Hooked

trying to make us let you go,” Reggie said. “Ain’t gonna happen. Mr. Russo’s a man of his word. Everyone knows that.”
    Then it dawned on Tawny what Mario planned. Of course. Perfect. “Listen to me. This building is going to come down, all right. Probably tomorrow or the next day, with the three of us in it. Mario will kill you both, and he’ll make it look like you killed me before they blow up this building. Are you both so dumb you don’t see that?”
    “Who you calling dumb?” Reggie pulled back his arm to strike Tawny, but Colin grabbed his wrist. “Mr. Russo said no bruising. One swipe of your mitt and she’d be black and blue.”
    “You hear what she called us?”
    “Reggie, to be honest,” Colin said, “I don’t think we’ve done things as smart as we thought. We’re involved in four murders, and we’re running from the cops. How smart is that?”
    “Yeah, but in a couple of days we’ll be in Rio , lying on the beach, with tons of muscle men all around.”
    Colin reached up and touched a finger to Reggie’s cheek. “You can look, sweetie, but you can’t touch.”
    “I wouldn’t touch, Colin. Why would I when I have you?”
    The two were into each other. This was a good time to make a break. With nothing to lose, Tawny had to try. She’d purposely avoided the light to accustom her eyes to the dark. Slowly, she slipped off one high-heeled shoe, then the other. Both men had forgotten her for the moment, and she didn’t want to capture their attention. Pulling up her knees to gain traction, she finagled her bound hands against the radiator, and coordinating the thrust of her legs with the force of her arms, levered herself off the floor and ran for the door like an Olympic sprinter. Surprise was on her side. It took them too long to realize what she’d done.
    The place was dark as pitch, but her eyes had adjusted enough to find her way to the stairs. Don’t look back. Just keep going.
    Maybe big Reggie was as slow as his brain, but after seeing the speed with which he attacked the cop, she doubted he’d be far behind. Ignoring the refuse littered on the stairs cutting into her bare feet, Tawny hustled down the first flight. She heard the two men jockeying for position, swearing at each other for being inattentive.
    Good, swear and argue and blame each other. I’m getting the hell out of here .
    She got to the first floor and saw the glass door, hoping the two geniuses forgot to lock it when they entered. Because her hands were bound behind her, she turned around to open the door, allowing herself a glance backward. Reggie and Colin were squeezing down the stairs, side by side, impeding their own descent. If this were a movie, she’d be laughing at the Two Stooges, but it wasn’t, and she didn’t have time to find the humor. She pulled the door, swiveled around, and scooted through the exit before it slammed again. Now it was a matter of speed. She ran as fast as she could but not as far as she’d hoped, before a light flashed in her face.
    Tawny crashed headlong into Mario Russo. He teetered, but he caught himself and grabbed her with strength she didn’t know his frail body still possessed. “Going somewhere, Tawny?”

Chapter Forty-One
    Time’s Running Out

    L inc hovered over his desk and checked his watch. Two a.m. Too damn bad. This was a matter of life and death. Tawny’s life, and if he couldn’t track her down, her death. Dennis was in for the long haul. Harry tagged along too.
    Linc punched in the number of one of Mario Russo’s sons, Dennis phoned the other. Neither was happy at being awakened. At first reluctant to give out any information, both men conceded and listed their construction company’s current projects. Two were in New Jersey , but both were a long way from the city. Their two lists tallied.
    “I doubt Russo would involve his sons,” Harry said. “He’s meticulously kept them clean.”
    “I know. I’m grabbing at straws. I have to find her. It’s my fault she’s in danger.”
    “Nothing’s your fault, son. Tawny insisted on this one last night. Could you have dissuaded her?”
    “I tried, but maybe I didn’t try hard enough.”
    “Whether Russo lives long enough or not, if Cooper and his wife roll on him, they’ll never go to trial. Mario’s famous for payback. Screw him, and one day when you least expect it, your life will be over. He’ll make sure someone in his organization pays the check. As far as the two bozos who took