Covet - A Novel of Fallen Angel Part 21

G.o.d, Devina was such a liar.

It felt like sacrilege to come to that conclusion, given how that womanas face looked, but the truth was what it was: Vin hadnat known a thing about Thursday night and what had happened in Jimas truck. Not one thing. The totally-in-the-dark had resonated through his shocked voice.

Why had she lied about telling the guy? And what else had she lied about?

Sure as s.h.i.t it made Vinas denial more credible.

One oaclock came and went and so did one thirty. Then two. Devina had to be coming out soon, a.s.suming it took about an hour to process her paperwork and her folks were on timea"and a.s.suming she didnat go out another way.

And a.s.suming anyone was coming to pick her up.

Wishing he had a cigarette, he held on to his phone and rubbed the flat surface of the screen until it grew warm. Truth. He needed a truth injection into this situation. He needed to know who Marie-Terese was and who Devina was and what the f.u.c.k was going on.

Unfortunately, that was going to cost hima"

Devina abruptly stepped out of the double doors, a pair of big sungla.s.ses taking up most of her face. She was dressed in a black yoga suit, and her oversize crocodile shoulder bag made her seem thin as a ruler in comparison. As she came out to porte cochereas curb, people stared at her as they pa.s.sed, like they were trying to place her in the celebri-verse.

There was no one with her.

Andathe bruising that had been on her face was now gone. All of it. She was photo-op ready, as lovely and perfect as shead been over dinner Friday night.

Ice-cold warning splashed through Jimas veins, the kind that had come only a couple of times in his life.

This was wrong. Way wrong.

Straightening in the truckas seat, he braced himself as he looked at the pavement down at her feet.

In the light that was pouring out of the sky and creating echoes of objects large and small on the ground, she did not throw a shadow. She was form, but not substance, shape but not flesh.

This was the enemy.

He was looking at the enemy.

Head f.u.c.ked the enemy.

As if she heard his thoughts, Devina looked right where he was parked. And then her brows tightened and her face slowly panned from side to sidea"which he took to mean she couldnat see exactly where he was, but she knew someone was staring at hera Her expression was stone cold. Nothing like the warmth shead radiated in front of Vin or what shead thrown around at Jim in the truck or in the car or in that hospital bed.

Stone. Cold.

Serial-killer cold.

Talk about a truth: She was a seducer and a liar and a manipulatoraand she was after Vin. And not as in marriage, but as in owning the manas very soul.

In the center of his chest, Jim also had the sure feeling that she knew who he was and what he was. Had known from that first night when theyad had s.e.xa"because shead seduced his a.s.s on purpose. h.e.l.l, the logic was una.s.sailable. His new bosses, the Four Lads, had put him on the field, and it looked like the other side had likewise sent an operative into the situationa"who knew more than Jim did.

As that old refrain of aDevil with a Blue Dressa rolled through his head, he started to wonder about guys on Harleys who didnat cast shadows either. And probably were liars, too.

G.o.dd.a.m.n it.

Devina scanned the parking lot again, snapped at some poor guy who backed into her by mistake, and then lifted her hand to call up one of the cabs from the line to the right. When a taxi came forward, she stepped inside and off they went.

Time to roll, Jim thought as he started his truck and backed out of his s.p.a.ce. As she knew his ride but only in the dark, he had a veil, not a cover, so he had to settle in two cars behind her and pray that her cabbie wasnat in the habit of blowing through orange lights.

While he trailed her, he tuned up his cell phone for a call, and as he pressed send, nothing else mattered other than getting what he needed. Nothing he had to do was too much. No sacrifice was too great or too demeaning. He was back in the land of single-minded focus, as determined and unswerving as a bullet in midair.

aZacharias,a he said as the line was picked up.

Matthias the f.u.c.ker laughed low. aI swear Iam talking to you more than my own mother.a aDidnat know you had one. I thought youad been sp.a.w.ned.a aYou call me to discuss family trees or is there a purpose to this?a aI need the information.a aAh. Now why did I have the sense youad come around.a aBut I want the info on two names. Not just one. And I canat do a job for you until I finish what Iam working on in Caldwell.a aWhat exactly are you working on?a aNone of your business.a Although Matthias was going to get a pretty good picture of the whos involved.

aHow long are you tied up for.a aI donat know. Not six months. Maybe not even one month.a There was a pause. aIall give you forty-eight hours. And then youare mine.a aIam not anybodyas, a.s.shole.a aRight. Sure. Expect an e-mail from me explaining everything.a aLook, Iam not blowing out of Caldwell until Iam good and frickina ready. So send whatever you like, but if you think youare shipping me overseas the day after tomorrow to off someone, youave got your head up your a.s.s.a aHow do you know what Iam going to ask you to do?a aBecause you and all my bosses before you have wanted only one thing from me,a Jim said hoa.r.s.ely.

aWell, maybe wead mix it up a little if you werenat so f.u.c.king brilliant at what you do.a Jim cranked his hold down on the cell phone, and decided that if there was any more of this bulls.h.i.t banter, he was going to take up Vinas method of terminating connections.

He cleared his throat. aE-mail wonat work. I donat have an account anymore.a aI was going to send you a package anyway. You donat honestly think I trust Hotmail or Yahoo!, do you?a aFine. My address isa"a aAs if I donat already know.a More of that laugh. aSo Iam guessing you want Marie-Terese Boudreauas rundown?a aYes, anda"a aVincent diPietro?a So not a surprise. aNope. Devina Avale.a aInteresting. She wouldnat happen to be the woman who said good ola Vincent put her in the hospital last night, would she? Whyayes, she is. Itas right here on my computer screen. Terrible set of people youare hanging around with. So violent.a aAnd to think itas a step up from the likes of you.a Now there was a little less of that amus.e.m.e.nt: aHow does that saying go? Itas not wise to bite the hand that feeds youa. Yup, I think thatas right.a aIam more likely to shoot than use my teeth. FYI.a aIam well aware of how much you like guns, thank you very much. And in spite of your p.i.s.s-poor opinion about me, I have all the intel on Marie-Terese right here.a Matthias, to his credit, got to the point. aBorn Gretchen Moore in Las Vidas, California. Age thirty-one. Graduated from UC San Diego. Mother and father deceased.a There was a shuffling sound and a grunt, as if Matthias were switching positiona"and the idea that the guy had to deal with chronic pain was satisfying as h.e.l.l. aNow for the interesting part. Married Mark Capricio in Las Vegas, nine years ago. Capricio is a bona fide card-carrying member of the mob, a real sick s.h.i.t who has a personality disorder and a half, given his rap sheet. Total skull cracker. She evidently tried to leave him about three years ago and he beat her up, grabbed the kid, and split. Took her a couple months and a PI to find him. When she got the son back, she divorced the a.s.shole, bought herself the Marie-Terese ID, and disappeared, eventually ending up in Caldwell, NY. Since then, sheas kept her profile ultra-low, and with good reason. Men like Capricio donat let their wives go.a Holy. s.h.i.t. Soachances were good that those two dead boys and that beaten man in the alley last night meant Capricio had found her. Had to be. Vin had said the second attack had been on a guy seen with hera"

aBut when it comes to her ex-husband, she has nothing to worry about in the short term.a aExcuse me?a Jim said.

aCapricioas been doing twenty in federal prison for a salad bar of felonies including embezzlement, money laundering, witness intimidation, and perjurya"and after that heas got a bunch of state felonies to serve out, including accessory to murder, a.s.sault, battery. Guy could be an exam question in law school, for f.u.c.kas sake.a Another shift around was marked with a soft curse. aApparently, it was all crashing down on him right about the time Gretchen/Marie-Terese was going to leave him. Which is logical. He was probably getting more and more violent on the home front as the feds and the Nevada staties closed in on him. When he s.n.a.t.c.hed the son, he was running from the law, not just his wifea"which made the fact that he managed to disappear for three months a testament to the depth of his connections. Clearly, someone ratted on him, thougha"maybe her PI applied the right pressure at the right time by threatening to turn one of his protectors in. Who knows.a aBut I wonder if his familyas coming after her now.a aYeah, I read about those two gunshot murders in that alley. Doubtful itas his family. Theyad just kill her and take the son. Theread be no reason to expose themselves to any added risk by wiping out innocents.a aYeah, and besides, you kill someone just because sheas been with him, thatas personal. So the question is, whoas after hera"a.s.suming she is the common thread between Friday and Sat.u.r.day nightas attacks.a aWait, someone else got blown, and not in a good way?a aAnd here I thought you knew everything.a There was a long pause and then Matthiasas voice came backa"this time without its usual swinging-d.i.c.k tone. aI donat know everything. Took me a while to realize that, though. Anyway, Iall do the Devina thing for you. Stay by your phone for my call.a aRoger that.a As Jim hung up, he felt as if he were dressed in a familiar set of clothes: The back-and-forth with Matthias was just as it had always been. Quick, to the point, smart, and logical. That was the problem. Theyad always worked well together.

Maybe a little too well.

Jim refocused on his pursuit, tracking Devinaas taxi as it headed across downtown to the old warehouse district. When they got into the maze of industrial buildings that had been converted into lofts, he let the taxi turn off onto Ca.n.a.l Street by itself and proceeded to the next left-hand turn. Going around the block, his timing was perfect: As he came back to Ca.n.a.l, he got to see Devina get out of the cab and stride up to a door. When she entered using a key, he took that as an indication she had a place there.

Jim kept going, and as he headed out of the district, he made another call.

Chuck, the diPietro Groupas crew foreman, answered in his usual gruff way. aYeah.a aChuck, itas Jim Heron.a aHey.a There was an exhale, like the guy was in mid-cigar. aHow you doing?a aGood. Wanted you to know Iam coming to work tomorrow.a Guyas voice actually warmed a little. aYouare a good man, Heron. But donat be pushina it.a aNah. Iam fine.a aWell, I apreciate it.a aListen, Iam trying to get in touch with two of the guys I usually work with and I wondered if you have their numbers.a aI got everyoneas number but yours. Who you need?a aAdrian Vogel and Eddie Blackhawk.a There was a pause, and the image of the guy chewing on the stub of a fattie was irresistible. aWho?a Jim repeated the names. aDonat know who you talking about. n.o.body by those names on the bluff job.a There was a hesitation, like the guy was wondering whether Jim was all there. aYou sure you donat need a couple days off?a aMaybe I got the names wrong. They ride Harleys. Oneas got short hair and piercings. The otheras huge and has a braid down his back?a Another exhale. aLook, Jim, youare gonna take tomorrow off. Iall see you Tuesday at the earliest.a aNo one like that on the crew?a aNope, Jim, there ainat.a aGuess Iam confused, then. Thanks.a Jim tossed his cell phone on the seat next to him and all but strangled the steering wheel. Not part of the crew. Big surprise.

Because that pair of b.a.s.t.a.r.ds didnat really exist any more than Devina did.

Christ, it appeared as if he were surrounded by liars in this new job. Which really put him back in familiar territory, didnat it.

His phone rang and he picked it up. aYou canat find her, can you. Devina Avale is nothing but air.a Matthias wasnat laughing this time. aNothing. Not a d.a.m.n thing. Itas like she dropped onto the earth out of nowhere. The thing is, she has all the right surface credentialsa"but only to a point. No birth certificate. No parents. Established credit only seven months ago, and the social security number is actually that of a dead woman. So itas not a great facade, which means I should have been able to find something, anything on the real her. But sheas a mirage.a aThanks, Matthias.a aYou donat sound shocked in the slightest.a aIam not.a aWhat the h.e.l.l have you gotten yourself into?a Jim shook his head. aSame s.h.i.t, different day. Thatas about it.a There was a short silence. aExpect a package from me.a aRoger that.a Jim hung up, put the phone in the front pocket of his jacket, and decided it was time to go face the music over at the Commodore. Vin diPietro had a right to know who and what his ex was, and here was hoping that the guy would be open to the trutha"even though it sounded a lot like fiction.

Abruptly, the memory of Vin looking up from the stool in the locker room at the Iron Mask came back.

Do you believe in demons?

Jim could only hope that question had been a rhetorical one.

CHAPTER 28.

Funny thing about gla.s.s. When you broke the s.h.i.t up, it got p.i.s.sed and bit back.

Upstairs in the duplexas master bath, Vin was surrounded by gauze and white surgical tape. What head done to his palm squeezing that bourbon to shreds was way out of Band-Aid land, so head had to call in reinforcements of the Red Cross variety and things were not going well. With the injury being on his right hand, he was a floundering, cursing nurse, fumbling with all the wrapping and the scissors and the tape.

d.a.m.n good thing he was his own patient. The vocabularly alone, much less the incompetence, would have gotten him disbarreda"or whatever the h.e.l.l the candy-striper equivalent to that was.

He was just coming to the end of the ordeal when the phone by the sinks rang, and wasnat that just loads of fun. With a tiny pair of nail scissors locked in his leftie, a strip of gauze in his teeth, and his right hand all but a paw, it took every bit of coordination he had to answer the call.

aLet him up,a he told the lobby guard.

After putting the receiver back, he did a half-a.s.sed taping job and left the mess on the counter as is, heading for the stairs and going down to the front hall door. When the elevator binged and opened, he was in the corridor, waiting.

Jim Heron stepped out and didnat hang around for a h.e.l.lo or an invitation to speak. Which you had to respect.

aThursday night,a the guy said. aI didnat know you. I didnat know her. I should have told you, but to be honest, when I saw the pair of you together, I didnat want to f.u.c.k things up. It was a mistake and Iam G.o.dd.a.m.n sorrya"mostly that you found out from someone other than me.a The whole time he was talking, Heronas arms hung loosely by his sides, like he was ready for a fight if things went that way, and his voice was as steady and even as his eyes were. No prevaricating. No artifice. No bulls.h.i.t.

And as Vin faced off at him, instead of rage, which was what head have expected himself to have toward the guy, he just felt exhaustion. Exhaustion and the thumping pain of his hand.

Abruptly, he realized he was getting tired of channeling his f.u.c.king father when it came to women. Thanks to that legacy, over the past twenty years, Vinas suspicious nature had found so many shadows where none had existeda"and yet essentially missed the actual time when someone he was sleeping with cheated on him.

So much energy wasted, all in the wrong place.

G.o.d, he just didnat care about Devina. At this moment, he really didnat care what shead done while they were together.

aShe lied about what happened here last night,a Vin said roughly. aDevina lied.a There was absolutely no hesitation in the reply: aI know.a aOh, really.a aI donat believe a word sheas said about anything.a aAnd whyas that.a aI went to the hospital to see her because I was having a hard time believing any of this s.h.i.t. And she gave me this hearts-and-flowers routine about telling you what had happened Thursday night, how that was the reason you went after her. But you didnat know, did you. She never said a thing to you, did she.a aNot a peep.a Vin turned away and headed into the duplex. When Jim didnat follow, he said over his shoulder, aYou just going to stand there like a statue or do you want lunch.a Food was evidently preferable to playing marble, and after they were both through the front door, Vin locked it and put the chain in place. With the way things were going lately, he wasnat taking any chances with anything.

aHoly f.u.c.k,a Jim said, ayour living roomaa aYeah, itas been redecorated by Vince McMahon.a In the kitchen, Vin got out some cold cuts and the jar of h.e.l.lmanas using his left hand. aYou got a choice between rye or sourdough.a aSourdough.a As Vin grabbed some lettuce and a tomato from the crisper, he braced himself. aI need to know how it went down. With Devina. Tell me everythinga"s.h.i.tanot everything. But how did she come on to you?a aYou sure you want to go there?a He took out a knife from the drawer. aI have to, man. Need to. Iam feeling likeaIam feeling I was with someone I didnat know at all.a Jim cursed and then parked it on one of the bar stools at the counter. aNot so much mayo for me.a aCool. Now talk.a aI donat believe she is who she says, by the way.a aFunny, me neither.a aI mean, I did a background check on her.a Vin glanced up in the process of getting the blue lid off the plastic jar. aYou gonna tell me how you managed that?a aNot on your life.a aAnd the result wasa?a aShe doesnat exist, literally. And trust me, if the people I use canat find her true ident.i.ty, n.o.body can.a Vin went light with the h.e.l.lmanas on Jimas sourdough, heavier on his own rye, but it was a messy, imprecise job. Ambidextrous he was not.

G.o.d, it was so not a surprise about Devinaa.

aStill waiting for Thursday-night deets over here,a he said. aAnd do us both a favor and just talk. I donat have the energy to be polite right now.a af.u.c.kaa Jim rubbed his face. aOkayashe was at the Iron Mask. I was withafriends, I guess you could call them, although asonsab.i.t.c.hesa would also cover it. Anyway, she followed me out into the parking lot when I left. It was cold. She seemed lost. She wasaYou sure about this?a aYup.a Vin picked up a tomato, put it on a cutting board, and started slicing with the grace of a five-year-old. Hacking was more like it. aKeep going.a Jim shook his head. aShe was upset about you. And she appeared to be really unsure of herself.a Vin frowned. aHow was she upset?a aHowayou mean what for? She didnat go into specifics. I didnat ask. I was justalike, I wanted her to be okay with herself.a Now Vin was doing the head shaking. aDevina is always okay. Thatas the thing. No matter her mood, down deep sheas tight. It was one of the things that attracted me to herawell, that and the fact that sheas one of the most physically confident women Iave ever met. But thatas what you get when youare built perfectly.a aShe said you wanted her to get breast implants.a Vinas eyes flicked up. aAre you kidding me? Iave told her she was perfect since the night I met her, and I meant it. I never wanted her to change a thing.a Abruptly, Jimas brows drew in tight, a hard look coming onto his face.

aLooks like you were played, buddy.a Vin cracked apart the lettuce and went over to the sink with a couple of leaves to wash. aLet me guess, she poured her heart out to you, you saw a vulnerable woman tangled up with a m.o.f.o, you kissed heramaybe you didnat even think you would take things that far.a aI couldnat believe where it ended up.a aYou felt bad for her, but you were also attracted.a Vin turned off the water and shook the romaine. aYou wanted to give her something to make her feel good.a Jimas voice grew low. aThatas exactly how it was.a aYou want to know the way she got me?a aYeah. I do.a Back at the counter, Vin laid out slices of roast beef that were thin as paper. aI went to a gallery opening. She was there by herself, wearing a dress that was cut down to the small of her back. They had these lights in the ceiling that were directed at the paintings that were for sale, and when I walked in, I saw her standing in front of the Chagall I had come to buy, that light hitting the skin of her back. Extraordinary.a He added on a layer of ragged tomato and a fluffy blanket of lettuce, then top-hatted the sandwiches. aSliced or whole?a aWhole.a He handed the sourdough over to Jim and cut his rye in half. aShe sat in front of me at the auction and I smelled her perfume the entire time. I paid a f.u.c.kload for the Chagall, and Iall never forget the way she looked back at me over her shoulder as the gavel went down. Her smile was what I liked to see in a womanas face at that point.a Vin took a bite and remembered vividly as he chewed. aI used to like it dirty, you know, p.o.r.n-style. And her eyes told me she had no problem with that kind of s.h.i.t. She came home with me that night and I f.u.c.ked her right here on the floor. Then on the stairs. Finally on the bed. Twice. She let me do anything to her and she liked it.a Jim blinked and stopped chewing, like he was trying to match up the Leave It to Beaver lines head been fed with the Vivid Video routine Vin had gotten.

aShe wasaa"Vin leaned to the side and snapped free two paper towelsa"aexactly who I wanted her to be.a He handed one to Jim. aShe gave me free rein to do whatever I wanted business-wise, didnat care if I was gone for a week on no notice. Shead come with me when I wanted her to, stayed home when I didnat. She was likeaa reflection of what I wanted.a Jim wiped his mouth. aOr in my case, what would get to me.a aExactly.a They finished their sandwiches and Vin made two more, and while they ate the second round, they were mostly quiet, as if they were both recalling their time with Devinaaand wondering how theyad been played so easily.

Vin eventually broke the silence. aSo they say they have me on a surveillance tape from last night. Coming up in the elevator. Security guard tells me he saw my face, but thatas impossible. I wasnat here. Whoever that was, it wasnat me.a aI believe you.a aYouare going to be the only one.a The other man paused with the sourdough halfway to his mouth. aIam not sure how to say this.a aWell, considering you just told me you f.u.c.ked my ex-girlfriend, hard to imagine anythingas trickier than that.a aThis is.a Vin paused in midbite himself, not liking the look on the guyas face. aWhat.a Jim took his own d.a.m.ned time about it, even finishing his frickina lunch. Finally, he laughed short and tight. aI donat even know how to talk about this.a ah.e.l.lo? The aforementioned ex-girlfriend s.e.x thing? Come on, grow a set.a aFine. f.u.c.k it. Your ex doesnat cast a shadow.a Now it was Vinas turn to laugh. aIs that some kind of military lingo?a aYou want to know why I believe that wasnat you in the elevator last night? Itas because you called it. Sheas a reflection, a mirageashe doesnat exist and sheas totally dangerous, and yeah, I know this doesnat make sense, but itas reality.a Vin slowly lowered what was left of his roast beef. The guy was serious. Dead serious.

Was it possible, Vin wondered, that he could talk for once about the other side of his life? That part that involved things that couldnat be touched or seen, but that had shaped him sure as his parentsa DNA had?

aYou saidayouad come to save my soul,a Vin murmured.

Jim braced his hands on the granite counter and leaned in. Under the short sleeves of his plain white T-shirt, his arm muscles thickened under the weight. aAnd I mean it. I have a happy new job of pulling people back from the brink.a aOf what?a aEternal d.a.m.nation. As I said beforeain your case, I used to think it was making sure you ended up with Devina, but now Iam d.a.m.n clear thatas the wrong outcome. Nowait means something else. I just donat know what.a Vin wiped his mouth and stared down at the manas big, capable hands. aWould you believe meaif I told you I had a dream about Devinaa"one where she was like something out of 28 Days, all rotted and f.u.c.ked-up? She maintained that Iad asked for her to come to me, that wead entered into some kind of bargain that there was no getting out of. And the most ridiculous thing about it? It didnat feel like a dream.a aAnd I believe it wasnat. Before I had Fridayas little lights-out session with the extension cord? Iad have said you were nuts. Now? You bet your a.s.s I believe every single word of that.a Finally, at least something was working for instead of against him, Vin thought as he decided to pull a bare-all.

aWhen I was seventeen, I went to thisaa G.o.d, even with how well Jim was taking things, he still felt like a complete a.s.s. aI went to this palm reader, fortune-tellerathis woman in town. Remember that aspella I had back at the diner?a When Jim nodded, he continued. aI used to get them a lot, and I neededas.h.i.t, I needed some way to get them to stop. They were ruining my life, making me feel like a freak.a aBecause you saw the future?a aYeah, and that s.h.i.t just ainat right, you know? I never volunteered for it and I would have done anything to get it to stop.a Images from the past, of him collapsing at malls and at schools and in libraries and movies, flooded his brain. aIt was torture. I never knew when the trances were coming and I didnat know what I said in them and the people I didnat scare the s.h.i.t out of thought I was crazy.a He laughed in a hard burst. aMight have been different if Iad been able to predict the lottery, but Iave only ever had bad news to share. Anyway, so there I was, seventeen, clueless, at the end of my rope, with nothing but a pair of violent, alkie parents at home who couldnat offer me any help or adviceaI didnat know what else to do, where to go, who to talk to. I mean, my mom and dad? f.u.c.kina A, I wouldnat have asked them what to make for lunch, much less anything about that stuff. So one day close to Halloween, which is my birthday, by the way, I see in the back of the Courier Journal a bunch of ads for these psychics, healers, whatever, and I decided to give one of them a try. I went downtown, knocked on some doors and finally one of them opened. The woman seemed to understand the situation. She told me what to do and I went home and I did itaand everything changed.a aLike how?a aThe trances stopped, for one thing, and then I just had luck on my side. My parents finally implodeda"Iall spare you the details, but letas just say the end was simply an evolution of the alcoholism. After they were gone, I was relieved and free andadifferent. I turned eighteen, inherited the house and my fatheras plumbing jobsaand thatas how it all started.a aWait, you say you were differenta"how?a Vin shrugged. aWhen I was growing up, I was laid-back. You know, never much interested in school, content to kind of flake along. But after my parents diedayeah, nothing about me was chill. I had this hunger.a He put his hand on his gut. aAlways with the hunger. Nothing wasaor has been ever enough. Itas like Iam obese when it comes to moneya"starved no matter whatas in my accounts or how much I have. I used to think it was just because I went from teenager to adult the second my parents were gonea"I mean, I had to support myself because no one else was going to. But Iam not sure that completely explains it. The thing was, while I was working full-time for those plumbers, I got into drug dealing. The cash was crazy and as it began to stockpile, I just wanted more and more. I got into doing houses because I could be legit that waya"and that mattered not because I was afraid of jail, but because I couldnat make as much paper behind bars as I could out. I was relentless and uncurtailed by ethics and laws and anything but self-preservation. Nothing eased meauntil two nights ago.a aWhat changed then?a aI stared into the eyes of a woman and feltasomething else.a Vin reached into his back pocket and took out the card of the Madonna. After taking a good long look at it, he put it down on the counter and turned it around so Jim could see it.

aWhen I looked into her eyesaI felt satisfied for the first time.a Jim leaned in and stared at the icon. Holy s.h.i.tait was Marie-Terese. The dark hair, the blue eyes, the soft, kind face. aOkay, thatas eerie as f.u.c.k.a Vin cleared his throat. aSheas not the Virgin Mary. I know. And this picture is not of her. But when I saw Marie-Terese, that burning pit in my stomach eased off. Devina? She just fed the drive. Whether it was the s.e.x we had and the boundaries we pushed there, or the things she wanted or the places we went. She was a constant ramp-up of the hunger. Marie-Terese on the other handasheas like a warm pool. When Iam with her, I donat need to be anywhere else. Ever.a The guy abruptly took back the card and rolled his eyes. aJesus Christ, listen to me. I sound like a Lifetime movie or some s.h.i.t.a Jim cracked a smile. aYeah, well, things donat work out, you could always go into the greeting-card biz from prison.a aJust the kind of career change I was looking to make.a aBetter than license plates.a aWittier, certainly.a Jim thought about Devina and the so-called dream Vin had had. Chances were very good that hadnat been a nightmare. For G.o.das sake, if she didnat cast a shadow in broad daylight, what other tricks did she have up her sleeve?

aWhat exactly did you do?a Jim asked. aWhen you were seventeen.a Vin crossed his arms over his chest and you could practically hear the sucking sound as he was drawn back into the past. aI did what the woman told me to do.a aWhich wasa?a When Vin just shook his head, Jim guessed it was some hard-core creepy. aThis woman still around?a aDunno.a aWhatas her name?a aWhy does it matter? Thatas in the past.a aBut Devina is not, and youare up on charges for something you didnat do, thanks to her.a As a whole lot of cursing rolled out, Jim nodded. aYou open a door, not a bad idea to go back and get the key to lock it back up.a aThatas the problem. I thought I was locking it. As for that woman, it was like twenty years ago. I doubt we can find her.a As Vin started to clean things up, Jim watched his awkward bandaged hand. aHowad you hurt yourself?a aI crushed a gla.s.s as I was talking to you.a aThatall do it.a Vin stopped in the middle of twisting shut the sourdough bread. aIam worried about Marie-Terese. If Devina can do this to me, what isnat she capable of, you know?a aI hear you on that. Does she have a clue abouta"a aNo, and Iam going to keep it that way. I donat want Marie-Terese involved in this s.h.i.t.a More evidence Vin wasnat an idiot. aListenaabout her.a Jim wanted to be careful how he packaged this one. aI took a look around her background after you told me that other guy who was killed downtown had been with her.a aOh, Jesusaa Vin wheeled around from the cupboard head opened. aThat ex-husband of hers. Heas found her. Itasa"a aNot him. Heas in jail.a Jim did a download on what Matthias the f.u.c.ker had found and what do you knowathe more the story came out, the bigger the frown on Vinas face got. aBottom line is,a Jim concluded, aalthough itas possible an a.s.sociate of Capricioas would come after her, itas not likely given those other deaths because theyad really just be concerned with Marie-Terese.a Vin curseda"which meant he got the picture and all the implications. aSo, who is it? a.s.suming sheas the tie between the two attacks.a aThatas the question.a Vin settled back against the counter, crossing his arms and looking as if head like to fight someone.

aSheas quit, by the way,a he said after a moment. aYou know, doing that s.h.i.t at the Iron Mask. And I think sheas going to leave Caldwell.a aReally.a aI donat want her to, but maybe itas for the best. It could be that one of thoseamen, you know, from the club, that sheayeah.a As the guyas lips flattened out like his gut had frozen up on him, Jim realized things had progressed between the two of them. Fast. Although he wasnat willing to bet Dog on it, head wager his truck and his Harley that Vin and Marie-Terese had become loversa"because that expression on the guyas face was kind of heartbreaking.

aI donat want to lose her,a Vin muttered. aAnd I hate to have her running for her life.a aWell,a Jim said, athen I think you and I need to make it safe for her to stay here.a Safe from Devinaaand from whatever psycho was after her.

At least Jim knew what the h.e.l.l to do to some creep who had a case of the obsessions with the woman. As for Devina? Well, he was going to have to pull that one out of his a.s.s.

Across the way, Vin looked over, and as they locked eyes, the guy nodded once, like he knew that things were going to get freaky and he was good with that. Extending his bandaged hand, he said, aExcellent plan, my friend.a Jim carefully clasped the paw that was offered. aI have a feeling itas going to be a pleasure working with you.a aLikewise. Guess that bar fight was just a warm-up.a aClearly.a

CHAPTER 29.

As Marie-Terese sat down after the last hymn of the service, she felt her phone vibrating in her purse and put her hand in to stop its rattle-and-shake routine.

Robbie looked over, but she just settled back in the pew, and gave him a little smile. The way she saw it, there were three possibilities for the call: wrong number, babysittersaor Trez. And as much as liked her old boss, she hoped it wasnat him.

Abruptly, she thought of something shead learned in college about veteran parachuters. It had been in psychology cla.s.s and part of a study on perceived danger and anxiety. Asked when or if they had ever been afraid, the parachuters, who fit the profile of risk takers, overwhelmingly replied that the only time theyad been nervous was on their last jumpa"as if they might have used up all their luck over time and the odds they had beaten until that point could suddenly reach out and grab them just as they were getting out.

Funny, when shead been eighteen and sitting in a lecture hall, it had seemed so ridiculous. After all the jumps those highfliers had taken, why would they have lost their iron nerve on the last one?

Now she so got that.

She might have quit the night beforeabut what if that was Trez calling her back to meet with the CPD again? And what if this time, it wasnat about those shootings, but what she had done for money?

As she sat next to her son in church, the risk she had a.s.sumed seemed real for the first time. The thing was, the evolution from s.e.xy waitress to something more had been done in an environment where that was a acareer choicea a lot of people around her had made safely. Abruptly, though, she realized she must have been crazy. If she got jailed, Robbie would end up in foster carea"with both of his parents behind bars.

Sure, neither Trez, nor her first boss, had ever had any problems with the police, but how could she have put so much faith in that track record considering what was at stake?

G.o.dain cutting herself loose from that whole seedy underside of life, she was able to view her choice to do what shead done for the money with very different eyesa.

Glancing around at all the people in the pews, she was shocked to realize that these were normal eyes she was regarding her actions with. And as a result she was horrified with herself.

Be careful what you wish for, she thought. Shead wanted to be among the worried well, because that had seemed so much easier than where shead been. Now that she was dipping her foot in that pool, though, it just made what shead done seem all the more terrible and irresponsible and dangerous.

And actually, that had been the way shead lived for the last ten years, hadnat it. Her marriage to Mark had been the first step into a kind of lawless life shead seen only on TV. Going rogue to keep her son safe had been the second. Turning to prost.i.tution to make money in order to survive had been the third.

As she looked down the long aisle to the altar, she got angry with herself and her choices. She was the only person Robbie had in his life, and though shead thought she was putting him first, she really hadnat done that, had she.

And the fact that she hadnat had many other options considering what kind of money she owed was a very cold comfort.

When the service was over, she and Robbie stood up and joined the crush of people who pooled in the vestibule around Father Neely. For the most part, she focused on ushering Robbie forward, but every now and again, because she couldnat avoid it without being rude, she nodded to people she knew from the prayer group or from previous Sundays.

Robbie held on to her hand, but made like the man, squiring her instead of being leda"at least as far as he knew. When they came up to the priest, he let go and was the first to shake the manas hand.