Chapter 15
Lara nodded her head and went on in a confident voice.
She said, “I knew we had a priest in the family. Father Donahue is my uncle—Grandpa’s son.”
He heard Shana suck in a breath and Dane felt his game face slip before he could stop the surprise from showing. Lara stopped talking and looked around at the shocked faces. Toly spoke next.
“What is it? You think the Ivanov family is all bad? I am proud of my son the priest.”
“Your son’s name is Donahue?”
Toly waved his hand. “That was his mother’s doing. After she took my son and left me.” Toly looked away and stared grimly at a wall. He was finished sharing his family history.
Dane regained his equilibrium, rearranging everything he thought about the priest, about Paulette and the blackmail and tried putting the puzzle pieces back together to create a new picture. But it was too much to do and Lara needed to go on with her story.
David Young asked, “You went to your uncle, Father Donahue, for help, Lara?”
“How did you find him?” Toly couldn’t help asking, the pride and wonder beaming from his face.
She answered her grandpa first. “You refused to talk about it but I knew we had a priest—Mama told me about him. She loved him—her little brother. I found papers in your secret drawer one night and kept the contact information—maybe I knew I’d need help someday.
So when Spartak made that threat, I knew he was out of control and I didn’t want family bloodshed—I knew if I told you that’s what would happen.
” She stopped and looked around. Poor girl was probably realizing she would likely end up with family bloodshed after all.
“I needed help and I arranged to meet him one night at the Garage Club.”
Dane asked, “Why at the Club?”
“I wanted Spartak to see us meet and think he was the baby’s father. Then I would convince them—Spartak and his followers—that they could get some money for the baby by blackmail. So he would back off the baby farm plan.”
“Father Donahue agreed to this plan—agreed to play patsy?” Dane asked.
“Yes. Willingly. It was his plan. He knew who I was without me explaining. He’d always known who I was and about my life. He said he’d help however he could and to call him or come to him anytime. He meant it. He is truly a kind, generous soul.”
Dane and Shana looked at each other.
Madeline Grace had been right about him and his amazement grew—at Father Donahue’s acting ability and Madeline Grace’s ability to read character.
Lara went on with her story.
“I had the baby and I told Grandpa about her. He came around because Paulette is beautiful and she has the Ivanov family resemblance. He fell in love with her.”
Dane could identify with falling in love with a sweet baby girl. All too well. He cleared his throat and hoped no one noticed the sweat breaking out on his brow.
“For a while I didn’t hear from my cousin but I knew they were still blackmailing our uncle. I sent money to my uncle to help. I did not tell Grandpa this. I was not sure how much Grandpa knew about the baby farm.
“But then I was visited by my cousin—less than a week ago.
He pretended to be my boyfriend in front of my friend.
He told me he was still planning to sell Paulette.
I screamed bloody murder and ran with the baby—right there on campus I ran into the most crowded building—the student union—and left the stroller behind.
“After I knew he was gone, I called the campus police and had them escort me to an address in Boston where I told them I lived—it was near Father Donahue—my uncle’s church. I wrote a note and left Paulette with him.
“Of course my cousin and his two thugs came looking for me the next day and I wouldn’t tell them where the baby was.
So they took me away to his apartment in Brighton and locked me in a room and said they’d find the baby anyway.
I told them they’d never get away with it, that Grandpa would know.
Spartak laughed and said he didn’t care—he said once they had the baby there would be nothing the old man could do about it.
He said they planned to make sure Grandpa knew about him having Paulette.
“My cousin planned to use Paulette and her sale as his message to Grandpa that he was in charge of the Ivanov family business now. He said he planned to make sure everyone knew who Paulette was.”
Mark Richards had been furiously writing notes and was about to ask a question, but Dane cut him off.
“Continue your story, Lara. What did you say when Spartak told you about his plan to take over the Ivanov family business?”
“I told him he may as well kill me and he said I was too important a chip in the chess game—the ignorant slob doesn’t even know how to use a metaphor.
But of course he is smart enough to know I probably gave the baby to Father Donahue—who he thinks is the father—ignorant—he doesn’t know about our uncle being a priest.”
Dane took over the story. He glanced once at the clock and then turned to the computer screen. “Spartak and his thugs went to the church and were going to take the baby but the nun pushed back and they shot her. A commotion ensued so they ran.”
“When the hell were you going to report the kidnapping, Blaise?” the ASAC said.
Shana said, “You can talk to Governor Douglas about that. We didn’t arrive until the next day. When we showed up at the Garage Club asking for Lara by name our cover was blown—we lead—” Dane shushed her.
“So if Spartak Ivanov now knows Father Donahue sent you, how does he know who you are?”
“He doesn’t,” Dane lied. “But what’s to stop him from contacting the priest—or someone from his rectory office—to find out?”
The ASAC turned to David, “Let’s get someone down to that church right away.”
To David’s credit, he didn’t tell the man they’d already had the rectory covered since Dane and Shana had their encounter at the club.
But Dane and Shana exchanged a glance. He realized that they were blown and that it was a matter of time before Spartak found out who they were and that they operated from the Vineyard.
They’d have trouble finding the beach shack—Dane made sure there was no trail.
But if they asked around the island it wouldn’t take them too long.
Spartak would know that the baby had been at their beach shack.
They didn’t need the FBI to jump to the same conclusion and send their guys to intercept Spartak.
That would be far too dangerous for Paulette.
Dane and Shana needed to get back to the Vineyard.
Dane stood and moved from the camera’s frame and gestured to Shana to cut the call. She told David they’d call him to follow up, then cut the connection.
“We’re out of here, Toly.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No. That’s not the deal. You heard the ASAC Richards. If you show up there with Spartak you’re fair game. You stay with Lara—and keep your.... assistants here with you.”
The old man stood still and stared him down for too many beats for comfort, but then he nodded.
“Go.”
Dane met Shana at the doorway, took her arm out of habit, and rushed her to the front door in a half run—before Toly or his assistants or the dogs could stop them.
*****
Dane jumped into the copter at the governor’s helipad and waved the pilot off.
“Sir, I can’t allow—”
“Talk to your boss, Governor Douglas. Call him now while I do the instrument check.” Dane could give him a minute to get the okay from Peter, but if the guy gave him a hard time when he was ready for flight, he’d have Shana punch him.
She stood on the tarmac with him, slightly bent and hands on her hips.
Luckily the pilot got the governor, gave Dane the okay sign, and cleared the pad. Shana climbed in and took the copilot seat and put on the headphones so they could talk.
“You should catch forty winks,” Dane said to Shana.
“What about you? Who’s going to keep you awake so you don’t crash this copter? And about that—since when do you have a copter license?”
“I know how to fly this helicopter—don’t you worry.” She didn’t need to know that he hadn’t had a valid license in years. Minor technical detail.
“What about sleeping?” She persisted, her motherly instincts wide awake and in full force.
He took a deep breath and said what he knew would shut her up.
“I’ll sleep when Paulette is in her mother’s arms.” He didn’t need to add the alternative. That he’d never sleep peacefully again if he didn’t get her there. Maybe he wouldn’t sleep well anyway—hadn’t in years—at least not without a shot of whiskey. Or Shana’s body lying at his side.
She reached out her hand and squeezed his arm. Then she rested her head back and got as comfortable as a person could in a copter as they took off and headed for the Atlantic and south toward Martha’s Vineyard. He figured it for a forty-five minute flight tops.
Dane called Cap when they were ten minutes out.
“Is the target secure?”
“At the beach shack. I’ve been running surveillance—”
“Goddamn it—didn’t you get my text?”
“What text?”
Shit.
“Cap—have one of your men pick us up at the heliport—you get Sassy and the baby to your house as quickly as humanly possible.”
“You want me to stay with them? What about Shana?”
“Shit. Never mind.” He took a quick sidelong glance at Shana who was, luckily, still sleeping. Damn good thing. He knew she’d want the personal baby protection detail. “Hold tight till we get there. Watch out for intruders.”
“Will do—your system is well set up, Dane, we shouldn’t have any trouble spotting—”
“And I almost forgot to mention—we may have company—FBI.”
“Shit.”
“We’ll talk more when I land—get us that ride.”
Dane signed off and swore again—loud enough to wake Shana.
“What is it?” She sprang forward and her fingers clutched his driving arm with the force of a hawk’s talons. He shook her loose.
“Paulette is still at the beach shack. You can take her and Sassy to Cap’s place when we get there.”