Beautifully Forgotten (50 page)

“So what’s the plan, Todd? Have you thought past the entrance? I have to give you credit—that was well done.”

“Shut up.”

Darcy knew she must be in shock, because she was behaving irrationally; but even knowing it, she couldn’t get herself to stop taunting the man.

“How do you plan on taking all of us out of here? Or are you going to just kill us here in the same place you’ve been sweating profusely? I wouldn’t worry about DNA or anything.” She rolled her eyes.

And then she realized what she was saying; she was actually wishing she was with someone who knew exactly how to dispose of their bodies. Bad tactic, so she changed it.

“You haven’t done anything wrong. So you could just let us go.”

His laugh was just on the wrong side of crazy. “Didn’t do anything wrong. I fucking killed that bitch, Heidi.”

Gone was the ladylike demeanor as Vivian responded, sounding like a truck driver.

“What the fuck do you mean you killed her? You’ve been blackmailing me all this time, and you killed her?”

“She was blackmailing
me
, sucking me dry. I took money from work that I shouldn’t have taken and then lost it gambling. I was paying it back, but I made the mistake of mentioning it to Heidi.”

Darcy jumped on that. “How did you know her?”

“I met her through Dane.”

It was clear to Darcy that by knowing her, Todd meant in the biblical sense. “So a little pillow talk and you find yourself being blackmailed.”

“That’s pretty low, even for Heidi,” said Vivian. Darcy had to agree with Vivian on that point.

“She was a self-serving bitch. I was in way over my head, so badly that I ended up borrowing the money to pay back my company. Heidi still held it over my head because, despite the fact that I had returned it, I could still go to jail for embezzling it in the first place. I started following her, hoping that maybe I’d catch her in something that would cancel out what she had on me. I saw you two fighting and I saw when you hit her hard enough to lay her out with her head breaking the fall. You walked away, but you never looked back and I thought, hell, I can just finish her off and be free of her.”

“So you called nine-one-one before you murdered her.”

If Todd was surprised that Darcy knew about that, he didn’t let on. “Yeah, I wanted to screw up the timeline and then while she was still struggling, I gave one more slam of her head against the sidewalk and that was all it took. Her little black book fell from her purse when Vivian knocked her over. So I thought, why not take up where Heidi left off?”

“So what happened? Why are you here now?” Darcy asked.

“That fucking DA. He’s asking all kinds of questions, and it’s only a matter of time before they find Heidi’s connection to Vivian and”—he gestured with disgust at Vivian—“if questioned, she’ll squeal like a pig. It wouldn’t take them long to figure out how I fit into the picture. I was so desperate I even thought to blackmail Dane’s dad with what Heidi had on him. Thought instead of money, I could get him to leash in his fucking brother, but the man refused to take my calls.”

“So you decided since you’re already going away for murder you might as well take as many people with you as you could?” Sarcasm dripped from Darcy’s words.

“No, I figured I’d tie up my loose ends and then take off into the sunset with the money I got from my marks. I wasn’t expecting him here, or you.”

“You came here to kill me? How rude!” Vivian’s ladylike poise had returned. At least she was back in character, which meant she wasn’t about to flip out and do something stupid.

“Well, I don’t want to put pressure on you, but I was expected an hour ago and people knew I was coming here. You’re running out of time.”

“Damn it.”

“Let us go,” Darcy said again. “You can make a run for it.”

He looked as if he were thinking about it, but then he raised his gun and fired. Vivian crumpled to the floor.

“I’ll get farther with a hostage.”

Lucien flew through the door of the campaign headquarters and saw the body on the floor. His heart sank as he ran to it, but when he saw that it was Vivian, God forgive him, he sighed in relief.

“Charles is in here. He’s coming around from a blow to the head,” Brandon called.

“And Darcy?” Lucien demanded.

“Not here.”

Lucien pulled out his phone and called 911, and then turned to Brandon.

“Wait here until the cops come, and tell them what you know. They can’t know I was here because I need to go after your mom.”

At that moment Vivian started to stir.

“He took her.”

“Who took her?” Lucien demanded.

“Todd Samuels.”

“Shit.”

Lucien’s head turned when he heard the sirens coming. He stood and walked to his son. “I’ve got to go or I’ll be here all night answering questions. I was never here. You were here looking for your mom. Have the cops drop you off at Trace’s when they’re done. I know I’m asking a lot. Are you okay with staying?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Go get Mom.”

Lucien stopped halfway to the door and looked back at the boy who looked so young in that moment. “I’ll bring her back, I promise.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

On the sidewalk, Lucien pulled out his phone. He needed to call in a few favors.

Todd dragged Darcy through the doorway of Polly’s.

The events of the evening started to sink in for Darcy: she’d been held at gunpoint, witnessed a shooting, and then been kidnapped. More bizarre, her kidnapper was taking phone calls, even as he held a gun against her ribs. He just chatted away, as if he had not a care in the world. He was either a freaking criminal mastermind or the stupidest person ever. She heard herself asking, “What are we doing here?”

“My bookie works out of the backroom. He called earlier; he’s got my money. I’m going to pick up my winnings and then we’re out of here.”

“What about the money you’ve made from blackmailing?”

“I’ve got that stashed.”

“Aren’t you pushing it by coming here? Won’t the people you borrowed from know you’re here? I’m sure they know everything about you, including your bookie’s hangout and if you are still gambling with their money.”

“Maybe, but by the time they learn of it, I’ll be gone.” He grinned before he added, “They can’t collect if they can’t find me.”

That seemed to Darcy like a really good way to land six feet under, but she held her tongue. She was leaning more toward the idea of him being the stupidest criminal ever.

They passed the bar and Darcy’s eyes landed on Nick DiNuzzio, the man who’d changed her life irrevocably, and she almost had to bite down on her lips to keep from crying out at the absurdity of seeing him at this moment. Just fucking poetic. He was probably harboring all kinds of ill will, what with the pounding he had gotten from Lucien and Trace.

She wondered if Todd would just leave her if she curled up into the fetal position and started to cry.

She was tempted to try it, but it was the gun digging into her ribs, pointed at her baby, that squashed that urge.

Nick moved from his spot behind the bar and approached them. Darcy braced for a backhanded slap or some indication that he knew exactly who she was.

But when a move was made, it wasn’t from Nick, but another man who was smaller in build, but older. He must have been someone important, because his presence immediately brought a hush to the crowd. He stopped just in front of Darcy and smiled.

“Darcy, let me introduce myself. My name is Pasquale Grimaldi, and your fiancé asked that I keep you safe until he can join us.”

She was dreaming. Totally dreaming. Maybe it was Darcy that Todd had shot back at the campaign office, and now she was unconscious and dreaming. But why would she be dreaming this? No, her dream would be of Lucien and Brandon and the baby that was coming. She most definitely would not be dreaming this; couldn’t have imagined this scene even if she were tripping—not that she’d ever inhaled.

He seemed to understand that she didn’t exactly believe her eyes, and he reached for her hand. Todd panicked as he saw himself losing control of the scene, and waved his gun.

“I’ve got the gun, asshole. Back off.”

Things turned rapidly into a scene from
Lethal Weapon,
with Todd as the comic relief. Seconds later he was surrounded by men, all of them with bigger and shinier guns aimed at Todd’s head. Yep, definitely the stupidest criminal ever.

Todd dropped his hand and his head. “My life fucking sucks.”

Nick walked over and took the gun from Todd as Pasquale walked Darcy toward a booth. “Shock can make you refuse to believe what your eyes are seeing. I assure you, though, dear, I am very much in earnest. Lucien called me earlier, and told me of the situation.”

“Why are you helping us?”

“Our paths have crossed before. Last time, I broke something, and I’ve been given the chance to mend it.” He was so soft-spoken and kind that Darcy was having trouble imaging all the terrible things he had been accused of. And then his eyes turned to Todd and, just like that, the sweet older man was replaced with a killer, his eyes turning dark and empty as a doll’s. “Besides, it was an opportunity to talk with Todd, regarding certain payments that he is very behind on. ”

Darcy looked back at Todd, who looked like he was about to cry. Nope, he
was
crying.

Darcy felt funny, her limbs turned to noodles, probably the result of profound relief. “It’s over?”

“Yes.”

“And Lucien is on his way here?”

“Yes, dear.”

And then Darcy MacBride did something she had only ever done once before—she fainted.

“There she is.” Lucien’s soft voice drew Darcy completely into consciousness, and when she opened her eyes to see his beautiful worried face, she started to cry.

“You okay?” he asked with tenderness.

“Yeah.”

“The baby?”

She smiled. “Fine. How did you know where to find me?”

“I’ll tell you, but not now. I want to get you home because there’s someone waiting to see you.”

“Brandon?”

“Yes.”

Lucien helped her to her feet. “I need a minute. Are you okay?”

She pressed her hand to his cheek. “Yes.”

He kissed her palm and then turned to Pasquale. “Thank you.”

“I’m a sucker for love.”

Lucien grinned and turned to Nick, at Pasquale’s right. “Thanks.”

Nick nodded, and then Lucien knocked Nick flat on his ass with a solid to his jaw.

Nick took it and even acknowledged the hit with a small grin. Lucien reached for Darcy and pulled her up against him. “Let’s go see our son.”