Blind Fury (22 page)

“Shit.”

“Yeah.” Kurt paused. “She’s pretty upset.”

And Mick wasn’t there for her. “I understand, but she needs to worry about herself right now. Get her the hell out of my condo before the cops show, and make sure you don’t lose her.” Mick paused for a moment and then added, “Please.”

Kurt gave a low chuckle. “Roger that.”

They discussed the plan, and then Mick ended the call, shoving aside concerns he couldn’t afford to entertain. He walked through the condo to the master bedroom, hoping Damon wouldn’t mind if he borrowed a few things. The room had blue walls, a king-sized bed piled high with decorative pillows, and lots of tropical plants in bright pots. Quite a switch from his own bedroom, which was filled with furniture he’d inherited from his grandmother.

He entered the walk-in closet and rummaged around until he found what he needed. Damon was a large guy, but soft around the middle. He’d been a football player in college, but he’d let himself go in the years since graduation.

Mick picked out a sweatshirt and baseball cap, and found a spare pair of reading glasses on the dresser. Next, he went through the bathroom cabinets. Tori changed her hair color every few weeks, and he would bet good money that she had a stash of dye somewhere.

Bingo.
Under the bathroom sink, mixed in with the clutter of toilet paper, random bottles of whatever women collected, and a basket of first aid supplies, several boxes of Clairol were stacked in a row. He chose black to hide his own sandy color and went to work.

A loud knock down the hall made his nerves jump. It was followed quickly by a shout, “Police! Open up!”

He hoped like hell that Jenna and Kurt were long gone. If not, the cops would never believe they hadn’t helped Mick escape. A loud crash echoed along the corridor. So, that answered one question. Kurt would have opened the door if he and Jenna were still in the condo. One less thing to worry about.

Once the police cleared the place and realized he was gone, they’d start canvassing the neighbors, most of whom would still be at work. By the time they combed through the building after work hours, he’d be long gone. The key was to make sure they had no reason to kick in Tori and Damon’s door.

He quickly rinsed out his hair and used some mascara on his eyebrows—which would look odd if he didn’t darken them too—and got dressed in the borrowed clothes. He snagged one of Tori’s throw pillows and slipped it under his T-shirt, which he tucked into his jeans. Then he threw on the Redskins sweatshirt and topped it with the well-worn Yankees ball cap. He added the glasses and stepped in front of the mirror.

His pants were too trim, making him appear top-heavy, and his cheekbones were too hollow. Careful to stay silent while the police started knocking on neighboring units, he found a pair of Damon’s jeans.

Replacing his pants with the larger pair, he added a belt to keep them and the pillow from falling down, and tucked his own jeans behind the padding so he could change back into them later. Next step, his face. In the middle drawer of the bathroom vanity, he found cotton balls. He stuffed three into each cheek, working them back so they wouldn’t be seen if he spoke to anyone.

Checking his reflection once again, he marveled at the changes. The glasses completely altered the look of his eyes, and combined with his new doughboy figure and jet-black hair, he was confident he wouldn’t be recognized.

He flinched at the knock on the door, but forced himself to stay calm. They couldn’t enter without probable cause. He just had to keep his cool until they left the floor. No doubt someone would be watching the building, but he’d be able to walk right past them.

Based on the muffled conversations he could hear from the hallway, the police were continuing their door-to-door search, questioning the few people who were home.

To pass the time, he went over his plan for the rest of the day. First, he needed cash. For the amount he needed, he’d have to go into the bank, which meant dismantling enough of his disguise to convince the teller it was really him. It also meant she’d have seen his new hair color, which was why he’d pocketed a bottle of red dye too.

After the bank, he would go off the radar for good. The cops or the bad guys or both could be watching Jenna, but Kurt’s crew would keep her safe, so at least he didn’t need to worry about her.

Not that he could stop. He slouched into an easy chair and let his mind wander back to their last kiss. He’d wanted to devour her on the spot. Walking out that door had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done.

Several minutes after the corridor went quiet, Mick rose from the chair and checked the hallway. Clear. He opened the door and strolled into the corridor as if he belonged there.

Since he was in full costume now, he took the elevator instead of the stairs down to street level, and strolled through the lobby, keeping his stride loose and his shoulders tipped forward. He fought the urge to run as he left the building and turned toward the commercial strip across the street.

He was two yards from the door when a young policeman stepped in his path, hand on his gun holster, and told him to stop.

A
S
SOON
AS
K
URT
ended the call with Mick, Jenna grabbed her bags and followed the security specialist out the door. She had questions, but getting out before the cops showed up was more important.

Now they were on the freeway in his black truck, trees zooming by the windows. “I know you can’t give me the details, but does he have a good plan?” she asked.

Kurt glanced at her before changing lanes. “Under the circumstances, I think it’s the best he can do.”

Mick had to trust Kurt a lot to keep him in the loop like that. “You’re not worried about lying to the police and helping a fugitive? Won’t it hurt your business?”

Instead of giving her a direct answer, he gestured to his legs and said, “Mick pulled me from a downed bird, patched me up, and picked off any unfriendlies until help arrived. I owe him my life.” Kurt’s gaze traveled between the road in front of them and his rear and side view mirrors in a constant, watchful arc, but he didn’t look at her again. She stayed silent, sensing there was more to the story.

“He was the best shot on the team. He never hesitated to use his weapon when absolutely necessary, but he only fired when it was needed. I don’t believe he could kill this guy in cold blood.”

Jenna absorbed Kurt’s words. “I feel the same way,” she said. “In the heat of the moment, maybe, but not with premeditation. Don’t you think the police will suspect Mick was framed after what happened to my house and then his car?”

“Hard to say. They might think he killed the perpetrator.”

She sighed.
What a mess.
Not sure what else to say, she fixed her attention on the passing scenery.

Five minutes later, they parked behind the Steele Security building, which was an old two-story brick colonial that had been converted to commercial use like so many others in the area. “One of my guys will meet us here when everything’s ready.”

He entered the back and led her through a galley kitchen into the living room turned reception area. The room boasted an unmanned gray metal desk, a black leather love seat flanked by end tables, and not much else.

“This is nice,” Jenna said. It was fine, but it could use a decorator’s touch.

Kurt gave her a knowing glance. “Not really, but it’s a start.” He waved her toward a short hallway. “There’s a bathroom here”—he pointed to a half bath tucked beneath the stairs—“and my office.” The scuffed wooden floors creaked as he moved behind a desk that matched the military-issue one in the front room. He gestured for her to take a seat in one of two worn wood dining chairs across from him.

“How many employees do you have?” she asked.

He wiggled the mouse next to his desktop computer and then typed a few keystrokes on the keyboard. “So far, it’s just me, Todd, and Jason, but I’m working on getting Dan and Mick to join me.” He clicked the mouse and watched the screen as he talked. “And I need a business manager.”

“So things are going well?”

He finally turned his dark eyes her way. “Not bad. I could probably get more if I had enough guys to fulfill the contracts. It’s a bit of a catch-22.”

She nodded absently and looked around the spartan office while he checked email or looked at porn or whatever he was doing. There were no pictures in here to break up the monotonous tan walls. Really there wasn’t much of anything. She set her purse down and withheld a sigh. How long were they going to sit here? What was Mick doing? Was he okay? Would she ever see him again? And what about Tara?

“Is there anything we can do to help my friend?” she asked. “I’m pretty sure she’s in Leesburg. Can’t we track Colin’s phone or something?” She fiddled with the bracelet Mick had given her. The feeling of uselessness made her restless in her own skin.

“Why don’t you call the police department and tell them about her phone call? Even if Di Ferio turns his phone off, they can at least put out a BOLO—a Be On The Lookout alert.”

Happy to have something productive to do, she stepped into the hall to make the call. She relayed everything she could remember about her conversation with Tara, giving the detective the number of the phone her friend had used to call her. The woman sounded skeptical, but she promised to put out an alert on the couple. It wasn’t enough, but it was all Jenna could do at the moment.

When she returned to Kurt’s office, he roused and offered her a soda, bringing back a can of Pepsi and a few magazines. She feigned interest in
Men’s Health
while he got back to work.

Finally, after another agonizing hour crept by, a rangy man with military-short red hair entered the office. “It’s all set boss,” he said with a slight twang she couldn’t identify. Texas? Alabama?

Kurt stood and introduced her to Todd, who turned his bright blue eyes her way. “Ma’am, you can’t keep your phone, but if you give it to me, I can have all the calls transferred to this one. It’s clean.” He produced a no-frills flip phone.

Why hadn’t Mick thought of that? Of course, he’d been under a time crunch.

Or maybe he just hadn’t wanted her to come with him.

Pushing that thought aside, she nodded and switched phones. “Where are we going?”

“I have a small house lined up,” Todd said. “It’s fully furnished and between renters, so the owner has agreed to let us use it for a few days.”

A few days. One way or another, she needed for all of this to be settled…and soon. She couldn’t live her life in limbo forever. As soon as she got to the safe house, she had to come up with a plan to end this sequestration and get her life back.

After locking up the building, they returned to Kurt’s car and followed Todd’s gray Charger out of the parking lot.

“Here’s how it’s going to work,” Kurt massaged the back of his neck with one hand as he spoke. “I’ll have Todd and Jason outside, but they’ll be inconspicuous enough for the neighbors not to notice. There’ll be another guy inside. Everyone’s in place, so the house is already secure.”

“Is it really necessary to have someone on the inside too?” She didn’t want to feel like a prisoner. And some privacy would be nice.

Kurt nodded. “Just give it a try. If having him there feels too intrusive after tonight, I’ll pull him, okay?”

“Okay.” He knew what he was doing, after all. Speaking of which… “How do I pay you for this? It has to be expensive.”

“It’s already been taken care of.”

How was that possible? “I know you owe Mick and all, but I don’t want to be a charity case. I don’t have a lot of money right now, but after Rob’s accounts go through probate, I’ll be able pay you.”

Kurt gave her a quick glance before responding. “No, I am getting paid. Mick is picking up the bill.”

Her blood warmed, even as her jaw slackened. Either Mick cared, or he was eager to get rid of her. Probably a bit of both.

Kurt drove the rest of the way in silence, and after ten minutes Todd turned into a short driveway of a split-level home with green shutters and white siding. The small front lawn could use a trim, but the house was otherwise neat, and the neighborhood looked safe.

An instant sense of welcome and comfort hit Jenna as she walked through the front door and up a short wooden staircase into an overstuffed living room just big enough for the full-sized couch that lined one wall. The frilly, flowery upholstery and knickknacks above the fireplace reminded her of Tara’s place.

Worry sliced through her again. If only there were more she could do to help her friend.
God, please let her be okay.

Kurt locked the door behind them and closed all of the blinds. “It’s getting dark out,” he explained. “You don’t want to be a sitting duck once all of the lights are on.”

No. She most definitely did not. He’d pointed out his men on the street before they parked in the garage. One was hiding in the woods behind the house. Another sat in a van that was parked in a neighbor’s driveway. How they’d pulled that off, she wasn’t sure.

“Todd installed a wireless alarm system.” He looked around the living room and kitchen area, his jaw tight. “Say hello to the inside guy while I check the sensors.”

Jenna jumped in surprise when an overweight man with dark hair and glasses stepped out of the shadows from the hallway. Kurt disappeared down the stairs without even introducing them.

“Hey,” the stranger said softly, his eyes serious. “Is it okay if I stay?”

Her stomach took a dive when she realized it was Mick. “You’re the inside man?” she asked. Of course, Kurt had been in on it. Mick must have asked him to keep her out of the loop.

He nodded, still watching her warily.

How did she feel? Relieved, angry, elated, in love. “What’ll we do if the police come here to talk to me?”

“We’ll have advance warning.” He moved closer.

“You just walked out of your building dressed like that?” She took a step forward and pushed his padded belly.

“It was close. A cop actually stopped me, but he didn’t recognize me. He just wanted to show me my own picture and ask if I’d seen myself.” He chuckled. “It was surreal.”