by Geri Foster
Rachel’s phone rang, and she excused herself as she stepped outside to take the call.
“I could eat some breakfast.” Marcus smiled. “I’m hungry and I don’t have to be in court until this afternoon.”
They turned to leave and, just as they got to the door, two shots rang out. Marcus grabbed her arm and pressed her against the building, covering her with his body. Lucas ran toward David, who managed to find cover for him and Bobby Joe behind the squad car.
“What’s going on?” Kendall screamed. “What’s happening?”
Rachel stood closer to Marcus than Lucas, so he motioned for her to join them where he could protect her as well. Together they sought shelter back inside the courtroom. With the door closed, Rachel let out a deep sigh. “Oh my God, Lucas is out there and someone is shooting at him.”
Marcus glanced out one of the windows. “Everyone’s behind cover. It looks like Bobby Joe is the target.”
Several more shots rang out again. He glanced over at Kendall. “That’s Lucas returning fire. I want you both to stay in here with the door closed. Do not come outside unless Lucas or I come to get you. Do you understand?”
Kendall grabbed him by the shirt in a complete panic. “Don’t leave us. Don’t leave us here alone.”
The Bailiff ran to them. “You two ladies follow me. We’ll hide in the judges’ chambers.”
Kendall, refusing to go anywhere, stood where she was. It surprised her when Marcus reached behind his back and pulled out a gun. She didn’t know he had a weapon. When did he start carrying a gun?
“I have a good vantage point,” Marcus said. “David and Lucas need my help. I have to go out there. But I can’t do anything unless I know you two are safe.”
“We’ll stay right here. We won’t go outside.”
* * *
Marcus inched out of the courthouse without being noticed and moved around the corner, putting himself behind the shooter. He searched the deserted streets. It appeared everyone had run for cover and had found a safe place to hide. He spotted Lucas, along with David and Bobby Joe, and then caught sight of two other men, squatted behind an unmarked, black van. They took aim.
A man dressed in black starting edging around the corner of the vehicle to shoot Lucas in the back. Marcus fired twice, taking out the gunman. Lucas turned around immediately and began firing at the van, busting three of the tires in the process. Two men jumped out of the vehicle and took off down the street.
“Are you okay, Lucas?” Marcus called out. “I got two but the other men in the van managed to get away and make a run for it.”
“We’re fine, thanks to you. Could you tell who it was?”
“No. It all happened too fast and I was more interested in saving your life.”
Bobby Joe stood up with David. “See, see, I told you they wanted to kill me. You got proof enough? This is no game I’m playing. These people mean business.”
Lucas grabbed Bobby Joe’s bicep. “Did you recognize them? Are they the ones who want the thumb drive?”
“I don’t know,” his voice shook. “I’m not a hundred percent sure. I couldn’t see their faces. But how many people go around taking pot shots at me?”
Marcus put his gun in his back holster. “With your reputation, probably quite a few.”
“This is no joke!” Bobby Joe shouted. “I almost got gunned down in your streets, Sheriff. What are you going do about it?”
Lucas grabbed him by the collar. “I’m going to put you in jail and, this afternoon, I’m delivering you to the county lockup. Once there, you’re no longer my problem. You belong to the county.”
“You’re a piss poor Sheriff.”
Marcus turned to Bobby Joe. “Everything that’s happened you brought on yourself. You only consider Bobby Joe and no one else. If someone wants to kill you I’m sure they have a damn good reason. I can think of a dozen myself. There is nobody to blame for this but you. Not me, not Kendall, not Lucas. No one. Just you.”
David stepped up. “Come on. I’m locking you up until it’s time to leave.”
Kendall and Rachel came out of the courthouse, both shaken. “It’s okay,” Lucas said quickly, pulling Rachel into a tight grasp. “I don’t know who did this, but I’ll find out. When I do, there’s going to be hell to pay.”
Marcus put his arm around Kendall. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head tightly. “I’m fine. Just another one of the benefits of being involved with Bobby Joe.” She tried for a joke, but the shake in her voice was evident.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay. He’s not your problem anymore.” He rubbed her arms soothingly.
She nodded, leaning into his embrace.
Leaning down to catch her eyes, he smiled. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to eat. I skipped breakfast this morning.” He nudged her with his hip. “Want to grab something to eat?”
She smiled softly and turned to Rachel, who held up her hands. “Not me, I have a conference call in thirty minutes.”
“You sure you’re okay to work? This was pretty crazy.”
Rachel nodded her head. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
With no other takers, Marcus drove them to Gert’s Diner where Kendall ordered bacon and eggs and he chose pancakes. Sipping his coffee afterwards, Marcus looked at her. “I don’t know how you’re going to feel about this, but I was thinking last night, what if we found that thumb drive Bobby Joe is looking for?”
Her eyes widened. “I, I don’t even know where to start. I swear to you Marcus, I’ve never seen anything like it in my stuff.”
“We could at least cover your apartment ourselves. Maybe he just missed it.”
Kendall took a bite of toast. “I think we should find out exactly what trouble Bobby Joe is in before we do anything. We could end up involved in something we don’t want to be in.”
“You’re right. He said someone was going to kill him and it looks like he was right. I mean, there were people shooting at him in broad daylight in front of the courthouse and the police station. The only reason you do that is if you’re desperate. I’ll talk to Lucas this afternoon and together we’ll try to figure out what’s going on. In the meantime, you need to be very careful. If they learn about a connection between you and Bobby Joe, you may be the next target.”
“Oh, trust me, I learned long ago to steer clear of all of Bobby Joe’s acquaintances. I don’t plan to go anywhere near the jailhouse. Those men who came to town shooting up the place were too scary. Those willing to get into a gunfight with the Sheriff in the middle of the day in downtown Rainwater are very, very dangerous.”
“I called the apartment complex early this morning.” He took a key out of his pocket and held it out in the palm of his hand. “I’m the proud renter of the apartment next door to you. I’m moving in tomorrow morning.”
Kendall’s heart raced. She hadn’t expected him to act so soon. She wondered what it would be like having Marcus so handy. His news scared her for a moment, wondering if they were moving too fast, then her nerves settled down. This might be a good thing. It would certainly give them a chance to get to know each other better from a romantic standpoint. Maybe, just maybe, she could step far enough away from all her previous trauma to be comfortable in a new relationship.
“This sounds pretty scary to me,” Kendall said, smiling. “I have no idea what to expect with you so convenient.”
He wiggled his dark brows. “We can plan nightly rendezvous. I could slip in through the sliding glass door.”
She laughed. “You better not. You know I have a gun.”
He held up his hands. “I would never enter without an invitation. That’s simply not my style. And I’m glad you have a weapon. Bobby Joe comes around again, don’t be afraid to use it.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I know better than to take chances with him. I must keep my guard up. It’s only when I relax a little and think that maybe he’s changed, or he’s finally lost interest in me and will leave m
e alone and things will be okay that he catches me unprepared.”
“I won’t let that happen. I care too much for you. It’s very important to me that you remain safe.”
She reached across the table and took his hand, gazing into his dark eyes. “I wish I could have a normal life, a normal relationship. Be with friends and do as I please without worrying about what’s just around the corner. Bobby Joe put a stop to all of that. Even divorced, he still forces his way into my life.” She released his hand and looked away. “I wish he’d just move away.”
“He’s not ever going anywhere,” he said softly. “He was born and raised here. This is his home. Besides, he enjoys hassling you too much to change.”
She looked up at him with determination in her eyes. “Then it’s me who will change. I’m not going to put up with his antics anymore.”
He smiled proudly. “I’m with you on that, girl.”
* * *
Marcus took Kendall to her mama’s house that afternoon, as the women had an afternoon planned together. He, in turn, headed for Lucas’ office in the downtown area. He felt driven to find out what Bobby Joe had going on. Why he had men coming to Rainwater loaded for bear. It was time to get to the bottom of things. If he and Kendall were to ever have a chance, Bobby Joe had to stop tormenting her, and that meant he had to be out of the picture completely.
He entered Lucas’ office and found him behind his desk doing paperwork. Without knocking, he walked in and dropped into a chair. “I want to talk to Bobby Joe.”
“Why?”
“I want to know what he’s into. Who were those guys acting out High Noon earlier today?”
Lucas leaned back. “I questioned Bobby Joe and he finally started talking. I guess the shootout shook him up enough he figured telling the truth was the only way any of us would even consider lifting a finger to help him. According to him, he was with a couple of friends playing pool at his dad’s house, in the basement, a while back. They were also taking turns playing video games, one guy on his computer. According to him, they were playing around, watching porn, too.
“They decided to go get beer and this guy took his iPhone with them. Bobby Joe claims they pulled up to the convenience store prepared to go inside and get a six pack.” Lucas shook his head. “In my opinion they were probably going to rob the place.”
“That would be my guess, too.”
“Bobby Joe said as they entered the parking lot, a man jumped out of a black SUV. Before they knew what happened, a guy pulled out a gun and shot and killed Steve Montel, a District Attorney. You remember his death reported in the news, right? Well, this guy recorded the whole thing on his phone then downloaded it onto a computer thumb drive, deleting it from his phone at the same time. Basically, the only video of the crime was on this thumb drive.”
Marcus whistled. “Damn, that man knows how to play with danger.”
“Crazy fool, plain and simple. The killer didn’t see them, though. He goes on to say, they snuck back to his old man’s house and came up with the brilliant idea of trying to blackmail the guilty party.”
Marcus groaned. “Don’t tell me, this gets worse.”
Lucas nodded. “Claims they didn’t have much luck and that may be because they had no idea of the identity of the guy who pulled the trigger. They threw a few hints out on social media and the few bites they received didn’t go anywhere. They didn’t turn the thumb drive with the video on it over to the FBI, or me either, by the way. They were counting on it being too valuable, and they believed they were all going to cash in on millions of dollars. Needless to say, nothing happened.”
“When did this go down?”
“About a year before he and Kendall separated, so around six years ago. Makes sense why Bobby Joe forgot about the whole thing and why he is so panicked now—fool thought they’d gotten away scot free. He took the thumb drive home and basically put it in a junk shoe box thinking it had no value and even after that they never got contacted, so it completely slipped his mind.”
“Well, that was mistake number two. With the first one being videotaping the killer and not turning it over to the authorities. The third one was them not being able to ID the killer. How could they ask for money when they didn’t know who to tap?”
Lucas shook his head and continued. “Anyway, time went on and nothing much happened. Like I said, Bobby Joe forgot about it and didn’t think anything would shake loose. I’m guessing he mistakenly left it with Kendall’s stuff when he moved out. Well, that video recently surfaced on the Internet and the people responsible for the murder of Steve Montel found out about it. Somehow they traced it back to Bobby Joe. Videos on the Internet are doctored all the time, so the original copy is really important. If we got our hands on that, they’d have a hard time making the case that it was tampered with. That’s why they want it so badly.”
Marcus nodded. “And Bobby Joe doesn’t have the thumb drive any longer and doesn’t know where to find it. These guys probably don’t believe him and think he’s trying to jack up the price.”
Lucas let out a pensive breath. “Exactly.”
Marcus cleared his throat. “I rented the apartment next to Kendall. I’m moving in tomorrow. I have this bright idea she and I can look for this thumb drive together. Once we find it, we’ll turn it over to you and let you decide what to do from there.”
“I wouldn’t let anybody know your intentions. The best thing to do is pretend we don’t know it exists. Don’t even admit Bobby Joe confessed. These guys are too dangerous. They mean business.”
“I’ve been thinking about this, Lucas. You know how when people move, they tend to leave things behind? My guess is that thumb drive is somewhere in Kendall’s possession and she doesn’t know it.”
Lucas shrugged. “Could be.”
“I’ll keep you updated on what happens.”
“Good luck with that. Don’t expect Bobby Joe to be any help, either. I asked him twice for more information and he clammed up on me.”
“That’s because he’s still trying to work the angle where he can make a deal with these guys.”
“Idiot.”
Marcus stood. “I have a court date in thirty minutes. I’ll keep you posted.”
* * *
Bobby Joe wiped the sweat from his brow, thankful to be alive. He never imagined those crazy goons would be stupid enough to come to town and have a shootout with Sheriff Quinn and Marcus. Thankfully, he didn’t get killed.
The gang of thugs who came to town armed and ready obviously wanted the thumb drive badly—bad enough to take out anyone who got in their way. Bad enough to kill for. James Cole had contacted him and threatened to blow his brains out if he didn’t turn over the evidence. He still had no idea how the guy had traced it back to him. He wasn’t even the one to take the video in the first place. With a gun to his head, Bobby Joe suddenly didn’t care about the money—he just wanted to live.
Cole gave him twenty-four hours before he’d come for him and if he didn’t have what he wanted, he’d be a dead man. No questions asked. When Bobby Joe tried to explain he didn’t know what happened to the damn thing, Cole nearly knocked his head off and threatened more violence.
As quick as he could, Bobby Joe got in touch with Jimmy to find out if he knew where the thumb drive might be. After all, he was the one who videoed the murder. Jimmy, as usual, proved to be clueless. Thankfully, Bobby Joe remembered he had stashed the flash drive in a shoebox Kendall used for junk. He hadn’t needed her asking any questions at the time. It was a year later when they split and he’d clearly forgotten about the damn thing. He let her take the box and the flash drive with her without a second thought.
For all he knew, Kendall could’ve thrown it in the trash. If she had, he could kiss his ass goodbye because no one could save him. Not even Lucas Quinn and Marcus Matthews.
He had to find a way out to give it to Cole so he’d leave him alone. No matter what, he couldn’t afford to stay in jail. He guessed these peopl
e had connections inside and out. He’d probably be dead before sunset. But what could he do, how could he find a way out of this?
If he stayed in jail, he wouldn’t be able to find what they wanted. If he could get out of jail he stood a better chance of being shot at. He stood in the middle of a no-win situation.
He laughed humorlessly. He’d spent half of his life screwing the opposition. Now, karma was doing a good job of teaching him a lesson.
At times, his mama’s words reverberated through his mind. Don’t try to do things the easy way, honest work makes men great. Maybe she’d been right, and he should have listened to more of what she’d tried to instill in her only son. She’d died two weeks after he turned fifteen, leaving him alone with his father. He’d never forgive her for that. His old man had always been meaner than a grizzly bear and twice as deadly.
David came in and leaned against the wall. “Well, Bobby Joe, it looks like you’ve done a really good job of getting yourself into one hell of a mess. Course, that’s not new for you. You’re about the dumbest man I’ve ever met.”
“If there weren’t these steel bars between us, I’d show you who’s dumb. This is crazy, me being in jail. I didn’t even hurt her. A man shouldn’t be in jail for just pushing a woman around.”
“You shouldn’t put your hands on her. The fights you have with Kendall have been your trouble from day one. From the day she filed for divorce you’ve only made matters worse by harassing the hell out of her. You keep it up and you’ll spend some serious time in jail. I’m only telling you this because you’re my cousin.”
“You being my cousin hasn’t ever benefited me. You saw how I was treated growing up and you didn’t give a crap. My old man was the Devil and your family treated me like I was a dog. Hell, worse than a dog.”
“Bobby Joe, you should’ve learned to do the right thing. We all tried to teach you. Your mama was a good woman. She tried to teach you right from wrong, too, but you wanted to be like your daddy. You’re happiest in trouble.”