From Manhattan With Revenge Boxed Set (16 page)

“Aren’t you Spanish?”

She nodded.

“And that’s too spicy for you?”

“It’s nuclear.”

“It was meant to be.
 
So,” she said.
 
“Shall we get
down to it?
 
What happened last
night?”

Carmen took another drink of water, started at the beginning
and told her in detail.

“So, you killed a man?”

She nodded.

“But you spared another?”

She nodded.

“I have to say, it’s ingenious how you threw the other men
off.
 
A triple stabbing?
 
Reporting it yourself to the
police?
 
Walking away from the men
because you knew they couldn’t touch you with the police present?
 
This is the stuff for which I live.”

“You said that earlier.
 
May I ask why?”

“Because I’m a McAdoo.”

“What does that have to do with it?”

Babe sipped her champagne.
 
“I was born into a terminally dull life.
 
When I was young, everything was
scripted for me.
 
The family and
societal expectations were crushing.
 
My sisters and brothers embraced every bit of it because with it came
power and status, which don’t interest me.
 
When they were alive, my mother and father reveled in their positions
for the same reasons.
 
But not
me.
 
I think around the time I was
in college, I realized I needed something more, but I didn’t know what it was
beyond the fact that I needed adventure in my life.
 
Some sort of intrigue that wasn’t unlike
the mysteries I read.
 
Years later,
I found that in a new beau.
 
I
learned he was an assassin.
 
Still
is, actually.
 
We had a lovely
affair.
 
He is far younger than
I—I believe he was just starting out at the time—but it didn’t
matter.
 
As brief as it was, we had
a wonderful time together.
 
I was
fascinated by what he did for a living.
 
He was fearless and talented.
 
Gifted and bright.
 
We got
along famously.
 
Still do.
 
He introduced me to a lot of the people
who likely will help us now.
 
Parts
of me still live vicariously through him.”

She had to ask.
 
“Are you talking about Spocatti?”

“What if I were?”
 
She shrugged dismissively.
 
“Let’s get down to it, Carmen.
 
Who do you think is behind all this?”

She told Babe about the syndicate.
 
She told her about what Laurent tried to
do to her and Alex, how she and Alex murdered him at the Four Seasons in front
of a crowd gathered to celebrate Leana Redman’s gift to assist suicide
prevention, and how Alex was murdered at her house in Bora Bora just three
weeks later.

“I’ve never liked those Redmans,” Babe said.
 
“Well, at least the majority of
them.
 
The way George Redman
bulldozed this city to make so much of it his own is disgusting given some of
the beautiful old buildings we lost.
 
I do like his daughter, Leana, though.
 
I met her once at a benefit on
Anastassios Fondaras’s yacht.
 
She
has a spark, that girl.
 
And she’s
rebellious, which I like.
 
I always
thought her father cut her a raw deal, but that’s the sort of man he is.
 
He always favored Celina, when I would
have taken after Leana.
 
You
watch.
 
Leana is hungry.
 
She’s poised to go places, regardless of
who she has to take down to get there.”

She saw the patient look on Carmen’s face and finished her
champagne.
 
“But I digress.
 
This syndicate you talk about—of
course, I’ve heard of it.
 
Over the
years, I’ve met Laurent a few times, though he only warmed to me when he
learned I was a McAdoo, which he adored, as so many do for reasons that make my
skin crawl.
 
He seemed like a real
son of a bitch to me.
 
There was
something about him that put me on edge.
 
Then, of course, I found out he was part of this syndicate and my
uneasiness about him made sense.”
 
She looked at Carmen.
 
“You
do know what the syndicate is about, don’t you?”

“They’ve aways been secretive with me, but it doesn’t take a
genius to figure it out.
 
The men
and women I was hired to take out were leaders of industry.
 
CEOs.
 
Presidents of corporations.
 
That sort of thing.
 
After a successful hit, I’d wait a few
days and then Google who replaced the person I killed.
 
Sometimes, I’d learn that the company
was put into play because of the sudden lack of leadership.
 
When I learned who benefitted from the
hit, I had a better scope of what I was dealing with.
 
The syndicate doesn’t comprise a few
people.
 
It comprises many, mostly
powerful men and women so ambitious, they’ll kill to elevate their positions to
the top spot within the company or to takeover a company when it’s at its most
vulnerable.”

“Was Laurent the only person you worked with?”

“No.
 
I also worked
with a man named Katzev.
 
I believe
he’s responsible for having Alex and me followed to the island.
 
I don’t know that for certain, but I
think he wanted to avenge Laurent’s death.
 
He got Alex, but not me, which is what last night was all about.
 
Do you know him?”

“I met him years ago.”

Carmen couldn’t help her surprise.
 
Even
she
hadn’t met Katzev.
 
“You did?”

“I did.
 
A long time
ago.
 
He’s got the accent down, but
he’s not Russian.”

“I hear he’s Scottish.”

“That’s right, but it’s difficult to tell, isn’t it?
 
In some ways, I think he’s worse than
Laurent.
 
Nastier, if that’s
possible.”

“How did you know him?”

“Through Laurent.
 
It was only in passing, but I wouldn’t want to meet him again.
 
Gave me the creeps.
 
Probably beats women.
 
How certain are you that he’s
responsible for what happened to Alex?”

“I never could be certain.
 
But my gut says that he is, and my gut has yet to fail me.
 
I rely on it.
 
Beyond that, the facts add up.
 
We killed Laurent.
 
Three weeks later, we were tracked down,
Alex was dead and nearly, so was I.
 
That can’t be a coincidence.”

“All of this would seem to point to the syndicate,” Babe
said.
 
“But what of your other
work?
 
You have enemies out
there.
 
Have you considered them?”

“Spocatti asked me the same question.
 
I’ll be frank with you, Ms.
McAdoo—”

“Babe.”

“Babe.
 
In any
assassin’s life, there always will be someone seeking you out.
 
Payback is the nature of the game.
 
Could it be someone else?
 
Sure.
 
But I don’t think it is.”

Babe leaned forward in her chair.
 
She put the palms of her hands together
and pointed her fingers at Carmen.
 
“I don’t either,” she said.
 
“In
fact, I know that Katzev is behind this.
 
Would you like to know how I know?”

Carmen was intrigued by the sudden turn of events.
 
McAdoo knew?
 
“Of course, I would.”

“I thought so.”
 
Babe turned in her chair.
 
“Max!” she called out.
 
“Bring him in.”

CHAPTER NI
NE

Carmen had been deceived before and wondered if she was being
deceived now.
 
Was she calling for
Katzev?
 
Did Babe McAdoo join the
syndicate so she could have the little side adventures she felt she needed to
live a full life?
 
Did she call
ahead for him to come, knowing that soon Carmen would be here?
 

Her mind raced.
 
Spocatti trusted Gelling, which meant he trusted the man’s
contacts.
 
But at any point, Babe
could have deflected, as many did.
 
Had she?
 
She looked at her.
 
The woman was looking over her shoulder,
toward the entrance to the room, and seemed at ease.
 
There was a hint of a smile on her lips.
 

A self-satisfied smile?

Carmen listened to the house and heard footsteps coming from
the far end of a hallway she couldn’t see.
 
She was seated in the center of the room.
 
The doorway into it was at her far
left.
 
Instinctively, she went for
her Glock and immediately regretted giving it up when she entered the
house.
   

Babe looked at her.
 
“Don’t be frightened,” she said.
 
“We’re here to help you, Carmen.”

“Who is ‘we’?”

“You’ll see.”

When she saw, she was speechless.
 
Then instinct took over, she stood and
looked around the room for something to protect herself with while Babe also
stood and put her hand on Carmen’s arm, which Carmen shook off.

“What is this?” Carmen said.

“It’s not what you think.”

“What the hell am I supposed to think?”
 
Carmen pointed at the man she knew only
as Jake.
 
The man who followed her
last night.
 
The man who got into a
cab with her last night.
 
The man who
left the bar, sold her out to Katzev’s men and nearly got her killed last
night.
 
“Stop,” she said to
him.
 
“Right there.
 
Stop.”

“Why?” he said, not stopping.
 
“You’re unarmed.
 
You’re half my size.
 
You don’t tell me what to do, Carmen.”

She whirled at Babe McAdoo.
 
“You set me up?”

Babe looked offended.
 
“I did no such thing.
 
He’s
here to help you.”

“Help me?
 
He nearly
got me killed last night.
 
He sent
them directly to me.
 
You know
that.”

“I had no choice,” he said.
 

“You had every choice,” Carmen said.
 

“No, I didn’t.
 
I
left that note for a reason.
 
It was
to give you a heads up.
 
Don’t be
naive.
 
They were following me.
 
They saw us on the street.
 
Because of traffic, we lost them at a
light when we were driving around the city, but that didn’t stop them from
texting me.
 
When we arrived at the
bar, I waited for you to make your phone call before checking the text.
 
They ordered me to call them, so I
did.
 
They threatened me to tell me
where we were, so I told them.
 
You
would have done the same thing.
 
All
we have is our own survival, Carmen.
 
You of all people know that.
 
At least I tipped you off before getting the hell out of there.
 
I didn’t have to, but I did.”

“So, now you’re a fugitive to them?”

“I am.”

“Right.”
 
Again, she
looked at Babe.
 
“Why are you doing
this?
 
I don’t trust him.
 
Unless you’re with him, you shouldn’t
either.
 
If anything happens to me,
you know Spocatti will take both of you out.”

Babe McAdoo lifted her pale yellow caftan at her sides and let
the fabric flutter against her slender body.
 
“While I love the drama you’re creating,
Carmen, it’s all for not, so just snuff it.
 
Spocatti will do nothing of the
sort.
 
You’re overreacting.
 
Just be quiet and listen.
 
I’m telling you, it’s not what you
think.”
 
She looked over at
Max.
 
“Bring me the phone, please.”

Max took the phone off the table behind him and brought it to
her.
 
Babe dialed then handed Carmen
the phone.
 
“Go on,” she said.
 
“Take it before he answers.”

“Before who answers?”

“Spocatti.
 
We’re
here to help you.
 
He’ll tell you
that.
 
He knows all of us are in
this room.
 
You’re misinterpreting
the situation.
 
He’ll make that
clear to you, then we can get on with it.”
 

It was a moment before Spocatti came on the line and when he
did, he sounded out of breath.
 
“Yes,” he said.

“It’s Carmen.
 
Are
you all right?
 
You sound winded.”

“You’ll need to ask her if I’m all right, Carmen.
 
Would you like to speak to her?
 
She’s lovely.
 
All sweaty and naked and lovely.
 
I know you’ve always wondered how it
would be with me, so here’s your chance.
 
She’ll tell you if I’m all right—if I’m better than all
right—but you’ll need to rely on your Italian because her English is
shaky at best.
 
Not that it matters
much with her mouth so full.
 
Have I
told you that I love Capri?”

“Vincent—”

“Oh, and if you’re calling about the situation you’re in right
now, you’re fine.
 
Babe’s the
best.
 
Just listen to her.
 
Trust her.
 
I’ve known her for more than twenty
years and she’s as legit as they come.
 
I was debriefed before you got there because they knew you’d have
questions and concerns.
 
Lay them to
rest.
 
I’ve worked with Jake, whose
real name you’ll find out soon enough.
 
Jake is better.
 
You’ll see
why he chose it over the name his parents saddled him with.
 
Not unlike you, he’s being pressured by
the syndicate.
 
He did try to help
you last night, but they got to him before he could do much of anything.
 
Don’t blame him.
 
We always choose ourselves first, no
matter what.
 
You’re no
different.
 
If you were in his
shoes, you would have done the same thing.
 
So, join forces with him.
 
Listen to Babe.
 
Find
Katzev.
 
Apparently, he is the one
you’re seeking, from what Jake tells me.
 
And Babe.
 
Now, I’d love to
talk to more, but...I can’t remember her name...is as red as a beet and wants a
moment to breathe.
 
Keep in
touch.
 
You know I’m here if you
need me.
 
So, I expect to hear from
you.
 
Soon.”

The line went dead.

She clicked off the phone and handed it to Babe, who gave it to
Max, who walked across the room with it and placed it in its cradle.
 
Vincent never would set her up.
 
She knew that.
 
She trusted him as if he were her
brother.
 
She looked at Babe and
then at Jake, who were looking at her as if they didn’t know how she would
react.

She trusted no one easily.
 
But she had to listen to Vincent.
 
When it came to her, he’d never be responsible for holding out the noose
that took her life.

She sat down in one of the red chairs.

“Babe, if you have coffee, perhaps all of us could talk?”

“I have my private McAdoo blend,” she said.

“I had a feeling you would.
 
I assume it’s strong?”

“It’ll blow your head off.”

“That’s not what I want to hear right now, Babe,” Carmen said.