“You want me to get some C4 from the Kings for you?” he stares at me blankly before a small smile twists his lips.
“And a detonator. Not a cell phone type detonator, but one of those plunger-like ones that go off if you let go.”
“A dead-man’s switch?” he clarifies. “Constance, I don’t know if I like where this is going, and I don’t think Maximo…”
“Don’t tell me what Maximo would allow me to do,” I interrupt him. “Would you tell him when Constance approves or disapproves? Irina Volkov is going to die, Trenton, and I’m going to be the one to kill her. Are you going to help me or are you going to explain to Maximo why you let me face her alone?”
“You’ve been through a lot today, we both have, and I just think—” Trenton starts to argue before I interrupt him again.
“She killed your friend Joey, and Maximo still has a long, tough road to recovery. Are you really going to just let that stand or are you going to put this bitch in her place? Think verycarefully about what Maximo wouldreallywant,” I practically hiss at him.
“All right, all right,” he concedes with his hands raised. “I’ll make the call to Eddie as soon as we get to the ride. We’ll head over there before we head back to the estate. Any other stops you need me to make?”
“No, but I do need you to do something else while we’re at the Kings’ clubhouse. I need you to get that woman you were talking to, Van, and bring her with us. I’ll need her tomorrow.”
14
“I trusted you with the truth because I knew you were strong enough to carry it.”
— ROBERT MONROE
Constance
When we arrive backat the estate a few hours later, Trenton parks at the bottom of the stairs and then glances into the back seat at his friend, Van. “You sure you’ve got everything you need?” he asks her.
“Yup. I packed up a bag, and I’ve got dinner.” She smiles at him as she holds up the Burger King bag. She refused any payment for her help but had asked that we pick her up a Whopper and fries. She shoulders the backpack with her clothes and gets out of the SUV.
“You want me to go ahead and bring in the package?” Trenton asks me as I open the door to leave.
“Yes, grab that and bring it in. Let’s go ahead and get it all set up,” I confirm. “Just be careful with it.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” he snorts as he gets down from the driver’s seat and then opens the rear hatch. He carefully maneuvers the large, heavy box to his chest and then follows Van and me up the stairs to the front door.
Leonard is already standing in the doorway to welcome us home. “I’m so glad you’re back,” he greets us. “Adeline has been blowing up my phone to get updates on Maximo. Has there been any word on his condition since you left the hospital?”
“No, but I’m sure that’s a good sign,” I reply. “I’ve got the number for the intensive care unit on a card here, and Maximo is in room four. Here.” I dig it out of my purse and hand it over to Leonard. “Give that to Adeline so she can call them directly and ask for updates. It’ll make her feel better.”
Van walks past Leonard and after looking around briefly heads for the kitchen. Leonard stares after her for a moment, then turns back to me. “Is that a relative of yours or a friend?”
“That’s Van, a friend of mine,” Trenton replies. “Hey, where are Jamie, Tony, and Chris?”
“They’re downstairs with our guest.” Leonard frowns. “It might be a good idea to go check on them. That man seemed to be in bad shape when they brought him in earlier.”
“I’ll take this down there,” Trenton tells me as he nods to the box he’s carrying. “Are you coming with me?”
“Yes, I’ll be right there. Leonard, can you set Van up with a room for the night? Have her stay in the estate, not out in the guesthouse with all the men, all right?”
“Of course, I’ll take care of it.” He turns to Van who we can see standing at the kitchen counter eating her burger. “I’ll make sure she’s comfortable as soon as she eats.”
“Thank you. Come on, Trenton, let’s go set everything up,” I order him as I head for the stairs to the basement.
Tony is sitting at the table in the armory where Maximo keeps his guns. The big man has pushed all the tools to the side and has a Styrofoam clamshell filled with chicken wings in front of him. He waves one at us in greeting. “Constance, Trenton, are you two okay? Leonard told us what happened at the hospital. I’m sorry about your man Joey. He seemed like a good guy.”
“He was,” Trenton agrees. “Jamie and Chris back there with our guest?” He jerks his head towards the closed door across the room leading to what I now think of as the interrogation room.
As if on cue, someone curses and moans loudly from the far room. “Yeah, they’ve got that Jacob boy strung up in there,” Tony says as he licks his fingers.
“Has he told you anything useful?” I ask.
