Chapter 17

Vee shivered under her blanket, curling tighter against herself. It didn't matter what she did, she couldn't seem to get warm. As far as she was concerned Canadians were insane for embracing their frigid cold environment. She saw them, out and about, doing their daily business and playing outdoor winter sports. Packed into fluffy snow outfits like sausages. If she'd had a choice, Canada would probably not have been on her list of places to flee. At least not during the winter months.

But her choices were slim. Cuba would have been her first choice. She'd had good relations there, with Tony's former countrymen. They hadn't blamed her for his death. In fact, they had seen Tony as a weak leader, a man prone to vices, an embarrassment to the underworld. But she stood out in Cuba and the island wasn't big enough for someone like her to get lost indefinitely. She couldn't go to Mexico, at least not quickly. Not without getting in touch with one of her former contacts, someone not connected with Domingo. And she couldn't fly out of the US, not without leaving a paper trail that she had no doubt Sotza could easily follow.

So she'd crossed the border into Canada using a fake passport and was in the process of trying to blend. It wasn't easy laying low in a small town, a few hundred kilometres outside of St. John's, New Brunswick. There was absolutely nothing sexy about layers but she'd quickly learned that they were essential to survival. She stood out in the town, people knowing immediately that she didn't belong. But they greeted her friendly enough. One of the townspeople even suggested she trade in her stiletto boots for something a little hardier. She thought he was making fun of her but then he gave her directions to a store and suggested a few brands. She was pretty sure Canadians were insane, but she liked them. The ones she met so far anyway. Even the guy she rented her little cabin from came out to chop wood for her fireplace and check on her a few times a week.

It'd been two weeks since she left Miami. The only contact she made back home was with Danny. She'd begged him to come with her, or to go somewhere else. To leave the city that was now unsafe for both of them. He'd politely refused, and she'd understood. Danny's whole life was in Florida. He was born and raised there, had a mom and sisters. A sweetheart he'd been dating for awhile. He wasn't prepared to cut and run.

When she talked to him yesterday, Danny had given her a desperate picture of her home town. "Sotza has everyone under his control. He's placed someone new at the top, but everyone knows that Sotza's pulling the strings. He had Grant Shaw taken out. From the condition of the body, I'd say The Butcher did it himself."

"Shaw isn't exactly a loss to the world." Vee had replied of the dead neo-Nazi, though she shuddered at the destruction Sotza was causing.

"No, Shaw was a piece of work, but Steve Cruz will be a loss."

"What happened to Cruz?" Her stomach twisted. Cruz had been a go-with-the-flow sort of guy. A man whose loyalty floated on the breeze, toward whoever paid better and hurt less. Sotza probably picked him up on the streets, put him to work and then got rid of him when he realized Cruz was pretty useless. He'd been an incompetent idiot whenever she had to deal with him, but he hadn't deserved to die.

"You don't want to know," Danny said grimly.

She inhaled sharply. No, she really didn't want to know.

"What about you?" she asked. "I hate that I had to leave you behind. I really wish you'd reconsider coming up here to Canada. Bring your family, bring your girl. Whatever you need. But please, get out of the line of fire."

She didn't think she could stand to lose Danny on top of everything else. He'd been a good friend, her closest associate. A second-in-command, but also a self-appointed bodyguard. If Sotza got to Danny, Vee didn't know what she would do.

"I'm okay," he reiterated for about the 50th time since she'd gone into hiding. "Pretty sure The Butcher knows exactly where I am and where to find me. Hasn't stopped by for a chat though. Which is a cause for concern."

Vee frowned. "Why is that? If he's leaving you alone, shouldn't you be happy about it? No one wants a face-to-face with that guy."

"It's not me I'm worried about, boss. If he's not here asking me about your whereabouts then that tells me he probably knows exactly where you are. Or at least how to find you. My guess is it's just a matter of time before he heads up your way."

"No," Vee whispered.

"You need to think about your next move. Get out of there, find someplace else more remote. Someplace that no one knows about… not even me. If he gets to me I'll try to hold out, but we've both seen what he's capable of. He has ways of getting all the information he needs before sending his victims to hell."

Tears stung her eyes. She didn't want to lose the one connection to home she had left. The one friend who would do whatever it took to keep her safe. If, in her bid for freedom, she let Danny go, then she would be truly alone.

She swallowed and said, "I'm not ready for that yet. If he knows where to find me, why hasn't he made a move yet? No, I'm not ready to cut ties yet."

Danny didn't say anything for several long minutes. She could feel his need to argue with her, but all he said was, "Just take care of yourself, boss. Keep your head up, eyes open and weapon close."

"Always," she promised.

"Call me tomorrow night," he said sternly. "Mandatory check ins until you feel ready to go to ground for good."

"Yes, boss," she replied with a small smile.

His voice still held a note of worry. "Goodnight, Vee."

"Goodnight, Danny. Hi to the family."

After she ended the call, Vee stared into the darkness of the room, seeing nothing. It was always pitch black here at night unless she had the fireplace running or turned on a light. She felt bad for worrying Danny. He really was the closest thing to a best friend that she had. Besides Casey. The two women had become close in the past year, but distance kept them from seeing each other more than a few times. Perhaps she would call Danny back in the morning and let him know she was going to disappear. It would ease his mind.

She crammed one of the pillows against her stomach, tucked a hand underneath her head and drifted to sleep feeling a little safer knowing she would set a more permanent escape plan in motion.