Call Me! (34 page)

I’M SITTING IN a limo with my best friend in the world, Sophie Alexander, whose uncle happens to be the most powerful crime boss in America. The limo’s not moving, and I’ve just admitted taping her uncle’s conversation during which he claimed to have specific knowledge of a gangland hit on Gray Halloran.

The limo and driver are owned by Sophie’s uncle, crime boss Sal Bonadello.

The limo’s supposed to be taking Sophie and me back to Nashville.

But it’s not moving.

Sophie says she loves me, but has a confession to make. As I watch her smiling at me I start wondering how well I really know this 29-year-old country singer and song-writer.

“What’s the confession?” I ask.

She points to the social club, and I watch five men enter the front door.

I recognize one of them.

WHEN DANI AND SOPHIE leave the room, Carter says, “How did I do?”

“Not bad.”

“You think Dani bought it?”

“Which part?”

“That Gray made the poison instead of me.”

“Yeah, she bought it.”

“Because I admitted the other things?”

“Right. That’s what makes the story—whatcha call—plausible.”

“You think she suspects I killed Gray?”

“Naw.” Sal smiles. “That was a—whatcha call—stroke of genius, poisoning yourself with the ricin. Hell of an alibi.”

“So I get the job?”

“Whacking the councilman? I gotta think about it.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sure you’re up for it.”

She frowns. “You still have doubts? After all this?”

“I haven’t seen you kill anyone. So far it’s just you claiming you killed Halloran. It ain’t easy looking a person in the eye, taking his life. And it ain’t easy hiding the evidence afterward.”

“I looked Gray in the eyes before pushing him off the balcony. That ought to count. And I’ve still got enough ricin to do the councilman.”

“Where?”

She laughs. “In my purse.”

“You took the ricin how long before pushing him off the balcony?”

“Twenty-four hours.”

“That took guts.”

“So I get the job?”

“Maybe. Why’d you kill him?”

She shrugs. “He outlived his usefulness. Gray was a total fuckup. He let Dani erase the photos. He went rogue and warned her about going to the tabloids. He made up that stupid story about Ben having a fixation on Dani when she was fifteen. Again, not part of the plan. Not to mention the fact he was
ManChild
.”

“He was a—whatcha call—loose cannon.”

“Exactly.”

Carter looks at him and flashes a warm smile.

“What?”

“I like the way you handle yourself, Sal. There’s nothing I find sexier than a powerful man.”

He smiles. “I like the way you handle yourself, too.”

“Maybe
you
should handle me.”

He laughs. “I’m old enough to be your father.”

“Really?” she coos. “Then why am I so fucking hot for you?”

He looks at her. “The timing’s all wrong. You’re about to disappear for a long time.”

“We don’t have to fall in love.”

He smiles. “True.”

She stands, unbuttons her blouse. Then removes it and says, “I thought I should prove I’m not wearing a wire.”

He says, “I might need more proof.”

“Do I get to kill the councilman before I go undercover?”

Her fingers are poised to unhook her bra.

“Yeah.”

“You promise?”

“Yeah.”

“Fifty grand, right?”

“Half up front, half after.”

She removes her bra, lifts her right breast, licks her nipple. Then says, “How about you?”

“You want me to lick the other one?”

She laughs. “I meant take off your clothes. But sure, you can lick it.”

“How do I know you’re not wearing a wire under your dress?”

She smiles, reaches behind her, unzips her skirt, steps out of it. Then says, “If you’ll kindly give me the down payment, I’ll take off my panties and make you the happiest man in Cincinnati.”

He crosses the floor, pulls a painting off the wall, punches six digits into the safe’s keypad. He removes five bundles of cash, hands them to her. She riffles through them, places them in her handbag.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” she says, stepping out of her panties. Then puts her hands over her head and does a cute little dance. “What do you think? Not bad, huh?”

He chuckles, approvingly.

“Your turn,” she says.

“To dance?”

She winks and says, “To prove you’re not wearing a wire.”

Sal unbuttons his shirt. She says, “What the
fuck
?”

“Actually, I
am
wearing a wire. Gentlemen?”

The door opens, and three detectives and two plainclothes cops walk in. Nashville police detective Marco Polomo looks at Carter and whistles. One of the local detectives says, “You can put your hands down now, Ms. Teague. To avoid further embarrassment, perhaps you’d like to get dressed before we cuff you and escort you to the station.”

FIVE MINUTES EARLIER…

OUTSIDE IN THE limo, Sophie says, “My confession is Uncle Sal agreed to help you clear Ben’s name.”

“
What?
”

“Carter contacted Sal months ago, hoping to get a job as a hit woman. Of course, Sal claimed he was a legitimate businessman and knew nothing about such things. So Carter got involved with Gray, instead. When she heard you erased the photos she realized she was getting nothing for all the work she did. So one night she poisoned herself. The next night she pushed Gray off the balcony so it would look like a murder-suicide. But she never told the cops about Gray being
ManChild.
”

“Because it would implicate her.”

“Right. While Carter was recuperating in the hospital, she called Sal and tried again to get a hit contract. She said if she killed Gray, the man she was dating, she could obviously kill a total stranger. When Sal said that wasn’t enough to warrant a major contract, she confessed to framing Ben and making the poison that killed him.”

“Sal told you all this?”

“Uh huh.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Uncle Sal said your honest reaction would help make Carter confess after we left.”

“Why would she confess?”

“She’s still trying to get the hit job. Uncle Sal planned to pay her for a phony hit, and get her to confess on tape to framing Ben and killing Gray. Since the detectives are moving in, I guess it worked.”

The limo driver must have gotten a text or some other signal, because he puts the car in gear. When we’re a block away, I turn around and look out the back window and see the detectives escorting Carter Teague from the building.

I turn back to face Sophie and say, “You talked Sal into doing this.”

She smiles.

I kiss her cheek.

“
Seriously?
” she says, smiling. “That’s all I get for helping you clear Ben’s name?”

I look her in the eyes.

It’s time.
I press a button on the arm rest and hold it down until the divider rises into place, completely blocking our driver’s view.

DANI RIPPER NEVER published
The Little Girl Who Got Away
.

The book was formatted, the cover chosen, but when Janie Ramirez sent courtesy copies to selected reviewers, they were shocked and horrified. Instead of seeing it as an uplifting account of good triumphing over evil, the reviewers said the subject matter was far too sensitive, and would alienate the public.

Sophie agreed.

Dani might change her mind and release the book at a future date, but for now, she’s placed the project on hold, accepting the opinions of those who believe some stories are better left untold.

One of Dani’s fans has asked for and received space on Dani’s website to launch a campaign to release the book. If you would like to add your support, please click here to vote:
YES
.

If you agree that this type of book should never be released, please click here to vote:
NO
.

Synopsis for
The Little Girl Who Got Away

Colin Tyler Hicks didn’t have to work hard to capture 15-year-old Mindy Renee Whittaker and imprison her in the basement of his secluded farm house. But dealing with his manipulative young prisoner proves to be a formidable challenge for the creepy, schizophrenic killer-rapist. One of his personalities requires Mindy’s death, the other requires her love.
The Little Girl Who Got Away
is the story of what happens when the plucky, resourceful Mindy refuses to become a sad statistic on a police report, and instead wages a life-or-death struggle against the powerful, psychotic killer-rapist, using only her wits and charm as weapons. This story is not for the faint of heart.