. I can take care of myself. I always have.”
“I know, dude. You’re like the strong-woman role model. So you want me to bring you up to speed?”
I looked around the room. This was, as Baldorf sometimes called it, command central. There were a half dozen monitors. One showed images from the bungalow’s security system, but the others ran data feeds or video and displayed web pages.
“Yes. Skip said I should get an update from you. Just don’t get bogged down in all the minutia. Okay?”
“It’s a character defect, dude. I was considering having a Minutia Man T-shirt made.”
Shadows from the Past Page 8
