The Vigilante (34 page)

Charles Imperato rose from a black leather chair and moved close—uncomfortably close. He folded her hand in his large, cool, long-fingered ones. “Ah, Mrs. Lavery, we meet once again. Welcome to my humble home.” He smiled down at her, but she saw no warmth in those very pale blue, glistening orbs. Her blood turned to ice all over again.

Catching his cologne-laden scent, her knees buckled momentarily, but she caught hold of herself and managed to stiffen her body. She answered his welcome, concealing the anger from her voice. “Not by choice, I assure you.” “I demand to know what I’m here for, and why!” She wore her best puzzled expression, but she knew full well why she was standing in front of this man. Her dander rose at her situation, and by the intensity of her temper, she knew it came from a source other than her conscious self.

“You demand?” He sniffed. “Lady, I believe you’ve deliberately lied to me about that night at
The
Paradisio
.
I plan to get at the truth, and frankly, I don’t care how I do that.” He drilled his forefinger into her chest, right up against the ridiculous dancing baby elephants cavorting about on her uniform. His icy blue eyes, so startling in his dark and swarthy face, tended to freeze her thoughts. Her heart nearly stopped its frantic pulsating. The touch of his finger on her chest burned deeply.

“I’m supposed to be on duty at Mercy, sir. I don’t know you, or what you’re going on about. Speaking of that sleazy place, I’d never been there or seen you before that night when I went there with my friend! We were merely curious about the place, that’s all.” Martha managed to work up a good bit of anger considering the level of terror she suppressed. She clenched her fists in helpless fury.

“Sounds damned convincing, but I watched the way you walked that night when you made your get-away, same as before, sinuous, like a damned cat slinking along. I’d never forget that. I saw you, lady, I saw you! Don’t lie to me about it.” He pressed closer. “I don’t like lies. What silly game do you play? I’m not a man to be toyed with, especially by a slippery chick like you! Dressed like a damned hooker! What’s a man supposed to think?”

Flushed with anger, he shoved her into a nearby chair. Martha knew he planned to make her pay, and pay dearly, for the pain and humiliation of that night. But she saw hesitation in him, too. He wasn’t quite as sure as he sounded.
I can use that, somehow.

She held fast to the chair and scoffed. “I wouldn’t think a man like you’d need a hooker anyway. Was that the kind of woman were you looking for?” “You don’t look the type to me. With this big house and fancy cars, women must be all over you.” Had she gone too far? Something or someone within her had found enough guts to come across belligerent and sassy. “You and you’re damned cologne!”

“Say now!” His eyes lit up. “You’re not the quiet, mousy chick you pretend to be, are you?” He stood over her, put a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe you’ve got something I’ve been looking for.” He pulled her up and held her out to face him. “What the hell’s your game, lady? There’s more to this than what you’re giving me here. I knew it when I saw you the first time. You’re that same damned cat that decked me that night.” He tightened his grip. “Admit it, you bitch, you miserable, fucking, bitch!” A raging anger consumed him, took over and shook him, tightened and filled his mind. It left him trembling and nearly unable to control his actions.

Suddenly, he took a hefty swing at Martha’s face. “I’ll show you, you goddamned bitch!”

Martha side-stepped his punch and in turn, aimed a solid kick into his midsection with the study work shoes she wore.

He slumped down and doubled over, groaning. “You dirty bitch, that’s two times you’ve kicked me, and don’t try to deny it! He spit his scathing words at her. “You did it, didn’t you?”

Martha knew, with that kick to his midsection, she’d entered into a fight for her very life. From now on she faced an evil, unimaginable kind of anger.

He was a big man and could easily overpower her. She tightened her resolve, knowing her chance of survival was exceedingly small.
I’m not going down without a fight
!

Groaning, he crawled upright, pulling his gun from a shoulder holster as he moved. Martha aimed a kick at Imperato’s gun hand, hitting it with a glancing blow, but somehow, the weapon spun away and landed on the floor. She leaped for it and, grabbing it, quickly turned it on his midsection. “Stay right there, you murdering bastard.”

She panted in fear but her hands were steady. “I know you want me dead, but you have no reason. It’s not right. I told you that. I don’t know you—whoever you are. I don’t want to die for some mistaken idea of yours. I want to leave here. Right now!”

Terrified, Martha realized she’d had inner help so far. She silently thanked her other half, for this small, fighting chance. Her eyes searched about wildly.
How can I ever get out of this place
?

***

Bob arrived on the med-surg floor and looked for Martha among the staff, but he failed to see her. The others collected report sheets, coffee, sodas, and gossiped while awaiting report. She’d been assigned here, he’d checked on it. Why hadn’t she arrived on the floor? Waiting, he got a coffee. A feeling of unease nagged at him until it became a growing concern. Time passed and she still didn’t show.

Marcie Bell, the charge nurse this evening, sat ready to begin the taped report, and Bob interrupted her as she started. “Just a moment, Marcie, Martha Lavery isn’t here. Shouldn’t we wait a bit for her?”

“She’ll have to catch up when she gets here. We can’t wait around for someone who may or may not show.” Her clipped voice told Bob, she had no patience with late arrivals. “If she doesn’t show, I’ll call staffing for a replacement. We’ll have to pick up Martha’s load until they send us someone.”

The ice in her voice, told Bob he was alone in his concern. “Excuse me, Marcie,” he replied. “But I’m worried she may have had an accident. She’s never late and never misses an assignment.” He stood up. “I’m sorry but I have to make a few calls. I need to know if she’s okay.” He couldn’t hide his worried face from the rest of the staff, nor did he try.

Jake was on this evening as well. He laughed. “Wow, ol’ Bob’s got it bad for that dame. You know, I’ve been keeping an eye on those two, knew it all the time.” He turned his attention back to his notes, a smug grin on his know-it-all face.

Marcie saw her staff disintegrating before her eyes and stood up. “If you leave this floor now, I’ll have to put you on report,” she informed Bob.

She obviously meant it, but Bob never bothered with her words in his concern for Martha. He didn’t know why he felt so strongly about this, but cold chills of worry had already seeped into his gut. With all she had going on in her life, she was in some kind of trouble. He knew it! “Sorry, Marcie, do what you have to do. Something’s very wrong about this and I have to straighten it out. If I can’t find out what’s happening, I won’t be worth having here in any case. I’ll let you know.”

Bob left the report room and called the police station. He asked the clerk if there’d been an accident. Informed there had been no such report, he felt better, but phoning Martha gave no results either. He called the station again and asked to speak to Ryan Mapus. He knew of him because of Martha’s complaints about his questioning her in such detail.

Mapus came on the line. Bob identified himself and said, “I’m worried that Martha Lavery may be missing. She’s never late for work and she didn’t show for her shift, or call in. She doesn’t answer her phone either. I’ve called her several times with no answer.”

“We know,” Mapus said. “We had someone tailing her.”

Bob felt his face tighten and his hands turn to ice. “Oh God, what are you saying, sir?”

“I’ll explain it when I see you. Can I meet you somewhere?”

“Yes, I’ll meet you out front of Mercy.”

He hung up and returned to the report room. “I hate to have to say it, but Martha may have met with some sort of foul play. She’s missing!” In answer to the flurry of hurried questions, he replied. “The detective I talked with is coming to pick me up. I’ll see you later. Sorry, Marcie, really!” He ran out and down the stairs, taking no time for the elevator.

Shortly, Mapus pulled up. Bob hurried to the car and got in. They quickly appraised each. “So what do you know, Sir,” Bob demanded. “And how do you know it?”

“Actually, those questions are on my mind for you, as well, but I’ll go first. Okay, we’ve had surveillance on your lady, and we know she’s had another party tailing her for a couple of days. Somehow she’s managed to run afoul of some really bad people.” He looked worried, which didn’t help Bob’s outlook on Martha’s situation.

“What do you mean you were tailing her? Another party, the mob, is after her? Why, for God’s sake?” Bob felt raw shock hearing Martha had the underworld after her. What more hadn’t she told him? He realized she might love him, but she obviously didn’t trust him enough to reveal everything. But he really couldn’t blame her after his behavior toward her when she’d told him of Serena’s activities.

Ryan easily saw that Martha had kept a few secrets from her boyfriend, too. Bob apparently knew nothing of the Imperato deal. “The woman is full of surprises, isn’t she?” He hoped he wasn’t making personal trouble for Martha, but it was no time to worry over non-essentials. “It seems she’s attracted the attention of a rather unsavory character. That happened the other night, when she and a friend of hers, had a night out at
The
Paradisio
, of all places. Ever hear of a man named Charles Imperato?”

“No, can’t say I ever heard of him,” Bob answered slowly, his gut turned to ice, wondering what else he might learn about his lady love. “What the hell has she gotten herself into, now?” He flung the question at Mapus, afraid to hear his answer.

“It seems a woman looking a lot like your Martha, but dressed like a hooker, as a witness tells it, shoved her knee into this man’s groin at The
Paradisio
one night and ran out leaving him flat out on the floor. She embarrassed the hell out of him and he’s been hunting for the poor woman ever since. This crazy fool, whoever she was, had the misfortune to pick on one of our resident drug mobsters, a man without pity and one who likes to play rough with the ladies.”

Ryan hesitated then continued. “The other night, she and a friend of hers were in that sleazy dump, just looking the place over, and this mobster comes in looking for that other woman, like he’s done several other nights. He went over to Martha and asked her who she was, and had she ever been in there before?”

CHAPTER 35

My God, that crazy woman!” Bob figured he had known much more than Mapus and now he knew it all. Indeed, he knew the woman who kneed the gangster must have been Martha, but as Serena, out on a prowl. In effect, she’d been both of them. He couldn’t tell this story to the police. Martha would have to do that.

He shook his head in wonder at how he’d ever gotten mixed up in this crazy, unbelievable fantasy. That’s what it had to be. An insanity. What the hell else could it be? Yet, he felt a bond with her, one he couldn’t break, nor did he want to. Martha did it all for him. She was the woman for him, without question.

Mapus looked sick. “I was told she denied ever seeing him before, and eventually the two ladies slipped out without being caught. But, I guess he wasn’t satisfied with that. He’s been tailing her. Now he’s got her, Bob. I’m damned sure of it! That poor woman can’t stay out of trouble. I hope to hell we can save her life. Imperato’s a devil with the women.”

Bob sat there, numb. His hands shook and clenched in helpless frustration.
Damn that crazy woman
!
Couldn’t trust him enough to believe in him all the way, and tell him the whole truth.
No way would he abandon her now
. But if I ever get the chance again, I’ll find some kind of lovely torture for that lady
!
His mind and heart racing with fear, he asked. “What do we do now? What
can
we do?”

“Our surveillance officer, Carla, was right on her tail. We haven’t heard from her, not yet. If she’s been made, we’re in deep shit!” Mapus looked distraught. “I want to sit that Martha down and have a good heart to heart with her. She’s a damned good woman in spite of the things we believe she’s done. We want to protect her and we’ve been trying.” He shook his head in frustration. “Now this bastard’s gotten in our way. Otherwise, it’s a helluva dilemma for our department. The public will be on her side. Do you know what I am referring to, Bob?”

“Like what? What the hell are you running on about?” Bob played dumb on the vigilante subject. No way would he give the police a clue about Martha’s mental aberrations. “We’ve got to find her, that’s what I’m worried about.” He huffed in desperation. “Her life is in danger, you tell me, yet you’re blathering about protecting her! What the hell are you talking about? Let’s see some action, for Christ’s sakes. I love that woman to death. I’ve lost one woman and I can’t lose another. Certainly not this one, I love her more than my life.”

“Okay, I see your point.” The radio blared for Mapus. He listened, and then said, “Wish we’d get a blip from Carla. She’s our best hope right now.” His lips pulled tight. The grimace across his face told of the futility they faced. “Haven’t heard a word from her since noon. She knew Imperato had his people tracking Martha. Slick as a cat, Carla is, but these are devils we’re dealing with. I’ll admit this deal has me worried all to hell, to say the least.”

His words did nothing to soothe Bob’s sick fear for Martha. Angry at her, yet worried to a standstill, he had to appreciate Mapus asking him along. “Man, I’m glad you asked me to come. Sorry I haven’t much to tell you about Martha, except she’s damned good people.” Peering anxiously out the car windows, he saw that it had grown dark, and his fears only increased.
God, let me find her. Help her through this. I need her.
A tear escaped, but it mattered no longer. She was all he wanted.
Martha, where are you, out in the dark
?