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“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t listen to gossip. And I was never that good at following rules, anyway.”
“I know that better than anyone,” Jones said with a laugh.
“As far as what you’ve heard, my apartment wasn’t damaged in the fire, it was my neighbor’s. Insurance will cover the damage to my business and somebody else had already killed the lawyer before we got there. But I can confirm a hundred percent that it all happened because of a woman.”
“Tell me,” Wildcat ordered.
“Rachel Valentine is in my protection, and let’s just say that her uncle doesn’t think that’s such a good idea. And after our trip to Dallas, I’m beginning to think someone in the FBI doesn’t think it’s such a good idea either.”
Nothing but silence greeted Shane from the other end. “You still there, Wildcat?”
“I’ve done an internal investigation on every agent in the Bureau who was ever involved with the Valentines. You know how big that list is. You were on the original task force.”
Shane winced. “Don’t remind me.”
“I’ve found no evidence that there’s someone working for Angelo Valentine on the inside. And believe me, I’ve looked. I’ve looked hard.”
“Just keep your eyes open.”
“Roger that. Where are you now?”
“We’re in Tulsa for the night, but we’ll head out early in the morning. I’ve got to figure out some way to get Rachel to the bank in Chicago and get the papers out of her lockbox before anyone knows we’re there.”
“Fat chance of that happening. I’ve heard it through the grapevine that people are expecting you to show up here eventually. You’ll have to be a ghost to get past Angelo’s men, not to mention the FBI alert that’s out on you.”
“I don’t suppose you’d be inclined to help an old friend?” Shane asked.
“What, and risk losing this glamorous job? I could probably be persuaded to help you out. But it’ll cost you. And you might not like the favor when it comes down to it.”
“You always were a perverse bastard,” Shane said. “But you leave me with no choice but to agree. And look on the bright side. If you get fired I’ll even find a place for you on my staff. My secretary is getting close to retirement. How are your typing skills?”
Shane smiled as Jones laughed and uttered a crude suggestion. “In all seriousness, Wildcat, I really appreciate your help. You don’t owe me anything. I haven’t exactly been the greatest friend over the last couple of years, but I’m grateful all the same.”
“What the hell kind of Dr. Phil psychobabble is that? I expect a man is inclined to go off on his own every now and then. There are some things in the world that change and some things that don’t. Try to remember that. Now tell me what you need me to do.”
Shane felt the grip of guilt release around his heart. He’d been afraid his lack of interest in his friends, hell, his lack of interest in life, after his wife’s death had screwed things up with Wildcat past the point of no return. But Wildcat was acting like the years hadn’t passed at all, and Shane was grateful.
“Well, for starters, I need guns and plenty of ammunition. I’ll also need a couple of flak jackets and infrared goggles. You know what I prefer. And I need enough cash to buy basic supplies and get us where we need to go.”
“Anything else?” Jones asked.
“I need to take a look at the files you’ve collected on each agent working the Valentine case. The insider is there somewhere, and Rachel will never be safe as long as that person is running around. I also need a safe house if you’ve got one available close enough to Chicago so the trip can be made in less than an hour. It’ll give us a place to stay until I figure out what the hell we’re going to do.”
“If anyone finds out about this you know my ass is grass,” Jones said, “but I’ll see what I can do. Give me till noon tomorrow. You should be able to make it to St. Louis, Missouri, by then if you leave at dawn. I’ll meet you in the parking lot of the Galleria just outside of Nordstrom. They’re doing a lot of construction and the lot will be crowded. I’ll be in a black Tahoe.”
The line went dead and Shane slipped the phone into his pocket. Rachel took her seat across from him and he could tell by the look on her face that she still hadn’t been able to get in touch with her friends.
“No luck?” he asked. Nadine took that moment to deliver their cheeseburgers and refill his coffee.
“No, just an answering machine at both places. I didn’t leave a message.”
Shane took a bite of his food. Grease dripped onto his plate, and he watched Rachel try to avoid the same problem by cutting hers in half. Grease dripped down her chin and onto her arm at the first bite.
“I don’t want to hear a word,” she said, laughing. “I’m hungry enough to not care about what’s in this burger.”
When they were finished Shane pulled out his wallet and left enough to cover the check and a tip. “Let’s see what our neighborhood motel has to offer.”
They walked outside to the Explorer and drove around the diner and the motel to the front office. The city was silent and the streets empty. Cars were scattered sporadically in the parking lot, enough to tell Shane that Jake’s otel probably did a lot of business by the hour. A lone streetlight glowed yellow in the parking lot, and a flashing neon sign declared vacancies.
