“It’s not that exactly…well, I guess it is. If I’m going to be honest, then yes…I’m upset. But yelling at you won’t change anything. It’s just…this is a mess! Why does this always happen? You need to stop getting into these kinds of situations. It’s too much.”
“If it makes you feel any better, Uncle Joey was pretty mad at me too. I should have just delivered the letter and left. It’s all my fault.”
“No it’s not!” Chris’ voice was low, but his anger came through loud and clear. “This is Manetto’s doing. You can’t work for him anymore. Not when things like this happen. I think I might just have to talk with him and settle things once and for all.”
“Wait!” I cried. “Don’t do that. He’s sending his private jet with Ramos to get me. He doesn’t have to do that, and I’m sure it’s going to cost him a lot of money. Just wait until I get home and we’ll figure it out. Besides, you need some time to cool off, and I need to get out of trouble. Then we’ll figure it out. Okay? You can wait, right?”
I was repeating myself, but this was serious. I couldn’t have Chris yelling at Uncle Joey now. I heard him exhale through the phone and waited for him to get under control.
“You’re right,” he finally said. “I’ll wait. Just be careful. And call me as soon as Ramos shows up.”
“I will,” I promised. “Oh, here comes my food…I’d better go.” We said our goodbyes and disconnected.
The waitress set my food down in front of me, but I wasn’t really hungry anymore. I thanked her and she quickly left. I checked the time and cringed. Now I had two hours to wait before Ramos got here. Two hours to feel sorry for myself.
The waitress returned with a refill of Diet Coke and I felt better. Nibbling on a hot French fry, I caught a glimpse of my magazine and learned that one of the hottest celebrities was in deep doo-doo with his fiancé. Probably even worse than I was with Chris, and it made me feel better.
Engrossed in the article, I was startled to hear my name over the intercom system. What? Had I heard that right? Then it came again: “Shelby Nichols, please report to the service desk.”
I didn’t know what to do. Was it a trick by Carson to find me? If that was the case, how did he know my name? Maybe it was the airline trying to tell me they had a seat for me on the next flight home. Since I had no intention of taking it, maybe I should just ignore it. On the other hand, since no one from the airport knew what I looked like, it might not hurt to take a peek and see who wanted me. Plus, if it was someone who knew me, I could probably get away with looking, since I was wearing this hat and a different shirt.
My curiosity got the best of me, so I told the waitress that I had to use the restroom and would be right back. I hurried out into the corridor and glanced up at the signs to find which direction to go for the service desk. Following the signs, I eventually came to the center of the terminal and found the service desk by the trains.
Two men stood beside the desk, observing all the people coming and going from the trains, clearly looking for me. As I got closer I recognized the detectives from this morning, and my step faltered. Some chairs and cushioned benches lined the corridor with plants arranged between them, and I quickly sat down, turning my back toward the men. I opened my magazine, holding it up to block my face.
Detective Castro noticed me, but his thoughts were focused on looking for a woman with a white touristy t-shirt and long blond hair, so his gaze slid right past me to the next woman in the area.
I breathed a sigh of relief and kept my back toward them, realizing that if Detective Fitch saw my face, he would be more observant and probably figure out who I was. Taking a deep breath, I tuned into their thoughts, focusing mostly on Detective Fitch.
He was thinking that I was in trouble, and hoped I would show up soon. He couldn’t quit thinking about the car that pulled out behind me after I left the restaurant in my taxi. He hadn’t been able to shake off the feeling that he’d missed something, so he’d called the taxi company to find out where they’d taken me. The airport had been a surprise, and the driver had even given him the terminal and gate he needed to check.
It hadn’t taken long to track down my scheduled flight, and then to figure out if I had actually made it onto the plane. When it turned out I hadn’t, he was even more concerned and suspicious. Where was I now? Who was after me and why? I had to know who killed Warren.
Explosive swearing drew my attention to a man coming down the corridor toward me. Of course it was only in his mind, but it certainly caught my interest. I peeked over my magazine, noticing his Hawaiian alligator print shirt before focusing on his face. My breath caught. It was the guy who was after me!
He was thinking it was his dumb luck to run into the detectives like this, but hoped they wouldn’t recognize him. It had been a while since he’d had a chat with Fitch. Maybe Fitch wouldn’t remember him.
He kept his face down as he approached the train, and another thought popped into his head. If the detectives were at the service desk, they were waiting for someone. What was the name he’d heard over the intercom? Shelby… Shelby something. Were they looking for the same person he was? This might be helpful after all. If only he could get by without being recognized.
I held my breath as he walked past me, then cringed as the lady at the service desk said my name again asking me to come to the desk. Damn! Now the guy knew my name. He passed the detectives, his mind full of smugness. Since he hadn’t been able to find me anywhere in the terminal, at least he could tell Carson what my name was. It wasn’t a total…
The train doors closed and I lost his thoughts. I focused back on Detective Fitch who was thinking that the guy looked familiar. Didn’t he know him from somewhere? He asked Castro if he’d seen the guy in the alligator shirt. Castro was looking for me and didn’t notice. This disgusted Fitch who was thinking Castro was practically worthless if he couldn’t be more observant than that.
Since I wasn’t there yet, he didn’t think I was going to show up, so he pulled out his cell phone and found my card, hoping I’d answer my phone and explain what was going on. My phone was set to vibrate, but I still got up and hurried back the way I had come. Should I answer and tell him I was fine so he’d leave me alone and go after the real bad guy? When my phone began to vibrate, I couldn’t bring myself to answer. It was probably better not to get involved with the detectives if I could help it.
With that thought, I hurried back to the restaurant, hoping I’d done the right thing. At least I didn’t have to worry about that guy finding me now. Though that didn’t mean he had given up. He could still be watching the main terminal for my exit, but since I had two hours to kill, I didn’t think he’d wait around that long. My food was still waiting for me, and I eagerly sat down to eat. All this snooping around had given me an appetite.
Two hours and several Cokes later, my phone chirped with a text message, and relief poured over me. Woohoo! Ramos was finally here! I texted him back, and he told me to meet him in the main terminal just past the security checkpoint by the baggage carousel. I couldn’t wait to get out of the airport and quickly gathered my things.
After a quick visit to the restroom, I rushed through the corridors and got on the train. It reached the main terminal and I got off, staying close behind some people to keep out of sight. Almost to the security checkpoint, I slowed and glanced at my phone as a pretense to watch for any sign of the alligator shirt.
When I couldn’t see or ‘hear’ him, I put my phone away and, keeping my head down, walked past security and into the main terminal. I arrived at the carousel but couldn’t see Ramos, so I ended up pacing back and forth in front of it. I knew it would take him a few minutes to meet up with me, but I couldn’t stand still any longer. I was just about to turn around when I heard his voice behind me.
“Babe,” he said. “What’s with the hat hair?” His chuckle rumbled deep in his chest.
“Ha, ha,” I said turning toward him. He was dressed casually, wearing jeans and a d
ark blazer over a tight-fitting shirt, with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. It was hard not to throw my arms around him, so I went for sarcasm instead. “What took you so long? I’ve been waiting here for hours!”
“Yeah. Sounds like you’ve had a rough day.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” I exclaimed. “But…it’s better now that you’re here. I hope coming wasn’t too much of an imposition.” I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t appreciative that he’d come.
“Well you know Mr. Manetto. He sends me out to do his dirty work and I have to drop everything. It can really put a cramp in my style. You ready to go, or what?” He was playing along to keep things light, but in the back of his mind he thought I looked fragile and scared. It brought out those protective feelings in him that made him want to kill somebody. He didn’t like feeling that way.
“Where are we going?” I asked. “I know you just got here, but I’d sure like to go home now.”
He shook his head, raising his brow at me. “I think you know what we have to do first.”
“Yeah, I figured as much, but I still had to ask.” I smiled and shrugged.
“I’ve booked a place for tonight. Hopefully, after we’ve retrieved the item, we can leave first thing in the morning.”
“All right,” I agreed. I scanned the crowd as we exited the airport, still anxious about being spotted.
“Have you seen any sign of the guy that followed you?”
“Yes, actually I did. He came looking for me at my terminal, but he didn’t spot me, and then he left.”
“What did he look like?” Ramos asked.
“He was medium height and had longish wavy dark hair. When I saw him he had on an alligator print shirt. I think he was trying to look like a tourist.”
“Latino?” he asked.
“Yeah, I think so. There’s something else you need to know.” I was a little nervous about this part, but it was Ramos. I had to tell him. “The detectives were here too. They summoned me over the intercom to come to the service desk. That’s when alligator shirt showed up. He recognized the detectives and figured they were looking for me. Now he knows my name.”
Ramos glanced at me, his brows drawn together.
“No,” I answered his unspoken question. “I didn’t talk to the detectives, but I did ‘hear’ them. I just hid behind a plant to find out who had summoned me to the service desk.”
“But you talked to them earlier?” he asked.
“Yes. They questioned me at the scene of the crime, like everyone who was there. Detective Fitch noticed a car following my taxi and decided to find out where I’d gone. That’s why he came to the airport.”
Ramos’ step slowed. Dozens of images of a much younger Detective Fitch flowed through his mind.
“You know him?” I blurted.
Ramos glanced at me, cutting off all thoughts of the detective. “Yeah, I know him.”
“How?” I asked.
He scowled, annoyed that I’d picked up something he didn’t want me to. He’d never thought my mind reading would bother him until now.
“You don’t have to tell me,” I said. “It’s just kind of weird that you know him.”
“You’re right,” he agreed. “So I might as well get it out in the open. I used to live here. I grew up in Florida and spent some time here in Orlando and Miami.”
“Oh,” I said, stunned by his revelation. “So, is your being here going to be a good thing or a bad thing?”
He let out a mirthless laugh. “I’m hoping we don’t stay long enough to find out.”
Chapter 4
“We need to rent a car,” Ramos said, guiding me toward the rental places. He surveyed the crowd, thinking that Carson’s man was probably gone. It was time to get down to business and put Fitch out of his mind. Fitch may be involved, but Carson was the one Ramos needed to focus on. Carson may know my name, but he didn’t know that Ramos had arrived to protect me. He smiled grimly. He was going to enjoy this.
I got the feeling that Ramos and Carson had a history, but couldn’t pick up anything else from Ramos’ thoughts. When he focused his mind on something, his thoughts seldom strayed. This made him good at his job, mostly because his feelings didn’t get involved. He was different from anyone I’d ever met, and if I didn’t know him better, I’d be scared to death. He was like a shark in a pond of unsuspecting sunbathers.
While Ramos made arrangements for the car, I decided to give Chris a call. He should be home by now, and was probably anxious to hear from me.
“Hey there,” I said, when he answered his cell phone. “Did you make it home already?”
“Yeah, we just walked in a few minutes ago. How about you? Did Ramos make it?”
“Yes. He’s here and we’re at the car rental place. It sounds like we’ll probably come home tomorrow.”
“So where are you staying tonight?” Chris’ voice sounded a little strained.
“I don’t know. I think he said he’d booked a place, but he didn’t tell me where. Do you want me to ask him?”
“No,” Chris answered a little shortly. “So you’re all right? Everything’s okay now?”
“Yeah. I’m good.” I decided not to tell him about the guy following me and the detectives showing up. I could save that for another time. There was silence on his end so I asked, “Do you want to talk to Ramos now?” I hoped that was what he was waiting for. Ramos had the car keys and was walking toward me, so now would be the perfect time. If that’s what he still wanted to do.
“Yes. Put him on.”
“Okay. Here he is.” I covered the phone with my hand and smiled at Ramos. His eyes narrowed and his brows drew together. “Um…it’s Chris. He’d like to talk to you.” I guess I should have warned Ramos this was coming.
He scowled and took the phone. “Yes?” he said, his tone low and hard.
At that moment I really wanted to disappear. I hoped Chris wouldn’t try and tell Ramos how to do his job. That would be bad. I also didn’t want him to imply there was anything going on between us. That would be unbearable. I especially didn’t want Chris to say the words, “my wife” this or “my wife” that.
Still, I listened as hard as I could. Hoping I could do some damage control if things went bad. Surprisingly, Ramos pursed his lips in amusement. In his mind he was completely agreeing with Chris that I was always getting into trouble. I was a handful…there was no doubt about it. Chris was at his wits’ end. Ramos could hear the frustration in his voice.
“I’ll make sure she comes back to you,” Ramos said. “Don’t worry.” He listened to Chris ask him if he should come. “No. That’s not necessary.” Chris thanked him and asked to speak to me. Ramos handed me the phone.
“Hey,” I said to Chris.
“Thanks for letting me talk to him. I feel better now.” Chris’ voice had lost that hard edge.
“Good.” I smiled, relieved.
“Listen…call me later, okay?” he asked.
“Sure…and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah…that’s right.” He hesitated before adding, “Love you.”
“Love you too.” We disconnected and I put my phone away. Relief swept over me to know Chris was handling this more calmly now. I was grateful for the way he’d talked to Ramos, and felt bad that I’d thought the worst of him. It made me love him even more. I knew he was worried, and I hated to put him in this position. Somehow, I’d have to try and be better so something like this didn’t happen again.
I followed Ramos to the parking garage where the rental cars were kept. He was feeling sorry for Chris and was glad he didn’t have anyone in his life he felt so deeply about. He did once, and it had nearly destroyed him…never again.
I probably wasn’t supposed to know that, but it made sense in a way, and I wondered what had happened to make him so hard. Had the woman he loved left him, or worse, betrayed him? It had to be something bad.
He led me to a black sports car and I groaned. “Black? Why do
es it always have to be black?”
Ramos smiled. “You’ll see.” He was thinking about how we were going to break into the restaurant tonight and a black car was essential for a quick get-a-way.
“We’re breaking in?” I said. “Are you sure we can’t just make up some excuse to check the cleaning supply closet?”
“Yes. I’m sure.” He opened the trunk and threw his duffle bag inside. I got my purse out of my carry-on bag and slung it over my shoulder, then put the carry-on bag in as well.
Sliding into the passenger seat, I couldn’t help exclaiming. “Whoa! This is nice. Plush leather seats, a sunroof, all the newest gadgets, and the best part of all...the new car smell! I could get used to this.”
Ramos settled into his seat and slipped on his dark glasses. Then he arranged the rear-view mirror and put on his seatbelt. The car seemed to mold around him like a second skin. He owned that car. How did he do that just by sitting there? He turned on the ignition and it rumbled to life. I felt a flash of pleasure roll off him. It made me excited to be there, and I forgot all about breaking into the restaurant.
We drove out of the parking lot, and a few minutes later, hopped onto the freeway. I loved how the car felt. Smooth and sleek, with a promise of freedom topped by total hotness. To my delight, Ramos opened the sunroof. Laughing, I pulled off my hat and ran my fingers through my hair. A rush of exuberance ran through me, and I raised my hands through the roof, feeling the air whip through my fingers. After being cooped up in the airport all day, this freedom felt exhilarating.
“Wouldn’t it be fun to take this car on a drive along the coast?” I asked. “Especially on the road that goes over the ocean with the waves crashing and everything?”
Ramos glanced at me and shook his head. He was thinking how sexy I looked with my blonde hair floating around my face, and the sparkle of excitement in my bright blue eyes. “Babe…you shouldn’t tempt me like that,” he growled. “What would your husband think? I made him a promise, remember?”
“I…I didn’t mean it like that,” I gasped.