Coming ine box set, p.88
Coming in Hot: Rescue Me Box Set, page 88
A soft giggle escaped her as he kissed her lips. She moaned and melted against him as he pulled her closer, deepening their kiss. They were quiet for a while as they simply sat in each other’s arms, each of them alone with their own thoughts.
“What are we going to do, Jeremiah?” she finally asked.
He took a deep breath and kissed the top of her head. “I’ve been giving our predicament some thought. You said the man in the hospital stairwell told you that your family couldn’t save you?”
Monique nodded. “That’s right.”
“Okay. So we know this is indeed about your family somehow.” Jeremiah paused as he tried to put all the puzzle pieces together. “The person who tried to hire me called this morning to find out why you were still alive.”
“What? You’re kidding!”
Monique sounded horrified, and Jeremiah nodded. “Yeah. And when I tried to make a deal to return their money, he said that I couldn’t buy your safety because the money means nothing to them. He said this is about honor, and family loyalty.”
“Family loyalty?” Monique repeated.
“Yeah. And your attacker said your family couldn’t save you. So whatever this is, I think it’s a safe bet that it has something to do with some dirty deed that your uncle or your cousin set into motion. Something that someone wants revenge for. My guess is that it has something to do with one of the other four families, and I know it’s not the Tobins. That leaves the Gambertelli family, the Wongs, and the Mendozas. We just have to figure out what the O'Shaes did to piss off one of the other families lately.”
Monique huffed out a disgusted breath and rolled her eyes. “Well, that could be anything.”
“True.” Jeremiah nodded as he continued to think out loud. “As allies go, the Tobins have always had great relationships with both the Gambertellis and the Wongs. I don’t think either of them have any business dealings with your family. Things can be a bit more tense between the Tobins and the Mendozas, but I wouldn’t call them our enemies. However, I do know that the Mendozas have gotten into bed with the O'Shaes on a couple of recent deals, so maybe that’s what this is about.”
“Double crossing an ally wouldn’t be a stretch for Uncle Duff or Patrick.” Monique pouted as she leaned into him.
Jeremiah cocked an eyebrow at her. “I get the feeling you don’t really care very much for your uncle or your cousin.”
She shook her head. “They’re my family, Jeremiah. I do care about them, but they don’t make it easy. And I hate their strong-arm bullying tactics. That crap may work in their business ventures, but it’s not supposed to be the way you deal with your family, you know?” She paused and folded her arms over her chest. “Like with my medical career. When I completed my residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital, I wanted desperately to do my trauma fellowship at a hospital out west. LA, or even Seattle or Portland. I just wanted to get as far away from the family as I possibly could.”
“So why didn’t you?” Jeremiah asked, still holding her.
Monique looked down at the sheets and sighed. “My grandfather paid my way through college and med school. When I told him I wanted to do my fellowship out west he made it perfectly clear that my only options were Carson Beach near my uncle, or back in New York with him. Somewhere they could keep an eye on me. Anything other than that would be seen as an affront to the family. See, I was allowed to have a medical career, but I wasn’t allowed to walk away from the family completely.”
She paused again as she thought about it all, shaking her head. “He threatened to disown me, which would mean the rest of my family would be expected to shun me as well. I don’t care about being cut out of his will, but I do care about being shut out of my mother’s life. She’s my mom, Jeremiah. We don’t always get along, but I do love her.”
“I understand that.” Jeremiah squeezed her and kissed her forehead. “You did what you had to do, that’s all.”
She settled into his side again, and Jeremiah let his hand drift over her arm in a rhythmic fashion as he held her close. Then he frowned as he thought of something.
“What about your mom, Monique? Is she involved in your family’s business in any way?”
Monique hesitated, unsure exactly how to answer that question. She knew her mother was aware of certain things. Things she herself went out of her way to remain in the dark about. But was her mother actually involved?
“No. I don’t think so. When she first moved out here, my grandpa set her up with a house and a bank account. I know he puts so much money into it each year, but other than that … to my knowledge she isn’t actually involved in the business in any way. My uncle looks after her and keeps her out of trouble.”
Jeremiah frowned. “What kind of trouble?”
Monique groaned. “Mom has a tendency to be a little flighty. She falls in love often, usually with the wrong man. Like her last conquest. A very handsome Asian man named Jiang Li. I swear that guy was young enough to be my brother, but she was crazy about him.”
Jeremiah looked at her. “Wait a minute. Jiang Li, one of the attorneys for the Wong family?”
Monique frowned. “Um, I guess so. I mean, I know the guy she was dating was a lawyer, but I don’t know who his clients were. Anyway, he died a few weeks ago. Apparently he lost control of his car out on Palm Ridge Road. Mom is still beside herself, and Uncle Duff keeps asking me if I know what the heck is upsetting her. She never told him about her romance with Jiang Li because she didn’t want him interfering or getting on her case about the age thing. She swore me to secrecy.”
“Fuck,” Jeremiah muttered under his breath as he let go of her and sat up.
Monique frowned as she sat up next to him. “What is it?”
He turned to look at her. “I have been doing what I do ever since Malachi was killed. It’s been about five years now. And in all that time, I’ve taken jobs from the Wongs, the Gambertellis and the Mendozas. Hell, I’ve even taken several jobs from Joe Blow Citizen. If they can pay my fee and their request doesn’t violate my rules of conduct, I don’t care. But in all that time, Doc, I have never had a request for a job come in from the O'Shae family. I thought it made sense. Your uncle probably felt it would be a bit hypocritical, seeing as they were behind Malachi’s death, and all. And since the only way to get to my services is through Hezekiah, naturally your uncle wouldn’t want to go to his enemy for help with anything.”
Monique shook her head as she tried to follow what he was saying. “What are you getting at Jeremiah?”
“I’m saying that all changed suddenly, about a month ago with a new job request I received,” Jeremiah answered as he stared at her. “The target was Jiang Li.”
Monique looked confused. “No, but Jiang Li lost control of his car. You didn’t do anything.”
“I was asked specifically to make it look like an accident. So that’s exactly what I did.” He looked her in the eye as he explained, wanting her to understand the subtleties of what he was saying. “The request came in like all the others, there was nothing special about it. It wasn’t until I called to accept the job that I realized who sent in the request.”
Monique frowned at him, almost not wanting to hear the answer. “Uncle Duff?”
“No. Your cousin, Patrick.”
“Patrick?”
Jeremiah nodded. “At first I was reluctant to do him any favors, but then I thought … he’s paying for it, so what the hell. I took the money from that job and put it into a trust for Malachi’s two boys. Seemed fitting somehow. Although I’m sure if Patrick had known my identity he never would have sought my services.”
“But I don’t understand. Why would Patrick want to kill my mother’s boyfriend?”
Jeremiah shrugged his shoulders. “Good question. All he told me was that the man had violated a member of his family, and that his father wanted the matter dealt with in a way that wouldn’t trace back to the O'Shaes.”
Monique slowly shook her head. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Uncle Duff has been genuinely concerned about what’s upsetting my mother the last few weeks. If he ordered Jiang Li’s death because of her, then he is one hell of an actor.”
“You think Patrick found out about your mother’s romance somehow and acted on his own?”
She ran a hand through her long red locks and hesitated as she tried to wrap her brain around all of it. “I don’t know what to think about anything anymore. God, Jeremiah, is this really our lives? Mob hits, and organized crime, and territory wars? I don’t want to live in this craziness anymore! I want to go someplace far, far away from all of this, and just live a quiet happy life.”
Jeremiah pulled her into his arms again with a sigh. “I want that too, Doc. I want that more than you could ever know.” He was quiet for awhile as his mind began to work on a new problem. He narrowed his eyes the longer he thought about it. “Monique … what do you say you and me find a way to finish this mess. We get the Mendozas or the Wongs, or whoever it is we’re dealing with, off your back, and then we take off to paradise. How does that sound to you?”
“That sounds like a beautiful dream.” Her fingers drifted over his chest and she snuggled closer to him.
“Well, it can be a beautiful reality if we want it bad enough. All we have to do is make a few preparations, tie up a few loose ends, and then be on our way.”
Monique looked up at him with a curious frown. “You’re serious aren’t you?”
Jeremiah stared into her eyes. “I am. I’ve never been more serious about anything, ever. I don’t want this life, Monique. I didn’t want it when it began, I simply didn’t have anything else at the time. Nothing but anger, anyway, and nowhere to put it. But I don’t want this miserable existence to be me. It was never me, that’s why I ran off and joined the Navy in the first place. I came back to find my brother’s killer, but I never meant to make a permanent return to this life. I allowed myself to get trapped here out of grief and duty, but it’s time to let that go now and walk away for good. I want out. I always wanted out. And I want you.” He caressed her face and looked deep into her eyes. “Come on, baby. Say you’ll come with me. Just say the word and I will make it happen. New identities, new lives. A whole new reality. We can change everything.”
Monique stared up at him, completely taken aback by his urgent plea. “You’re serious,” she repeated.
“Yes, I’m serious!”
“But what about my job? I love being a doctor.”
“There are hospitals in need of amazing doctors all over the world, baby. Pick one, and that’s where we’ll go.”
A million things ran through her mind as she stared at him and thought of the possibilities. She had always thought the whole “Doctors Without Borders” thing sounded terribly exciting and rewarding, not to mention it would have afforded her the chance to get far away from her family. But there was no way her grandfather would ever have allowed it. Now Jeremiah’s crazy idea sparked something deep inside her she couldn’t ignore. A path to true freedom. “And you? What would you do if we left?”
Jeremiah smiled at her and shrugged a shoulder. “Well, that depends on where we land. Buy a boat? Become a yoga instructor or a restaurateur?”
She gave him a look, and he laughed.
“I don’t know, Doc, but I’m sure I could find something to occupy my time while you’re off saving lives each day. And honestly, I wouldn’t have to do a damn thing but lay around in a hammock all day if I didn’t want to. I’ve put enough money into my offshore accounts over the last five years to never have to worry about paying my way ever again. Our only worry would be staying off your family’s radar for the rest of our lives.”
Monique made a face at him. “You make it sound like they would hunt us down and kill us.”
Jeremiah cocked an eyebrow at her. “Your grandfather had your father killed when he learned about the abuse. He used emotional blackmail to keep you where he or your uncle can keep tabs on you at all times. And your cousin put out a hit on your mother’s boyfriend for reasons we still don’t know. I think when it comes to you and your mother, the men of your family get a little ruthless. I can only imagine how they treat their wives. I’m just saying.”
Monique looked slightly ill as she thought about it and glanced up at him. “You think if we ran off together my family would hunt us down and kill you, then drag me back home.”
“I wouldn’t put it past them to try.” He studied her as he answered truthfully.
“And yet you want to attempt this anyway?”
He reached out and ran his thumb over her cheek. “If we do this right, they’ll have no reason to look for us at all. Then we simply disappear off the face of the earth and start our new life together.”
Monique stared at him for a moment as the reality of what he was saying began to sink in. “You’re talking about faking our own deaths?”
“I’m talking about spending the rest of my life with you. I’m talking about you and me building a future together without looking over our shoulders every day. Don’t you want that, baby?”
“Yes!” She answered without hesitation. “Yes, I want that too. But Jeremiah … we have people here that we care about. People we won’t ever be able to see again. My mom. And your brothers. I know how much you love them.”
“Yes, I do love them. But we only have two other options here, Monique. Either I start an all out mob war by taking out your cousin, your uncle, and your grandfather – because if you think Cullen O'Shae wouldn’t come to Carson Beach once Duff and Patrick were killed, you’re crazy. Or … you and I walk away from each other. That’s it. Those are our options. And I don’t know about you, but personally, I don’t want to do either of those things.”
Monique caressed his face and let her fingertips play over the stubble at his jaw. “I will never walk away from you, Jeremiah. I love you.”
“I love you.” He took her hand and kissed the palm of it.
“But I don’t want a mob war and bloodshed either.” Monique looked up into his eyes, and he leaned his forehead against hers. They were quiet for a moment as they sat that way. “Where would we go?”
Foreheads still together, neither of them made any attempt to move as Jeremiah answered her. “Anywhere you want, as long as it’s not a big tourist destination. Actually, since we’re being serious here, I should point out that the last thing we would need is for someone associated with the five families to spot us, very much alive, while they’re sitting on a beach sipping a drink. So we would have to be very careful about where we chose to go. That being said, I do know of a few spots that are well off the beaten path, with no extradition to the US. Places that welcome deep pocketed nomads with open arms, and even encourage them to stay and relocate.”
“Sounds like you have someplace specific in mind.” Monique threaded her fingers through his as they sat facing one another, foreheads still touching.
“White sand, crystal clear blue water, friendly natives. English is spoken in most places. And although tourism is growing, it’s virtually unknown by most westerners. We could build a brand new life for ourselves in paradise.” Jeremiah’s gaze focused on their entwined fingers as he spoke.
Monique took a deep breath and finally moved, looking up into his eyes. “Where do we start?”
“I think the first thing we have to do is talk to Patrick. Find out why he wanted Jiang Li dead and how to get the Wong family off your back. You got any ideas about where to find him?” Jeremiah watched her as he let one long finger trace over her knee.
Monique shook her head. “Not really. But I could just call him, ask him to meet me somewhere. It might work.”
Jeremiah was quiet as he thought about her suggestion. “Okay. Let him pick the place. He’ll feel like he’s in control of the situation. We don’t want him showing up spooked.”
She nodded again and got out of bed, going in search of her cellphone. Out in the living room area, she pulled Jeremiah’s discarded t-shirt on, and then she retrieved her phone from the pocket of her pants. She returned to the bed as she dialed the number and put it on speaker. They listened to it ringing as she climbed back into the bed with Jeremiah.
“Mouse? This is a rare treat.”
His voice was smug, as usual, and Monique rolled her eyes at the nickname. “Hey, Patrick. I’m sorry to bother you.”
“It’s no bother. I’m just surprised to hear from you.”
“I’m surprised to be calling. Listen, I know you’re probably really busy, but I was wondering if I could talk to you about something?” She was suddenly so nervous, and she could feel Jeremiah’s eyes on her.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Um, not … not over the phone. Let me buy you a cup of coffee. Or we’ll take a walk or something?” She knew she sounded anxious, and Patrick was going to pick up on that. He may be a jerk, but he wasn’t stupid. There was a slight pause on the other end, and she shot a nervous glance Jeremiah’s way.
“What’s this about, Mo? Are you in some kind of trouble, kiddo?”
Monique rolled her eyes again. Kiddo. They were just six years apart in age, but he took every opportunity to make her feel inferior. Always had. “No. No trouble. Just something I need to talk about. Can you help me?”
“Well, I won’t know that until I hear what this is about, will I?” The condescension was back in his voice, then she heard him sigh. “But I will try. Tell you what … why don’t you come down to the wharf later? I’ve got some business down there I have to take care of a little later on, but there’s a great restaurant close by we can meet at, say around six o’clock. You and me can have dinner and talk before I go to work. How’s that sound?”
“That sounds perfect. I’ll see you then. Thanks, Patrick.”
She disconnected the call and took a deep breath as she turned to Jeremiah. “Meeting set.”
Chapter Seven
