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She shrugged. “I wanted to see if he was okay.”
He narrowed his eyes on her. “Hell, you know I wouldn’t hurt anyone.” He glanced at the cop, shaking his head. “Will you listen to this one? Where do they get it, huh?” He moved closer to Ang, put a hand on her shoulder. “I called a friend—an employee. Told him to go pick up the cop’s SUV and bring it on down here. He should be here any minute.”
She blinked. “You can trust this friend? ‘Cause, Vinnie, kidnapping a cop—you know? Not to mention you ain’t even s’posed to be out of Chicago.”
“Itrust the men who work for me, Ang. If I couldn’t, I’d have been out of business long ago. But it’s sweet, how you worry.” He pushed her hair behind her ear.
She smiled, warming at his touch, at his soft words. “So... what are you gonna do? Just let him go? I mean, what was the point?”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry your pretty head.”
“Come on, Vinnie, don’t treat me like I don’t matter. I’m not stupid. And I don’t know what good it’s gonna do you anyway. You’re committing more crimes to get these guys to drop the charges against you. What’s to stop them from filing more as soon as you let ‘em go?”
Just then, headlights came toward them. She squinted, shielded her eyes. Then she saw the red SUV pulling into the motel lot
It pulled right up behind Vinnie’s car and a man got out. She’d seen him before once or twice, around Vinnie, but never in the office. He was a big guy, powerful build, crooked nose, and he was always wearing sunglasses. Even now, though it was still dark outside. And cold as hell. She could see her breath.
The guy got out, came over to them, took a quick look around and then in one swift and easy motion lifted the cop from the trunk and dropped him on the backseat of the SUV.
They were not going to loosen his hands. She thought it was kind of cruel.
“Watch him a second, Angie,” Vinnie said, nodding at the backseat. “I gotta have a word with my friend, here.”
She nodded, then got into the backseat beside the cop, because it was so freaking cold outside. She sat with her butt very close to the top of his head and looked down at his face. “Vinnie’s not gonna hurt you. He promised.”
The cop held her eyes, shook his head side to side. She felt bad, real bad. She glanced outside at the men, but they were involved in conversation. So she picked at an edge of the tape around his mouth and tugged it off in one swift yank.
The man didn’t cry out, even though she thought the damn tape probably tore off several layers of tissue from his lips. “Man, you must be so uncomfortable.”
“My... hands,” he croaked. “Please.”
“I really shouldn’t.” Then she shrugged. “Hell, they’re gonna let you go anyway.” Then she tugged a little blade from her jeans pocket and sliced the tape from his wrists. “You gotta fake it, though, or I’ll be in big trouble.”
He nodded, tried to speak, but his voice was just a croak.
She spotted a water bottle in the front seat and grabbed it, held it to his lips. He drank deeply. She put it back exactly where she’d found it.
“He’s gonna kill me, you know.”
“He won’t. He wouldn’t, he’s not like that.”
“He’s exactly like that, Ang.”
She blinked and stared down at him.
“Don’t help him find Jim and Tyler. Don’t do it, Angie. He’ll hurt them, too.”
“You talk too much.” She reached out and smoothed the duct tape over his mouth again. Then she re-attached the two dangling pieces from his wrists, though she didn’t make them as tight as before. “He’s not gonna hurt anyone. He was falsely accused— framed and set up. You’ll see.”
Vinnie returned to the SUV, opened the door and scanned the cop with his eyes. “Everything okay?”
“Fine, Vinnie. Am I done here?”
“Yeah. You go on inside now.”
She slid out of the SUV and Vinnie closed the door. Then the guy in the sunglasses walked around and got in the driver’s side and drove away with the cop in the back.
She sighed. “You sure he’ll be okay, Vin?”
