Sweet Vengeance (10 page)

"Never,"
she said, almost snorting.  "Not in Aunt Rita's house."

"Well,
I hope you enjoy it then."  He deposited his plate on the table and
retrieved the rolls before taking a seat across from her. 

She
took a bite, and her eyebrows drew together in a frown. 

"Something
wrong with it?"

"No,
it's wonderful."  She paused, taking a roll from the basket.  "It's
just, I'd like to call my aunt.  I'm sure she's really mad at me, but I think I
should let her know I'm okay."

Jase
wasn't sure that was a good idea, but how could he deny her?  "Fine.  I'll
make you a deal.  Let's enjoy dinner first, and then we'll call your aunt. 
There's some other stuff we need to talk about, but it can wait.  Right now, I have
a beautiful woman and some decent food, and I intend to enjoy it."

She
smiled.  "Sometimes it's hard to remember you're a dangerous man."

He
didn't quite know what to think about that.

After
dinner, she tried to take on the dishes, but he refused.  Her hands shouldn't
be submerged in water.  She argued he was hurt worse, and she wouldn't cave. 
He finally conceded.  "Fine."  He tossed a dishtowel at her. 
"You can dry." 

"Where's
Boo?" she asked as she finished drying the last pan.

"At
a friend's house.  He gets stir crazy if he stays here too long, and there's
nowhere very good for him to take a—use the bathroom."  He let the water
drain out of the sink and then leaned back against the counter.  He couldn't
remember the last time he'd enjoyed being with someone so much.  "Besides,
dogs need fresh air and exercise." 

"I'm
starting to relate to him."  She hung the dish towel on the oven. 
"Why don't any of your windows open?  It makes this place feel like a
jail."

He
shrugged.  "For security.  I don't want anyone coming in here unless I say
so."

She
walked around the counter and sat on a barstool, resting her chin on her hand. 
"But Max did." 

"Max
was being an asshole."  More than an asshole.

"You
got that right.  For some reason, that man does not like me."

"It's
not that he doesn't like you.  He just sees you as a distraction to the
men."  And Jase.  "Max only got in here because the guys knew it was
okay.  Otherwise, he would have never made it this far."  Jase walked
closer to her, needing to reassure her.  "You can feel safe here."

She
nodded, but he wasn't sure she believed him.  Her eyes met his, and he felt the
familiar tug of attraction.  Obviously, he couldn't have her, but he didn't
want to think about that right now. 

"So
how am
I
supposed to get fresh air and exercise?" she asked,
changing the subject.  "I'm going to go nuts if I stay locked up here
twenty-four, seven."

Jase
smiled.  "I know a great place we can go.  It'll give you some fresh air,
and we can talk."

He
led the way upstairs and into the room she'd occupied the previous night.  He
didn't want to push for information, and he certainly didn't want to tell her
she had to leave.  Honestly, he wanted the world to go away. 

He
opened the closet door and reached up under the overhead shelf.  He found the
hidden latch and lifted away a small panel.  The light from the bedroom shone
on a set of steep stairs.

"This
place is full of hidden surprises."  Allie shook her head, a disbelieving
smile on her face.  "What else will I find?"

Jase
chuckled and grabbed a flashlight from the shelf above his head.  "In my
line of business, a back way out is a must."  He climbed up the narrow
steps and Allie followed.  At the top, he slid open the bolt on the ceiling
above him and lifted.  Cool evening air swirled down around them.  Jase walked
up the last few steps and then turned to help Allie out of the hole and onto a
section of the warehouse rooftop.

She
inhaled, stretching her hands out to her sides before dropping them. 
"Air."  He stayed near her as she walked across the gravel and tar
roof.  "I can see for miles." 

He
glanced up the Chicago River to the massive buildings that lined it. 
"Great view, huh?"  He switched off the flashlight.

She
rolled her eyes.  "It's awesome."

"I
come up here sometimes when I need a break.  No one but Max knows about its
existence."  Jase wondered briefly if he should have showed it to Allie,
but in his heart, he knew he was more of a threat to her than she was to him. 
He pointed to a cinderblock wall.  "That separates the rest of the
building's roof from this part.  There's another hidden door right next to it
that leads down to a closet in my office."

She
nodded, before turning her gaze to the sights below.  She leaned out over the
thigh-high wall as though to see better, and Jase had to stop himself from
grabbing her.  It didn't make him feel any better when she turned and sat on
the short wall, facing him.  If she leaned too far back, she could fall.   

"Are
you afraid someone might betray you, and you'll need a back door?" 

"No. 
This place is a fortress."  He walked and sat next to her, glancing over
his shoulder at the passing cars.  The street was a long way down.  A siren
sounded in the distance, but his block was quiet.  "The men I've hired are
loyal, and I'm not worried."  At least, not much.

When
she spoke again, her voice was more subdued.  "How long are they going to
look for me?" 

"Honestly,
I don't know."  He sighed and put a protective arm around her.  The
constant need to watch over her baffled him.  "Is this okay?"

She
leaned against him.  "It's nice."

It
was nice.  Too nice.  "I'm not sure why they're so desperate to get their
hands on you."

"I
saw them kill Joey," she whispered.  "You know that."

"I
know, and I could see them taking you out if they saw you on the
streets."  It made him sick to think about it.  "But this is more
than an active interest in finding you."  He turned to her, wondering how
to approach the subject of what Joey may have passed along to her.  "Could
you identify who shot him?"

"No." 
She shook her head, a sad look crossing her face.  He hated to keep reminding
her of the previous night, but they both needed answers. 

"A
green sedan came out of nowhere, and the next thing I knew Joey was laying on
the ground.  It all happened so fast."

"Exactly
how they wanted it.  The Trasatti organization is good at what they do."

"I
can't believe the Trasattis would kill him.  Joey was friends with them, with
Benny Trasatti.  They might beat him up, but they wouldn't kill him."  She
paused, a worried look on her face.  "Would they?" 

Jase
shrugged.  "Word on the street today is that's who made the hit." 
Now was his chance.  "Did Joey ever talk about them to you?  Did he ever
give you anything unusual or ask you to do something odd for him?"

"No." 
She shook her head slowly.  "He didn't ever give me anything unusual.  He
did mention something about giving his 'boys' what they wanted.  But I don't
know what that was."  Tension grew on her words.  "He said if he gave
whatever it was to them, everything would be fine.  There wouldn't be anything
to worry about." 

She
pulled away from Jase and stood, looking out toward the city.  "Plus, he
was best friends with Benny Trasatti.  Benny wouldn't hurt him.  Not to
mention, he hadn't had time to return whatever it was.  He'd barely told me
this, and—" her voice dropped to a whisper, "—then he was
shot." 

Jase
stood, too.  "Yeah, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to demand
something one minute and kill him the next."

Allie
wrapped her arms across her chest.  "I just can't believe Benny's family
would kill Joey.  He and Benny had been best friends since grade school."

Jase
studied her, trying to get a sense of whether or not she was withholding
anything.  She seemed pretty straightforward.  "Any idea what this 'thing'
might have been?"

"No. 
I have no clue."

"You
must have some kind of an idea."  He hated giving her a mental push, but
it was necessary.

She
turned to him with wide eyes.  "No.  In fact, last night was the first
night he'd ever mentioned having any real trouble."

Jase
raised his brows, but didn't say anything.

"Do
you think I wouldn't tell you if I knew?  You're trying to help me." 
Emotion shadowed her words making him feel like a jerk.

"To
be honest, I'm not sure."  He turned his gaze, looking at the skyline.  He
couldn't bear to see the fear in her eyes, but he needed to play this role a
few minutes longer.  How did either one of them really know they could trust
the other yet?  "Max thinks you know something."

"Jase." 
She wrapped her cold fingers around his wrist.  "I'm telling the truth. 
You're the only thing protecting me from people who want to kill me.  If I knew
something, I'd tell you.  I have no reason to hide anything.  Joey's dead. 
That part of my life is over."

Jase
persisted.  "There's nothing tying you to them at all?  No friends?  No
family?"

She
glanced away, dropping his hand.  "I'm on my own now." 

Was
that guilt or pain he'd seen flash in her eyes before she looked away?  His gut
told him to trust her, but he just wasn't sure.   

There
was no obvious reason for her to protect the Trasattis, unless it was the fear
of being whacked for talking to him.  Then again, the mob had made it pretty
clear she'd end up dead if they had things their way.  He looked at her. 
"I'm just trying to figure out their motivation."

She
stared off into the distance.  "If I knew something, I'd tell you.  I
promise."

"Okay." 
Maybe his gut was right.  "I'm guessing they've figured out Joey didn't
have what they wanted, and they must think you do."  He paused, knowing he
should tell her about the bounty on her head. 

"Allie?" 
He turned to fully face her, taking her hand and folding it between his.  This
would be hard for her to hear.

She
met his gaze, fear making her eyes large.  "What?"  

Shit. 
He couldn't say it.  Not yet.  She needed someone to protect her, not scare her
worse than she was.  "I have my cell phone if you want to call your
aunt."

"Yeah." 
She exhaled.  "I should make sure she knows I'm okay."

He
hesitated, knowing his next words wouldn't help her trust him.  "She's
already gotten the word."

"What? 
When?"  Allie drew her eyebrows together.  "Did you call her?"

"I
had Max call earlier, this morning.  We needed to find out if anyone had been
sniffing around there."

"Had
anyone?  Are my aunt and cousins okay?"

"Your
aunt didn't comment on that."

"What
did she say?"

"Not
much."  He shifted his stance.  "She was more interested in who was
calling than in giving any details or getting information about you."

Allie
snorted.  "Figures.  But still...I'd like to call her.  I need to know
they're okay, too."

Jase
reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, not sure it was such a
great idea.  "Here you go, but I want you to put it on speakerphone, and
make sure you don't give her any kind of specific information.  It could put us
all at risk."

"From
Aunt Rita?"

"You
never know."

She
gave him a wounded look.  "You don't trust me."

He
actually did trust her, he realized.  There were so few people he could put his
faith in, and yet, he'd brought Allie to his inner sanctum with very few
questions.  "I'm sorry.  There's a lot at stake right now.  It's nothing
personal, but I can't take chances."

His
answer didn't seem to make her feel any better.  She eyed him warily as she
took the phone and then turned her back to him.  He couldn't blame her for
wanting privacy, but he prayed she'd follow instructions and not say anything
she shouldn't.  Max would have his head for allowing the phone call in the
first place.

A
dial tone sounded on the speakerphone, followed by the beeping of buttons.  As
the sound of a ringing phone echoed in the night, his gaze traveled up the
loose jeans that hid the nice shape of her body to the T-shirt that outlined
every curve.  She'd looked good in the skirt she'd worn the night before, with
her sexy-as-hell legs on display.  He rubbed his hand across his head and
looked away.  His efforts didn't last long.

A
woman's voice answered, and Allie's posture stiffened. 

"Aunt
Rita, it's Allie."

"What
the hell do you want?"

Allie
tucked her hair behind her ear.  "I just wanted to let you know I'm okay. 
Is everyone there fine?"

"Fine?" 
The woman's voice shot up an octave.  "I've had people casing the joint
all damn day.  I'm surprised we haven't been murdered in our beds.  What the
hell have you done?"