That was if Nick didn’t report him for the incident and he lost his job. He needed to control his temper better when it came to Ericka. Captain Regina Shaw might just be the lady to help with that.

  “What now? We can’t sit around and wait for them to return. And if the White Lily has truly vanished then they will plan another escape route.”

  “Got it.” Micah called out from the other room.

  They gathered around his computer.

  “They were headed close by, the coast of Connecticut, in fact.”

  “Let’s go.” Blake made the announcement and they followed, even Regina.

  Aboard her vessel she and her crew took the coordinates assumed and charted the way.

  Tito grabbed binoculars and started looking into the distance. A few times he strayed over until Regina was in his sights.

  She smoothed a strand of lose hair behind her ear and smiled in his direction. Then she winked.

  He’d been caught in his admiration.

  There were worse things.

  The motor’s throttle eased until they only bobbed in the water.

  “This is it, boys.”

  Blake looked around in a full circle. “Where are they?”

  “If I had a guess, they realized the White Lily wasn’t coming and they made their way to New London. It’s the perfect place to go from here. Good docks. Closer than some places, but also hidden.”

  Blake scratched his head. “Can we go there?”

  “Sure.” Regina gave the order, and they took off again.

  Tito knew this little adventure would probably keep him from his desired evening activities. But spending time with Regina was a plus. Maybe he would have time to invite her to the next jazz club singing.

  ****

  Regina smiled at the officer. He wasn’t bad looking. He even had a bad boy look that she enjoyed. Didn’t really matter, though. Relationships weren’t for her. She needed to find Maria before she escaped forever. She’d had no idea the middle-aged woman would take off with Paulo when the ship sank. Why hadn’t she gone with the others she knew instead of the devil she didn’t?

  The man was certifiable but not how he thought. Still, Maria was in trouble. They’d been pushing the envelope for the last few years. Moving people was one thing. Selling them back to their government was another. She’d never wanted to do that. Choosing her life order hadn’t been in the cards for her for a long time.

  One goes where they are put or grow where they’re planted or some such nonsense.

  It was nice to pretend she was a normal woman who could have and accept pursuit, but it wasn’t true.

  Blake watched her like a hawk. She’d guessed about Paulo’s and Maria’s intent, but after studying a map it wasn’t a big leap. With time they would have guessed, well maybe. The officers in this group didn’t seem to sharp on the uptake at times.

  What she couldn’t figure out was why Paulo and Maria were looking for the White Lily here? It was a terrible location. Land was on both sides and too many vessels of varying sizes so they could easily be spotted. Regina remembered Maria’s kept a fake manifest in case the vessel was seized. Why would she use it knowing it was not real?

  Paulo.

  Maybe she was trying to shake him.

  Regina needed to think where they might go. Maria would need help. Since she’d shown up after all those years, Regina had assisted her to grow in the business. It was the only way to keep Josef and his cronies happy. Now that Josef was gone the cronies were even worse. Both Regina and Maria planned to escape, but they needed more than they had.

  Finding Maria was a must.

  Part of her thought of mentioning something to the officer with the wandering eye. But she would have to admit to her part. She could say she was coerced or forced. It wasn’t entirely untrue. To an extent, she was forced. At least it had started that way.

  But telling about her part in the plot, she couldn’t do it. Fear held her back. What if he didn’t understand?

  She smiled and looked back over the water. Ironically it was her day job that was going to help her evade capture.

  The water grew choppy.

  Wind gusts lifted her hair off her neck. She picked up the radio to report her position, but it just as quickly calmed.

  “Land! Praise God for Land!”

  Blake Hager was the supposed leader of this group. He acted more like a child in men’s clothing. His talk of conquests disgusted her, but she knew he was a better mark than Tito Santos.

  Santos had been giving her googling eyes all day, so he liked what he saw. However, he was honorable. Not one advance had come her way.

  She smiled and winked at Hager. Red dotted his cheeks above the scraggly amount of facial hair that attempted to grow on his face.

  “We’ll be there shortly. While I have no jurisdiction on land would you mind if I tagalong? I’d like to see this one through. The White Lily has been a thorn in my side for some time.” She hoped she sounded convincing.

  “Sure, sugar. You can come with us.”

  She smiled but secretly wished she could write him up for harassment. His day was coming. She could feel it.

  And so was hers.

  The White Lily waited for her. Another ship was due today. But the weather patterns were cause for concern. Several times over the week she’d almost cancelled the event. But she held out.

  Sometimes the White Lily had actual paying passengers. It was the only way to maintain their cover. So far, it had worked perfectly. But their name was becoming synonymous with the “bad people”.

  After this trip she had plans to change the name of the ship.

  But this trip was booked. It was a simple job. All they had to do was pick the people up and drop them off. It was supposed to be to the Black Dahlia, but that changed to the Maroon Peacock after the other ship sank. Now, she wasn’t sure what was happening.

  Just one more time and the White Lily could officially retire and vanish from the face of the earth forever. Now that was something to look forward to.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “So, this would look good.” Ericka held the outfit in front of Maggie.

  Maggie took the clothing and placed it before her studying herself in the mirror. “Um, I’m not sure. I want sexy, but not too sexy. You know?”

  Oh, Ericka knew. Maggie had said the same line about fifteen times over the last hour. Ericka had one last idea. She’d brought the outfit she wore last time. Although she was taller than Maggie, she still thought it would work. She was also sure that the image Maggie had in her mind needed to be debunked or accepted. The theory had worked in the past so why not this time.

  She pulled it out of her bag. Maggie grabbed it and raced to the bathroom. When she returned a smile spread across her face. “I love it!”

  The pants were a little long, but they fit tight. Ericka was just glad the torment was over.

  “But what will you wear?” Maggie bit her bottom lip before she looked in the mirror and smiled at herself again.

  Ericka patted her shoulder. “I’m fine. But I do need to head home and get ready.”

  “Of course! I’ll drive you and—”

  “I’ll take a cab. You’re already dressed, and Tristan will be here to pick you up soon. He’s supposed to be at the club early to check the instruments.”

  Maggie nodded. “Thank you, Ericka.”

  “Any time.”

  Ericka left the apartment, rode the elevator downstairs, and stepped onto the curb. She’d missed her run, and she was in loafers. She thought about walking or running to the subway station, then taking a bus, it would be cheaper than a cab. She’d tried Tito earlier only to learn he was on assignment and might miss the entire event.

  A cab would seriously affect her car budget, but it would also keep her from getting sweaty. Time for a shower didn’t seem like it was in the cards.

  A honk caused her to look up and place her hand on the butt of her weapon.

  Quinn waved from the front seat of his car. He rolled down the passenger window. “Need a ride?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Fanny.”

  “Fanny?”

  “Yeah. She said you would dress Maggie and then have not time for yourself. And I want you to have time for yourself to get ready, since you’re sort of doing this because I asked you.”

  “Well thank you for Fanny and you.”

  Quinn pulled out into the slow-moving traffic. “I was about to callup to see if you’d already left. I’d been waiting awhile.”

  “Maggie was going for a certain, um, look.”

  “She wore your outfit from before, right?”

  “Yes. How did you know that?”

  He shrugged. “Just a hunch. It was all she’d talked about after that last time.”

  “I wish I’d known that before I suggested the first fifteen outfits.”

  He laughed. “Listen, Fanny will meet us at the club. You just take your time getting dolled up and I’ll wait in the car.”

  “You can come in.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yup. One day maybe I’ll have time to throw a dinner party, and everyone can see my house, but today it can be just you. I might be able to offer you a glass of water. Maybe even with ice.”

  “Good one. The life of an on-the-go agent. Always an empty fridge.”

  Greg and Tito had both been inside her home. It was well furnished but vague on details about her. No pictures or other personal items decorated a wall or a shelf. Not that she had pictures. Cecilia wasn’t big on taking pictures of her foster kids.

  There were some generic pictures. Ones that came with the frames that were hung after her home was ransacked. She’d left them up. They made the house feel more like a home, even though she had no idea who she was looking at.

  Quinn pulled into the empty driveway and cut the engine. Hands on the steering wheel, he seemed to hesitate about moving. Maybe he didn’t truly believe she wanted him inside.

  She opened the door, stepped out, then leaned back in. “Well come on. We’ve got a show to put on.”

  His mouth shifted into a large smile as he opened the door and stepped out. He placed his hands in his pockets as he followed her. That could have made it more difficult to climb the steps, but he seemed to handle it with ease.

  At the door she placed her key inside and pushed. Everything was as it had been that morning, she was happy to say.

  “Go to the kitchen and grab yourself a drink. I’m going to head to my bedroom and see what I have to wear.”

  “I hope you have an idea.” His voice sounded distant as they separated in the house.

  “Oh, I do.”

  She closed her bedroom door and opened the bi-fold doors to her closet. It was filled with work pants and shirts. Several different pairs of shoes were lined up neatly and perfectly along the bottom. Strappy sandals, high heels, flats, and her work loafers were all plain to see.

  She’d thought about her own outfit as she was helping Maggie. She hadn’t wanted to wear what she’d worn before anyway. Those who had seen her on stage would remember. Besides, she had a few different outfits that she’d been looking forward to wearing.

  The yellowish orangish shirt had a cowled neckline that was accentuated by the beaded spaghetti straps. The short black skirt rested a little above her knees. She pulled her hair into a bun and added golden hooped earrings to her ears.

  Shoes were the only thing left.

  Last time she hadn’t thought about how the shoes would feel on stage. She was already elevated. Making herself even taller made her feel like she was going to fall.

  This time she went with a pair of strappy golden sandals. The heel was there, but it wasn’t the over-the-top heel like last time.

  She studied herself in the mirror. She smoothed the skirt down over her legs. Fortunately, she had a bit of a natural tan to her skin. The New York weather up until now had been so cold that going outside had been unthinkable. She grabbed a white jacket just in case. Now she might be able to get a little sun.

  If she could find the time.

  She drew in a deep breath and stepped out into the living room. Deep down she hoped that Quinn was close by and would offer some feedback. She was going on the stage at his request.

  Fanny, his new girlfriend, needed a night on the town.

  Tristan, Maggie’s boyfriend, needed to meet the right crowd and try to get another job.

  Greg might be there with Heidi to try and salvage their relationship.

  Ericka, well, she was busy making everyone else happy. In the back of her mind, she prayed that her time would come. Surely, one day God in His infinite wisdom would see fit to let her have a taste of family life. Maybe at least a boyfriend.

  Until then she would continue to help her friends.

  The deep whistle caused Ericka to return her focus to the present.

  “You are going to have to do this again.”

  “What?”

  “Maggie will want a place to wear that outfit too.”

  Ericka snorted under her breath. “You’re funny.”

  “I know.”

  An alarm went off on both their phones. They looked at each other and laughed. “I guess that means it is time to go.” He held the door open for her and she walked through.

  “Thank you.”

  “Of course.” He rubbed his hands together as he skipped toward the car. “This is going to be so much fun!”

  She hoped he was right.

  ****

  Maria and Paulo had docked the boat in New London, Connecticut. Paulo parked the boat, walked to the shore, and offered to trade for a car. The man he asked looked at him like he was crazy, but after he saw the boat, he handed over the keys with no problems.

  Maria would have preferred a different method of transportation. But they had no choice. Plus, Paulo was calling a lot of the shots.

  Since they had left the Black Dahlia, he did things without asking her. Part of her was fine with that. It seemed like some kind of submissive side that she’d tapped down was attempting to rise again.

  As captain of the Black Dahlia, she’d never let anyone tell her what to do. But since that man yelled names at her on the dock it was as if something warred inside her. There was something or someone fighting to get out. Maintaining control and being forceful was becoming harder and harder to do.

  Paulo opened the door on the 1978 Chevrolet Camero. Once behind the wheel, he revved the engine before putting it into gear.

  “Listen to that baby hum.”

  “I just hope this baby will take us as far as we need to go. You realize we must travel several hours journey.”

  “I do. And you realize that this car doesn’t have GPS or anything that can be hacked or traced.”

  She hadn’t thought about that. It was something that she should have realized. What was happening to her?

  “Yes, of course. You’ve made a good decision.”

  “I know. Now, tell me where were going and I’ll plug it into my phone.”

  Maria kept the smile to herself. The idiot! He still had his phone! That would lead anyone straight to them if they could find his phone number and triangulate the signal.

  She wouldn’t tell him. It was more fun to wait and see how long it took him to figure it out.

  She gave him the address and he plugged it into his phone and set the device where he could hear it. There was no place to put it to physically see it.

  Hours.

  It would take hours in this hunk of junk. And they would need gas multiple times before their arrival. And food.

  Money.

  How were they going to get the money for these things? All her assets, money, cards, everything had gone down with the ship. She wasn’t aware if he had any of these things. So far everything they needed he’d taken without question.

  Except for the house. He’d rented a house. He must have money she didn’t know about.

  Her stomach growled. She couldn’t remember the last time they’d eaten.

  “We’ll stop and get food soon. Just let us get out of the town.”

  She nodded.

  Still, how would they pay for these things? They couldn’t go across the states stealing like Bonnie and Clyde. They needed a plan. A real plan.

  The sun began to dip. Paulo attempted to turn on the vehicle’s lights, but nothing happened.

  “Perhaps we should stop and see if they are working or just dim.”

  Paulo didn’t reply verbally but followed her directions. He stepped outside the car and Maria leaned over and flicked the lights off and on. Sadly, there was no change.

  He climbed back into the car.

  His fist came down on the steering wheel. Over and over. The entire car vibrated with his fury. When he finished sweat glistened on his brow in the waning light. Blood oozed from the side of his hand. Maria should have been shocked, scared really.

  But she’d expected the behavior.

  She’d seen him at the place. What place she struggled to remember. And Regina had warned her when she took him on her ship. That she remembered.

  Why was her memory becoming foggy? Why was her personality changing back and forth between submissive and take charge?

  He straightened, took several deep breaths, and then pulled back onto the road. “We should reach something civil before we can’t see at all.”

  “We should.”

  He didn’t comment on her lack of comment. What was she to say to a crazy man about his actions? There was nothing that she could do but remain calm and pray they made it to the location with the actual manifest. Once she reached it, then she would contact Regina and tell her to pick her up. Before that happened, she needed to lose Paulo. He wouldn’t be going with her on her last ride. After that display he was too big a liability.

  ****

  Blake hovering all over the captain was becoming a liability. He’d asked her out numerous times and she’d shaken her finger at him. Tito couldn’t help but wonder when the guy would give up.

  Tito should ask that of himself. When was he going to give up on the notion that Ericka would ever date him? Of course, technically, he hadn’t really asked.