by Jen Talty
“Not bad, but she’s a little freaked out that her brother has been working for Craypo’s organization for years, and even more so that her dad had been involved. I think it’s going to harden her.”
“Sometimes that’s a good thing.”
“I hope so,” Josh said. “Now get your ugly mug out of here so I can prepare for the shit-storm.”
“Yo, Viv! Get your ass out here so we can go.”
Josh shook his head and let out a chuckle. “Not the way to woo a lady.”
Tristan opened the passenger side door. “This better?”
Josh nodded, though he figured Tristan would say something stupid before he pulled out onto the dirt road.
Viv and Delaney appeared from the cabin.
“Hope to see you again,” Viv said as she slid into the car.
“You, too.” Delaney didn’t seem to share the enthusiasm Viv’s voice conveyed.
Once the car disappeared down the driveway, he turned to embrace her, hoping they could pick up where they had left off, but she pushed him away, shoving the tablet at him. “Do you have Kirk’s file on this new thing?”
“I do. Why?”
“I need to check something.”
“Now? I was kind of hoping we could…” He leaned in, but she pressed her hand firmly on his chest.
“It’s important.” She shoved the tablet at him again.
“All right.” He unlocked the tablet then handed it back to her. “Let’s go sit.”
She lagged behind him as she started swiping on the screen.
“What are you looking for?”
“Give me a second,” she said, plopping down on the bench.
He inched closer, looping his arm over her shoulder, smelling her fresh spring hair.
“Fuck.”
“I really don’t like the way that word sounds, coming from you.”
“Neither do I, but look.”
He leaned in and looked at the image as she made it bigger. “Doesn’t that look like Viv?”
“That’s Jillian Richie.” His heart sank. “She worked as a waitress in Esposito’s. I met her maybe a handful of times.”
“I met her once when I was dating Kirk at a party. I thought Viv looked familiar, but couldn’t place it until she mentioned bringing ‘prime stuff’. She used those words when I met her, and I thought it was weird then.” Delaney looked up at him, her eyes turned cold. “Do you think they’re the same person?”
Josh took the iPad and looked closer. “Same eyes. Same facial features. Radically make-up and hair, but I think you could be right.” He pulled out his cell and looked up Tristan in his contacts.
“What are you doing?”
“If you’re right, Craypo’s men could be close by,” he said, helping her to her feet then pushing her toward the door. “I need to warn my buddy. We need to get inside, just in case.”
“What’s up?” Tristan answered the phone.
“Did she see your caller I.D.?”
“No.”
“Good,” Josh said. “Long story short, we think Viv is actually Jillian Richie, who might work for Craypo.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Need you to look to make sure you weren’t followed, or that there aren’t eyes on me.”
“I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Be safe, man,” Josh said, hoping there was time to get everything in motion.
“Talk soon.”
The phone went dead.
11
“We’re sitting ducks.” Delaney paced in a circle around the kitchen table. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, all by ourselves, waiting for a bunch of mobsters to come kill us. This is worse than a bad movie, and less believable.”
“I need you to relax. At least sit down.” Josh stood by the front door, looking out the window, his weapon in one hand, his cell in the other.
“No, I can’t.” But she scooted across the floor and flung herself on the sofa directly behind him.
“Tristan is ninety-nine percent positive they weren’t followed, and he had Viv text them, saying she had no idea where we were.”
“How can he be sure she didn’t give them some secret code? I mean, she gave up what she was doing pretty quickly.” Then again, so had Delaney. The moment those men attacked her, she knew she could no longer lie. Viv had been a waitress in Esposito’s for at least five years, probably longer.
“Tristan found her weak spot and threatened to have her arrested. I trust these people with my life. I need you to trust me.”
“Trust has nothing to do with this,” she said while she dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand. “You’re in dangerous situations all the time. I’m not.”
“Look.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Reese is on his way up here with Jake, along with more gun power—”
“And that doesn’t help my nerves.”
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“You can’t promise that,” she said, her heart tightening as if someone had reached inside her chest and squeezed it like radioactive insect. “And what if something happens to you?”
“Let’s stop the negative thinking and make sure we all know what role we play in this plan. It’s our best shot.”
“We could run off to New Zealand. I hear it’s beautiful there.”
He chuckled. “You’d run off with me?”
“Better than getting shot at.”
Josh tapped his phone, then brought it to his ear. “Hey, Reese.”
Long silence, which made her even more crazy. The muscles in her neck knotted. She watched Josh as he nodded, but he said nothing. She wished she could hear the other side of the conversation.
“See you shortly.” Josh tossed his phone on the end table before setting his weapon down. “Reese and Jake are three miles out. Luke, the P.I., has Viv and will keep working her for information. Tristan is somewhere in the woods, doing a sweep. Stacey is keeping an eye on Kirk and Liam, who are in Lake George, asking around about you.”
“This is really going to happen.” She tugged her knees to her chest and shivered.
“Yes,” he said. “We’re going to have to turn on your phone soon.”
“Why can’t you call?” She resented how weak her voice sounded, but she’d never been this scared.
“I need the call to come from you.” He wrapped his arms around her. “I might not be able to promise nothing bad will happen, but I will do everything I can to make sure we both come out of this upright.”
“I know you will.” She dropped her head to his shoulder, sucking up all the comfort and strength he had to offer. Her body shook, while his was rock-solid. “I didn’t sign up for this.”
“I know,” he whispered. “If I thought there was a better way, I’d do it, and while my buddies aren’t thrilled with the plan, they agree it will be the most effective. I can have Reese take you to a safe location while this plays out, if you’d rather.”
“No. I need to know if my brother had anything to do with sending me to destroy you. I need to see this through.” She tilted her head, looking up at him. “I trust you.”
He tilted her chin with his thumb and forefinger. His lips parted and he kissed her softly. His lips held hers for a long moment before he darted his tongue in her mouth, gently intertwining it with hers. His eyes still open, making it hard to close hers. She burrowed into the safety of his embrace, but the feeling wasn’t real, and if they did make it through this alive, he’d walk away from her.
Finishing this was the scariest part of facing her brother and the men he’d gotten tangled with. Because she loved Josh.
He cupped her face, breaking off the kiss. “Reese and Jake are here.”
She nodded.
Moments later, Reese and Jake strolled in, carrying a couple of bulky duffle bags. They motioned for Josh to come to the table. He tugged her, but the moment she stood, Jake held his hand up.
“I think it’s best if we do th
is in private,” Jake said.
“I disagree,” Reese said as he straddled one of the chairs. “If she’s going to be part of the operation, she needs to hear this.”
Jake shook his head, giving her the evil eye. Of all the people she’d met, he was the coldest, with a look of disgust every time she was in his presence. “I don’t like this,” she said.
“You don’t have to stay,” Josh reminded the men.
Delaney held her breath as a loud silence filled the room.
“You know I won’t leave you hanging, and not because I think I owe you.” Jake hoisted one of the large bags to the countertop. “My wife will make me sleep on the sofa if I walk away.”
Josh nodded. “We’ll need to give Delaney a weapon.”
“I get why you need her,” Jake said, “but I don’t think it’s a good idea to give her a gun.”
“She’s a good shot,” Josh said.
“I don’t care.” Jake pulled few handguns and rifles from the bag.
“She’s going to have my immediate back, so I want her armed.”
Delaney fisted her hands, the blood rushing to her head in a raging ball of fire. “I’m right here, so let’s not talk about me as if I’m not in the room.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, but it bubbled back up. “I might have come here with bad intentions, and you might not completely trust me, but my life is on the line here, too, so it would be nice if you didn’t treat me like the enemy.”
Jake stared blankly at her for a few moments. “Can you handle a rifle?”
“I’ve never shot one, but I seem to be pretty good with one of these.” She lifted a handgun, but it felt heavier than Josh’s, and she fumbled it. “So, what, exactly, is the plan?” she asked. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Stand behind Josh,” Jake said, his face still sullen and his lips drawn tight. “And do whatever you’re told.”
“I think I should have a better handle on things than that.” She stared at Jake, not blinking or moving, but on the inside, she shook.
“We don’t know exactly what will happen,” Reese said in a softer tone. “Best case is, they show up, they talk, giving us what we need to make an arrest.”
“What’s the worst case?” she asked, leaning into the table, pressing her hands against the wood.
“We all die.” Jake arched his brow. “But my wife wouldn’t like that, so let’s make sure it doesn’t happen.” He handed her a smaller handgun. “If Josh says you’re a good shot, I believe him.”
“Okay,” she said. “And for the record, I trust him, so I will do whatever I’m told.”
Jake cracked a smile. “I’ll be covering the back.”
“And I’ll be on the north side of the clearing, on a ridge where I can get a good look at the cabin,” Reese said as he held up Delaney’s phone. “Once you make this call, someone needs to clue Jared in.”
“He’s going to be pissed.” Jake grabbed a rifle with a long scope.
“Only if this doesn’t work,” Josh said. “Once he knows, he’ll send Frank on a little road trip.”
“Don’t be surprised if Jared rides along,” Reese said, “and we all know once Stacey is off duty, she’s not going to sit still.”
“Someone needs to tell her to stay home,” Josh said.
Reese and Jake shared a glance before laughing.
“Like Stacey would listen to any of us,” Reese said. “Besides, she a better cop than either of you nut-jobs. I know because I trained her.”
“Are we going to get into a pissing match over who was a better supervisor again?” Jake asked. “She has skills I taught her that you couldn’t do if you tried.”
“When you two parental wackos are done,” Josh said, “can we get back to the plan, please?”
Delaney’s heart beat faster. Sweat coated her palms as she realized she had no clue about the real meaning of family. These men weren’t Josh’s blood, but they were brothers in every sense of the word. She’d never really had that.
Not even with her parents, and that was the hardest pill to swallow.
“How are we going to get him to confess to anything?” she asked, trying to push her fear away and focus…like she suspected Stacey would.
“Craypo likes to brag. I should be able to get him talking, because he’ll think we’re unarmed and without backup.”
“Why would he think that?” Delaney glared at Josh. Her pulse pounded with the force of a Category Five hurricane.
“You didn’t tell her?” Jake asked.
“Tell me what, Josh?”
“We got more information from Viv, and she’s painted you out to be a dumb blond who believes her brother is still in danger,” Josh said.
“Bitch,” Delaney muttered.
“Works to our advantage,” Jake said.
“We also had Viv tell them Josh was in deep shit with his boss, and was forced to take a vacation because of his obsession with Craypo,” Reese said. “So, when we call them, you need to act like you’re in the dark.”
She swallowed. “Do you think they’ll believe me? And what about Josh?”
“They know that I know they’re after me,” Josh said, “but we’re hoping they believe you haven’t told me anything, and that I’m using you to bring them out.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.” She narrowed her eyes. “It seems like a lot of guessing and hoping.”
“It is,” Reese admitted. “The key is, they need to believe Josh has no support from the State Police.”
“That sounds impossible.” She glanced between the three, who sported relaxed expressions.
“We called in a few favors,” Josh said. “Some of the people your brother and Kirk are talking to will tell them they had hoped the pretty girl who stole my heart would change me, but my obsession and paranoia got the better of me.”
Delaney scratched her head. “I’m not following.”
“It seems that way,” Josh said, “but we’re following the script they gave you. When we call, you’re going to tell them that after the attack, I was concerned for your safety, and you used it to your advantage.”
“So, what? I tell them that you believe it was a random attack?”
“That works,” Jake said. “If they ask, because you don’t want to give more information than they ask for.”
She shook her head. “But I talked to Liam and—”
“Liam doesn’t know you were with me at the time of the call,” Josh said. “And you never told him you wouldn’t do what they asked.”
“Okay, but how do I explain my phone being off? My lack of contact?” Her voice came off strong and confident, but her pulse raced, and sweat beaded at the nape of her neck.
“That’s easy,” Jake said. “You were busy seducing him.”
“You enjoy bringing that up, don’t you?” She didn’t shout, even though she wanted to kick Jake somewhere entirely unpleasant.
“No,” Jake said, “but it’s the truth, and honestly, I’d rather be home with my family than here with you.”
“And you think I want to be here? You think I’m enjoying this? Being told I’m essentially stupid, and now, I have to put myself between a couple of assholes with guns, and all of you, with guns, because really, I’d rather be face-to-face with that fucking bear.”
The room went silent. Jake stared at her with his mouth open. Reese looked away, covering his mouth.
Josh cracked a smile. “That’s my girl.”
“Stop saying that like I’m some possession, or something,” she snapped. “You think this is funny?” she asked Jake. “What the hell is your problem?”
“Delaney, calm down and—”
She interrupted Josh. “I will not calm down. Jake seems to think I’m still out to get you.”
“Not true,” Jake said. “I think I underestimated—”
She wagged her finger at Jake. “I’m not done talking. You think I can’t be trusted, but let me tell you something. I just found out that not a single person
in my family—in my life—is who they said they were. Not my parents. Not my brother. Not anyone that knew them. I’m alone in this world, and a target, so forgive me if I want to know how you all plan to use me, because frankly, it’s no different than the way Craypo and his band of assholes used me.” She tried to suck in air, her chest heaving. Heat rose from her toes to her face, but not once did she take her eyes off Jake, who had finally stopped smiling.
“That’s my…” Josh started, but stopped when she switched her glare to him.
Jake placed another small handgun on the counter. “May I say something?”
“Sure,” she said quietly.
“What we’re doing here isn’t protocol, and Josh and I are putting our careers on the line.” Jake paused, tilting his head. “I didn’t want you here from the start. Frankly, considering what you did to Josh—”
“Josh is the only one who has the right to hold that against me.”
“You’re right,” Jake said. “I shouldn’t have brought that up. It’s none of my business. I was smiling a minute ago because I realized I totally misjudged you.”
“Is that a compliment?”
Jake nodded. “I need to know that you’re on our side, and you’re not going to freak out when the shit hits the fan. I don’t like putting a civilian in the crosshairs between my gun and Craypo’s.”
“Oh,” Delaney said.
“Well, now that we have that out of the way,” Reese said, “I think it’s time to make that phone call.” He held the phone out to Delaney. “Put it on speaker. We’ll guide you by writing things on a piece of paper, but try not to hesitate.”
“Okay.” The lump in her throat made it hard to swallow. As she gripped the phone, her hand trembled.
“I’m right here.” Josh rested his strong hand on the small of her back.
“Here goes nothing.” The phone vibrated as she powered it on, sending a cold shiver through her body, forcing her muscles to tense. She tried to shake it off as she looked up Bobby Getz’s phone number. The ringer blared as she tapped the speaker button.
“It’s about time,” Getz’s voice bellowed. “Where the fuck are you?”
She cleared her throat. “In the Adirondacks. I only have a couple of minutes before Josh comes back.”
