He took a moment, then asked, “What made you show up at Hale’s office so damn gung-ho to see me?”
I drew a breath. Was there any hope of reaching him? Was he too far gone? I had to at least try. “I’m here because I know one of your men was killed today, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Denny Carmichael or his men were the ones who pulled the trigger. I have a bad, bad feeling that things are about to get ugly. I wanted to reason with you one last time.” I walked around the coffee table and stood a few feet away from him. “Please stop this before it’s too late. This town will be destroyed, and you will get killed.”
He snorted. “Is that supposed to stop me? Come on, Lady, you can do better than that.”
“James, you’ve replaced every single man who was loyal to you with paid mercenaries. You may be building your ivory tower, but you’re sittin’ up there all alone. Can’t you see what you’re doin’?”
“I’ve got a pretty good view of what I’m doin’—I’m loading up those offshore accounts so they’re nice and plump. And yeah, I’m alone, but I’ve spent most of my damn life alone.” He gave me a withering look. “I might have said I was doing it for you, but don’t let your ego get carried away. You were just part of the plan. The idea was to make a huge profit, then go off somewhere and make a new life. I figured I’d bring you with me. But I realized you’d never go for it, and then you chose that damn baby over me.”
“So you’re not workin’ for the FBI?”
He laughed, but it was bitter. “Still tryin’ to make me into a damn saint.”
I stared at him hard. “I know you sent Vera to take me to the kids. And I also know you killed her for puttin’ me in danger.”
His mouth parted in shock, then he quickly recovered. “Where’d you come up with that?” A slow smile spread across his face. “You’re just fishin’.”
“I had a vision of her, James,” I said, my voice breaking. “I saw you interrogating her outside, in the dark. She was supposed to take me to the kids and make sure I got them out safely. You were pissed she left us there, so you shot her in the head.” My chin trembled. “I saw it.”
He looked shocked, then said, “As I’ve mentioned, I’m no saint, no matter how much you try to paint me as one. Maybe it’s better that you saw the truth firsthand.”
“So you knew where those kids were when I came to you, and you sent me away. What difference did it make whether the information came from you or Vera?”
He ran his hand over his head. For a brief moment, he looked lost, almost as if he wanted to find his way out but didn’t know how, but he quickly recovered. “You said it yourself. It’s all a game.”
“Why was Vera following me? Why not just have her tell me straight away?”
“Because I wanted to keep tabs on you,” he said matter-of-factly. “I was hoping you’d lead me to Mike.”
“And what does Mike have to do with any of this?” I cocked my head slightly. “I know he was supposed to get Mark Erickson, the man who was killed, because he needed an electrician who had access to restricted areas in the courthouse.”
He started to say something, but he cut it off with a shit-eating grin that suggested he was king of the world and he could take what he wanted, when he wanted it, consequences be damned.
“You always were too curious for your own good.” He moved closer and made a slow circle around me with a leer in his eyes. “You know, I could take you with me and lock you in my room at the house. I could keep you as my distraction.”
My mouth went dry, and my heartbeat sped up. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“No one knows where it is. They’d never think to look for you there.”
“Jed would.”
He released a bitter laugh. “I can handle him.”
“What about Hope?”
“What about her?” he asked bitterly. “Let Simmons keep her since he’s so damn hot on raisin’ my kid.”
Disgust rushed through me. He lifted a hand to my face, and I slapped it away, taking a big step back. “What happened to you?”
He held his hands out at his sides. “You’re lookin’ at a little bit of nature and a whole lot of nurture.”
“Why did you want me for forty-eight hours before I had Hope?”
He laughed again. “It sure as hell wasn’t to seduce you.”
“Is that what this is?” I snapped. “A seduction?”
He reached for me, pulling me to his chest. His hand grabbed my hair at the base of my neck, forcing my head back to look up at him. There was nothing loving or seductive in his touch. “I can take what I want and not feel an ounce of guilt.”
“You liar,” I said through gritted teeth.
The side of his mouth lifted in amusement. “You think I can’t take what I want?”
“Oh, I know you can, but you told me once that you never condoned rape.”
He pulled me closer, and I felt his arousal pressing against my belly. “I’ve changed, Lady.”
“Why did you want me for forty-eight hours?”
His grin spread, but a malicious look filled his eyes. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know and more, but you have to screw me right now. This is a one-time offer.” His brow lifted. “What do you say? I know you want it.”
I stared up at him in horror. “Your offer would make me no better than a prostitute.”
He lifted his shoulders slightly in a shrug. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll make sure it’s good.” His mouth dropped to my exposed neck, and he nipped slightly. “Damn good.”
Before, his touch had me weak in the knees, but now it just made me sick.
I lifted my foot and scraped the heel of my shoe down the inside of his leg, then stomped on his foot hard, wishing the heel were a stiletto instead of a block. Then I lifted my forearm and brought it down hard on the arm holding my hair. He released me, taking some of my hair with him.
I backed up several feet, panting. “Stay the hell away from me.”
He grinned, but it lacked any humor or warmth. “There’s my hellcat come out to play.”
“Is this some damn game to you?” I demanded in disbelief. What was I asking? Of course it was. Hadn’t we just established that? He was in his own version of Game of Thrones, and I was one of the many disposable women in his life. I’d just fooled myself into thinking I was different.
No, that wasn’t true. I knew I’d meant something to him once. Until I no longer fit. Until I asked for more than he wanted to give. Until I became inconvenient.
“I’m done, James,” I said, sounding as weary as I felt. “Let the chips fall where they may. I’m done.”
“I wish that were true, Lady,” he said, sounding weary himself. Then he stomped out of the office, and as I watched him leave, I realized the extent of my failure.
I hadn’t forced a vision.
Chapter 10
I didn’t waste any time getting out of there. The bullet lodged into the drywall in the hall was a sharp reminder that I’d nearly left Hope without a mother.
Carter was sitting in one of the chairs in his waiting room, his elbow on the armchair. He’d been staring out the window, but his gaze swung to me as I walked down the hall.
His assistant wasn’t at her desk. “Where’s your new hire?”
“Gone,” he said dryly, confirming my suspicion. “Thanks to you and your little stunt.”
“Maybe you’ll put a little more thought into who you employ,” I said. “Your taste seems to be deteriorating along with your boss’s.”
He started to say something, then stopped. A grin lit up his face, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We all seem to be on the same runaway locomotive, so what difference does it make?”
Did Carter see this as a one-way trip to prison or worse, death?
“A piece of advice,” he said slowly, getting to his feet. “Go home. Stay home. Stay the hell away from Skeeter Malcolm. If you leave him alone, he’ll leave you alone. I’ll make sure of it.”
He released a sharp laugh. “I warn you to stay away, and you ask more questions.” He inhaled deeply, then pushed it out as he shook his head. “Like I said, we’re all on the same damn runaway train.” He started down the hall to his office, then glanced back over his shoulder. “I hope I see you at the next station, but if I don’t.” He gave me a two-finger salute then walked away.
Did Carter know about the drug deal? I considered following him to his office so I could force a vision, but I doubted it would show me much. We needed a location, and the likelihood of Carter being present at the transaction was slim to none.
I’d have to find out another way.
But as I walked to my truck, I wondered if Carter was right. Maybe we were all aboard an out-of-control train, about to slam into a brick wall.
What did I really hope to achieve?
I was pensive and subdued when I reached the nursery, and Maeve gave me a worried look. “Is everything okay, Rose?”
“Yeah,” I said with a dismissive wave, then gave her a believable excuse that would ease her concern. It also happened to be true. “I just have a headache.”
“Maybe you’re doing too much too soon,” she said, her brow creased with worry. Based on our talk earlier, I had a feeling she wasn’t just referring to my work at the office.
“That’s probably it.” I glanced around the store, feeling anxious. “Where’s my sweet baby?”
“She’s in the swing. We set it up close to the window in the back. She seems to like looking outside, and Anna and I take turns talking to her. And Muffy’s with her, of course. She rarely let’s Hope out of her sight.”
I hurried back there and found Hope in the swing, rocking by the window while Anna sat next to her, talking to her in a soothing undertone.
Muffy lay under the swing, her chin on her outstretched front legs. When she saw me, her tail starting wagging and she raced toward me, her gait only a bit wobbly, and jumped up on my legs.
I scooped her up and held her close, scratching behind her ears and on the side of her neck. “You’re a good dog, Muff,” I whispered as I buried my face into her neck.
Anna looked up and noticed me. “Oh, hey, Rose. You’re back already.”
The disappointment in her voice was reassuring. Maeve and Anna worked for the nursery—it wasn’t their job to babysit my daughter, so I was relieved they both seemed to enjoy it so much.
“How has she been?”
“A dream,” Anna said with a wistful look in her eyes. Apparently, Neely Kate wasn’t the only woman in town with baby fever.
I walked around the swing, nearly floored with relief when I saw Hope strapped into the seat. Her gaze was focused on Anna’s face.
“When are you and Bruce Wayne gonna have a baby of your own?” I asked as I squatted and released the buckle of the straps holding Hope in.
A grin spread across her face as Maeve joined us. “Well, actually…”
“Are you tryin’?” I blurted out in excitement.
Her grimace suggested she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to share, but the grin was back a moment later. “Not only did we try, we succeeded.”
Maeve clapped her hands in excitement. “Another baby.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” I said. “When are you due?”
“It’s still early yet,” she said. “We were going to wait to tell everyone, but it’s hard to keep something so wonderful to yourself for long.”
“Trust me. I understand,” I said. “Bruce Wayne will be an amazing father.”
“Hey,” she said in mock outrage. “What about me?”
I waved a hand, then lifted Hope out of the swing. “Please. You being an incredible mother is a given. But people tend to dismiss Bruce Wayne.”
“You didn’t,” she said quietly.
“No,” I said, matching her tone. “And neither did you. He’s a good man, and he’ll make a great father.”
“I know. But don’t tell him I told you, okay? I think he wants to be the one to tell you.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “We’ll keep your secret.”
What would happen to other people in the community if this drug deal went down? Would Bruce Wayne and Anna have to leave town? I hated to think of it, not just for myself, since it would be a huge loss for the landscaping business, but because he’d have to start over if he moved somewhere else.
“When did she last eat?” I asked, the heaviness in my breasts reminding me it had been a while.
“She hasn’t since you left her, but we changed her diaper about ten minutes ago,” Maeve said. “She’s been awake the entire time.”
“So a feeding and a nap are in our future,” I said with a brightness I didn’t feel.
“Maybe you can get a nap too,” Maeve said, looking worried. “You seem exhausted.”
I nodded. “Sounds like a good plan.”
Hope was quiet most of the drive back out to the farm, but she started to wail about five minutes out. When we got out of the truck, I sat in a chair on the porch to nurse her, Muffy at my feet.
It was early June, typically hot and humid in southern Arkansas, but the temperature was mild, and the breeze felt good. It felt like there was a storm of locusts in my head, but I tried to focus on the baby in my arms, taking in her sweet chubby cheeks, her dark hair, and balled fists. I ran a fingertip down her arm, marveling at the softness of her skin. God had given me an incredible gift. James’ derision of her didn’t diminish that, but it still made my heart ache. It also reinforced my decision to name Joe as her father. He would never turn his back on her. He would sooner die than let harm come her way. That was love. Joe was the father I wanted for her, especially if things went wrong over the next few days.
I heard a car coming down the short, tree-lined drive, relieved when I saw Joe’s sheriff’s sedan heading toward the house. He parked and got out, walking toward us. He was wearing his uniform, and the sun hit his brown hair, bringing out the copper highlights. He looked so much like the man I’d met two years ago, only he was different, humbled and more mature. Trouble had come for him from all sides, but it had taught him what was important in life, and it wasn’t money or power. It was love. It was family.
“Hey,” he said, hurrying up the steps with worry-filled eyes. “What’s wrong?”
I realized I’d been crying and offered him a weak smile. “Long morning, but that’s not why I’m emotional.” My voice broke. “I’m just so grateful to have you, Joe.”
“Hey,” he said, taking Hope from me, and I realized she had fallen asleep.
I adjusted my bra and shirt before standing.
He pulled me into an embrace, holding me to the side. “What’s really wrong, darlin’?” he whispered into my ear.
The tears kept coming, and he leaned back to take in my face. “I’m gonna put Hope down, then we’ll talk, okay?” he said.
I nodded. “Have you had lunch?”
“Not yet, but—”
“I’m starvin’,” I said, forcing a smile. “I’ll make us something to eat.” And hopefully, get myself under control.
“Okay.” But he didn’t sound convinced as I walked past him into the house.
Muffy followed him upstairs as I headed into the kitchen, trying to figure out what to tell him as I also searched for what to make for lunch. We had some leftover baked chicken in the fridge, so I pulled that out along with a jar of mayonnaise and dijon mustard to make chicken salad. I started chopping onions and celery, still trying to figure out what to say. I really, really didn’t want to keep secrets from him, but I also couldn’t give away other people’s confidences, especially if it implicated them in any way.
I was mixing everything together in a bowl when he entered the kitchen with the monitor i
n hand. “Sorry I took so long,” he said as he set it on the counter. “She woke up, so I rocked her back to sleep.”
I gave him a wobbly smile. “You’re such a good daddy.”
Worry creased his forehead. “We’ve already established that fact,” he teased, although no spark of humor lit his eyes, “so let’s move on to the unknowns, like what has you so upset.”
I carried the bowl of chicken salad to the table, then walked over to the cabinet to get some plates. “Can you get the bread?”
“Rose,” he said, pulling me to a stop. “Let me just hold you first.”
I wrapped my arms around his back and pressed my face to his chest.
He rubbed my back and placed a kiss on top of my head, squeezing me tighter.
“I love you, Joe. I’m so very grateful for you.”
“Yeah,” he said softly into my ear. “We’ve established that too. What happened?”
I lifted my hand to cup his cheek and leaned back to look up into his warm brown eyes.
He stared back with a mixture of wonder and concern. Stretching up, I pressed my mouth to his and kissed him. It started out soft, simple, but a powerful need for him rushed through my veins, and I kissed him harder.
His arm tightened around me, pulling me closer as he kissed me back with pent-up frustration. We’d been together for a month and a half, but we had yet to consummate our new relationship.
I needed more of him. I needed to feel his bare skin next to mine, so I tugged at his button-down shirt, untucking it from his pants, then skimmed my hand up his chest.
He sucked in a breath and followed suit, pulling my T-shirt over my head and pressing kisses to my neck and down to my breasts.
But then he froze and stood upright, his breath coming in heavy pants. “As much as I want this—want you—we need to wait until the doctor says it’s okay.”
“Neely Kate says it’s probably fine,” I said, reaching for the buttons on his shirt.
His hand covered mine, stilling my fingers. “I’ll be sure to send a donation to the imaginary medical school Neely Kate graduated from. Now tell me what’s goin’ on?”
It All Falls Down: Rose Gardner Investigations #7 (Rose Gardner Investigatons) Page 8