“I can go instead,” Mercedes offered.
“No. Someone needs to stay up here. Besides, I’m kidding. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Carlita swallowed hard and forced herself to keep moving. When she reached the bottom rung, she ran the flashlight along the perimeter of the thick brick walls.
She gingerly stepped onto the uneven dirt floor and took a tentative step forward, whacking the top of her forehead on a low beam. “Ouch.”
“You okay?” Mercedes hollered.
“I’m fine. I whacked my head.” She placed a light hand to her head and continued walking toward the tunnel’s entrance. Carlita patted her pockets and realized she’d forgotten the keys.
She returned to the ladder. “I need my keys.”
Mercedes tossed them to her.
“Thanks.” Carlita retraced her steps and approached the metal gate. It was easy to locate the gate key, which was larger and heavier than the other keys.
There was a dull thud coming from inside the tunnel and Carlita jumped, nearly dropping the flashlight. She ignored a second clanking noise as she fumbled to unlock the gate.
There was another thud followed by a scurrying sound. She darted to the ladder and hopped onto a lower rung to wait for Pete and the others.
Mercedes stuck her head over the side. “What’s it like down there?”
“Creepy, dark, dank. The same as it was last time we were down here. I hope they hurry.”
A muffled sound echoed from the tunnel. “I think they’re coming.” Carlita flashed the light on the floor to check for movement before slowly returning to the tunnel’s entrance.
A beam of bright light bounced off the wall, and then the light grew brighter. Moments later, Pete, followed by Luigi and Ricco, entered the tunnel and joined Carlita.
Ricco swiped at his shoulders. “That was an interesting trip.”
“Thank you for bringing them here, Pete.” Carlita smiled gratefully.
“No worries. Their vehicle is safe for the night,” Pete said. “I best get back to the restaurant. I told my staff I was giving a couple of tourists a private tour.”
“Tourists?” Luigi snorted. “We don’t look like no tourists.”
“Which is why I should get going.” Pirate Pete winked at Carlita. “Is there anything else for my lady?”
Carlita’s heart skipped a beat. “No. Thanks again. I owe you one.”
“I’m never too busy to help a lass in distress.” Pete gave the men a curt nod, Carlita a smile and disappeared inside the tunnel. She waited until he turned the corner and his flashlight dimmed before locking the gate behind him. “This way.”
“Who is that guy?”
“A friend. His name is Pirate Pete Taylor. He owns Parrot House Restaurant along with a couple of other businesses.”
“I think he’s got the hots for you,” Luigi teased. “He talked about you the entire way here.”
Carlita could feel her cheeks burn in the darkness, and she ignored the comment. “Follow me.”
She led them up the ladder and into the pawnshop. After they were safely inside, Carlita shut the trapdoor and clicked the deadbolt in place. “Let’s slide the cabinet back.”
With Luigi and Ricco’s assistance, they easily slid the cabinet on top of the hidden trapdoor.
“I never been in an underground tunnel,” Luigi said. “New York has them, but they’re full of rats.”
“And these may be, too. Perhaps not as many, though,” Carlita said. “So, what happened back at the convenience store?”
“Cops been hittin’ up the local businesses. From what the kid in the store said, they printed off a grainy image of me ‘n Luigi outside your place, askin’ if anyone has seen us.”
“And the clerk told them he had…seen you?”
“He told ‘em he hadn’t, but I think he forgot until tonight. Me ‘n Luigi figure he’s probably gonna be callin’ ‘em to give ‘em a heads up,” Ricco said.
“And describing our cars.” Carlita’s breath caught in her throat. The net was closing in…between the police staking out her home and now visiting the area stores with a picture of the men, it was only a matter of time before they showed up on her doorstep with a search warrant.
Luigi took the words right out of Carlita’s mouth. “We gotta move. The tunnel was a slick trick, but we can’t be takin’ it during business hours. Me ‘n Ricco are gonna have to find somewhere else to lay low for a coupla days.”
“Even lower than the downstairs efficiency or having to sneak through tunnels.” Carlita pressed a hand to her mouth as a sudden thought - a suddenly brilliant thought -occurred to her. “I agree, and I have the perfect person who might be able to help.”
Chapter 16
“Where we goin’ again?” Brittney eyed the open water as they sped toward the south end of Tybee Island.
“Montgomery Hall. You’re going to spend a couple of days with my friend, Victoria Montgomery.” Carlita cast her daughter-in-law a quick glance. “It’s a magnificent estate. She has a full-time staff with butlers, housekeepers, and even a cook.”
“And she don’t mind Luigi and Ricco coming with me?”
“No. Victoria…Tori…is a close friend. She said she doesn’t mind and has plenty of room. I think this will be a nice change of pace for you.”
Carlita hadn’t explained to Brittney the real reason she was taking her to Montgomery Hall. She needed to get her, along with Vito’s men, out of sight until they could figure out who had murdered Davis Rutger.
Luigi and Ricco hadn’t been keen on the idea of leaving town, but after Carlita reminded them about the facts and threatened another few trips through the underground tunnels, they grudgingly agreed to give it a couple of days. She thought the matter was settled until Vinnie called that morning demanding to know why Ricco and Luigi wanted to come home.
Unfortunately, Vinnie explained he
