“This isn’t the plan, this is what makes the plan. This message tells me they’re making the exchange tonight – tomorrow – at ‘dark2’ which is two a.m. on the MV Cape Henlopen, which is one of the three Cape May-Lewes ferries. Brendan is supposed to bring you along. And, based on what you’ve told me, ‘G’ is your father.”
Katie could see no other valid interpretation of the message, unless it was in code, in which case they were screwed. “OK, that fits. What are you going to do about it?”
“I’m going to do what it says. I’m going to make the pickup.”
Katie scowled at him. “I was right. Your plan does suck. I can think of a bunch of problems right off the bat. First and foremost, don’t you think my father will realize you aren’t Brendan?”
“Of course. But he doesn’t sound stupid enough to be there himself. And I’ll bet he doesn’t know who Brendan hired, so I’m just the delivery boy who will call him when I have the money.”
“OK, but what makes you think the other guys – the ones who kidnapped me and might know who you are – won’t show up?”
Carson grinned. “I’ve rubbed off on you. You’re thinking this through. But this text came from one number to this number – only. And that makes sense, because Brendan surely didn’t want Chops and the gang to know he’d lost you, so he made sure Daddy texted him and only him.”
“Don’t call him that,” Katie said through clenched teeth. “That bastard lost the right to be my father the second this all started.”
“Sorry,” Carson said, looking ashamed at his cavalier language. “But that means they don’t know Brendan is dead or where the pickup is. They won’t show up.”
Katie’s anger doubled as she recalled the lost topic from earlier in the conversation. “You’re doing it again.”
“I’m doing what again?”
“Lying to me. You lied before when you said you weren’t concerned, and you just lied when you said they wouldn’t show up. You need to stop and tell me everything.”
Carson gritted his teeth. “Shit.”
“You’re not helping either of us by hiding things from me, Carson. I’m your only ally right now, and you need my help as much as I need yours.” Her face softened and she reached across the table to take his large fist in her hands. It was ice cold. “And good men don’t lie to the women they love, do they?”
Caught in the act, he smiled. “We’re not supposed to.”
“Then tell me. Let me help you.” She stared at him, silently inviting him to open up another notch, to let her provide a little relief from the burden he carried. After all, she reasoned, he’s just a man, and they try to do everything themselves sometimes.
Carson took a deep breath. “Fine. They’re going to be there. They’ll find out, somehow, and they aren’t going to give a shit if you’re there or not. That means I’ve got to find a way to make Garrett’s people think the exchange happened without handing you over, and make sure Chops gets the money and forgets all about you. That’ll make your father go after Chops to collect, and I’m pretty sure that won’t involve us.
“So, somehow, I have to convince probably six people to exchange millions of dollars without the hostage or the lead kidnapper present and do it without getting my own ass killed in the process.”
Katie was stunned as he spelled out the problems. “How are you going to do that?”
He turned his hands to expose his palms, shrugging at the same time. “No idea. You were right. My plans sucks.”
“Jesus, Carson! That’s not a plan! Show up and see what happens? That’s a plan for a first date, not this! I can’t let you do this!”
“It’s the only way,” Carson told her with a weariness suggesting he’d tried and failed to find an alternative.
“No it’s not! We can just go – right now – just drive. Brendan isn’t around to hurt me anymore. We can just end up somewhere else! Like you said, we can work at a Wal-Mart in Idaho or wherever!”
Carson closed his eyes. Clearly, the stress of the situation, the dearth of sleep, and her protests were wearing on him. “No we can’t,” he told her. “If I don’t show up, they’ll keep the money, and Chops won’t get his cut, and he’ll come after me – us – for it. Furthermore, there are three bodies lying about 500 yards from a Coast Guard station, and two of them are his guys. That’ll make four of his men I’ve taken care of, and Chops’ll know exactly who did it. They’re not the type to let things like that go.” He opened his eyes. “We’ll always be looking over our shoulders. Every day. Every night. For the rest of our lives. Even if they don’t find us, is that the kind of life you want to lead?”
“We could tell the police, the FBI, someone,” Katie said. The idea sounded lousy, even to her.
“This isn’t some punk bunch of kids, honey. This is the mob. They’ve gotten around the cops and the feds before, and they’ll do it again. It’s far too risky, and we’ll still have to be just as on guard as always.”
Katie stared at the table. He’d thought so much of it through while she slept that she couldn’t counter his argument. With no other useful thoughts, hopelessness took hold of her, and it forced out a thought she’d been harboring since their time in the shack. “Anything’s better than being without you.”
Carson offered no response, so she forged ahead. “I’ve already lost two men from my life since yesterday. I’m not so worried about one, but the other was someone I’ve trusted since I was born. I don’t want to lose anyone else, Carson.
