Chapter 6
The feds being the feds, they had put Dane in the back of the black Chevy Suburban and taken him back to State Police headquarters.
Where he was sure to run into Cap. The last thing he wanted while he was trussed up like this in handcuffs was to see Cap, as if he belonged on the wrong side of the line from his friend—former friend.
He still couldn’t put Cap firmly in that other category in spite of the mounting evidence that he ought to.
What the hell was going through the man’s mind?
Dane wouldn’t find out until and unless Cap wanted him to know.
It wasn’t like Dane could torture the information out of him.
Maybe he wanted to, though. There were more forms of torture than the physical kind.
The drive to the station was short and Dane had run out of time to contemplate his methods of torturing Cap’s motives from him when they pulled in to the crowded parking lot of the small Cape Cod house that passed for State Police headquarters on Martha’s Vineyard.
Not even a flicker of surprise moved Dane when a second black Suburban pulled into the lot moments after him and Shana was pulled out.
In cuffs. He squelched the urge to lash out, and the stronger urge to resign himself to defeat.
With his energy sapped, the tug to quit the deadly game they played gathered momentum.
Then Shana glared at him, as if she read his mind.
She had the determination today, enough to push them both through the ordeal of another FBI interrogation and jail time.
Enough to make sure they got out, and to make sure Peter was safe.
If Natalia Stravana wasn’t the only one out to get his friend, they would find and stop whoever else there was.
A third SUV pulled in and they took Natalia from the back, looking battered.
He flashed a glance at Shana and wondered what had happened.
He searched her blouse for the spot of blood to be sure it hadn’t grown bigger.
Relief and a surge of determination born of renewed anger prompted him to straighten up as he was led inside the building. Shana was right behind him.
Acer was nowhere in sight. He hoped to hell Kimble was on her way.
He had confidence bordering on prescient certainty that she’d get them out of this pronto.
Inside the lobby, they didn’t get far before Cap appeared from the hallway to greet them.
To his credit, he wasn’t smiling or gloating or pleased in anyway.
“What the hell is going on?”
“We’re doing your job for you is what. These two were interfering with our operation and almost prevented our arrest of Stravana, the woman out to kill the governor.”
“Like hell,” Dane said. “It was more like the other way around. She would have gotten away if we weren’t there, you made so much commotion when you came in.”
“There was no interference and—” Shana started to say.
“And this one,” ASAC Richards pointed a finger at Shana, “hit my agent—kicked him in the face, to be exact.”
Dane’s eyebrows almost went up with that, but he kept cool. Shana’s mouth went to a silent grim line.
“Shana—” Cap began.
“It was self-defense.”
“You bastard.” Dane tugged free from the agent holding him and lunged toward the man Shana had kicked. If the agent had laid a hand on her, Dane would make him pay.
“No, Dane. He didn’t touch me. It was Natalia. She moved and I hit Agent Whoever instead. It was an accident.”
Dane had been pulled back in a painful grip, but he loosened the clench in his jaw at hearing Shana’s explanation.
Keeping his eyes on Shana, he felt and heard the hurricane like presence of Kimble arriving as she thundered to the middle of their group.
He turned to his attorney and smiled, noticing Acer at the door in the fringe of the lobby.
He knew the man hated police stations, knew he’d owe him big time for being there.
But what else was new? They all owed each other their lives multiple times over.
That’s the way it was, the way it would always be. Especially with him and Shana.
Kimble placed herself squarely between Dane and Cap as if she were breaking up a fight.
“What the hell is going on here?” She glared at Cap.
“I’m in charge here,” Agent Richards said. She ignored him and turned to Dane while Cap remained silent.
“A misunderstanding,” Dane said. He knew that she knew full well what had happened. Acer would have filled her in. “We’re being accused of interfering with the feds.”
Kimble abruptly turned to Agent Richards. “Is it true that Mr. Blaise and Ms. George were already at the spa before you got there?”
Silence.
“I thought so. Release them.”
“I’m not releasing them. You don’t know what—”
Cap said, “Take him to the basement cell without processing him. And let her go.” He pointed to Shana.
“Now you’re making sense.” Kimble stared down the male federal agent still holding Shana’s arm.
“I don’t answer to you.”
“You won’t be answering to the dog catcher when I get through with you,” Kimble said. “Did you know she helped capture a dangerous fugitive and is still recovering from her wounds? If you don’t let her go right now, I’ll see you and the agency charged and sued.”
“Lady, you’re nuts,” the man said as he let go of Shana’s arm. “Did you know that she kicked me in the face?”
“Unlock her cuffs.” Kimble spoke as if she hadn’t heard the man. Cap nodded at him. He unlocked and removed the cuffs.
ASAC Mark Richards tugged at Dane without waiting a beat and dragged him to the stairs to the basement before he could say another word.
Richards knew he was getting a free chance to interrogate Dane courtesy of Captain Lynch.
And he knew he wouldn’t have much time between Kimble and the governor running interference.
There were too many witnesses at the spa for their charge to hold up.
Much to Dane’s surprise, as soon as the cell door was locked behind him, Shana came running down the stairs. Shoving her way past the two FBI agents and the statie on duty, she reached the cell and hung onto the bars as if she were going to try rattling the cell door open.
“Let me inside,” she said.
The agent said, “No. I’m not even sure you should be allowed to visit.”
Shana whirled on him, looking like she was going to slap him, or more likely punch him in the eye. But she lowered her hand to her side and glared at him.
“Fortunately for you, I’ll ignore that remark because you don’t have a say about whether I can visit Dane—who shouldn’t even be in this jail cell.”
The agent glared back at her in silence for a few beats until his partner touched his arm and muttered something about getting out of there so they could process Stravana. Once the two agents left them, Dane nodded to the statie.
“You mind giving us a few minutes alone?”
“I’m not supposed to, but since you’re not supposed to be in jail . . .” He shrugged. “What the hell?” He got up from his watch desk and walked through a door on the other end of the small area to what Dane knew led to a back exit.
Shana said, “Did they touch you?”
He smiled, his heart warming at her needless concern.
“Naw. Looks like you’re the one worse for wear.” He flicked his eyes in the direction of the small bloodstain on her blouse.
She looked down and showed a flicker of surprise when she saw it. She shrugged.
“Nothing. I’ll have the doc look at it later.”
“What do you mean by later? Never?”
She laughed. “You’re so trusting.”
He knew it was an ironic statement. He also knew his mistrust was justified and that he’d need to haul her to the doctor as soon as he had a chance. After he got out of jail.
“Kimble is here. She’ll take care of things,” Shana said.
“That explains why you’re not in the adjoining cell. She kept you out.”
Shana nodded. “For some reason, Agent Richards has a hard-on to keep us locked up and out of his business. I’m starting to think there’s something more going on.”
“You could be right. I’ll have to have a conversation with Peter.”
“I could be right?”
He laughed.
“By the way, we’ll both have a conversation with Peter.”
Before Dane could think what to say next to cover for his faux pas, Sassy came running down the stairs, nearly breathless.
“I can’t believe they threw you in jail. I brought some pie.”
A new duty cop, a young woman who he knew was friendly with Shana, had followed Sassy down to lockup at a normal pace.
Whether she was loyal to Cap or on team Dane, he didn’t know.
But when he asked, the duty cop let Shana, Sassy, and her pie inside his jail cell, making it seem almost Andy of May berrylike, if not exactly homey.
Dane spoke low to Sassy as she dished out pie.
“We need you to go to the Admiral’s Inn where Natalia was staying and keep tabs on her room. Watch for anyone else coming or going. I’m betting she has a team here.”
“What about me?” Shana said.
“I need you to stay here with me.” He held his breath for her response. It could go either way with Shana. She could melt at his admission of need, or she might go cynical and assume he was being protective of her. In reality it was both.
In this moment, in a testament to her own vulnerable state, Shana melted. He watched her eyes go soft. She didn’t say the words, but he could read her mind as she nodded.
“What happens if something goes wrong? Who’s going to bail me out of trouble with you two here?” Sassy asked.
“Call on Acer. Last I saw he was upstairs lurking near the exit. Probably long gone now. He hates police stations.”
“Maybe we should ask Acer to—” Shana started to say.
“No. I’ll do it. I need some action. Ronnie will be proud of me.”
“Okay. We won’t be long,” Shana said. “Kimble will have Dane out of here soon.”
“In time to have me back at court first thing on Monday morning,” he said.