Andrea Kane - The Line Between Here and Now

“Agreed. Not a good idea to plant a GPS tracking device with a swarm of cops and the owner of the car in your face. Let’s head straight over to Morano’s place before we drive to Westhampton Beach and crash at Amanda’s. We can be at Morano’s apartment in ten minutes and done and out of there in twenty.”

Ryan and Marc had just finished their task and hiked up the flight of stairs to Amanda’s apartment when Ryan’s cell phone rang.

He glanced down at the caller ID.

“It’s Claire,” he told Marc. Punching on the phone, he answered Claire in a short, clipped tone. “Hang on a sec.”

He waited until both he and Marc were inside the apartment, before resuming the conversation.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Are you okay?” Her voice was tight and anxious.

“Yeah, why?”

“I just got a quick flash that freaked me out. It was a fire, a big one, engulfing a shack on the water. I was afraid it might have something to do with you and Marc and your visit to Morano’s. I’m glad I was wrong.”

“You weren’t wrong.” Ryan dropped his gym bag and sank down on the sofa. “Morano’s office just went up in flames. And it wasn’t caused by a cigarette butt. Marc and I saw two men douse the place with gasoline and light the match.”

A sharp intake of breath. “Who were they trying to kill? Morano or you two?”

“None of the above. Morano was at home-we knew that and I’m sure they did, too. And they never saw Marc or me. We hid out until they were gone. Then we got the hell out of there.”

“So you weren’t near the cabin when it happened?”

“We were near enough. We got front row seats. But we didn’t get roasted.”

“That’s not funny.”

Ryan leaned back on the couch, finding himself smiling. “You were worried about me, Claire-voyant. I’m touched. I never knew you cared so much.”

“I don’t,” Claire retorted, back to herself now that she knew things were okay. “It was Gecko I was concerned about. He’s irreplaceable. I knew Marc could take care of you.”

Ryan threw back his head and laughed. “I’m so flattered. But don’t worry. We never made it inside the building. And Gecko was safely stashed inside my jacket. He’s in A-plus shape-just like me.”

“He’s not nearly as arrogant.”

“True. But he’s not as hot, either.”

“Debatable,” Claire quipped. Then she grew sober. “They were giving Morano a message.”

“Yup. A pretty direct one.”

“The same one they gave Paul Everett, no doubt. The question is, who are ‘they’ and do they plan on making a similar disappearing act happen to Morano?”

“Any signs from the universe?” Ryan teased.

“None,” Claire answered seriously. “I wish I had one. Maybe it would lead us to Paul Everett faster.”

“You’re still convinced he’s alive?”

“Definitely.”

“So am I.” Ryan shrugged out of his parka as he spoke. “This kind of thing smacks of the mob. But where does Lyle Fenton fit in?”

“I don’t know. But he plays a major part in this convoluted puzzle. The negative energy surrounding him is so strong, I could barely pick up on anything else with him in the room.” A pause. “Are you sure that you and Marc are okay?”

“Never better. Marc’s a pro when it comes to this stuff. He got us out of there like a black ops mission.”

Another pause. “I know Marc’s used to seeing arson and every other kind of violence there is. But you’re not. You’re shaken. That’s to be expected, Ryan-even for someone as cocky and egotistical as you.”

Ryan started to laugh. “Is that your way of saying you care, Claire-voyant?”

“Yes, you obnoxious pain in the ass, it is.”

A split second of silence. Ryan wasn’t laughing anymore.

“Thanks,” he finally said, with no trace of banter. “I appreciate your worrying about me. But I’m fine. Honest. A little weirded out, but fine. Nothing a hot shower and a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”

“Then I’ll let you get both. Tell Marc to do the same. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Claire?” Ryan interrupted.

“Yes?”

This pause was a long one. “See you tomorrow.”

He disconnected the call, staring at his BlackBerry for a moment, eyebrows knit.

“Oh, for God’s sake, when are you going to stop being an asshole and do something about it?” Marc’s question sliced the silence.

“What?” Ryan’s head snapped up. He’d almost forgotten Marc was in the room, he’d been so preoccupied.

“You heard me. But if you need it spelled out, fine. You want Claire. You’ve wanted her since the day you met her. So stop doing this moronic dance and go for it. If it works out, great. If it doesn’t, you can go back to killing each other.”

Ryan shot Marc a look. “I don’t need lessons in hooking up with women from you.”

“Clearly, you do.” Marc stripped off his jacket and sweater and grabbed the gym bag that had his change of clothes. “I’m going in the shower. I’ll use up the hot water. That way, you can get the cold shower you so desperately need.”

As he stepped out of the shower, Ryan could hear Marc talking. From the tone of his voice, it was obvious that it was Casey at the other end of the phone. Marc was, no doubt, filling her in.

Ryan pulled on some sweats and headed out to the living room.

Marc glanced up. “Ryan’s here. I’ll put him on.” He handed Ryan the phone. “It’s Casey,” he informed him.

“I figured.” Ryan put the phone to his ear. “Hey, boss. I assume Marc woke you up to report in about our boring night.”

“He did-in detail,” she replied. “Sounds like you became an instant action figure.”

“Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.”

Casey laughed. “It’s good to hear you’re still yourself. Arrogant and cocky. Thanks for making me laugh. I needed it.”

“Really?” Ryan perched on the edge of an armchair. “If I’m your best source of entertainment tonight, I’d say Hutch isn’t doing his job.”

“His job isn’t to make me laugh,” Casey returned drily. “So much for that subject. The reason I asked Marc to put you on the phone is to tell you that Amanda got a threatening call tonight. No caller ID. Voice scrambler. Warning her to stop looking for Paul Everett, and for us to stop looking, too. He knew too much about what she was doing at that minute not to have been right there in the hospital.”

“You want me to see if I can hack into her phone records?” Ryan jumped right on that. “Maybe I can get something.”

“Yes. Try.”

“Done.” Ryan was already walking over to his laptop, which was sitting on the coffee table. “Is Amanda really freaked out?” he asked as he logged into his secure network.

“Big-time,” Casey replied. “She wanted me to send Marc over for protection. I sent Patrick over instead.”

“Better qualifications. Better availability,” Ryan agreed.

“Not as pacifying, at least to Amanda. But, in this case, I got her to come around. Patrick’s the right choice. He took off for Sloane Kettering the minute I called him. He’s staying outside the PICU all night. He’s also made arrangements with two of his security buddies. They’re each taking an eight-hour shift a day. Between the three of them, Amanda will be covered 24/7 until this crisis is over.”

“Smart move.”

“I’m going over there myself first thing in the morning to check on her.”

“You mean in three hours?” Ryan asked, noting that his watch said 3:30 a.m.

Casey sighed. “Yes, in three hours. And, while I’m there, I’m going to ask her if I can bring Hutch on board. He can check the FBI’s internal systems and see if there are any warning flags on Paul Everett.”