As always, she left her group at the Key West Hard Rock Cafe. As soon as she’d said her goodbyes, she turned to Logan. “What’s going on?”
“Dallas saw someone following us, so he went after him.”
“And?”
“He found Hammer.”
15
Logan and Kelsey accompanied Hannah back to the Siren of the Sea, but Dallas wasn’t with them. He was at the police station.
At midnight, Hannah decided to give up waiting for him and go to bed, but she didn’t sleep. Petrie came into her room and she invited him up on the bed, stroking him as the hour grew later and the tension inside her grew.
Then Petrie did just what she’d hoped he wouldn’t.
He moved to the foot of her bed and started staring out the window.
Hannah told herself to stop worrying. She knew she was safe. Kelsey and Logan were just down the hall, and Melody and Hagen were somewhere on the property, keeping watch. A patrol car with an officer sitting in it was still parked in front of the house.
But Petrie’s behavior was getting on her nerves, so she walked to the window and pulled back the drapes.
She thought she saw the shadow of a man in the yard, but as she stared into the darkness she realized it was just the way the street light fell on the banyan tree.
“Petrie, I love every cell in your furry little body, but you’re out,” she told him.
Just as she opened the door to put him out in the hall, she heard her cell phone ringing on her bedside table. She unceremoniously dropped the cat and hurried to answer.
It was Dallas.
“I’m just letting you know that I’m almost done,” he told her. “I already spoke with Logan. We’re well trained, and it’s unlikely we’d shoot each other, but just in case...”
“Thanks for letting me know.”
“I’ll see you in a few minutes,” he told her.
“Wait! Did you find out anything?”
“More of the same,” he told her. “But...just hang on. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Seconds later she heard the front door open and rushed out to meet him. As he came up the stairs, she noticed that the door to Kelsey and Logan’s room stayed firmly shut.
A moment later Dallas was striding toward her. She stepped back into her room, hoping he would take the hint and follow her.
He did.
She watched anxiously as he slid out of his jacket. She saw that there were grass stains on it, and some mud, as well.
“Talk to me,” she told him. “How did you know some—”
“As we went from block to block, I saw a guy who kept appearing. Once I knew he was following us, I went to talk to him and he took off running.” He looked at his jacket ruefully. “We cut through a few yards.”
“And then?”
“Then I caught him and took him to the station. And it was the same old story. Yes, he was one of the men with Jose that night. He was terrified when Jose was killed. He didn’t know anything about Yerby Catalano. What we do have is another cell phone, but it’s the same deal, of course. The Wolf supplies his men with phones but changes his own all the time. They receive calls from him and do what he tells them to do. I guess he’s smart as far as that goes, because he knows men can break down and betray him. He’s careful with who knows what, and he uses his people according to their strengths.
“This guy, Hammer, isn’t capable of killing anyone. He broke down faster than anyone I’ve ever seen, especially after he learned that we had Blade and Knife already. I actually have a feeling that we’re not going to have to look for Pistol. At this point, I believe he’ll turn himself in. If he’s still alive. And I believe the empire is vulnerable. We have three cell phones now, and though they’re untraceable, the techs are triangulating the calls. They may be able to find out where a lot of them originated, and that could be where the Wolf is holed up.”
“So there’s hope,” Hannah said.
He nodded. “You must be tired.”
“Yeah, but I’m not the one who chased someone halfway across town. You must be tired, too.”
“Actually, I’m a little wired.”
“Want something? Hot tea? A drink?”
He shook his head, looking at her.
“Do you want to talk?” he asked her.
“About...last night? No, not particularly. Do you?”
“No, not unless you do.”
They both hesitated awkwardly, and then Hannah didn’t know if she moved forward or if he did.
It didn’t matter.
No, she didn’t want to talk. They were adults. They had chosen their course.
Just as they were choosing it again.
She wanted to feel him in her arms, wanted to feel his hands on her, easing her nightshirt over her head before tossing it to the floor, and then she wanted to feel his fingers teasing over her naked flesh.