No Time to Hide (17 page)

Something’s wrong.
The thought leaped into her brain so clearly she nearly jumped out of her skin.
Something is horribly wrong.

She picked up the gun with suddenly sweaty palms and trembling fingers. She hadn’t seen or heard anything, but she knew.
Oh God, what now? She opened the phone and started to call 911. What would she say? How would she explain? She closed the phone without dialing any number.

Without clearly thinking things out, driven by a need to do something, Kerry eased the car door open, kept the gun in the “at ease” position, held firmly, but safely pointed to the ground along her thigh, and moved into the cloying blackness of the night around her.

From the pre-planning Cutter had forced on her father and her in the afternoon and early evening hours, she knew the crypt was only about fifty yards from where their car was parked. There should be no obstacles in her path. Which was good because without a flashlight and the absence of the moon, she was walking like a blind woman. She’d be lucky if she didn’t trip and fall on the steps leading into the crypt and shoot herself in the foot.

She moved so slowly the fifty yards seemed to be as long as several football fields. When she thought she’d gone the right distance, she stopped and listened again. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe she should have stayed in the car.

She tried to steady her shaking hand that held the gun. She tried to control her wildly beating heart. At the rate she was going, she would give herself a heart attack before she even managed to get to the crypt.

This was the right move. If she sat any longer in the car when everything inside her was telling her to leave it, she’d go insane. At least this way, she had a little control over what happened next. And if there was trouble between her father and Cutter, at least she could deal with it.

She reached the crypt’s steps and inched up them. She could see well enough now to make out the shape of her dark sneakers. She reached the small porch and moved across it. Now there, the urgency to get inside was overwhelming. And terrifying.

She felt her sweat running down her back. How was it possible it could be so hot this time of the year? She felt like she was in southern Florida. Or even the Amazon.

The humidity made getting a breath tough even under normal circumstances. As her lungs labored to match the frantic racing of her heart, it felt as if she were running a never-ending marathon.

And the stench. The smell was enough to make her gag.
It’s just my imagination. That isn’t rotting human remains I smell. It’s just my imagination.

She looked back over her shoulder to where the car was supposed to be and shivered, despite the heat and humidity. She kept having this feeling that not just one pair of eyes were on her, but hundreds. And none of them belonged to friends. She felt as if she was the night’s meal and it was getting very close to dinner time.

Stop it. Just stop it. Your imagination is controlling you. Get a grip. And do what has to be done.

When she felt marginally back in control, Kerry moved forward, reaching the doorway. When her toe stubbed against the door she bit back a sob. She pulled hard, expecting the large door to be heavier than it was. As a result, it opened so quickly it almost knocked her down. She muffled a giggle gurgling in her throat telling herself this was a place where people came to mourn their loved ones. It wasn’t a haunted castle in a B-movie.

Once inside the crypt, Kerry saw a hallway lit with wall sconces. The treatments gave off a hushed light that didn’t detract from the spooky overall decor. After the total blindness of the foggy night, Kerry relished the low-level light. She closed the door behind her and moved forward with determination.

The crypt was a long hall with rooms off it. She knew from their preliminary discussions, Cutter and her father would be in the room farthest from the front exit out of the place. It was the place her father had chosen to hide his information.

With the outside door shut, Kerry had gone from a sight vacuum to one of no sound. For a moment she wondered if she had gone from the fat to the fire. Then she heard it.

Thunk, crunch. Thunk, crunch. Thunk, crunch.

She caught her breath and hurried to the end room.

Holding her gun two-handed, her arms outstretched in front of her, she boldly entered the room.

What she saw made her cringe. The voice she heard in her ear at the same time she felt the hard bite of steel in her neck, made her quake.

“Hello, darling. We’ve been waiting for you.”

Tuesday, 12:05 A.M.

“Dom,” Kerry gasped.

“That’s right. Surprised to see me?”

He let her go and pushed her away from him. She landed against the far wall of the room and managed to bite back her grunt of pain as her shoulder rammed against the hard cement. Kerry got her first look at the man who’d been a part of every nightmare she’d experienced the last three months.

As she battled through the fear rising inside, she realized Dom had changed since she’d last seen him. Although he hadn’t lost weight, it was clear he’d spent some of his prison time in the gym. Gone was the paunchiness he had begun to sprout. His suit was still top-of-the-line, tailored, and costing more than most families made in a year, but it fit him like a lover rather than a tight toga.

His coal black hair was now touched with gray at the temples and military short, a drastic change from the slick pony tail look he had favored a few years ago. Although his outward appearance had undergone some minor changes, she still saw the hatred and raw, cold evil lingering in his eyes. It was the eyes that told her there would be no reasoning with this man. Ever.

“I didn’t think you’d been released yet,” she stammered.

It was lighter in here, courtesy of the flashlights Cutter and her father had brought and the lanterns carried by Dom’s men. Cutter was lying on the floor. She hoped he was just unconscious. With the courtesy peculiar among men of their type—even when they were going to be killed, Dom’s men had her father guarded, but his hands and feet were free.

“Oh, the warden was very accommodating,” Dom said. “He said I’d been a model prisoner. Of course, I never should have been in that situation at all, but you had to go and be a rat to the police. Didn’t your Daddy teach you how we treat snitches?”

“I told her, Dom.” Her father’s voice was whiny, conciliatory.

Kerry didn’t spare him more than a glance. He’d already shown his true colors more than once. Now she was believing what she was seeing. All this time she had stuck her head in the sand like a scared little mouse, ignoring all the evidence of the kind of man her father was. That was one more cross she had to bear on her soul. Not only was she a coward, she was also an idiot. She wouldn’t be fooled again. If she survived the next few minutes, that is.

“But what can you do with kids today?” her father continued his whining.

Kerry wanted to scream at him to shut up. Of course, she didn’t.

“They just don’t listen. I think it was something in the genes from her mother. She never could understand the way things were. Always thought the good guys should win.”

“You should’ve told her we were the good guys.”

Dom’s men laughed at that, then fell silent when he turned back to her.

“I think it’s time I taught you a lesson, little one. After this, you’ll remember who gives the orders and who takes them. Shall I kill your lover or your father?”

Kerry was quiet for a few moments. Then she laughed. The sound was foreign to her. She wondered if everyone could hear the terror in her voice.

“Oh, Dom, who’re you trying to fool with the 1940s gangster imitation? We both know that’s not your style. Besides, if you kill either one of them, you won’t get what you want. You’ll never find the information we have hidden here. And no matter what happens to us, you’ll always have that hanging over your head. And believe me, we’ve taken the kind of precautions to make sure that information will always haunt you.”

Dom raised his hand and slapped her. Her head snapped back at the force of the blow, but thankfully she didn’t fall down. She ran her tongue over her mouth and experienced the metallic taste of her own blood. Would he kill her now and end everything?

***

Kerry’s laughter was the first thing Cutter heard when he came to. It wasn’t a reassuring sound.
Damn, damn, damn.
Why was Kerry here? He didn’t know how it had happened but Dom and his men had been waiting for them inside the crypt. No one had followed them tonight, so that meant, somehow, Dom had known about Willie’s visits here. Shit. This was not good.

He didn’t want his captors to realize he was conscious. All he could do now was listen and wait. Wait for the opportunity to make his move. When he heard  someone—Dom, he’d bet—strike Kerry, it took all his discipline, every ounce of control he had, not to leap to her defense.

“How did you find out about this place, Dom?” Kerry’s voice sounded pretty strong despite the fear that must be engulfing her.

Cutter’s pride in her grew. His fear of Dom’s next retaliation grew as well.
Be careful, baby
, he silently warned her, hoping she would read his thoughts.
Don’t push him too far.

“Did you tell him, Daddy?”

Dom’s laughter was cold. “No, this old idiot thought he could put one over on me. I’ve had someone watching him for a long time. Hell, I knew where he was practically before he did. I had someone come in looking for something but we could never find it. But I knew he’d come get it sometime. When I learned you were here, I came right after my release. I wanted the satisfaction of catching you myself.”

“How did you get your information in prison?” Kerry asked.

Dom clucked slightly. His men laughed. He heard a sigh, probably from Willie. “Are you kidding?” Dom asked. “Being in prison didn’t curtail my business operations. If anything, they’re stronger now than when I went in. You truly are a naive young twit. I don’t know how I possibly thought you’d be suitable as a mother for my children.”

He paused, then continued softly, almost as if he wasn’t aware he was talking aloud. “Mother was right. She always is. But you were so beautiful and innocent I thought you’d give me beautiful, innocent children. And, of course, I could have had any number of mistresses. But now I can see you’re not smart at all. What a waste of all that expensive education. Why, a street whore has more sense than you do.”

Kerry laughed again. It sent a chill down Cutter’s back.

“Think what you want, Dom. I may not be smart. I certainly wasn’t smart enough to see through you until it was much too late. I actually believed you were a decent man. But one thing about me is, I’m a quick learner.”

Cutter heard a distinct sound of a switchblade being opened.

“And what have you learned quickly? How to be a snitch?”

“Oh, I’ve learned who to trust. And I can guarantee that, no matter what you do to me here and now, you’ll never be able to trust anyone or anything again.”

Willie laughed. “That’s a good one, Dom. I think she’s telling you she put a hit out on you.”

Dom laughed as well. “A hit? Who’d accept a hit on me?” His men shifted a little nervously.

There was a slight pause as if everyone was holding their breaths. Cutter applauded her stalling tactics, while mentally counting off the seconds until the cavalry would arrive. God, he hoped she’d called the local police, Denver or anybody.

“Think about it Dom. Let’s see, your father is dying. He doesn’t have the power to keep things under control.”

Dom’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Go on.”

“And you say your power base grew while you were in prison, but what do you really know? You had to leave all the details to your subordinates. You couldn’t be certain they were carrying them out faithfully, could you?”

Kerry paused. Cutter wanted to signal her not to do it without giving away his advantage because he was pretty sure no one was paying any attention to him. All eyes and ears would be tuned to Kerry. But the timing still wasn’t right for him. So he held his breath and waited with everyone else, half afraid her next words were going to bring about the events none of them might be able to survive. Because, as sure as he knew anything, he knew what Kerry was going to say next. It was the very thing he’d have done if he were in her shoes. It was also a huge gamble that could cost all of them their lives.

“Salvatore Moretti.”

Cutter gathered himself. He had to be ready to make his move. If Kerry’s bombshell was going to send Dom over the edge, Cutter wanted to be ready.

“You’re lying. Moretti wouldn’t give you the time of day.”

Kerry laughed again. Either she was the best actress he’d ever seen or she was telling the truth. Either way, chills were racing down Cutter’s spine.

“Believe what you want. I know the truth.”

Oh, shit, she’s telling the truth.

“Salvatore never leaves Chicago.”

“Oh, he can be persuaded if it’s worth his time. Do you remember when I was living in Champagne, Illinois?”

“I don’t know exactly where you were, but my people did,” Dom answered. “They broke every single identity the feds provided you, didn’t they?”

“Yes, but luckily I got to stay in each place for a short time. And Champagne isn’t that far from Chicago.”

Dom laughed. “Nice try, little girl. Now I know you’re lying. Before my people got there, the feds were watching you like a hawk. They’d have reported it if you had any contact with Salvatore Moretti.”

Cutter caught his breath silently. How would Dom know what the government knew? Now there was no doubt he had a mole inside the marshal’s office. And maybe, if Kerry were clever and inventive enough, she could get Dom to spill everything.

“You’d be right…if we met in person.” Kerry answered. It was silent inside the crypt except for her voice. Cutter was betting everyone was paying strict attention to her. “But you know, in today’s world, whole businesses are conducted without the two parties ever meeting face to face. It’s three things called text, e-mail, and video chat.”

Through his half-raised eyes, Cutter could see the expressions on everyone’s face. Dom’s henchmen were getting a little antsy. Not surprising. Men in that position had to learn quickly to gauge the temper of their boss or else they’d end up dead. Willie was looking at his daughter with pride in his eyes. Now it was Dom’s turn to look perplexed and a little leery.

“All I did was tell Salvatore what I knew. Along with a few other things I might have overheard you discussing. Things like how you planned on moving your families’ influence into more than just the East Coast. Things like how you planned to take over everything east of the Mississippi River, then head for Vegas and the West Coast.”

“I never said that. And even if I did, I never said it in front of you.”

“That’s not what Salvatore Moretti thinks.”

“Freeze, everyone. It’s the police.” The voice boomed off the walls of the crypt. Like ants in a trap, there was nowhere for the men to go in the small room. With no shooting and even less fanfare, a combined force of Elmira City Police, the Chemung County Sheriff Department, and about half a dozen U.S. Marshals had Dom’s gang rounded up.

Kerry rushed to where Cutter lay still on the floor.

“Oh, Cutter, are you all right?”

She spread kisses all over his face and neck, then wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly to her. “When I came in here and saw you on the floor, I was certain you were dead. I just couldn’t stand the thought. I’d have killed Daddy myself if he had killed you.”

“Shush, shush,” he cajoled. “Don’t worry. Everything is okay.”

“But I was so worried. And then when you didn’t move and Dom had all his men here, I didn’t know what to do.”

“You did fine. In fact, you did better than fine. You were a hero, telling Dom all that stuff. You were better than a hero. You were smart, too, calling the police. But you should never have risked yourself that way coming in here after us. You should’ve stayed in the car and waited for the police.”

“I couldn’t wait. I knew something had gone wrong.” She chewed on her bottom lip nervously.

Cutter had the urge to replace her teeth with his mouth and suck on the tender area.

“But I didn’t call the police. I was as surprised as you when they arrived.”

He jerked his head up from her lips. “If you didn’t call them, how did they get here?”

“That’s what buddies are for.” Johnson stepped into the crypt.

Cutter grinned and jumped to his feet to shake his partner’s hand. “You cagey son of a bitch. Have you been following us ever since we left Buffalo?”

Johnson grinned. “Hey, you’re not the only one who can do some tracking. I had an idea you might need a hand. Who better to watch your back than your partner?”

“Well, buddy, your timing couldn’t have been better. But you should’ve stopped Kerry from walking in here. She could’ve gotten hurt.”

Johnson spread his hands. “Hey, what can I say? I screwed the pooch. The last thing I knew we had men watching her and she was sitting cozy in the car. I turn around to make sure we had all the exits covered, and poof, she was gone.”

Cutter laughed and looked at Kerry. “She has that talent.”

“Hey, you guys shouldn’t be talking about me in the third person when I’m standing here in the first person,” Kerry said.

“Yes, ma’am.” Cutter bowed and doffed an imaginary hat. “Well, I guess the locals will be looking for our statements, right?”

“Yes.” Suddenly, Johnson was total business. “I’ve been ordered by Denver to personally escort you in. We don’t want to take any chances there are stray shooters out there.”