Quinn - Iris Johansen [110]
“I just thought that—” She shrugged. “I haven’t worked with anyone in a long time. I’ve gotten used to running things.”
“I noticed.” He got into the driver’s seat. “But I didn’t resent it. I found it very interesting watching you work in a civilized venue. You came across as Cleopatra meets Lara Croft.”
“I hope only to you.” She began to pin her hair back into a chignon and reached into the backseat for her black pants, shirt, and boots. She couldn’t wait to get out of the gown. “Both of them are wily and strong. It was important that I be helpless and pitiful to disarm Solano.”
“And sexy enough to keep his mind on his dick and not on what was happening.” He started the car. “Personally, I think your magic potion was better than Hu Chang’s.”
She heard a muffled groan from the backseat. “Jacobs is beginning to stir.”
“He’s a minute late.”
“No, your watch is probably wrong.”
He gazed at her with amusement. “I won’t argue with you.”
“Where are we taking Jacobs? You said you’d rented a house in the bayous somewhere?”
“Yes, it’s about eighty miles from here and very deep in the bayous.” He was no longer smiling. “And it will give us the privacy we need to have our discussion. I only hope that he can tell us what we need to know.”
“You said that he knew everything that Queen knew. That means he would know who killed Bonnie.”
He was silent. “And what if he says it’s me?”
“Then we decide if we want to believe him or not.” Her lips tightened. “Stop borrowing trouble. There had to be a reason why he hired Nixon to kill you.”
“Because he knew I’d probably be on his ass for the rest of his life.”
“Or maybe there was another reason. We won’t know until he talks to us.” She glanced back at Jacobs again. “Let’s get moving. He’s going to be squealing and cursing as soon as he’s conscious enough to realize what we’ve done. I’d rather be off the road and away from the local police.”
* * *
IT TOOK THEM OVER TWO HOURS to reach the rental house. The fog had returned and was layering a thick blanket that made driving a nightmare.
“I’d swear we’ve been driving along this bayou for the last hour,” Catherine said. “It seems as if the road is going in circles along this swamp.”
“No, the land is in the shape of a hook. The house is in the curve of the hook, and the road continues on from there. It should be right around the next bend. Yes, there it is.”
“At last.”
The large cedar house was no more than thirty years old but, as Gallo had said, it hovered close to one of the bayous. The surrounding trees were over a century old and draped in Spanish moss that added a touch of ancient decadence.
“What is this place? Where are you taking me?” Jacobs screamed from the backseat. It wasn’t the first time. Catherine had profoundly regretted the potion hadn’t lasted longer. She had given him another injection about an hour ago, but she hadn’t wanted to make it too strong. She didn’t want to knock him out for too long. “You can’t get away with this.” Jacobs started cursing again. “The police are looking for you, Gallo. Do you think that you can just walk into my life and kidnap me?”
“It seems that’s what we did,” Gallo said. “So I guess the answer is yes.” He pulled into the driveway of the house. “Quiet down, Jacobs, you’re beginning to annoy me. You don’t want to do that. You and Queen have told me for years how unstable I am. You used that for your own benefit, but you were careful to make sure that it was never turned on you.”
Jacobs was silent a moment, fuming. “It wasn’t my fault. Queen was always the one who ran the show. You can’t blame me.”
“Oh, I think he can,” Catherine said. “Did you step forward and tell anyone when they threw Gallo into that North Korean prison? And when he escaped, did you try to stop Queen from sending him out on suicide missions? No, you were sitting fat and happy, pulling in your share of the profits.”
“I’m not talking to you, bitch,” Jacobs said venomously. “Queen and I knew you were going to