Dare to Dream: The Maxwell Series (21 page)

“We haven’t been able to find out much about him except what his police records show, which isn’t much—several robberies, a handful of stints in jail, and three ex-wives,” Wes said. “He was on Lorenzino’s payroll until a year ago, when he disappeared. We’re still digging into his background.”

Mr. Robinson’s phone rang.

A
n agonizing pain
throbbed in the back of my head as a faint male voice bled into my consciousness.

“It’s almost show time,” the male voice said.

My head bobbed. I blinked several times to clear my vision. I tried to wipe the drool from my mouth, but my arm wouldn’t budge. Panic set in as I tried to move my other arm. I realized I was tied to a wooden chair, and pain dug into my wrists as I thrashed one way then another to get my arms free.

“Still fighting,” the man taunted. “I told you this would go easier if you didn’t.”

I lifted my head. Two men were lounging against a bar, the soft glow from pendant lights above spotlighting their features. The man to my left had gray hair and a gray beard. He was the man in the photo I’d found in Dad’s office—Harrison Lorenzino. The man to my right had red hair, and pockmarks dotted his face. He was the man in the photo that Detective Fisher had shown us—Dennis Weeks.

I twisted again, snarling at my captives. Suddenly, the memory of what I’d done to Weeks in the car returned to me.

I’d barely gotten out of the coffee shop when a man grabbed my arm and said into my ear, “This will go easier if you don’t fight.” I had no time to react, and my latte splattered to the ground. His large hand covered my head, and he shoved me into the back of a black sedan that was parked at the curb. No sooner had the door closed than the car sped away. I was barricaded in between two men. I’d seen pictures of both, and one I knew without a doubt had had something to do with Julie and Mom’s murder.

“It’s you. You killed my family,” I said. His cologne smelled of insect repellent. It was as strong as it had been when I’d entered the garage the night I found Julie and Mom. A rage of adrenaline rushed through me. I balled up my hand and swung, hitting his face with the back of my knuckles. Then I quickly got in his lap and pulled on his wiry hair as hard as I could, screaming, “I’ll kill you,” over and over again.

His hands were on my arms, trying to push me off, but I wasn’t letting go. Not until he felt pain and lots of it.

“Get her off me, Harrison. Don’t just sit there like you’re enjoying this,” Weeks’s voice blared in my ears. His fingers slid down to circle my wrists.

I spit in his face then slammed my forehead into his nose, drawing blood.

“Goddamn,” he said. “Stop your screaming.”

I screamed louder before I sank my teeth into his fingers. As he swore, something hard struck the back of my head, and blackness colored my vision.

Weeks laughed hauntingly, the sound severing my trip down memory lane. I clenched my eyes shut for a brief moment, panic and rage starting off the buzzing in my head. I opened my eyes and did a quick scan of my surroundings. Tables peppered the floor. A stage banked the wall to my right, and a stale odor burned the hairs in my nose. I was in Dad’s club, Rumors.

“Where’s my dad?” My words broke apart.

“If he doesn’t do anything stupid, he should be here momentarily,” said Harrison, who was nursing a drink.

Did Dad have the ledger? I cleared my throat. “He doesn’t have what you want, and even if he did, he wouldn’t give it to you.”

Harrison let out a smug laugh. “Oh, he has what we want. My sources wouldn’t lie.”

I guessed Erica had spilled the beans. It didn’t matter. I was sitting here tied to a chair with my life hanging in the balance.

“And he’ll give us the ledger,” Weeks said. His voice was gritty and disgusting as he cleaned his nails with the tip of a long blade. “Otherwise, I may have to use this knife. It hasn’t seen action since your sister and mother.”

Oh, my God! I felt like a box of nails had gotten stuck in my throat. The buzzing in my head increased. Adrenaline began to pump through every vein at warp speed. “So you admit you killed my family?”

His dead gray eyes glinted.

A phone rang. Harrison swiped it off the bar. “Yeah. Is he alone? Make sure he isn’t wearing a wire.” He hung up. “Get her ready,” Harrison said to Weeks. He narrowed his green eyes at me. “No funny business.”

I prayed Dad had a plan. I wanted both of them to pay, but since I didn’t have my phone, I couldn’t record the conversation. More than that, I salivated for a chance to rip out Weeks’s eyes. To make him feel pain for what he did. In that moment, I understood why Kade hated Greg Sullivan so much and why he wanted revenge for him putting Kody in the hospital.

Weeks circled behind me, the light shimmering off his blade. Once my arms were free, I sprang upright but stumbled.

Weeks yanked me to him. He brought the tip of the blade up to my chin. “If you fight me, you’ll be in pieces by the time your father walks in,” he said, deep and deadly. “Better yet, I’ll gut out your pitching arm. I hear you’re quite the pitcher.” He traced the knife’s edge along my right shoulder then down.

Someone was feeding them information. At the moment, I didn’t care. “You know, I should’ve taken up football. I’m a great punter.” My calm voice belied the tacks poking the lining of my stomach.

“Girls always think they can play a man’s sport.”

“I don’t think. I know.” I kicked out, my foot connecting with his crotch.

He doubled over, letting out a guttural sound. The knife dropped, sounding a loud bong as it hit the hardwood floor. Weeks clutched his balls. Red rage bloomed in the pockmarks on his face as his features distorted in pain.

I ran, dodging tables. I pumped my legs and arms as hard as I could to reach the main exit, which was at least thirty feet away.

A hand landed in my hair and jerked me backwards. “You don’t listen well,” Harrison said.

“I don’t take orders from killers.” I elbowed him in the gut as he hauled me back to Weeks.

Weeks’s nostrils flared as he retrieved his knife. I smirked at the murderer, even though my nerves were singing a scary tune.

Weeks twined my hair around his hand and wrenched back my head. With his other hand, he positioned the cold, razor-sharp blade at my jugular. “Step out of line again, and I’ll slit your throat.”

An image of me bleeding out made me freeze. He shuffled us toward the entrance to the back hallway then stopped. Harrison returned to the bar.

Footsteps clomped across the floor. Dad came into view with a red book in one hand. He froze, swinging his gaze from me to Harrison. “Let her go,” he said, his voice thunderous. “This has nothing to do with my daughter.”

“Hand over the ledger. Once I have it and I’m safely to the airport,
then
I’ll let your daughter go.” Harrison scrubbed a hand over his beard.

“Not a chance. She leaves here now, and when she’s safely in the hands of family, then I’ll give you the book.” Dad held up the ledger.

Weeks’s puke-smelling breath breezed over my neck. It took every ounce of my energy not to choke.

“She is with family. Aren’t we family?” Harrison asked.

“You’ll never be my family,” Dad said in a brusque tone.

“If I had known Lorraine was with child, I would’ve taken care of her and you,” Harrison said without any emotion.

“So instead you kill my wife and one granddaughter. And now you’re threatening another. Is that how you take care of family?” A valley-sized crease formed between Dad’s eyebrows. “No wonder my mother disappeared.”

“An unfortunate accident,” Harrison said. “No one was supposed to get hurt.”

“And yet they did,” I said, gulping in air slowly.

“Shut up.” Weeks pressed the blade harder against my skin.

A trickle of warmth slid down my neck. I squeaked, my pulse racing, the buzzing in my head blaring. “Dad, do what he says.” So what if we gave a ledger to a mob guy? It was his after all. I didn’t care if it led him to buried money. Sure, I wanted revenge, but I wanted to get out of this alive. I wanted to get to school. I wanted to play ball later today, and I wanted to impress the hell out of the ASU scout.

With his gaze sharp on Harrison, Dad flung the ledger at him. Harrison fumbled to catch it. When the book soared behind the bar, Weeks loosened his hold on my hair.

I threw my head back, hitting Weeks in the mouth. The knife clanged to the floor.

Dad launched himself at Harrison, and I spun around. Weeks dove for me, and I dove for the knife that lay between us. Weeks’s hand landed on the blade. The sound of grunts and groans peppered the room behind me.

“I enjoyed killing your family,” Weeks said. “I can’t wait to filet you into pieces.” Hunger swam in his eyes.

Fear slithered down my back, but anger cleared it. “You have to catch me first.” I sprinted down the darkened hallway for the back door. Thank God for the smidgen of light from the exit sign.

Heavy boots thudded behind me, cutting through the buzzing in my head. Long, gnarly fingers seized my arm. Turning, I punched and kicked, landing blows to his stomach and groin. On my last punt to his crotch, he drove the knife into my right leg just above my knee. I wailed as the stinging pain shot up my leg. I yanked the knife out, and blood oozed from the wound. Weeks bent over, grasping his balls again. This time his face turned an ugly purple.

Cracks, snaps, groans, and grunts filtered in from the barroom.

Weeks launched his fist into my face. The blow sent me hurtling backwards. My head landed against the door with a loud thwack. The pain ignited a blinding fury. I lunged for Weeks, drove the knife into his abdomen, removed it, and then stabbed him again and again. I couldn’t stop. His eyes bulged out as he staggered backwards, falling to the floor with a heavy whump.

A gust of wind swept in from the back door along with a blinding light and several heavy footsteps.

The knife slid from my bloody hands as my legs wobbled then collapsed under me.

“Lacey?” Kade’s voice trickled into my ears.

I squinted at two men with guns in their hands, but no Kade. Maybe I was hearing things. Then a gurgling came from my right. I swung my attention to Weeks. He sat up, and his hand snaked out toward the knife. His white shirt was slowly turning red. There was so much blood. Blackness crept across my vision. I couldn’t pass out. As I labored for air, Weeks attacked me, the gleam of the blade masking the darkness.

“Lacey!” Dad and Kade both shouted my name before a gunshot echoed.

Weeks crashed to the floor.

I jerked my head to the left to find Kade pushing the men with guns out of the way.

Kade’s warm, strong hands cupped my face. “I’m here, Lace. I’m here, baby. You’re safe now.” His voice was music to my ears.

“My dad. Where’s my dad?” I blinked, once, twice, trying to ward off the darkness that was hell-bent on taking over my vision.

But my body had other plans.

I
shivered as I woke
. Déjà vu blanketed me as beeps and pings echoed from the medical equipment around me.

“Sweet Pea.” Dad jumped out of his chair. Bruises and cuts covered his face. He threw his arms around me. “God, I was so worried.”

“You’re okay?” I hugged him back, but it hurt to move. My body felt like it had been through the rinse cycle several times. “Why am I in the hospital? Where’s Kade? Is Weeks dead? Did Harrison get the ledger?”

“Slow down.” He smoothed a hand over my head. “You passed out. More than likely from a combination of your head injuries, blood loss, and the trauma of the scene.”

I touched the back of my head and found a lump and stitches. “Oh, my God. They shaved my head?” A small bald spot sat at the base just above my hairline. I felt the rest of my hair, making sure they hadn’t cut it off. I sighed heavily when I found I still had long hair. “Did Harrison get the ledger? Is Weeks in jail? He admitted killing Julie and Mom.”

“Harrison is in the custody of the Federal government. And they confiscated the ledger. Weeks is dead.”

I slapped a hand over my mouth. “Did I kill him?” I remembered stabbing him several times after he’d punched me. I prodded the lump on my left cheek gingerly. I also remembered the men with guns and hearing the gunshot and then Kade practically knocking the men out of the way.

“You did him some damage, but no. The BPD SWAT team actually killed him. Weeks was about to stab you. One of the SWAT guys shot him.”

I couldn’t say I wasn’t relieved. The man had murdered my family. “Where’s Kade?” I would’ve thought he would be in the room with Dad.

“He’s in the waiting room. I didn’t know if you would want to see him,” Dad said, his tone matter-of-fact.

I guessed I couldn’t argue too much with his explanation. “You did tell him I was okay?”

“Of course. Besides, he wouldn’t let go of your hand when you arrived until the ER doctor pried him off you.”

A knock sounded, then the door cracked open. “Can I come in?” Coach Dean asked.

“Oh, my God. Baseball. The scout.” Since there weren’t any windows in the room, I couldn’t tell if it was day or night. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and winced at the soreness in my right leg. Hell, in my entire body. My heart pounded.

Dad guided me back onto the bed. “You’re not going anywhere. The game ended about an hour ago.”

I glanced at Coach. He had an
I’m sorry
expression painted on his face. My breath halted.
Please don’t tell me my dream is gone.

He loped over to my bedside. “How are you?”

“I missed the scout. Didn’t I?” Tears threatened, and my stomach suddenly hurt.

Coach mashed his lips together and nodded. “Your life is definitely more important than any game. I’m relieved that you’re safe and alive.”

“Any chance he’ll come again?” A tear escaped, trickling down my bruised cheek.

“I explained the situation. He’s sorry, but he won’t be returning to Kensington.”

The faucet opened. Tear after tear poured out. Dad and I had moved here so I could do everything possible to get on the ball team for Kensington and work hard to get the baseball scholarship to ASU. I’d accomplished the former, but I wasn’t able to bring home the latter. Losing the chance to play for ASU hurt like I’d lost my one true love, but the end result—I was alive, and my family’s murderer was in custody. Both were worth more to me.

Coach touched me lightly on my shoulder. “I know you had your heart set on ASU, but if I’m not mistaken, what really matters is baseball. UMass Boston and Colby College up in Maine are interested in you. I know they aren’t your first choice, but they’re both great schools. Why are you dead set on ASU?”

I sniffled. “My brother graduated from ASU. And they were interested in me. I guess I feel connected to them. They wanted to give me a second chance after everything I’d gone through with my family’s deaths.” If they hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here, and I certainly wouldn’t have met Kade.

“Now you have more schools interested in you. The other option is you could always attend ASU and see if the coach will take you as a walk-on.”

I’d hadn’t thought of that. A small window of hope opened. “Did we win tonight?”

“We did. Shaun pitched a no-hitter. He and Aaron wanted to be here to share the good news. I told them you needed rest. I better run. You’ll probably be out for two or three games. I’ll let UMass and Colby College know when you’ll be pitching again.”

If I had my way, I’d be pitching at the next game. But somehow I didn’t think the doctor would give me the all clear that soon, considering I had two head injuries and a stab wound.

“I’ll get Kade,” Dad said.

“Wait.”

“You don’t want to see him?” Dad asked as he touched a cut on his cheekbone.

“Yes, but are you disappointed in me about ASU?” I felt along my leg as a memory of me pulling out the knife surfaced.

“You’ve been through hell. You’ve also worked your tail off. Don’t think for one second that I’m upset. I’m proud of you.”

I wasn’t proud of myself. I’d blacked out yet again. I might’ve worked hard to get on a ball team, but I hadn’t worked hard enough to overcome my PTSD. “Do you think I’ll ever get to the point where I don’t pass out?” I desperately longed for the day I wouldn’t freak over a dark house or lots of blood or anything else that reminded me of Julie’s and Mom’s dead bodies.

“Oh, Lacey. Your illness isn’t something that can be cured overnight.”

I had a sneaking feeling that the memory of stabbing Weeks and him stabbing me had set me back in my recovery.

“One more thing before you get Kade. Are you planning on staying in New England after I graduate?”

Dad sank down onto the bed. “We can talk about this another time, but something in your eyes tells me you’re worried about me. Don’t be. If you want to take a chance as a walk-on at ASU, then go for it. I was planning on asking your opinion. What would you say if I told you I wanted to stay in New England, at least for the foreseeable future?”

“Really? What about Eko Records and Zepplins and Rob?”

“Well, I want to reconnect with Gloria. I’ve been thinking about selling the record label and Zepplins. Rob wanted to tell you himself, but I think this is a good time to let you know. Rob has signed with the Dodgers. They approached him again last week.”

I squealed with delight. “Really?” Rob had given up his dream to play for the Dodgers when Mom and Julie died. “I’m thrilled that you want to stay in New England, and I’m so excited for Rob.” I couldn’t wait to talk to him.

Dad patted my leg, and his mouth curved into a handsome smile that reached his green eyes. “Don’t think too much about colleges or your future right now.”

I had one last question. “Was there anything else in the safe deposit box?”

“There was another letter from my mom that basically said she never gave the ledger to the police because she knew Harrison had friends in high places within the government. And she knew if she did, the trail would lead back to her and eventually me. She couldn’t bear Harrison finding out about me. She didn’t want me to live that kind of life. She went on to say she often thought about burning the ledger, but she wanted to see the Lorenzino family pay for breaking the law. Apparently, Jeremy was right. The ledger detailed exact locations where millions of dollars of stolen cash were hidden. But it’s time to put all this behind us and focus on living again.”

I agreed. One thing was nagging me though. Lorenzino had said he knew Dad had the ledger. I knew it didn’t matter anymore, but I was curious.

A young male orderly in red scrubs came in, carrying a tray of food. He set the tray down on a table next to the bed then wheeled it over to me. The smell of the food wafted through the air.

“I’ll let Kade know he can come in. Why don’t you eat something?” Dad kissed me on the forehead and left the room.

At the mention of Kade’s name, any hunger I’d felt left with the orderly.