Wise Moves (14 page)

D
ane drove the Suburban into town. Lucian sat at his right. Kristen was in the backseat.

She was scared.

She’d not seen Benito in over a year and she knew that if he got ahold of her, she would never see the light of day. She’d be his pet forever. But the alternative was to run and live the life of a coward. And she’d had enough of that.

Dane had not spoken to her in the last half hour. And she was glad. Her emotions were so raw she didn’t trust her reaction.

The car slowed and turned onto Elm Street where the yoga studio was located. She shifted in her seat and pulled back her shoulders. Her knee had started to ache and she couldn’t move fast with the stitches in place. But mental quickness was what she needed now. She had to outsmart Benito.

Dane parked the Suburban in front of the yoga studio. The front door opened. Sheridan.

“You’ve got to convince her you are okay,” Lucian said.

Kristen nodded. “I’ll try.”

Dane shut off the engine. “You’ve got to do more than try unless you want to risk her life.”

Kristen didn’t argue. She opened her door and gingerly got out of the car. Closing the door, she limped forward a step.

Dane hurried around the car and cupped his hand under her elbow.

Immediately, she flinched and tried to pull away. “I can walk on my own.”

“You’ve got seven stitches in your knee. And there’s no time to put you back together again if you bust one.”

She tightened her jaw, hating his logic. With his help, she limped toward the steps. It was slow going up the stairs to the front door because she had to keep her knee straight. And she realized she wouldn’t have made it if not for Dane. When they reached the top step, he released her.

Kristen pushed her hand through her hair. “Sheridan.”

Sheridan hugged Kristen. “I was so worried about you.”

“I had a little accident.” She nodded to her knee. “I took a tumble, needed to get a few stitches, but I am fine now. I just need to get some rest.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Dane offered.

A thousand unspoken questions flashed in Sheridan’s pale blue eyes as she glared at Dane. But before she could respond, police lights flashed and a squad car pulled up in front of the studio. Kristen tensed.

Sheridan nodded, satisfied. “I called them fifteen minutes ago. I didn’t trust Mr. Cambia here. I thought you were in real trouble, Kristen.”

Kristen grew more anxious. Sheridan and the police needed to leave. They would see Benito soon. “Tell them it was just a silly accident.”

Lucian got out of the car and walked over to the police. His stride was casual and unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world. A young policeman approached him. Within seconds the two were smiling and walking toward the house.

Dane went to greet them.

Sheridan grabbed Kristen by the arm and whispered, “Are you sure you are okay?”

Kristen gave her a shaky smile. “You need to get rid of the police. Crystal is in danger. It has to do with my brother.”

“Your brother?”

“I will explain when the police are gone. Please, just hurry. We don’t have much time.”

Sheridan’s eyes narrowed as she studied her. And then, as if coming to a decision, she moved past Kristen outside to the police officers. Within five minutes, she’d convinced the officer that everything was fine.

Dane, Lucian and Sheridan went into the studio lobby. Sheridan closed and locked the front door. She pulled the shades. “Tell me everything, right now, Mr. Cambia.”

Dane’s lips flattened into a grim line. He clearly didn’t like being backed into a corner.

“Tell her,” Kristen said.

He glanced at Kristen, then back at Sheridan. “I was FBI until a few weeks ago.”

Sheridan shook her head. “I checked all your references.”

“That was me you spoke to,” Lucian said.

Sheridan met Lucian’s gaze. “And who are you?”

“Lucian Moss.”

“That tells me exactly nothing.” Sheridan’s earth-child demeanor had vanished.

Lucian shrugged. “What do you want to know?”

“Start with the basics and then we’ll take it from there.”

“I do computers.”

“That’s it?” Sheridan countered.

“Basically, yes.”

Sheridan shook her head, facing Dane and Kristen. “Fill me in, now.”

Kristen met Sheridan’s gaze. “My name is not Kristen Rodale.”

Sheridan raised an eyebrow. “No great revelation there.”

She wasn’t surprised by Sheridan’s shrewdness. “My real name is Elena Benito.”

“Where have I heard that name before?” Sheridan said.

“It was plastered all over the news nine months ago,” Lucian said. He stood leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

Sheridan stared at Lucian as the wheels in her memory turned. “Miami. It was a big story from Miami.”

Lucian tipped his head toward her. “You get points for that.”

Sheridan touched Kristen’s short blond hair. “Elena had long beautiful dark hair.”

Kristen sighed. “I had to make many changes after the safe house was attacked. I needed to disappear.”

Sheridan nodded. “You did a good job of that. The police were baffled. They thought you would be missing forever.”

Kristen’s jaw tightened. “I would have been if these two men hadn’t found me.”

Dane stepped forward. “I found Kristen so that I could use her as bait. We needed to draw her brother out.”

Sheridan’s distaste was clear as her gaze moved between Dane and Lucian. “How very clever of you.”

Dane’s jaw tightened. He wasn’t the kind of man who justified his actions.

“Tell me you have help,” Sheridan said.

“It’s just us,” Dane said.

“It gets worse,” Kristen said. “My brother has Crystal.”

Silver bracelets jangled on Sheridan’s wrist when she dug her fingers through her hair. “She was one of the few at the shelter that I thought would actually get out. She won prizes for her essays. She wanted to go to college.”

Tears filled Kristen’s eyes. “We will get her back.”

“Where is she?” Sheridan said.

“Appletown,” Dane said. He checked his watch.

“I know the place,” Sheridan said. “I can help.”

“We have all the help we need,” Lucian said.

Sheridan glanced between Dane and Lucian. “Like it or not, gentlemen, I’m in.”

“No.” Lucian’s voice boomed like a cannon blast.

Dane studied Sheridan. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I’ve seen my share of trouble, Mr. Cambia,” Sheridan said. “And I know how to use a gun.”

Monday, May 21, 8:24 a.m.

W
ith less than minutes to spare, everyone was in place.

Sheridan and Lucian left in his Suburban for Appletown. Their plan was to position themselves in an old mine shaft at the top of the hill that overlooked the old amusement park. The hideout was Sheridan’s idea.

That left Kristen and Dane alone to follow in his truck. A heavy silence, as impenetrable as steel, had risen between the two.

Dane broke the silence first. “When this is over, we need to talk.”

She lifted her gaze from the worn, cracked leather seat to his eyes. “About what?”

He glanced at her and then back at the road. “Where we go from here?”

“We don’t go anywhere from here.” Unshed tears constricted her throat, but she refused to cry. “You want my brother and you will have him. And then we will be finished.”

“I didn’t count on loving you.” His voice was a soft whisper.

She raised her hand. “Don’t.”

He tightened his hands on the steering wheel. “I won’t now, but later we will talk.”

Neither spoke as they drove out of town. When Dane passed a sign that read Appletown Park 100 Yards, he said, “I want you to stay in the truck until I tell you to come out. I want to keep you as far away from Benito as possible.”

Oddly she was very calm. Facing her brother was her fate. She was tired of running. “He won’t give you Crystal until he knows I’m there.”

“He can see you from inside the truck. I’m trying to buy time until Lucian can get his shot.”

“I understand.”

A weathered sign reading Appletown hung sideways from a single chain above a dilapidated wooden entrance. A circular go-cart track, eroded by time and rain, had weeds growing up high around a peeling fence that had once encased the track. The old ticket shed had lost its roof and all the go-carts had long since been removed.

Kristen felt as if she’d arrived in a ghost town.

She worried for Crystal, for Sheridan and Lucian and yes, Dane. As angry as she was with Dane, she did not want to see him hurt.

She knew if Benito had his way, none other than she would leave here alive.

Sheridan and Lucian reached the path leading to the abandoned mine shaft on schedule. Silently they climbed out of the Suburban.

From the back hatch, Lucian pulled out a rifle. “So what is this place?”

“There used to be gold mines in the area. This one did well for a time, but it was played out over a century ago.”

“The Wild West right here in Virginia.”

She hugged her arms around her chest, forcing herself to breathe deeply. “Something like that.”

“So where is this rock you were talking about?”

“Over here.” She pointed to where it jutted out.

The two climbed through the brush to the outcropping of rock, which was curtained off from the valley below by a stand of trees. Sheridan headed down a narrow path through the woods. Within minutes they reached the edge of the woods and the lip of the overhang.

It provided an excellent view of the valley and a clear shot into Appletown.

Lucian nodded, impressed. “How’d you find out about this place?”

“I grew up in the valley. We used to come up here as kids.”

Lucian laid down on the stone surface, as did Sheridan. He took a moment to site the rifle. She winced when he chambered a round.

“Tell me you can handle this,” he said without taking his gaze from the valley.

“I can.”

He pushed his hair out of his eyes. “I don’t want the yoga nonviolence thing to get in the way.”

A bitter smile tipped the edge of her full lips. “It won’t.”

“How do you know?”

Sheridan didn’t meet his gaze. “Three years in prison says I can handle just about anything.”

Benito stared at the sniveling girl across from him. Crystal was her name. Her jeans were filthy and her hair a revolting shade of blond. It was beyond him why Elena always gravitated toward the strays.

He dropped his gaze to the gold ring on his index finger. Perhaps he needed to change things when he got Elena home. She’d always wanted a dog or a cat. He would choose a pure breed, something classy, like her station dictated. But he would see that she got a pet. That would make her happy. And he wanted her happy.

And he would never expose her to his world again. The violence had been too much for her. He could see that now.

He’d been angry that night in the warehouse. And he’d lost his temper. The murder of those churchmen had been intended to frighten his sister. But he could see now that he’d gone too far.

“What are you going to do with me?” Crystal said.

He glanced up at the girl. He smiled. It would not do for her to get more upset than she already was. “I am going to trade you for my sister.”

She sniffed and struggled with the ropes binding her hands behind her back. “You’re not going to kill me?”

“Of course not,” he lied.

Dane saw the cloud of dirt and dust before he spotted Benito’s black Mercedes coming over the rise. Nine months of searching for Benito, countless sleepless nights and a taste for revenge that had never left him would soon be over. Yet the satisfaction was not as sweet as he’d imagined. Black and white had muddled to a gray. He would get Benito but feared he’d lose Kristen.

He touched the 9mm Beretta tucked in his waistband against his spine. Kristen remained in the front cab of his truck. He’d ordered her to stay there until the last second.

The Mercedes stopped and two large men got out of the front seat. They wore black suits and sunglasses. Each held Uzis. One man walked around the back and opened the door. The interior of the car was dark. Dane couldn’t see who was inside. But he heard Crystal’s sobs. Good. She was still alive.

The goon standing by the back door reached in the car and pulled out Crystal. The girl sported a bruise on the side of her cheek and the sleeve of her jacket was torn. But she could survive that.

Dane turned and opened the van side door. Kristen climbed out of the interior and stood beside him. She had her shoulders back and her chin high, like the princess Benito had raised her to be. But he knew when she stood bolt upright like this, she was afraid. He could feel the tension radiating from her body.

Tense seconds passed as Dane waited for Benito. He thought for a moment the drug dealer wasn’t in the car. And then he saw him slide forward and climb out of the vehicle.

Benito’s gaze flickered to Kristen. In an instant, relief and joy flashed in his dark eyes before he wiped all traces of emotion from his face. His gaze settled on Dane. Anger radiated from him.

Benito snapped his fingers and one of his men handed him a briefcase. “I believe we agreed on two million dollars.”

Dane didn’t look to the outcropping of rocks behind him. He needed to draw Benito out farther from the car so that Lucian had a clean shot. Chances were he’d only get one chance.

“Open the briefcase,” Dane ordered. “I want to see the money.”

Benito raised an amused eye. “Why don’t I just have my men kill you now and be done with this mess?”

Dane didn’t flinch. “Do you really think I’d walk into this alone?”

Benito’s smile faded a fraction. “Ah yes, your computer expert Mr. Lucian, and the yoga instructor.”

Dane motioned his hand toward the briefcase. “Is there any money even in the case?”

“Yes.”

“Let me see it.”

Benito seemed to consider his options. He’d survived as long as he had because he wasn’t ruled by impatience. With deliberate grace, he walked to the front of the car and clicked open the gold latches of the case. He lifted the lid. Inside sat rows of tightly packed green bills.

Dane didn’t care about the money but he made a point to look at it. After all, this was why he was supposedly here.

“And now my sister,” Benito said.

Dane glanced at Benito. He was still out of Lucian’s line of sight. He needed to draw him out more.

Kristen seemed to sense this. She was the one who held out her arms to her brother. “Antonio. I want to go home.”

The softness of her voice caught her brother’s attention. Without thinking, he stepped toward her. Opening her arms, she took a step toward Benito. “Please get me out of here.”

Dane stopped Kristen. He wanted her brother to come to her. “First, send Crystal over.”

Kristen kept her gaze on her brother. It didn’t take much effort to produce the tears in her eyes. She’d never been more afraid in her life. A tear rolled down her cheek. “I want to come home, Antonio.”

Benito held out his hand. “You ran from me, my sister. Now return to me.”

Like an accomplished actress, anguish and hope filled her eyes on cue. “I was afraid.”

Her brother’s stern face softened. He liked it when he believed he’d won. “I will never frighten you again, Elena.”

Kristen managed a smile.

Benito crossed to her and hugged her close. She wrapped her arms around him and began to weep softly.

Dane didn’t dare look toward Lucian, praying he’d wait until Kristen was out of the line of fire.

Benito pulled away and kissed Kristen on the cheek. He looked toward Crystal and then his men. “Kill them all.”

Kristen drew back, her face twisted with worry. “You said no more violence.”

“I said once we were home. For now, these people must be punished or you will never be safe again.” He touched her cheek tenderly.

Dane reached for his Beretta, a sign to Lucian that the situation had gone bad. He whipped his gun around and fired at the first goon, dropping him where he stood. The gunman’s Uzi fired wide, sending out a spray of bullets. Crystal screamed and dove to the ground.

Two shots rang out from above the valley. The second gunman dropped to the ground, dead.

Dane shifted his focus to Benito. The drug dealer stumbled back, a blossom of red blood now staining his stomach. The satisfaction Dane felt vanished when he saw Kristen on the ground. She’d been shot in the shoulder and was bleeding badly. The blood on Benito was hers.

Benito’s gaze swept over his sister. “Elena!”

Kristen didn’t move. She lay on the ground, motionless.

Benito’s anger turned from anguish to raw hatred. He stumbled backward to his car and with one last look at his sister closed the car door. The Mercedes sped off.

Dane fired his weapon at the car. He hit the back window, shattering it, but the car kept moving away at top speed.

His choice was simple: Go after Benito or save Kristen.

It was no choice at all for Dane. He lowered his gun and knelt beside Kristen. She was breathing, but losing blood quickly.

He ran toward his van and picked up the walkie-talkie. “Lucian, get a medical helicopter in here now. Kristen’s been shot.”