Hold Me (4 page)

“Frankie Silvano.” David’s face grew hard. “And we’ve got a problem.”

“You mean the woman has a problem. Thanks to me. Any chance of holding him?”

“Not for long. No outstanding warrants, remember?”

“Don’t remind me. And the driver?”

“Just some hired muscle. Goes by the name of Arlo. No warrants out for him either, which is kind of amazing. He seems to be on one of the lower rungs in Joey’s organization.”

Luc nodded. He’d met Arlo Kravitz a time or two during his months on the Silvano estate. The guy wasn’t much of a threat. But Frankie, well, he was another story.

“How much time do we have?” he asked.

“Their lawyer’s here already.” David’s lip curled. “He took a lot of pleasure in telling me that the judge is coming in for a special arraignment so they won’t have to spend the night in jail. They’ll be out on bail in a couple of hours.”

“I love small towns.” Luc was too tired to be angry. That would come later. “I swear to God I didn’t know it was Frankie. It all happened too fast, and I was concentrating on getting away. I never saw who was chasing me.”

“I figured.”

“I didn’t see him until they pulled up next to us at the quarry pit. I never would have jumped into her car if I’d known. I would have taken my chances on foot.”

“And you’d be dead.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Luc absently fingered his scar. It was long, cutting from just over his left ear all the way to the top of his cheekbone. Another mistake. One of too fucking many. “Does she know?” he asked.

“No. I thought it would be better if you told her yourself.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s much better. She’ll probably finish me off and save everyone the trouble.”

“A nice young woman like that? You must be losing your touch.”

“You’ve never met her.”

“You talk like she’s going to beat you up. I’ve heard she’s a short little thing. You can probably take her.”

“Funny.” Luc hoisted himself to his feet and hobbled to the door. His ankle hurt like hell. It would probably swell up like a watermelon as soon as he took off his shoe.

David chuckled and grabbed the woman’s handbag before following. “She’s right down the hall here. Tell her we’ll cover all of the costs for the damage she inflicted saving your ass,” he said as they walked, moving slowly to accommodate Luc’s limp. “The chief has dropped the charges and rescued her car from the quarry. That should make her feel better.”

“Great.”

“Maybe she won’t knock you around too much.”

Luc cursed and let the other man prod him toward an office. They paused at the door.

“Here. You can give her this.” David handed Luc the purse.

When he grabbed the strap, he thought his arm was being pulled out of its socket. “Christ.”

“Tell me about it. I’m surprised she’s not a hunchback.”

Luc looked at his friend. “So, what do I say to her?”

David shrugged. “I guess you might as well tell her the truth.”

“Um, then you should probably give me a few minutes.”

“Sure.”

“And if you hear the sound of furniture being thrown around, come rescue me.”

David’s only reply was a deep laugh as he walked back down the hall.

She was sitting alone in the room, behind a metal desk. Her head was bent, her eyes on her clasped hands. She looked as if she was praying.

Once again Luc found himself fascinated by her hair. Those rebellious red curls were like living things, each one stretching up to make itself known, like new little seedlings reaching for the sun. He shook his head at his own foolishness, put her purse on a chair by the door and limped further into the room.

She stared up at him then, the expression in her blue eyes unreadable behind her glasses. She had freckles splattered across her cheeks and nose. “I’ve been trying to forgive you,” she said. He noticed that her voice was low and clear when she wasn’t screeching at him.

“That’s nice.” He didn’t quite know how to begin.

“It hasn’t been working.”

“Ah.” Luc decided that the best thing was to start with an apology. “Look, I’m sorry for all of the trouble I’ve caused you—” He cut off when she exploded out of the chair like a small, red-haired hurricane.

“Sorry! You destroy my life and then tell me that you’re sorry?”

“Yeah. Now don’t overreact, but—”

“Overreact! Over react!” She threw up her hands and stomped around the desk.

“Everything will be all right—”

“All right! All RIGHT!”

“Do you have to repeat everything I say?” Luc snapped, angry because she wasn’t even trying to listen to him.

“No.” She came to a halt and glared up at him, her small, animated face flushed, her eyes sparkling behind the glasses. “But the other things I want to do to you can’t be done in a police station.”

Luc stared at her and then, in spite of the deadly seriousness of the situation, laughed. “Gosh, and here I didn’t even think you liked me very much.”

“Aargh.” She marched away, then whirled around and clapped her hands to her face, her expression now one of complete dismay. “Oh, my God,” she cried. “I forgot all about Kato!”

Luc frowned because somewhere along the way, he’d missed something. “Who the hell is Kato?”

“You probably killed him. What am I supposed to do now?”

“Killed him! I don’t even know who you’re talking about.” He hadn’t thought he’d hit anyone, but maybe one of his shots had gone wild. He tried to remember the chase.

“My father and brother babied him for years and years and now in one afternoon, his side is all crushed in and the mirrors—”

“Wait a minute.” Luc found that he could breathe again. “Wait just one damn minute. Are you telling me that Kato is your car?”

“Yes.” She scowled at him. “And I can’t afford a new one.”

Luc smiled. She was just about the cutest thing he’d ever seen. He folded his arms, leaned heavily back against the desk to take some of the weight off his bad ankle, and regarded her in silence for a moment, enjoying the play of emotions across her mobile features. Kato. Of course.

“When I was a little kid,” he told her conversationally, “I read every comic book I could get my hands on. I would read them from cover to cover until they fell apart. Didn’t matter what they were about.”

“How nice for you.” She looked a little uneasy. “And I care because…”

“Kato was the Green Hornet’s sidekick.”

She stared at him, then blushed a bright, fiery red. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Luc burst out laughing a second time. It was good to laugh. “What? No sense of humor, Hornet?”

Her blush disintegrated into a fierce glare. “You are an ignorant pig,” she said. “And if you ever call me Hornet again, I swear that I—”

“Eh-eh.” He waggled a forefinger at her. “Don’t swear.”

“Oh!” She started to pace. Luc watched her move. She was pretty, he decided, but not in an obvious way. He liked that. Not beautiful, but definitely appealing. Cute. Especially when she glared at him, with her eyes flashing and her chest heaving.

Come to think of it, that was a pretty nice chest, and the rest of her wasn’t bad either. She might be short, but she had curves in all the right places.

He watched her until he realized the direction his thoughts had taken, then frowned. God, she was right to call him a pig. This was not the time, not the place, and she was definitely not the girl. Besides, she really did look upset. She was blinking and while he watched, she took off her glasses with one hand and wiped her eyes with the other.

Oh man, she was crying. Here she was, most likely terrified and he was laughing at her, leering at her.

Way to go, asshole.

“All of the charges have been dropped,” he offered.

She stopped and, still holding her glasses, turned to face him. Without the distortion of the lenses, her eyes were blue like the sky and shiny.

Holy…

Luc drew in a sharp breath, stared at her. He felt like he’d just been sucker punched because, God, he knew her. He knew her. Without really willing it, his hand dipped into his pants pocket, his fingers brushed the photograph he always carried with him. He was crazy; it couldn’t be her. It couldn’t.

Could it?

“The charges have been dropped?” She sniffed and jammed her glasses back on, breaking the moment. He tried to relax and focus on what she was saying.

“Uh, yeah. You’re clear. And we’ll pay for all of the damages caused by the chase this morning. Including the repairs to, um, Kato.”

“There won’t be an arraignment?”

“No.”

“I won’t have to post bail?”

“No.”

“I won’t have to call my mother?”

“Only if you want to.”

“Oh.” She was silent for a bit. “Well, why didn’t you tell me about this when you first came in?”

“I don’t know.” He forced a smile. “It must have been the warm welcome.”

She snorted and turned away.

“What’s your name?” he asked abruptly. He didn’t want to know. He had to know.

“Katie McCabe. What’s yours? Not that you’ll tell me.”

He felt a sharp mixture of relief and disappointment and confusion. The woman he’d thought she was would have been named Annie. But the last name was still the same, and that in itself was a big coincidence. What the hell was going on?

He realized she was watching him and struggled to pull himself together. He couldn’t think about this now. Wouldn’t think about it. Would put it away until he was alone again and could work it out. And whatever the truth was, it didn’t change anything anyway.

“I’m Lucas Vasco.” He was pleased when his voice just sounded a little gruff. “Luc.”

“Thanks for getting me arrested, Luc.”

“Katie—”

The office door opened and David poked his head around the corner.

“How are you both? Doing okay?” Luc turned aside, glad for the interruption. David stepped into the office, walked over to Katie, and took one of her hands in both of his. “Ms. McCabe, it’s so nice to meet you.”

“And you are?”

“I’m David Allen, Luc’s squad supervisor.”

“And that means something to me because…”

David smiled as he let go of her hand, but Luc saw the glint of steel in his eyes. The people who underestimated David were the people who didn’t know him. “You didn’t tell her.”

“Yeah, well, I was getting around to it,” Luc mumbled.

Katie looked from one man to the other. “Tell me something? God forbid that he should actually tell me something.”

“When did I not tell you something?” Luc demanded.

“In the car.” She tossed back her hair. The curls bobbed and weaved like little red springs. His hand twitched, wanting to touch them. He concentrated on his exasperation to make sure he didn’t.

“That was before. I couldn’t tell you anything then. Things are different now.” God, she had no idea how different.

“Very comforting.” Katie crossed her arms. She stuck out her chin in a clear challenge. “Okay, then. Talk.”

Luc noticed that David was still hovering near Katie and it bothered him. “First of all…” He hobbled over to her and pulled her away. A sharp, lancing pain shot up his leg when he moved, and he muffled a groan. “First of all, let’s sit down.”

“Why?”

“Because my damned ankle hurts like hell, that’s why.”

“Oh.” She appeared to see his limp for the first time. “You’re hurt.”

“Yeah, well. I noticed.” As if on cue, when he turned to lead her to two chairs, his leg finally buckled and caved underneath him. He would have pitched onto his face on the floor, except for the small hands that gripped his arm with surprising strength and steadied him until he could regain his balance.

“Shit.”

“I’ll help you.” Her voice held a mixture of resignation and embarrassment.

Almost against his will, Luc’s arm went around her shoulders. It might have been the wrong thing to do, but he couldn’t have stopped it if he’d wanted to. And he didn’t want to. Her body tucked under his arm perfectly, like she’d been made exactly for that spot. She smelled like flowers.

She was obviously uncomfortable, but she stayed with him until he dropped into one of the chairs. Then she backed away a little bit, face flushed.

Luc smiled and reached out, pushing aside one of the living curls that had fallen over her forehead.

“Come on and sit down.”

She glared at him, but perched on the edge of the other chair anyway. Luc ran a hand through his own hair and tried to think. He didn’t know how to begin. He didn’t know where to begin. Focus, damn it.

“Katie, you saw those men in the black sedan, right?” he finally asked.

She shivered and crossed her arms over her chest. “You know I did.”

“They’re dangerous men.”

A hint of amusement flickered across her face. “Believe it or not, I’d already figured that much out for myself.”

Luc grinned briefly.

“Just get it over with, Luc,” David said. “Tell her already.”

Luc glanced at him and saw he was leaning against the desk, his bland expression not quite hiding his impatience.

“Tell me what?”

Katie looked at the two men, her heart pounding. The tall black man was sober, his weathered features grim, and Luc was acting weird. His face was taut, his cheekbones prominent, the scar white against his tan skin. His dark hair was tousled because he’d run his hand through it so many times. She knew she wasn’t going to like whatever he had to say and was almost glad to be distracted from the memory of the warmth of his body against hers.

“You’re in trouble.”

Luc said it simply in his deep, musical voice, but all at once she was terrified, so much different than when Officer Jenkins had said basically the same thing. She latched onto his gaze like it was the only real thing in the room. He had a solidness that she found incredibly comforting at the moment. Stability. Confidence. Assurance.

“Like I told you in the car, I’m with the FBI. Show her our creds, David.”

David leaned forward and flipped open their badges, but she barely spared them a look. Her focus was on Luc.

“I was working undercover in the household of Joey Silvano, one of the capos for a large crime family,” he continued. “He has a house nearby where he stays a lot of the time. It’s close enough to Philadelphia and Atlantic City to be able to conduct business, but because the town’s small there’s a lot less heat from the cops.”

“Crime family? As in the mob?” Katie couldn’t believe she’d heard him correctly, but Luc nodded.

“Let’s just say that I got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He stared at her. “One of the men who was chasing us is named Frankie Silvano. Frankie is Joey’s only son. His only child, in fact.” He took a deep breath. “And he’s a stone killer. He’s crazy and mean and holds a grudge until the end of time.”

Katie was silent while she tried to absorb everything he was telling her—and everything he wasn’t. She thought about the little man with the wild eyes, the one who had shouted curses at her. Frankie Silvano. It had to be him.

“A killer?”

“Very much so.”

Silence.

“And I pushed him into a quarry pit.”

“And you pushed him into a quarry pit.”

Luc inched forward in his chair and took her hands. His were warm. Hers were not. “Katie, please believe me. I never would have jumped into your car if I’d known who the men were. I would have made a run for it.” He frowned. “Joey Silvano knows that I didn’t find anything at the house. He wouldn’t see the need to get involved with the Feds. But Frankie…well, I don’t know about Frankie. See, he had a perfect record before this. No arrests, no warrants. But that’s broken now.”

And he’d blame her.

“He threatened me.” She found it difficult to talk, realized she was gripping Luc’s hands so tightly that her nails were digging into his skin. She forced herself to relax.

Luc tensed, his face forbidding. He held her firmly in place when she tried to pull away. “When did he threaten you?” He growled the words.

“At the quarry pit. You must have seen it.”

He shook his head. “After the cop pulled you away, another one shoved me into a patrol car and brought me here. What happened?”

“One of the men attacked me. I knocked him down. It sounds like he was that guy. Frankie Silvano.”

Luc blinked and let go of her hands. He sat back in his chair. “You knocked him down?”

“Well.” She cleared her throat delicately. “I hit him with my purse. I tried to knock him out, but I couldn’t quite get the right angle. But he went down when I kicked him.”

Luc and David were both silent for a moment.

“Your purse?” Luc asked, seeming to need confirmation. His voice sounded a little strangled. “You hit him with your purse?”

Katie just looked at him, which was apparently answer enough.

“It really is full of rocks,” David muttered.

Luc glared at his supervisor. “Why didn’t the cops just freaking shoot him when he attacked her?”

“Apparently there was the slight problem of hitting Ms. McCabe. They seemed to think that would be a bad idea.”

Ms. McCabe tended to agree.

“You realize what this means, don’t you? Frankie is really going to be out to get her now.”

Katie’s eyes widened.

“You don’t know that,” David said.

“Of course I know that. She made a fool out of him in front of the police. You know as well as I do how crazy he is. And now he’s been humiliated in front of these small town cops. He’ll never forget that. Never.” Luc’s face blanked, hardened, concealed his thoughts for several long seconds.