Switchback

by Catherine Anderson

  “Danno, I’d like you to meet Mallory Christiani.”

  Danno shifted his unreadable black eyes to her. After a tension-laden moment, he extended his hand. Just as hesitantly, she placed uncertain fingers across his palm. His grasp was loose and noncommittal but warm. She tried to smile with stiff lips, then forced herself to meet his gaze. With a shock, she realized he was afraid, afraid of being rejected. The realization made her heart catch. He was too young to be so bitter and suspicious. Mallory’s smile relaxed and spread across her mouth. “I’m pleased to meet you, Danno.”

  The obsidian glassiness left his eyes, revealing a vulnerability that disarmed her. His mouth tipped into a crooked grin. Glancing at Mac he said, “Hey, Coach, she’s choice.”

  The next boy, Mark, was a scruffy redhead with freckles, which made him seem a tad less ominous. Mallory shook hands with him and suffered through being referred to as sweet, another term she knew was popular with teenagers. Then she was introduced to Eric and Toby, blue-eyed with shaggy brown hair, on the shy side of fifteen. Toby pumped her arm up and down with so much enthusiasm that her shoulder felt as if it might become dislocated.

  “Mark and Danno are college boys this year,” Mac informed her. The pride in his voice made the boys stand taller.

  Danno smiled and arched his bushy black eyebrows. “So what’s up, Coach?”

  “I’ve got to do a little street work tonight. When I have to leave Mallory, I need you guys to watch over her.”

  Danno threw Mallory a curious look. “She in trouble?”

  Mac quickly briefed him. “I want you out from under the lights, staying low. Think you can handle it? I don’t want her getting hurt, and you’re the only friends I can completely trust to watch out for her. I won’t color it. These creeps on our tails mean business. My Volvo got blown to smithereens this afternoon. We’ve been shot at. Just being in the same vicinity with us could be bad for the health.”

  “If there’s anything we’re good at, it’s gotta be blending in.” Danno grinned and slid his dark gaze toward Mallory again. She was beginning to suspect he had practiced that crooked smile for hours, perfecting the lazy, careless twist of his lips so it had just the right effect. The way he stood somehow reminded her of Mac, his hands shoved into his pockets, his shoulders slouched, one hip angled outward. “I’m real sorry about your little girl. All of us are.”

  Not trusting herself to speak, Mallory merely nodded. She fell into step beside Mac as he struck off down the sidewalk, the four boys flanking them. She noticed that oncoming pedestrians, rather than walk through their number, preferred to spill into the street and brave the traffic, which was considerable. The first time it happened, she wondered why. Then she remembered who she was walking with. If she had met these four boys on a sidewalk, she would have taken her chances in the street, too. And now that she came to think of it, Mac didn’t exactly look like the kid next door.

  Within the safe circle of his arm, Mallory absorbed the sights and sounds around her. Though it was night, the city seemed bright and glaring to her. She found herself searching every face and wondering if that person knew where Em was. Pain swelled within her. A few hours, that was all they had left. Every step they took measured off a second, the seconds accumulated into minutes, minutes into hours, taking them closer and closer to deadline.

  “Try not to think about it,” Mac whispered.

  Taken off guard, Mallory threw her head up and stared at him, wondering how he had known. “It’s hard not to.”

  “Think about the welcome-home party we’ll throw for her. I have a friend who’s a clown.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, me!” Toby interrupted.

  Mac smiled. “What’s her favorite cake?”

  “Chocolate.” Leaning her shoulder against his side, Mallory took a deep breath. Visions of Em at home drifted through her mind, and the frantic feeling inside her slowly subsided. She was lucky to have Mac on her side, she thought. So lucky.

  As they walked, the boys relaxed enough in her presence to talk among themselves, including Mac in their teasing banter. Mallory deduced from their conversation that they were on Mac’s baseball team, which he had begun coaching several years ago, volunteering his time to an organization for underprivileged, delinquent boys who were thought to be still redeemable. Now she understood why Mac had been so hesitant to discuss the area of Seattle he had grown up in. She also discovered why Mac’s end tables didn’t match. He was paying for Danno’s and Mark’s tuition at the University of Washington. Little wonder he drove an old clunker Volvo.

  Danno’s major was going to be law. Mallory had trouble picturing him in a suit, sitting behind a desk like Keith’s. Mark proudly announced he planned to be an accountant. Just when Mallory was beginning to be impressed, Mac winked at her and said Mark already had a job lined up keeping books for the local fence. Mark roared with laughter, then skipped back, doing the elbow bumping thing with Danno.

  Watching them, Mallory could see why Mac would fork out thousands of dollars for their education. They were just kids like any others, no matter how they came across when you first met them. Had Mac been a Mark or Danno once? She suspected he had. Glancing at the surrounding throngs of humanity, she could even see why all five of them worked so hard at looking mean. Down here, the weak weren’t going to inherit much of anything. A kick in the teeth, maybe.

  That thought brought Mallory full circle, back to worrying about Emily. On the upper floors of some of the taller buildings, there were low-rent apartments, their grimy windows mirrored by the lights below. Was Em up there someplace? Was she gazing down, even now, hungry and afraid? Could she see them? Mallory’s steps faltered but Mac hauled her relentlessly forward.

  They walked several blocks, until they reached a cluster of even taller buildings with graffiti on the exteriors. As they wove in and out of the throngs of people, Mac became watchful, his eyes scanning the women who advertised their wares curbside to passing men in swank cars. Every half block or so, he left Mallory in a shadowed doorway with the boys while he approached one of the girls, slipping her money as he asked her questions. Each time, he came back looking discouraged.

  They finally came upon a young woman who whispered something when Mac slipped her some money. Mac thanked her and returned to them. “Pay dirt,” he said, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. “Hey, Danno, do you know of a new—” Breaking off, Mac threw a glance at Mallory. “A new house around here?”

  “Over two blocks. Why?”

  “Corrine’s set up there.”

  Danno’s grin vanished. “The redhead?”

  Mac nodded. “Lead the way. We’ll follow.”

  Danno clearly found this to be an unacceptable turn of events, but he finally shrugged and struck off down the sidewalk. A few minutes later, he pulled up and glared at Mac over his shoulder. “This is it.”

  Once more, Mac left Mallory standing on the sidewalk with four grim-faced boys. He went inside a large, run-down house. A quarter of an hour later, he emerged from the building, reclaimed Mallory and lifted an eyebrow at a glaring Danno. “I have to go back downtown and find a fellow called Chapin.”

  Danno planted his hands on his hips and jutted out his chin. “What’s up, Coach? You flipped or what? First we come here. Now we’re going to find Chapin? He’s a pim—”

  “I know what he is,” Mac cut in. “We don’t need it spelled out.”

  Danno stood there, head cocked to one side, questions shining in his eyes. “You’re always preaching to us about avoiding trouble and now you—”

  “Danno, trust me,” Mac said, reaching out to grip his shoulder reassuringly. “I wouldn’t talk to him if I didn’t have to.”

  By the time they had walked clear back downtown, exhaustion was beginning to take its toll. Mallory had had little sleep for days, and it was starting to show.

  Mac approached a young woman dressed all in red. Money changed hands and with a slight nod, she indicated a man up th
e block.

  “Thanks.” Whirling, Mac walked back to them, giving Danno a thumbs-up. “If something goes wrong, Danno, take her straight to Shelby.” Mac’s eyes locked with Mallory’s. “You remember our deal? Stick to Danno. He’ll take care of you.”

  Mallory grabbed his jacket sleeve. “What do you mean, if something goes wrong?”

  He tried to pry her fingers loose and flashed her an unconvincing grin.

  Panic flooded her. Until this moment, she hadn’t realized just how dangerous this might become for him. It wasn’t his fight. “No! Mac, wait. If it’s that dangerous, let me go.”

  Mac cradled her face between his hands. “Mallory, I didn’t mean to scare you. I’ve done this a hundred times.”

  “But never to get information about someone like Lucetti. This is just as much out of your league as it is for Shelby, isn’t it?” It seemed to her that his hands pressed harder against her cheeks. “Answer me! You could be killed, couldn’t you? For asking questions about him? I—I don’t want you hurt. Em’s my daughter. It should be my risk. Keith wouldn’t expect you to do this.” His face started to swim, and she realized she was looking at him through tears. She struggled to keep her voice firm. “Let me do it. All you’d have to do is point him out and I’d—”

  He was looking down at her as if he had never really seen her before. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

  “Well, of cour—”

  Her words were smothered midstream by his fingers on her lips. His eyes seemed to look down into hers and see forever. Then he released her. Stepping back, he pried her hand from his sleeve. “If I get hurt, it’ll be my own fault for having insisted on going,” he said softly, echoing what she had said earlier when he had been afraid to bring her along. “Besides, I intend to come back. I have an important date to keep, remember? Watching cartoons and eating Pop-Tarts with two beautiful ladies. Now do like you promised me, Mallory, and stay with Danno.”

  With that, he slipped away through the crowd, leaving her with the boys. She watched his bobbing blond head. About a quarter block north of them, he approached a man wearing black slacks and a vest over a leopard-patterned silk shirt. Mallory glanced at her companions. They were all four staring at her.

  Danno motioned for her to follow him back to the darkened doorway. She fell in beside him. “If something happens to him, I—” She gulped and made a helpless gesture with her hands.

  “Nothin’ll happen. The coach is too slippery.” He drew her deeper into the shadows. “You watch. He’ll be back before you know it.”

  Eric and Toby stood guard, one on each side of the doorway. Mark joined Danno and Mallory in the darkness and reached inside his jacket for a pack of cigarettes. He lit up and took a quick succession of drags, keeping an eye out for Mac.

  “The coach will snatch you baldheaded if he catches you,” Danno warned him. “You’re on your honor to quit.”

  “I’m tryin’,” Mark snarled. “Give me a break.” When the cigarette was about half gone, his gaze fastened on something beyond the crowd. He quickly tossed the cigarette. “Whoa, Danno, look sharp. We got trouble.”

  Danno stepped from the shadows to see. Mallory followed. Standing on tiptoe, she saw Mac grab the man in the leopard-patterned shirt by the front of his vest, lift him off his feet and slam him against the cement wall of the building.

  Danno stiffened. “Uh-oh, he’s got company comin’.”

  Mallory’s stomach dropped. The people who had gathered around Mac fell back to let a flamboyantly dressed man get through. She saw metal shimmer. Mac threw the man in leopard print onto the sidewalk and whirled, leaping back just in time to avoid a flashing arc as the newcomer swung a knife at him.

  “Whoa...” Danno started forward, then turned to look at Mallory. Their eyes met in silent communication. She nodded encouragingly. Grabbing Eric by the sleeve, Danno shoved the younger boy toward her. “Eric, Toby, you guys make like her shadow. The coach needs help.”

  Eric did a nervous little jig on the sidewalk, jumping to see what was happening. Toby, who was even shorter, grabbed his friend’s shoulders and bounced around behind him, his chin lifted. “Oh, man. They got blades! I knew we were gonna need ours. The coach is such a priss sometimes.”

  Mallory craned her neck. Danno and Mark were running at breakneck speed, turning sideways and shoving their way through the throngs, their long hair flying behind them. Mac was now surrounded by three men, the man in leopard print and two others. Jumping into the air, Mac delivered a kick to one man’s chest. As he landed, he did a backswing and caught another guy with a stunning blow to the side of his head. The third man slashed with his knife and connected with Mac’s side. Mallory clamped a hand over her mouth. Before she realized it, she was running along the sidewalk, Eric and Toby right beside her.

  She saw Danno break through the crowd that had gathered to watch the fight. He leaped into the fray, whipping his chain from his jeans as he landed beside Mac. The chain seemed to come alive in Danno’s hand, snaking through the air to pluck the knife from one man’s fingers. The weapon no sooner clattered onto the cement than Danno spun and whacked another man in the temple. Mac took advantage of the confusion and let fly with another kick to one fellow’s chest. After delivering that blow, he followed up with a fist to the man’s unguarded midriff. Mark hurtled through the crowd at that point, evening up the odds. The confrontation was over in short order. The two men who had attacked Mac from behind disappeared among the spectators, leaving the man in the leopard-skin patterned shirt alone.

  Mac grabbed the man’s vest again and shoved him against the building, planting his fist in his midsection. The man grunted under the force of the blow and expelled his air in a gush. “Now start talkin’, mister,” Mac hissed. Drawing his gun from under his jacket, he pressed its nose against the man’s ribs.

  Danno and Mark flanked Mac and stood guard to make sure no one interfered. Danno wrapped his length of chain around his arm, prepared to use it as a weapon again if anyone stepped forward. Mallory elbowed her way through the crowd, then stopped, caught up in the breathless tension. A chill slithered over her skin as she glanced at the faces around her. There was a sick eagerness in the air, so thick she could have scooped it with a spoon. They wanted Mac to kill the man, were hoping he would. Especially the prostitutes. From the hatred gleaming in their eyes, Mallory suspected they would have liked to rip Chapin apart. She couldn’t blame them. Looking at him, Mallory felt the same primal thirst for revenge. Chapin might not have been directly involved in Emily’s abduction, but he was still an associate of Lucetti’s. That gave her cause enough to hate him.

  Chapin started to shake. “Miles is dead, bro. That’s all I know.”

  “How did Lucetti figure into it?”

  The man rolled his eyes toward the gun. His larynx bobbed and he cried, “He’ll have me killed if I say. Give me a break, man, please.”

  “Talk!” Mac gave him a threatening shove with the gun.

  “Lucetti had three of his goons waste him. Miles was gonna double-cross him. That’s all I know. I swear it.”

  “How was Miles gonna cross him?”

  “I—Lucetti killed somebody, some professional fellow. Miles found out about the killing! I don’t know all the details. All I know is Lucetti got wind that Miles had gone sour on him.”

  “And how did Miles fit into the organization?”

  “I—I think he kept the books. Yeah, that was it. He kept the books. The head accountant.”

  “Where can I find Lucetti?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You’d better tell me, friend, or I’ll blow a hole in you the size of a baseball diamond.”

  “I—I don’t know. I’d tell you if I knew. I would. I never see Lucetti, just the guy under him. I swear it.”

  “And who is that?”

  “Andrews, Jake Andrews. You can find him at Longacres on the weekends. He likes to bet on the horses. Otherwise, I don’t know. That’s where I alwa
ys meet him.”

  “Okay. What about the three men who wasted Miles? What were their names?”

  “I—I don’t know. One was a guy named Fields, I think. They work together—on the financial end—collecting I think. I’m not sure, man. I’m not lyin’. I’m just not sure.”

  Apparently satisfied, Mac released his grip on the man’s vest. The boys backed off and continued to check out the crowd. Mac ran his hand down over his eyes, blinked, then gave his head a shake as if to clear it. He spotted Mallory then and moved toward her, Danno and Mark closing in behind him. The moment he reached her, Mac seized her arm.

  “We have to get out of here,” he growled, pulling her forward into a run.

  Mallory knew that Mac was afraid the other two men had gone for help. As they sprinted up the sidewalk, the boys fell in around them. The pounding of their feet on the cement seemed deafening as they took the corner and headed east.

  “Mac, are you cut?” she asked breathlessly.

  “Just my jacket. Miles. I knew I recognized that name!”

  “What d’you mean?” she panted.

  “Dead, he’s dead. I read about it in the paper right before I left town. They found his body in an alley. Beaten to death.”

  Jerking her half off her feet, Mac took a sudden left turn down a dark alley. When Mallory saw the looming swath of blackness ahead, she nearly balked. If the streets were dangerous, a dark alley like this was suicidal. Then she remembered who she was running with and decided they were probably at home in dark alleys.

  They spilled out at the other end of the alley onto a street that intersected with the block they had just fled. Cutting through traffic, ignoring the many screeching brakes, they picked up the alley again on the other side. Mallory lost all sense of direction. Mac was circling, backtracking to throw pursuers off their trail. It seemed to her they ran for hours. She reached the point of exhaustion and passed beyond it into blessed numbness. She couldn’t feel her legs, couldn’t tell if her sides were still aching. But she was keeping up.