I nodded. Then I noticed a framed picture of Dutch Shultz on the wall.
“My grandfather. By all accounts, a ruthless man.”
Dutch didn’t look like a scary, bootlegging gangster in his picture. He looked…normal.
“There is a well-known account of Dutch and his gang kidnapping a bootlegging competitor, Joe Rock. Dutch had him beaten, hung by a meat hook, then a bandage infected with gonorrhea rubbed on his face.”
I winced.
Liam stared at the photo. “You don’t worry…that you’ve inherited some of that?”
My heart clenched.
“Nature is only one piece of us, Mr. Kensington. Nurture plays a huge part too.” Simon smiled. “And at the end of the day, we all make our own choices. We should be judged by our own actions.” Simon looked at the photo of Dutch. “And no one is black and white. There’s so much gray in all of us. As well as lots of other colors. Dutch tortured people, broke the law, but he also loved my grandmother, in his own way.”
“Agent Burke told you that we’re looking for the treasure?” Liam said.
“Yes, and so is a group of criminals. I suspect they were the ones who broke in here and stole my grandmother’s diary.” An unhappy look crossed the man’s face.
“We’ll try to get it back to you, if we can,” Liam said.
“Thank you.” Simon waved at the table. “Sit, I’ll bring some tea.”
He disappeared into a dated kitchen, then returned with tea and biscuits.
Simon sank into a chair. “I remember everything that was written in her diary.”
“You know where the treasure is?” I asked.
He shook his head.
I frowned. “Nexus has been searching in a warehouse in the Bronx. There must be something to link the treasure with that warehouse.”
“My grandmother interpreted Dutch’s deathbed ramblings. She believed he was speaking in code. A code the two of them used as young lovers. Unsurprisingly, her parents didn’t approve of their romance.”
Liam leaned back.
Simon looked thoughtful. “Dutch mentioned soap duckets. People assumed he meant buckets. It was a code he and Helen used for the warehouse they would sneak to and meet. One Dutch later purchased.”
“Oh, my God,” I breathed.
“There’s an old picture of it there.” Simon pointed to a shelf.
I rose and studied the faded black and white image. It was Liam’s warehouse in the Bronx.
My pulse raced and I met Liam’s gaze. We had confirmation the treasure was in the warehouse. Now, we just had to find it.
“He also talks about chimney sweeps and swords,” Simon said. “I’m not certain what that means. I’m sorry I can’t help you more.”
I guessed it was better than nothing. We finished our tea and thanked Simon. The drive back to Manhattan was quiet, both of us lost in thought.
“We need to search the warehouse,” I said.
He nodded. “Unfortunately, there’s a construction survey team there this afternoon taking measurements for the Borden Project.”
I chewed on my lip. “The three-day deadline is up tomorrow, Liam. We need to search the warehouse today.”
He nodded. “We’ll go in tonight. It might be better to do this under the cover of darkness.”
My stomach turned over. Right, because running around in a dark, gloomy warehouse at night was so much fun. “Well, I suggest you leave the Aston Martin at home if we’re trying not to get noticed.”
“We aren’t taking your poor excuse for a car.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my car!”
“I’ll provide a car that will blend in,” he said.
I grunted. Liam Kensington couldn’t blend in and look ordinary if he tried.
“We have a few hours to get prepared,” he said. “Come to my place?”
“I need to check in on my sisters. They’re worried.” Although I desperately wanted to be with him.
“Of course.” He reached out and squeezed my hand. “Whatever you need.”
For a second, it felt like we were a regular couple. Don’t get too used to it, Aspen.
It wasn’t long before he turned into my neighborhood. “Park here. I like to take a long walk home, and make sure I’m not followed.”
I got out of the car, and he joined me on the sidewalk.
“You don’t have to get out,” I said.
“I’m walking you to your door.”
Stubborn man. We headed down the sidewalk. Suddenly, there was a loud crack, and I felt a bullet whiz past my ear.
This time, Liam reacted first. He tackled me to the ground.
I hit the concrete belly first. “Fuck,” I muttered.
Liam shifted off me and we pressed up against a small SUV parked on the street. There was more gunfire, bullets pinging off metal. I pulled out my Glock.
“Where are they firing from?” I snapped.
“No clue,” he said.
There was another barrage and we ducked down.
“We can’t stay here.” I heard people screaming, and saw others ducking for cover. I spotted the mouth of an alley. “There. I’ll give cover fire, and you run.”
Liam’s gaze burned into me. “I’m not leaving you, Aspen.”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
His eyes narrowed.
“I promise. Ready?”
He nodded.
I popped up and fired in the general direction of the shooter.
Liam took off like a track runner from the starting box. The man could move.
I watched him make it safely into the alley.
Okay. I got ready, fired, then ran.
I took a zig-zagged route to the alley. Bullets hit the concrete near my feet.
Fuck.
Adrenaline flooding me, I pushed for more speed. Then I was crashing against Liam in the darkness of the alley.
“Thank God,” he breathed, hugging me tightly.
I heard a scrape of noise. We both spun, as a woman in black jeans and a black leather coat materialized.
She also had dyed black hair piled up in a messy bun on top of her head. I sucked in a breath. It was the woman from Nexus—the one who’d given me the note. Doyle’s second in command, Jackie Godin.
She lifted her handgun and aimed it at me. Her blue eyes were empty, and I knew she’d killed before.
“Penn fucking Channing.”
Oh, shit.
“What the hell are you doing?” I said.
“All Doyle can talk about is how brilliant you are, stringing this fucking billionaire along. I’m tired of it. I’m his right hand. I’m not having you steal it.”
“I don’t want the attention, just my cut of the profits.” I angled myself a little in front of Liam.
The idiot shifted, trying to protect me.
The woman’s gun tracked his way.
No. I was not letting him get hurt. I whipped my Glock up and aimed at the woman.
“You’ll both die here in this dirty alley,” she snapped.
“You kill him, and Doyle doesn’t get what he wants.”
I sensed the tension in Liam. He was coiled like a spring, watching the woman intently. He was getting ready to make a move.
My belly cramped. “Hey, asshole, are you listening?”