Wild Justice (Nadia Stafford 3)

"If I say yes, are you going to call bullshit?"

"Yep." He paused, his hand still on a sandwich wrapper. He looked over. "Quinn call?"

"No, Evelyn."

"Ev--" He looked at the food. "Ah, fuck. I fell for it."

"Don't feel bad. She tricked me, too . . . into admitting that we're together by pretending you'd already told her."

"She could have asked me."

"Oh, but that would be no fun at all." I pulled out a chair, sat, and punched a straw into my drink. "That's not what she was calling about. I'd like to think she wouldn't send you out into the street, following assassination attempts, just to find out the status of our relationship. There was something else she needed to speak to me about."

"Supposed to come through me."

"Yes, except that in this case, she was right to do an end run around you."

I told him what Evelyn had said. I wasn't starting a relationship with Jack by keeping secrets. But by the time I'd finished, he looked stunned and a little queasy.

"Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned--" I began.

"No." He shook it off. "Course not. Just . . . Didn't think . . . Fuck. I didn't think."

"Let's face it--this is a risk I accepted when I took Paul Tomassini's first job offer. There was always the chance that I'd be caught and I'd have two choices. Run or accept my punishment."

He looked over sharply. "Hope there's no question which you'd choose."

"In the beginning, honestly, I think I would have given myself up. Gone to jail, because that's what I would have felt I deserved. Now, though, there's no question. I'd run."

"Good." He paused. "You probably don't want to talk about it. The possibility."

"No, actually I do. I'll feel better knowing I have a plan. If Evelyn tells Contrapasso who I am, and, for whatever reason, they turn me in or threaten to, I'd give the lodge to the Waldens. Then I'd take Scout and leave. You have most of my money in safekeeping, so I'd be okay."

He nodded. "Got your money. Would get you out. Set you up. New identity. New lodge."

"A new lodge?" I shook my head. "I don't think I'd ever be able to do that again."

"Yeah, you could. Would. I'd make sure of it. Buy it for you."

&

nbsp; "Jack, I'd never let you--"

"Too bad. I would." He leaned over the table. "I'd do it because I want to and because I can. Got enough money to buy you ten lodges, Nadia, and not a fucking thing I want to spend it on." He straightened. "Not going to discuss this now. You'll just argue. Any luck? Never have to discuss it at all. But it happens? You'll be okay."

I smiled. "I know I will."

He squeezed my hand and then gathered the trash from our meal as he stood. "Was thinking while I was out. Few things we can follow up on. Leave Chicago. Head to New York. Couple stops on the way. Safer out of Chicago anyway."

"Agreed," I said. "I'll go pack my stuff."

CHAPTER 46

We left Chicago. I was driving, but it quickly became apparent that Jack wasn't going to take advantage of the chance to rest. I pulled over and let him take the wheel. He was stressed and anxious, and it gave him something to do.

Jack had contacted a private-investigator associate--the man he'd used to help him find Drew Aldrich. He was having him dig for any clues on the mystery partner, and we were going to meet up with him in Detroit. Our final destination was New York. Our best lead was there, with the Contrapasso Fellowship.

I napped after that. When I woke, it was after six, and I suggested Jack might want a coffee if he planned to keep the wheel all the way to Detroit.