40 Souls to Keep - 16. Chapter 16

Lucas watched Jase go down, and his eyes shot to the man behind him, crowbar in hand. This must be Tony.

Tony snarled, then raised the weapon again. Lucas leaped to intercept the blow, but the cold barrel of Colin’s gun stabbed into his stomach before he took two steps.

“Don’t fucking move,” Colin growled.

Lucas had been close to guns before, had hunted with his grandfather as a child, though they’d used rifles mostly. But he’d never had one aimed at him, and this one was wicked looking. He could recite Florida’s child protection laws in his sleep, but he had no idea what kind of damage Colin’s pistol would do. Paralyzed, he watched Jase take a second blow to the back of his head and slump forward to the ground, blood trickling across his cheek.

“Back the fuck off,” Colin said. He gestured to the open door. “Get in there.”

Seething, Lucas obeyed, backing through the door to the boat tour company. Tony followed a moment later, dragging Jase by his collar, and dumped him on the floor at Lucas’s feet. Sinking into a crouch, Lucas pressed his palm to where blood was seeping from the back of his head, applying as much pressure as he dared.

Colin slammed the door behind them and twisted the blinds fully closed, eliminating all but a few stubborn rays of sun. Dust swirled in the remaining diffuse light, and Lucas coughed as he took stock of his prison. “Do you actually do any business out of here?” he asked. Grime coated the desks and mock-up tour displays.

“Shut up,” Colin said. His gun hand trembled.

Now this was an emotion Lucas was trained to deal with. “Listen, Colin—yeah, I know your name—think very carefully about what you’re doing here.” He lowered his voice. It couldn’t work magic like Jase’s, but it did okay. “I know you’re scared. I can see that. But we can work this out so that nobody gets hurt, okay?”

“You don’t know shit.” Colin turned bloodshot eyes to Tony, who hefted the crowbar in his hand.

“Just...” Lucas swallowed, sending up a small prayer. “Tell me Macy’s okay.”

Colin’s gun wavered. He squinted at Lucas. “Who?”

“Macy.” Apprehension rolled through Lucas’s gut. “The little girl you kidnapped.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Tony cut in. He smashed the crowbar against the door. “We don’t have the kid. Now what are you doing here?”

Shocked to silence, Lucas didn’t answer. Colin stepped forward, pointing the gun between Lucas’s eyes. “How did you find me at the hotel?”

“I—” What would the best answer be? Lucas would vote for whatever made Colin lower the gun. Unfortunately, Tony was at the end of his patience.

“Let’s just finish them both. Dump them in the swamp.”

While Colin waffled, Lucas tried to decide which frightened him more—getting shot or getting left to the alligators.

“No,” Colin decided. “Too many loose ends. First we gotta know how they found us. Then we can dump ’em in the swamp.”

“Good idea.” Tony smacked the crowbar against his palm.

Jase stirred under Lucas’s hand, groaning softly. “Lucas?”

“Here,” Lucas answered, keeping his eyes on the two men squaring off over his head. “Did you hear any of that?”

“No. Was it bad?”

“Oh yeah. Low-budget slasher-movie bad.”

“You need me?” Jase asked, voice thick.

“Like the desert needs the rain. Can you tell these guys to chill out or something?”

“Shut up!” Colin spat, breaking off his argument to throw a kick at Lucas’s side. Lucas absorbed the blow with a grunt and kept pressure on Jase’s oozing wound. “Hey. Take it easy.”

Colin went crimson. “Don’t tell me what to fucking do!”

“Shut up.” Jase’s quiet command rang clearly through the room, and immediately, Colin and Tony clamped their mouths closed.

Lucas helped Jase to sit, propping him between his legs, while Jase wiped the worst of the blood from his eyes. “Put the gun on the desk and go stand over there. The crowbar too.” He waved at the wall across the room. “Don’t move and don’t speak.”

Like eager puppies, both men moved to do Jase’s bidding. Lucas swallowed a hysterical laugh. “Oh, so glad you’re awake, babe.”

“Yeah?” Groaning, Jase leaned to the side and retched. Lucas steadied him until the worst had passed. “Sorry.” Jase swiped a shaky hand over his mouth.

“Don’t worry about it. No,” Lucas said when Jase tried to stand. “Take it easy. I’m pretty sure you have a concussion.”

“Macy?” Jase rasped.

“They say they don’t have her.”

Jase’s mouth thinned. “You, Colin,” he called. “Where’s the girl?”

“We don’t have her,” Colin pleaded. “I swear.” Tony’s head bobbed in agreement, and Lucas felt panic creep back in.

“What do you mean, you don’t have her? Then who does?”

Colin and Tony exchanged nervous glances but didn’t speak.

“Answer him!” Jase yelled. In their haste to obey, they began to babble over one another, but Lucas picked up a common theme.

“Who’s Menghini?” Jase asked, hearing the name more than once.

“The boss.” Colin said it with a whimper.

Lucas nodded. Looked like they’d be escalating this particular problem. Jase must have agreed because he pointed a trembling figure at the two thugs. “Then I want you to take us to see him. Right now.”

* * *

Menghini lived on the southern tip of Port Royal, on a spit of land surrounded by a wide breakwater. A white sand beach had been laid along one side of the property, complete with cabanas and a row of jet skis. Lucas figured the property’s worth at around ten million, and that was a conservative guess.

“It’s quicker to get there by boat,” Colin had said, leading them down the stairs to the dock. “We’ll shoot right across the bay and around the point.”

Lucas kept one arm slung around Jase’s waist and tried to jostle him as little as possible. Ghastly pale, Jase had said little but to give instructions to the Wonder Twins—leave the gun, take us to your leader—and now a fine sheen of sweat had broken out across his brow.

“How’re you holding up?” Lucas asked as they reached the sleek white power boat.

“Fine.”

“You suck at the lying thing,” Lucas scoffed. “Are you sure about this?”

“I’m sure. We need to find Macy.”

“Okay, I agree, but if you keel over due to brain bleed halfway through this thing, it would really suck.”

Jase leaned closer and turned his face into Lucas’s hair. “You say the nicest things.”

“I’m a romantic at heart.” He lowered Jase to one of the built-in benches lining the dock, watching critically as Colin and Tony untied the lines. They worked together seamlessly. Surprising, considering their inability to hold an adult conversation. “But this boat idea...I don’t know. I’m no expert, but after a head injury you’re supposed to keep still, not bounce across the waves. How do you feel?”

“Like I’m going to heave. But riding in a car will probably be just as bad. If this takes less time, I’m all for it.” Gingerly, he rubbed his temples. Lucas clamped down on the rest of his concerns.

“Ready.” Colin made a sweeping gesture toward the boat. “You’re going to love this. It goes so fast!”

Perfect. They had a five-year-old at the wheel. Lucas helped Jase step down and settled him into a seat. “Listen.” He smacked Colin upside the head when he continued to stare at Jase adoringly. “Slow and steady, okay? His head hurts.”

“It should be a smooth ride,” Tony said, untying the last line. “The bay’s like glass today. We’ll have you at Menghini’s in ten minutes.”

“I can hardly wait.” Visiting the local drug lord wasn’t how Lucas preferred to spend his mornings. Still, he had Jase on his side. Battered but conscious. And maybe these clowns knowing nothing about Macy was a good thing. By all accounts, they tended to gun down their problems instead of trying to sort them out properly.

Colin chafed at having to keep his speed under control but he obeyed, and Lucas had to admit the ride was smooth. Not that it stopped Jase from having to throw up twice before they slid into the slip at Menghini’s compound. He waved Lucas off each time, not sparing any energy for words. Lucas let him be, but kept a sharp eye on his coloring and body language.

They passed dozens of palatial homes on the way, but none came close to the grandeur of Menghini’s spread. White stucco columns framed a single-story mansion that seemed to spill across the hillside for miles. Lucas bet there was even more square footage out of sight behind the small hill. A picture-perfect green lawn with a maze of orange brick paths surrounded it, connecting various outbuildings. Each looked like a tiny version of the mansion.

“Hey look,” Lucas said to Jase as they stepped onto the private dock. “Menghini’s house had babies.”

The comment earned him a smile, but Jase’s reply was lost in a chorus of shouts as three gorillas in Hawaiian print shirts descended on them from the nearby boathouse. Jase spoke as they muscled forward, demanded to see Menghini, and before Lucas could say Magnum, P.I., they were headed up the hill on their way to see the wizard.

“Have I told you how handy you are to have around?” Lucas asked, keeping a supportive hand on Jase’s elbow. Jase threw him a sidelong glance, squinting painfully into the sun. Lucas plucked his sunglasses off his face and hooked them carefully over Jase’s ears. “Better?”

“Much. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Now you look like James Bond. Apropos, yes?”

“He looks better in a tux than I do.”

Lucas swept his thumb across Jase’s cheek. “No way in hell.”

The long walk took a good bit of Jase’s strength, and Lucas made sure he got off his feet as soon as they found a chair, which turned out to be in Menghini’s living room.

“Someone took the island theme a wee bit too far,” Lucas said, sliding his eyes around the room. A flock of life-sized bronze herons in various poses stood guard along one wall. A giant aquarium holding a school of colorful tropical fish took up another. In the center of the space, three long sofas formed a U. Lucas had never seen so much palm-leaf print upholstery in his life.

Menghini wasn’t there, so one of his goons traipsed off to fetch him. Lucas sat beside Jase on one of the rattan couches and fended off his admirers. “No,” he said for the third time when Colin offered a glass of scotch. He pushed the crystal tumbler out of Jase’s face. “How about some water?”

“Of course.”

With a sigh, Jase leaned his head on Lucas’s shoulder. “I feel like hell.” Lucas stifled a surge of protectiveness and kept his hands to himself.

They didn’t wait long. Menghini announced himself with a slamming door and a string of profanities that grew increasingly vulgar as he approached. He strode into the room, spittle flying, and stopped dead at the sight of Lucas and Jase. “Who the fuck are you, and how did you talk your way into my house?”

Jase shifted, as if he was going to try to stand. Lucas stopped that nonsense with a hand on his shoulder. He stood himself, sliding in front of Jase. “We’re here about Macy Pearl.”

Purple with anger, Menghini pointed a shaking finger at them. “Get ’em out of here!” Colin and Tony shifted but didn’t obey, and Menghini rounded on them. “What the fuck are you waiting for? First you let these maggots into my house and now you won’t get rid of them? I want them gone. Now!”

“No, thanks,” Jase said, calm in the sea of chaos. “We’re going to stay.”

Lucas had never actually seen someone deflate before, but that’s what Menghini did, blowing out an angry breath and shrinking about two inches as he sank back onto his heels. “Okay, yeah. Sure. Hey, stay for brunch. We’re having blintzes.”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Stop. You’re making all the jokes for me.”

Jase jabbed him in the ribs. “We’re not hungry. Like I said, I’m looking for Macy Pearl. Is she here?”

Menghini snapped his fingers. “The kid?” He hiked up his pants and collapsed into an armchair.

Wary, Lucas sat as well. As drug lords went, Lucas didn’t find Menghini very intimidating, physically or otherwise. The guy was lucky if he was five foot eight, and he squawked like a half-starved chicken. Talk about scrawny and unthreatening. In his lifetime, Lucas had been in the presence of a handful of captivating people. Some folks took command of every situation, while the rest of the human race tripped over itself to get out of their way.

Menghini was definitely one of the trippers.

“Yes,” Lucas said through clenched teeth. “The kid.”

Menghini shrugged a shoulder. “She ain’t here. I never did catch the brat.”

Jase’s hand clamped on to Lucas’s thigh when he would’ve surged to his feet. “You didn’t? But you tried.”

“Oh sure.” Menghini’s smile turned Lucas’s stomach.

“But...” Jase removed his sunglasses and leaned forward. “Why did you want to catch her?”

Menghini’s smile faltered and recovered. He scooted to the edge of his chair, bouncing one knee while he waggled a finger at Jase. “The kid’s father cheated me.”

“So you killed him?” Lucas went hot with rage. “And his wife?”

“He stole from me!” Menghini shouted. “Nobody steals from me.” Nostrils flaring, he shot to his feet and began to pace. Lucas threw a nervous look at Colin and Tony, but they didn’t move, or even look concerned. The boss must throw temper tantrums regularly.

Jase’s gaze burned into Menghini. “Sit. Down.”

Menghini sank to the floor where he stood, crossing his legs. Nobody batted an eye. Lucas swallowed, watching Jase in his peripheral vision. The man’s power was incredible and terrifying. And for once, at least in Lucas’s experience, not the slightest hint of regret colored his tone or attitude while he wielded it.

“Now. Again. Slower this time. With more detail and less whining,” Jase told him. “‘What did Macy’s father do to you?”

“He stole from me,” Menghini repeated, voice ringing with frustration.

Jase frowned. “How much?”

Quivering, Menghini raised both hands into the air, imploring. “He stole from me.”

Lucas watched Jase blink, then shake his head. “He stole from you. A lot? A little?” Menghini’s mouth dropped open, but he didn’t answer. Confused, Lucas looked between the two of them.

Jase had stiffened during the confrontation, leaning forward to stare at Menghini. Now he sagged back against Lucas, rubbing his temples. “Never mind,” he mumbled. “So you don’t have Macy?”

Menghini nearly gave himself whiplash denying it. “I don’t have the kid. I never did.”

“But you came after her,” Lucas pressed. “At the hospital and at the police station.”

“Yeah.” Menghini licked his lips. “Colin was supposed to get her at the hospital.”

“And Tony,” Lucas said.

“No,” Tony interrupted. “I never went near the hospital.”

Lucas shared a confused glance with Jase. Then who had the other guy been? It didn’t matter. Macy wasn’t here. She never had been.

Devastation palpable, Jase struggled to his feet. “Do you have any idea where she is or who might have her?”

Menghini shrugged. “No idea. As far as I’m concerned, my business with Pearl is finished.”

The air left Lucas’s lungs in a rush. Good thing he didn’t have Jase’s power, because nothing in the world would’ve stopped him right then from making sure Menghini got what he deserved. “You didn’t even think twice, did you?” he hissed. “Before killing them in cold blood.”

“Hey.” Menghini’s face twisted into an affronted frown. “Stop making it sound like the Apocalypse. Don’t you watch the news? The world’s a violent place. People are dying every day by the thousands. Who the hell cares about Gordon and Amanda Pearl?”

***

Colin drove them back to Tin City in a dark maroon Lincoln Town Car. By boat the journey to Menghini’s estate in Port Royal had taken ten minutes. By car, it took them twice as long, but Jase’s head appreciated the smoother ride.

Lucas stroked a finger down his cheek. “Your color looks a little better.” His, in turn, looked gray. And he wouldn’t meet Jase’s eyes.

Jase prodded gingerly at the back of his head, wincing when his fingers came away tacky. His vision was no longer doubled, but he wouldn’t call it perfect either. Keeping his head still helped. Turning to look over his shoulder brought on a stabbing headache and nausea.

“You need a hospital,” Lucas insisted. “Naples Community is only a few minutes away. We’ll head there next.”

Jase’s fingers curled into tight fists. Lucas’s defeated tone rubbed him all wrong. He wasn’t ready to give up. “Maybe,” he hedged. “We’ll see how I feel when we get back to the car.”

“Let me clue you in to how you’ll feel.” Lucas leaned across the seat, infringing on Jase’s personal space. “You’re going to feel exactly like you do now. Like shit. You’re going to feel like you’re concussed, because you are. So you’re going to the fucking ER, whether you like it or not.”

Jase folded, the argument stealing the last of his flagging energy. This had been what he’d wanted—somebody he couldn’t push around—so there was no sense resenting it. But giving up now, with Macy still out there by herself, made him heartsick, the misery ten times worse than his physical aches. How could they have been so wrong about Menghini? Nothing added up, except that Jase was positive that if he could think about the details for a little while, it would all make sense. He pushed himself straighter in the seat. “This isn’t done,” he said. “I’m not going to wallow in some hospital when Macy is still missing.”

Lucas slammed his fist against the Lincoln’s window. Colin jumped. His nervous eyes tracked them in the rear view mirror. “She’s gone, Jase,” Lucas said.

“I’m not giving up on her.”

Lucas’s dull eyes didn’t even flicker.

“Snap out of it,” Jase hissed, grabbing Lucas’s shirt and shaking him. “So your theory didn’t pan out. So what? Is that the only thing you got?”

“Yes!” Lucas snarled.

Relieved, Jase released him and sat back. Lucas was discouraged, but his anger was still sparking—and anger could be productive. It could be channeled, focused. And that was what they needed. Focus. “I’m missing something,” Jase said. “Something big I can’t put my finger on, and this headache isn’t helping. Keep an open mind for me, that’s all I’m asking. You want to make a trip to the hospital? Fine. I’ll go. But promise you’ll help me work through this. I’m not giving up on Macy.”

He didn’t get a verbal answer, but Lucas nodded.

Colin wound through the small parking lot to Lucas’s car, stumbling over one apology after another until tears leaked from his eyes. Jase looked on, dispassionate, and finally Lucas put a stop to it. “It’s okay, Colin. Really. Don’t sweat it.”

“Do you really mean that?” Colin asked.

“No,” Lucas admitted. “Just shut up, okay?”

With that tender parting, they climbed out of the cool, dim interior and squeezed into the Jetta. Lucas pulled out of the marina, tires squealing. Jase passed the trip with his head tipped back and his eyes closed; the racing scenery bothered his already touchy stomach. Before he thought possible, the car slowed, climbed a gentle incline and rolled to a stop outside the doors to the emergency room.

“Told you it was close.” Lucas unsnapped his seat belt and stayed Jase’s hand when he made to do the same. His tone had gentled. “Stay put for a minute, okay? Let me get you a wheelchair.”

Indignant, Jase shook his head, a mistake he regretted as pain lanced through his temples. “Fuck.”

“Yeah,” Lucas said, opening his door. “Like I said. Stay put.”

Again time bent in on itself, because Lucas had only been gone a few seconds by Jase’s count when his door opened to an orderly and a wheelchair. “Sorry that took so long,” Lucas said, helping him out and into the chair.

“It’s okay,” Jase said, knowing he’d lost some time. “I think you’re right about that doctor.”

“Oh?” Lucas bent to eye him critically, but Jase kept the odd blackout to himself, staying silent until they reached a small curtained alcove, barely four feet wide.

“Excuse me.” Jase caught the nurse’s hand. “Could you please find us someplace a little quieter?” Some privacy would be nice, too, but he wasn’t expecting a miracle.

Lucas pinned him with an annoyed frown. “How about after you see a doctor, okay?”

So damn stubborn. “Fine,” Jase said, tempering his capitulation with, “Can we see one now, then?”

“I’m sure it won’t be a problem,” the nurse answered. “We’re not dealing with any trauma cases at the moment, and head injuries should be evaluated immediately.”

“Excellent.”

Lucas took his arm when he levered himself out of the wheelchair, then guided him onto the bed, lingering once Jase was supine, head on the thin pillow. They didn’t add to the noisy chaos by trying to speak. Jase stared at the television, absorbing very little of what was flashing across the screen, while Lucas sat slumped in a plastic, orange chair, brooding. When he tried to slink away, Jase protested, making the plea sound as small and pathetic as he dared.

Lucas smacked his arm. “Tone down the drama. I just want to find some coffee.”

“I’ll have the nurse bring you some,” Jase said. Because if Lucas had an ulterior motive for slipping Jase’s leash—like continuing on alone—Jase wasn’t going to make it easy for him. Lucas pouted and fell back into his chair.

Despite Jase’s request, the doctor didn’t show until twenty minutes later, breezing into their curtained cubby on the heels of the admitting nurse. Between the bed, Lucas, the doctor, and the nurse with her rolling computer cart, it was cozy.

“I’m going to ask you a few questions,” the nurse said, and Jase shot her a pained smile.

“That’s not necessary, is it?”

And so it went, like guiding mice through a maze. Lucas contributed nothing, except his attitude.

“I’d like you to stay overnight for observation,” the doctor said after examining the lumps on Jase’s head. “And get an MRI.”

“No to the MRI,” Jase said, despite Lucas’s dark look.

“Okay. It’s just a precaution anyway,” the doctor agreed. “If your vision doesn’t clear in the next few hours, or the nausea persists, I’m going to insist though.”

The statement walked the line of disagreement, and it obviously hurt the doctor to go against Jase’s wishes. He didn’t possess Lucas’s innate ability, but he was strong-willed and obviously lived by a rigid professional ethic, enough so that his concern for his patient trumped Jase’s ability to completely control him.

“Fine,” Jase said. “Let’s see how the rest of the day goes.” That was noncommittal enough that everyone should be happy. Except, of course, Mama Lucas.

“How about a reevaluation this evening?” Lucas asked. “And we can go forward with the MRI then if he hasn’t improved.”

“Good idea.” The doctor beamed, and Jase gave Lucas the finger.