Starfish Island (23 page)

Greg stepped forward and grabbed a fistful of Nicole’s hair. Swinging her around and holding her in a vice-like grip, he reached out and locked the door with his other hand. He put the key in his pocket and stood looking at her, his eyes bright. “Sorry for all the dramatics, but if you want to get out of here, you’ll have to give me what I want.”

“And what is that?” Nicole asked, surveying the only two ways out of the room—the locked door and the second floor window. Both were poor choices.

“Marry me.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

He shook her hard. “I’m telling you…” he warned, biting back the rest. Even if he didn’t hurt her some other way, she’d have a sore neck by the time he was done.

She made no attempt to resist. Her green eyes met his sadly. “I can’t, Greg, and I won’t. How could you involve yourself in a fraud? You’re throwing your life away—and for what?” Something in her tone, in her expression, made him step back. He loosened his grip, and she stumbled away.

Greg’s face seemed to collapse, as though he knew the game was over. He leaned against the door, guarding it, but his knees folded, and he didn’t look like he could hold himself upright without the support.

“I had to have the money to get ahead,” he said as he wrung his hands. “When you wouldn’t marry me, I needed another rich woman, fast.”

“Not such an easy mark, after all,” Nicole said with disgust.

“It wasn’t like that. I loved you,” he said.

Nicole laughed. “Loved me? You’re living in a dream world. Or you think I am. Face reality, Greg.” Once again, she’d laughed at the wrong moment. Greg couldn’t take ridicule. He believed all the lies he told about himself and would never accept the truth.

“You’ve been in my way for far too long now, haven’t you, Nicole? You’re nothing but a stumbling block that needs to be removed. Fine, don’t marry me—but this is the last time you’ll interfere in my life.” Something different crossed his face, an unhinged look in his eyes.

It’s just Greg
, she told herself,
only Greg
.
He wouldn’t hurt me...would he?
Where the heck is Michael? Surely he’d received her message by now.

Nicole looked around the room for something she could use to incapacitate Greg, but didn’t see anything. Maybe she could get close enough to use her knee. She had to move quickly; she was more afraid than she’d ever been in her life.

“How did you even get involved in this scam?” she asked, playing for time. She moved back step by step as he advanced.

“Always in the way,” he muttered, as if he hadn’t heard her. He flexed his fingers. “My associates don’t excuse failure.”

“You wouldn’t hurt me,” she whispered.

He avoided her eyes.

Victoria had curled into a ball in the corner, eyes wide with fear, not saying a word.

Nicole had backed almost all the way to the wall. “Greg, come one step closer, and I’ll scream.”

“Go ahead. Who’s going to hear you?”

“Why?” She stepped sideways, out of his reach. “Why?”

“Because these people play for keeps. They don’t forgive mistakes. All you had to do was marry me. You messed everything up!”

“But why hurt me?” Nicole found herself trapped in the corner. “You don’t want to do something that gets you the death penalty. Give yourself up.”

“It’s you or me now. This is the only choice I have,” Greg said.

“It’s already too late, Greg. Michael knows I’m here, and he’s on his way,” Nicole told him, praying it was true.

“I can still get out. My associates will protect me.”

“Do you really trust them that far?”

Greg lunged toward her, and she planted her foot in his groin. He crumpled to the floor, doubling over with a groan. At that moment, something hit the locked door—hard. Two or three thunderous kicks later, the door slammed open and hit the wall. Facing them was Zander Farrell, a revolver in his hand.

Victoria’s sobs broke off, catching in her throat as she heard the click of the gun being cocked. The two women watched and waited.

“Out of my way,” Greg said as he stumbled to his feet. “I’m in a hurry.”

“I’ll bet you are,” Zander said with a laugh. “Not so fast, Templeton.”

Zander reached for him as Greg charged past him through the doorway, and they traded punches, but Greg’s went wide. Zander’s sent him backward down the narrow staircase, the frail railing shaking.

Nicole took advantage of the moment to hurry over and join Victoria, who lifted her tear-stained face, hiccupping, groping for Nicole’s hand. She clung to her like a lost child.

A gunshot rang out in the darkness. The women stared at one another. It was followed by a crash that brought them to their feet, then the sound of something falling and another gunshot.

Silence.

Were they both dead? What had happened down there in the dark?

Footsteps again, one pair coming up the stairs. After a moment, Zander stood in the doorway, his shirt ripped, collar hanging open, wiping his bloody nose on his sleeve. He looked from one woman to the other, panting. Then he said, “You ladies better go home. There’s nothing you can do here, and you don’t want to be involved.”

“Is Greg dead?” Nicole asked.

Zander smiled, his bruised face looking boyish. He sobered quickly. “I handcuffed him to the railing. You two need to leave now.” He disappeared back down the stairs.

Nicole led Victoria out of the room. The light snapped on suddenly, and they saw that the stairs were empty. Greg lay in a heap at the bottom, a gaping wound in his shoulder. His hands were cuffed around the railing behind him, and his eyes were closed. Slowly, the two women edged down the stairs.

Greg’s eyes fluttered open, and he stirred uneasily, seeing them. “Nicole,” he pleaded.

For a long moment, she looked down at him, then turned away, digging in her pockets for her phone. Where the heck had Zander gone? Her phone eluding her for the moment, Nicole decided she’d call the police once she and Victoria were outside.

“Ready, Victoria?” She hurried the other woman out the door.

Chapter Twenty-Three

IGNORING THE SPEED limit, Michael raced through the streets on the way to Templeton’s hotel.

“I don’t understand. If Victoria did overhear your conversation this afternoon and went to tell Greg, his best bet was to leave town immediately. Why take Victoria?” Jake blew out a breath of frustration.

“If he’s convinced Victoria to stay with him, the reason is money. It always is with that bastard.”

“He doesn’t have much of a head start. If they
are
together, we should be able to catch up with them,” Jake said.

“I won’t rest until Greg Templeton is behind bars.” Michael hit the steering wheel with his fist. “First the blackmail scheme, then he decided to go after Nicole and her money. Thank heavens she saw through him. And now it’s Victoria and her money.”

There was a loud bang, and the car swerved. It required all Michael’s strength to hold it on the road. For a split second, he thought they were being shot at; then he realized his back tire had blown. He finessed the car slowly off to the side of the road and leaped out. The landscape was flooded with milky light from the full moon.

Fortunately, he always made sure his spare tire was in good condition.  He furiously jacked up the car and took the shredded tire off. Jake rolled it to one side while Michael lifted the new one in place, the two of them working together at top speed. They were nearly finished when Jake saw lights in the distance. In a moment, the car had passed, going way too fast.

Nicole’s car. Nicole at the wheel.

Jake tore out into the road, waving frantically. “Nicole,” he shouted. “Nicole. Stop.” But she’d raced by without a glance.

“Nicole?” Michael shouted, dropping the lug wrench. “Where’s she going so fast?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Jake said. “Let’s get out of here so we can find out just what’s going on.”

“I’ll bet this is the world’s record for changing a tire.” Michael laughed.

Jake tossed the old tire in the trunk while Michael ran around and started the car. Barely waiting for Jake to get in, he jammed his foot on the gas and raced off after Nicole.

“With everything that’s going on, all I need is for something to happen to Nicole.” Michael kept his eyes peeled, surprised he hadn’t overtaken her by now. Unless she’d turned off somewhere. But where? What was around here?

Finally, the lights of the hotel loomed up ahead. Michael pulled into valet parking, tossing the man his keys and a twenty to keep the car in front. He and Jake hurried inside.

There was no sign of either Victoria or Greg in the lobby, and no one behind the front desk. They followed the faint sound of music coming from the dining room. Only a few tables were occupied, and the people they sought weren’t at any of them, nor were they among the dancers in the cleared space in the center of the room.      

Michael turned and headed straight to the concierge desk. Nothing goes on in a hotel that the concierge doesn’t know about. “Have you seen Greg Templeton this evening?”

           “Mr. Templeton?” she said. “I’m not certain… May I inquire who’s asking?”

           “My name is Michael Edwards,” he said, and gave the woman some money to jog her memory.

           “Ah yes.  He left a short time ago in a big hurry after talking with a young lady here in the lobby. They left together.”

Michael sucked in his breath. “What did she look like?”

The woman behind the desk gave a perfect description of Victoria.

“Thank you,” Michael said, making an effort to appear calm. “We just missed them. We must have gotten our signals crossed.”

He turned, bumping into Jake, and repeated what the concierge had told him. They were nearly at the door when she caught up with them.

“Mr. Edwards, I almost forgot. There’s a message for you. A Nicole Alexander telephoned.” Before he had a chance to look down at the message slip she’d handed him, she added, “She said the location of your meeting has been changed.”

“Go on,” Michael said in an agony of impatience. “What else?”

“The address she gave me is on the back.”      

“Thanks,” he called out, pulling Jake by the arm. The valet had the Ferrari waiting, door open, and moments later, they rocketed out of the driveway back in the direction they’d come.

As they sped along, Michael said, “Jake, I’ll bet Nicole’s right about where he’s gone.”

“But how could
she
know where he is?” Jake asked, peering at the address slip as if it could tell him.

Michael laughed, a harsh sound that hurt his throat. “Templeton. It would be just like him to tell Nicole where he could be reached. As if she’d care. Based on the address, it would be a perfect place to take Victoria. Once she told him about the FBI, Templeton must have known it was only a matter of time before they got to the hotel. So he’s taken her someplace safe to make plans before he takes off.”

“I hope you’re right,” Jake said.

The two lapsed into silence.

“That must be where Nicole was going so fast,” Michael said finally.
Doesn’t waste a minute.
Who’d said that? Of course, it was Sadler.

I could have told him anything he wanted to know about Nicole Alexander
, Michael mused,
after studying her for so long
.
I could have told him about her success as a painter, that she’s respected by her peers and has achieved standing in the art world. Or about how her face lights up when she smiles and her great sense of humor; she’s quick to laugh at herself. I could have told him about envying the men she was with, wanting her to myself, wanting to hold her in my arms.

Hey, man, back to reality. Stop with the fantasies; you have work to do. Keep your mind on the job.

He took a corner in a quiet residential neighborhood at high speed, hitting the brakes to avoid taking out a line of parked cars. Michael and Jake were surprised to see a half-dozen cars blocking the road with a bunch of men milling around them.

“What’s going on here?” Jake asked in amazement.

“Don’t know, but we don’t have the time to find out.” He put the car in reverse.

A man ran toward them, yelling, “Michael. Jake. Stop.” Gentry approached the window. “Park over there,” he said, pointing to a spot. Michael quickly pulled in, and he and Jake got out and went to talk to Gentry. “FBI’s here; Templeton’s surrounded.” He beckoned to a couple of the men, who approached—young, tough, and streetwise.

Michael looked them over with approval.
Good men to have on your side.

Gentry introduced them. “They arrived sooner than expected, arrest warrant in hand. They flew in from D.C. this evening and called me from the airport. Local agents had already struck out at the hotel, missing him by minutes.”

“Stay here. You two stand back and don’t try to be helpful,” one of the Feds ordered. Swiftly, the man assigned his agents. “You can watch from here,” he told Michael.

“I’m coming along,” Jake said. “There’s a good possibility he has my girlfriend in there.”

“You have two choices: stay here or get arrested for interfering with an investigation. Guaranteed jail time.” The agent raised his eyebrows, as if to ask Jake which it would be. Jake nodded grimly, and the agent turned back to his men. “When we get in, we’ll spread out. Now surround the place, and no talking. Okay, men, you know what to do.” No one said a word.

The agents spread out and vanished into the darkness, two of them approaching the front door with guns drawn. Michael watched in horror as Nicole opened the door at the top of the stairs, peeking her head out with Victoria behind her. Her eyes widened when she saw the armed agents; she nudged Victoria, and they slowly raised their hands, stepped out, and walked into the arms of the FBI.

Suddenly, Victoria caught sight of Jake, standing in the street on the spot that had been assigned to him. “Jake,” she cried, breaking into a run and flinging herself into his arms.

Michael walked over to Nicole. “How are you holding up?” He checked her over, running his hands down her arms, kissing her lightly.