Maybe Baby (23 page)

The bird cocked its head to the side. Finn shrugged, started pacing.

“Horshack it is, then. My question for you is this: What kind of idiots leave a valuable parrot and keys to a van in the care of a known bird thief? Huh?”

He raised questioning eyebrows at the bird. Horshack looked away from him and nipped at the bars on its cage.

“Don’t avoid the question,” Finn said. “You know I’m right. I mean, I think I made it perfectly clear to both of them that I’m completely untrustworthy. Haven’t I?”

He leaned against the table, his back to the bird, his eyes on the kitchen counter where Nick’s cell phone sat.

“He chased her out, leaving me to mind the store, knowing I’ve got a buyer downstate just waiting. What the hell did he think was gonna happen?”

Silence. Finn glanced over his shoulder at the bird, which watched him for a moment in silence. He turned around, eyes landing back on the cell phone.

“Take it from me, Horshack. In this life, there’s only one person who’s gonna get your back, and that’s you. I know that. Everybody knows that. And if I don’t do this now, I’ll be working birds into my sixties. For what? A misplaced sense of loyalty to people I’ve known less than a day? People who knocked me out and duct-taped me to a chair?” He shook his head, exhaled. “That’d just be stupid.”

He walked over to the window, pushed the curtain aside, let his eyes wander down the long gravel trail leading from the winery to the cabin. There was no sign of either Dana or Nick.

“Loyalties are for idiots and martyrs,” he said. “You stop to help anyone but yourself, all you get for your trouble is a solid ass kicking.”

He glanced at the bird, then looked back out the window one more time before letting the curtain fall back again. “Really. It’s a proven fact. I believe Nietzsche said it first.”

Finn exhaled. This was it. Time to make a choice.

But there was no choice. There was only one thing to do, and he was going to do it. He walked over to the counter and picked up the phone, then dialed a pager number and punched in a code indicating the time and place the deal would go down. He flipped the phone shut, tucked it in his pocket, and swiped the keys off the table.

“Time to move, Horshack,” he said, grabbing the handle to the cage. “And let this be a lesson to you not to trust people you don’t know.”

***

Dana reached for the knob in the gift shop, then hesitated and looked over her shoulder.

Good God, she’d done it again.

She’d run. Again. From Nick, the one thing in her life she’d ever been sure of. What the hell was she thinking?

She thunked her head against the doorframe, then headed toward the cellar door, stopping in the middle of the room.

Wait. Think about this. If you tell him you’re going to marry him, you have to do it.

She closed her eyes, visualized the dress, visualized saying “I do,” visualized the honeymoon, visualized more really hot wall sex. All good.

Then she visualized the divorce lawyers, the crying children, the angry messages she’d have to leave on Nick’s lonely bachelor answering machine demanding alimony payments and child support.

Her chest constricted, and she felt her heart crack.

It just wasn’t fair. Why was he demanding this of her now? Couldn’t he at least wait a few weeks, a few months, a year? He knew how she felt about marriage. She’d told him.

But she’d never really explained. Never made him listen. She’d always gotten angry and run out of the room. And there she was, doing it again. She knew she wanted to be with him forever, to wake up next to him every day. He’d asked her to separate marriage to him from marriage in general. She stood still for a moment and thought about it.

Did she trust him to hang on even when things weren’t great? If she became a drunk like her father, did she believe that Nick would abandon her? She knew the chances of that happening were slim; she paid careful attention to what she drank, but still. She could slide into something equally awful. No one knew what was going to happen, how life would change them.

So. Fine. If she became cruel, or distant, or thoughtless, would Nick leave her out there on her own, or would he reach down into the pit and drag her out?

Her vision blurred and her throat clamped up as she realized the answer.

He would drag her out. Even if he had to do it with her kicking and screaming and lighting him all the way, he would drag her out. And she would do the same for him Maybe the secret to being married was choosing someone who loved you enough to kick your ass when you needed it.

Well, it wasn’t exactly the platform for a self-help book, but it was good enough for her. She drew in a deep breath and took another step toward the cellar door, stopping when she heard the door to the shop open behind her.

“Sorry, we’re closed,” she said, turning on her heel, expecting to see some wandering wine tasters. Instead, she saw Babs, some blond woman Dana’d never seen before, and Scary Bald Guy behind them.

Holding a gun.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Dana began.

“Dana,” Babs said, her eyes dark. “I was so hoping you wouldn’t be here.”

Scary Bald Guy’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “I know you.”

Dana backed up a step. “No, you don’t. I have one of those faces—”

“You were in the bar. With a man. It was you,” he said, obviously putting it together. “Where’s your bloke?”

Dana crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know. Day hire. I imagine he’s in the city.”

Scary Bald Guy smiled and turned the gun on Dana. “I want my bird back.”

Dana looked to the blonde standing next to Babs. “Vivian, I presume?”

Vivian nodded. “And this is Simon. He’d really like the bird back. I think you should give it to him.”

Dana looked at Babs. “I really don’t like her.”

Babs raised one hand. “Preaching to the choir, darling.”

***

In the cellar, Nick poured himself another glass of the Merlot.

He was such an idiot. He gave stupid a new meaning. From this day forward, stupid people would give him a wide berth on the sidewalk, their eyes full of pity and disdain.

“Christ,” he said, downing a long swallow.

He had no idea what had come over him. He’d known marriage freaked Dana out, and what the hell was wrong with living in a little sin? The greater good—that he and Dana would be together—would be served, and if she ever got over the fear of marriage, at least he’d be there when it happened.

Something had clicked in him, though, when they were up against the wall. Some deep fear of finding himself back in New York, working that wine bar, living without her. He’d just wanted a promise that it wouldn’t happen again, that she wouldn’t run from him.

So he drove her away.

“Great move, Einstein,” he muttered, finishing off the glass. He glanced up at the stairs. Maybe it wasn’t too late to find her, take it ail back. Sure he wanted to marry her, but he wanted to be with her more, and if it meant waiting, he’d wait. Maybe if he told her that he could make up for being an idiot.

Maybe.

He reached for the wine and took a swig directly from the bottle.

***

“Okay, Simon,” Dana said, turning her attention from Vivian to Scary Bald Guy. “Let’s go get your stupid bird.”

Simon raised his eyebrows at Babs. “Well, isn’t this a surprise? She had it the whole time.”

Babs glared at him. “Shut up, Simon.”

He moved the gun closer to Babs’s head and looked at Dana. “I want that bird, and I want it—”

“Agh!” Dana grunted in frustration. Simon looked at her, surprise on his face. “Didn’t you hear me? I don’t give a rat’s ass about that stupid bird. I hate the shit of it. I hate the way it smells. I hate the way it sounds like a ten-car pileup when it’s pissed off. I hate the way its beady little eyes follow you around the room as it plots your untimely demise. I
want
you to have it. Far as I’m concerned, you can’t take it fast enough. So if you’re done taunting my mother, can we just go and get the stupid thing?”

“Fine by me, pet,” he said. He jerked his head to indicate Vivian and Babs. “But I’m not gathering a harem here, and I’m not stupid enough to turn my back on any one of you.”

Dana eyed the cellar door. If this went on much longer, Nick would come out and significantly raise the stakes. The less threatened this guy felt, the safer they all were. She had to get them out of there fast.

“It’s okay,” Dana said. “They’ll stay here. I’ll go with you. If they try to interfere, you’ll shoot me. They stay here and behave, I come back, and everybody’s happy.” She turned and looked at Babs. “That works, right?”

“No, it doesn’t work,” Vivian snapped. “That’s my bird, and I want it back.”

Dana shot a look at Vivian. “Newsflash, Vivian. Simon gets the bird. It’s over.”

Vivian’s full lips settled into a pout. “And what about me?”

“Nobody cares,” Dana said, then turned to Simon. “Let’s go.”

“No!” Vivian said. “You’re not giving him my bird!”

Babs grabbed Vivian by the arm. “Get over it, Viv. It’s done!”

Vivian yanked her arm from Babs’s grasp. “The hell it is! I want my bird!”

A gunshot sounded and all three women screamed and turned to see Simon holding the smoking pistol, pointed upward.

“The next time anyone talks,” he said, “it won’t be a ceiling that takes a bullet.”

Dana stared up at the chunk taken out of the log ceiling.

“What the hell, Simon!” she yelled. “Switch to decaf, will ya?”

At that moment the cellar door whipped open, and Nick flew into the room.

“Oh, crap,” Dana muttered.

“Dana!” Nick froze as his eyes landed on Simon. “What’s going on?”

“Nick, so good to see you,” Babs said. “We’re just having a bit of a domestic dispute.”

Simon tilted his head and eyed Nick. “Guess the day hire’s still on the payroll, eh, pet?”

Nick moved to Dana’s side, put his hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m really annoyed, and I haven’t had nearly enough wine to deal with this,” Dana grumbled. She pointed up. Nick’s eyes tracked up to the small hole in the ceiling, then back down to Dana.

He let out a rough sigh. “But you’re okay.”

“I’m fine. I think he just took a good two grand off my asking price for this place, though.” She turned to Simon. “Can we go now?”

Nick’s voice came low and tight from behind her. “Dana. What are you doing?”

She turned and met his eyes. “I’m giving him the bird.”

“Which isn’t yours to give,” Vivian grunted.

“Shut up, Viv,” Babs said.

Nick grabbed Dana’s arm. “Fine. We give him the bird. You stay here. I’ll go with him.”

“Don’t think so, mate,” Simon said, pulling Dana toward him. “I get the feeling she’s the key to keeping you all quiet over here.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you,” Nick said, taking a step forward.

“Nick. Stop.”

Nick looked down at Dana, his eyes tight and angry. Dana sighed.

“It’ll be okay. I’ll give him the bird. I’ll sell the winery. I’ll figure it all out. But right now, I just want it all to be over.”

Simon stepped up next to Dana, grabbing her by the arm and pointing the gun at her head. “We’re gonna go get my bird now. And just to be clear, I see the police, any of you lot, or so much as a bloody raccoon coming after us, and the little pet gets it. Understand?”

Nick’s jaw muscles tightened, and Dana knew that he was going to come after Simon if she didn’t get them out of there right then. She put her hand on his arm.

“Just let me go, Nick. I’ll be back in a few minutes and it’ll all be over, okay?”

Nick kept his eyes on Simon. “Anything happens to her, I’ll kill you.”

“You lot stay here like good little girls and boys, and you won’t need to.”

Without taking his eyes off Nick, Simon motioned toward the door with gun. “Ladies first, pet.”

Dana tried to make eye contact with Nick, do something to soften the moment, but his attention was glued to Simon. Dana turned and headed out the door. If everything went as it should, she’d have the chance to make it up to him.

And if not… well, she chose not to think about that.

Twenty-five

Dana’s hands shook as she turned the front doorknob.

Just because the van is gone, she thought, doesn’t mean Finn ran off with the bird. I mean, it was a dirty van. Maybe he’s off getting it cleaned. Polished. Waxed.

She pushed the door open and glanced at the empty kitchen table.

Or maybe the bastard ran off with the bird.

She motioned for Simon to sit at the table. Simon shook his head.

“Where’s my bird, pet?”

Dana laughed, feeling beads of sweat trickling down her lower back. “It’s not here. What do you think I am? Stupid?”

Simon raised one eyebrow. “Smells like it was here.”

Dana rolled her eyes. “Well, of course it
was.
Until I had it removed to a safe place. Now I just have to make one phone call—”

She moved toward the kitchen, but was stopped by Simon, who pulled her close to him and looked in her eyes as he spoke.

“One thing I didn’t mention when we made our little deal, pet, and that was that if you screw me over—”

Dana sighed. “I get shot. Don’t worry. I picked up on the subtext.”

Simon held her eyes for a moment longer, then released her arm. She exhaled and walked to the kitchen phone. She glanced behind her. Simon was watching her from the living room, but he hadn’t moved any closer. Great. Easier to bluff from a distance. She turned and dialed Nick’s cell number on the phone.

“Hello?”

Finn. Bastard stole Nick’s phone, too. “Good. You have the phone.”

“Dana?”

“It’s time to bring the bird back,” she said.

“Yeah. Uh. About that. You know, I’m a bird thief, and you guys just left me alone with the—”

“How long until you get here?”

“What? I’m not… I’m… I’ve screwed you guys over. Ultimate betrayal. Get it? I’ve got the bird now.”

“Simon and I will be expecting you in… what… a half hour then?” Dana turned her back to Simon so he wouldn’t see her chewing her lower lip.