Betrayed (20 page)

When the phone rang, he took it out of his pocket again and looked at the number on the screen. “Well?” he demanded.

The man on the other end of the line hesitated, the way he had after the failed attempt in St. Stephens, making Jerome's stomach clench.

“Spit it out.”

“I think we just missed them.”

Jerome responded with a string of curses, yet he couldn't fault the men he had sent to North Carolina. They'd figured out where Gallagher had landed. Then they'd started searching for secure properties. The whole process had taken a long time. Longer than Jerome would have liked, but there was nothing he could do about it. Not from here. And not from there, either.

He'd only been able to wait for word, and it hadn't turned out the way he'd hoped.

“They were at a safe house, and they left?”

“Yes.”

“Did you search the property?”

“It's wired with explosives.”

“That's just great.” He thought for a moment. “I think we have to assume they're coming back here. Maybe by plane again.”

“Maybe in a limo. We saw one on the road right outside the gate.”

“Find it.”

As promised, Shane and Elena stopped outside of Richmond, at a gas station where another car was waiting for them.

While Elena was using the facilities, Shane spoke to the driver.

They were on the road again in the new car in a matter of minutes. When they were back on the highway, he opened a refrigerator at the side of the passenger compartment and pulled out a plastic bag from an upscale restaurant.

“Lunch. I ordered gourmet sandwiches.”

He unfolded a table in the center of the seating area and set out the meal. “We've got shrimp salad, ham and cheese, roast beef, turkey. Sorry, they were too upscale to have tuna.”

“That's okay.”

She took the shrimp salad and managed to eat a few bites, but she was getting jittery as they approached the D.C. area. Too much had happened on so many levels. The stuff with her brother was enough to set her teeth on edge. But she was thinking about herself, as well.

She'd wondered if Shane still had a job with S&D. She should also be wondering about herself. Kinkead probably didn't want to set eyes on her again. And she couldn't imagine that he would give her a reference so that she could get another job. Maybe with her background, she could end up working at a local computer store.

Shane hadn't told her his exact plans, and she was surprised when they stopped at an upscale shopping center in the Virginia suburbs of D.C.

The limo pulled into a parking space at the far end of the lot near a major department store.

“What are we doing?” she asked.

“Changing cars again.”

They got out, and the limo driver retrieved their luggage and set it beside a luxury SUV that was parked nearby.

“Anything else, sir?”

“No. That was great. Thanks.” He gave the man a tip.

When the limo had pulled away, the driver of the SUV got out, along with another man. Both of them reminded her a lot of Shane. Tough, effective guys who looked like they knew how to handle themselves.

“Elena Reyes, these are my partners, Jack Brandt and Max Lyon,” Shane said. “Max and Jack, this is Elena.”

She kept her hands at her sides as they sized her up.

“Nice to meet you,” both of them said.

The one named Max turned to Shane. “How are you feeling?”

“Not bad, considering I got shot in the side.”

“Is that what happened?”

“Yeah.” He laughed. “I'm feeling well enough to admit the truth. And Elena did an excellent job of patching me up.”

As the attention turned to her, Jack said, “Let's not stand around here jawing.”

“Right,” Shane agreed.

Elena and Shane climbed into the back of the SUV, and the two other men took the front, with Max driving.

As they headed for D.C., Jack got out fake identification for them. She goggled as she looked at what appeared to be a legitimate Maryland driver's license with her picture on it. The statistics on her height, weight, and eye color were correct, but it said her name was Erica Garcia.

“How did you do that?” she asked.

“There's a very reliable company in the area that can get this stuff at short notice. You've also got a credit card, in case you need to buy anything.”

“Okay.” She looked over at Shane who was examining his own fake ID. He was now Stan Hamilton.

As the men talked, she gathered that they still hadn't found out who had her brother—and where. She wanted to jump into the conversation, but she kept her lips pressed together, thinking that it would be better if they were settled before she sprang her plan.

She'd lived in the area for years, but she'd never been to the Four Seasons Hotel, which was in Georgetown. The driveway of the red-brick building was inside a courtyard. Bellmen rushed to get their luggage and take the car away. And when they stepped into the elegant lobby with its black-and-white marble floor and soft beige-and-gold color scheme, she saw a carafe of lemon water waiting next to a plate of cookies.

The desk staff made her feel like a queen, and their suite was as luxurious as the lobby, with comfortable couches, thick carpeting, and a dining area. As promised, there were two bedrooms, which was the way Elena wanted it.

When the bellmen had departed, Jack gestured toward the sitting area. “We've got stuff to discuss.”

He got out an electronic device and moved around the room, taking readings, and she knew he was checking for listening devices. He set another box on the coffee table.

“What's that?” she asked.

“Electronic sweeping and jamming—just in case. We need to be sure no one can listen to us.”

She nodded and they all sat, she and Shane on the sofa and the other two men in chairs facing them.

When they were all comfortable, she got to the point. “If you can't figure out who has my brother, we're going to have to flush them out.”

“How?” Max asked.

“I tell them I've got the information they want, and I'll trade it for Alesandro.”

“No,” Shane said immediately. “Too dangerous.”

She pointed to the electronics equipment that Max and Jack had brought. “You can follow me every step of the way.”

“And if it doesn't work, you're dead,” Shane said.

She winced, knowing why he had put it that way. “I know you don't want me to do it,” she said, “but I think it's the only way.”

“Give us a little more time to find out where your brother is,” he growled.

She didn't want to agree, but she understood that she had no choice. She couldn't do this alone. She needed the Rockfort men to pull off her plan.

And she was fairly sure they didn't want her hanging around, watching their efforts.

“I'm not going to hover,” she said as she stood up and walked to the bedroom.

“I want to tell you something before you leave,” Max said.

“Good or bad?” Shane asked.

“A piece of good news. You know that shoot-out in the garage of your apartment?”

“Hard to forget,” he answered.

“It was all caught on tape. The police saw what happened. The man taking Elena hostage. The shooting. It was obviously a case of self-defense on your part.”

“That's something,” Shane muttered.

“More than something. It means you can operate around here without worrying about getting arrested.”

Elena nodded. “That's a good place for me to leave you three to talk.”

***

Shane watched Elena leave the room, frustrated and at the same time relieved that she was giving them some space.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Jack gave him a long look.

“I guess you've fallen for her.”

“I wouldn't put it that way,” Shane snapped, then ordered himself not to let his nerves show.

“How would you put it?”

“I care about her.”

“Okay.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Shane asked, fighting to keep the edge out of his voice.

“I was simply agreeing with you. But if you care about her, maybe we'd better figure out what happened to the brother.”

Shane sighed. “I've been getting bits and pieces of news from you. How about a comprehensive rundown of what you managed to scrape up?”

“He was doing some part-time jobs for the mob. Car theft. Drug deliveries. Other delivery jobs.”

“For whom, exactly?”

“The boss kept himself removed from the assignments. We don't know who he is.”

“Dumb of Alesandro to get involved with the mob.”

“From what I dug up, he never was all that smart,” Jack said. “You can go back and look at his school records. A mostly C student, with an occasional B, if he was lucky. Not like Elena,” he added. “She's pretty sharp.”

“Right,” Shane said. “And they used him to get to Elena.”

Max nodded. “Unfortunately. They wanted a way to get into S&D, and they were willing to use the brother to get it.”

“Bastards,” Shane muttered. “And do we know how Alesandro got sucked into a life of crime?”

“Apparently through someone else who worked at the car agency.”

“And you talked to the guy?”

“No. He's dead,” Jack said in a flat voice.

“Jesus. How?”

“Hit and run accident.”

“That's not the most reliable way to kill someone.”

“In this case, it worked.”

“And there's no lead on the driver.”

“Of course not.”

“Are we going to tell any of this to Lincoln Kinkead?” Jack asked.

“Not now. Maybe not at all,” Shane answered.

“Why not?”

“Because none of that is going to change anything with him. He's not going to be happy unless we bring him that information that was stolen from S&D.”

“And if we can't?” Max asked.

Shane turned to him and reflexively lowered his voice. “It's at the safe house on the Eastern Shore. We can't go back and get it until Mr. Big is taken out.”

“Mr. Big?” Jack asked.

“The guy who's running the show. We do need a name for him.”

“How about Mr. Big Ass?” Max asked.

Shane laughed. “I can think of a couple of better ones, but let's keep it clean since we'll need to talk about him in front of Elena. Mr. Big will do.”

They discussed the other leads Jack and Max had tried to follow, but in the end Shane had to agree with his two friends. Everything led to a dead end.

“So what about Elena's suggestion?” Max asked.

Shane dragged in a breath and let it out. “If we can keep her safe.”

“We'll do our damnedest,” Max said. “Which means we need to go out and get some equipment.”

Shane nodded.

His two partners exited the suite.

When the main door had closed, the door to the bedroom opened and Elena peered out.

“Did someone come in?” she asked, looking around the living room.

“Max and Jack went out to get the equipment we're going to need.”

“Then you agree to my plan?”

“I don't like it, but I don't see an alternative.”

“Okay.”

He walked toward the doorway where she stood, and she backed up. He kept walking forward into the room, then closed the door behind him.

She gave him a questioning look.

“I don't like it,” he said.

“I don't honestly like it either, but I'm not going to leave my brother in the hands of men who have been torturing him. I mean, they haven't heard from us in days. There's no telling what they've done to him.”

“Don't think about that now.”

“What should I think about?”

He took a step forward and pulled her close, wrapping her in his embrace. “Think about the two of us.”

He felt a shiver go through her. “What are you saying, exactly?”

“That I want you in my life. I never thought I'd say that to any woman again, but it's true.”

“
Gracias
a
Dios
,” she whispered.

“And now…” He couldn't finish the sentence.

“And now you're going to do everything you can to protect me.”

“It might not be enough.”

“I'm the one making the decision that I have to go. Because if Alesandro dies and I could have done something about it, then I couldn't live with myself.”

“I know. That's why I'm agreeing.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“But I want you to know exactly how I feel about you, so you won't take any crazy chances.”

As he spoke, he slid his hands up and down her back, touching her with a need he hadn't felt before. She had aroused so many emotions in him that he hardly knew what to do with them.

Well, he knew, but he couldn't put them into words, only into physical terms.

“Shane.”

He didn't ask what she was feeling. But when she raised her face to his, he thought he saw it in her eyes. Did he see desperation mixed with desire? Determination mixed with just a touch of uncertainty. Not about what they were doing now, he told himself. Or he hoped that wasn't true.

As she stared up at him, he brought his mouth down to hers.

It was like before when they'd kissed, when they'd held each other. He felt a jolt of heat, a desire that threatened to overwhelm rational thought. And perhaps for the moment that was all right.

Maybe he needed to wipe out the worry about her. At least for now. As his lips touched hers, he began to move them with a desperation that surprised him.

He lifted his head, looking toward the bed. She'd been lying down at some point because the spread was pulled down.

Good.

He started to scoop her up in his arms, then thought better of it. Not when he was still healing from a gunshot wound. Not when he had to be in the best shape possible when she went off on her insane mission.

He scrubbed that thought. No use thinking about the mission or what it might mean. He wanted to be with her now, and he wanted to show her what he felt for her.

He walked her backwards toward the bed, where she stopped when the edge of the mattress hit her legs. Her shoes were already off. He scuffed out of his and took her down to the horizontal surface, stretching out beside her and gathering her close. He saw her close her eyes as she clung to him, and he did the same for a moment, wanting her to be the only part of his reality that mattered.

It flitted through his mind that perhaps he could make her reconsider what she'd suggested. He pushed that away, knowing that if the situation were reversed, it would do more harm than good.

Instead he stroked his hand over her back, then pulled her blouse from the waistband of her slacks and slipped inside, flattening his palm against her warm skin, loving the feel of her.

When he shifted away, he saw her eyes fly open. He only smiled at her as he pulled his knit shirt over his head and tossed it onto the floor beside the bed.