Page 47 of Kane's Bounty
He dialed, and a second later said, “I need a safe house for the night… You can do it in the morning… I give you my word.”
Kane punched a few buttons more, then just ending the call and handed the phone back to the shopkeeper. “Thanks.”
Ten minutes later, a black sedan pulled up outside the store. Kane thanked the man in the store again and took her hand. They both got in the backseat of the sedan.
Lena’s mouth gaped when she saw Shamus Wade behind the wheel. “He’s who you called?”
Kane smiled and squeezed her hand. “Do you have a safe house for us?”
Wade nodded. “The neighborhood’s not as ritzy as this one, but you’ll be safe there.”
“Southside?” Kane asked.
Wade nodded.
“Wait a minute,” Lena interrupted. “This is the guy who tried to grab me twice. Not to mention the last time we saw him, you got him drunk and knocked him unconscious. Why the hell would we trust him?”
“I do owe you for the punch, Lakeland.”
Kane shrugged. “I promised he could bring us in tomorrow. He has the guarantee of claiming his cash and we get a night to sort out a few things. Everyone wins.”
“How is my going back to prison a win?” She wanted to know.
Wade chuckled, but kept his eyes on the road.
She didn’t know if he was pleased because she gave Kane a hard time over her going to prison or just happy he would collect the bounty on her. She glared at the back of his head.
Kane sat back against the leather seat and pulled her with him. He tucked her in against his side and rested his head on top of hers. He was warm and comfortable even in his slightly grimy state.
She sighed and relaxed.
“You have to go back and then we have to get you out of this. All Shamus cares about is his money. If he double-crosses me, he knows I’ll beat him to a pulp and probably escape with you anyway. He’ll keep his word. Just trust me.”
“You keep saying that.”
He put his finger under her chin and tipped her face up. “I will not let anything else happen to you, Lena.”
She turned her head away before he could press his lips to hers. “You can’t control everything. You couldn’t stop what happened with Banta and you can’t control what Oscar will do to get what he wants.”
He grabbed her arms and turned her, so she was nose to nose with him. In his eyes, she could see the pain her words caused him. “I’m sorry. I misjudged how sick Thorn really is. I never thought he would have Banta probe you that way. If I had known, I would have…”
He trailed off, never finishing the sentence. His pain was raw in his expression and the tension in his body told her he had suffered with her. She wanted to feel sympathy for him, but her own agony was too fresh.
She said nothing, but when his grip relaxed, she settled back against him and let him hold her.
The safe house was a three-story walk-up on the south side of Boston. It was small and sparse, with a living room, dining room and kitchen all comprising the twelve by fifteen living area. A couch, TV, card table and four folding chairs were the only furniture. A doorway led to a tiny bedroom with a twin mattress on the floor and a milk crate serving as the nightstand.
Wade came up with them. He handed a cell phone and handgun to Kane. “I didn’t have time to stock the fridge. I’ll go get some food and bring it up. I’ll be nearby if you…” He shrugged and walked back out the door.
“I know it’s a dump, but it’s safe.”
She ran her fingers across the dusty card table. “It’s fine.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.” She made her way to the couch and sat down.
A moment later, he was next to her. “You’d feel better if you did.”
