“I don’t know, but probably not.” Chris didn’t think anything would change, since he figured I had listened to her mind, not a phone call like I’d told them. He glanced at David. “What do you think?”
“It doesn’t matter,” David said. “We’ll be prepared, either way.” He took this threat seriously since it was his job to keep Chris safe. At all costs, he had to make sure Chris arrived at the trial in one piece tomorrow. Even if that meant having a team watch him through the night. Nothing was going to happen to Chris on his watch.
“Good.” I relaxed, reassured that even if Kate didn’t mean it, Chris would be safe.
Now that I knew he was going to be all right, it was time to figure out my next move. I had to tell Uncle Joey what was going on. He was the only one who could protect me from Kate. If she knew about me, then I probably wasn’t safe. She could use me, and I had no doubt it would be a hundred times worse than anything Uncle Joey ever did.
I also knew that as much as I hated it, I couldn’t tell Chris that Kate knew my secret. It would just make him worry, and I had to think about his safety. “I have to make a phone call. I’ll be right back.”
Chris didn’t like that I was leaving, but I hurried out of the room before he could stop me. The hallway was empty, so I quickly called Uncle Joey’s number. He answered after the second ring.
“It’s Kate,” I blurted. “I saw her here at the trial.”
“What?” Uncle Joey said. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I answered. “But there’s more. I think this whole thing has been a set up. The threats against Chris, everything.”
“Why would she do that?” he asked.
“She was trying to find out if my secret is true.” I tried to keep my voice steady, but it was hard. “Don’t you remember? At the shoot-out in your office, I told Kate and Walter what I could do. They didn’t believe me at the time, but I think Kate’s been thinking about it ever since. Today proves it.”
“But how did she find out? Wait…maybe you’d better come over here and explain.” After a short silence, he continued. “How long ago did she figure this out?”
“About ten minutes. Why?”
“And she left? You saw her leave?” he asked.
“Yes. In a black car…with a smug smile on her face,” I added.
“And you’re still at the courthouse with Chris and David?”
“Well, yeah,” I said. “I’m out in the hall where they can’t hear me, but I’m still here.”
“Okay, good. Stay there. In fact, go back into the courtroom with them. Give the phone to David, and I’ll tell him what to do.”
“Do you think she’ll come after me here?” I asked.
“I would,” he said. “And knowing her, she’s got something planned. She’s probably waiting for you outside. At least you’re relatively safe in the courthouse. Security isn’t the best, but at least they don’t allow guns.”
“Except for the security guards,” I said. “One’s coming toward me right now, and I don’t like the way he’s looking at me.” Without taking time to listen to his thoughts, I hurried the few steps back to the courtroom, and shoved open the doors.
Chris and David both jerked in surprise. “There’s a security guard out there,” I said. “I think he’s coming after me.”
Chris’ brows furrowed. What the hell? What did a security guard want with me? Why was I so rattled? David took up a protective stance in front of us. Manetto had told him to trust me at the beginning of this job, so he didn’t question what I said was going on.
A squawking noise came from the phone, reminding me that Uncle Joey was still on the line. I thrust it at David. “He wants to talk to you,” I said.
He took the phone. “This is David.” As he listened, his eyes narrowed. “Yes sir.” He disconnected, and handed the phone back to me. Before I could question him, the door opened.
The security guard poked his head in, giving us a friendly wave. “Sorry folks. It’s after five, and I need to lock up.”
“Sure,” Chris said. “We were just leaving.”
“Appreciate it.” As the security guard held the door open for us, I scanned his mind. He was thinking that I was acting weird, like I had something to hide, and he’d better keep an eye on me.
I sagged in relief. He wasn’t a bad guy. He was just doing his job. As we walked toward him, David was getting ready to hit him in the head and take his gun. Alarmed, I grabbed David’s arm. “Stop!”
All three men froze, glancing at me like I was nuts. I smiled and gave a little laugh. “I think I left my phone back there.” I smiled at David, and motioned with my head toward the security guard, hoping he’d get my message. “He’s good. He’ll wait.” I moved my gaze to the security guard. “Right?”
“Sure,” the guard agreed. “Not a problem.” He was thinking something was wrong with me. As I turned up the aisle to get my phone, I heard him whispering to Chris and David. “Is she okay?”
“It’s been a long day,” Chris replied. “Sometimes being in court stresses a lot of people out. But she’ll be fine. We’ll take care of her.” He knew I had the phone in my hand. What was going on?
“Okay. Good,” the guard answered.
By now, David was convinced the guard was for real, and relaxed his stance. How did I know the guard was okay? I must have picked up on something…like he didn’t have shifty eyes. And the thing with the phone was brilliant. Oh, well. It didn’t matter. He was just glad he hadn’t knocked the guy out.
I pretended to look for my phone on one of the benches, then with a flourish, I held it up. “Here it is! I found it!” I smiled with giddy pleasure, and hurried back to join them. “Thanks for waiting. You know how awful it is to lose your phone. I’d have to go without it for a whole night. And then hope someone would turn it in, and then have to come back tomorrow to get it. I can’t imagine how awful that would be.”
“Yeah,” the guard said, thinking I was way too attached to my phone. “I’m glad you found it.”
At least he was being sympathetic. Chris was a little embarrassed by my act, and he hoped David didn’t think I was…a silly woman? I raised my brows, a little hurt. David thought I was brilliant. Why couldn’t Chris be more like that?
We exited the room, and the guard locked the doors behind us. “Have a good night,” he said, grateful to leave us behind. He continued down the hall, and we turned in the other direction toward the elevators.
Chris was dying to ask me what the hell was going on, but gritted his teeth instead, knowing he couldn’t say anything in front of David. I wanted to tell him to quit swearing so much and chill out a little. But of course, I couldn’t say that either. Which was probably a good thing.
Leaving the elevator, we walked through the lobby toward the outside doors. Telling us to wait, David left my side and stopped at the security desk. After exchanging a few words and showing him a card, the guy at the desk jumped up and unlocked a door behind him. A moment later, he returned carrying a gun in a waist holster. David thanked him and clipped the gun to his belt before coming back to join us.
“How did you do that?” Chris asked.
“Special permit,” David said. He didn’t explain further, even though he knew we were both wondering how he got it. “It’s nice to have some protection for the walk back, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” I said fervently. “It’s great.”
David smiled, glad it helped me feel better. He took Manetto’s orders to protect me seriously, and kept his attention on our surroundings for any kind of threat. He was good, and I did feel safer with him by my side.
We made it to Chris’ office without incident, and David left to make a phone call, which I knew was to Uncle Joey. Chris shut his office door and rounded on me. “What’s going on? Why did you freak out back there?”
Since I didn’t want to tell him about Kate knowing my secret, I had to improvise. “I called Uncle Joey about Kate, and he thought we might be in dan
ger. While I was talking to him, the security guy came down the hall, and I thought maybe since he had a gun, he was working for Kate. I know it sounds crazy now, but it could have been true.”
Chris frowned, thinking my logic was more on the paranoid side, but then again, reading minds made my life complicated. He sure wouldn’t like it.
“David thought he was a threat,” I said defensively. “David was going to hit him, and once I realized the guard wasn’t a bad guy, I had to make up that part about my phone to stop him.”
“Yeah, okay.” Chris shook his head. He could see why I had to stop David from hitting the poor guy. All of a sudden, the whole situation made him chuckle. Watching me march up the aisle to look for the phone when it was in my hand, and then act like I’d just found it…yeah, that was pretty funny. He knew I’d just heard that, so he changed the subject.
“So…why are you so afraid of Kate?” he asked.
“I’m not afraid of her,” I said. “I just don’t like her. For good reason too, I might add. Plus, I thought she was gone, and now she’s back.”
Chris furrowed his brows, thinking he’d missed something. “We know Kate’s the one behind all of this,” he reasoned. “But why? Is it because…of revenge against Manetto? This case really isn’t about Manetto, but if Adam Webb was convicted of paying someone off, it could lead back to him. But that would be a whole different trial, and it’s kind of a stretch.”
“Yeah, I know,” I sighed. “But that must have something to do with it. Remember, she was also thinking about a partner. So we know she’s not working alone. There must be more to it.”
Yeah, and I knew what it was…my secret. Guilt washed over me. I wanted to tell Chris, but I was afraid he’d think I’d been stupid to tell Kate in the first place. Plus, he’d be mad that I didn’t tell him about it before. Maybe I could say that I told him, and he just doesn’t remember. That could work. Only, it was a little too late for that. I should just tell him and get it over with.
I took a breath, but right before I could speak, my phone rang. “It’s Uncle Joey,” I told Chris. “I’d better answer.” Chris sent me a pained look and sat down at his desk.
“Hello?” I said.
“Can you come to my office?” Uncle Joey asked. “I need to know what’s going on. Everything. Now.”
“I think so,” I said. “I just need to finish talking to Chris, and I’ll be right over.”
“Good,” he said, and disconnected.
“I need to go and explain things to Uncle Joey,” I said. “But David will be here, so you should be okay. Are you staying long?”
Chris pursed his lips, not liking how I jumped when Manetto called. It also bothered him that Manetto had interrupted our conversation. He had a feeling I was about to tell him something important. “I think I’ve got everything prepared for tomorrow, but I need to go over it a few times.” Checking his watch, he added. “Probably a couple of hours. I should be home around eight.”
“Will you call me before you leave?” I asked. “I’m still a little worried about tonight and Kate’s ‘plans’.”
“Yeah, sure. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” He couldn’t believe Kate would still come after him. No, there was something else going on. But what? “When you figure out what it is, will you tell me?”
“You can count on it,” I said. For the first time, I realized Chris wasn’t upset with me for reading his mind. In fact, he talked to me like I already had. This was amazing!
“Good.” He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight. “Get David to walk you to your car. All right?”
“Sure,” I agreed. “See you in a bit.”
We kissed, and he watched me leave. He thought I was probably hiding something from him. Well, not exactly hiding, but there was something I hadn’t told him. He was sure of it. Why wouldn’t I tell him…the door clicked shut, blocking his thoughts, and I stopped in my tracks. He knew I’d heard him just now. If I didn’t go back in, and tell him he was wrong, he’d know he was right. Damn!
I pushed the door back open, finding him in the same spot. His eyes softened, and his lips lifted in a quick smile. “Okay, here’s the thing,” I began. “Kate knows my secret. I think that’s what she’s been going for all along. She caught me following her, and with an evil grin, she said “gotcha” in her mind. So now I’m on my way to talk to Uncle Joey. Hopefully, he’ll take care of it. I’ll let you know what he says when you get home tonight.”
I backed out and quickly shut the door before he could respond. Okay, maybe I’m a coward, but at least I told him. I hurried down the hall before he could stop me. David was waiting by the entrance and offered to walk me to my car. I agreed, and in no time, I was on the road to Thrasher Development.
I pulled into the parking garage for the second time today. Hadn’t I just left? I dragged myself out of the car and shuffled to the elevators. All at once, I was hungry and tired. It was all getting to me, and I just wanted to go home and sleep.
I entered Thrasher Development and made my way to Uncle Joey’s office. The door was open, and I could hear him talking to someone. I rounded the doorway to find Uncle Joey on the phone. He motioned me inside, but instead of sitting in front of his desk, I took the couch. I sank into cushioned softness, surprised to find it a lot more comfy than it looked. In fact, it was so soft, a person could fall sleep on this couch. It would only take a minute to lay back her head and close her eyes, and she’d be out.
“Shelby.”
“Huh? What?” I quickly sat up. Had I fallen asleep?
“You need to wake up.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“That’s okay,” Uncle Joey said. “I’m off the phone, so tell me what happened with Kate, and why you think she knows you can read minds.”
“Oh yeah.” It all came flooding back. I told him everything that happened, how I’d followed her and basically gotten caught. “Until then, I forgot I’d told her about my secret.”
“Damn!” Uncle Joey said. “I guess you’re right. This whole thing was a ruse to find out the truth about you.” He was thinking this was bad. But something seemed off.
“What should we do?” I asked.
“We have to stop her,” he said. “She’s got to be coming after me. Probably tied up in all that gang stuff somehow. Doug Carter must be her partner. It was probably him in the hall, listening to us. Remember?”
“Oh yeah,” I agreed. “I’ll bet you’re right. Even back then she was trying to find out if my secret was true.”
“I just wish I knew how she planned to do it.” Sadness engulfed him. He could hardly believe that she wanted him dead. In fact, he didn’t believe it. Something must have happened to her in Seattle. Sure, he wanted his money back, but he let her go in the first place didn’t he? He should have sent Chris and me to Seattle earlier. If he could have checked up on her sooner, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Was she in some kind of trouble? After everything they’d been through together, he didn’t know if he could give the order to end her life.
“Are you sure you can’t just expel her or something?” I asked.
“No Shelby, that’s not how it works in this business. I don’t want her to die, but I have to get used to the idea, so if it comes to that, I’ll be ready.” He watched my face turn into a frown. “I don’t think she’s a killer, but that doesn’t mean she’d stand in the way of someone else doing the job for her.” He was thinking he was probably a target, as well as others close to him. He glanced at me. “You though…she’ll probably want alive.”
“Okay. I get it,” I said harshly. “When do you think she’ll make her move?”
“Soon. I just got off the phone with Ramos. One of his friends works at the club, and he found out something big is happening tonight. His source said Lanny’s really nervous.”
“Do you think it’s Kate?”
“If it was Kate, Lanny wouldn’t be nervous. No, it’s something bigger than that.??
?
“What then?” I asked.
“That’s what I’m going to find out tonight.” He noticed the bleak expression on my face. “Don’t worry. I have lots of resources. It’ll be a piece of cake.”
I smirked, knowing a lot of his bluster was how he intimidated people. Although, I had to admit, it sure worked on me. “That’s good. What should I do?”
“Don’t get caught,” he said. As the blood drained from my face, he rushed to smooth it over. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. David’s already got people watching your house. Nothing’s going to happen to you. I think they’ll come for me first. They figure once I’m out of the way, getting to you will be a different story. But that’s not going to happen. I won’t let it.”
“Do you want me to help you tonight?” I asked.
“No. I want everything to look normal so they won’t suspect I’m on to them. That includes you. Now that Kate has shown her hand, she’s waiting for me to make the next move. Probably setting up a trap of some sort. No, I want you to go home and do normal stuff. I’ll call with a plan in the morning.”
“All right.” I shrugged my shoulders to release the tension. Uncle Joey may think Kate wouldn’t come after me, but what if taking me was the trap she was planning on using? Of course, that didn’t mean Uncle Joey would fall for it. If they wanted to get rid of Uncle Joey, they’d have to get rid of them all. That meant the leaders of his entire organization.
I remembered reading about the ‘Valentine’s Day Massacre’ in history. Where rival mobs killed each other off. Was something like that about to happen?
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 12
I got up to leave, but Uncle Joey stopped me. “Wait, Ricky’s going with you. I may not think Kate will come after you tonight, but I’m not about to take any chances.”
“He’s coming home with me?” I asked, surprised.
“Yes. He’ll ride home with you to make sure you get there safely, but someone will follow behind to pick him up. David’s got people taking over after that, and I don’t know what he has planned. But he’ll make sure you and your family are safe tonight.”