Dani had gone through several stages of her emotions in the past few days. She’d been enraged when Benny had locked her in her room under armed guard, gotten pissed when David had Luke taken, been embarrassed that morning at breakfast. And as for the night the recording was made... there weren’t even words for that kind of humiliation.

But through it all, she’d felt little fear. She’d been afraid for her brother; he’d been hurt worse than she’d imagined. She’d been afraid for Luke, for if Benny found out Luke was a cop he’d kill him. But until today, Dani hadn’t been afraid for herself. Not truly.

All that had suddenly changed. Now she stood in her room and wrapped her arms around herself while Katie sat on the bed, trying to be invisible.

“He’s mad,” Katie said reasonably as Dani paced in circles for what seemed forever. “He probably didn’t mean it.”

“He is mad,” Dani agreed in a small voice. “Mad enough to do just what he says he will.” Dani turned to the girl. “I didn’t know what kind of man he was all the years I called him my uncle. Or maybe I guess I did at some point, and I just didn’t want to admit it. I mean, what kind of guy shows up to a cookout with a bunch of guys in suits carrying Uzis?”

Katie shrugged, as if not believing her. “After all these years, you really think he would kill you?”

“Katie, I know he will. I’ve met some... pretty rough people. I’ve seen that look on his face before and, yes, he will kill me.” Dani looked around the room, not really seeing it. “At least Luke is safe.”

“You’re worried about him? A cop?” Katie half-mouthed the word, but Dani’s head reflexively spun to the wall where the guard stood, as though she could tell if he’d heard the girl. She raised a hand to Katie in a gesture of suppression.

“What he is doesn’t matter!” Dani hissed, her heart pounding so fast in her chest that it was a wonder she didn’t have a heart attack.

“You love him.”

“My family’s beaten him up, kidnapped him, dragged him off, and tried to have him killed, Katie. Whatever feelings I have for him also happen to be irrelevant. This is the kind of thing that ends a relationship, don’t you think?”

“Your feelings aren’t irrelevant,” Katie replied, leaning back and stretching out her legs, toes pointed like a ballerina’s. “And, just for your information, your family kidnapped me and is currently holding me hostage, but I don’t see that as your fault.” She glanced at her sideways, from under her lashes as she said this, her voice calm and steady, like she meant it.

I don’t deserve a friend like her... if someone had kidnapped me, I’d hate every member of their family. Dani dropped her head. “I know, I know, I’m sorry, I really am...” She waved her arms in frustration. “It’s just that...”

“It’s just that you’re not in love with me,” Katie finished for her. “That’s the difference. You’re in love with him, that’s why you risked everything, even your life, even mine, because you’re in love. Punching through that window and acting like a bubble-head was enough to get me shot. Hell, just being in a short skirt in front of your bro—whatever, the fact is that you did ask me to take a big risk, maybe even bigger than you realize, to save him.”

Dani winced, hearing for the first time the frustration and anger Katie hid so well. “I shouldn’t have asked that,” Dani said quietly, feeling about two inches high right then. “I had no right.”

“You did if your feelings matter. Dani, I didn’t have to say yes. I didn’t have to be part of that. You didn’t see what happened out there when the window smashed. You didn’t see me...” Katie stood and began demonstrating the actions she was describing, “...putting one little foot over the other and bending the knee like a little girl trying to figure out if she did a ‘boo-boo’ and widening my eyes and even...” Katie put a finger in her mouth to give that ‘oooh’ look like something straight out of an old romantic comedy.

“You didn’t!”

“Of course I did!” Katie flopped back down on the daybed and draped one leg over the other, so unlike the bubble-head she’d been a moment ago that the change was startling. Dani was impressed, and began to wonder if there was place in her world of hired adventure for someone with skills like that.

“Dani, that was the worst. To be... that in front of... all of them. I saw how I was looked at, I saw in their eyes what they wanted to do to me. All of them. I expected that. But I did it, because... because you helped me so much when we were kids, because I never had a sister, because... I don’t know why, just because.”

“Because you love me?” Dani smiled.

“Yeah, a little. Not like I’m changing from dating men or anything, but like the way I want to think how it would be to love a sister, yeah I do.” Katie looked up with that winsome smile, and Dani couldn’t help but laugh right along with her, feeling incredibly lucky to have found a true friend in this whole mess.

Katie’s smile said she felt the same. She grabbed for her nail file which she’d abandoned on the day bed when she’d gotten up, and used it as a pointer. “The point is, don’t write him off, not yet.”

Dani played with her lower lip between her teeth. “Thank you,” she whispered, and came over to hug the younger girl, feeling more settled and content than she had in a long time. Sure, there was still a little bit of fear in there, but it helped to know that she had a true friend and ally she could count on. “Just... thank you.”

Katie squeaked and dropped her nail file, but returned the hug with enthusiasm. Then laughed when they clonked heads when both bent to grab that file from the floor at the same time. Dani snagged it first and handed it to her thoughtfully. “You’re really okay? I mean with... being here right now?”

“Well, it’s not my first choice, no offense, but I don’t feel so much like I’m the one in danger here. I’m just a means to an end, aren’t I? I certainly don’t blame you for any of this.” She paused, tapping a perfectly manicured nail against her jaw while she thought. “Honestly, neither does Luke. I never once got any kind of vibe from him that he’s mad at you. Don’t give up on him yet, okay?”

“Well, it really doesn’t matter at this point,” Dani said, sinking onto the daybed next to Katie and staring thoughtfully at her own nails, which were chewed down to the quick in some spots. “He’s gone. He’s not stupid enough to come walking back into this. Right now, Benny would probably have him—”

The house shook with the sudden bang of the front door slamming shut. From outside there came shouts. Even through the closed window, the single shouted command of “FREEZE” could be clearly and distinctly heard. Dani rushed to the window and almost threw it open before remembering the alarm. She felt Katie crowding her, trying to get a good look, but her eyes were riveted on the small slice of the front yard she could see.

At the end of the driveway, Luke stood, just inside the gate. In his left hand, he held a box of pizza and remains of a six-pack hooked to one finger. The right hand balanced a folded slice and an open can.

He waved, after a fashion, at the half-dozen men who had him under surveillance. A lot of guns had appeared as if by magic in their hands, every one of them pointed squarely at him. He said something and took a huge bite of pizza.

“He’s the stupidest, most idiotic, crazy sonofab—” Dani couldn’t even find the words. “Why the hell...?”

“He’s in love,” Katie murmured, and Dani could swear she could hear a certain amount of awe as well as suppressed laughter in her voice.

“He’s an idiot. He’s... Luke.” Even Dani could hear the smile in her own voice. She was going to kill him with her own bare hands before Benny even had a chance.

***

“HEY, GUYS! MISS ME?” Luke took a bite. It was his third slice, so the edge of his hunger had worn off, but he was still needing more than he’d already had. The beer had tasted like a gift from the gods, and right now he could have stood to slam back the rest of them one after another, just to take the edge off, but he needed his wits about him. At least he’d put enough carbs back into his body to start getting back some of the strength he’d lost from too many days without food. It was definitely past time to get back to work.

He didn’t raise his arms as ordered; it was a stupid gesture, but he was feeling too pissed off to bother with the correct surrender position. Instead, he took another bite and gave a circle motion with the slice in a form of a wave, almost dislodging the pepperoni.

“Should I have knocked?” He pointed to the gate he’d slipped through. That hadn’t been easy, and he wasn’t sure that the toppings were technically still on top of the pizza, but sideways had been the only way to get the pizza box through it.

Two men ran to face him from ten feet away, both with their guns drawn and pointed at him, one at his head, one at his heart. That way, if one of them needed to fire, the target would still be in place for the second shot. They were taking no chances. It was a fairly professional set-up that might have been impressive for rent-a-cops had he not been on the wrong end of the barrel.

Two more came behind him, slowly, cautiously. One snatched the box from him, the other knocked the can and slice from his raised hand.

“Hey! Watch it, will ya? I don’t really have all that many change of clothes with me, you know? Now my shoes are going to smell like beer all day!” He sighed a little as he watched the beer spray out of the can and run down the sidewalk. He should’ve drunk more of it when he’d had the chance.

“Where do you think you’re going?” one of the men snapped at him, and grabbed his wrist. The sharp, cold sting of a steel handcuff going on over it made Luke shudder involuntarily. No gentleness from this crew. But, then, he hadn’t exactly been expecting it either.

“I was on my way to the office in the main house,” Luke said, though shrugging was damned hard when you were being manhandled and cuffed. The man took his other arm and pulled it back behind him. “If you can’t save the pizza, you have to save the beer. It’s the sacred duty of every male over twelve to save the beer.”

“Funny guy, huh?” The two who had him covered relaxed their stances, and the one who’d cuffed him gave him a shove in the direction of the main house. “We’ll see how funny you are.”

“I have a funny test?” Luke said, taking a few off-balance steps to regain his footing. His legs might have felt stronger with the addition of food, but that didn’t mean the muscles were inclined to obey under duress. “I don’t know, the judge can be tough. He surrounds himself with jokers, so he’s probably used to it by now.” Luke almost stumbled this time because of the shove he didn’t get. He’d expected the thug to push him again, but chances were they hadn’t followed what he’d been saying. Tough crowd. Muscle-bound, yes. Brain trust? Hardly.

He expected the shove at the top of the two-step walkdown inside the door and just jumped over the ledge. They sat him down in the office and one of them stayed with him, though the cuffs were left on.

Benny Bianchi arrived less than two minutes later. He stormed into the office and slowed down when he saw Luke sitting there. He gave him an assessing look and then, visibly guided by his nose, he turned to the pizza and beer sitting on the corner of the desk. He held out a hand, pointing to the food, and looked back at the guard.

“He was carrying that when we caught him,” the man said, giving Luke a look that clearly indicated that he thought Luke was crazy.

He was probably right.

“‘Caught me’?” Luke scoffed. “I walked in here chewing a pizza with double pepperoni and no one even noticed till I was through the gate. You idiots couldn’t catch a cold.”

“You walked back in again, huh?” Benny asked. He nodded to the man to undo his cuffs, who did so sullenly, then backed off to the doorway where he kept wary eye on the prisoner, looking for all the world like he was just hoping someone would give him an excuse.

Luke barely restrained himself from sticking his tongue out at the guy, and rubbed his wrists gratefully. “I got hungry. You people refuse to feed me. I’ve got to freakin’ fit in my tux and you guys won’t feed me. Is that a crime?”

Benny looked at Luke in a state of confusion and then to the pizza and back again. “You went out for pizza?”

“Somehow, magically, the food doesn’t get up to my room. Just dirty plates and coffee that smells like piss. Literally.”

Benny nodded slowly. He waved his hand expansively, encompassing the house, the grounds, the situation itself. “You might have pissed off a few people.” The goon at the doorway grunted his agreement, caught himself, and contented himself with merely glaring.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t have to eat,” Luke said with a shrug.

“How did you get out?”

“I heard the alarm, I ran, followed my nose.”

“And the man guarding Dani’s door?”

“What about him?”

“Why did you run all the way—the wrong way—through the house just to attack him?”

Huh. Dangerous ground here. Dani took a man out to get to me? What did she tell him? “I wanted to take Dani with me. She told me I was crazy.”

“She said she didn’t see you.” Benny’s dead eyes challenged the truth from Luke.

“She didn’t. She told me through the door she was afraid of what you would do to David. So I left on my own.” Luke shrugged. “I haven’t eaten in a while. How many days has it been since we saw the caterers? Not that that was exactly what you’d call eating.” He nodded, “Oh, and despite one memorable breakfast where I lost my appetite. You mind?” He nodded to the pizza.

Benny leaned on the desk. He looked to the guard behind Luke. “Has he been searched?”

“Frisked.” The guard shrugged.

“Search him. Every pocket. I will do you the courtesy, Mr. Milligan, of not making Jimmy, here, do a cavity check. But I only do that because I wish to spare Jimmy the indignity.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jimmy said flatly while shoving his hand into Luke’s pants pockets. He grabbed what he found there and pulled it out, turning the pocket inside out. Jimmy took the handful to the desk and opened his fist. The contents fell to the desktop. “Looks like about $18-19 dollars and some change.”

“Where’d you get money?” Benny turned back to Luke, his eyes hard.

Luke looked at Benny for a long minute and sighed. He crossed his left leg over his right and slipped off the shoe. He pulled the insole out and reached in to produce another $20, tightly folded. “I call it ‘walking around money’. No one checks that thorough unless you’re in a Mexican prison.”

Benny suppressed a smile. It was easy to see that there was a certain humor in his manner, but his eyes remained cold, lifeless. “You’re very clever for a... what accountant?”

“Financial analyst.”

“What’s the difference?”

“It pays better.”

Benny looked at him a long moment before finally shaking his head. “Escort our well-connected friend to his room, let him have his lunch. From now on, he dines with the rest of the family. Understood?”

Jimmy didn’t look any too happy about it, but nodded all the same. “Yes, sir.”

Good boy. Luke had a mental image of Jimmy as some overly persistent terrier being patted on the head. No... Chihuahua. All attitude and nothing to back it. Wow, where does Benny get these guys?

Luke put on his shoe back on. “Is dinner black-tie? I’ve a limited wardrobe, I’m afraid,” he said, tugging at his t-shirt, which was starting to get a little rank.

“No, no.” Benny looked like he was enjoying this game. That wasn’t good. “It’s come as you are... or maybe, come as you are, ready or not.” He glanced at his watch. “If you’re going to shower, Mr. Milligan, I suggest, you do so quickly.”

Luke reached over and slid the box off the desk and picked up the four remaining beers by one of the little plastic loops that had carried their mates. He could have sworn there’d been five there when they’d taken them from him. Jimmy looked a little too innocent. “Thank you.”

“Just happy you got my message, Mr. Milligan.” Benny waved him off. The look that passed between the two was the look of two pit fighters in a called truce.

You can’t always see all angles. Sometimes you lose the play. But that’s okay. Winning the game was what mattered.

He tried to remember that as he was escorted back up to his room. But that look Benny had given him as he’d left stayed with him.

That was the most frightening bastard he’d ever met in his life.

He was in way over his head.