Killer Love (26 page)

“You may want to leave for this,” Luke told her.

She shook her head but didn’t speak.

“Seriously, Jade. Go wait in the car.”

She stared at Luke for a moment, then at Kenner. She grabbed the keys from the nightstand and fled.

“You have one shot. One shot only. Tell me right now where DiMarco is and I’ll let you go. All you have to do is nod your head. I’ll remove the gag and you can tell me. You don’t tell me...well, let’s just say you’ll wish you had.”

The guy mumbled around the gag but Luke understood him. “Fuck you.”

“Fuck me?” Luke laughed. “You’re the one that’s fucked.” Luke jabbed the file underneath his index fingernail. His body convulsed. He nearly came out of the chair. A muted scream of agony filled the room. “It’s your lucky day. I’m in a generous mood. One more chance.”

Head lolling on his chest, snot, blood and tears streaming down his face, he shook his head. Luke shoved the file underneath another fingernail, then another. Kenner’s body convulsed a few more times and then he was still. Passed out.

Loyal sonofabitch. Stupid, but loyal.

Or maybe he was just more scared of DiMarco than he was of Luke.

Luke took the man’s cell phone and looked at the recent received and dialed numbers. One of them had to be DiMarco’s, but which one?

“Shit,” he muttered. This couldn’t go on any longer. Luke couldn’t watch Jade every minute and she obviously didn’t always make the wisest choices. Samantha and his ex-wife couldn’t hide forever. How many more innocent people had to die?

More than likely after this latest stunt, WITSEC was over for Jade. Even though they still needed her to testify, they may decide not to protect her.

Once again, Luke tossed water in the guy’s face. He came to quicker this time. “Lucky for you, I’ve decided I don’t want to know where DiMarco is.”

Eyes filled with pain, hate, and confusion, the man glared at Luke.

“Instead, I want you to tell DiMarco where to find me. Where to find his wife. That should make both of you happy, right?”

His eyes narrowed. Suspicion emanated from him. Luke held the cell phone out. “Call DiMarco and tell him that Butler caught you. Tell him you’re afraid I’m going to kill you, that I tortured you to get his location but you didn’t give him up. Tell him I stepped out of the room but you overheard us talk about where Jade is. Tell him she’s in Solitaire, Colorado.” Luke knew he and Jade could get back to Solitaire before Bryce arrived. Luke was going to be ready for him.

The guy still looked confused. Luke removed the gag and switched his hands to where they were in front of him so he could dial.

“Tell him exactly what I told you. If you tell him I told you to call, I’ll kill you.” Luke pulled the Beretta from his pocket and pointed it at Kenner’s heart, just so the guy would know he wasn’t lying.

Eyes glued to the gun, the man dialed a number. “Boss,” His voice was low, desperate. “Butler caught me.” He listened for a moment, then went on. “I know. I fucked up. Listen, I don’t have long. I think he’s going to kill me. He tried to make me give you up, tortured me. But I didn’t tell him anything, I swear. He stepped out for second but he’ll be right back. Your wife is here.”

Apparently, there was a reaction to that because once again he stopped speaking. He closed his eyes and nodded. “I know, boss. I’m sorry. Listen, I don’t have long. I overheard them talking. She’s in Solitaire, Colorado.” Luke grabbed the phone from his hand and punched the end button.

“That’s enough sweet talk. You did fine. I might even let you live.” Luke looked at the number Kenner dialed and stored it in his own phone. He shoved the gag back in his mouth and went outside.

As soon as Jade saw him, she threw the car door open and jumped out. “Did you kill him?”

“No. Come on, we need to get out of here.”

“I don’t believe you.” She brushed past him and headed toward the door.

“Jade, wait. We need to go. I didn’t kill him. He’s fine. I’m leaving him here until we get away then I’m calling the police. We don’t have much time.”

“Don’t have much time for what? I want to see for myself.” She crossed her arms and stared mutinously at him.
Stubborn damned female.

Luke heaved a sigh. “Ok, you win. Come on.” He fished the motel key from his pocket and opened the door. Jade stepped inside and Luke followed.

“See? You happy now?” Luke asked.

The man stomped his feet, mumbling and jerking against his restraints. He cut his eyes toward Luke and gave Jade a pleading look.

“What is it?” she asked. “You want to tell me something?”

He nodded vigorously. Jade stepped toward him but Luke reached out a hand to stop her. “No way you’re getting close to him. Let’s just get the hell out of here. Nothing he says matters anyway.”

“I want to hear.” She pulled away from him and stepped over, removing the guy’s gag.

“Did your boyfriend tell you what he did?” His voice was weak with pain but he smiled, giving Luke a look filled with hate and smug satisfaction.

“What?” Jade looked at Luke.

He shrugged. “I don’t know what he’s talking about. Let’s just get...”

“I think she has a right to know.” Kenner interrupted. “This asshole...”

“Shut the hell up!” Luke started toward him.

“No,” Jade insisted. “Let him talk.”

Kenner spoke to Jade but his eyes were on Luke. “He told your husband where to find you. Sounds like he sold you down the river.”

Jade turned to him. “Luke?”

“He’s lying. Let’s go.”

“If I’m lying,” Kenner argued, “then how would I know...”

Luke smashed the butt of the Beretta on the back of the guy’s head before he could finish. Jade gasped and whirled on him.

“What the hell is wrong with you? He was telling the truth, wasn’t he? Otherwise, why did you shut him up?”

“I caught him calling DiMarco and I stopped him before he could say much. I just don’t know exactly what he told him. I don’t know what he was going to tell you but listening to his lies, listening to a sorry motherfucker who works for DiMarco isn’t going to do you any good.”

She looked at the unconscious man and shook her head. “He’s hurt. We need to get him help.”

“For God’s sake, Jade. He works for Bryce. He’s more than likely killed for him. He doesn’t deserve to live but I didn’t kill him. The sooner we get the hell out of here, the sooner I can call the authorities and have them come get his sorry ass. But we need to be long gone first. So, if you’re really concerned about him, you’ll leave with me now.”

Jade nodded slowly, reluctantly following Luke from the room. She kept throwing suspicious glances his way. She didn’t fully believe him. She’d know soon enough that he lied to her but for now he had to. If she knew the truth, even though he had a good reason to do it, she’d be furious. He needed to keep her calm, keep her near him so he could protect her.

Protect her?
You haven’t been able to protect anyone else you loved, why would this be any different?

Luke didn’t know. Maybe it wouldn’t. But he knew he’d die trying.

One thing was clear. He did love her. And what a hell of a mess that was.

Chapter Eighteen

A white blanket of snow covered the ground below the jet. Bryce turned away from the window and smiled.

Colorado, huh, Jade? I always figured you for somewhere warm and sunny. Bet this wasn’t your first choice, was it?

“What am I going to do while you’re taking care of business?” Susannah whined.

“You’re going to be flying.”

“I’m what?”

“You’re not staying. Once I’m off the plane, you’re leaving.”

She lunged to her feet and stormed to where Bryce sat. “Bryce DiMarco! You can’t continue to treat me like I was some nothing. Like I was something to use and throw away. You know I won’t stand for that.”

“Yes, you will,” he replied wearily. “You always have and you’ll continue to do so.”

“What makes you think that?”

Bryce looked up at her and gripped her wrist, pulling her down beside him. “Because. You love me.”

“That’s not going to last forever.”

“Ok then,” he said, twisting her wrist until she cried out. “Because you love living.”

She stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

“Now, after you get to St. Louis, send your pilot back with the plane refueled.” He looked to where his men sat at the rear of the plane. He’d brought four with him, one would be going back with Susannah. “My friend here will go with you. When the plane returns, it’ll be just he and the pilot and he’ll call me when it lands and I’ll meet him here and fly back.”

“Why?” she was still petulant but not as upset as before. Apparently, the idea of him returning to her was enough to appease her.

“I have something to take care of. It’s none of your concern.” He would fly back all right, but not back to her. That was information he wasn’t prepared to share with her. Not just yet.

****

Bryce rented a car, drove an hour to Solitaire and rented a cabin out by the lake. Then, he drove into town.

The first place he showed Jade’s picture was a restaurant. He showed it to everyone inside, customers and employees alike. “Never seen her.” He was told over and over again.

He stopped at a gas station. No one there recognized the photo. His frustration mounting, he went into a coffee shop. He showed the photo to a waitress and she slowly nodded. Excitement pumped through him.

He looked at the woman’s nametag. “You know her, Brenda? You know where she is?”

“I seen her in here a few times but I don’t know her. She comes in with a girl sometimes. I think the kid’s mom works at Stony Point grocery down the street.”

It wasn’t a direct hit but it was a lead. Bryce thanked the woman and left.

He found the grocery store and went inside. It was small, one of those dinosaur mom and pop establishments that were quickly becoming extinct. He didn’t see anyone right away but he heard voices raised in an argument. From what he could hear, it sounded like some kind of family squabble. He browsed the shelves, hoping they’d finish soon.

The voice of a young girl rose above the others. “Mom, this sonofabitch tried to rape Jenna!”

“Ashley! Don’t you ever let me hear you say anything that horrible again.”

Rape? Now this was actually an interesting family squabble. Bryce listened more closely, still staying out of sight.

“You heard her. You know she was telling the truth!”

A man’s voice spoke up. “The lying cunt. Why would you believe her? You barely know her.”

“Jenna’s been better to me than you ever have, mom. All you care about is him.”

“Now, young lady...” The woman’s words were cut off by a screech of outrage from the girl.

“I hate you both!”

Damn. Better interrupt before they kill each other.

He walked around a shelf and saw the people that belonged to the voices. A pretty young girl and a woman who looked as though she’d seen her share of hard living stood in the center of the aisle. Even without overhearing they were mother and daughter, he’d have known. The resemblance was obvious.

A skinny, pockmarked, crack-head looking motherfucker stood next to the women. One of those white trash assholes whose only claim to fame was spitting tobacco further than his redneck buddies.

Before they noticed him, the girl went on another of her tirades. “You don’t give a damn about me or Jon. I swear to you, we’ll never live with this piece of shit. If you marry him, I’ll...”

The woman saw Bryce. “Shhhh. We have a customer. We’ll talk about this later.” She plastered a professional smile on her face. “Can I help you?”

“Actually, I’m looking for my sister. She moved here a few months ago and I wondered if you might know her.” Bryce pulled out the photo and passed it to the woman. “I have her phone number but she’s not answering and I don’t know exactly where she lives.”

The woman glanced at her daughter, then back at Bryce. “Jenna is your sister?”

“Jenna?”

“Yeah.” She tapped the photo. “This is our neighbor. Jenna Donovan.”

The girl snatched the picture from her mother’s hand. She turned to him with a wide smile. “You’re Jenna’s brother? She didn’t mention she had a brother. Nice to meet you. I’m Ashley.”

Jenna
. That must be the name Jade was using. White spots danced before his eyes. His body tensed with rage. Jenna was the woman they’d been talking about. The woman this motherfucker had tried to rape.

He’d tried to rape Jade
.

Bryce couldn’t breathe. His hands itched to reach for the knife. Itched to feel it jam into the asshole’s gut. Rip him from navel to sternum. He didn’t look at him. Didn’t trust himself to look at him.

“Yeah. Jenna’s my sister.” Bryce’s voice sounded almost normal. He didn’t know how, when visions of this greaseball with his hands on his wife were all he could see. “We haven’t seen one another in a while but she called and said she’s having problems. I came to see if I could help but she didn’t give me her address.”

“She lives right down the hall from us. I’m sure she’ll be happy you’re here.” The girl cast a resentful look at greaseball. “I’ll show you where she lives.”

“Ashley. You’re not going off without me.” The mother turned to Bryce. “Jenna lives in Sunrise apartments. I can tell you how to get there.”

Bryce gave the girl a grateful smile, charm oozing from his pores. “Thanks for the offer, young lady. But your mother’s right. She’s obviously concerned about you. You’re lucky to have a mother like her. I wouldn’t dream of causing her any concern. See, the thing is,” He turned back to the mom, “I don’t know my way around here at all. I’m terrible with directions.” That should earn some points with the woman. Men never admitted to being bad with directions. “Maybe your friend here could come along.” He pointed at greaseball. “Keep your daughter safe. Would that make you feel better? I’d be extremely grateful.”

She looked at greaseball, then her daughter. “Sure. That would be fine.”

“Mom! I can go on my own.”

“Now, sugar.” Greaseball smiled at the girl. “Don’t argue with your mother.”

The girl crossed her arms and gave her mother a rebellious glare, then whirled and stalked out of the store. Bryce and the guy followed her.