Page 130 of One Last Promise

On the flat roof of the three-story palatial home sat a small private helicopter.

“Aside from asking how we’d get up there, I’m not stealing a helicopter, London.”

“We’restealing the helicopter, and I promise we’ll put it back. But the last thing we want is a high-speed chase with Hazel in the back.”

“London—”

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll get the chopper. You make sure that Tillie doesn’t wind up with that.” She pointed to a boxer that ran into the yard, barking at the street.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Moose said. “Do we even know if Tillie’s here?”

“She’s here.” And then London pointed to a motorcyclist at the edge of the property.

He’d seen the person earlier, parked down the street, when they’d passed the house the first time. But they had driven off and?—

“That’s Tillie?”

“I recognize reconnaissancewhen I see it.”

It was too dark to be sure. “What’s she doing?”

And right then, Tillie pulled out, following a pizza delivery car.

“Three if by pizza,” London said, looking over at him and smiling. And then he got it. Tillie was going to steal a pizza and deliver it right to the front door.

Oh no, no. . . “This is crazy. We are not going to sit here and plan a . . . a kidnapping assist. This is . . . No.” Moose shook his head. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not,” Shep said.

“This is a felony!”

Nothing.

“Guys. We’d become accessories to a kidnapping, and then what? We’d be on the lam? In a badOcean’s Elevensequel, all going our separate ways until our next big gig?”

“I get the boat,” Axel said.

“This is not funny.”

“You went there, with Clooney?—”

“And they weren’t that bad, Moose,” said London.

He glared at London, then Axel, who held up his hands in surrender.

“I’m serious. We do this and Air One is over. I’m already barely keeping us afloat, and with the lawsuit?—”

“What lawsuit?” Shep said darkly.

Moose sighed. “The Benton family is suing us for negligence in the death of Grace Benton. The court is considering freezing our assets, which means we’d have to shut down anyway. I suppose it won’t matter if I’m sitting in Sing Sing.”

“They’ll send you to Coleman, here in Florida,” Colt said.

“Not if we don’t transport her across state lines. Then it’s a domestic case,” London said, and again Moose just stared at her. “I’m just saying, it wouldn’t be Coleman, because that’s a federal prison. It would probably be Raiford. At least for youguys. I’d go to Lowell.”

And then there was silence.

So maybe ithadsunk in a little.

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