Chapter 71

SEVENTY-ONE

The woman enters the room again and finally, Victoria can put a name with the face. It's like the dreamlike haze of the last few days suddenly evaporates and she can see clearly for the first time.

Missy something.

It was on the nametag on her blazer at the resort. Victoria hopes Missy doesn't see the recognition in her eyes so she looks down.

"It's time, princess. Get on your feet and don't look at me. My boyfriend might decide to get rid of us both. Understand?"

Victoria gets up but keeps her eyes downcast. "It's time for what?"

"Time for you to get poor and me to get rich."

Victoria thinks of how much pleasure this woman, and the man, have taken in her humiliation and pain. She doesn't believe she's going to be released. She is being taken somewhere to be killed. She has to get out of here and she weighs her chances of taking this smirking bitch on. Missy won't expect her to fight back.

She's had more time than she needs to consider her life. First her parents told her she'd never amount to anything. Then she'd met Jack. He was great, loving, supportive, considerate. For a while. And then he became just like every other man she'd ever known. He was the boss. She was his maid. His to do whatever he wanted with. Kept helpless, unable to go out on her own. She'd had the girls and her maternal instincts told her they were her life. She'd given up everything. But as they left the nest a deeply hidden part of herself started to push its way to the surface. She realized she didn't need Jack. She didn't need her house, the money, the life. She just needed to be herself and hope her girls would still love her. She'd worked up the nerve to tell Jack she was leaving him and that took more courage than what she needs to do to this little bitch. Missy isn't going to keep her from moving on. No way. Her remaining hand curls into a fist and she takes a step forward, just as two men enter. One of them, she hasn't seen before. The other man she recognizes only too well.

"Vinnie," she cries out. "Oh my god, what have they done to you?"

Vinnie is bleeding badly from a cut on his head. It looks like he's been pistol-whipped. As she speaks, the man holding him at gunpoint pushes him roughly forward.

"What the hell, Duke? Why is he here? This isn't the plan," Missy says.

The man apparently called Duke shoves Vinnie again, harder this time, and he falls at Victoria's feet. Vinnie looks up at his sister. "Hi, Dinky. Found you."

Duke cracks the gun barrel down on Vinnie's head. "Shut up, asshole."

"What's happening, Vinnie?" Victoria asks.

Vinnie struggles to his feet and spits blood on the floor. "Just a misunderstanding, sis. I'll sort it out."

Another man wearing a black ski mask comes into the room, holding a gun and a black bag. From his build and his voice, when he speaks, Victoria knows this is the man who cut her finger and her hand off.

"I thought I told you to come alone, Duke," he says.

Duke points his gun at Vinnie. "He knows too much, Len. He saw Marsh handing over the money and got in the way when I tried to shoot him."

"Is that right, Vinnie?" Len asks.

Victoria knows their names now. She knows enough to realize that this is very, very bad. It means they have no intention of letting either her or her brother walk out of here alive.

Vinnie struggles to his feet in front of Victoria and turns his bloody face toward her. "Are you hurt?" She shakes her head. Vinnie faces the others. "You've got your money, Len. Why don't you let her go. She doesn't know who you are."

Duke says, "That's bullshit. She knows enough. She knows our names. The police will show her the mugshots. I say we kill them and split the money. Equal shares."

Missy says, "Why should you get an equal share, Duke? You're as useless as a dead battery."

Duke gives her the finger and Len says, "In the hallway. Both of you. Now."

They shut the door behind them leaving Victoria and Vinnie alone. Vinnie wraps her in a bear hug. "I'm sorry about this."

She's shaking from the adrenaline rush. One second she's going to fight for her life, and the next she's facing three crazy people, two with guns. "Are these friends of yours?"

"Not friends. Just desperate psychos."

"They're going to kill us, aren't they?"

"The one with the ski mask is Len Thundercloud. He's insane. The other two are just greedy. If it was just Duke and Missy, I could talk to them."

Victoria says, "Maybe they'll leave us locked in here while they make their getaway?"

"They're coming back in a minute. If I know Thundercloud, he will have Duke do the dirty work. If Duke comes in by himself, I'll distract him and you make a run for it."

"No, Vinnie. Absolutely not. I won't leave you behind."

"Jack got the money together. He really loves you, sis. Maybe he'll be a better husband now. Maybe you won't have to leave him. But he's still a dick."

Vinnie hugs her, and she draws her hand back with a gasp.

"Sorry. I forgot the hand. I'll make them pay for that."

"I don't want to do anything but get home to Jack and my daughters. If that woman comes in again, I'm afraid of what I might do to her."

Vinnie says, "She's the one who set you up at the resort. I think the plan was to pin this on me. They left a note that was supposed to be from me."

Victoria says, "So they can't possibly let me go."

Vinnie doesn't reply. He knows they're both as good as dead.

"But if they know the police are on to them, maybe they'll just run. Nothing has to happen."

"Listen, Vicki. The police won't help us. The guy running the investigation…I think he could be in on it. Your daughter, Ronnie, is in town with another detective and they've been beating the bushes. I've met with Jack and he's changed. At least, he didn't throw me out of the house. But what I need to tell you is that no one can help us. It's just you and me. Like when we were kids."

"Vinnie," she starts, but he cuts her off.

"We don't have time for this. I have a plan, and you're going to have to trust me. When I start this you run like hell. Turn right down the hall and keep going. There's an exit and it's not far from a wooded area. Hide in the woods until they're gone. No matter what you hear just run. I've got nothing to lose but you have two beautiful daughters."

Victoria puts a hand on his arm. "You've met them?"

"I have. We've all been searching for you. It's a long story but they're still trying to find you. That's why you need to run when you can. I was supposed to be rescuing you and that's what I'm going to do. You've rescued me all of my life."

"I'm glad you're here, Vinnie. Thank you for coming for me, but I wish you hadn't. Are the girls okay? They must be so worried."

"They're fine. Wonderful girls. You did good raising them. Don't worry."

Vic says, "Ronnie might find us any time now. I pray she doesn't. These people are dangerous. I'm always afraid for her."

"She seems to be able to take care of herself, sis. Look at all the things she's been involved in and always comes through."

"That's what I mean. She's not afraid of anything. She gets it from her father."

"I seem to recall you giving Denny Sanders a bloody nose in grade school." Vinnie chuckles. "He was two years ahead of you in school but he was the one who ran off crying."

Just then, the bolt on the door slides back. Len steps back into the room. He's removed his mask now, so Victoria guesses the decision has been made: they're dead. He looks different than she had imagined him, with dark hair and an acne-scarred complexion.

"You made your decision," Vinnie says.

Len points the gun at him. "It isn't personal."

"Can I ask one question, first?"

Len thinks about it for a second, then nods warily. "Sure."

"You think you can trust those two?"

"I trust one thing, Vinnie. Money."

Vinnie stares back at him. "You know they've been fucking behind your back, right?"

Len's eyes narrow. Before he can say anything, Missy appears in the doorway. She's carrying the black bag now, and suddenly Victoria realizes it looks familiar.

"That's a goddamn lie. He's lying, Len."

Len turns so that he can look at her and keep his eyes on Vinnie.

Victoria sees the ghost of a smile on Vinnie's face, and something much more overt on Missy's: guilt.

"This has been going on all along, hasn't it? You and him against me from the beginning."

She takes a hesitant step toward him. "Len, I swear?—"

Len knocks Missy onto her butt. She drops the bag on the floor. Vinnie backs Victoria against the wall and shields her, and at that moment she realizes why the bag looks familiar. It's Jack's. It must contain the ransom.

Missy cringes with her hands up, pleading. "Please, Len. You can have it all. You don't have to do this. Please."

"How did the police get my name? Huh? Was it you or Duke?"

Duke appears in the doorway, a pistol in his hand. "She's not your problem anymore, Len."

Thundercloud turns but Duke is faster. The first shot hits Len in the neck and blood erupts like a fountain. Thundercloud drops the gun and both hands go to his neck. His legs fold and he goes down on his side with his hands still trying to stem the flow, his mind not knowing he's a dead man. Duke steps close and kicks the gun out of Len's reach. "You always thought you were better than me."

Len tries to speak and coughs up blood. His eyes fix on Duke and his voice seems to be coming from underwater. "You're a dead man…" Blood trickles down his chin and he smiles. "When I tell?—"

Duke shoots him in the face. "Len Thundercloud. What a joke. You're just a cloud now. A ghost. How about that?"

Missy is trembling all over, her face a mask of fear. "Thank you, Duke. He made me be with him again. I didn't want to but he forced me. He's evil. Oh God, he was going to kill me."

Duke shoots her twice in the chest and she slumps back against the wall.

"You never did know when to shut up." He turns the gun toward Vinnie and Victoria. "It's not too late, Vinnie. I don't have a problem with you. We can share the money. I'll take care of your sister. All you have to do is kill those two meddling detectives when they show up."

"She's my niece, Duke."

Duke looks incredulous. "So what? You don't owe this bitch." He waggles the gun at Victoria. "She kept you away from your family just as much as that asshole husband of hers. You don't even know your niece. You and me are friends, Vinnie. I'm the only real family you've got."

Vinnie doesn't speak. He just holds Victoria's body against the wall with his own.

"Okay. I understand you being mad at me for punching you around. But it was the only way I could get you in here. Thundercloud would have killed you if I brought you here all nice-like. You help me get patched up and when I get better you can punch me. How's that?"

"I don't want to punch you, Duke."

Duke says, "Okay. How about this? We don't kill your sweet sister. We can use her to get even more money. How much do you think she's worth?"

"Stop pointing the gun at her, Duke. I can reason with her and she won't tell. In fact, she's divorcing him. She can have some of the money to start a life of her own. No one ever needs to know. You and me will be rich. With that kind of money just imagine what we could do. Hell, we could start our own cartel, Duke."

"That sounds good, Vinnie. But I still need you to kill those two cops. They know too much. And I'm going to have the pleasure of killing that shitbag Lucas."

Vinnie shakes his head. "If we kill a cop, we might as well put a gun to our own heads. They'll never stop looking for us. Right now you can come out of this with a lot of money. This was all Thundercloud's doing. Missy was in on it with him. Victoria will swear you killed them in self-defense. They were going to kill her. I'll say I came here with you and we stopped them. They both had guns. You'll be a hero. You can keep the money, and her husband will give you a reward. Vicki will make sure of it."

"That doesn't work for me, Vinnie. I'm an escapee. I can't explain that. Or how I came by a gun as a convicted felon. The cops have to go. No witnesses."

"Okay. You can keep all the money. Stow it somewhere and we'll say these two must have hidden it. You can still get well on this, Duke. You'll do what? Two years at most. You'll get out of prison a rich man."

He turns the gun back on Vinnie and Victoria, shaking his head. "You'd turn me in and get the reward for yourself. Len was going to keep everything. He never was going to split the money three ways."

"Duke—" Vinnie starts, but it's too late.

Duke pulls the trigger. Vinnie jerks, then staggers back against Victoria, his hands going to his stomach. Their eyes meet and she watches the light leave his as he collapses on top of her. A trickle of blood runs onto her upturned face and she screams.

"Oh God, Vinnie. Vinnie! Oh God. Oh God."

Vinnie's body pins her to the floor, protecting her even in death. She holds her brother's head against her shoulder and turns her hate on Duke.

"You bastard. He wouldn't have told anyone. What is wrong with you people? You aren't human."

"I'll be a hero like Vinnie said." He steps closer and shoves Vinnie's body over with the toe of his white Reeboks.

"Take the money. I won't tell. I swear to God I won't."

"Of course I'll keep the money."

Victoria's face turns into a mask of anger. "You're sick. My daughter will kill you. She'll find you and kill you."

"She maybe will. Maybe won't. Now, be a good rich bitch and shut up and die."

He leans over and puts the gun to Victoria's forehead. She squints her eyes closed.

A shot rings out.