Taken (19 page)

Barbara Freethy

Will moved back and waved them into the crowded, messy room filled with old furniture and lots of newspapers. He shut off the loud TV and threw a pile of clothes on the floor so they could sit on the lumpy couch.

Kayla had never seen such a dumpy apartment.

Everything in it was old, broken, chipped, or faded. Except . . . it suddenly occurred to her that the television was new, and Will had a DVD player, too. She’d always been better at the details than the big picture.

Suddenly those details jumped out at her — the cell phone on the table, the new blanket on the back of the beat-up couch.

Will wasn’t completely down-and-out. He had to be getting money from somewhere. From Evan? Her heart began to beat faster. Maybe they were getting close.

“Who are you again?” Will asked. “More reporters?

I’m not saying nothing until someone pays me for my story.”

“What story is that, Will?” Nick asked easily as he sat down on the couch.

“How to find the money,” he said, leaning forward as if he were afraid they’d be overheard in his own apartment.

Kayla caught her breath at the fervor in his voice.

What money was he talking about? If he knew how to find some money, why was he living in this dump?

The old man sat back in his seat and gave them an eerie grin. “But I ain’t going to tell you. I’m not stupid, you know. I don’t know you. And Eric says I shouldn’t talk to no more reporters. Eric is smart.” He tapped his own head. “Smart as a whip. Nothing gets past him.”

Eric? It was close to Evan, but it wasn’t Evan. Or was
TA K E N

161

it? Was this his real name — Eric — or one of his many aliases?

“I wouldn’t expect you to tell me,” Nick said evenly.

“Did the other reporters want to know where the money is, too?”

“Nah, they wanted to know about the island,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Old Joel wrote himself a book talking about all the escapes. He never gave me credit for stuff I told him. Now he’s going on TV acting like an expert, and between you and me, he don’t know nothing. He was a two-bit guard back then.”

“What island are you talking about?” Kayla asked.

“Alcatraz, of course.”

“Alcatraz?” Kayla and Nick echoed together. They exchanged a quick look. They’d come to ask Will about Evan, but now it seemed he was taking them back to Alcatraz.

The old man turned his head to look at her, his eyes suddenly confused. “You ain’t Candy. Candy has red hair.

I always did like red hair on a woman. Rose, she had red hair. My red, red Rose.” His eyes watered.

Kayla wondered if Will was drunk or just old and sick.

He seemed a bit dazed. “I love stories about the island,”

she said. “I bet you know all the good ones.”

He nodded, his expression easing. “Sure do. I was there almost two years. Coldest place I ever lived. The boys there were bad. Meanest sons of bitches you’d ever meet. I was lucky to stay alive. I shouldn’t have been there, you know. I was innocent. I just drove a car. I didn’t know anyone was robbing a bank.”

“Did you know Johnny Blandino?” she asked. If Will was at Alcatraz at the same time her grandmother’s for-162

Barbara Freethy

mer boyfriend was there, maybe this was all beginning to tie together.

“Sure did. But Johnny didn’t have much to say. I was better friends with Nate. He was more of a talker.” Will gave a long, choking cough and cleared his throat. “Nate told me everything about their plans, you know. He couldn’t stay quiet for two seconds. That’s how I found out about the money. Those boys had a fortune waiting for ’em when they took off. And other stuff, too, stuff no one else knew about. I know more than most people think.” He tapped his head again. “I got a lotta stuff in this head of mine. A lotta stuff. Can’t keep track of it sometimes, that’s all.”

“So is Eric going after the money?” Nick asked. “It was a long time ago. It could be gone by now.”

“Somebody would have said something if it was found.” Will frowned and scratched his jaw. “At first, I thought maybe the boys made it out, you know? They were clever and strong. Nate was a good swimmer. He used to swim in the bay when he was a kid. He knew the currents. Then poor old Frankie’s body washed up on shore. They laid him in the yard for all of us to see. An example, he was.” He took a breath. “But Nate and Johnny might have made it out.”

Kayla wondered if the men could have survived. Then again, Johnny had never attempted to find her grandmother or tell her he was alive. And why wouldn’t he have asked for his watch back if it had been that important? If he were alive, wouldn’t he have gotten the treasure? She had too many questions. She needed more answers.

Will’s mouth turned down. “Eric was supposed to call me. Do you know where he is?”

TA K E N

163

“We were hoping you did,” Kayla said.

“Eric’s a good boy. He comes back, takes care of me.

Rose always said he was special, smart.”

“It sounds like you haven’t seen Eric in a while,” she said. “What if he’s hurt or sick? Maybe we should look for him — for you,” she added, feeling as if she were the worst liar in the world.

Fortunately, the old man seemed too out of it to notice.

“Eric’s a good boy,” he repeated. “He just has to get the other watches. Then he’ll come back. Where’s Candy?

Can you find Candy for me?”

Kayla’s heart stopped when she realized he’d said
watches
— as in more than one. How could that be?

“Watches?” she asked sharply. “There’s more than one watch?”

He suddenly stiffened and his mouth drew into a taut line. “I ain’t saying nothing. You gotta go. You gotta go.”

He stood up and marched toward the front door, repeat-ing over and over again, “You gotta go.”

The man was getting increasingly agitated. Kayla was sorry she’d jumped in so abruptly, but he’d shocked her with the mention of more than one watch.

“It’s okay,” Nick told him. “Calm down. We’re leaving, Will. It’s okay. Candy will be here soon.”

“Candy’s coming,” Will said, shaking his head up and down. As soon as they’d left the apartment, he slammed the door behind them.

Kayla let out a breath as she grabbed Nick’s arm. “Oh, my God! There’s more than one watch. What does that mean?”

“It means we have another clue,” he said, his eyes shining. “And a trail to follow. Evan must be looking for the other watches.”

164

Barbara Freethy

“They had to belong to the men who went to prison with Johnny,” she said, putting the clues together.

“I think so, too.” He punched the button for the elevator. The doors opened almost immediately, and they stepped inside. “I knew your grandfather’s watch was important. I knew it.”

“Don’t get too excited. We don’t know much more than we did before.”

“We know enough,” he said.

“I thought you were supposed to be the pessimist.”

“Not today,” he said with a smile. He leaned forward and kissed her hard on the lips.

The ground jerked beneath her feet. For a moment she thought she was simply reacting to Nick’s kiss; then the elevator jerked again. She gasped. Nick caught her in his arms as they came to a grinding halt. “What happened?”

“I think we’re stuck,” he said, his smile fading.

“We can’t be.” She felt a twinge of ensuing panic. She didn’t like elevators on a good day, especially not old, smelly, cramped elevators in run-down buildings

“Take a breath, Kayla. We’re okay. I’m sure the elevator will start moving again in a minute.”

“You’re sure?” she echoed. “Did you take a look at this building when we walked in the door? I can’t imagine there’s been an inspector anywhere near this elevator in the last ten years. What if no one even knows it’s broken?”

“The residents who live here will notice if the elevator doesn’t work, and the clerk at the desk will get help,” he said logically. Nick stroked her arms and offered her a reassuring smile. “We’re going to be all right.”

“I don’t have a good feeling about this.” She looked
TA K E N

165

around the elevator. There was a red alarm button, but not an emergency telephone. She pushed the button but didn’t hear a thing. “Do you think it’s broken, too?”

“I don’t know.”

She shot him an irritated look. “I would have preferred a comforting lie.”

He smiled. “You’re claustrophobic.”

“Huh. You think? It’s not so much the small space that bothers me as the idea of being suspended in midair by a few cables that are probably about to snap, sending us plummeting to our deaths.”

“Okay, that’s not what I wanted to hear.” He put his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Kayla.”

She buried her face against his chest and drew in a deep breath. She felt better in his arms, his strength surrounding her, supporting her. She knew he would do his best to protect her, but he wasn’t Superman . . . or an elevator repairman, for that matter.

The elevator jerked again, dropping another foot. She hugged Nick tighter. “Oh, God,” she murmured. “I don’t like this. I really don’t like this.”

“Think about something else.”

“Like what?”

He lifted her chin with his hand and kissed her again.

“That’s not going to work,” she muttered, the tension still building inside her.

“Give me a chance,” he murmured, smiling against her mouth before he deepened the kiss.

With his tongue dancing around hers, his hands moving down to her butt, her breasts began to tingle, and her body let go of the panic and embraced the desire. All she could smell was the musk cologne he wore. All she could
166

Barbara Freethy

hear was his breathing in her ear. All she could feel was his heat.

And then the elevator took another nosedive. She screamed and grabbed onto Nick’s arms as they started to fall.

10

Evan laughed at the sound of Kayla’s screams. Some things were just too easy. He threw the lever forward, bringing the elevator to an abrupt halt. It was now suspended just below the third floor. He walked back out to the front lobby. The clerk was still gone, as he’d expected him to be. Old Henry never could resist a drink or a crisp twenty-dollar bill. He’d headed for the nearest bar without a second thought. Taking a piece of paper off the desk, Evan scribbled on it
Out of Order.
He then taped the note to the front of the elevator.

Jogging up the stairs to the third floor, he moved in front of the elevator and jacked the doors open about six inches. The top few inches of the elevator were at his floor level. He knelt down so he could see them through the small opening. Kayla was in Nick’s arms. Her face was white, her eyes stricken. But Nick didn’t look scared at all, just extremely pissed off, especially when he realized who was in charge.

“How you doing?” Evan asked.

“Evan,” Kayla breathed in shock.

168

Barbara Freethy

“You son of a bitch,” Nick swore, moving away from Kayla. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You’ve been looking for me. Here I am.” Evan could see that Nick was searching for a way to get out, probably so he could strangle him. But there was no way out.

Evan had made sure of that. This was his game. “It’s nice to see you again, Kayla.”

“It’s not nice to see you,” she snapped. “Why did you lie to me? Why did you marry me? Why did you disappear without a damn word?”

“So many questions,” he mocked. He’d figured she’d be angry, but he had to admit he was surprised by the fire in her eyes. She’d changed in the past few weeks. Because of him? Or because of Nick?

“Dammit. Answer me. I deserve the truth.”

“We had a good time. It was over. Simple as that.”

“You bastard. You played with my feelings. I’d like to . . . to slap you.”

“Now, Kayla, that isn’t nice. I’m rather hurt. I thought you might be missing me just a little.”

“Miss you? I don’t even know you,” she replied.

“You’re not the man I thought you were.”

“No one could be, sweetheart. That man couldn’t possibly exist. You have very high expectations.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart. And obviously I settled far too low with you.”

“Ouch. You know how to hit where it hurts. But the truth is, I gave you everything you wanted, and all I took in return was a small token of your affection.”

“What is it you’re after, Evan?” Nick interrupted.

“You already took everything from me.”

Evan smiled. “Not everything, Nick. I’m just getting started.”

TA K E N

169

“Why wait until now to come after me?”

“You have more now,” Evan said simply. “And we had some unfinished business, didn’t we?”

“We still do,” Nick said, deadly purpose in his voice.

“You’re not going to get away with this. I will stop you.”

“You’ll try,” Evan said with a laugh.

“We know everything,” Nick said. “Will told us what you’re after.”

“You’re not trying to con a con, are you?” Evan asked.

He doubted Will had told them much of anything, although he was a little annoyed they’d connected him to Will. Jenny must have talked to Nick. He frowned at that thought. Jenny had betrayed him. He would have to speak to her about that. “Will is an old man,” he said. “He lost his mind years ago. He talks a lot of nonsense now.”

“Will seemed lucid to me,” Nick said.

“Well, I’d love to stay and chat, but I have things to do, people to see, all that shit.” He pulled out a box of See’s Candies, dark chocolates with soft centers. He tossed it into the elevator. “Your favorite, Kayla.”

She caught the box in one hand, staring at it as if it were a bomb. “What’s this?”

“In case you get hungry,” Evan said. “See, I’m not such a bad guy.” Without waiting for a reply, he let the elevator doors close. He stood up and walked down the stairs and out into the bright sunshine.

Nick’s body shook with intense rage. He hadn’t wanted to let Evan see his emotion, but now he had to let the anger out. He hit his fist against the wall. The pain that ran from his knuckles down to his elbow did nothing to relieve his tension. He looked over at Kayla. She stared down at the box of candy, her dark eyes huge, shocked.