Chapter 7
Cap had left Dane’s old Jeep at the airport for him unlocked with the key tossed on the seat. Dane almost expected a note, but of course Cap was too smart for that. As it was, it was risky for Dane to drive around in his Jeep. It was well known on the island as his signature vehicle.
“This our ride?” Joe said. “Nice.” He rattled the passenger door open.
But when Dane got closer he realized the darkness had obscured the differences. The rust spots were gone and the color changed from army green to shiny black. He got inside to reassure himself this was still his old Jeep. The burn hole in the upholstery of the driver’s seat was still there.
“Lucky Jeep. It was at the shop when the shack exploded or I’d have lost this too.”
“Lucky.” Joe said.
“Everything’s relative.” Dane realized there was nothing lucky about the explosion or anything else in his sorry excuse for a life. Nothing except Shana.
“That’s the truth,” Joe said. “How far we going?”
“Five-minute trip.” Dane started the Jeep. The rough growl of the old engine revved his adrenaline into gear as he pulled out of the parking lot and drove them to the Lucky Parrot. Or rather two blocks behind it.
When she opened her eyes to darkness, Shana knew immediately something was wrong.
The emptiness of Dane’s desertion hit her before she awakened fully.
Cold pain gripped her as she sat up, alone in her bed.
As the reality of his leaving seeped into her consciousness, the implications took hold of her heart and wrenched it, trying to pry it loose.
Panting with panic like she’d never had, even when faced with guns aimed at her by criminals, her hands shook as she pushed off the covers and rose. She rushed to the bathroom to find it empty. Then, as the full impact of Dane’s betrayal seized her, Shana wailed and vomited into the toilet.
Goddamn him. She hated him in this moment.
Because he had lied to her. He had made love to her while he deceived her, lulling her into thinking he trusted her as his partner, trusted her to be able to go after the man who was after her.
To trust her in spite of the fact that she was in danger, and in spite of her fear.
He couldn’t get past his own fear. Couldn’t allow himself to let her be who she was.
Could she live with that the rest of her life?
How could she live without him?
Forcing herself past the hurt, past the terrorizing thoughts and feeling of betrayal, she tried to replace it all with rage and determination. Looking in the mirror, she washed her face, cooling and calming herself even as her hands still shook.
She needed to put off feeling and thinking about what this meant for their relationship, for her trust. She would save for another day the decision about whether or not she should trust Dane enough, whether he trusted her enough, to still marry him.
Shoving aside the trouble crowding her head and heart, she went back into the bedroom.
Breathe in and out, steady yourself. She threw open the closet doors where Madeline had left the getup for her to wear.
Her mind sped through the logistics, catching her up to the reality of the moment.
She’d need to act fast. And she’d need to find a way to Martha’s Vineyard in the quickest possible time.
Copter. Vendi.
She placed her call and when she was finished arguing, cajoling, and promising too many things to him, Vendi agreed. Then with another set of deep breaths, she took the box of hair dye and headed to the en suite bathroom.
With the key hidden under the drainpipe, Dane and Joe snuck in the back door of the Lucky Parrot and headed straight to the basement.
He didn’t know how long he’d be able to get away with staying there before Tom Jones, the owner, would notice he had intruders and maybe call the cops on them. Or worse, shoot them on sight.
It had rained lightly as they’d trotted from where he’d parked the Jeep, so now he was wet, tired, and hungry on top of worried past his ability to feel guilt.
Joe took out his spyware gadgets from a beat-up army-issue canvas sack that looked like it had survived since World War II.
“Where the hell did you get that?”
“The bag or the equipment?”
Dane gave him a what-do-you-think look.
“The bag was my grandfather’s from the Korean war. A good luck charm.” He flashed a rare smile. “The goodies inside are standard issue tech from my never-to-be-named sources.”
Dane picked up a pair of night-vision goggles that were far lighter and more streamlined than he’d seen before. He made a mental note to update his own inventory of gadgets.
Then it hit him. He had no inventory. Everything was gone. Inhaling a tight breath, he shrugged it off. He still had Shana. As long as she lived and breathed the world would be all right.
“We have several lithium-operated remote surveillance cameras with Wi-Fi capability. The weapons I assume you’re familiar with. And there’s a laser pointer.” Joe laid it all out on the rough-hewn table precisely as if he were preparing a museum display.
“You suppose we can get food service down here?” Joe continued. “Bar food isn’t my normal thing, but even the stale food from this place is starting to smell good.”
“We’re below the radar here. I’ll have Ronnie pick something up,” Dane said.
He started to say that it would be just like old times, but Shana wasn’t here to get it, to understand and remember how they’d always had Ronnie pick up food when he’d worked at the Shark’s Table restaurant.
Dane made the call anyway and Ronnie laughed, not like he used to, not like he would have if he wasn’t worried about Sassy.
While they waited, Dane tried not to think about Shana waking up and finding him gone. He set up the laptop, stealing the Wi-Fi from The Lucky Parrot. Tom would never notice. The man barely knew how to send e-mails. Dane had some homework to do. He needed intel on Whitey Nash and his prison mates.
While Joe snored in the beat-up lounger, Dane made use of the computer. It didn’t seem like too long when he heard the metallic squeaking, signaling the opening of the bulkhead doors.
Ronnie and Cap arrived at the same time, both wet, both carrying cargo.
“Kid. Sight for sore old eyes,” Dane said. Ronnie went straight for him, hand outstretched for a shake, but Dane pulled him in and gave him a double thump on the back.
“Good to see you alive and well, man.” Ronnie backed up and Dane noticed the haunted look in the kid’s eyes.
“We’ll get her. We have a plan.” Bold statement since he was just spinning up something in his head now. Joe gave him his signature eyebrow raise.
Cap said, “Of course you do. I don’t suppose I play a role in this plan?”
“Nope.”
Cap smiled and gave Dane a one-armed hug.
“Glad to see you in one piece. And don’t tell Shana I said this, but I’m glad she’s not here.
The bomb that exploded your shack was technically sophisticated, so I’m told by our tech guys.
Which means that whoever Whitey Nash is, he’s learned some skills since Shana last saw him. ”
“Or he has a partner,” Dane said.
The other three men looked at him, nodding as the notion took root.
“What’s your plan?” Cap asked. He was the skeptic, not that it mattered. They would find out soon enough if Dane was right about Whitey having a partner.
“First let’s hear from Ronnie.”
Ronnie took the food out of the bags. The kid was smart. None of it required utensils to eat. The ingredients to make sandwiches, water and cookies. When he finished, he faced Dane, looking more serious than he could ever remember seeing him. But not afraid.
“I heard about the explosion in Vineyard Haven on Instagram,” he said.
“First chance I had I called your house. No line. Then I checked the news and found out why. I was on my way to my sergeant’s office to ask for leave when I got the call from Sassy.
We both thought you were dead. We were both afraid she was next.
Then she heard someone and her front door flew open.
She ran for the basement. The call cut out and I’m sure they caught up with her. ”
“What time was that?” Dane asked. He needed to put the pieces together to get as clear a picture as possible. Any edge they could get could be crucial.
Ronnie shrugged. “Just before sunset, I think.”
Dane nodded.
“That tracks with my theory. Whitey got Shana’s cell number from Sassy.” He didn’t have to tell this group that Whitey may have gotten plenty of other intel from Sassy.
Cap asked, “Would she have told him about the Lucky Parrot and this basement?”
Dane shook his head. “She didn’t know about the basement, but she might have told him about the Lucky Parrot. No one goes upstairs.” Dane added, “Except Joe. Nash’ll know who you are by now, Ronnie. Sassy’s house is littered with photos of you two.”
Ronnie gulped, but the kid’s eyes didn’t flicker and his lips were unnaturally flat.
“Whitey took Sassy for intel as much as for leverage,” Dane said. “And I have no doubt he’s using either her pie shop or her house as his base of operations.”
“Sassy might have told Nash about her shop basement where we’ve met before,” Cap said, “If this nut job is still looking for you, if he doesn’t believe you’re dead, then he’d be looking there and upstairs in the Lucky Parrot.”
“And he’d be watching state police headquarters and you,” Dane said to Cap.
“But there’s only one of him,” Ronnie said, “and he doesn’t know I’m back from West Point because I didn’t tell Sassy I was coming, so I’ll be the one to watch the watcher.”
Dane observed the new maturity in Ronnie, the new hardening. His careless attitude had almost disappeared, his superficial thinking gone and replaced by pauses before he spoke, more confidence in his words.