Worcester Nights - The Boxed Set (35 page)

I ran a hand through his hair, smiling. “You do know me well,” I teased. I stretched then climbed out of bed. I pulled on the sweats and t-shirt, stuffing my feet back into the socks and tucking them into a pair of moccasin slippers. I turned with a grin.  “I think I’m going to go breathe in this fresh forest air that I’ve heard so much about.”

Sean leaned back against the headboard, watching me with a sparkle in his eyes. “Watch out for the bears,” he teased. “I’ll have the coffee ready when you decide to come back in to civilization.”

I gave him a wink, then headed down the stairs. The house was silent; apparently everybody else was still soaking in the quiet relaxation that the
Log Mahal
seemed to radiate. The polished wood glistened in the morning sunlight as I crossed the great room and pushed open the door.

I closed my eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply. I’d been kidding with Sean, but there really was something about this place. The juniper and pine glistened in the golden streams of light, and the sky above was a rich, Maxfield Parrish blue. Wisps of clouds drifted by, and it seemed something out of an oil painting. Something far removed from the gritty streets of Worcester or Waterbury or anywhere else I’d ever been before.

I stepped across the porch and down into the grassy clearing which fronted the house. The Escalade was parked to one side, but other than that there was no sign of humanity anywhere before me. The low witch hazel and blueberry bushes presented sprawls in infinite shades of green, and beyond that the forest stretched, seemingly to infinity.

I stretched my arms high above my head, arching my back, feeling, for the first time in weeks, relaxed.

A branch snapped.

I blinked to attention, stepping back a step. I wasn’t sure if Seamus was serious about those bears, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I was prepared to sprint for the door, to raise the alarm, to –

A movement at the far end of the clearing, a glimpse of pale pink, and then Francesca was standing just within the treeline. She wore a pink silk top with a low neckline, and tight, elegantly shaped jeans. Her high leather boots seemed to blend in with the dark brown trunks.

She made a calling motion with her hand.

My heart pounded against my chest. They were here. I’d wondered how long it would take them to get set up. Surely their GPS triangulation of our position couldn’t take too long, once Sean’s phone had come to rest. Undoubtedly the remainder of the time had seen them carefully bringing in the troops, laying out a perimeter, and doing all those other things a team did to ensure the safety of all involved.

A grin spread on my face. Soon it would all be over.

I glanced behind me, but the house remained silent. All within slumbered peacefully, completely unaware of what was fermenting just outside their walls. I strode quickly across the clearing, coming up to reach Francesca. She patted me on my good arm, her face aglow with excitement.

“So, you are all right? I heard you’d been shot.”

I nudged my head at my left arm, wrapped with the bandage. “That arm just got nicked. It’ll be fine, so they say. Sean’s leg was bruised, but all in all we’re in good shape.” I looked behind her. “Is everyone in place?”

She nodded, her eyes sparkling. “Oh, everything is going just perfectly,” she agreed. “What’s the situation inside?”

“Seamus and Bridgit are in the master bedroom, in the bottom right,” I reported. “Sean and I have the first room upstairs. Then are Evan with Jessica, and finally Jimmy with Eileen.”

Her brow creased in confusion. “Wait, weren’t Jimmy and Bridgit the couple?”

I made a waving motion with my hand. “We can explain it all later. Things have gotten a little complicated in their relationship.”

A knowing smile spread on her face. “Oh, Eileen told everyone about the baby, and Bridgit has let him go?”

I blinked, then remembered that Sean had met with Francesca to do his final planning the night before the party. Undoubtedly he had passed along all information he could so that the group could plan well for all contingencies. A flush of guilt went through me at the world knowing Eileen’s secret, but I pushed it down. After all, she’d told the people who mattered most. It didn’t really make a difference now if the police knew.

I nodded to her. “Yes, that’s exactly what happened. The four of them are planning on heading out in a little while, and leaving me, Sean, Evan, and Jessica behind. If you just wait until they drive away, you can capture the four of them without much problem at all. I’m sure Sean and Evan can come up behind to lend a hand, if you need them to. Although Evan doesn’t have a gun right now, so only Sean can really be a help.”

She tapped an elegant finger to a lip. “Oh, I’m sure they can all help, in their own ways.”

She turned to look behind her.

“Did you get all of that, darling?”

There was a movement, and out from the shadows walked Javier, flanked by two husky Cuban soldiers, each carrying a pistol in his hand.

Javier nodded in satisfaction as he looked me over, drawing his gun to aim it at me. “I heard every word.”

Chapter 8

A
cold sweat shook me, and it was a moment before I could breathe, could take in what was happening. I looked from the pistol in Javier’s hand to the bright grin on Francesca’s face.

My throat was tight. “Francesca, what are you doing?”

She crossed her arms across her chest, glancing dismissively down the dirt road for a moment. “All those hours I put into my job. The enormous risks I take. And do you know, when I come back from an undercover assignment, that they want me to put all my jewelry into storage at the precinct? The other women I hang out with are draped in diamonds and rubies. They have Coach handbags and Manolo Blahnik heels. I can barely afford sneakers! And I’m supposed to be the good guy!”

She snorted. “Not only that, but you should see how the guys treat me. If I’m dolled up in my undercover clothes, they drool all over me. They fall over themselves lending me a hand.” Her face darkened. “But I put the uniform back on, and it’s like they don’t see me. I’m just one of the guys.” Her voice took on a sing-song quality. “Do your own paperwork, Francesca. Stay late to finish those reports, Francesca.”

She tossed her head toward Javier. “As soon as I met Javier, I knew he was different. Here was a man who appreciated a woman. He treated me right. He treated me
special
. He rewarded me for who I was – and I returned the favor.” Her smile lit, and she held out her hand, showcasing a diamond bracelet on it. “Look what he gave me, just yesterday! This is how I deserve to be treated.”

I could barely speak; my lungs compressed with fear. My voice was a whisper. “Francesca, what did you tell him?”

She grinned. “Why, the truth of course. That’s what friends do for each other, right? I told him that your darling Sean, apple of Seamus’s eye, is his meal ticket to success. He hands over Sean to Seamus, to prove his good intentions, and after Sean is taken care of, the two of them can do business together.”

I wove, and it took all my strength to remain upright, to focus on her glistening eyes. “Please, Francesca, no. There’s got to be another way.”

Her grin grew, and she glanced at Javier for a moment. “See, what did I tell you? The girl has sense.”

Javier smiled, nodding his head. “I knew you were an asset to our organization, Francesca, from the first moment I set eyes on you.”

Francesca patted me on my arm. “Of course there’s another way, my sweet. You just go along with our plan, and get Sean not to cause any trouble. You do that, and we won’t say a word about Sean and his questionable background.” She shrugged. “It’s in your own best interest, after all.”

Her eyes narrowed in delight. “And then you also have that innocent girl, Jessica, to think of.”

My blood ran cold. She was holding out from Javier after all. Another card, close to the chest. I knew she would use that for leverage if she had to. Yet another way to coerce us into doing what she wanted.

I took in a deep breath. “What is it that you want?”

She rubbed her hands together. “Well, first, we need to get in out of this cold. I saw you guys had a lovely fireplace in there, and all sorts of tasty food. That could do well as a start.” She glanced at Javier. “And then, we talk.”

I looked between the two of them. “Talk?”

Javier spread his hands wide. “That’s all we want, to talk. The police are dismantling both of our operations as we speak. Our men are being rounded up in Hartford, Boston, Providence, and elsewhere. The layers are being peeled off one by one.” He shrugged. “We’ll both need to set up shop somewhere new and rebuild from the ground up. Why not do it together?”

My brows creased. “Maybe because you just tried to exterminate his entire crew?”

He laughed. “Let’s not forget that Seamus was planning to rid himself of us in a less than peaceful manner. These are business negotiations. We let the past be the past, and we look at what the future holds for us. As it stands now, we both have the best chances of success if we work together. Seamus will see the sense of that.”

I dug my hands deep into the pockets of the sweats. Fear and the morning’s chill were sending tremors through my body. “And what do you want from me?”

Javier waved his gun toward me. “You’ll help us get in the door, of course. They’ll pay attention if we have a hostage. But after that, I hardly think you’ll be important to our talk. When we finish up, I imagine things will go just as Seamus had planned. You and your crew will remain behind in the house. Seamus and I, with our respective groups, will head out together. You won’t be able to pursue us, and by the time your help arrives in a day or two we’ll be long gone.”

He gave a wry smile. “If we were to hurt you, we’d only increase their desire to catch us. By leaving you alive, we’re merely the run-of-the-mill criminals heading for the border. We’ll make it out before we’re caught.”

I wasn’t sure I agreed with his simplified version of the future, but I bit my tongue. If he was willing to do this the smooth and calm way, I was all for it.

I nodded. “Agreed. I will behave, and I will do my best to see Sean and Evan behave. You can have your talk with Seamus.”

A voice called out from the house, and I turned. It was Sean. I could see through the trees that he was standing on the porch, his hands cupped around his mouth. “Kate! Coffee’s ready!”

Javier made an elegant, sweeping motion with his hand. “After you.”

Chapter 9

S
ean’s eyes lit up in amused relief as I emerged from the darkness of the woods – and then he stilled. His hand reached slowly, carefully for the back of his hip where the black t-shirt draped over his sweats.

Francesca’s voice was light and merry. “Uh, uh, Sean. Turn to the side, and take it out with two fingers only. We see more than two fingers and your girlfriend earns herself a nice exit wound. This one won’t be as easy to heal.”

Sean’s shoulder muscles rippled, but he turned, and the Taurus came up off his hip held only by two fingers.

Francesca motioned with a sweep of her hand. “Put it on one of those silly chairs over there. Then go ahead and open the door for us. Not to worry – we’ll be honored guests. I think Seamus will like what we have to say.”

Sean stepped to the chair, but he paused there a moment, his gaze steadily on Francesca. “And what might that be?”

She grinned. “Not to worry, dear Sean. If all goes as planned, then Javier and the rest of us will be out of your hair in no time. You, your girlfriend, and the other two will be left behind in the cabin, just as you’d planned.”

Sean held her eyes for a long moment, as if judging her, and then at last he carefully placed his gun into the seat of the wooden chair. He stepped back over to the door.

As he pressed it open, he called out, his tone steady but clear. “Evan!”

Evan’s feet sounded in quick movement along the hallway, and he was half-way down the stairs before he drew to a sharp halt, his eyes sweeping the group with attention. His hand swept to his hip, hit open air, and he stilled.

Javier nodded in greeting. “Gather up the rest of them. And some coffee, if you have it. It’s been a chilly night out there.”

The master bedroom door pulled open. Seamus blinked sleepily, then started awake. “What the hell?”

Sean’s voice was low. “They just want to talk. Let’s see what they have to say.”

Javier settled me on the couch nearest the window, with Francesca sitting close at my other side. His other two men arranged themselves behind the couch, their guns out but hanging at their sides. In short order the rest of the household was sitting on the two couches opposite us. Bridgit brought around coffee and muffins for the group, and rousted the fire back into fresh life. For all appearances we were a casual group of friends, planning out a weekend of hiking and fun.

All except Javier’s gun, which was resting in his lap, pointed at my abdomen.

Sean and Evan were side by side on the couch across from me, their attention a laser focus. Sean’s voice was low and calm. “You have what you want. We’re listening. You can put the gun away.”