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Tyler steered the SUV into his parents’ home. It looked deserted. He tried to think, had Jessica or Christine told him the Elders, as their children called them, were going out-of-town? He hadn’t talked to his sisters in weeks, but he didn’t remember any mention of his parents going on a vacation.
They wouldn’t be at work since they were both retired. Neither one of the Elders had said anything when they’d visited him in the hospital. Then his mother had been on one of her superstitious kicks about the charm bracelet.
“That took a lot longer than I’d planned, but at least we have a nice clean windshield.” Tyler put the SUV into park and climbed out his door.
“Tyler, I don’t think anyone’s home, do you have a key?”
“Of course I do. I think the whole neighborhood has one.”
Tyler looked around the sleepy little neighborhood. He missed it. Brooklyn wasn’t usually described as quiet, anyway not since about nineteen seventeen. But it was one of the nicer sections. Mrs. McNamara was out walking her yappy little poodle.
“Wait here,” Tyler directed and left Keira standing by the car.
“Hi, Ma’am, nice day for a walk with...” What was the mutt’s name? “Freddie is it?”
She looked at him in suspicion. Apparently she hadn’t recognized him. “It’s Furry, and aren’t you that Beckett boy?”
The old gal had a memory better than he gave her credit for. “One of them, I’m Tyler.”
“Oh yes, the one that failed the police school or whatever it’s called.”
“Academy.” Tyler corrected automatically. “I graduated. I’m an agent, Mrs. McNamara.”
There wasn’t a need to keep it quiet anymore. It wasn’t as if she’d be involved in anything where he’d be undercover.
“Do you know where my parents are?”
“Who’s that over there, that ragged girl?” She looked over the top of her glasses at Keira.
Keira did look a little scruffy around the edges, nothing a nice hot shower wouldn’t take care of. “We’ve been out camping and I thought we’d stop by the Elders’, clean up a bit and have a visit.”
“That’s too bad, your mother told me they were going to Martha’s Vineyard for their anniversary. Don’t you know when your parents got married, boy?”
Hell, he couldn’t even keep track of the family birthdays. “Oh, I forgot. Well, I guess we’ll let ourselves in and clean up and leave a note.”
He could feel her watching him all the way to Keira. She probably thought he’d steal the china. Even though he grew up there. She’d always been an old bitty for as long as he remembered.
“Did she know where they were?”
He flipped open the hatch and took both their bags out. “Yes, they’re out-of-town a few days for their anniversary.”
“You didn’t know?”
“How would I know? I don’t keep track of things like that.” He shrugged and led the way up the front porch steps.
He put his bag down and unlocked the door, stepping away to allow Keira to enter first. As he walked in, he turned and waved at the neighbor and her dog.
“Nice place. Oh look at that antique piano.” Keira walked over to it and touched the keys as if she’d never seen one before.
“It was new when the Elders bought it, so it doesn’t seem like an antique to me.”
“Do you play?”
“Mom made all of us take lessons. I was never very good at it. But Jessica, she’s fabulous.”
“Jessica’s your younger sister, correct?” Keira asked, walking to her bag and picking it up from where he’d dropped it.
“I’m the oldest, they’re all younger.” He pulled the suitcase out of her hand, “I’ll take it, come on let’s get you to the shower.”
“I look that bad?”
“Well... Mrs. McNamara did comment on it.” He laughed when she actually groaned. “Hey, you’re still beautiful to me.”
“Liar.”
“You can use Jessica’s room, it has an adjoining bath. I’ll go down the hall to my old room. When you’re done you can meet me in the kitchen. It’s down the hall on the opposite side of the living room.”
He gently shut the door after she’d walked in. He carried his bag to his room. It always felt good to be home. The water heater wasn’t what it used to be, he’d let her shower first before he took his. He probably needed a cold shower anyway. She was too tempting for her own good.
The house phone was in the kitchen, once he got there he picked it up dialed his sister’s number. After several rings, her voice mail came on. Not leaving a message, he dropped the receiver into its cradle.
The ringing of his secure cell phone startled him. He’d told Gabe not to call. Must be important. He debated whether to answer, on the fourth ring he finally picked up.
“Beckett.”
“Thank God.” Gabe’s voice actually did sound relieved.
“What’s wrong?”
Tyler listened while Gabe explained about the two rental car employees. He thought of what he’d seen and felt his stomach flop over.
“It was Batt.”
“What happened?”
“I went to the store and Keira went for a hike behind the cabin. This sounds stupid but I’m glad she hurt her ankle.”
“Why would you be glad?” Gabe paused, it sounded like a hand was placed over the phone.
“Is someone there with you? There’s a leak in the department if Battista found us.”
“Detective Solomon is here. We’re at Duke’s so it’s safe to talk. His snitch saw Batt at the docks this morning. We think DeLuca shipped off his underage prostitutes.”
“Damn, I wanted to catch him. At least Battista is in New York, but that makes him pretty damn close to me.”
“What do you mean? Where are you?” Gabe asked.
“I don’t want you to know. It’s safer for everyone. I’ll call you when we get to a safe house.”
Tyler finished telling Gabe about Battista coming while he was on the hill behind the cabin. And what happened to the two men.
“Now you have two witnesses to crimes Batt has committed. I’m not sure where we’re going from here. I’ll let you know. Just make sure when you tell the Cap, it’s not at the station.”
“The Cap already told us we can’t discuss anything at the station until we find out who’s leaking the information.” There was a pause on the line, Tyler waited, with a sinking feeling he wasn’t going to like what was said. “When you were working at Hancock, did you hear anything about his daughter Rosa coming home from Europe?”
“Hancock never talked about his family. Once in a while you’d hear a client ask how his wife was, but that was about it. If I hadn’t read his file I wouldn’t have known he had a daughter.”
Tyler heard the water shut off down the hall. Not that he didn’t want Keira to hear, he just wanted to have time with her without worrying about work.
“Listen, I need to go. I’ll call when we’re moved. Find Batt so we can bring him down.”
“Working on it. Take care of our witness.”
Tyler hung up the phone as Keira walked into the kitchen. “Who was that?”
“Gabe, they were worried about us since they found the rental cars.”
“Oh, any news on Battista?”
“He was on the Hancock’s private dock this morning.”
“Too close, Tyler, what are we going to do?”
“You, my dear are probably hungry, so why don’t you find yourself something while I shower. Mom has the best stocked pantry around.”
He leaned into her, and as he did so the fresh scent of orchids tickled his nose. His lips nibbled just below her ear until she squirmed. Then he stepped back, turned, and went in search for his cold shower before he delayed it any longer.
*****
Keira’s neck still tingled where Tyler had kissed her. Her stomach also had a thousand butterflies vying to get out. Would it always be like this? His touch leaving her weak and lightheaded? Or was it just plain old fashioned lust? She hoped it was long-term. She kind of liked the feeling.
She heard the shower turn on down the hall. Time to fix something to eat before they hit the road again. Traveling had always been such a treat, she wondered if it would ever feel like that again.
The old fashioned design of the kitchen had been updated to modern retro. Keira was instantly charmed. If it reflected the personality of Tyler’s mother she was going to love her. But first things first, they both needed food.
By the time Tyler returned to the kitchen, his damp hair curled around his face, chicken was simmering. She’d found fresh squash from the garden and then added rice as a side.
“Something smells delicious.” She felt his tongue on her neck when he cozied up behind her. Shivers raced down her spine. She’d have to remember to wear her hair in a pony tail more often.
“Are you going to call your parents before we leave?” Keira ushered him to the table, if he continued his amorous pursuit they’d never get on the road to safety.
As long as they stayed in the same city as Battista, she wouldn’t feel safe. Actually, she wouldn’t feel safe until the monster was behind bars.
“I don’t have their number.”
“You don’t know your own parents’ cell numbers?”
“The Elders don’t think they need cells. I don’t know what hotel. Or knowing my parents, what bed and breakfast they’re staying at. I thought I’d leave a note in their room.”
“Let’s eat so we can get out of here.” She dished up Tyler’s food and handed it to him, easier than scooping everything into serving dishes. “Where are we going?”
“First, we have to get rid of the SUV, Battista will be looking for it. My Dad has an old MG Midget. We’ll borrow that. If anything happens to it though, I’ll be disowned from the family.”
“Maybe we should get a rental car.”
“That’s a thought, but I don’t want any records out there. I have no idea how many people DeLuca has on his payroll.”
She watched Tyler stab a piece of chicken and pop it in his mouth. He closed his eyes as if he were in ecstasy. It warmed her all the way to her toes. “Oh, my Mom is going to love you.”
“Why’s that?”
“She always told me and my brother once we found a woman who could cook, we found our true love. I wished I’d listened to her the first time around. My ex could burn boiling water.” He gave her his sexy grin and then winked at her. “Yup, you’re a keeper.”
“Gee, thanks. You put it so romantically.” Nonetheless, those butterflies were fluttering again.
Once the food was gone, Keira gathered plates and took them to the washer. “You go write your note and check out the car. I still think if we rented one we’d be okay. The only place they would be able to trace it was to the rental car location where we rented it. They wouldn’t know where we were going.”
“True. I’ll think about it. Why don’t you go gather your things?” Tyler stood and walked down the hall in the direction of his parents’ room.
“After I’m through cleaning up my mess.” She called after him.
It was another hour before they were on the road. Keira drove the SUV and followed Tyler, who was in his Dad’s car. She figured he’d really wanted to take the cute little car. They’d crossed the bridge over to Manhattan.
Her nerves were humming. It was too close to the spot where she’d witnessed the cruelty of Battista. And he was on their trail. Here they were right under his nose. Tyler better know what he was doing.
Tyler turned into a parking structure, waived at the attendant as if he knew him. Keira saw him indicate her and say something. When she arrived at the window, the man motioned for her to drive through.
Tyler stopped in the middle of the row of cars and indicated a space for her to park the SUV. Then he climbed out and opened the door for her. She climbed in and then he went around and literally hopped in over the door. She couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. Just like a man.
“Where are we?”
“My apartment, this is my stall. I didn’t want to leave the SUV at my parents’, if Battista found it there who knows what he’d do. This way, the worst he’ll do is toss my apartment, and since we’re not going in he won’t find anything.”
“Ready?” He grinned at her.
He pulled into the traffic. Judging by the signs she figured he was headed for the Interstate. Tyler still hadn’t told her where they were going. Keira decided to sit and relax. He’d insisted they put the top down. Her hair whipped in the wind. It felt as if they were out for a joy ride. As long as she didn’t let herself think about Battista, she’d be able to pretend.
*****
Tyler let himself relax as the breeze tickled his hair. He’d always loved to drive his Dad’s car with the top down. He glanced over at Keira, she had her head back on the rest, eyes closed and a small smile on her face. That was the reason he’d insisted they take his Dad’s car.
She’d been so easygoing about everything. She’d left everything behind, lost the job she’d come to New York for, she had a killer after her. She hadn’t complained once, except good naturedly. He wanted her to be able to relax and enjoy something.
He exited from the Interstate onto the highway that would lead to the small town where his brother lived. His brother was out of the country doing some contract work in Germany. He’d picked up the keys when they’d been at his parents’ home.
All he had to do now was decide whether to call and let Gabe know. He trusted him, but someone was getting the information. It had to be someone either Gabe or the captain trusted. They needed to know where he was, but how to do that without endangering Keira?
Tyler was sure his cell was safe, otherwise, Battista would have showed up at his parents’. It proved it was someone at the station. Gabe had called him from a restaurant. Although, he swore up and down the Cap’s office had been clean when they’d discussed their whereabouts when Tyler and Keira had been at the Dane’s cabin.
The car slowing down must of woke Keira. He could see her stretching in his peripheral vision. Her nipples straining the fabric. He turned his attention to the road and swallowed.
“Hey sleepyhead.” His voice sounded hoarse to his own ears.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.” He felt her arm brush his sending little jolts through to the nerve endings. “Where are we?”
“Just one more turn and we’re at my brother’s.”
“Oh, you didn’t say we were going to meet someone from your family.” She flipped the visor down to look in the mirror. “I look a mess.”
“You look great. Sorry though, we won’t be meeting anyone. You’re stuck with some more alone time with me.”
“Where’s your brother?”
“He’s in Europe for work.”
“Oh.” She sounded so disappointed, he didn’t know whether to be insulted or not. “I was hoping to meet one member of your family anyway. But being alone with you is just fine with me.”
She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Setting the place her lips touched on fire.
He pulled into the drive, left the engine running. “Let me go see if there is a place I can park this out of sight.”
A patch of cement had been poured in the back. It had been so long since Tyler had visited Matthew he couldn’t remember if it was for a deck or a vehicle. It was perfect for what he needed though. The trees would block it from the sides and the house from the front.
Once he had the car hidden, he retrieved their bags from the trunk and led the way to the rear door. The lock turned easily and he held the door for Keira. She flipped on the lights as she entered the kitchen.
“Homey, he must take after your mom, or is it your dad who likes to cook?”
“My mom, she’s almost as good at cooking as you.” Tyler walked past her and headed in the direction of the bedroom. “Don’t tell her I said that.”
Keira followed, walked past him and bounced on the bed. “Nice and firm.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him.
“Don’t tempt me. I need to call Gabe and let him know where we’re at.”
“Do you really need to?”
“Yes, if they catch Battista we’ll both need to give statements and then testify.” He settled himself in the easy chair in the corner. “We need to form a plan. It’s not like we’ll get lucky and be out of the house if they find us again.”
“Maybe you should give me a tour of the house first. Then we can come up with a strategy together. I’m not sure I feel comfortable hiding in the house.” She stood and walked to the chair and pulled on his hand until he stood. “Eventually they’ll search the house and find us hiding. Is there only a front and back door?”
“There’s a door out of the basement also. The people before had someone living in their basement.”
Tyler led her through the house. A front door in the living area and the door in the kitchen they’d entered through. The stairs led down to the basement from the hall. It entered into a large recreation area. A walkway led to another bedroom, bathroom, and then at the end was a door leading to a cemented alcove, with steps leading to the backyard.
“If Battista and his men come for us, you run out this door and don’t look back. After we unpack, bring a small bag with all of your money in it and anything you would need and leave by the door. I don’t want you to take the time to try and gather things to take.”
“What about you?”
“Worry about yourself. It’s not safe for me not to trust that you’ll be running to safety. I have to know you’ll be escaping. Then I’ll have a chance.”
“Should I meet you somewhere?”
“Come on, let’s go upstairs. I’ll make my call and then we’ll discuss it a little more.”
“If they find us again and we escape, we can’t risk letting them know where we are the next time.” Keira trailed behind him, her voice sounded low and scared. Yet she still didn’t complain or argue.
Tyler led the way to the kitchen and motioned for her to take a seat. He went to the fridge and pulled it open. He hadn’t expected it to have anything in it, but wanted to check. The cupboards were just as bare, he felt like Old Mother Hubbard.
“We should have found a store.” Tyler sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
It had been a four-hour drive from his parents’, he didn’t know about Keira but he was hungry. No one knew where they were.
At least they were safe for the moment.
“Let’s go to a burger shack and stop at the store before I call Gabe.”
Tyler hadn’t realized the town pretty much folded up after dark. No McDonalds in sight. There was a small Mom and Pop drive-in about to close. He stopped the car at the window.
“We’re about to close young man. If you want sodas we can probably handle that.”
“Oh man, we’re starving. We’ve just arrived from New York City.” Tyler tried to look boyish and hungry at the same time. “We were hoping maybe you could at least make us something.”
The older woman looked past him and at Keira. Then she turned around and hollered, “Can we make a couple more burgers before we turn off the grill?”
“Why?” came the gruff reply.
“I’ll be right back.” She turned and left the window.
Tyler placed a hand on Keira’s knee, then winked at her. “I think we coaxed her into it.”
“I hope so, but if not, I can make you something after we go to the store.”
“We passed it, it was closed.”
“It was?”
He twisted in his seat and pointed down the road. She followed the direction and frowned. “What time is it?”
“It’s about nine. Small towns keep early hours, I guess. You should have known that.”
“No, we were big league in our town. We didn’t close up until ten.”
The woman was at the window by then. “Howard’s going to fix you up with a couple of hamburgers and fries, what would you like to drink?”
“We’ll have a couple of cokes.” Tyler threw his coaxing smile on again. “You wouldn’t know of a store that’s still open? My brother’s cupboards are bare.”
“Who’s your brother?” The woman stared at him waiting.
“Matt Beckett.”
Surprise washed over the woman’s face. “Matt’s your brother? I’m Codie, I live a few houses from your Mattie. He helps me with my yard. He’s such a good boy.”
Tyler held back a chuckle at her description. You’d think his brother was ten.
Her bulk bent as she looked through the window. “Now I see the resemblance. Don’t you worry.”
Again, she left the window, when she returned along with the food and drinks they’d ordered, she also had a bag of eggs, ground coffee, and other staples for their breakfast. After thanking the woman for her generosity they made their way to Matt’s.
Taking advantage of the cool summer evening they sat at the table in his brother’s backyard.
“Man I keep eating like this with no exercise I’m going to gain a hundred pounds.” Keira gave her first complaint and pressed her chair away from the table.
“I happen to like a little meat on my women.” Tyler felt stuffed himself, and the grease wasn’t sitting well on his stomach. He much preferred her cooking.
“Can’t put it off any longer, do you want to go in while I call?”
“No, the evening’s too nice.”
Tyler hit the speed dial for Gabe. It rang several times, he was about to disconnect.
“What?”
“Gabe? Bad time, you want me to call back?” Tyler asked in amusement. He probably had one of his many girlfriends there, how did a guy keep track of more than one? One of the reasons he was glad it hadn’t worked out with his sister, Jessica. Had they stayed together, Gabe would have hurt her worse than he had when he walked away. Tyler almost had to kill him that time. If he’d cheated on Jessica, there’d been no saving Gabe’s ass.
“Sorry, went to bed early, I’ve had a long day.”
“Okay.” Tyler’s voice held disbelief.
Gabe cleared his throat, and then the line went silent as if it was muted. A moment later Gabe came on. “Where are you?”
“I’m at Matthew’s. We’ll stay here until you catch Battista. As long as no one finds out we’ll be safe here.”
“I’ll call the Cap at home and tell him to meet me at Starbuck’s in the morning before we go into work. I think I’ll call David also. I’m hoping he’ll have word on the ship the young girls were on.”
“If we could bring the whole operation down along with Battista, what would we do for employment?” Tyler joked, but wouldn’t it be nice?