The Jack Frost Thrillers - Box Set Page 13

  We drove on for a while in silence. I would like to have known what was going on in her mind. Little did she know that all I intended to do was drop her off at home.

  I took Charleston Boulevard over to Rancho Drive, then turned right. A few moments later she instructed me to turn left on Alta Drive. I pulled up in front of the address she had given me. The place made some of the homes in Beverly Hills look like affordable housing. I had second thoughts about classifying this kid as a hooker. Or, if she was, she was one of the best in the world.

  “You sure this is the right address?”

  “Come in for a drink,” she said. “No one’s home.”

  I hesitated for a moment, then got out of the car and pocketed the keys.

  “My father’s in Europe,” she said. “I’m staying here with one of his business associates, and he won’t be home until later.”

  She unlocked the massive front door with her key. When we walked in, I could smell nothing but money in the air. The place looked like Buckingham Palace.

  She led me into some sort of summer room, then fixed me a Rusty Nail as expertly as any bartender ever had. I was having second thoughts about this young lady. “Make yourself comfortable,” she said. “I’ll be back in a minute.” She disappeared through a door without another word.

  An expensive stereo console took up one entire wall. I fiddled with the switches until I got the FM receiver going, then sat down with my drink.

  I saw her come into the room out of the corner of my eye. My drink was halfway to my mouth, and that’s where it stayed as I took a good look at her. She had changed into a long, sheer negligee, and she had a different look on her face—the look of a stripper. She reached over and turned a rheostat on the wall. The lights dimmed to a soft glow.

  She walked toward me, but this time without that exaggerated sexual slink that she’d had when we’d walked out of the casino. This one was far more effective. In fact, I decided that this was her normal walk, and it was sexy in a very animalistic way.

  Warning bells were going off inside my head. Jack, my boy, get out of here before daddy comes home and finds you here with his little girl.

  She looked down at me with a sultry smile. “Do you mind if I change the music?” Without waiting for my reply, she turned the FM off and slid a CD into place. She stood with her back to me, looking down at the disc as it began to spin, then turned to face me just as the first note emerged from the speakers. Her timing was perfect. It was tits and feathers music at its best.

  Her hips did a slow grind. Everything started moving under that pale green negligee. In one smooth motion she expertly untied the string holding the top of the gown together. It slipped down around her ankles. She stepped out of it and stood there in what could only be described as an imaginary bra and bikini panties.

  She turned her back to me and did a few more bumps and grinds. Eventually, she got around to popping the clasp on her bra, which dropped to the floor next to the gown. Then she turned to face me.

  Even without the silicone job she would have had huge breasts. But now her breasts were so swollen, they were gleaming in the soft light. Her nipples jutted out about an inch, and I could tell they’d been worked over, too. This lady had spent a lot of daddy’s money at some expensive body shop.

  She danced toward me, those enormous breasts swaying to the music.

  I was just getting ready to get the hell out of there when a small sound behind me brought me quickly to my feet. I spun around, on balance and ready.

  “Frost, what the hell are you doing here!” James Red Sleeves said with a snarl. “Tina, get some clothes on, you cheap little bitch!”

  Suddenly I felt like the damn fool that I was. I looked at the young woman, who stood there smiling at me. “Tina? You said your name was Julie.”

  “This place belongs to Varchetta,” Red Sleeves said. “And she is Tina Giovanni, the daughter of Varchetta’s boss, you stupid bastard!”

  I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Yeah, ‘Stupid bastard’ does seem appropriate,” I said.

  “We’ve been looking after her while her father is in Europe,” Red Sleeves said, his voice heavy with contempt, “and she’s been a royal pain in the ass.”

  “Hey, baby,” she snarled at the Indian. “Watch your mouth or I’ll let Varchetta know how you’ve been talking to me.”

  “Bag your head, Tina. I don’t work for Varchetta. ”

  I felt like a kid who’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Red Sleeves looked at me with disgust. “Get the hell out of here.”

  “That’s a great idea, really a good one,” I said. I headed for the front door, feeling beyond foolish.

  As I left the house I gave myself a royal ass-chewing. So, Frost, you were worried about her getting hurt running around out there on the Strip with all those nasty people. And you tried to take her safely home, where you would give her a little friendly advice to keep her young ass out of a sling, right? Nicely done!

  I howled out of the circular drive onto Alta, turned left on Rancho Drive, then right on the Las Vegas Expressway. I hit the on-ramp in third gear and headed for Interstate 15, which runs through the middle of Vegas, paralleling the Strip. I leaned back in the seat and took a deep breath. The hot air rushing around me felt good.

  Twenty minutes later I walked into my RV. I glanced at my watch. Midnight. I flipped the light switch on, which brought an icy stare and a groan from Ripper as he blinked from his rug in the corner.

  “Some watch dog,” I said. But I knew had it been anyone but me walking through that door, no matter how quietly, they’d have been in for a very nasty surprise.

  I walked into the kitchen, needing a cup of coffee. But just then, my cell phone rang. “This had better be you,” I said, which brought a laugh from the other end.

  “Yes it’s me,” Susan said.

  “What are you doing up this late?” I said.

  “Can’t sleep. And what are you doing up this late? I imagine you’ve been out cattin’ around. No, don’t answer that, because if you were, that would mean you still have some energy left. And after today at the lake, that would mean I didn’t do my job!”

  “That lake thing was just a nice little appetizer.”

  Susan laughed. “Why don’t I just hop in my car and come on over there, and we’ll see if you can eat the main course, big guy. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.

  Chapter 5

  I sat upright in bed, my body rigid and covered with sweat, staring wide-eyed at the bedroom wall. Susan sat up next to me, a terrified look on her face. I must have yelled in my sleep. “Jack!” she said, “It’s okay, it’s okay!”

  The dream had been so real. Felicia had been staked down, spread-eagled on the damp floor of the abandoned mine, her swollen stomach convulsing as she vomited onto the sand. Benny Florentine had been on his knees, bent over her in slack-jawed fascination.

  I’d entered the mine shaft just in time to stop him from raping her. He had scrambled quickly to his feet, but despite his hulking size there had been fear on his face. Maybe he somehow sensed that it would have taken a flame-thrower to have stopped me from killing him. And kill him I had, in the most brutal possible way I possibly could.

  Since then I have killed Benny Florentine over and over in my dreams. I suppose I was in the middle of killing him again when I yelled in my sleep.

  Susan leaned over me, her right breast buried in my ribs. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” I got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. I stepped into the shower and stood there with the water pouring over me while I got my head together. When I finally went back to bed, she was propped up on her pillow against the headboard.

  “Something you want to talk about?” she said.

  “No.” But she coaxed the story out of me, from start to finish, and I found myself wanting to tell her everything. Maybe I’d kept it bottled up too long.

  After she heard the whole story, she said, “My God, so that’s wh
y you’re here! I’d want to kill him, too! What happened to the baby? Was it a boy or girl?”

  “A boy. Jilly and Vi are raising him. I don’t know how many strings they had to pull to get him, but they did, thank God.”

  I told her what had happened earlier that evening. “The reason Tina had been so nervous when she first approached me,” I said, “was not because I was her first customer, as I assumed. She was afraid she’d be spotted by Varchetta’s people as she tried to pick me up. She’d been lucky. Either the security guard had not recognized her, or he was a new man who didn’t know who she was.”

  Susan wrapped her arms around me. She listened, her head against my chest. “Tina might just be my ticket to Varchetta,” I said. “I have a feeling he’s not too popular with Tina’s father. The murder trial brought a lot of uncomfortable publicity to Giovanni’s empire. The Nevada State Gaming Commission is extremely sensitive about the character of those who own and run casinos. Varchetta must be a real source of embarrassment to Giovanni.”

  Susan sat up again and looked at me, wide-eyed. “Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

  “Probably. What better way to cause a problem between those two than to use Giovanni’s daughter—a daughter who’s supposed to be under Varchetta’s watchful eye while her father is away.”

  “That’s scary,” Susan said with a small smile. “You’re a wicked man.”

  “I never said I was perfect.” Suddenly, I was exhausted, emotionally and physically. I closed my eyes and listened to Susan ramble on, but it was like listening to a far-away radio station that kept fading in and out. Finally, it just faded out.

  When I awoke it was daylight. I could smell breakfast cooking, and hear kitchen sounds. Susan was pouring orange juice when I walked up behind her and slipped my arms around her. She tilted her head back and kissed me. “Good morning, Jack,” she said.

  “Good morning, beautiful.”

  “I’m starved, and you were sleeping so sound.”

  I looked at the clock. “Aren’t you going to be late for work?”

  “It’s Sunday!”

  I took the coffee she offered. “Damn. Missed church again.”

  Ripper got off his rug and walked to the door. Those brown eyes said everything that needed saying. I opened the door and stepped out of his way. He walked past me and went down the stairs and over to the nearest bush. I could almost hear the giant sigh of relief from where I stood. He finished his business, and I let him in again.

  I put away a magnificent breakfast of fried eggs and potatoes with onions, wheat toast, and great coffee. I gave Susan an appreciative smile. “The way to a man’s heart, and all that jazz.”

  Susan smiled. “Works every time,” she said. She wore faded jeans, thongs, and a short-sleeved sweatshirt. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore no makeup, and needed none. I watched her rummage around the kitchen. Finally she noticed my admiring look and smiled. “Like what you see?”

  “Sure do,” I said. “I really do.”

  We had just finished breakfast when my cell phone rang. The voice in my ear was a welcome one. “How you doing there, Jack?”

  “Jilly, it’s good to hear your voice. Well, I think I have a plan. See what you think of this.” I dropped into a chair and told him about my initial contact with Varchetta, and the full-blooded Apache called Red Sleeves, then told him about last night’s episode.

  “What the hell were you thinking, Jack?”

  “Well obviously I wasn’t,” I said.

  “You’re a lucky bastard,” Jilly said. “Lucky that Red Sleeves caught you instead of Giovanni, because he’s from the old school. If he hears about this, he’ll be after your ass. Nobody will be able to convince him that you didn’t hose her down.”

  “Wonderful,” I said.

  “I doubt if that will happen. Varchetta won’t want to admit that you were found with her right there in his own house.”

  I changed the subject. “How’s Vi?”

  “Fine, fine,” he said, but there was irritation in his voice. “Nothing ever changes around this dump. I’m dying of boredom.”

  “How are you feeling? ”

  “A few aches and pains, you know, but what the hell, I’m old! I wish I was out there with you.” Jilly paused, then said, “If you scare Varchetta badly enough, he’ll have you hit, or at least he’ll try.”

  “The mood I’m in right now, he’d better have help.”

  Jilly chuckled. “I gotta run. Vi wants me to drive her to the mall to do some shopping. Don’t that just sound like a helluva lotta fun?”

  I laughed. “Tell her I love her.”

  “Sure, sure.” There was a pause, then Jilly said, “Jack, don’t underestimate Red Sleeves.”

  “Oh I won’t, believe me. What do you know about him that I might find useful?”

  “He’s not playing with a full deck. He’s worked for a lot of the top Syndicate people over the years. He’s very good, very ruthless. Hell, he’s a lunatic, but he goes about his business in a totally professional manner.”

  “So he moves around a lot?”

  “Yeah. He’s not a ‘yes’ man. And, I think, after a while he begins to make his employer nervous.”

  I thought about that for a moment. “Sounds like a real fun guy. Thanks for the warning. See you later.” I clicked off and sat there for a few minutes. I thought I’d seen them all, but I’d never dealt with a psychotic Apache hit-man.

  * * *

  Susan and I had dinner at Binyon’s Steakhouse that evening. Later, we sat with an after-dinner drink, staring out at the glittering lights of Las Vegas. To the left, the Strip formed a neon runway that tapered off toward the inky black mountains in the distance.

  We talked and laughed, and held hands. I suddenly realized that I was beginning to have strong feelings for this beautiful lady. But in the midst of this happy thought, I found myself staring across the aisle into the piercing black eyes of James Red Sleeves. He had just been seated, and as he carefully unfolded the napkin in his lap, he nodded and smiled.

  “Good evening, Mr. Frost,” he said. Then he locked his gaze on Susan, who stared back at him, fascinated. She turned and looked at me, cocking her head.

  “That’s him, right?” she said.

  “That’s him.” I called the waiter over and ordered another Black Russian for Susan and a Rusty Nail for myself. I also told him to give the gentleman at the next table whatever he wanted to drink, and put it on my tab.

  The waiter nodded, turned to Red Sleeves, and repeated my request. The Indian glanced at me with an amused smile, then gave me a nod, and ordered.

  Susan had a helluva time keeping her eyes off Red Sleeves, until I finally squeezed her hand hard enough to get her attention. Outwardly I was the picture of calm, but the back of my neck was crawling. The thought of Susan getting pulled into this had never entered my mind. Now Red Sleeves knew what she looked like. It would take little time for him to find out where she worked—and lived.

  “He’s a sharp dresser,” Susan said. “Handsome, too!”

  “Would you like to sit over there?”

  She laughed. “Now Jack, for someone who spent some time last night with a naked young lady, you have no right to make noises like a jealous man.”

  Half an hour later we got up to leave. Red Sleeves stood, too. “I don’t believe I’ve met your lady, Mr. Frost,” he said, stepping into the aisle to block our way.

  Before I could speak, Susan offered her hand and said, “Susan Harris.”

  “Owner of Harris’ Escort Service,” I said. “Surely you’ve heard of it.”

  I received a withering look from Susan and an amused smile from Red Sleeves.

  The Indian took Susan’s hand. “James Red Sleeves,” he said. “Any friend of Mr. Frost’s is a friend of mine. Perhaps we will meet again, Ms. Harris.” His gaze shifted to me, a triumphant smile on his face.

  I put a hand in the small of Susan’s back and guided her past h
im.

  “Thank you for the drink,” Red Sleeves said.

  “Whenever you’re in the neighborhood.”

  We entered the glass elevator and began our slow descent to Fremont Street.

  “‘Harris’ Escort Service’—that was tacky, Frost.”

  “Susan,” I said with exaggerated patience, “by any chance are you listed in the phone book?”

  “Sure.”

  “Did you have to give him your name?”

  “Why shouldn’t I?”

  “Don’t you watch television? I’m the good guy here. He’s the bad guy. He doesn’t like me and I don’t like him. He’ll probably try real hard to kill me one of these days. You’re a friend of mine. Does that mean anything to you?”

  She stared at me with those big violet eyes. “Oh Jack, I think you’re being overly dramatic.”

  “Oh, you do? ‘Overly dramatic’ is it?”

  “Yes. He seems nice enough to me.”

  “Really! Well another ‘nice man’ who worked for Varchetta killed Felicia Martinez.”

  She didn’t say anything for a few moments. Then, “I have all the confidence in the world in you, Jack. I know you’re good enough to take care of that ‘bad guy’ if he comes after you.”

  “Thank you so much,” I said.

  Her eyes darted around the elevator, an exaggerated look of worry on her face. “Do you think he’ll try to follow us?” she said in a conspiratorial voice.

  “No,” I said.

  “Why not?”

  “Why should he leave a steak dinner to follow us, when all he has to do to find out where you live is look in the phone book?”

  She thought about that for a moment. As the elevator opened at ground level, she said, “Now stop it, Frost, you’re beginning to scare me.”

  “At least that’s a step in the right direction.”