Crossing Danger: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

  “Yeah...well, there’s more.” I told him how Chloe showed up at our house and all of the events that happened after that, ending with Scott coming to get Chloe.

  Chris shook his head, barely taking it all in. He didn’t like that I’d tried to meet with Pete, mostly because I could have gotten hurt. That was a huge risk. What was I thinking?

  “I can’t imagine how he found out where Chloe was staying,” I said, hoping to take his mind off the risky part. “Do you have any ideas?”

  “Well...he might have overheard someone talking about it. Or maybe even you and Bates? Maybe he was listening outside the door or something when you were discussing it. At least now you know it’s him. I wonder what he wanted to talk to you about.”

  “I know,” I agreed. “I can’t figure out what he would have told me. He was thinking something that seemed strange after the press conference.”

  “What was that?” he asked.

  “He thought he was facing some hard choices and needed to do something about the mess.”

  “Hmm...maybe he’s working for someone and wants out.”

  “That actually makes sense,” I agreed, then sighed with discouragement. “I hope we figure it out soon. I hate to think of Chloe being afraid for her life, but at least she’s with her dad, and the police are looking for Pete.”

  Chris was thinking that if anything like that ever happened to Savannah, he’d do whatever it took to keep her safe. “Yeah, she’s better off with him.”

  “Although I think Chloe was a little disappointed to leave.” I lowered my voice. “But that’s because she likes Josh.”

  “Yeah...I caught that,” Chris agreed, then glanced at me with a frown. “Were you listening to them? I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

  “Oh...no. I mean, maybe a little, but...not like you think. I only picked up bits and pieces, but I’m really careful not to intrude. At least I’m trying to be careful...but I did hear something from Savannah’s thoughts...that she has a crush on Josh’s friend.”

  “Which one?” Chris asked, his eyes narrowing. He didn’t like the ‘older boy’ part of that revelation.

  “Uh...Cole. But...don’t worry, he doesn’t look at her like that...so it’s all good.”

  Chris sighed, thinking that maybe it was okay that I listened in. Then he wondered how other parents managed without the mind-reading skills I had.

  “Hey...relax,” I said. “Our kids are great, you don’t need to be so concerned. We’ve got this.”

  “Yeah...you’re right,” he agreed, taking me in his arms. “And we’ve got each other to rely on.”

  My phone bleeped at me with a text message. “I wonder who that could be?” I checked it and gasped. “Oh my gosh! I totally forgot!”

  “What?” Chris asked.

  “I’m supposed to go to Uncle Joey’s club tonight, and meet with him and Blake Beauchaine. They’ll be here in fifteen minutes! I’ve got to get ready.”

  Chris’ brows drew together in confusion. “When did you schedule this?”

  “Uh...he asked me just this morning. With everything else going on, I totally spaced it.”

  Chris followed me into our bedroom, thinking there was a lot more to my story than that. I had obviously met with Manetto and hadn’t told him a thing about it.

  He was right since I’d left out my appointment with Uncle Joey yesterday, and the breakfast-with-Ramos part of my day today.

  “So who’s Blake Beauchaine?”

  “He’s the one who left the note at Uncle Joey’s wake...in Seattle?” At Chris’ nod, I continued. “He’s here in town for some reason, which is why I’m going tonight. To find out...you know...what he’s doing here.”

  “Is he dangerous?”

  “I’m not sure,” I said, quickly throwing on my sexy red dress. “But I’m sure I’ll be fine...” I was about to say that Ramos would be there, but I didn’t since Chris had already figured that out. He didn’t like Ramos much, although he couldn’t say a whole lot against the man since he’d saved my life a few times.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, turning toward him. “I should have told you, and I’m sure I would have if I hadn’t been so distracted with Chloe, and then the whole thing with Billie...it’s been a rough day. Please don’t be mad.” I turned around. “Could you zip me up?”

  He sighed, thinking I drove him crazy, and he was a saint to put up with me. Especially right now, when I was dressed like this and going to a club...without him. Again. And Ramos would be there. I’d have to do something really nice for him to make up for it...

  “I will, I promise.” I hurried into the bathroom and freshened up my make-up. Then I applied an ample amount of my reddest lipstick and spritzed on some perfume. Tousling my hair, I ran back to my closet and grabbed my black stilettos. “I shouldn’t be too late. How about I call you as soon as I’m done helping Uncle Joey. If he’s not ready to leave, maybe you could pick me up?”

  Chris shook his head, clearly unhappy. He knew I was trying to calm him, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to be calmed.

  “I love you,” I said. “I’ll tell you all about it when I get home.” My phone chirped again. They were here. “Okay...they’re here. Wish me luck?”

  Chris struggled to get over the fact that I hadn’t told him about this before now. I was afraid I’d have to leave him like this. Then he closed his eyes and pulled me into his arms. “Just...be careful Shelby, no crazy risks...and come back to me.”

  “Of course.” I kissed him passionately, then pulled away, grimacing to see his lips covered in red lipstick. “Um...” I pointed to his mouth. “You might want to fix that before the kids think you’ve gone off the deep end.”

  He shook his head and wiped at his lips, smiling in spite of himself.

  I hurried out the door to Uncle Joey’s car, where Ramos waited. As he opened the door, he glanced at my lips and his brows scrunched together. “You might want to fix that.”

  Alarmed, I quickly sat down inside the car and pulled open my purse, taking out the mirror. “Yikes!” After that kiss I looked a little bit like the joker on steroids.

  Uncle Joey chuckled. “How are you, Shelby?”

  “I’m good,” I said, grabbing a tissue and dabbing at my mouth. “It’s been a crazy day...but so far I’ve survived.” I got my lips mostly repaired and added some lip gloss that helped tone them down. “That’s better.” I glanced at Uncle Joey and realized I’d just said that out loud. “So how are you doing?”

  “Doing well,” he said, his lips turned up in a broad smile. “I’m looking forward to our little meeting.” He was thinking that knowing what Blake was doing here would certainly help him sleep tonight. “Thanks for coming...I hope it wasn’t an inconvenience.”

  “Oh...no...I just forgot.” At Uncle Joey’s raised eyebrows, I hurried to explain. “I’ve been really busy. Anyway, I’m glad Ramos texted to remind me.”

  Uncle Joey nodded in agreement. “So tell me what you’ve been doing.”

  I didn’t think it could hurt, so I told him about Chloe and the bad cop and how she had come to my house to get away from him. “Before that, I was looking at a thumb-drive from the attorney general’s office. He’s as crooked as they come. You wouldn’t believe who’s on his list.”

  “Really?” Uncle Joey said, his tone low and sly.

  Oops. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that part. “Not that I studied the list all that well. But...at least your name wasn’t on there.” Oh crap. I swallowed and licked my lips, tasting coconut lip gloss.

  “Hmm...that’s nice.” He was wondering what I would have done if it was.

  “Um...I’m really glad it wasn’t,” I answered. “Anyway...it looks like the authorities will probably investigate the attorney general’s office now. With the evidence on the thumb-drive, they should have a pretty good case.”

  “I see,” he said. “Good to know.”

  I nodded, deciding to change the subject before it got any worse. “So...you and
Blake are old friends. Didn’t you say you were roommates in college?”

  “No. I never said that,” he responded.

  “Huh! Right...good one.” This was not going well, and I hoped he’d let it go. I closed my eyes as my brain automatically began singing, let it go, let it go, can’t hold it back anymore.

  Luckily, we pulled up in front of the club and Ramos jumped out to open the door. He had a lopsided grin on his face and was thinking that I just didn’t know when to shut up. His thoughts would have upset me if they weren’t so true.

  He took my hand to help me out and noticed my stricken expression. As I came beside him, he leaned against my ear and whispered. “Cheer up...it’s not so bad.” He thought it was highly entertaining, and he loved it.

  Well...at least someone thought it was funny, but I wasn’t so sure Uncle Joey would agree.

  Uncle Joey came to my side and ushered me into the club while Ramos drove the car around back. The large man at the door lowered his head and greeted us. “Mr. Manetto. Good to see you. I have your private room ready. Your guest has already arrived.”

  “Thank you,” he answered, not surprised in the least that Blake was already there.

  I remembered how to get to Uncle Joey’s private room from the last time I’d been there, so I led the way. It brought back memories of how much fun I’d had winning all that money from Uncle Joey and his poker friends. “Do you still play poker with the guys?” I asked him.

  He smiled. “Yes. In fact, the boys have asked about you and how well you did in Vegas.”

  “Really? What did you tell them?”

  “The truth. That you haven’t gone yet. We’ll have to remedy that sometime...if you’d like,” he added. “We could take my jet. It’d be fun and make us some good money.”

  “Well...I do owe Chris a favor. Could he come?”

  “Certainly.” He was thinking Ramos and Chris both looking out for me on a trip to Vegas would be extremely amusing.

  “Um...maybe I’d better think about that.”

  Uncle Joey chuckled, and we turned the corner to the back room. Inside, a waitress set a drink in front of Blake who glanced at us with a quick nod. She waited for us to join him and asked for our drink orders. After she left, Uncle Joey began. “It’s nice to see you Blake. It’s been a long time.”

  “Yes, it has,” Blake answered. “I didn’t think we’d ever cross paths again, but things change. I take it you’re still in the business?” There was a definite undertone of disapproval in his voice.

  “Of course,” Uncle Joey answered. “You knew that wasn’t going to change.”

  Blake shrugged. “But things do change...all the time.”

  “And some don’t,” Uncle Joey countered. “You still working for the government?”

  Blake tilted his head. “Touché.” His thoughts turned to the past, and guilt struck again for what he’d done to Joe. After all this time, he realized they weren’t so different after all. In fact, he’d probably been the reason for more people’s deaths than Manetto ever was. Sure, he’d taken the high ground, but in the end he was a bigger bully than any crime lord. The fact that he did it on the side of the law was supposed to make it okay, but now he wasn’t so sure.

  “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here in your life again,” Blake began, then glanced at me. “And I’m wondering why you keep Shelby so close.” He smiled apologetically, hoping Joe would explain his reasons for my proximity.

  “I thought you wanted her here,” Uncle Joey countered. “That’s what Ramos told me.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” he said, pausing to give Uncle Joey a chance to respond. When he didn’t, Blake sighed dramatically. “Fine. Maybe someday you’ll tell me.”

  Uncle Joey chuckled. “Don’t count on it.”

  Blake nodded and took another sip of his drink. He’d checked up on me after breakfast, when he’d heard that I helped the police, and found my website. He’d also found out that the FBI had a file on me. It was small, but I’d helped them with a gang problem a while back. In big letters it said I was a psychic, or more accurately, that I had premonitions.

  That came up in the police files he’d studied as well. So he concluded that there must be something to it, or Manetto wouldn’t value my services...and, more importantly, keep me so close. It also made perfect sense that Joe wouldn’t want him to know any of that.

  His thoughts swirled with speculation about me, going from disbelief to hope that I was the real deal. If so...he could use someone like me and hoped there was a way he could work out a deal for my services. He thought there was a pretty good chance it could happen, given his investigation.

  I swallowed and felt the blood drain from my head, making me a little dizzy. This guy had connections...and knew way too much about me. I took a sip of my drink with a wish that I’d never come. This was awful. Maybe he really was a spy.

  Breathing a little too fast, I took a deep cleansing breath and let it out slowly to get under control. Now, more than ever in my life, I needed to keep my wits about me and not slip up. There was too much at stake if he ever found out my secret.

  “I might as well get right to the point,” Blake said, thinking that with his silence and unruffled stare, Joe was a master at getting people to talk. “I heard some things about your trip to Mexico. From what I’ve gathered through the intelligence agency, I think I know why you were there and, as far as I’m concerned, you did nothing wrong. In fact, you defeated el puño de hierro, The Iron Fist. Not something many could do. Even Inspector Salazar was under his thumb...and...you almost got away with it.”

  Oh crap! Did he say intelligence agency...meaning CIA? I’d had a visit from them while Uncle Joey was in Mexico. Did that mean they had a file on me too?

  “What do you mean?” Uncle Joey asked.

  “His father...he’s an old man now, but he vowed revenge on the man who killed his son and destroyed his family business. With his last penny, he sent an assassin after you. I was on my way to warn you when you “died” on that boat. I thought I was too late. In retrospect, that little stunt might have saved your life. I followed the assassin’s trail to Seattle, but lost him after your ‘death.’”

  Uncle Joey raised his brows. He wasn’t sure he believed any of it. “So what brings you here now?”

  “I got word that he’s back in the country.” Blake read the skepticism in Uncle Joey’s eyes and smiled. “I didn’t think you’d take my word for it, so I brought some proof.” He reached into his inside jacket pocket, and Ramos was on him in an instant. He huffed out a breath and raised his hands. “Go ahead and take it out yourself.”

  Ramos reached into Blake’s pocket and pulled out a folded manila envelope, which he placed on the table, and stepped back. Blake opened it and drew out a few grainy photos of someone with black scraggly hair and a big mustache. With all that hair, it was hard to tell what he looked like. “That’s him arriving at the airport. See the date and time stamp?”

  Uncle Joey frowned. “How can you tell it’s him?”

  “Without the hair and mustache...the computer images fit the descriptions we have of him.” No one had ever taken a photograph of him without a disguise, but he’d had his computer experts work on this image for a possible match to other photos they had of him, and it had come back positive.

  “That’s the same day you sent me that little package.”

  “Yes,” Blake said. “I knew that if I left that package for you, you’d find me, thereby allowing me to keep our association under wraps. As I’m sure you know, there are some people who wouldn’t approve of my reaching out to you.”

  He was thinking that he was also here for another reason entirely, but that was not something we needed to know. “I’m being upfront about this because of our past...and that unfortunate incident.”

  Uncle Joey considered his sincerity. What Blake had done to him was bad, but he’d gotten his revenge and thought they were even. When I’d given him Blake’s note,
he’d had a foolish hope that they could let bygones be bygones. But now he wasn’t so sure. Why did Blake bring it up now? Was there some other reason he was here, and this was just a front?

  “So where’s this assassin?” Uncle Joey asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Blake shrugged. “I know he’s here and I might be able to tell you more if you agree to help me with something.”

  Uncle Joey smiled. “Now that’s more like the Blake I know. What do you want?”

  Blake’s lips twisted into a smile as well. He knew Joe would see through this and, for some reason, it brought him immense satisfaction. He’d always admired Joe...hell, he still did. “Do you still have connections with PLM Investments?”

  Uncle Joey’s smile fled, and his brows furrowed. “No. In fact, I dissolved that company a few years ago.”

  “Hmm...well...it’s recently come up in something I’ve been looking into.” Blake thought, from Joe’s response, that he was telling the truth. Joe had no idea what was happening.

  “You’re serious,” Uncle Joey said. “What’s going on?”

  “If you don’t know...my guess is someone’s using your old company as a front, either to frame you, or as a safeguard for themselves if they ever get caught. Naturally, you’d be the first to get the blame for any illegal activity.”

  “I don’t know anything about it. But I will certainly look into it. Is that what you wanted?”

  “Yes,” Blake said.

  “And what about this assassin? Is he real?”

  “Oh yes, he’s very real, and he’s here. They call him the ‘chameleon’ because he’s good with disguises and blends in so well with his surroundings. We’ve been trying to track him down for years, but he’s always one step ahead of us. I hoped we could help each other and get rid of him once and for all.”

  “How did you plan on doing that?” Uncle Joey asked. Blake didn’t answer right away, and Uncle Joey nodded. “I see...you want to use me as bait.”

  Blake shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t know of any better way. He’s coming for you whether you like it or not but, this way, you’ll be prepared.”

  “And how would you help me?”