Until Now - Delaney Diamond Page 0,19
shrugged off his tightening body and began his search in the sparsely furnished room.
She didn’t have much in the way of personal possessions. No photos on the wall, and the nightstand was empty except for embossed note cards and a few pens. The bed was made with a bright yellow comforter and white sheets, and a laptop rested on the bureau across from it.
The top drawer contained a collection of bras and colorful panties in all styles—lace, cotton, cheekies. He picked up a pair of black panties edged with lace and imagined peeling the soft fabric from her hips.
Fighting a groan, he tossed the underwear back in the drawer and checked the next three. There were pajamas and a couple of nighties, shirts, and other clothing items. The last drawer didn’t contain any clothes at all.
He came up empty-handed in the bathroom and bedroom, so next he entered the walk-in closet. It was half full. A shelf at the top of the closet held empty decorative boxes and luggage. He moved them around, and behind a large suitcase, discovered a red backpack.
“What do we have here?” he muttered, lifting it down.
He opened the backpack and examined the contents. This looked suspiciously like a bolt bag, otherwise known as a go bag, the kind of thing he would pack in case he needed to evacuate a city quickly. She had a change of clothes, a flashlight, batteries, matches, and two bottles of water.
Shifting the contents, he saw a black plastic bag at the bottom. He took everything out and removed the bag. His lips tightened when he saw what was inside. Cash. Lots of it, mostly in large bills. Cold dread enveloped his skin as he fanned the money with his thumb. There must be close to fifty thousand dollars there.
He replaced all the items, returned the bag to its previous location behind the suitcase on the top shelf, and stalked out of the closet. Why the hell did Shanice have that much cash on hand?
According to Miles, she’d never once visited Dennis in jail. Could she have turned on him and received cash for the notebook, then bolted? But who would pay for it? Or was she a co-conspirator on the run, afraid that she, too, would end up dead?
He needed answers to those questions, and he needed to find out where the notebook was because it sure as hell wasn’t here. Maybe he should tie her up and use threats and intimidation to drag the information from her.
As soon as the thought came, he shunned the idea of violence. He’d find out what he needed to know in a different way. Using the small screwdriver he’d brought in the leather bag, he unscrewed the outlet beside her bed and installed a small listening device.
The other room where people spent a lot of time was in the kitchen, so he installed one there, too, behind the outlet where the toaster was plugged in. He installed another one in the living room as a backup.
Then he turned on the alarm, left the house, and locked the door, leaving the way he came.
Whatever Shanice’s involvement, she wasn’t innocent. No one kept that amount of cash on hand for no reason. He just hoped he wasn’t a damn fool who had fallen for a sweet act.
Seated on the lid of the commode in the bathroom at The Bookish Attic, Shanice stared at the number she’d written on a piece of paper. She still didn’t know if this was the right decision but had to do something. Spending time with Vicente made her think about her future and the possibilities, and most importantly, she didn’t want to risk putting his life in danger. By acting now, she opened the door to a future with him and would keep herself, and him, safe.
This was the right thing to do. Maybe Dennis was wrong. Maybe there was someone she could trust.
She dialed the number for the FBI field office. When they answered, she swallowed hard and launched into an explanation.
“Hello, my name is Shanice, and I’m in possession of some data that I think you would be interested in.”
“What kind of data?” the woman on the other end asked.
“I’m not sure. Names and dollar amounts. I don’t understand what it all means, but I know it’s bad. There are people willing to kill to get this list.”
“And you have this information in your possession?”
Shanice paused, not wanting to say too much. “Are you the person that