Stealing the Golden Dream Page 14

  “Why’s he doing this? What does he want?”

  She could see by his face, he had no more idea than she. “You’re just going to let him take you? Not put up a fight? Eddie? No! I can’t stand by and let you just walk right into it. No!”

  He squeezed her hand.

  “LaSalle’s a killer.” She was barely able to speak.

  He looked at her sideways and shrugged.

  “Yes,” she went on. “I know. You can take better care of yourself than ninety-nine percent of the rest of humanity, but Eddie, this scares me. LaSalle scares me, not to mention we might be dealing with the cartels.”

  “Look, babe. This is me. This is what I do, what I was trained for, and yeah, I’m better at it than anyone else, even better than Tony LaSalle. You gotta promise me you won’t come after me. This guy’s deadly. He’d just as soon shoot you as look at you, and if he takes you, it’s just one more thing he can use against me.”

  She looked at him, and while she knew he was right, the words still came hard. “Okay. I won’t try anything on my own.” But I never said I wouldn’t come with backup. Half a promise, half a lie. He did that sleight of hand with her all the time. Presto-chango.

  He looked in her eyes. “I mean it this time.”

  She prayed he wouldn’t see her deception.

  “Trust me,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”

  “I know,” she said. And he would be, because she’d see to it.

  Chapter 25

  The arranged time came and went, and still they sat in the car. The temperature dropped in the early morning hours. Jordan reached into the backseat for a lightweight jacket, shrugged into it, and slipped her hip holster outside it. No matter what Eddie said, if things went bad, she wanted to be ready for trouble.

  In her whole life if she’d ever seen anyone who looked untrustworthy, it was Tony LaSalle.

  “Eddie.”

  Headlights appeared along the access road to the parking lot, moving slowly.

  She pulled her hand out of his and instinctively reached for her gun. He stayed her hand.

  It was the black Expedition from the video. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

  The car pulled up to the entrance of the parking lot and stopped. It just sat there, and she couldn’t take it.

  “What is he doing?” she asked.

  “Waiting. Making sure there’s nobody else around.” How could Eddie’s voice be so steady?

  When nothing else seemed to be happening and she thought she’d have to scream out loud, Eddie opened his car door and stepped out into the night.

  She hit auto-dial on her phone, laid it on the seat, opened the driver’s door, and got out too.

  He looked at her. “Stay cool.”

  She nodded, anything but cool.

  The Expedition pulled forward and stopped again about fifteen yards away into the circle of light beneath the light pole. The passenger door opened, and Tony LaSalle stepped out.

  He stood still for a long moment, looking into the desert surrounding the parking lot. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried in the night air. “Anybody else out there, Marino?”

  “You know me, Tony. Mr. Congeniality. You said come alone. I came alone.”

  “Right. Mr. Congeniality.” He looked around again, opened the back door and pulled Mama Rose out beside him. She stumbled but he didn’t let her fall.

  Eddie walked around to the front of the car and looked back at Jordan. She joined him. His whole body was vibrating. It was her turn to steady him.

  Tony said something Jordan couldn’t hear. The driver’s door opened, and another man stepped out of the Expedition. Light bounced off the top of his head—longish curly black hair. His face was in shadow. His right arm hung loosely at his side, the unmistakable silhouette of a military-style automatic pistol visible in the dim light.

  Jordan’s breath came fast and shallow. She reached for her holster, but Eddie whispered, “No. They’re just being careful. He wants me alive for some reason, and he won’t shoot you right now. It would be against his twisted code of ethics.”

  Tony had a grip on Mama Rose’s upper arm. He began to pull her along with him. “Let’s go, old girl.”

  Mama Rose shrieked, “Don’t touch me, goomba. I can walk on my own.”

  The two drew closer. Eddie nodded at Jordan, and they began to walk side by side toward Tony and Mama Rose. Closer. Closer still.

  Mama’s hands were bound in zip ties, but that didn’t keep her from jerking them upward and trying to pop Tony in the nose. “Run, Eddie, I got this.”

  “Jesus, lady. Knock it off, will ya?”

  He stopped walking about ten feet from Jordan and Eddie. They stopped too.

  “You okay, Mama?” The smile on Eddie’s face was heart breaking. “I want you to go with Jordan.”

  Rose began to cry. “No, Eddie. He’ll hurt you.”

  “It’s okay, Mama. He just wants to talk.” His eyes lifted. “Isn’t that right, Tony?”

  “Yeah,” the very definition of sarcasm, “talk, and you’re the one who’s gonna be doing the talking.”

  “Me?” Eddie’s expression was confused.

  Tony shoved Mama, and she stumbled. Jordan lurched forward and caught her.

  “Go, Jordan.” Eddie didn’t look away from Tony or the other guy for a second. “Take Mama and go.”

  “Mama, get in the back.” She couldn’t keep her voice from shaking.

  “Jordan, don’t leave him.” Mama’s voice shook too.

  “I promised.” There wasn’t anything else to say. She shut the door behind Mama Rose, got behind the wheel, started the car, and drove from the parking lot out onto the city streets.

  It nearly killed her.

  She only looked back once. Tony’s man had moved to within a few feet of Eddie and aimed his gun at Eddie’s chest. Tony grabbed the front of Eddie’s shirt with one hand and clocked him in the face with the other. Jordan looked away. There would be more, and she wasn’t in a position to stop it. Not yet.

  She could barely speak, but managed. “I got her. Go.”

  Tank’s voice came back over the phone speaker. “Roger that.”

  Jordan pushed the accelerator and turned onto McDowell Road. Behind her, Mama sobbed.

  “He’ll be okay, Mama. We’ll get him back.”

  “How could you just leave him there?”

  “I couldn’t help it. He made me promise. I’m taking you to Eddie’s place. Mark’s there, waiting for you. Coop will be inside with the two of you, and a couple of hard cases will be on the door. Tank and Diego are already on it, Mama. They’ll get him back. You heard, right?”

  But Mama Rose just cried harder. “My Eddie.”

  By the time Jordan delivered Mama Rose to Eddie’s place in Kierland, Jordan had cut the zip ties. The old girl was quivering like a bowl of Jell-O. So much so, Jordan had to support her in the elevator and down the hall.

  When she opened the door, Mark rushed forward and took over, encircling Rose in his arms. He turned her toward the guest room. “Let’s get you to bed.”

  “Hang on, Mark. I need to ask her a few questions.”

  Mark opened his mouth to object, but Mama Rose stayed him with her hand on his arm. “What can I do, Jordan?”

  “Tell me everything you remember, from the time they pulled you into the car until the minute they let you out at the rendezvous.”

  Mama Rose sat on the sofa, and Jordan watched with admiration while Rose pulled herself together and began to talk. She told of a frightening, bumpy ride, of being blindfolded and gagged in the backseat of the Expedition, but Rose was a sharp cookie, a writer and gatherer of details and had retained more than Jordan could have hoped for.

  “There was one of those cargo-type doors. Overhead, you know. It made a clanking noise when it went up and down. I couldn’t see, but I got the impression it was a big, empty place. And it smelled funny. I know you’re going to think I’ve gone crackers, but it smelled like cof
fee. Coffee. I swear. And I heard trains nearby.”

  There was more, but Jordan latched onto the part about the big, empty place near the railroad tracks that smelled like coffee. A warehouse. They’d taken Rose to a warehouse, and chances were good that Eddie was in the same place.

  Jordan glanced at the clock. Three twenty, still the middle of the night, but she couldn’t even think about being tired.

  Gina came from the kitchen, a steaming cup in her hand. She set it on the dining room table. “I made coffee. Here.”

  Jordan drank it down—hot, strong, and black. She was lost, walking a high wire with no safety net. Eddie was gone, taken God knows where, or why—God and Tony LaSalle.

  Gotta get him back. Can’t let them have him. Not Eddie. Her vision blurred, eyes burning. She looked away from Gina. No tears.

  “Where’s my grandma?” Gina asked.

  Jordan tilted her head toward the spare bedroom. “Mark’s trying to get her calmed down.”

  “The creep didn’t hurt her, did he?”

  Jordan shook her head.

  “How is she?” Gina asked.

  “A wreck.” Aren’t we all?

  Gina hesitated before she asked, “Uncle Eddie?”

  Jordan couldn’t bring herself to answer, but apparently she didn’t have to. Gina looked into her eyes and burst into tears.

  A knock came at the door. Jordan beat Gina to it.

  Coop stood at the threshold, looking sleepy, ruffled, and cherubic. A red and black motorcycle helmet was tucked under his arm.

  His blue eyes were full of sympathy and concern. He stepped inside, and Gina fell into his arms, sobbing.

  Really? So soon? They’d only known each other three days. Were they seriously an item already? Eddie wouldn’t like it. She swallowed hard and sent a silent prayer he’d have the chance to grouse about his precious niece and the cute ex-con.

  Over Gina’s head, Coop’s eyes asked the question.

  Jordan crossed the room and sat in Eddie’s horrible orange chair. She’d always hated it, but would have to admit to Eddie that while it was ugly as hell, it was comfortable as an old shoe. Again, a silent plea, Dear God, please let me have the chance to tell him.

  She looked up at Coop. “Tank and Diego called about twenty minutes ago. They found his clothes, the tracker still in his jeans pocket, piled in the parking lot at Papago Park. They took him, Coop. We don’t know where.”

  Gina sniffed and pulled away from Coop. “Tell us what to do.”

  That was the question, wasn’t it? What should they do? What should any of them do? “Stay here with Mama Rose. She doesn’t leave here, you understand?”

  The two nodded.

  “Eddie’s computer is in his den. You two see what you can find out about LaSalle. I want to know everything you find, everything. You never know what might turn out to be a lead.” She reached in her jeans for Eddie’s keys. “Check the files on the outside chance he’s stockpiled information on LaSalle.”

  Gina took Coop by the hand and started off down the hall toward the den. She turned back. “Where are you going?”

  “Downtown, to see the only person with enough guts to get me what I need: Sofia Vercelli.”

  Chapter 26

  It was cold and dark and smelled like a dustbin and something else. Coffee. Coffee?

  When he didn’t hear anything, Eddie waited then opened his eyes.

  Flat on his back in his boxers. A stainless steel hospital surgical table. Cold as hell.

  An IV drip was hooked up to his right arm, chilling him from the inside out. He couldn’t move, except with an intense effort of concentration. Even then his motions were tiny, nearly imperceptible. What the …? Drugged. They drugged me.

  He shifted his eyes to inspect his surroundings. His first impression was of a big, hollow space. Empty gorilla shelves here and there told him he was in a warehouse or storage space. At second story height, several big rectangular windows revealed night sky barely visible through the dirt and grime. He could make out letters painted on the glass: Cumberland Distributors. From the looks of it, this might be one of the vacant warehouses where Tony LaSalle brought his victims to convince them to do what he and Anthony Vercelli wanted them to do. From their history together, Eddie knew LaSalle liked privacy when he worked.

  Off to one side, a man sat by a small table. A camping lantern cast white light across the surface of the table and onto the man’s torso. He held an open comic book in front of him. Thor.

  Guarded. Right. Trouble with being kidnapped by someone you’d worked with in the past was that the kidnapper knew your moves. No way Tony would leave him alone. This guy wore green scrubs. LaSalle had provided him with his own friggin’ nurse.

  His face hurt—stiff and probably bruised. The asshole hit him when he couldn’t hit back. Coward. He tasted blood.

  Feet bound—duct tape maybe. Arms strapped down. Some kind of wide band crossed his midsection, lashing him to the table. It was obvious LaSalle was scared of him. Eddie would have laughed if he could. It was complete overkill. He couldn’t even move his little finger.

  The comic book fell to the floor. The man stood and crossed to stand over Eddie. His male nurse was a big Latino—a big smiling Latino. “Buenos dias, dude. Rise and shine. Time to wake up and smell the burritos.” He reached into his pocket, took out his cell and dialed. “He’s up, boss. Got it. See you then.”

  He moved closer and elbowed Eddie in the ribs, hard. It hurt like hell.

  “Boss is on his way. He’s got big plans for you.”

  A shiver ran through him. Tony LaSalle knew a thousand and one ways to cause pain. He wasn’t looking forward to the coming ordeal. Too bad they hadn’t drugged him with something to kill the pain.

  But one of the things that scared him most was, he didn’t have the first clue what LaSalle wanted or needed from him. Revenge. Sure. He knew LaSalle blamed him for the time he had to spend in prison. But why not just shoot his ass and be done with it? Why this elaborate scheme? And why now?

  Sofia Vercelli lived in a high-rise condo near downtown Scottsdale in the Camelback corridor, eight stories up, overlooking the canal.

  Even Jordan was impressed. The place must have set Daddy back a few million.

  Jordan steeled herself, hating what she was about to do but rang the doorbell anyway. Stop whining and cowgirl up.

  Sofia opened the door and her eyes grew wide. “Wow. You look like hell. Here for grooming tips?”

  Jordan bristled, but held in a retort. She had to admit Sofia did look really good for seven in the morning. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. Her skin was clean and healthy-looking. She wore tight-fitting spin pants and a Lycra tank. She held a half-empty bottle of Fiji water in one hand. She looked gorgeous, no surprise, and normal, big surprise. No trace of the bimbo Jordan met in Eddie’s apartment. Was that only a few days ago? It seemed like a lifetime.

  “Eddie’s in trouble.”

  Without a word, Sofia stepped back and pulled the door open wide.

  Jordan walked in. The door shut behind her.

  Sofia turned to her. “Tell me.”

  Sofia seemed to hang on Jordan’s every word.

  When she finished, Sofia said, “Wait here,” and left the room.

  In less than a minute she came back shrugging into a Lucky Brand cropped hoodie, her purse and car keys in one hand.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Where?”

  “Where do you think? To my dad’s.”

  The big Latino from the parking lot was hammering at him like a union carpenter. His fist sailed into Eddie’s face again. His head jerked back with the force.

  His face felt huge; the skin was tight. His eyes were so swollen, he could hardly see, and his vision pulsed with the rhythm of the throbbing in his head. His nose was so battered, he could hardly breathe through it, and air came to him in wet, shallow gulps through his mouth.

  Earlier they’d moved him from the bed to a chair. L
ike the big bad wolf, all the better to beat the bejeezus out of you, my dear.

  Tony stood a few feet away, but the ringing in Eddie’s ears made him sound like he was in a tunnel. “Good enough for now, Angel.”

  Angel? Ironic. Eddie smiled. At least he thought he managed it; it hurt.

  “How you feeling, asshole?” Tony walked around him.

  Eddie’s gaze could only track him part of the way.

  The toe of Tony’s boot smashed into Eddie’s shin.

  Eddie groaned. Fun and games courtesy of Tony “The Prick” LaSalle.

  “Look at you now, hot stuff,” Tony went on, “The old man always thought you were his golden boy, his special apprentice, his protégé. Only you weren’t, were you? He found out you’re nothing but a coward.”

  Says the hero who shoots ’em in the back.

  LaSalle went on. “You didn’t have the stomach … or the balls to get the job done. You ran. Coward.”

  The boot landed on Eddie’s leg again. He swallowed the pain. His throat was so dry it was as if he had a mouthful of dirt. “Owe you for Muggs, Tony. I’ll come for you.”

  “I’ll take my chances, but I’m not gonna kill you. You’re too valuable to me. You tell me where my gold coins are, and you boogie out of here just like Kevin Bacon.”

  Did I hear him right? “Gold coins?”

  LaSalle leaned in until Eddie could smell the garlic on his breath. “What did you do with them?”

  “I ain’t got ’em.” He could barely hear his own voice. “Been looking for them myself.”

  “Don’t bother lying. I saw you. At Frankie’s place,” Tony hissed, and his spittle made Eddie turn his head. “I saw you leave. You had one of those little cases in one hand and the bag with the rest of them in the other.”

  Eddie managed to shake his head a little. The drugs must be wearing off.

  LaSalle smacked him on top of the head. It hurt, but Eddie went on, “I don’t have them, and I don’t know where they are.”

  Tony’s voice was tight and low. “You better be giving it to me straight. If Frankie don’t still have them, I’m coming back here. I’ll beat the truth out of you, and you won’t like my methods.”