“If that were true, then this little box wouldn’t be worth half the trouble you’ve gone through to keep it hidden.”
“What will you do with the box now?” she asked, not even bothering to back up her own weak bluff. “Sell it yourself? I’m sure you have plenty of potential buyers already lined up.”
“I think I’ll hang on to it for a little while. I don’t like the idea of a dirty bomb going off just so I can turn a profit.”
Robert would be so proud of me.
She snorted derisively. “You think there won’t be other boxes, other bombs? The world is a cruel place, Mr. Carter, filled with very dangerous people who are very passionate about reshaping that world to match their own twisted ideals. And as long as they’re willing to pay, there will always be someone else willing to sell them the means by which to make those ideals a reality.”
“I’m well aware,” I said. “But I’m not interested in saving the world, Trish, just protecting my little corner of it.”
“And what of the other half of our deal, are you reneging on that as well?”
“Not at all. As long as my family and I remain safe, I see no reason to continue interfering in your business relationships. But I can start back up whenever I want. If I even think they’re in danger because of you, I will use every connection I have to gut your operation. I might not be able to bring you down, but I can damn sure set your house on fire trying.”
She laughed, a soft, breathy taunt filled with malice. “Okay, celebrate your little win. We’ll pick up the pieces from this minor setback and move on. Our operation will continue to expand until you, your family and that damned little box are nothing but a distant memory. Remember that, Rick, in case you or Detective Baglioni ever get a sudden attack of morality and decide to go to the authorities with the information in your possession. I can be everywhere and see everything, whenever I want.”
“No cops, Trish, remember?” I said. “That’s my guarantee.”
EPILOGUE
Erica took the phone from Robert and put it to her ear as she stepped outside the car, onto the shoulder of the Ohio Turnpike. She walked with the traffic, what little there was at this late hour.
“Do you really think Robert will let it go?” she asked as she paced.
“I think so,” Rick said on the other end of the line. “I hope so.”
All Robert had to do was stick to the story: Two hitmen he didn’t know broke into his house and threatened to kill everyone. Then Denise’s ex and some crazy blonde woman crashed through the front door, killed the bad guys, and forced Robert and his family into Denise’s car at gunpoint. They fled to Denise’s family cabin where Robert was able to sneak away and contact Jimmy for help, who looped in the local police to assist. Things went bad, Jimmy wound up in the hospital, but Denise’s ex and his partner panicked and let them go. No idea what they were after, but Robert suspected it had something to do with the dead body he and Jimmy found in the container ship and its connection to an ongoing FBI investigation. Too bad the guy running that investigation got himself killed, or he might have been able to shed some light on things.
“Robert’s got a strong moral code,” Rick went on, “and he wants to be a part of bringing Trish down, but I told him MI5 is likely already assembling a new task force and to let them handle it. There are already news stories coming out of Belgium about Leon being the mastermind behind the human trafficking operation, so hopefully that means Trish sacrificed that business to protect the rest. If there’s one good thing to come out of this, it’s the end to that.”
“You think Leon will ever make it to trial?”
“I don’t think Leon will make it to next weekend. Bad things happen to people in prison all the time. How’s Jimmy doing?”
“He’ll be okay. They did surgery to repair some nerve damage, but nothing that won’t heal. I think Robert’s as happy about that and his girls being okay as he is about finally being able to go home.”
“Jimmy was fully prepared to turn all of us over to The Persian, and his partner doesn’t even hold a grudge.”
“Jimmy wanted to make a stand, remember? Not turn us in.”
“So he says. Something tells me if things went south, he’d have a mighty quick change of plans.”
“He was just trying to protect his family, Rick. Surely you can understand that.”
His silence served just as well as an actual answer.
“Robert wants to go back to the hospital and check on him. Do you want me to keep an eye on them while he does?” she asked.
“If you don’t mind,” he said, “just until you all get back to New Jersey. I can’t ask any more of you than that. You’ve done so much for me already.”
“Where are you headed?”
“I haven’t figured that part out yet,” he said with a soft chuckle. “Back to Europe, eventually, but not right now. Trish says we’re square, but I don’t expect her to keep that promise for very long. At least I’ve got some fresh walking around money, courtesy of the corpse formerly known as The Persian.”
“Well, once you find a place to spend it, call me. I’m planning to lie low for a while, same as you. Might as well buy you a beer.”
“Only after I buy you one. Or two. Or ten. I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve saved my ass in the last few days.”
“It’s a date,” she said with a smile as she pivoted and headed back toward the SUV. A semi rig towing a gasoline tanker blew past her, easily topping 90 mph.
She would have to buy another car after she left Rick’s family behind, but that wouldn’t be a problem. There was an exit a mile up ahead, spilling into another small, podunk town like the one Aunt Irene called home. Used cars sprouted like weeds in such places. At least, that had been her experience as she traversed America over the years, from backwaters to big cities. Sometimes she felt she knew this country better than her own.
“Erica,” Rick said, “thank you. All kidding aside, you came through for me when I had nobody else. My family is alive today because of you. I can never fully repay you for that.”
“Well, let’s start with the beer,” she replied. “Take it from there.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Denise and Robert were talking, their hands linked together as Erica approached. They didn’t acknowledge her, but she didn’t take that as a slight. These poor people had been through hell. Denise had stopped crying but the tears remained on her face. Erica watched through the windshield as Robert brushed them away. Maggie and Ethan were passed out in the second row, sharing a large blanket they took from the cabin. Shocked as she was to admit it, she would miss them. She had barely shared more than a few words with them over the last several days, but she’d grown attached to the family, in her own cold, distant way. She wished them a speedy return to their happy, boring suburban lives. Where games of cards were played around the kitchen table after a family meal, not to pass the time in an abandoned cabin, waiting for a killer to knock on the door.
“Actually, I do need you to do one more thing for me,” Rick said. “This one will get you a shot of premium whiskey to go along with that beer.”
“I’m more of a tequila girl,” she said, smiling.
“Anything. Name your bottle.”
“What’s the favor?”
