It's A Wonderfully Sexy Life (20 page)

Even in the midst of his fear for her, Josh felt a surge of pride. “She’s trying to make detective, you know.”

Taking a sip from his bottle of Evian, Walker said, “Well, she certainly has all the makings of an A-list one.”

Josh divided his gaze between the two federal agents. “Maybe after this is over, you two could pass on those comments to her supervisor?”

Walker didn’t hesitate. “You got it, Thornton. Actually I’d planned on commending her in my report.” He turned back to the monitor as a new stream of audio filtered through. “For now, though, let’s focus on accomplishing the mission—including getting Officer Delinski out of there alive.”

Danny reached for the bowl of peanuts parked at his elbow. Tossing back a fistful, he said, “It’s not our fault he’s holed up 24/7 in that shit apartment ever since that water taxi episode went south. As far as I can tell, the only way to get him to budge is to smoke him out.”

Earlier, they’d disguised Josh as one of the cooks, complete with chef’s puffy white cap and apron, and had snuck him out the restaurant’s back door. They’d even given him a full garbage bag to carry as though he was headed with it to the Dumpster and not the FBI van parked in the gravel lot behind. Relieved to hear the ruse had worked, Mandy told herself that for the time being Josh was safe. As much as possible, she needed to stop worrying about him and focus on getting the job done.

Tommy snickered. “It’s the cop girlfriend he’s doing. He’s too busy banging her to get out of bed.”

Lenny, silent until now, tossed down his cards with a look of disgust. “Another shit hand, just my luck. I fold.” Sucking an ice cube from his drink, he said, “I used to date her, you know. She was about as warm as this fucking ice cube.”

Under the screen of her fake eyelashes, Mandy glared at him.
That’s because you treated me like crap and then lost all my money, you asshole.

“No shit, imagine that.” Picking up his cards, Tommy rolled his eyes. “Well, judging from all the moaning and groaning coming from that apartment, she ain’t cold with him, that’s for sure.”

Oh my God! Somehow they’d gotten in and bugged Josh’s apartment
. For however long, these jerks had been getting their jollies listening to her and Josh making love. Ears burning, she reminded herself that after tonight, she’d probably never have to see any of them ever again. Thank God because apparently she was a little more old-fashioned than she thought.

Lenny’s jaw hardened. “Good-looking rich guys like Thornton get all the action. She’s just too infatuated to know a solid guy when she sees one.”

Danny stared down at the cards in his hand. Dropping them, he said, “I’m out, too. Another hand?”

Tommy shook his head. “Fuck poker, let’s get back to brainstorming our little problem, making sure a certain troublesome telecommunications mogul gets what’s coming to him.”

Lenny cast a nervous glance to Mandy. “Maybe we should send the bimbo away while we talk shop.”

Danny rolled his overly developed shoulders in a shrug. “She must hear this shit all the time. Besides, if Mikey says she’s okay, then she must be.”

Lenny glanced to his watch. “Okay, so what’s the new plan going to be?”

Tapping a thick finger to the side of his jaw, Tommy thought a moment. “Lenny, you said you used to date Delinski, right?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Why don’t you call her up and invite her to lunch or something? Once we have her, smoking out Thornton should be a cakewalk. You can tell by the way he looks at her, all melty-eyed, he’s crazy about the broad.”

Josh is crazy about me, really?
Heart warming, Mandy swung her gaze back to Lenny. He hesitated and then admitted, “We didn’t exactly end things on the best of terms.”

It was all Mandy could do to keep from marching across the stained carpet to deck him.
Best of terms, my ass. And we didn’t end anything, I ended it

Tommy shifted his gaze to the bodybuilder. “What about you, Romeo? Feel like putting that muscle of yours to use pumping somethin’ else besides iron?”

“Yeah, sure, why not? It’s worth a try. So I guess this means we’ll be taking her out, too, along with Thornton, huh?”

Tommy tossed a look to the door, and Mandy dropped her gaze to her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught him assessing her and hoped her “dumb and dumber” routine was still working. Turning back to the table, he reached for the bottle of sparkling wine and refilled his glass. Under his breath, he warned, “Watch your mouth, asshole. She may be dumb, but she’s not deaf.”

Danny nodded. “Sorry. That’s what eating this junk-food crap does to me. It’s loaded with fat.”

Tommy snorted. “I guess that explains that fat head of yours, huh?” He dug a fist into the salted peanuts, spilling them over the sides of the bowl. “I’d order up some fucking power bars if I thought they’d help improve your brain power, but they don’t have any, so shut the fuck up.”

The reference to “offing” her and Josh should give them enough verbal evidence to get an arrest warrant. She’d been lucky so far but no one’s luck could be expected to hold out indefinitely. Besides, her gut instinct was telling her to get the hell out of that room now and in five years in the field, her gut had never once lied.

Strolling over to the table, she turned to Danny. Poking out her chest, she gave her best imitation of Janice’s seductively husky tone. “How about I use my, uh…
influence
and get the kitchen to make you something healthy, say a nice fruit and cheese plate?”

“You’d do that for me?” At her nod, he turned to the table. “What a sweetheart. Is this broad a class act or what?”

Tommy lifted his eyes to her, the lids looking heavier than when she’d first come into the room. She couldn’t be sure but she thought he might be getting a little drunk on all that pink champagne he was quaffing.

Gaze dropping to her breasts, his mouth curved into a silly grin. “I don’t need any fucking fruit plate, but I’d sure as hell like to get a closer look at those melons you’re carting around, maybe even give ’em a nice little squeeze to make sure they’re fresh—and firm.”

Before she could react, he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her down on top of him. She tried to get up but it was no use, he had her pinned on his lap, a boner of an erection pressing against her bottom. Ugh! In the struggle to avoid his touch, she bumped her head against his massive chest, knocking her wig askew.

He pulled the wig off and tossed it across the table. “Looks like we got a redhead, my very favorite, but first I’d better make sure she’s a natural one.” Ducking her flailing hands, he slid a hand down her middle and squeezed her crotch. Predictably, his smile dissolved. “Hey, what’s this?” He stared at her face for a long, terrifying moment before shouting to the table at large, “It’s Delinski and she’s wearing a wire.”

The fed pulled the revolver from his side and reached for the van’s door handle. “Delinski’s cover’s been blown. We’re going in.” Turning to his partner, he said, “Call for backup—now!”

Flanking Tommy’s right, Lenny and Danny exchanged worried looks. Two weak men who’d gotten in over their heads trying to make a fast buck, they were losers but not career criminals.

Lenny was the first to voice the fear written all over both their faces. “Right now all they’ve got on us is maybe racketeering and accessory to
attempted
murder. But if he kills her now, we’re accomplices to an actual murder.”

Danny hesitated, and then nodded. “You’re right.” To Tommy, he said, “I’m out of here.”

“Me, too.” Lenny grabbed his jacket to go.

“Hold up.” Tommy swung around to them. “You two aren’t going nowhere. This is all your faults anyway. If you hadn’t botched the boat deal, I’d be sitting down to pasta primavera in the North End of Boston about now.”

Mandy might not be much of a whiz in PT when it came to sit-ups and push-ups, but she was pretty good about recognizing an opportunity when one came knocking and this was certainly one of those times. The hit man, Tommy, had shifted his stance, the gun he held no longer trained on her. What was it her martial arts instructor at the academy was always saying? Oh yeah—
the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Kicking out, she slammed the spike of her high heel into the back of Tommy’s right knee.

With a cry of pain, he folded to the floor, the gun falling from his hand just as the door burst open. The Men in Black, Walker and McKinney, stood framed in the open doorway, guns drawn. “Freeze—FBI. Put your hands up in the air—now.”

Hunky boyfriends saved from Darth Vader–like menace to live and love—and testify—another day: one but won’t have as boyfriend for much longer now. Not much longer now…

Gripping the phone more tightly, he glanced over to McKinney, busy talking into his own cell. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Hold up, who’s got you? Where are you?”

“I’m at the Recreation Pier Building on Thames Street. They say if you don’t come in the next half hour, and alone, they’re going to kill me. Alone, Josh, that part’s really,
really
important.”

“Tiffany, I don’t know. I—”

“Please, Josh, hurry…”

The call clicked off. Stunned, Josh took a minute to process what he’d just heard. Tiffany had been taken hostage just as McKinney had warned him might happen. Whoever had her wouldn’t hesitate to use her as a means to get at him. Whatever he’d once felt for her couldn’t begin to touch the feelings Mandy brought out in him, but that didn’t change the facts—he’d cared for Tiffany once, cared enough to ask her to marry him. She wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for him.

McKinney stood next to him, his cell plastered to his ear. Heart pounding, Josh mouthed the words, “Be right back,” and turned to walk away.

“Hold up, Thornton.” McKinney’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “Where are you off to?”

Heart kicking into overdrive, Josh concentrated on at least giving the appearance of calm. Turning back around, he said, “Relax, I’ve got to go relieve myself. I’ll be back in a minute.”

McKinney hesitated. “Just let me finish up this call, and I’ll go with you.”

Shit. Shaking his head, he said, “Thanks, but I don’t need you holding my hand, or anything else for that matter. Besides, you’ve got the hitter and his two cronies in custody, and the area’s crawling with cops.”

A stream of conversation poured out from McKinney’s cell. Distracted, the agent waived Josh off. “Okay, I guess it’ll be all right. Just come back as soon as you’re done.”

“You got it.” Josh nodded and headed for the alley.

The stakeout team had cordoned off the entire city block, which meant he’d have to cut through the back and then circle around to a main street. He turned the corner and darted down the alley, the reek of rotting garbage and urine filling his nostrils. Looking over his shoulder to make sure no one followed, he climbed up on a dumpster and used it as leverage to get his footing atop the chain link fence. Straddling the post, he jumped over the side. He landed hard, the soles of his feet stinging from the contact with cement, the jolt making him aware of the knee he’d hurt in high school football that had never been quite right since. Limping slightly, he made his way past the flashing neon. Unfortunately, his car was parked back at the apartment in Canton, so public transportation was the only option. Lifting his jacket collar to obscure the side of his face, he headed for the queue of cabs parked in front of the apparently very popular Circus Bar fronting East Baltimore Street.

He pulled open the door of the first cab in the line and got in. “I need to go to Fells Point, the Recreation Pier Building on Thames Street.”

Shifting around to look back at him, the driver shook his head. “Building’s been dark since
Homicide
wrapped its final episode. The show used it as a stand-in for their police station, you know. Couple of years ago some developer wanted to turn it into a hotel, but the way things move in this city, who knows when that’ll ever happen.”

Dragging a hand through his hair, Josh snapped, “Just drive me there, okay.”

The driver held up his palm. “Geez, buddy, relax. I’ll take you wherever you want to go. But for your own good, you’d better dial it down. Stress will kill ya.”