Minutes passed and the sound of the party continued outside the door. Victor finally came through the secret entrance, his countenance letting her know Jack had gotten away. She softened her cries, staying curled into a ball.
He moved around the room, conferring with several people, completely ignoring her. Not that she minded since he was talking about how he would catch ‘Waters’. With the mobster’s plans, she could warn Jack.
“I need to make sure he didn’t get anything from the safe. Leave me alone for a minute while I check.” Victor dismissed his associates then glanced her way. She had her hands over her eyes and sobbed a bit more. He must have figured she was no threat, so he moved toward the fireplace and removed one of the bricks. Another group of bricks swung out, revealing a small safe.
Holding her breath, she shifted to try and see the combination he used. She peeked through a small slit between her fingers. The first number was ten and the next one twenty-three. He turned the dial again…It was Angelo’s birthday. Easy enough to remember. But would she ever get a chance to see what was in there? And was it enough to put Victor away for good?
Victor closed up the safe and walked toward her. “Callina, dear, are you injured in any way?”
Oh, so now he asks. Good thing she wasn’t bleeding to death. Holding where Jack had pressed the knife and where he’d bled on her, she gave a few tiny sobs and sniffed, “I want to go home. Please, have someone bring me home.”
“Of course, dear. I’ll have a driver come round the front immediately. I’m so sorry you had to be involved with this. We’ll get this monster, don’t you worry.”
Sitting up, she wiped the moisture from her face but continued to sniff periodically. Within a few minutes, she had her coat and purse and was leaning against the back seat of Victor’s best limo. As they rolled down the long driveway, she took out her phone and texted Jack, asking him to respond as soon as he could, let her know he was all right.
The phone vibrated almost immediately.
GOT AWAY NO PROB. HOW’S MY BITCH?
She laughed then glanced at the front but the driver had the window partition up and couldn’t hear her.
She texted back:
MISSING YOU.
There was no response so she settled back for the long drive. About fifteen minutes later the rumble of a motorcycle roared near the passenger side back window. Who would be stupid enough to be riding a motorcycle in New Jersey on New Year’s Eve? It was freezing out.
When the bike stayed level with the car for a few minutes, she peeked out the window. The sight of the familiar leather jacket and snug jeans, made her heart sore. He turned his head for a second, saluted, then roared off ahead of them.
She sighed as tears of relief spilled down her face. Jack had gotten away and Victor thought he worked for a competitor. And she’d learned the whereabouts and combination to Victor’s private safe. One his associates didn’t even know about.
There was nothing she could do right away. Victor would suspect too much if she showed up at his house soon. But in a few weeks, yeah, she could make up some excuse for a visit. Then she’d need some reason to be left alone in his office for a while. Her mind whirred, ideas coming and going. Assessing each one for possible risks, she either threw them out or stuck them in a corner of her mind to work on further. This was a two-hour ride. It should be enough time to come up with a feasible plan to get the information the authorities needed to put Victor away for good.
And once they did, would she and Jack be able to finally be a family? Would he want that? He’d offered to take her and Jonathan away to another country but had he been serious? He’d never mentioned wanting to marry her. Could she live with him, never knowing when he would be hurt or killed in his job? She still wanted a quiet life. And with Jack she was afraid it was something she would never get.
* * * *
The little white stick had turned blue.
Callie let out a breath, not sure if she was happy or sad. Definitely confused. She loved Jack Holland and could think of nothing better than carrying another child of his. Jonathan was precious to her and this child would be too.
But too many complications arose from this pregnancy. Jack was still on the run. It had been difficult going through her first pregnancy and delivery without him. Yes, Heather had been there for her and she would be again, if she was needed. Was it too much to ask that the father of her child be present at the birth, and more? She wanted him to laugh and cry with her as their child entered into this world.
And Victor? How would she explain this to Victor? She hadn’t been dating anyone since Angelo. He’d be suspicious if she suddenly came up with some mystery man. Especially if she couldn’t make him materialize. One night stands weren’t her style and he knew that.
The only solution would be to make sure Victor was put away before she began to show. She was barely a month along so it could be a few more before anyone suspected. Could they do it that quickly? The FBI had been working on it for years and hadn’t accomplished anything. But they didn’t have access to Victor’s personal safe and his home computer.
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders. The plan she’d come up with during her drive back from the New Year’s Eve party suddenly came to life. If she wanted to be free of Victor and have any chance with Jack, she needed to take this risk. Hopefully, she wouldn’t regret it.
* * * *
“Why’s the light on inside?” Jack asked as he and Scott approached the trailer at the Pennsylvania construction site. Scott turned the handle easily, causing him to pause. “And why isn’t the door locked?”
His cousin stepped inside and Jack trusted him enough to follow.
“I thought we needed to call in a little help.”
“What are you talking about? Help with construction?” He stopped inside the door at the sight of the three large men lounging on the battered furniture. “What the hell’s going on? Some kind of intervention?”
