“Come on, biggest sting in history for a hundred. That’s a steal!”
Randy’s eyes rolled. He took a long, deep breath. With shaking hands he found the packet of cigarettes and worked one free. “You’re crazy.”
“You’re even crazier if you think you’re going to get away with lighting that thing in here.”
“The hell with regulations.” Randy lit the thing and took a long drag. His face relaxed. Hell, his entire body relaxed. “And you’ll get me the list?”
“You seem to think I’m staying for the wedding.”
“You go back in, you sure as hell are staying for the wedding. I’m not wasting this much effort on a half-dozen candy asses I could have picked up off any street corner.”
“You have such a way with words, Randy.”
“Wedding or no deal.”
It was Luke’s turn to pace. “Yeah, fine, whatever.” He turned to face Randy, arms crossed. “Do I get the hundred or not? I don’t have any cash on me, and my cards are... well, nowhere to be seen. My wallet seems to have gone missing. “
Randy took a long drag on his cigarette as he thought this over. “Where’s the stick?”
Luke’s hand twitched. He almost dug into his pocket out of reflex. “I couldn’t get it,” he heard himself saying. “I had to move too fast. I’ll....” He waved his hand, rubbing the thumb over the palm in the age-old tradition of needed the palm greased. “I’ll bring it with the guest list.”
“What’s the hundred for?”
Luke slapped his thigh and he held it out again. “Lunch, okay? Come on!”
Randy shot to his feet and dug into his wallet, pulling out four twenties. Luke grabbed them, and the one Randy tried to put back. “I should send my mother a present.”
“And how the hell am I supposed to pay for my own lunch?”
“Maybe the chief will take you out. You and he seem to be getting along so well.” Luke nodded behind him at the guy clearly seen through the glass in the door, who was glowering just outside, his mustache quivering with suppressed rage.
He left before Randy could swallow his cigarette.
Luke flung the door open and was halfway through the office before Randy could even frame a response. Somewhere behind him he heard shouting. All four-letter words. Luke didn’t so much as pause. He careened down the steps and found the officer who had processed him in. “You!”
“Yes, sir?” The policeman had that reserve between respect and anger that most did when told that the FBI has moved into their town and you’ll be kowtowing to us from now on, thank you. Knowing Randy’s charm and diplomatic skills, he’d probably offended half the force by now. There wasn’t an officer in the place who wasn’t ready to see him leave.
“Those two cops who brought me in?”
“Yes, sir, James and Hardy.”
Luke blinked. “Really? Damn, that’s so close. Get them back here for me, would you? Tell them all possible speed.”
“Yes, sir.” The man looked confused, but Randy had done one thing: He’d asserted that the Bureau was in charge. This poor man was already paging the officers in question.
“Oh! One other thing. I need to go to a Hallmark store, where’s the closest?” The man stared at him so long, Luke just waved him off. “Never mind. Get James and Hardy. I’ll meet them out front.”
CHAPTER TEN
Dani had gone through several stages of her emotions in the past few days. She’d been enraged when Benny had locked her in her room under armed guard, gotten pissed when David had Luke taken, been embarrassed that morning at breakfast. And as for the night the recording was made... there weren’t even words for that kind of humiliation.
But through it all, she’d felt little fear. She’d been afraid for her brother; he’d been hurt worse than she’d imagined. She’d been afraid for Luke, for if Benny found out Luke was a cop he’d kill him. But until today, Dani hadn’t been afraid for herself. Not truly.
All that had suddenly changed. Now she stood in her room and wrapped her arms around herself while Katie sat on the bed, trying to be invisible.
“He’s mad,” Katie said reasonably as Dani paced in circles for what seemed forever. “He probably didn’t mean it.”
“He is mad,” Dani agreed in a small voice. “Mad enough to do just what he says he will.” Dani turned to the girl. “I didn’t know what kind of man he was all the years I called him my uncle. Or maybe I guess I did at some point, and I just didn’t want to admit it. I mean, what kind of guy shows up to a cookout with a bunch of guys in suits carrying Uzis?”
Katie shrugged, as if not believing her. “After all these years, you really think he would kill you?”
“Katie, I know he will. I’ve met some... pretty rough people. I’ve seen that look on his face before and, yes, he will kill me.” Dani looked around the room, not really seeing it. “At least Luke is safe.”
“You’re worried about him? A cop?” Katie half-mouthed the word, but Dani’s head reflexively spun to the wall where the guard stood, as though she could tell if he’d heard the girl. She raised a hand to Katie in a gesture of suppression.
“What he is doesn’t matter!” Dani hissed, her heart pounding so fast in her chest that it was a wonder she didn’t have a heart attack.
“You love him.”
“My family’s beaten him up, kidnapped him, dragged him off, and tried to have him killed, Katie. Whatever feelings I have for him also happen to be irrelevant. This is the kind of thing that ends a relationship, don’t you think?”
“Your feelings aren’t irrelevant,” Katie replied, leaning back and stretching out her legs, toes pointed like a ballerina’s. “And, just for your information, your family kidnapped me and is currently holding me hostage, but I don’t see that as your fault.” She glanced at her sideways, from under her lashes as she said this, her voice calm and steady, like she meant it.
I don’t deserve a friend like her... if someone had kidnapped me, I’d hate every member of their family. Dani dropped her head. “I know, I know, I’m sorry, I really am...” She waved her arms in frustration. “It’s just that...”
“It’s just that you’re not in love with me,” Katie finished for her. “That’s the difference. You’re in love with him, that’s why you risked everything, even your life, even mine, because you’re in love. Punching through that window and acting like a bubble-head was enough to get me shot. Hell, just being in a short skirt in front of your bro—whatever, the fact is that you did ask me to take a big risk, maybe even bigger than you realize, to save him.”