It stopped on floor five. An old gentleman got in. I smiled at him and exited, deciding to risk the stairs. I certainly didn’t want to get hung up in the lobby. I worried that Cody would figure out that I was on my way to the basement to get my car. But maybe he was so out of it last night he wouldn’t remember where my car was or how to get there.

I started down the stairwell, trying hard not to make clicking sounds with my cute black Bruno Magli boots. I stopped and listened on the first floor, holding to a bare minimum my gasps for breath. I heard no one on the stairs.

I sneaked past the lobby door. One more level to go. At parking level one I inched the door open a crack. No one appeared in my line of sight. I opened the door until I could squeeze through and started for my car.

I had wondered as I fled down the steps, exactly what Cody wanted with me. The problem was I knew too much, and I didn’t like the looks of Cody’s friend. I hurried to my car, hoping it was still there, that no one had done something stupid like steal it. Praise all the gods of Olympus. It was there. I guess I was too focused on getting to the car and getting out of there. The next thing I knew someone grabbed me from behind and spun me around.

“You’re not trying to get away are you?” Cody said, holding me in a King Kong grip. I struggled side to side, trying to free myself. Dammit all. I had almost made it to the car and now this had to happen.

“Let me go,” I said between grunts. “Whatever do you think you’re doing, Cody. Unhand me.”

“First, tell me where Jake and Opal are.”

“They left ahead of me. Jake said they were taking a taxi.”

Of course, I was lying.

“Where are they going?”

“To Albert’s house to straighten out the mess you left behind. Let me go. I can’t breathe, and you’re ruining my clothes.”

He eased his grip, and I stood trying to catch my breath.

“Let me go, and I will disappear from your life forever. I never heard of the Lodge family, estate or anything related.”

Cody’s piercing blues drilled into mine. “Fiona, there’s just one problem. You know about the rifles. We can’t have this. My friend is concerned that you and Jake know about our clandestine operation. If it got out, they might go to jail. I might go to jail. You wouldn’t want that would you?”

I stretched to my full height, thinking I might be more intimidating that way. “Cody, why did you ever get mixed up with this bunch?”

“They came with the territory.”

“You mean the rifle business?”

He nodded.

“What about the woman?”

“What woman?”

“Don’t play dumb. The one at the door when you answered at my place just a little bit ago.”

“You wouldn’t believe me, if I told you. It’s a long, messy story.”

“Is her name Alice?”

He didn’t answer.

“Did she work with Albert?”

He looked away.

“Did she and Albert have a thing going?”

He looked back. “What do you mean thing?”

Then it dawned on me. “Alice and Albert had more than one thing going, didn’t they? They were lovers, but Alice is also connected to the rifles.”

“Like I said, you know too much. I’m not a killer, Fiona, but the people I do business with believe in murder. I should let you go right now, but. .”

He still gripped my arms. We weren’t a foot apart. He pulled me to him and lowered his head like he was going to kiss me. What was with these cowboys? I wondered what they did when there was nothing but cattle as far as the eye could see. Was the fool out of his mind? He already admitted he was, but I wasn’t in the mood for his shenanigans and wrenched to the side. He tried to nuzzle my neck.

I pushed my hands against his chest. “Cody, stop right now. It’s too early in the day.”

“Never too early.”

I struggled but he pinned me against his chest.

“You’re too young for me,” I said.

“I never knew there was an age limit on what we’re doing.”

“I have a communicable disease.”

“Me, too.”

That was alarming.

“You are not in your right mind. Did anyone ever tell you that?”

“Yes.”

I kept turning away from his attempts to plant his mouth on mine.

“Cody, stop this right now.”

“But you smell so good. I don’t want to stop. You turn me on, Fiona, have I told you that?”

In tense moments like this the hero should come to the rescue. Where was Jake when I needed him? That reminded me that I was the one who told him to look me up later. He had taken my advice and left me to my own devices which were mighty slim. My keen ears picked a scuffling commotion and then a car door slammed.

“What’s that?”

“I don’t hear anything.”

“Help.” I shouted as loud as I could. “Help.”

A head of white hair bobbed between cars. It was the little old man I had passed on the elevator.

Cody put his hand over my mouth.

“Fiona, shut up. People will think I’m trying to rape you. I just wanted a little kiss.”

The old man turned and ran toward the stairs. Big help he was.

Cody laughed. “I guess we scared him off. Really, Fiona, you should enjoy this. Don’t you think I’m a sexy guy?”

I kept mumbling into his hand, trying to tell him to remove his slimy hand from my mouth and get lost.

“I’ll take my hand away, if you promise to quiet down.”

I nodded once, and he inched away his hand.

“You are an idiot.” I hissed and sputtered. “Don’t you dare put your hand over my mouth again. Let me go. Get your nasty hands off my person. And sexy? You and Godzilla.”

Cody gave me a lopsided grin. “Fiona, you don’t understand. I’m in a bit of a bind here. I need to disappear. That guy up there expects me to get rid of you, as in permanently delete. But I want to get away from him, so I thought we could disappear together. I was trying to warm you up to the idea. Wouldn’t you like to escape to a desert island with me?”

“No. Absolutely, not. I’m perfectly capable of disappearing on my own, and you would be the last person with whom I’d escape to a desert island.”

“Fiona, you hurt me to my heart. I’m doing you a good turn here. I’m supposed to be getting rid of you.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you, Cody.” I did not want to think about being permanently deleted.

“I’m afraid you are. Isn’t this your car? I recognize the dents on the door. C’mon. We’re getting out of here.”

“What about Alice?”

“She took off. Open the car.”

At least we had action. As I pulled the keys from my purse, he snatched them before I had a chance to take control of the situation. Gripping my arm, he steered me to the passenger’s side.

“Let me go, you sorry-excuse-for-a-cowboy. I hope this isn’t abduction. I told you I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Get in and shut up. Lord, woman, you can talk a man to death.” He yanked opened the door, shoved me onto the seat, and slammed the door. I turned to see where he was going. As he walked around the back of the car, an arm snaked out and grabbed him from behind. At the end of the arm was my hero, Jake, who lifted Cody into the air and slammed him against the trunk of my beautiful, battered car. Jake proceeded to punch Cody around like a rag doll.

Opal appeared at my side of the car with the old gentleman from the elevator.

“Fiona,” she said, “are you all right? We heard the shouting but we didn’t know where the noise was coming from. The sound ricochets around these walls. This kind gentleman told us about a woman down here in trouble, and we came looking, afraid it was you. Cody didn’t hurt you, did he?”

I got out of the car. “My stars, am I glad to see you. What are you doing here? I thought Jake’s cowboy buddies were coming for you.”

“They’re waiting in the lobby. We saw the man who was with Cody in front of the building, but there wasn’t any woman. Are you sure you saw a woman in the hall, Fiona?”

I was ecstatic they hadn’t abandoned me and hugged her to express my gratitude. “Yes, Alice was around here somewhere, but she took off according to Cody.”

Cody was gasping, flat out on the ground. Jake stood over him, sucking air himself. He limped over to me.

“Are you all right? He didn’t, did he?”

I shook my head. “No, he didn’t. He was merely trying to abduct me. You don’t look so good.”

“Son of a bitch,” Jake said and pressed the back of his hand to his mouth. “The bastard drew blood.”

“Let me see,” said Opal. She examined Jake’s lip and pulled hand sanitizer from her purse. “It’s the only thing I have but it’ll stop the bleeding.”

Jake nodded and dabbed his lip.

“You were going to leave without us,” he said to me.

“Cody thought the two of us needed to disappear together. It seems his customers don’t like that you and I know about the rifles. Apparently, Cody’s in some kind of trouble with them and thought to do a disappearing act of his own. I appreciate your success in finding me.”

Cody tried to sit up. Jake placed a big booted foot on his chest to hold him down.

“What the hell were you doing?” he said to Cody.

“We were exchanging pleasantries,” he said and touched his jaw. “Damn, you still got a mean punch, Jake.”

“You mean you two have been in fights before?” I said, looking from one to the other. “The Wild West arrives in Virginia.”

Jake nodded. “It’s usually not over a woman.”

“I see. You’re caught in another of Cody’s messes.”

“This is another in a long line of messes.”

I took the few steps necessary to stand before Jake. “What does that mean?”