Janet Evanovich - Full Speed

"What the hell do you want me to do about Holt?" Rudy asked as Max turned onto the road leading to the landing strip.

"Kill him and the dog both."

Jamie almost choked on her anger. She grabbed Nick by the collar. "Leave them out of this, do you hear me? I said I'd cooperate, but you have to keep your part of the bargain. Nick, I'm telling you, you do not want to piss me off."

He almost looked amused. "Are you trying to frighten me, Jamie?"

"No, I'm just telling you what a bitch I can be. You leave my dog behind and you're going to regret the day you climbed in an airplane with me. And from the way you talk, we're going to be in the air a long time. Think about it."

Max parked the truck close by and climbed out. He looked at Jamie, noting the blood on her lip. "You know, Nick, I didn't like you before, but I like you even less now. I don't have much respect for a man who would strike a woman."

"You act as if that matters to me, Mr. Holt," Nick said. "You're as good as dead. Why should your opinion of me matter?"

"You plan to shoot an unarmed man in front of your new girlfriend? She doesn't like you to begin with; why risk alienating her further?"

Nick merely smiled.

"Your egg is fried, Nick."

"Meaning?"

"The jig is up."

"Not exactly." With lightning speed Nick pulled Jamie against him and put a gun to her head.

Jamie felt as though her heart would literally take flight from her chest. Damn her and her mouth. "Nick, I was sort of exaggerating about how nasty I was going to act on the plane. Why can't we just leave Fleas with Max and get going?"

"She's lying, Nick," Max said. "You don't do things her way and she turns into Satan's daughter."

"You two obviously think this is funny," Nick said. "Max, tell me: How would you like to watch my man Rudy cut Jamie like he did Harlan? Would you find that funny? I think her death would be harder on you than your own."

"Damn," Max said. "You just implicated yourself in Harlan Rawlins's murder."

"We both know he was already dead. The fool was popping pills like they were candy."

"You were his supplier; you knew exactly what you were doing. Some pills just don't mix, and you knew that."

"You're right. Harlan overdosed, but I just wanted to leave my mark on him, and Rudy is so good with a knife."

"I wouldn't pull that trigger if I were you," Max said. He nodded toward the airplane, where an elderly gentleman stood at the door of the craft.

Nick turned and froze. "What the hell?"

The pilot assisted the man down the steps. Once the men had cleared them, the pilot stepped aside and the other man crossed the short distance to where they were standing.

"Hello, Nicholas."

"Uncle Leo, what the hell are you doing here?"

Rudy and his partner lowered their rifles and stepped back.

"I see you've managed to dig your hole deeper. Give me the gun, Nicholas."

He gave a short laugh. "Are you kidding? Do you know who these people are?"

"Yes. And do you know what will happen to the Santoni family if you kill Max Holt and Miss Swift?" He didn't wait for Nick's response. "It's time for you to come home. This is the last time I'm going to ask nicely."

"Are you out of your mind, old man?"

"Give me the gun, Nicky. Don't dishonor me in front of these people."

Nick seemed to ponder it. He started to lower the gun, then jerked it back and aimed it in the direction of his uncle. He pulled the trigger, and the man jerked as the bullet hit him square in the chest. Jamie screamed as Leo Santoni fell to the tarmac, but not before she saw Nick and his men aim their guns in Max's direction.

"It's your turn, Holt," Nick said. He'd barely gotten the words out of his mouth before more shots were fired. Jamie watched in horror as Nick and Rudy crumpled to the ground. Where the hell were the shots coming from?

Max reached for her, and the two pilots cleared the steps, each of them armed. Jamie went willingly into Max's arms. From the corner of her eye she saw Nick move. He raised his gun and aimed in her direction. In a split second Max was in front of her, and Fleas pounced on Nick. His gun went off, and the animal howled and went down. Another shot was fired at Nick's head and he fell back.

Jamie screamed and buried her face against Max's chest, not wanting to see any more bloodshed. Finally, she broke free from Max and ran to her dog. "Fleas, no!" she screamed. "Please don't die. Please don't die."

Max was beside her in seconds. "He's going to be OK, Jamie."

"He's not going to make it," she said, choking back a sob. "He took a bullet for me. He's going to die out here with a bunch of mobsters." She kissed the dog on the top of the head. "He looks so sad, Max. He knows he's dying. I was such a bad master, and he knew it. He probably took the bullet on purpose."

"He always looks sad, Jamie, and he is not likely to die from a wounded tail."

"What?" Jamie looked up.

"The bullet nicked his tail, babe, that's all."

Jamie rose and quickly surveyed the damage. Obviously, a bullet had indeed nicked Fleas's tail about six inches up from the tip. "Is that all? Jeez, there's not even that much blood. Good grief, what a sissy!"

"I'm sure it still hurts like hell," Max said.

As if acting on cue, Fleas moaned.

One of the pilots dropped to his knees beside them. "Are you two OK?"

Max nodded. "Yeah."

"How's the mutt?"

Max chuckled. "I believe he'll live."

"The others are dead. I've already phoned headquarters."

"Who are you?" Jamie blurted.

"Agent Decker with the FBI, ma'am. You sure you're OK?"

"I'm having a nervous breakdown, and I skinned my knee. Other than that—"

"You don't know how long we've waited to get Santoni off the streets, but he was always one step ahead of us."

Jamie stared at Max. "Why was Leo Santoni on the plane?"

"I called him," Max said. "He was trying to convince Nick to come home before he did more damage to the family. I told him I'd hand over Nick in exchange for our safety. I didn't mention I was contacting the FBI. I feel bad that it ended this way."

"Don't," Agent Decker said. "Leo might look old and frail, but there was a time he was as bad as his nephew." The man glanced at Nick, sprawled on the tarmac. "I don't think he would have fared any better with the Santoni family." He gave a satisfied sigh. "We've already picked up Tom Bennett for questioning; we're going to find out who all was on Santoni's payroll."

Jamie refused to look in the dead men's direction. That didn't mean she was sorry they were dead, though. "There's a sheriff's deputy," Jamie said. "I think he may have been working for Santoni. His name is Bill Higgins."

Decker jotted it down. Finally, he offered Max his hand. "Mr. Holt, you managed to help us get two of the most powerful men in the Santoni family off the street. Once we seize their property and their computers we'll be able to learn more about the operation."

"You may not be able to break the code," Max said. "I've been trying."

"Helms said we could count on you for assistance."

"Yeah, he would say that. By the way, I have another job for you guys. I want you to pick up the man who heads up my mergers and acquisitions, pronto. I want a full investigation. I strongly suspect he's involved in this somehow."

"Right away, Mr. Holt."

Jamie shot a startled look in Max's direction. "What about Dave? Is he?"

"I spoke with him earlier. They stitched him up; he's fine."

Fleas, obviously having come to the conclusion he was no longer the center of attention, stood and shook, his big ears flapping in the light breeze. Finally, he sat down and started licking his wounded tail. As though discovering it wasn't as bad as he'd thought, he began licking his privates.