Above and Beyond Page 14

  “I loved having him, and it’s going to be lonely around here now. Maybe I’ll have to get a dog of my own.” Traynor knelt down and gave Buster some goodbye scratches, and then Elliott and Salvatore, with Buster right behind, went out to the car.

  Buster jumped right in and into the back, head looking out between the front seats. Salvatore put the things in the trunk, and then they got in the car. Elliott waved as they backed out of the drive and took off down the road, making a few turns out of the subdivision and out to the main road, where Salvatore pulled into a grocery store.

  “What do we need from here?” Elliott asked as Salvatore got out.

  “Take off Buster’s collar for me,” he asked, then left the engine running and closed the door. Salvatore opened the trunk, and Elliott removed the collar and handed it to Salvatore through the open window. It was the same one that Buster had had when Traynor first took him.

  After about five minutes, Salvatore returned and placed a small device in his hand. It looked about the size of a watch battery. “What’s this?” Elliott lifted his gaze as the idea dawned on him. “No way. You mean Traynor…?”

  Salvatore nodded. “It’s possible, or the dog collar could have been bugged long ago. But it seems unlikely.”

  “But why? He hates Antonio.” Elliott felt as though his heart was going to stop.

  “I don’t know. Maybe someone offered him money to do it. Convinced him that they needed to know where you were to help protect you. I don’t know.” Salvatore checked the collar and handed it back. Then he put the car in gear and slowly made a circuit of the lot. A truck was pulling out, and Salvatore took the device and tossed it into the bed of the truck. At the exit, the truck turned left, and they turned right, hopefully sending whoever had been after them on a wild goose chase.

  Elliott sat stunned in the front seat, stroking Buster and wondering how he could have been so wrong about his friend. He wanted to cry as yet another part of his life was ripped away. Who else had his stepfather turned against him? “Let’s get those papers and get the hell out of here.” It was clear that there was less and less for him here.

  Chapter 8

  SALVATORE’S HEART pounded. He almost hadn’t told Elliott about his friend. It had hurt him to do so, but Elliott needed to know. “When this is over, talk to him, find out what happened.” Salvatore knew there was the possibility that Elliott’s stepfather already knew they were in town. Traynor could easily have called him, and that only added to Salvatore’s anxiety and urgency.

  “I don’t know if I can ever have anything to do with him,” Elliott said, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “That’s your choice.” Salvatore pulled up to a light. “Where do we need to go to get to the bank?”

  Elliott brought up the GPS and entered the information. “This can give you basic directions from here. It’s on the other side of town, and we should probably take the freeway there and after that….” Elliott swallowed hard. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.” His hands were shaking by the time he was done, and they were moving forward once again.

  Salvatore wasn’t familiar with Pittsburgh, and he followed the disembodied GPS voice to the bank and pulled into a parking space, ensuring they had a way to make a quick exit if necessary. “You go in and get what you need. I’m going to stay out here with Buster and keep watch. Don’t let them stall, and when you get the papers, hurry out as quickly as you can. We can’t waste any time.”

  “I remember what Bull and Spook said.” Elliott got out, hurried to the door of the bank, and went inside.

  “I know,” Salvatore said when Buster whined. “I miss him too.” He patted the dog’s curly-haired head, and Buster leaned a little closer to him before jumping between the seats and onto the passenger seat.

  Salvatore scanned the parking area, grateful that no one seemed to be coming and going at the moment. Still, as time passed, he found himself checking out every car that went past on the street. He’d kept the engine running for the air-conditioning, as well as so they could get away quicker, if necessary. Salvatore kept watch, growing more and more anxious. He stared at the clock and then the entrances to the bank parking lot.

  Finally he saw Elliott through the glass door. He was shaking hands with someone and then came out. Salvatore drove over, and just as Elliott tugged open the door, a large black SUV rolled into the lot on the far side. Salvatore waited until Elliott closed the door and then pulled out into traffic, barreling just in front of a blue Toyota that blew its horn at him. Not that he cared in the least. They needed to get away.

  “Hang on, we’re being followed, and I’m going to need to lose them before we get onto the highway.”

  “Buster, sit down,” Elliott said.

  Salvatore hoped the command was successful because he made the next right turn and then another, followed by a left onto a one-way street going the direction he needed. The GPS voice was going a little crazy as she kept telling him to proceed to the highlighted route, even as he made another turn and headed out toward the highway.

  “Are they gone?”

  “No. There’s another car that’s trying to come up on us.” He sped up and zipped through a light, then made another turn as the other car got caught. There was the possibility that he was being paranoid, but Salvatore wasn’t taking any chances. He continued out toward the highway. Then he entered highway traffic and headed back toward the turnpike. He thought of going the other way and trying to throw them off, but the people who had both his and Elliott’s back were in Harrisburg, so his goal was to get to them as quickly as possible. “We lost them this time, but it’s pretty clear that they know where we’re heading.” Salvatore sped up as much as he dared. “What sort of things do you have?”

  Elliott opened the folder on his lap and began going through the sheaves of papers. “I know I have a number of shipping invoices and manifests. There are also legal documents and bank records.” He continued going through them. “There are a number of invoices and….” Elliott paused midsentence. “Oh my God.”

  “What?” Salvatore didn’t take his eyes off the road.

  “Planning documents for a deal that seems to be in the works. I bet the city would love to get their hands on these.” Elliott grinned. “I don’t see anything blatantly illegal in any of this. I mean, there may be shady things, but then again….” He put the pages together.

  “I bet Harry at the club can figure out what’s there.”

  Elliott nodded. “I hope so. I’d hate to have done all this and put you and everyone in danger for my stepfather’s laundry list and grocery bills.” He put the papers in the folder and closed it. “I was hoping for something… I don’t know.”

  Salvatore patted Elliott’s leg. “He wasn’t going to write down his entire nefarious plan like a supervillain for you to find. There are pieces of the picture in there, and what we need to do is find them. But what you have must scare him enough to want to come after you. Either that or there are things in his office that he thinks you might have copied, and that’s what has him freaking out.” He sure as hell hoped there was something in those papers, if for no other reason than to give Elliott some bargaining power one way or another. If they had nothing, then it was going to require that they run one hell of a bluff in order to get Losquaro to back off.

  “Should we call Bull and let him know that we have the papers?” Elliott asked, and Salvatore made the call.

  “You’re both okay?” Bull asked as soon as he answered the phone.

  “We had a little trouble, Elliott got the papers, and we’re on our way back. I expect some sort of welcoming committee when we get there, though. As we suspected, they were waiting for some sort of activity, and we had to make a stop and found out that his stepfather has been busy.” Things were going to get ugly. If Elliott’s stepfather was willing to take the chance of trying to corrupt some of Elliott’s friends, then he was going to stop at nothing.

  “Where do we go?” Elliott asked
, and Buster barked.

  “Is that a dog?” Bull asked.

  “Yeah. There’s a story there that is going to take a little to explain… and the stop helped us, in a way. Yeah, Elliott and I are going to need a place to stay. I can go to a hotel again, but I think I also need a different car. They are going to have made this one by now after our little chase through part of Pittsburgh.” Things were out of control, and he couldn’t see them getting back to normal any time soon. Still, his main task was to keep Elliott safe, and he was going to do that to the very best he could.

  “I can make some arrangements. Come right to the house, and I’ll have you pull into the garage. Thankfully it’s a slow day. Zach and I will make some phone calls, and then we’ll have some dinner while we talk. This is getting worse all the time, and we have to get a handle on it soon.”

  “Can you call Harry? These papers are going to take someone with a real business and numbers kind of mind to figure out. We have a lot, but Elliott isn’t sure what’s here, and that isn’t my strength either.”

  “I’ll call him. You two just get here as quickly as you can, and if you have any trouble, call the police right away and keep going if at all possible. If things get really dicey, draw as much attention to yourselves as you can if you have to. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but get here and we’ll figure out where to go from here. Call if you need anything—I’ll have my phone with me at all times.”

  He ended the call, and Salvatore sped up. He didn’t want to be stopped by the police, so he maintained a safe speed, but willed each and every mile they passed to go faster and faster.

  Elliott couldn’t sit still for the last hour. He kept turning to look behind them, and Salvatore watched each on-ramp for some sort of threat. Thankfully, nothing materialized, and they took the exit at I-83 and headed north up into Camp Hill to Bull and Zach’s house.

  The garage door rose almost as soon as they pulled into the drive, and Salvatore drove right inside. The door lowered behind them, and Salvatore got out while Elliott put a leash on Buster and got him out of the car.

  “You have a dog?” Zach asked as he hurried up to Elliott and hugged him. Salvatore had to stifle the growl that welled up in his throat. “Come on. Take him out back for a while, and then we can all go inside.” Elliott and Zach went through the back garage door, and Salvatore greeted Bull and went inside behind him.

  “A dog? You stopped for a dog?” Bull’s tone was gruff, and that sent Salvatore’s defenses rising.

  “He’s Elliott’s dog, and he’s been staying with a friend, who it seems has been in contact with Elliott’s stepfather. He put a tracking device in with the dog’s things. I sent them on a wild goose chase. The thing is that the dog could have been used against him. Now Buster can’t.”

  “Shit,” Bull mumbled. “This asshole is like some damned octopus with tentacles extending everywhere. I called a few contacts, and they warned me to tread lightly. It seems that influence is being asserted at multiple levels.”

  “Then Losquaro is scared shitless,” Salvatore said, and Bull nodded his agreement as Zach and Elliott came inside with Buster.

  “What are you talking about?” Zach demanded in that light way he had that seemed to get to the heart of things. “If I know Bull, he’s been giving you a hard time about this little guy.” He bent down and petted Buster, who soaked up the attention. “Don’t be such a mudge,” Zach told Bull. “Harry will be here in a few minutes, and then we can look at the papers.” Zach took them and set the folders on the table. “You have to be starved, and I have some pasta that I’m going to heat up.” Zach left the room, and Salvatore’s head spun a little.

  “It’s okay, he does that to everyone,” Salvatore whispered as they sat down. “Just go with the flow. Zach always runs at a million miles an hour. It’s what makes him special.” Elliott leaned against his shoulder as Buster jumped up, settling between them with a yawn, resting his head on Elliott’s knee.

  “What’s our next move?” Salvatore asked Bull, taking Elliott’s hand. “We have to get this to stop. There have been way too many close calls, and one of these times we’re going to be too late.” The thought scared him half to death.

  “We need to see what we have and then make contact with Antonio Losquaro. Let him know what we know and what will happen if he should so much as look at Elliott cross-eyed. The thing is that we have to make it so hurting Elliott will cost him a lot more than leaving him alone. But we can’t do that until we know the kind of hand we’re holding.” Bull leaned forward. “Elliott, do you think he’ll respond to reason?”

  Elliott shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, he has a huge ego and doesn’t like anyone to get the better of him, so giving up isn’t in his nature. He just keeps wearing you down until you give up or make a mistake he can exploit.” He sounded tired, and Salvatore put his arm around his shoulders. “But yet, if something is going to do him harm, I would think his sense of self-preservation would kick in.”

  “Whatever we do has to be decisive, and it has to come with real consequences for him.” Salvatore wished he could make all of this go away for Elliott. Then the two of them could have a real chance to spend time together that didn’t come with danger stalking them around each and every corner.

  “I agree.” The bell rang, and Bull got up to answer it. Spook and Jeremy arrived, along with Harry and Tristan. Zach called everyone into the dining room, and they sat down with huge bowls of pasta, salad, and a plate of garlic bread.

  “Everyone eat. We can’t plot the demise of a dickhead on empty stomachs.” Zach took his place, and Buster settled on the floor between his and Elliott’s chair. He didn’t beg or even seem interested in what was on the table.

  “He knows he’ll get his later,” Elliott told him. “I didn’t want him begging and watching everyone eat and he knows it.” Elliott took small portions of the food and ate slowly, while Salvatore’s appetite seemed to have really kicked in.

  “I understand you met Salvatore’s mother,” Zach said to Elliott.

  “I did. She was a really nice lady. Forceful and knows her mind.” Elliott smiled. “I liked her.” His eyes sparkled with mischief for the first time that day, and Salvatore figured he knew what was coming. “She has the cutest nickname for him, though I suspect if anyone else tried to use it, they might lose a few teeth.” He bumped his shoulder.

  “I bet you got called a few names when you were in school,” Jeremy said. “But once you got big, they stopped.”

  “Yeah,” Salvatore said, and swallowed.

  “His mom is really small and kind of petite. A real firecracker.” Elliott grinned. “I would never have picked her out as his mother, except they have the same eyes and the same strong face. Other than that….”

  “She got all the brains too… and she kept them,” Salvatore said.

  “I wouldn’t say that. You’re really smart, and you’re funny, and….” Elliott’s words trailed off, and he turned away, his cheeks reddening. There was nothing to be embarrassed about, not in front of everyone here, and Salvatore squeezed Elliott’s shoulder lightly to reassure him.

  “Last night, did you stay in a hotel?” Harry asked.

  Salvatore nodded. “I don’t know what we’re going to do tonight. I think that needs to be part of the plan. I want to be safe, but I’m getting kind of tired of this asshole dictating everything about Elliott’s life. It’s like he’s winning, and I’ve never even seen the bastard. I like an enemy you can see, someone you can look in the eye and take the measure of.”

  “Of course you do—you’re as big as a house and you intimidate everyone,” Jeremy said. “Well, except Elliott. I bet he has you wrapped around his little finger.” Jeremy giggled, but thankfully the others didn’t pick it up and the teasing died. It wasn’t really the time for it, and Jeremy went back to his dinner, with Spook whispering to him.

  “You’re right, he kind of does,” Salvatore said, partly because he didn’t want Jeremy to feel bad, as w
ell as letting Elliott hear it.

  “Sal…,” Elliott said softly, bumping his shoulder lightly and then eating a little more.

  “You need to keep up your strength,” Salvatore whispered to Elliott. “I know you’re nervous, but you need to eat. Otherwise you’ll get sick.”

  Elliott took a few more bites and finished up what he’d taken. Salvatore was tempted to load up his plate the way his mother had done when he was a kid and she thought he wasn’t eating enough, but he refrained. Elliott was an adult and didn’t need him making decisions for him. There had already been plenty of people in Elliott’s life doing that. Thankfully, Zach urged him to eat and passed the plate of pasta to Elliott, who took some more.

  “What’s the plan?” Harry asked Bull. “I can look over the paperwork that Elliott brought, but that’s going to take some time.”

  “How much?” Elliott asked.

  Harry shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not familiar with his businesses, so I’m going to have to see if what you brought paints a picture, and that will take hours, maybe days. It’s hard to tell. There probably isn’t a smoking gun unless he kept records of his illegal activities as well. It wouldn’t surprise me if he did in some way, because he would need to know what he’s done so he could keep things in order. It all depends on what you have.”

  Elliott nodded and took a few more bites before sitting back in his chair. “I would hate for all this to be for nothing.” He paled and shook his head. “I probably should have just left and let him go on with whatever he was doing. But I couldn’t. He’s hurting people, lots of people.”

  “Then we’ll figure it out,” Harry said, turning to Bull. “What we really need is to know what the police think. They often have suspicions, and they would definitely be watching a big fish like Antonio Losquaro.”

  Bull nodded. “I know a few police officers, but they are here in town.” He looked at the others. “Do any of you know any police officers in Pittsburgh who might help?” He received head shakes and little else. “Elliott, do you know anyone?”