Black Ops Chronicles: Dead Run (30 page)

The guard brought him to the seat across from Tess. As he sat down behind the glass, Nick’s bleary eyes focused on her and narrowed. His chin came up. He picked up the telephone attached to his side of the counter. She picked up the one on hers.

“Come to gloat?” he demanded.

“No. I’ve come to give you some information.”

“Any information I need I can get from my attorney. You really don’t expect me to take your word for anything, do you?”

“Your attorney will confirm this, but I wanted to tell you myself.”

“I see. So are you going to tell me or just hint at it?”

“Tony’s dead. He was killed in Las Cruces, New Mexico, last Tuesday while trying to kill me.”

Nick stared at her. “Tony? Dead?”

“Yes. And I wanted you to know that if you go to trial, I’ll be there to testify.”

“And I’m supposed to take the word of a stupid, lying, smartass whore like you?”

Surprise filled her with warmth. His insults didn’t hurt. Not even a little. His opinion no longer counted. Delighted, she smiled at him. “Believe what you want. As I’ve already said, your attorney will confirm it.”

“Why, Tess?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you turn on me?”

“If you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand.”

“You’re my fiancée. My property. I own you.” A touch of madness showed in his eyes. “You were supposed to accept all my decisions and obey me without question.”

“Only a fool would believe that.” Little wings of horror fluttered in her stomach as images of the disastrous marriage she’d so narrowly escaped crowded her mind. She swallowed back the bitter bile inching up her throat. “I stopped being your fiancée the day you shot two little girls and their parents in cold blood. And after what you just said, I’m very glad that I’ll never be your wife.”

“What’s wrong with what I said? The Mormons teach wives to obey their husbands.”

“I’ll bet the Mormons expect the husbands to be good and honorable men. And there’s nothing good or honorable about you.” She held up a hand before he could speak. “But I’m not a Mormon. Neither are you, because last I heard, Mormons didn’t believe in murder. And besides, we were never married.”

“That makes no difference. You’re mine, Tess. You’ll always belong to me.”

“You’re wrong about that, too.”

“I still have friends and contacts on the outside. It’s easy enough to put a contract out on you. You won’t live long.”

“You don’t scare me, Nick. Not anymore.” As the words came out, she
realized with shock it was true
. “Put as many contracts out on me as you want. Killing a witness in a federal case is a capital offense. With your record, the jury won’t be able to send you to death row fast enough. And if I die, they can still use my deposition to convict you on the other murders anyway.”

His lips thinned into a tight, narrow line. “You won’t escape, Tess.”

She shrugged. “I already have. Goodbye, Nick,” she added. Then she hung up the phone and rose.

“I’ll get you, bitch,” he screamed. “I’ll get you.”

He shouted it over and over as the guards dragged him away. Tess watched him and felt nothing but pity. But she thrust the feeling aside. Nick didn’t deserve any.

Levi waited for her on the other side of the door. The minute she emerged, he enveloped her in a hug. “What’d he say?”

“The usual insults. Oh, and he’s going to put a bunch of contracts out on me.”

He guided her down the hallway to the exit. “Nothing new then. Are you frightened?”

“Not really.” When his eyebrows edged toward his hairline, she smiled. “He’ll try what he’ll try, Levi. I can’t stop him. Jonas’s frozen his trust fund, so he has no way to pay for a hit. What can he really do?”

“I’m not sure, but I don’t like it. Convicts have a barter system that’s very effective, and Nick still has friends in the underworld.” He unlocked his car and opened her door for her. “I want you to be extra careful while I see what I can do about this.”

She laid her hand on his cheek. “Let it go. It’s over. He’s just blowing hot air.”

He shook his head and ushered her into the car. As he slid behind the wheel, he said, “I heard him yelling when you came out. What was he saying?”

When she told him, he cursed.

She sighed. “Forget it, Levi. It’s finished.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” The burning ice in his eyes made her shiver. “But it will be soon, Tess. I promise you.”

***

Wednesday, May 8
^th
, 11:22 a.m., a diner, near the Intermodal Hub in Salt Lake City, Utah
:

Levi sipped his coffee and watched Graves waddle into the café. Although somewhat uncomfortable asking the
KSS
for help, he shrugged off his qualms. He’d use any weapon available to save Tess.

“Hello, Mr. Komakov. I hope meeting here didn’t inconvenience you
too
much.” As Levi shook his head, Graves sat down at the table. His smile was pleasant, his eyes wary. “Did Jonas ask you to contact me?”

“No. I’m here on my own.” Levi paused while the waitress brought Graves a diet root beer. “Jonas doesn’t know about this,” he said when she’d gone.

Graves frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but Nick McKenzie is currently at the Utah State Prison in Draper, awaiting trial.”

“Yes, I know. What of it?”

“Tess went to see him on Monday to tell him that if he does go to trial, she’ll testify. He’s still determined to kill her.”

Graves shifted on his chair. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Nick’s threatening to put additional contracts out on her, and if I recall, you weren’t pleased with that idea.”

“Of course not, but Nick’s in prison. He can’t do anything about it now.”

“Oh, come now, Graves. You and I both know that convicts have their own barter systems. And I’m sure you realize that Nick has friends and former employees on the outside who’d take on something like this just for the bragging rights to better their position in another crime family.”

Graves loosened his tie. “I suppose when you put it that way...but I’m still not sure why you’re telling me.”

“I’ve done all I can. I’ve taken care of Tony, who was Nick’s main assassin. But if he gets someone else to accept a contract, I may not be able to stop it. And Tess is tired of living with bodyguards. She wants to get on with her life.”

“That’s understandable, but I don’t see—”

“Nick’s a threat. He’s a threat to Tess, and if I read you right when you visited Jonas, you feel he’s a threat to the
KSS
. And they could—”

“How’d you find about the
KSS
? If Jonas—”

Levi cut him off with a gesture. He’d anticipated the question and used it to his advantage. “Nick has a very big mouth. Just another reason he’s a threat.”

“I see.” Graves pursed his lips a moment. “That may well be, but what do you want me to do about it?”

“I’m sure you know someone who knows someone in
USP
, who owes you a favor or two and would be happy to take care of a threat.”

Graves considered him with guarded eyes. “And if I say that I can’t help you? What then?”

“In that case, the
KSS
becomes common knowledge. It won’t take the media long to pick up on a hint or two. Of course, you may be able to stop your superiors from blaming you, but you never know, do you?”

“Are you threatening me, young man?”

“You catch on fast,” Levi confirmed with a grin. “I like that about you.”

Graves glared at him. “If I help you, then what?”

“Then I’ve never heard of you, and you’ve never heard of me.” He watched Graves’s calculating expression and decided to go for broke. “And I suppose I’d owe you a favor.”

“A favor? Indeed.” A predatory light flickered in Graves’s eyes, making Levi wish he’d held his tongue. “In that case, perhaps I’ll see what I can do.”

CHAPTER 23

Monday, May 13
^th
, 9:16 a.m., Utah State Prison, Draper,
Utah
:

Wearing nothing but a towel, Nick stood with a long line of prisoners waiting to enter the showers. “What do you mean, nobody wants my contract?” he whispered to his friend. “Come on, Juan, the bragging rights alone would be worth it.”

A guard barked out an order. The line moved forward.

“Maybe so,” Juan whispered back. “But word on the street is anyone who hurts this woman will answer to your grandfather. Can’t find nobody willing to risk it.”

“My grandfather’s just a crazy old man.”

Juan shrugged. “So you say. But that Levi character’s bad news.”

Nick swallowed but managed to make his shrug look casual. “Levi’s a wimp. He doesn’t even kill except in self-defense. Everyone knows that.”

“Oh, yeah? Guess your friend Tony died of a heart attack.”

“I don’t know how he died.”

Nick selected an out-of-the-way nozzle in the large, open, communal shower. He hung his towel on a hook. Juan picked the showerhead to his right. A huge, dark-skinned man took the one on the left.

“You have to keep trying,” Nick muttered as the hot water came on. “The Feds watch me too closely. I can’t make contact with the outside like you can.”

Juan only grunted.

“Look, damn it,” Nick hissed. “I told you I’d make it worth your while.”

“Hear you need a snitch taken out.” The dark-skinned man on Nick’s other side shot him a wink. “That true?”

“Might be.” Nick studied the man’s face. He looked Native American, with reddish-brown skin, straight black hair, brown eyes, and high cheekbones. The Mormons said Indians were remnants of the chosen people, whatever the hell that meant, but Nick couldn’t see anything special about them. He lathered up his bar of soap. “You got somebody who can help?”

“Know anything about the Kolob Secret Service?” The man let loose a soft whistle as he stepped under the spray of hot water.

Someone bellowed. Nick glanced over and saw two men exchanging blows. Then two more entered the fray. Within seconds, over a dozen naked, wet, and soapy men were pummeling each other. Shouts and curses bounced off the walls as the guards tried to restore order.

Shaking his head at the stupidity of the situation, Nick turned back to his neighbor. “Yeah, I’ve heard of the
KSS
. What about them?”

“They sent you a message.”

A long, dark arm slammed into Nick. Pain ripped through his neck. Another blow hit his chest. He looked down. A soap-lathered shank stuck out between his ribs. Blood poured down his body, turning the water at his feet bright red.

“What the
hell’ve
you done?” he croaked in disbelief. He tried to pull the shank free, but the agony dropped him to his knees. He felt faint and clamped a hand over his neck wound. Blood spurted out between his fingers—in time with his heartbeats. He couldn’t breathe. His vision blurred. “Don’t you know who I am?”

“Sure. You’re someone who pissed off the
KSS
.”

***

4:22 p.m., the office of Bartholomew Graves, Prove, Utah
:

With morbid fascination, Graves read the coded report from the
KSS
. Scanning the brief document, he learned the officials at Draper prison had no evidence and no suspects in the murder of Nick McKenzie. And it looked unlikely they’d get any as the soap on the shank would have washed away any fingerprints. Good. If it were up to him, he’d give the killer a medal. Nick hadn’t deserved to breathe the same air as the rest of mankind. Graves wondered how the
putz
liked it in Hell. Not that he really believed in Hell. But imagining Nick, tortured and suffering in his own little corner of it, delighted him all the same.

And the
KSS
made out like a bandit. Not only had a very real threat been removed,
but
Komakov now owed him a favor.

Graves had been planning to have Nick disposed of—even before the meeting with Komakov. And he’d have done it without the man’s promise of a favor. But he saw no reason to let him know that.

If the rumors about Komakov were true, he had exceptional skills and excellent contacts. Equally important, he feared nothing. Or so it seemed. He was also known as a man of his word.

Oh, yes. Levi Komakov would come in very handy indeed.

***

Saturday, June 7, 9:13 a.m., the country estate of Jonas McKenzie, outside Salt Lake City, Utah
:

Disgusted with himself, Levi paused outside Tess’s room and took a deep breath to ease the knot in his chest. Damn it, if he could face a loaded gun without flinching, why was it so bloody hard to face her?

He knocked then opened the door. “The cab’s here,” he told her. “You all packed?”

“Yeah.”

She kept her back to him. With a sigh, he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. “I wish you’d let me drive you to the airport. It’s going to be hard enough not having you here. I’d like to spend as much time with you as I can before you’re gone.”

A spasm of pain crossed her face. She opened her mouth, but he shushed her with a finger to her lips. If he let her speak, he’d never get this out.

He took another deep breath. “I love you, Tess. I want to marry you. I know you don’t love me the same way,” he said as she tried to speak under his finger. “But maybe if you gave it some more time and stuck around, you could.” When she closed her eyes a moment, he continued. “I know, I know. You’ve tried.” Taking his finger from her lips, he trailed it down her cheek. “I’d like you to do me one small favor before you go.”

“Anything.”

“Let me kiss you goodbye.” He saw the refusal that flickered in her eyes before she hid it. “If you say no, I’ll understand,” he promised. “But I’d really like to kiss you. At least once.”

She slipped her arms around his neck. “Of course.”

Cursing himself for breaking his own heart, he hugged her to him, inhaling her scent, then covered her mouth with his, letting all the love he’d longed to give her show through.

She didn’t resist. She even kissed him back. But he could tell her heart wasn’t in it. And the flare of desire he’d hoped would erupt, didn’t. When he raised his head, she laid hers on his shoulder. Resigned, he pressed his cheek to her hair.

“I’ll miss you, Levi,” she murmured. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. If there was any way I could force my heart—”

“I know. You’re still in love with Max.”

“He touched something in me no one else ever has. I just can’t get past it. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m well aware that hearts won’t do what you tell them
to
. I’ve got that problem myself.”

Sliding a finger under her chin, he lifted it and kissed her one last time. When he broke off, there were tears on her cheeks.

“Don’t cry, luv,” he whispered, wiping them off with his thumbs. “Remember, I’m here if you ever need me.”

“Thank you.”

He released her and picked up her two duffel bags. “I see you’re traveling with more luggage this time.”

“Since I won’t have to run for my life with ten minutes warning anymore, I figured I could take a few more things.”

She grabbed her backpack and walked outside with him. He put her bags in the trunk of the cab, opened the door for her, and told the driver to take her to the airport. Tess wrapped her arms around him and hugged him once more. “I’ll miss you.” Then she slipped out of his arms and into the open door of the cab, closing it behind her.

He stared after her as the car drove away. He knew she wouldn’t come back to him. Time to get over her and move on. Kissing her had at least given him closure, and maybe now he could finally love someone else. There had to be someone out there meant for him.

He went back into the house to make plans. He had one more thing he needed to do for Tess.

***

Tess sat in the back of the cab, thinking about Levi. Kissing him had felt like kissing her brother. How could she care about him so much and feel absolutely no passion for him? She’d miss him. God, how she’d miss him. But he needed to move on.

At the airport she bought a ticket to La Paz. She was going back to the cottage and had spent the last month making plans. A new satellite phone resided in her backpack, along with enough cash to take care of her needs for months. Her money was in a savings account now, so when she needed it all she had to do was call the bank and have them wire the funds to her.

Maybe she’d buy a car, so she could go to La Paz or
Cabo
whenever she wanted. Now that Nick and Tony were dead, she had no more reason to hide. And even if she had, she wouldn’t run again. Ever.

The cottage would be vacant. It was so remote, the owner only managed to find renters a few weeks out of the year, if at all. So he’d be glad to have her back. And Griffin should still be around. She’d missed him. But he’d show up—all she had to do was set out some peanut butter. She smiled, remembering how much he loved it.

She’d promised Jonas she’d come back to Salt Lake City every so often. He’d begged her not to stay away too long, so she’d agreed to call once a week, write often, and visit whenever she could. After all he’d done for her, she owed him that.

They called her flight and she got in line to board the plane. Maybe once she got back to the cove in Baja, she’d find some peace of mind. Would an essence of Max be there, as she hoped? If not, she’d survive. A broken heart might feel terminal, but it wasn’t. It would heal. Eventually.

***

Monday June 9
^th
, 9:16 a.m., the office of Max Maxwell, The Farm, near Williamsburg, Virginia
:

Max had been staring at his notes since seven a.m., trying to prepare for his eleven o’clock class. But his thoughts kept diverting to a small, vacant store he passed on the way to work. It would’ve made a perfect location for Tess to put a costume shop.

If only.

“What is it, Leanne?” he asked when his secretary came in, her eyes wide, her face a classic mask of awe. “Something wrong?”

A strawberry blonde with emerald green eyes, Leanne was twenty-three, pretty, sexy, and unaware of the effect she had on men. She could have been a bitch, but instead was a surprisingly sweet kid.

“There’s the most gorgeous hunk in the outer office waiting to see you,” she moaned. “Says he’s a friend of yours.”

“You’re drooling, kid.” The longing in her voice made him chuckle. He’d never seen her like this. “Does this ‘hunk’ have a name?”

“I think he said it was Levi. I was too busy looking at his eyes—the most beautiful blue eyes I’ve ever seen.” She rolled her own. “And God, don’t you just love his British accent?”

“He’s not exactly my type.” What was Levi doing here? Max suppressed a bubble of fear. Had something happened to Tess? “Why don’t you wipe the slobber off your chin and show him in?”

“If he follows me home, can I keep him? Please, please, help me out here.”

He snorted. She made a face at him and hurried out. A few moments later she ushered Levi in. He came through the door, stopped, gazed into her eyes, and then shook his head as if trying to clear it. Leanne sighed, backed out, and closed the door.

Max felt a surge of relief.
Interesting
.
I figured Levi and Tess would be an item by now. But from the way he just looked at Leanne, I guess not
.

He got up to shake Levi’s hand. “Have a seat,” he said. “What brings you here? Has something happened to Tess?”

“No, she’s fine.” Levi closed his eyes a minute, as if he couldn’t quite remember why he’d come. “That’s a bloody cute secretary you’ve got there.”

“She’s a good kid.” Hell, Leanne had asked for help. “And I think she’s yours if you want her. She wanted to know if she could keep you if you followed her home.”

“Maybe I’ll take her up on it,” Levi said with a grin. “From what I gathered from talking with her, she’s got a good brain to go with those killer looks. Hard to beat a combo like that.”

“You could do a lot worse—and so could she.” Max leaned forward in his chair. “Now that you’re done stealing my secretary, care to tell me why you’re here? How’s Tess?”

Levi stared at him. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’m not sleeping all that well.” In fact, it was taking everything he had just to function. “Now, tell me about Tess.”

Levi let out his breath in a huff. “Look, Max, this is none of my business, but you’re my friend, and you know how much I care about her.”

“Yeah, and? Come on, Levi. Spit it out. What’s happened to her?”

“She’s all right. Don’t worry. I just want to know why you haven’t come after her and convinced her to marry you, now that you have a desk job.”