“You tracked her down? For real? I mean, this is not some big joke on your part because I’ll tell you, I’m not in a laughing mood where she’s concerned.”

  “Would I lie? I’m the only one who always tells you the truth, remember?”

  “And thank god for that.” He took a swallow of the beer that sat at his elbow. “Okay. Tell me about it.”

  “First, it took all these years because the person who arranged this did a damn good job of it.” Jamie barked a laugh. “Would you believe it? I even dug up the grave and pried the casket open. With help, of course. Empty, just like my source said.”

  Matthew frowned. “I hope you put it back the way it was.”

  “We did a good job,” Jamie assured him. “Count on it.”

  “That better be the truth.” He gestured with impatience, wanting to know everything. “So, then what?”

  “It took a lot of chasing and a big chunk of your money.” Jamie waved the hand holding the slice of pizza. “But I did it. First of all, she’s changed her name. No big surprise, after all, but I got past that. And I tracked her down. She’s living in Tampa. Bought a big house there in the rich section of town.” He added in a conspiratorial tone, “The best part? She never leaves there.”

  Matthew lifted an eyebrow. “Never?”

  “Nope. Seems what you did scared the shit out of her. I think she has what’s called agoraphobia. Yeah, you really frightened her.” Jamie chuckled.

  He smacked his fist on the table. “I knew it. I knew she wasn’t dead.”

  “You can find out anything if you have enough money,” Jamie pointed out.

  “And she should be scared. As soon as I get my hands on her I’m going to hack her to death piece by piece. Stupid little bitch. Miss Priss Goody Two Shoes. She ruined everything.”

  Jamie shrugged. “If you say so.”

  “You should feel the same way,” he snapped. “She had the old man wrapped around her skinny little fingers.”

  “I’ll get mine when she’s dead.”

  “So, tell me about this place where she lives.”

  “Matt, you can’t go there right now. It’s the first place they’ll look for you.”

  He nodded. “I know. I just want the details. You went there? Scoped it out? Took pictures, like you said you would?”

  Jamie nodded, chewed a bite of pizza, and swallowed.

  “Okay. For one thing, it’s like a fortress. A high wrought iron fence around the entire property with a very sophisticated security system. Plus, when the housekeeper comes to clean or the landscaper to do the yard, she usually has a security guard on duty.”

  “What about packages being delivered?”

  “Get this. She has them delivered to the office of the security agency she uses and one of the agents brings them to her. The only exception is Publix Supermarket that delivers her groceries.”

  “She doesn’t even go to the supermarket?”

  “Huh-uh.”

  Matthew snorted. “I must have done a good job if she’s still scared shitless after all these years.” He took another swallow of beer. “But that makes it harder to get to her.”

  “You think I’ve been idle?” Jamie scowled. “I’ve used your money to the best advantage, and we have a number of options. None of them easy but all workable. We just have to analyze each of them and see which fits.”

  “I want to know all about the Publix deliveries. That might be a possibility. And I want to scope out the neighborhood.”

  Jamie lifted an eyebrow. “I think it’s chancy. You’ll have to wear an excellent disguise.”

  “That’s another way that having money helps,” he pointed out. “I can buy any kind of disguise I want.”

  “Are you sure I can’t talk you out of waiting a while? At least until the initial furor over your escape dies down?”

  “Not a chance. I’ll disappear afterward while we make plans, but I want to take a look at her neighborhood now.”

  “So, let’s finish the pizza, get a good night’s sleep, and hit the road.”

  He winked. “Sounds good to me.”

  Chapter 8

  Amy studied Quinn as he chewed the last bite of his sandwich. What pleasure she got from just watching him. Everything was done with an economy of movement, even eating. Everything appealed to her from the flex of muscles in his jaw to those in his arms. The black T-shirt and jeans he wore made him look even more like a warrior, but the edge was softened slightly by the scent of whatever aftershave clung to him.

  Aftershave? With a scruff beard? Oh, right. In all her research for her video game characters, she’d learned that there were special razors and clippers that could be used to keep that style of beard neat and clean. She wondered what his body looked like beneath the jeans and T-shirt. If he had a fat stomach, washboard abs, a tight ass—

  Tight ass? Holy crap? What the hell was wrong with her? Was she going crazy? Maybe it was the fact she hadn’t had sex in ten years, or even the desire to dream about it. Although after Quinn had sent her his picture, she’d been on the verge of a few fantasies about him.

  “A penny for them.” His deep voice broke into her meanderings.

  She blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “You looked like you were deep in thought, and I wondered what had such a hold on your concentration.”

  If only you knew.

  Heat crept up her face in a very unfamiliar blush, and she lifted her ice water, taking a long drink. Hoping it would cool her off. She felt like a teenager whose hormones had just escaped confinement.

  “Um, it was nothing. Really.” Please believe me.

  “Okay. If you say so.” But he grinned as if he knew exactly what was going on.

  Amy pushed back from the table and gathered up their plates, needing to be doing something to distract her mind.

  “Would you like a refill on the iced tea?”

  “I can get it. First, I want to take a turn around the property. I know you’ve got a top-of-the-line security setup. Grillo walked me through it, but I want to take time checking everything for myself. Then I want to ask you some questions about the neighborhood.”

  She paused with her hands full of dishes. “The neighborhood? Why? Dan and Security Solutions checked out everything down to the last stop sign before I bought the house and moved in.”

  “I want to do some studying of my own,” he told her. “It helps to know who the neighbors are, when and if they have company, who walks their dogs. Stuff like that. It’s easier to spot anomalies that way.”

  The dishes rattled as her hands started to shake, so she set them back down on the table.

  “Anomalies?”

  “You know. When people have company. And have parties. That kind of stuff. Just anything not part of daily life.”

  She had to swallow twice before she could speak. “You think he could come here? Quinn, he’s in prison.”

  “Yes, he is, and he’s put you in a virtual one.” He took a step forward and cupped her face in his warm, strong hands. “A prison I’m going to help you break out of. Okay?”

  She nodded, hoping he was right but afraid he might not be.

  “Amy, we may have just met in person today, but we’ve been talking to each other for a long time. Trust me when I tell you, one of the reasons I took this job was because I wanted to see if we could have something together.” He studied her with those ebony eyes. “I hope that doesn’t frighten you.”

  She actually managed a smile. “There are a lot of things that frighten me, Quinn, but that’s not one of them. For years I haven’t trusted anyone except Dan and the security agents, but I trusted you from the beginning. More than them. I never believed in serendipity until Tex connected us, although I guess it really began when Tex decided to answer my questions.”

  “For which I’ll always be grateful to him.”

  For a moment, Amy thought he was going to kiss her, and she held her breath, wondering how she’d react. Then he dropped his hands.

  “The agency gave me a schematic of the security system, and Grillo gave me all the codes. But what happens if there’s a power failure?”

  “We thought of that. There are battery-powered sensors on all the windows, hidden by the shutters. If someone kills the main system, those sensors send a signal to base and someone heads out here right away.”

  “Okay. Let me do my recon outside now. Then I’ll be ready for some more iced tea.”

  The kitchen window looked out on the side yard. Amy usually kept the lower half of the shutters closed so no one could see directly into the house. Which was stupid, she always told herself, since no one could get onto her property. But today she tilted them open enough so she could watch Quinn on his rounds. Even his search was done with an economy of movement, as he carefully separated branches and bushes and checked the eaves of the buildings. She knew he’d remember the exact placement of each camera.

  It was fascinating to watch him. She could almost imagine him on a covert mission, stealthy. Careful, focused. Dedicated. She felt weird moving from window to window so she could keep watching him, but he fascinated her. And she wanted to see how thorough a job he did.

  She had just lost sight of him at the corner of the house when a loud rapping made her jump nearly out of her skin. She was glad she wasn’t holding anything or she was sure she’d have dropped it. She looked toward the sound and saw Quinn standing at the sliding glass doors to the patio, looking in on her and rapping gently on the glass.

  She went to the doors and slid them apart just enough so he could slip inside.

  “I didn’t want to just walk in and scare the bejeesus out of you.” His mouth curved in the grin she was becoming addicted to. “Although I did see you spying on me.”

  Heat crept up her cheeks for the second time that day. “I wasn’t spying. Just making sure you were okay.”

  He laughed, a hearty, natural sound she felt all the way to her toes.

  “If you say so. How about some of that iced tea and we can sit and chat.”

  She nodded. “Okay. You can ask me anything you want to.”

  “Anything?”

  Amy swallowed a sigh. She was used to people asking her questions, but with Quinn she had a feeling somehow it would be easier.

  “Yes.” She looked directly at him. “I said it before. I trust you.”

  He was standing directly in front of her now and, for a wild moment, she wondered again if he was going to kiss her. She hadn’t been kissed in so long—hadn’t wanted to be kissed—that she wasn’t sure she’d know what to do if he did. Push him away? Throw her arms around him? Run out of the room?

  He cupped her face in his warm palms as he had earlier, and his touch sent an unfamiliar feeling of warmth and security rushing through her. What would it be like, she wondered, to just let herself go after all this time? To feel a man’s arms around her, the touch of his lips on hers, the—

  “Amy?” Quinn’s voice broke through her thoughts. “You okay?” He was staring directly into her eyes, studying her.

  She wet her lips. “Uh, yes. I’m good. Thanks.”

  Except she could hardly breathe.

  He smiled, and again she felt it through her entire body.

  “Good. Let’s go hang out in those comfortable-looking chairs you’ve got, and I can tell you what I learned about agoraphobia, and you can tell me all about Matt the Asshat.”

  Amy laughed, something she’d hardly done for the past ten years.

  “I love that. It makes him seem…less formidable.”

  “Good. Then that’s what we’ll call him.”

  When he stepped away to allow her to refill their glasses, she felt an unfamiliar emptiness, as if she’d lost something. Oh god. She was in big trouble here, but the kind of trouble she hadn’t even been close to in years.

  * * *

  Matthew had convinced Jamie that flying to Florida would result in too many problems. They’d need identification to check in at the airline and to board the plane. Jamie had used plenty of money to procure flawless identification for them, but what if his picture was already being circulated? He kept checking the television in the hotel and then on the iPhone Jamie had purchased for him and nothing had showed up. He had a feeling they were keeping this quiet, mostly for the sake of his prissy stepsister, but that didn’t mean his picture wasn’t being circulated to other agencies.

  That was another reason he’d insisted on the purchase of a car. He wanted control over his own transportation, even if it meant long hours on the road. Every time they rented a car, one of them would have to show a driver’s license. No one knew about Jamie and their relationship, but he didn’t trust the federal agencies that could dig up anything. No, they’d be better off always having control of their transportation.

  He’d volunteered to do most of the driving to Tampa. He was so wired he knew he wouldn’t sleep anyway, and Jamie, who hated long-distance driving, was grateful for the offer. They started out that night when they knew there’d be less traffic on the road. The trip took a little less than twenty-four hours.

  One time when they stopped to eat, he scoured the Internet for pictures of people who lived in south Tampa and what they wore. The answer was…everything. Everything from tailored slacks and hand-sewn dress shirts to khakis and T-shirts.

  They made a stop in Ocala, north of Tampa, where Matthew did some shopping for specific clothes and a decent enough wig that, unless someone got close up to him, looked natural. He settled on slacks and a sport shirt as the perfect outfit for his reconnaissance trip. He’d leave the moustache when he shaved, just as he planned. It would alter the whole appearance of his face. Sometimes people fixated on something like that and never remembered the actual face.

  He changed in the restroom of a gas station where he could put on the wig, too. He figured it would be best to establish the image ahead of time so if he was spotted, again, they’d only have the description he wanted them to have.

  “Not bad.” Jamie looked at him with a grin. “Not bad at all.”

  They arrived in Tampa late at night, and Jamie had been willing to settle for the first chain motel they came to but not Matthew. He wanted a fancy hotel with all the luxuries, including twenty-four-hour room service. Again, ten years of deprivation had left him with an obsessive need for the good life.

  “Let’s compromise,” Jamie suggested. “Someplace rich but not high profile. It’s less than three days since we broke you out. You have no idea how many agencies are looking for you, but you can bet they’ll figure you’ll come to Tampa right away to finish what you started that night.”

  “Okay, but not one of those chain hotels again. I want a soft bed and rich food.”

  Jamie did a quick search on the Internet and found a hotel in the Hyde Park area that fit the bill. Top quality, considered elite, but not the kind of place where people would be searching for them. It did not have the visibility of the luxury hotels downtown on the waterfront.

  “Perfect,” Matthew told him, luxuriating in the softness of the bed and the expensive little touches in the room.

  Now, after a room service breakfast with gourmet foods, he was ready to scout the area where Miss Priss lived. See what the best way was to get to her. He wanted a good length of time with her when he did so he could take out all the frustrations of the past ten years. Make that the past twenty. Oh yeah. He could hardly wait.

  Jamie took the wheel this time, having been here before and practically memorized the entire area. That was one of Jamie’s many talents, an eidetic memory that retained encyclopedias of information. They drove out of the downtown area, taking scenic Bayshore Boulevard that ran along the waterfront before curving deep into the historic South Tampa area. Mature trees and lush vegetation created a rich environment that accented the streets lined with predominantly Spanish architecture that spoke of the city’s history.

  Maybe he’d buy a place for himself here, after everything was taken care of. On the waterfront, with a big cabin cruiser he could take out into the Bay. Tampa was a good place to keep his business going, too. Jamie had followed instructions to the letter and kept it growing at an amazing rate while Matthew was in prison. Yes, life was indeed going to be good for him.

  Finally.

  They turned onto yet another street lined with massive Spanish-style homes. He spotted two different people walking dogs, and a little auto traffic, but mostly there was little activity. This was not like a suburban neighborhood, where people hung out on the streets and kids played in the front yards. That meant they needed to be extra careful not to attract any undue attention.

  “We’re coming up on it in the next block,” Jamie told him. “It’s on this side of the street. Fourth house on the right. You can’t miss the iron fencing.”

  And there it was, the little bitch’s fortress, just as described.

  “She never leaves the house,” Jamie reminded him. “Landscapers and housekeepers are from bonded services. She never sits in the yard. And I told you about her deliveries. Man. You really frightened the shit out of her.”

  Matthew laughed, his first real laugh in a long time. “Good. That makes me feel better.”

  As they drove slowly past the house, Matthew lifted his camera to the windshield and snapped picture after picture as fast as he could. At the corner, Jamie turned and headed down the side street.

  “I spent a little time on this street on each visit,” Jamie told him. “Rented different cars each time. People are sensitive to anything out of the norm here, and I sure didn’t want to call attention to myself.”

  “Smart,” Matthew agreed. “Can we do once more around the block?”

  “Just once,” Jamie agreed. “That’s it. I mean it. I don’t want to tempt fate.”

  “Fine. I just want to fix it all in my mind and take some pictures. The only way in is over that fence. When you figure out how to breach it, I want the layout fixed in my mind.”

  “Fine. But just once more.”

 

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