Fade To Midnight (49 page)

And they were struggling with it. That was clear to see.

They hadn't talked much since the battle at his apartment. There was a tacit agreement to let Kev off the hook, at least until the imminent threat of death and dismemberment was over. But when that time came, ah God. The weight of it, the enormity. Eighteen lost years.

His brothers understood about the amnesia, intellectually. But they were still pissed at him in their hearts, and he didn't blame them.

It didn't help that the world had blown-up in their faces, quite literally, the second they'd found him. Piss-poor way to kick off an intense, emotionally charged family reunion. But it was just his style.

Every time he looked at Con or Davy, he started to shake. All those years. All those layers of grief and anger and doubt. All the things he didn't know about them, the stuff he'd missed, the stuff he'd never know. It blew his mind. He wasn't coping. The only thing he could do was to keep his head down, his eyes shut. Avoid it all.

Fortunately, they were all good at pushing emotional stuff aside to tend to a job of work. True sons of Crazy Eamon McCloud. But then again. It was that very gift that drove Dad bugfuck, in the end.

Dad.
It gave him a dissonant jolt, to have instant, blinding access to his childhood memories again. And they were so vivid. Unfaded and untarnished by time or wear, like normal people's memories. They'd been preserved in pristine condition in that fortress in his mind. It shocked him, to see Con and Davy's faces, two decades older.

And then there was Bruno, seething up there in the front seat. Kev had had sharp words with him about letting Edie out of his sight. His little brother had gotten his feelings hurt. He was sulking, bigtime. Kev didn't have the energy to deal with that, too. Later for Bruno's snit.

The first thing they'd done after getting Sean and Liv to the hospital was to go back to the warehouse complex outside Hillsboro where Kev and Yuliyah had been held, and mount vidcams at the exits, hoping that they weren't being observed by existing security. They'd stuck repeaters to trees and lightpoles at regular intervals, extending the signal to a place where the van could be discreetly parked, and huddled inside it, quiet and tense. So far, so good. No one had bothered them, or appeared to notice them. Davy had found WiFi coverage, and was tapping away at a laptop, making calls, pulling in favors. He'd found the make and model of Ava Cheung's car, and Des Marr's.

Now they just had to figure out what the fuck to do.

The smoke-colored Chevy Astro van they were in belonged to Alex Aaro, a tight mouthed, taciturn Army Rangers buddy of Davy's who had recently moved to Portland and was developing his own security consultancy. Aaro was at the wheel, Bruno was beside him. Miles, Con, Davy and Kev were shoehorned into the back, fighting for remaining oxygen molecules, smelling each other's rank stress sweat.

Marr had showed up shortly after they'd set up. He drove a silver Jag, and pulled into the entrance, turning toward the building where Kev had been held. They watched him park, go in.

Kev stared at the screen, wondering what to do. Block the vehicle when the bastard drove out? Follow him, or yank him out from behind the wheel and beat the shit out of him? Demand the location of the captured girls? If he clammed up, Yuliyah's companions were screwed.

And Jesus, Mary and Joseph, why the fuck didn't Edie call? How could her little sister turn her cell phone off on a day like today?

Unless she'd been forced to turn it off.

He shuddered. Con, who had been talking into his cell phone, felt it. He patted Kev's shoulder until he raised his head and forced himself to look into his older brother's searching eyes. “You OK?” Con asked.

He gave his brother a speaking look, and slumped again.

Con kept on with his conversation, but kept his hand on Kev's shoulder. “…OK, whatever, but tell Nick and Becca to get their asses up there, fast. I want someone else besides just Val…yeah, yeah, I know, but those guys are deadly, and they've got serious resources.”

He hung up, met Kev's questioning look. “That's Seth,” he explained. “Friend from way back. Brother of my ex-partner in the FBI. My partner got killed by a mobster. Seth helped us kill the mobster.”

“And married the mobster's daughter,” Davy added laconically.

Kev was taken aback. “Really? She didn't mind? About her dad?”

Con and Davy exchanged looks. “It's complicated,” Con hedged. “A long story. You'll meet him tonight. Raine and Jesse, their baby, are going up at Stone Island tonight, up in the San Juans. Along with Erin and Margot, and the kids.”

“Kids?” He looked quickly, back and forth. “You both have kids?”

“Two,” Con said. “My youngest is two months old. Madeline. My oldest is three.” He cleared his throat. “His name is Kevin.”

Kev tried to swallow. His throat was swelling.

“And I've got one. A girl, two. Named Jeannie, for Mom,” Davy said. “And, ah…maybe…”

Heads turned. “No way,” Miles said. “Really? Wow! You guys breed like bunnies!”

“It's too soon to talk about it,” Davy muttered. “But we think so.”

Kev's heart was pounding. Jesus. Little kids, babies everywhere. And his crazy shit was putting them all in jeopardy.

“Seth's going to guard Liv and Sean at the hospital,” Con said.

Kev let out a dry laugh. “So you think Tony and Rosa aren't enough protection for them?”

Davy snorted. “Tony and Rosa are hell on wheels. Literally. She broke the truck's axle. There's blood on the grill. But more guns never hurt. Tam's on her way down, too. So watch out.”

Miles whistled. “Oh, Lord. That means you have to tell her about her earrings and necklaces.”

Connor looked defensive. “So? I used them! They saved our asses! That's what they're for! They're supposed to be used, right? Isn't that the idea? Shouldn't she be glad they helped us survive?”

“They weren't yours to use. They were encrusted with diamonds,” Miles reminded him glumly. “She's gonna kill your hairy ass.”

“She can take a number and wait in line,” Con said testily. “Val's going to the island, with Nick and Becca. To cover the kids and wives.”

Davy rolled his eyes. “Great,” he muttered, sourly. “Awesome.”

“Val? Who's he?” Kev wanted to know everything all at once.

“An ex-spy. Tam's boy toy. Guy looks like a fucking cover model.” Con looked as disgruntled as Davy. “Not the kind of man you put on top of the list to guard your wife while you're away, but everybody else is busy. So what the fuck. He's damn good with a gun. At least.”

“Tell Erin to have him change Maddy's projectile-crap diapers,” Davy suggested. “Make him babysit Jeannie when she hasn't napped.”

“Ex-spy? Who's this Tam?” Kev asked. “She sounds interesting.”

There was a burst of nervous laughter, quickly smothered.

“Tam can't be described in words,” Con said. “She can only be experienced. And she cannot wait to meet you. Oh, boy.”

This cagey, evasive bullshit was starting to get on his nerves. “This is another one of these stories that's too long to start?”

“Right on,” Davy said.

Kev sighed, and addressed his next question to Bruno, who had been muttering into his cell. He reached up to pluck at his brother's sleeve. “You talked to Zia? How are Liv and Sean?”

“Better, they think,” Bruno said. “The ultrasound looked OK. She had some spotting, though. They shot her full of anti-spasmodics. She's asleep, now. Limp as a noodle. Sean's awake, though. Zia says he's torturing the nurses, yanking out his IV. He wants to come join us. She's working him over but good. Nobody messes with Zia Rosa.”

“I'll feel better when Seth gets down there,” Con muttered.

“Marr's car's coming out the entrance, and he's not alone,” Davy rapped out. “There's a woman in the car.”

Kev lunged to look. His guts twitched as he recognized the delicate profile of the woman in the passenger's seat. “It's Ava.”

He'd explained the X-Cog events as they had put the surveillance of the warehouse in place, and it had been a blessed relief to find them all hip to the bizarre situation. Sean's wild adventures with Dr. Osterman and Gordon three years ago had made long explanations unnecessary.

Aaro moved the van to follow at a discreet distance. They got onto the main strip, and it became clear that Aaro was an old pro at tailing, so Kev sagged back and left him to it, trying to ignore how exhausted he was. The lights of the strip malls flashed by. It had started to drizzle.

Bruno turned his head after a few minutes. “They're turning onto Cedar. I think they're headed to the Parrish place.”

Kev's tired body jolted straight up into the air. “With Ava?” he yelled. “He's taking that psycho bitch to Edie's family's house?”

“Relax,” Davy soothed. “Come on. Realistically. What can he or the psycho bitch do to her there, in front of her family?”

“You don't know that family,” he said. “Or that psycho bitch.”

Bruno's guess was dead on. Marr's car turned at the private drive that led to the Parrish home. Aaro pulled over and killed the engine.

“I cannot let him take that woman into the house where Edie is.” Kev muscled his way toward the door. “I'm going in.”

His brothers dragged him back down.

“To do what?” Con's harsh voice jolted his raw nerves. “Don't be a fucking idiot. If you get anywhere near that place, they will grab you, and fuck you up. Let this be your mantra, buddy. Repeat after me. I cannot help her from behind bars. Come on. Say it. Know it.”

Kev groaned. “Oh, God,” he muttered. “This is killing me.”

And it kept killing him, second by bone-grinding second. They ticked by, with agonizing, silent slowness. No one had the heart to speak under that crunch of fear and constraint.

Then headlights cut through the night once again. The streetlights gleamed on the silver Jag as it paused outside the gate.

“Just the driver,” Aaro said. “He left Psycho Bitch at the house.”

Everybody looked at Kev. “Your call, buddy,” Aaro said. “Do we follow him? Or do we stay with her?”

Kev stared at the taillights. He felt pulled tight, part of him following the car as Marr pulled away. Stretching like a rubber band.

It was the tug that did it. He was afraid to let the cord snap.

“Follow him,” he said. “We can learn something from him. We won't learn anything staring at a street sign.”

The van surged to follow. They followed the distant taillights, and landmarks came in and out of focus. He knew this road. He'd seen it this morning. Eons ago. Montrose Highway. “He's going to the Helix complex,” he said. “He's going to turn left, here. On Highett Drive.”

Des's left turn signal began to wink. Kev rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them, Davy was holding his cell phone out.

“Try her again,” he said.

Kev stared at the thing, dispirited. “I've tried twenty times.”

“Try again,” Davy urged. “You know you want to.”

Oh, what the fuck. He took it, punched in the number.

It rang. His heart flipped. The thing had finally been turned on.

“Hello? Ronnie?” Edie asked. “Is that you? Is everything OK?”

Her sweet voice made tears of competing relief and fury spurt out of his eyes. “Edie? It's Kev.”

“Oh, my God, Kev! Where have you been?”

“Later for that. What about you?”

“I'm OK. Did you hear about my dad?”

“Yes,” he said, thickly. “I'm so sorry.”

She cleared her throat. “I know. Well. Um. Later for that, too. Look, Kev. This thing is a huge set-up. They think you killed Dad. You have to run. And I mean now. I mean, right now.”

“Edie, never mind that. Listen to me. I just—”

“Never mind?” Her voice rose. “Do the words ‘death row' mean anything to you? Does ‘life in prison if you're really lucky' ring a goddamn bell?”

“Calm down,” he begged. “I'm just trying to tell you about—”

“Don't tell me to calm down! I have had the shitty day to end all shitty days, and I am not calm!”

“If you can't calm down, just shut up! Listen to me!” he bellowed.

The guys in the car shrank back instinctively.

There was a startled pause from Edie. “I'm listening,” she said.

“The short version is, there's a woman in the house with you who is extremely dangerous. She—”

“I'm not in the house right now.”

“What?” he yelled. “What do you mean, not at the house? Where the fuck are you? Where did you go?”

The other guys made frantic
calm down, cool it
gestures, but he was freaking out as he watched Marr park in the lot where he had parked this very morning. It looked deserted, but a single light was on, on the fifth floor. Maybe some forensics types were still working.

“Please, don't scream,” Edie said. “It flusters me. I'll tell you everything, OK?”

Davy leaned forward with his binoculars, peering out the windshield. “He's out of the car,” he announced grimly. “He's going in.”

“Just tell me where you are,” Kev begged.

“Well, I sneaked out of my dad's house, which was harder than you might think. Now I'm at the Parrish Foundation building—”

“What? You're where?” He sprang up, knocked his head against the van's ceiling, hard enough to make his vision darken.

“The Parrish Foundation building,” she repeated. “I'm in the library. I wanted to show the detective the boxes that Des—”

“She's inside the Parrish building,” he said to the van at large.

Aaro floored the accelerator. The van leaped ahead. Kev lost his footing, fell headlong across Con's and Miles's laps.