Mickey trod quietly down the service corridor that linked the various stores in the Bellagio’s shopping wing. Hopefully, he could avoid any security guards. He doubted the three he met earlier today would be happy to see him again, and they’d probably made a point to share his picture with everyone else on their team. Michael Kincaid, Madman.
Arriving at the back entrance to Iris’s shop, he pressed the buzzer. Within moments, Ginny opened the door and motioned him inside. Her eyes were alight with excitement.
“This is so cool,” she whispered. “Now tell me, who are you really?”
“You’re better off not knowing. I’m trouble.”
That only made her grin. “Iris doesn’t think so. Although if David gets wind of what’s going on, poof.” She flicked her fingers open like a tiny explosion.
“Poof?” Apparently, David didn’t do anything big. Since it wasn’t Mickey’s place to discuss Iris’s relationships, he redirected the conversation to here and now. “Look, you should get back out on the floor.” The store’s eleven o’clock closing time was only ten minutes away.
Ginny retreated toward the sales floor. “How is this going to work?”
“I’m going to sit back here. You do what you normally do. Put everything away, lock up and go home like normal. The only step you should skip is setting the alarm.”
“Got it.” Her fingers formed a big okay sign, and with a grin she skipped back out to the floor.
Mickey released a tense breath. He didn’t like letting Ginny in on even this much of his evening’s plans, but Iris had been adamant that the girl was reliable. He had to admit, it was a lot easier to let her lock him in here than to try and break in without getting caught.
Getting caught in the act of breaking and entering would be a hard one for him to explain to security. Today of all days.
He sat on Iris’s stool. She’d said Cosmo had been breaking in between eleven and midnight, so once Ginny locked up, he might not have long to wait. Meanwhile… He looked around the workroom. Curious about all the lateral file cabinets, he went over and tested one. Locked. He tried not to take it personally. This was her place of business. It’s not like Iris was purposely keeping more secrets from him.
But he’d sensed she was holding something back. Not while they’d made love, but afterward. Like she’d wanted to say something but didn’t dare. And that meant she still didn’t trust him.
He’d fallen for a woman who didn’t believe in him. Come to think of it, she’d had more faith in him when she thought he was Mickey the thief than she did now. At least she’d been more open with him.
He’d been confiding in her all weekend, asking for her help, depending on her. The only other person he’d ever treated that way had been Brian. Losing his brother had opened up an abyss that had sucked away any good or positive feelings for months. But Iris had helped fill that void. Maybe with her help, he could overcome this paralysis that prevented him from feeling anything.
He sat again and waited, trying to blank his mind to everything except for the moment when he came face to face with Cosmo Fortune again. In a few minutes, Ginny came in the back to shut off the lights and say goodbye. He listened as her key grated in the lock, and then only silence remained.
As solitude enshrouded him, Mickey felt an unaccountable urge to reach out to someone. He thought about calling his parents, but if his mother were in the mood to talk, he might never be able to end the conversation. No, there was one call he needed to make, and he’d put it off far too long.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the familiar Boston number before he realized what time it would be there.
Despite it being after two in the morning, she answered on the first ring. “Hello?”
“Suze?”
“Michael.” She drew breath and exhaled, and he knew she’d succumbed to her smoking addiction again. “I wondered if you’d ever have the balls to call me. Still working odd hours, I see.”
“I’m on a job out west. Sorry, I didn’t think how late it would be for you.”
She bit off a laugh. “It’s never too late. That’s something I’ve learned.”
“How are you doing?” He pictured her. Suze Freeman had made varsity cheerleader in her freshman year at high school. Tall, strong, stacked, with long dark hair and walnut-brown eyes. But it was her attitude that attracted the guys more than anything. She’d been named Homecoming Queen her senior year, but long before that she’d staked her territory on the hearts of every male at Channing High School.
Some girls with her looks, brains and talent would have turned into real bitches. Never Suze. He’d noticed her-hell, all the guys had noticed her. Mickey had even thought about asking her out. And then he’d realized the most amazing thing about her: she only had eyes for Brian.
After graduation, she’d gone into advertising while his brother went through the academy. She’d waited patiently while he’d worked his way into the Boston PD. They’d delayed their marriage three times, waiting until they had the incomes they felt necessary to live the life they wanted. Together, they’d planned so carefully, their futures dedicated to each other.
And it had all gone so terribly wrong.
“Sounds like you’re smoking again.”
“Are you worried for my health? Believe me, if the past six months didn’t kill me, nothing will.” She took another slow drag on the cigarette. “Still saving mankind?”
“Something like that.”
“You Kincaid men. Driven. I just don’t understand it.” He heard some rustling, and imagined her sitting up in bed, arranging the pillows, hopefully dabbing that cigarette out before she burned down her home. “What does it get you?”
“It’s who we are, Suze. Didn’t you and Brian talk about it?”
“He said the same truisms-who we are. Maybe I never understood him. All I wanted was a better life for us.”
For her, Mickey thought. Then he kicked himself, because the woman had already had her life pulled apart. Of course she wanted a piece of it back-any piece.
By their first anniversary, she’d done everything she could to convince Brian to quit his job on the force. Apparently, the reality of being a cop’s wife didn’t match up with the preordained image she had of their life together. She wanted him to make more money, work weekdays only, and she’d made it clear to all the Kincaids how she resented that Brian wouldn’t make this one sacrifice for her. She’d finally drawn the line and refused to consider having children until Brian had a safe job.
Brian had laughed it off and said she’d come around. But she’d hurt his brother with that lack of confidence, Mickey could tell. Now he wondered if she still believed she were better off without having a baby, but he didn’t dare broach the question with her.
“Is this a temporary assignment?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“When you come back to Boston, you should resign. No one would question it. It’s too hard for you to work there every day after your brother-”
“It wasn’t the job. He wasn’t even on duty when it happened.”
“That doesn’t matter,” she said vehemently. “That job indoctrinates you, sets expectations until you automatically act. He wouldn’t be dead today if he hadn’t been a cop.” Her voice rasped with the bitterness that tinged her furious outburst.
“Yeah, he would,” Mickey said simply. As painful as the words were to say, he experienced a type of relief, of freedom, in saying them. And that’s when he knew he’d been angry at his brother for dying. Just like Suze, he’d blamed Brian-like it was Brian’s fault he’d gotten himself murdered in a convenience store.
No, his brother died because it was his instinctive nature to help someone in need. Just as it had been their father’s. Just as it was Mickey’s.
His sister-in-law still sounded lost, adrift without Brian to anchor her. Mickey sought words to console them both. “It’s not fair. He was a good man trying to do the right thing, and a maniac killed him.”
“Yeah, well, both my priest and my shrink have assured me that life isn’t always fair.”
“No, it’s not.” He stretched the cords in his neck to relieve the tightness there. “How do you deal with it?”
“I get up every morning and try to make it through the day without killing myself.”
Mickey understood her. He’d felt that same despair, but he hadn’t had the luxury to hide, to wait, to heal. He’d gone right back to work where he spent every day trying not to get killed.
Maybe they weren’t so different after all.
“We can’t stop living,” she said. “Brian wouldn’t want that.”
“Did the shrink tell you that?”
She gave another of those half laughs. “Actually, that was the priest.” She tried to hide a yawn.
“You’re tired. I’ll let you go. Sorry I called so late.”
“I’m not. Call anytime you want to talk. And Michael, be careful.”
Mickey closed his phone. His head dropped forward as some of the tension seeped from his shoulders. He’d avoided talking to Suze for so long. They’d each fed off the other’s bitterness and done nothing but made each other feel worse. The hard truth was there was nothing either of them could have done. It had been a tragedy, pure and simple. Brian had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’d used his training to the best of his ability, tried to do the right thing, but he hadn’t had time to analyze the situation unfolding around him.
Suze still couldn’t accept that Brian had no choice that night. He wasn’t the kind of person to walk away from that convenience store when someone’s life was at risk. Even if he’d known he was about to die, he would have done the same thing.
Mickey lifted his head to look around the dark workroom. The solitude was no longer so oppressive. He knew why-the void of Brian’s death was no longer an empty chasm. It was still there, filled with dark emotions-anger, loss, bitterness-but perched along the edges he could feel hope, as if Brian were there, willing him to try again.
Willing him to be happy.
Mickey thought back over the past week. As the danger had closed in around Cosmo and then Iris and himself, he’d connected with his parents in a way he’d been unable to since Brian’s death. That unrealistic guilt he’d felt about still being alive lessened the more it looked like he might actually die.
And Iris-hell, she’d made him feel hope and happiness he hadn’t experienced in years. It wasn’t just that she was sexually attracted to him-although he wasn’t complaining about that. No, he got an even bigger charge out of her watching him with those brandy eyes shining with faith. He’d screwed up that trust this morning, but he’d win her back. Failing Iris wasn’t an option.
A scratching at the back door interrupted his thoughts, alerting him that someone was outside. Mickey hunkered down behind the worktable, prepared to finally capture that elusive charlatan, Cosmo Fortune.
For her command center, Iris chose the farthest slot machine in the row that faced her storefront. Here, she had a view through the front doors to the display cases filled with her jewelry creations, yet this spot also provided potential camouflage. This was important-she didn’t want Cosmo to see her before she spied him. While Mickey stood a good chance of catching her father, she knew he could be as elusive as hell. She wanted to minimize any chance he would escape.
With that in mind, she wore blue jeans and a pink tank top layered over a white scoop neck T-shirt. Her curls were scraped back into a ponytail and stuffed under a baseball cap to further hide them. The worst part of dressing had been squeezing into her running shoes. Iris still grimaced at the feel of the flat shoes encasing her feet. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn them, much less run.
Still, if tonight were anything like last night, comfort and mobility were going to be more important than style. She shuddered at the memory of having to run down that apartment building’s musty stairwell barefoot.
“Drinking coffee at this hour will keep you awake all night, you know.” Officer Foote handed her the coffee shop’s logoed cup.
“That’s rather the point.” She motioned for him to give over the little packets of cream.
“Are you going to tell me what we’re doing here?”
“I’m here to meet my sisters and play slots.” She poured some cream into her cup. “You’re just following me.”
“I was hoping for the truth this time.”
She tilted her head to regard his earnest face from beneath her cap. “I don’t think that’s likely, do you?”
He took a step back. “I suppose not.”
“Buck up. I don’t think we’re going to get into any danger tonight. Just hang out at the casino with the girls.” She smiled at him. While she hadn’t liked the idea of a shadow, especially one in uniform, he did make her feel safer. But she also knew if she told him she were tracking Mickey and her father, he’d tell Hunter in a heartbeat. Mickey wasn’t going to arrest her father, but she wasn’t so sure about Hunter.
The police had a long list of questions for Cosmo Fortune, but they were going to have to wait in line behind Iris and her sisters.
“There you are!”
Iris looked up to see Cory hurrying toward her. The brunette had likewise chosen running shoes and a green jogging suit. Her long dark curls were pulled into a knot at the back of her head. “Wow, you weren’t kidding with that description. ‘Look for the young, earnest police officer near my store.’ He’s like a beacon.”
“That’s it.” Iris shooed Foote away. “Go stand over there. I don’t need you calling attention to us.” He retreated, but she didn’t trust the speculation in his eye. She turned to her sister. “Is Allie coming?”
“She said she would, but she’s got a show tonight. Second curtain went up at ten-thirty.” Cory studied her, a hint of fire in her eyes. “She’s angry with you, you know.”
“Allie?” Iris blinked. “What did I do?”
“She said she met your cousins, but you wouldn’t admit she was your sister.”
She vented a groan of frustration. “I don’t need this tonight. They came halfway around the world to meet me, and they think I’m Cosmo’s only child. They already know he’s a jewel thief, I shouldn’t have to explain his marriages to them-he needs to do that himself. Honestly, I could just kill him.”
Cory’s back stiffened. “We don’t know that Papa stole anything.”
“According to my Aunt Tatiana, he stole the gems from her.”
“Then we need to find him, so he can explain.”
“That’s why we’re here.” Iris sat in the padded chair facing the giant sevens on the slot machine. Finally she turned to Cory. “Was she really upset?”
With a sigh, Cory slumped into the chair beside her. “Look, we’re all trying to figure out what it means to be sisters. Now you’ve got these cousins, but Allie’s got no one but Papa and us.”
“What about you?” Iris stared down into her coffee. “I mean, according to that sheet the police gave us, none of us had any close family other than Cosmo.”
Cory regarded her as if trying to gauge whether or not she was worthy of trust.
Iris held her breath, afraid of what her sister might decide.
“What the hell,” Cory said on an exhalation. “Allie already knows, so I may as well tell you. But this is my problem. No one but me talks to Papa about it.”
“What?” Iris pushed aside any hurt at being left out of the loop. Apparently she was going to be let in on it now.
“My mother isn’t dead like that police report said. She’s very much alive.”
Cosmo slipped down the back service hallway. Midnight or noon, didn’t matter, this hallway was always the same, with its off-white walls and glaring overhead lights. Bare, utilitarian and, thankfully, devoid of people. Normally, he wouldn’t have bothered to avoid the security guards-most of the guys knew him as Iris’s father-but things were more dicey now that the police had released that APB on him.
He slipped the key into the door of Lying Eyes. Once inside, he turned to the alarm system, only to discover it hadn’t been set. Alerted, he peered around the dark workroom. Someone was here. “Iris?”
“She’s not here, you old trickster, you’re stuck with me. And I think you and I have a little unfinished business.”
The light over the worktable snapped on, momentarily blinding Cosmo with the unexpected brightness. When his vision cleared, he found Mickey silhouetted, his back to the light, a gun in his hand.
Three goddamn nights of this, and he was right back where he started-Mickey had the drop on him.
“If you came back for the stones, Iris has them for safekeeping.”
“I left her a note to tell her I would be back for them.”
“She found your note, but I think she wants to talk with you in person.”
I bet she does. Cosmo ran his tongue over his teeth while his mind raced with how to play this. “Mickey, you know the kind of people we’re dealing with. Help me get the stones back from Iris. Once I finish this transaction, I’ll explain everything to her.”
“No deal. Iris has decided they need to be returned to their rightful owner.”
Cosmo closed his eyes at the thought. “Oh, God, has she met them?”
“We’ve all met them. I hear Aunt Tatiana’s taken quite a shine to Edgar.”
His eyes snapped open again. “No! She can’t keep him. I mean, I need him. Where’s his collar?”
“Relax,” Mickey said with a chuckle. “Man, you don’t miss a trick, do you? Iris has the rabbit and his collar back at her place.”
“Then, you found the alexandrite?” Despite the dangers he still faced, Cosmo couldn’t ignore the disappointment. He’d really wanted to pull this one off.
“How could we miss it? Now we just need you to explain why you’ve led us all on this merry chase.”
Cosmo smiled ruefully. “It’s been fun, hasn’t it?”
“Fun?” The silhouette shook its head. “You really are warped.”
A sound from the hallway made Mickey switch off the lamp. The two of them strained to hear if someone were still outside.
“Did you relock the door?” Mickey asked in a whisper.
“No. I figured I’d be in and out.” Cosmo took a step backward. At this hour, anyone coming through that door was likely to have a gun, and Mickey was his best bet at survival.
“Your mom’s alive?” Iris asked Cory. “Are you sure?” Hell, maybe Cory was just as screwy as Allie was.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Allie and I just talked to her this morning. So, you see, you’ve got other family, and I’ve got other family, but Allie’s got no one except Papa. She’s worried sick about him, and she’s reaching out to us just in case he doesn’t come back.”
Iris could appreciate that, but she was still wrestling with the idea that one of Cosmo’s three wives was still alive. “Why’d the report say she was dead?”
Cory looked away. “I don’t know.” She spoke so quietly, Iris had to strain to hear her over the casino din. “Papa told me she died fifteen years ago. Five years later, I saw her in a store.”
“What did you do?”
“I was so shocked, I didn’t do anything. I thought maybe I was crazy at first, seeing things, you know? Papa never mentioned her, and she never contacted me. Then I got it-she’d left us, and Papa thought it was kinder to tell me she was dead than that she didn’t want me.”
Iris winced at the pain buried in her sister’s matter-of-fact explanation. “What does your mom say?”
“Today was the first time I talked to her, and only because I hoped she’d know where Papa was. I wouldn’t believe anything she says now, anyway. That’s why I want Papa back. He must know what happened, and I want him to tell me why she left.”
Iris could well believe that. “He’s a real piece of work, isn’t he?”
Cory turned on her, still adamant in her defense of the man they called father. “You’re pissed at him for leaving. Just remember, no matter how often he left, he always came back.”
Iris silently acknowledged that she wanted Cosmo to come back. She wanted answers, and now she understood she wasn’t the only one who had questions. “I’ve been selfish.”
“Damn straight,” Cory said. Then she smiled. “But we understand. Just cut Allie some slack, okay?”
“Yeah, sure.” Iris looked down the aisle and spied that long blond braid and the telltale black cargo capris and tank top. “Here she comes.”
“Wow, who’s the eye candy she’s got with her?”
With a groan, Iris recognized her cousin. “That’s Sergei, he’s-”
“She told me.” Cory stood up. “She sure knows how to attract men, doesn’t she?”
Allie’s eyes were bright with excitement as she approached. Sergei waved at them as he trailed her bouncy steps.
“Any signs of activity yet?” Allie looked back over her shoulder at the darkened interior of Lying Eyes.
“No,” Iris answered. “Where’d you pick him up?”
Sergei grinned. “Allie invited me to join her backstage for the show she works.”
That explained the spring in his step. A troupe of topless dancers would do that to a man.
He leaned forward as if to share a secret. “It has been a very eventful first day in America.”
“I’ll bet,” Iris said as Allie burst out laughing.
Cory shouldered forward. “Will someone introduce me, please?”
Sergei held out his hand. “With pleasure. Sergei Gorseyev.”
“Corazon Fortune. I’m Iris’s…” She trailed off and looked at Iris who rolled her eyes.
“Sergei’s not fooled. He knows Allie’s my half sister.” To Sergei, she added, “Cory’s my other half sister. And that’s another secret you get to keep.” With all the lies and secrets, she wondered if she’d ever be able to keep track of who knew what.
“Will my family ever get to learn how this came about, these half sisters?” Sergei’s pale eyes searched her face. He wasn’t invasive, just curious.
Iris smiled at her sisters, wanting for once to say the right thing. “We’re all looking for the real answer to that. For now, we just need to find our father.”
Sergei nodded. “How do we start?”
“We play slots.” Iris pulled some bills from her pocket and handed everyone a twenty. “And we wait.”
“Let’s hope it’s a security guard,” Cosmo whispered in the dark workroom. Thank God he’d stopped at the men’s room on the way here.
“I don’t think that’ll be much of an improvement for me today.” Mickey sounded decidedly unhappy with the situation.
The solid door opened with a brief rusty squeak.
“I told you I saw him come in here.” Cosmo recognized the voice but knew Jock didn’t waste that ingratiating tone on Pebbles.
The human steamroller filled the doorway, blocking any light from the hall. “Can I turn on the lights?”
“No.” The third voice came from behind the door. Apprehension rippled up Cosmo’s spine as he recognized Sam Turner. “Leave the lights off.”
Not that it mattered. Jock had already spotted him.
“Hiya, Cosmo. Pebbles and I heard you were pushin’ up daisies.” Jock’s gold tooth flashed in the light of the exit sign high on the wall.
Cosmo held his ground. It was an instinctual action, like maybe he could disappear into the scenery around him. But the workroom didn’t offer much in the way of hiding options. He stole a glance at the door to the sales floor.
Silhouetted by the few lights left burning behind him, Mickey made a classic target. He leaned as insolently against the doorframe as a silhouette could exude insolence. “Come on in, Turner.”
“Kincaid.” Turner pushed the door closed behind him. “Either you were mistaken about having killed Fortune, or you don’t have a good understanding of what death means.”
“I’m sure you’d like to teach me the error of my ways.”
“What, did I walk into a gangster movie?” Cosmo asked loudly. Mickey didn’t deserve to die, not for helping Iris.
“What do you want us to do, Mr. Turner?” Jock asked.
“Take Fortune out to the car. We have some unfinished business with him.”
Pebbles came forward, but Cosmo knew better than to allow the giant to lay a hand on him. He conjured up a deck of cards. “Sure, boys, I’ll walk out with you.” But when Pebbles reached for him, he sprayed the deck in the giant’s face. “Fifty-two pickup!” He made a dash for the front door while the cards were still fluttering to the floor.
Of course, this meant getting by Mickey, but he thought the kid would work with him once they had a diversion. Pebbles hunkered down to gather cards, and Jock swatted at the big guy’s shoulders. They had ample opportunity to run.
Was Mickey running? No, he’d drawn his gun. What, like he thought he was Humphrey Bogart? Didn’t he understand you didn’t draw a gun on Turner unless you expected to get-
BANG!
– shot? Cosmo careened past Mickey, bumping into him and knocking him off balance. Or maybe that hadn’t been him. Maybe-
“Cosmo, get out of here.”
“Did he get you?” Hell, now even he was talking like this was freakin’ Casablanca.
“Don’t worry about me. Get to Iris-take her to the police. You two need to be safe.”
Cosmo reached out to steady the younger man, only to feel the sticky warmth of blood.
Mickey was hunkered down, peering into the workroom. Though injured, he seemed steady and alert.
“Come on, Mickey boy, I’ll get you out of here.”
“No, I need to take Turner. Now, go!”
Cosmo hesitated. Now, there was a bad sign. He’d always known when to retreat. He’d made a career out of disappearing. And both those opportunities had come and gone-what was he still doing here?
“I can’t leave you.”
“Jesus, Cosmo, don’t be a hero. Get the hell out of here.”
A shot ricocheted off the doorframe near Mickey’s head.
Cosmo launched himself back into the workroom. Running as fast as his bow legs would carry him, he nearly tripped over Pebbles, who was still kneeling on the floor, covering his own head. Poor dolt-loved the look and feel of guns, but never liked the sounds they made.
“Come on, Pebbles.” Cosmo hefted the larger man. Their velocity and weight carried them forward until they knocked into Jock.
Yeah, Jock and Pebbles were expendable. Getting them out of here would help even Mickey’s odds. Cosmo judo chopped Jock across the shoulder. To his amazement, the cheesy move Allie had taught him worked, and Jock dropped his gun. One kick sent it skittering across the floor.
Cosmo didn’t waste time going after it. He dashed for the back door. “Jock, Pebbles, come on. Turner told us to wait in the car.” He ducked into the corridor, a hunted fox only a few steps ahead of the hounds.
Fortunately, the hounds were none too bright. But the long, straight, well-lit corridor would give them ample time to catch-or shoot-him. As the door behind him opened again, Cosmo made a dash for the casino.
Dragging breath into his burning lungs, he ran like a madman. At least Mickey had had a weapon. Cosmo had nothing but his wits. If he didn’t make it to his car first, he’d wind up dead.
Heavy footfalls thundered behind him. “Cosmo, stop!” Jock yelled.
Like hell! Cosmo smashed through the doors that opened from the service corridor into the carpeted hallway connecting the shops to public restrooms and an exit. It was tempting to head outside, but the fastest way to the parking garage was through the casino and lobby. Besides, he might just lose these guys in the crowd.
He turned and sprinted toward the main walkway through the casino, his path taking him past Iris’s storefront.
“Cosmo!” The woman’s shout made him falter. Turning to look, he spied Iris, shock splattered on her face.
“Can’t stop!” He hooked a thumb behind him and kept running.
Iris was a smart girl. She’d figure it out.