The Arrangement [Box Set] (29 page)

I

A
PRIL HELD HER BREATH WHILE
the brass doors of the Saint Regis service elevator slid shut. As they descended, she looked up at the man who had rescued her. She had never seen anyone act so calmly and with such self-assurance in her life. She had just told him that his whole life was in jeopardy, that everything he had known was under threat, and all he cared about was getting her to safety. He had a strong jawline and broad shoulders, dark stubble and piercing brown eyes. From his tan and dark features she wondered if he was foreign. She knew a lot of immigrants worked in hotels like this. There was also the slightest hint of something European in his accent. She wondered if he was Spanish.

The elevator was old-fashioned with a dial like the speedometer of a vintage car showing their descent to the basement. When it stopped, Jack had to pull open a caged safety door so they could get out. They stepped into the basement and April had to duck as a gush of steam blew out of a pipe.

—Watch out for that, Jack said as he dodged the steam. They do all the laundry down here.

The basement was full of large, plastic laundry hampers on wheels. Huge stacks of folded, white linens lined the shelves. Women dressed like English maids were busily sorting and folding the linens. No one paid any attention to April and Jack.

April supposed it probably wasn’t the first time a girl dressed like her had been escorted discretely from the hotel. It was that kind of place. As they made their way through the basement she noticed countless other activities going on. These were all the services that went on behind the scenes in a hotel like the Saint Regis. It was like a little village full of people engaged in every manner of task. There was a florist cutting the stems off a bunch of lilies, a team of young boys sitting in a row rapidly shining shoes, a valet arranging newspapers and mail for business guests. They went through a doorway to a concrete stairwell.

—Where are we going? April said.

—This leads to the lobby.

—What if my husband’s friends are up there?

—They can’t do anything to us out in the open, can they?

—I don’t know. They’re capable of anything.

—Let’s take a look.

They went up the stairs and then moved carefully along the narrow service corridor that opened discretely into the lobby. They peered through the small window in the swing doors. In the lobby were two large men in black suits and white shirts. They carried two-way radios and appeared to be armed. They looked to April like CIA agents.

—Who are those guys? Jack said.

—I don’t know. I’ve never seen them before.

—Are they with your husband?

—Probably.

Jack looked closely at the men through the window. They were definitely someone’s security detail.

—I don’t know, he said. A lot of guests here use bodyguards. They could belong to anyone.

April shook her head.

—They’re with Walter. I can feel it.

Jack looked at her and nodded. They went back down the stairs to the basement.

—We’ve got to get out of here fast, he said. If they’ve got guards in the lobby already then we could be in trouble. There’s a back exit this way.

April followed Jack though the basement to a small staff room where a group of parking valets were sitting at a table. They were getting ready for their morning shift, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.

—Jimmy, Jack said to one of them. You got the keys to the back?

Jimmy reached into his pocket and threw Jack a set of keys.

—What’s going on? Jimmy said.

—We’ve got a problem.

—Making a quiet exit?

—Her husband’s upstairs with an armed security detail.

Jimmy shook his head.

—You always knew how to pick them, Jack.

He got up from the table. He looked like an old-fashioned policeman in his black uniform and cap.

—I’ll bring you up. I’ve got to lock the door after you.

They didn’t waste any more time talking. They took another route that led to a strong metal door opening out to an alley. Jack opened the lock and handed the key to Jimmy.

—Let me check first, Jimmy said and stepped out through the door.

He came back a few seconds later.

—Jesus. Who’s your husband?

—Why? April said, her heart racing.

—There’s a black car at the end of the alley with two tough guys in it.

—Watching the exit? Jack said.

—Yes.

—Shit. Did they see you?

—Yeah, Jimmy said, but they’re not looking for me. If I take out the trash they’ll think everything’s normal.

There were some garbage bags in the alley and Jimmy went out and threw them into the dumpster. Then he came back.

—Who are these guys? he said. They really look like they mean business.

—Walter must have phoned Herb, April said.

—Is your husband some kind of criminal?

—I don’t know, April said. He’s a lawyer.

Jack and Jimmy looked at each other.

—It’s not going to be long before they come down here, Jack said. We’ve got to get out of this hotel. Is there any way we can get past them?

—I assume you’ve checked the lobby? Jimmy said.

—Two more guys.

—Ok, Jimmy said. This is what we’ll do. I’ll go out and bring a car around. I’ll bring it right to this door. You two jump in and we’ll run for it.

—They’ll be right after us, April said.

—Jimmy’s quite a driver, Jack said.

Something about the way Jack said it made April realize that being a valet wasn’t Jimmy’s primary occupation.

—Ok, she said. Let’s do it.

Jimmy went back out through the door. He grabbed a broom before he left so that the two watchers would think he was working.

—Where are we going to go? April said when she was alone with Jack.

He looked down at her and she was surprised to find that her heart fluttered. He was so handsome and the situation was so tense that she thought it might all be too much.

—We’ll lose those guys and get you somewhere safe, he said. Then you can explain what’s going on and we’ll figure out what to do.

April looked at him and hesitated before speaking. She knew what she wanted to say but she was afraid that it would come out wrong. In the end it was his calmness that gave her the confidence to speak.

—You won’t abandon me, will you?

—Of course not, he said and there was such tenderness in his voice that she felt reassured, at least for the time being. How could anything bad happen to her when she was with such a strong, self-assured guy?

—My husband’s dangerous, she said. The firm he works for is very powerful. They have high connections.

—I don’t doubt it, Jack said. We get all sorts at this hotel. You wouldn’t believe the kinds of things we see.

—Have you ever dealt with someone like my husband before?

Jack shook his head.

—We’ll have to wait and see. Your husband’s no ordinary guy, is he? I mean, it’s not normal that a guy can get four armed guards to watch the exits of a hotel in a matter of minutes.

—I know he works for a law firm, April said, but I have no idea what they do or who they do it for.

—It’s ok. We can talk about all that later. The important thing right now is to get you out of here.

They waited nervously. Jack didn’t want to draw attention by opening the door so they listened till they heard the sound of an engine and tires skidding out in the alley.

—Let’s go, Jack said and pushed open the door.

She followed Jack into the alley. The two tough guys were already on the move. April’s heart pounded in fear when she heard the loud roaring of their engine. Jimmy had leaned across the front seat of the Camaro he’d brought and pushed open the door. Jack practically lifted her into the seat and then squeezed in next to her. There was no back seat. Her head flew backwards as Jimmy put his foot on the gas. The engine screamed and the tires spun. The acrid smell of burning rubber reached April and she looked back to see the black car of the bodyguards rushing toward them. She screamed.

She was pushed up against the gearstick but luckily Jimmy could still use it. He jammed it into second and the car leapt forward, just in time to avoid being rammed by the car behind. He threw it back into first as the car slid out of the alley and across two lanes of oncoming traffic onto K Street. It was night and luckily traffic was light. April watched as Jimmy brought the car up to fifth gear and raced west along K Street, speeding past buildings and intersections and parked vehicles. They kept hitting green lights at the intersections and Jimmy weaved through whatever traffic there was. The black car was following close and April could see the round BMW logo on the hood. The car looked so powerful she could almost feel the rumbling of its engine. At the Pennsylvania Avenue underpass Jimmy dropped to fourth and the car roared back up the other side. They hit their first red light at the bridge over Rock Creek and April screamed as Jimmy sped through it. They narrowly missed the cross traffic.

Jack put his hand on April’s lap.

—Jimmy’s a pro, he said. If anyone can lose these guys, he can.

She made to look back again but Jack took her face in his strong, cool hands.

—Don’t look back, he said. You’re ok now. You’re with me.

They were on the raised segment of the Whitehurst Freeway, speeding past the second floor windows of office buildings on both sides. April tried to remain calm as their speed climbed higher and Jimmy threw it back into fifth gear. They bypassed all of Georgetown and she closed her eyes as they careened off the freeway and through the lights at the bottom of Canal Street. She opened her eyes just long enough to see the Exxon station fly by. On the open straights of Canal Street the Camaro was really able to get into its own and they opened a wide gap between themselves and the BMW. By the time they were on Foxhall the bends allowed them to break line of sight with their pursuers completely. Almost as soon as they did, Jimmy pulled the emergency brake and April was flung against Jack as they skidded onto P Street, burning tyre-rubber all the way around the ninety degrees of the turn. They were now on a quiet, tree-lined residential street and Jimmy flipped the light switch, putting them in almost complete darkness. He pulled into a driveway with the lights out but kept the engine running at a low hum. April looked back onto Foxhall and within seconds saw the black BMW fly past and continue northwest in the direction of the GWU Mount Vernon campus.

Jimmy breathed a long sigh of relief.

—Nice driving, Jack said.

They pulled out of the driveway just as the homeowner’s lights turned on inside the house.

—Let’s get to your place, Jack.

Jack nodded and they made their way back downtown and then north to U Street using only backstreets.

April hadn’t been to that part of town in years. The street was lined with jazz clubs, dingy bars and ethnic restaurants. The sky was just beginning to change color with the coming dawn and there were still people on the streets, stumbling out of the bars or standing in doorways lighting cigarettes. Jimmy pulled up outside a modern, designer furniture store.

—We can park around back, Jack said.

April looked out at the street.

—Where are we?

—My place, Jack said, and she was relieved at how calm and self-assured he still sounded, even while they were on the run from thugs in black BMWs.

—You live in a furniture store?

—You’ll see, he said.

Jimmy took the car down a narrow alley and parked by a fire escape at the back of the building. They got out of the car and Jack opened the delivery doors leading into the back of the furniture store. It was kind of a warehouse back there, storage for the store, with some steps leading up to the second floor. She followed up the stairs to another steel door that Jack unlocked.

Through the door was something quite unexpected. Jack’s apartment was a spacious loft with high ceilings and dark, wooden floors. There was a beautiful piano by one wall with a cello next to it. There was also an assortment of other instruments strewn around the room, two guitars, a trumpet, a saxophone, a number of percussion implements.

—You’re a musician? she said.

Jack laughed. —You sound surprised.

—I am surprised. He’s a professional getaway driver and you’ve got a recording studio in your apartment.

—People aren’t always what they appear, Jack said and locked the door behind him.

He went to the kitchen which occupied a corner of the living space. Close to the kitchen was his large and very messy bed. There was an old fan that looked like an airplane propellor pointed at the bed and there was a black cat lying on one of the pillows. Next to the bed was a small stack of books and a lamp. There was also a door leading to the bathroom. Apart from that small living area, the entire space was given over to musical instruments and recording equipment.

Jack put on the kettle.

—Let’s have some coffee, he said. Then you can fill us in on what the hell’s going on.

April went over to the bed and sat next to the cat. She stroked it a few times before lying down next to it. She was fast asleep before the kettle even came to the boil.

II

W
HEN APRIL WOKE, IT WAS
light outside. Jack’s cat was asleep next to her on the bed but Jack and Jimmy weren’t there. She got out of the bed and glanced at herself in a mirror. She was a mess. She had just been through a hell of a night and it had taken its toll. There was a handwritten note on the table in the kitchen. It said the guys had gone out to get some breakfast things and would be back soon.

She looked around and wasn’t at all sure what to do with herself. Her life was in tatters. She’d fled from Walter and the rest of the partners in the arrangement and they’d used professional body guards to pursue her. Maybe they were even trying to kill her. Things had escalated drastically. She knew there was no way she could just go home. She couldn’t expect her life to continue as it had. The firm wouldn’t trust her anymore. The whole point of the arrangement was control, and Herb would feel like she was a wildcard. People like him had no use for a woman they couldn’t rely on to be absolutely obedient.