Michael stood in the parking lot, hands in the pockets of his black coat as he watched Shay’s taillights disappear from view. It felt like the last time, only then she’d driven away in his car and not her own. He hadn’t been awake or been given the opportunity to kiss her goodbye or beg her to stay. She probably wondered what was going on, wondered when he’d turned into a needy guy, pretty much begging her to stay. The thing was, he hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that something was going down today and they’d end up in the same place they had ten years before.
Moments ago, he’d discovered he hadn’t been wrong. The sense of impending doom that had been hanging over him all morning, the worry he assumed was because of their past, had proven not to be misplaced anxiety after all.
He’d seen the phone on the passenger seat of her car, caught a glimpse of Charlie’s photo when she picked up the cell. Michael had given her plenty of opportunity to come clean. It didn’t take a genius to know why he hadn’t confronted her. He was afraid he knew what her answer would be. That was the problem with knowing the woman he loved as well as he knew himself.
He raised his right hand, rubbing his fingers over his chest in an attempt to soothe the burning ache. With his other hand, he felt around in his pocket for the antacids he always carried with him and realized he hadn’t replaced the empty pack last week. He hadn’t needed them since Shay came back in his life.
“Michael.” He turned to see Jim, the gas station owner, waving him over. “Landline’s working. The boys say cell service is back online too.”
Michael wondered if Shay knew. Even now was she on the phone to Costello? Torn between wanting to do his job and wanting to protect her, Michael tightened his fingers around the phone in his pocket.
“Dammit, Shay,” he muttered, his anger a living, breathing thing. How did she not get that he’d open a vein for her? God knew it felt like she’d opened one in him, that he was bleeding out right here in the parking lot.
He knew the moment he asked if he’d see her tonight that she was lying to him. She’d made her decision. He wasn’t going to see her again. And if he did, odds were she’d either be dead, lying in a hospital bed, or on the other side of a two-way mirror.
* * *
“What are you doing here?” Cherry said. “If we saw the lights, so will Costello’s men. Come on, you have to get out of here.” She strode across Shay’s bedroom and grabbed her arm.
“Trust me, they’re not going to come looking for me. You should go, though. It’s safer for you to stay with Libby and the kids until this is over.” Unable to look at the other woman, Shay shook her arm free to finish stuffing her clothes in her knapsack.
Cherry sat on the edge of the bed, reaching up to brush Shay’s hair over her shoulder. She gasped. “You’ve been crying. What is it? What happened?”
She rubbed her face. “No, I haven’t been crying. I just…There’s things going on I can’t talk to you about. I’ve gotta get out of—”
“What things? I’m your BFF. You can’t not talk to me about things. You have to tell me everything. And why are you packing?” She shot off the bed and got in Shay’s face. “Stop and talk, because this right here”—she circled Shay’s knapsack with her finger—“this is not happening. You are not running because things get hard.”
A harsh laugh scraped from Shay’s throat. “Me? Run when things get hard? Who took care of the Sterlings? Who took care of you in the alley that night, of Ace and his gang? I don’t run when things get tough, Cherry. I stay and fight.”
“That’s not the things I’m talking about. I’m talking about the things that you have a hard time dealing with. Like letting people help you, letting people love you and care about you. Real important stuff like letting yourself be vulnerable and leaning on someone else for a change. Trusting that we will do our best to never let you down. We’re not going anywhere, Shay. No one can make us leave you.”
“Don’t. I can’t deal with this right now, Cherry.”
“You have no choice. You are going to screw up the best—”
“They’ve got Charlie! They’ve got my uncle, and they’ve beaten the crap out of him.” She grabbed the phone off her bed. “Look for yourself. It’s all there in Technicolor and Dolby sound. Every last punch and kick, him screaming and begging for them to stop. Him calling out for…” She sat on the edge of the bed and drew her hand across her leaking eyes and nose. “They want a trade, me for him, and that’s…that’s what I’m doing.”
Once they had her, she was fairly certain they’d use her to get Michael to revoke Luigi’s immunity. Without Luigi’s testimony, they didn’t have enough to put Costello away. Sooner or later, the FBI would get the evidence they needed. Only it wouldn’t be soon enough for her uncle.
“No, you can’t.” Cherry knelt on the floor in front of her, tears rolling down her face. “You and me, we know men like Costello. They’re not going to let you go, and they won’t let Charlie go either. Whatever they promised you is a lie.”
“I have to try. He has to know that I tried. I won’t let him think I abandoned him. I won’t let him die by himself. I won’t.”
“We’ll call Michael. He’ll know what to do. They can look at the video. They’ll see things we don’t. They’ll find him.”
“I can’t. I can’t take the risk. They told me they’ll kill Charlie if I go to the FBI or police. They threatened Michael. They threatened everyone…everyone that I love,” she said, feeling the anger rise up inside her. It was a relief. For the past two hours, all she’d felt was helpless and alone.
“They won’t know. I can go talk to Michael. No one will suspect a thing. Or we can go to his brother Logan. He’s still in town. Or his cousin Aidan, the detective at HHPD, we can talk to him.”
“She can’t talk to anyone. They’ll know. They’ve got people on the inside.” They turned to see Libby leaning against the doorjamb.
“You can’t know—” Cherry began before Shay cut her off.
“Yes, she does. And she knows where they have Charlie, don’t you, Libby? It’s Benji, isn’t it? He called you,” she said, referring to the bouncer with the crew cut at Pussy Cat East.
She gave a quick nod, anxiously twisting her hands. “I swear to you, he had no idea what was going on, Shay. He wants no part of it.”
“Then tell him to go to the cops or the FBI,” Cherry challenged.
“They’ll kill him. Now that Luigi has agreed to turn state’s evidence, they’re desperate. They have nothing to lose.” She looked at Shay. “Will you help him? When you go get Charlie, can you get him out too? I’ll go with you. I’ll do whatever you tell me to.”
They all froze when Shay’s cell phone rang. She closed her eyes. It was Michael. She waited until the call went to voice mail and picked it up, torn between wanting to hear his voice and not wanting to hear what he said.
“You should listen to his message. Maybe he’s called to tell you they know where Charlie is,” Cherry said.
Or maybe he was going to tell her how much he loved her again and reassure her that this would be over soon, that they’d finally get the happily-ever-after they deserved. He didn’t know that Shay and Charlie didn’t get happily-ever-afters. “I can’t.”
Cherry picked up the phone, putting his message on speaker before Shay could stop her. When Michael’s deep voice came over the line, she couldn’t bring herself to end the call.
“Shay, I’m putting my job on the line telling you this. I saw the cell phone and the photo of Charlie in your car so I know that you’ve most likely been in contact with Costello or his men by now. We know they have him, and we will find him. Let us do our job. If you get involved in any way, you’re going to make it harder for me to protect you from prosecution. At the very least, they will charge you with obstruction.”
He paused and drew in a ragged breath, his voice quieter, the frustration and anger clearly audible when next he spoke. “They got to Luigi, Shay. He’s dead. He can’t back your story. There’s evidence that puts you at Two Face’s apartment along with what they planted. I love—”
Cherry took the phone off speaker and handed it to Shay. She brought the phone to her ear. “—you. I honestly don’t think you have any idea how much. But I can’t keep doing this. You either trust me or you don’t. And I can’t be with a woman who doesn’t. A woman who won’t open up to me and let me in. So if you go after him on your own, we’re done. Don’t do it, babe. Don’t do it to—”
The phone beeped, cutting him off. The message had gone on too long, but it was clear enough. They were over.
“What are you going to do?” Cherry looked resigned as she asked the question, as if she already knew. Libby looked anxious yet hopeful. Both women knew her. Michael did too. He knew what she was going to do, which meant he’d have someone watching her.
There was a knock at the front door, and the two women jumped. Shay started down the hall. “Relax. They’re not coming to get me. I’ve already arranged the meet.”
Cherry and Libby followed her. “But what about Benji?” Libby asked.
“I’ll do what I can. You should go home, be with your girls.”
“I don’t want them around until this is over. After what happened at the manor today, I’m not taking any chances. They’re staying with a friend in Rhode Island.”
“Good call,” Shay said as she opened the door. “Jasper, hi.”
“Miss, may I come in? Hello, ladies,” he said as Shay opened the door wide, and he stepped inside. His gaze moved over the three of them. “Have I come at a bad time?”
Before Shay could stop her, Cherry threw herself into Jasper’s arms and cried all over his overcoat, spilling her guts and Shay’s secrets. Shay bowed her head and shut the door, preparing for Jasper to make his disapproval known and try to change her mind. Because even though she’d barely had any time at all, Cherry managed to cover pretty much everything. Including—and for someone who hadn’t heard the rest of the call, she’d done a good job connecting the dots—that if Shay capitulated to Costello’s demands, her relationship with Michael was over.
“There, there, miss.” Jasper patted Cherry’s back and guided her to a chair in the living room. No sooner had he gotten her settled than Libby threw herself at him and blubbered Benji’s sorry tale.
Shay sighed and walked over to the couch. She stretched out and covered her eyes with her arm, listening to Jasper comfort Libby. There was a part of Shay, one that she didn’t want to acknowledge, that wished someone would comfort her like that. But what was there to say? She could only see one way for this to end.
She’d either get her uncle out of this alive or they’d both be dead before the night was over. Whatever happened, their life here was over. They couldn’t stay in Harmony Harbor. The mob would always be after them. They’d have to go into hiding.
In the limited time that she’d had, Shay had prepared as best she could. She wasn’t sure if they’d stand up in court, but she’d drawn up papers leaving the house to Cherry and the management of the Salty Dog to Cherry and Libby. The car was packed and gassed, and Shay had close to eighty grand on hand.
The first thing she’d done after talking to Costello was pawn the Harry Winston Belle engagement ring. She’d felt naked without it hanging close to her heart. It seemed silly after Michael had told her he never would have chosen the ring for her, still, it had felt like she carried something of him with her.
She fingered the ring that now hung around her neck. She wondered if he’d ever know she was the one who’d taken it. She’d stopped by the cottage on her way back from the pawnshop. She’d only meant to take something small, maybe a cuff link or an old school ring, just a tiny memento to wear close to her heart. And then she saw it. The ring his great-grandmother had given him. The one he’d talked about that night. He’d said it was meant for her. She didn’t want him to give it to anyone else.
“Shaybae, Jasper asked you a question.”
She raised her arm. “Sorry, I must’ve been out of it. What was it that you asked, Jasper?”
“How long do we have before Costello is expecting you to turn yourself over?”
She frowned and sat up, a niggle of worry scratching at her mind when she caught Cherry’s and Libby’s expressions. They looked…relieved. Maybe even a little gleeful. “Why?”
Cherry pressed her hands together, prayer-like. “Because Jasper has a plan. We’re going to get Charlie and Benji out of there without anyone the wiser and without you risking your life. And if no one’s the wiser, that means Michael will never know you broke your promise to him.”
“Yes to all of the above but the last. I highly recommend you tell Master Michael the truth, miss. Over the years, I’ve learned it has a way of coming out. Speaking of which”—he reached in his coat and pulled out a folded piece of paper—“as you will see, Madame tried to make amends.” He handed it to her.
She looked up after reading the paper. It seemed like maybe she owed Michael’s great-grandmother an apology and her thanks. She’d been trying to help. And as Shay knew, no matter how well intentioned, sometimes when you intervened, things went bad. “Thank you for this and for your offer to help, but I don’t want to put anyone else in danger. I do have a plan. I’m not going in there intending to sacrifice myself for Charlie.”
“I’m glad to hear it. But I’m afraid you’re outvoted. This is not just about you and Charlie anymore. This is about our town, my home, and my family. They tried to kill Master Michael, they came to the manor and put the people I love in harm’s way. I won’t let them get away with it.
* * *
They were dressed in black from head to toe with camouflage stripes on their faces. Cherry had added the stripes on the way to Pussy Cat East. It was a little hard to escape her when they were seat belted in.
“Benji left the delivery door open. It leads through the kitchen. As soon as I send him the coded text, he’ll make sure it’s empty. Once we’re in, he’ll text us to let us know the best way to reach Charlie. He says they’re moving him, but he was still in Cozack’s office ten minutes ago.”
They crouched in the woods behind the club. Pussy Cat East was closed because of the blizzard. At least that was the excuse they were using. There were two black vans in the lot, as well as a familiar Mercedes and Navigator. Shay handed Cherry and Libby the Tasers. Shay didn’t plan on letting them close to anyone or letting anyone close to them, but if things went south, she didn’t want them defenseless either.
“Be careful with those things; they’re not toys. And remember, the first thing you grab is their gun, then shove the gag in their mouth and zip tie their hands like we practiced,” she whispered, repeating the same instructions she’d given them at least five times before, only this time she didn’t demonstrate on their prone bodies.
Jasper’s head jerked up at the same time she heard the men’s voices. They were shooting the breeze while sharing a joint. Fifty more feet and they’d see them. They walked over to the Mercedes, checking out something on the vehicle. Shay glanced at Jasper. He nodded. Go time.
Jasper was as quiet and as fast as she was. As they approached, the moon peeked from behind a cloud, and one of the men caught their reflection in the glass. Shay rushed forward to give him a roundhouse kick to the head. He staggered but didn’t go down. A one-two punch to his face took care of that. She caught him before he hit the ground, lowering him carefully. As she gagged and zip tied him, she smiled at Jasper, who was doing the same to his man. “Nice ax kick.”
“Excellent roundhouse.”
From behind them came a guttural laugh. “Yeah, real nice Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Now stand up and come with— Ah-ah-ah.” His body spasmed as he fell to the ground.
Cherry and Libby stood over him arguing. “I said I was going to do it.”
“No, I did.”
“Weapon, gag, zip tie,” Shay reminded them.
“Then trunk,” Jasper added.
It took them ten minutes just to roll the men in the trunks of the Navigator and Mercedes, and then Shay and Jasper had to put two more men out of commission at the loading dock. Shay didn’t want to say anything to Libby, but she was worried that either Benji was a plant or he’d been uncovered. Her concerns were proven wrong when he met them in the empty kitchen. And then he proved what Shay had believed from the first night they met correct. Benji was in love with Libby.
“Libby, what are you doing here?” He rounded on Shay. “Why did you bring her? She’s a mother with two kids.”
“Yeah, two kids who were in that room when Costello’s men came to the manor. It’s not right, Benji. What they’re doing isn’t right,” Libby said.
“Look, Benji, I know you’re worried about her. But trust me, Libby can hold her own. Now we’re wasting time. Is Charlie still in Kozack’s office?”
“Yeah.” He wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“What is it?” Afraid to ask the question that was on the tip of her tongue.
“He’s alive, but Costello and two of his men are in there. They’ve been working him over. It’s not pretty.”
Three men. She could take three men no problem.
“Shay.” A hand on her arm stopped her forward motion. “Remember the plan. We go together. We draw them out one at a time,” Jasper said.
Benji stood out in the hall as they made their way to the dressing rooms. They didn’t run into anyone. Jasper ducked into the changing room closest to the back stairs and pushed over a mirror. As it crashed to the floor, they got in position. Overhead, they heard the sound of the office door opening, and then one of Costello’s men banged down the stairs. “What the hell?” he said upon entering the dressing room.
He noticed Shay just before she slammed a fist into his face. She sighed when he went down. She needed someone to put up a fight. The next man they drew out of the office went down just as easy.
But five minutes later when she kicked in the door of Kozack’s office, she got her wish. Benji had miscounted. Kozack, Costello, and two other men were in the office. One of the men had a gun to her uncle’s head. From behind her, a bullet whizzed past. The man who held the gun on Charlie let out a shocked cry and dropped to the floor, dead. Then—bang!—so was the other man who went to take his place. She hadn’t taken the shot, either one. She turned, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. From somewhere in the club, she heard yelling and a stampede of booted feet.
Costello swore. “Don’t even think about moving,” she said, holding her gun on him as she moved to her uncle’s side.
“Ah, ah, ah.” Kozack jerked as he crumpled to the ground, the gun in his hand going off. The bullet hit Costello, and he toppled over, bringing down a table with him.
FBI agents poured into the room, weapons drawn. “On the floor. Now.”
Shay looked around as she slowly lowered herself to the floor, relieved. Jasper was nowhere to be found. “They had nothing to do with it. He’s a bouncer, and they’re dancers. All they’re guilty of is trying to help my uncle. It’s all on me, no one else.”
* * *
Without looking at Shay, Michael nodded at his brother Connor and left the interrogation room at FBI headquarters. Connor pulled out the chair and sat beside her at the table. His brilliant white smile was more flash than reassurance. Though the warmth and compassion in his eyes made up for it.
Michael’s gaze had been condemning and Arctic cold. He’d looked right through her. She still felt the chill deep down in her bones. She wished there was something she could say that would make him understand. But she wasn’t sure she completely understood why she hadn’t been able to find another way herself. Why she’d destroyed the best thing that had ever happened to her.
She glanced at the mirror across from her, wondering if Michael stood behind it. She rubbed her nails, focusing on cleaning off specks of her uncle’s blood. She didn’t want to hear what Michael’s brother and the two agents were saying about the charges. If she did, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hide her fear at the thought of being locked away again.
She swallowed the bile that burned her throat, blinking back the moisture gathering in her eyes to refocus on her hands. They were sweaty, yet she was shivering. The reaction struck her as odd. The room was hot, not cold. She wondered if they’d turned up the heat to purposely make her sweat. No, she was sweating because, no matter how much she tried to pretend she didn’t hear them, she did. Ten years to life? Had she heard that right? The room started to spin.
The glass on the opposite wall shuddered, and moments later, Michael strode into the room. He threw his badge on the table, pushed back his jacket, and withdrew his gun from the holster, laying it alongside his shield. “Let the record show I’m taking over as Ms. Angel’s attorney.”
“Are you kidding me? You got me to come down here at two in the morning to represent Shay, and now you’re firing me?”
“You were going to plead her out. She’s innocent. And the only deal we’re taking is one that clears her of all charges. A commendation for bravery for her role in saving my life and my partner’s might be nice too.”