Lacey was frowning at him. “Do that again.”
“What?”
She waved her hand. “Slap the top of the desk.” When he did so, her jaw dropped. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” He asked.
“Something rattled.”
“Yeah.”
“Jack, there’s nothing loose left to rattle. The drawers and all the contents are spread out here. That means… check the legs. I’ll help you!”
Jack slapped the desk one more time, isolating the sound of the rattle. It was coming from the left front leg of the desk. Squatting down near it, he lifted it, holding it up with his shoulder as he pried the small foot off it. The steel leg was hollow and with the end cap off it, a small black cylinder fell out.
“It’s a flash drive.,” she said. “Oh my gosh!”
It was. But more than that, it was a convertible flash drive. You could plug a micro SD card into it like one you would use in a phone or a camera. It was dated tech, but someone certainly made a concerted effort to hide it and hide it well. “I think we’ve definitely pinned down the source of his winning streak.”
* * *
Lacey didn’t question it. If there was one thing she’d learned from the whole debacle with Brandon and Brittany, it was that he was a very good liar. And if he was that good at lying, he’d probably accumulated other equally shady skills. It explained so much! There was no way Brandon’s clients could be paying him well enough to live the kind of life he did. Even with her footing the bills for their dinners out most of the time, his tastes were very expensive. He always had nice and new suits to wear. He was always taking trips to Cherokee to the casinos or getting away for the weekend with the boys. And unless boys was his pet name for Brittany’s heavily augmented boobs, that was definitely a lie. Then there was his car. A brand spanking new, top of the line, piece of German engineering with a hefty price tag—it was a rolling status symbol. For divorces and bankruptcies and the occasional drunk driving charge or relatively benign misdemeanors, he couldn’t be earning enough. In fact, given that she knew just how many client accounts had an outstanding balance, she knew better. It was all coming together for her now.
Brandon had come from a good family, one that was well known and well respected in town. But they didn’t have the money that her grandparents did. They hadn’t belonged to the country club, they hadn’t moved sun the same circles. She’d been his entree into all that.
“He used me,” she said. “From the very beginning, he was using me. All through school, Brandon had never even looked at me. After I graduated from college, I came back here, and all of a sudden, he was interested in me. And now I know why. He needed me. He needed me to introduce him to the people who would help him and the people whom he could coerce into helping him. I was never anything to him but a means to an end.”
“I’m sorry, Lacey. For what it’s worth, and as painful as I’m sure it is, you’re better off to be rid of him.”
“It doesn’t hurt,” Lady said. And curiously, that was true. She didn’t feel any pain. She’d already been betrayed by him in so many ways, that pain wasn’t part of it anymore. But she was livid. Enraged. Completely furious. “But I am mad as hell. The big question is… how do we use what we’ve found?”
“First, we need to know what’s on this,” Jack said, holding up the drive. “You said everyone who’s anyone will be at that ball, right? That includes anyone who has enough power and money for him to blackmail.”
“Oh yeah. Everyone who is anyone will be there. It’s the social event of the year… always.” Lacey considered that for a moment. Was that why he was so concerned about her making a scene? Was he worried about drawing too much attention to himself in front of people he’d made enemies? If so, why? There were so many things that still made no sense. And before she could even think to unravel it, she needed to clear the last vestiges of her slight hangover. “Let’s head home and figure out what’s on that disk… but first, I need breakfast.”
He was okay with that. One, he was starved, and two, the more people who saw them together, the higher the chance of it getting back to her attacker that he wouldn’t find Lacey alone again.
6
They had left the storage facility and made their way to where Lacey’s car was parked. Across the street from the bar was a small diner. It was one of those mom and pop places that were only open for breakfast and lunch. It had been Lacey’s pick for breakfast. “Is this as good as the pizza place was last night?”
“It’s great,” Lacey said. “Assuming that you don’t have a history of heart disease.”
Jack grinned. “I’ll risk it.”
He took her hand as they crossed the street and then entered the small diner. It was open seating, so he led her to one of the few empty booths. It was small and a pretty tight squeeze for him to fold his tall frame into it. Their legs brushed beneath the table, his knees bracketing the softness of her thighs. Yeah, he was hurting. Bad.
Immediately, a waitress in her early sixties came over to the table. “Good morning, Lacey. Who is this big, handsome fella with you?”
“Peggy, this is Jack Carter,” Lacey replied.
Jack held out his hand to the woman. “Her new boyfriend.”
Peggy’s heavily drawn on eyebrow rose skyward. “I see. And just where are you from, Jack Carter?”
“I live in Asheville,” he answered. “Lacey and I met through a mutual friend.”
Peggy grinned. “You must be a mind reader. That was going to be my next question. Well, you listen to me, Jack Carter. This here is one of my favorite people in this whole shit hole of a town… so you treat her right. You hear me?”
Jack grinned. “Yes, ma’am. I intend to.”
Peggy walked away for a moment, grabbed a pot of coffee and came back. She filled their cups as she added, “I like this one, Lacey. Unlike that other one… I didn’t say nothing while you were with him—.”
Lacey laughed outright at that. “Really? You didn’t say anything?”
Peggy flushed guiltily. “Well, I didn’t say all I wanted to, that’s for sure. Anyway, this one… he’s a good egg. Not like that namby pamby wouldn’t get his hands dirty thing you was with before. Now, do you know what you want for breakfast?”
“I’ll have a ham and cheese omelet. No toast,” Lacey answered.
“Bacon. Two orders,” Jack said. “And sausage. And three eggs scrambled. Toast. Home fries.”
Peggy gave him a sly look. “Worked up an appetite, did you?”
“Peggy!” Lacey scolded with embarrassment.
Jack was still laughing when the older woman walked away again.
“Why did you tell her you were my boyfriend?” Lacey asked.
Jack considered his response carefully and finally opted for as much of the truth as he could tell her at that time. “Because when all this mess is cleared up, that’s what I intend to be… at least to start.”
Lacey cocked her head to one side, her expression a mix of amusement and confusion. “You’re very forthright about it. I thought most men were eager to avoid labels and commitment and anything that hinted of an actual relationship.”
“I’m not most men… I would bet that I’m probably not like any man you’ve ever known,” Jack said. That would be the deciding factor. When she knew just how different he was, would she be able to accept him or would she run screaming in the other direction? Only time would tell.
Their breakfast orders were delivered quickly and they continued to talk as they ate. “How is that you know Zoe?” He asked her.
Lacey ducked her head as she answered, a sure sign that it was a topic she found to be uncomfortable. “My father lived in Atlanta and I would spend my summers there. Zoe’s grandparents lived just across the street so we’d play together as children.”
“You and your dad don’t get along?” he guessed.
“You could say that… Every time I’m around my dad, he tells me about the latest amazing
diet to try and my Christmas presents for him are usually gym memberships or elliptical trainers or something equally insulting. He means well, but he just doesn’t get it.”
Rather than keep her talking about something that was obviously painful and that also was pissing him off, he said, “So you and Zoe kept up with one another all those years?”
“It was pretty easy. We wound up going to the same college and being roommates.”
“I bet that was trouble,” he observed.
She smiled ruefully. “Maybe a little. But we weren’t all that bad. I was too shy and too scared of getting in trouble. Zoe had her nose in a romance novel most of the time.”
“Some things never change, I guess… though I suppose, now her nose is in the ones she’s writing rather than reading.”
They’d just finished eating when the door opened and three women entered. They took one look at Lacey and squealed before dashing over. “Lacey, you have to come over to our table for a moment. I need your opinions. I’ve two dresses that are contenders for the ball tonight but I haven’t been able to decide!”
“I”ll be right there,” Lacey said. She looked at him apologetically. “Will you excuse me?”
“I’ll take care of the check while your friends ask you about me,” he teased.
Lacey blushed. “They’re not subtle, are they?”
“No,” he grinned. “They’re not.”
When Lacey had walked toward the trio of giggling women who acted more like schoolgirls than adults, he rose and walked to the counter where Peggy was still giving him the once over.
“Peggy, what do you know about Brittany?” He asked, deciding on the direct approach.
“She’s crazier than a shithouse rat,” the waitress said. “They all are. Whole family. Now, this was years ago mind you, but her mother took it in her head that I was after her husband. Why anyone would want that shiftless SOB, I can’t say. But I walked out of the diner that night and found all four tires slashed. The next day, her mother, Brittany’s grandmother, comes in here, sits down at the counter and casually pulls a knife out of her purse, lays it on the counter, and tells me that she’ll cut more than tires the next time!”
That was darker than he’d expected. Gossip, sure. Smearing someone’s name or petty retaliation, yes. But actual threats, that was a surprise. “And you think Brittany’s an apple that didn’t fall far from the tree?”
“I think the whole damn tree is rotten. She can wrap it up as pretty as she likes, but she’s as bad as the lot of them. I’ve heard the stuff she’s said in town about Lacey. I know what she’s about. She never looked twice at Brandon until Lacey was with him… She’s hated that girl since they were children because Lacey had something she didn’t.”
“And what’s that?” Jack asked.
“Wealth, position, the respect of all the people in town because of her grandparents initially and then on her own merit… Brittany will never have that and she knows it.”
Jack considered that as he left a hefty tip for Peggy. “Thank you.”
“You watch out for that girl,” Peggy admonished. “Don’t let nothing bad happen to her, you hear me?”
“I do,” Jack agreed. “And I’ll keep my eye on her. Don’t you worry.”
Turning around, he headed toward the door. Lacey rose from the table with her friends and headed towards him. He held the door for her and she stepped out into the parking lot. They walked across the street to where her car was parked. “Wait for me,” Jack instructed. “I want to follow close behind you. I’m learning more and more about Brittany and the more I learn, the more worried I am.”
“I hardly think she’d sabotage my car,” Lacey insisted.
“Then you should have a long talk with Peggy.” Jack didn’t like that she kept underestimating the danger she was in. “No unnecessary risks.”
She nodded. “I think it’s overkill, but I’ll be cautious.”
Jack opened the car door for her. When she was inside with the engine running, he turned and retraced his steps to his own vehicle. Climbing into the SUV, he eased out to the street and then let her pull out in front of him. Merging onto the street behind her, he stayed a reasonable distance back to watch for any potential threats.
As they made their way out of town and toward the curvy mountain road that led to her house, traffic thinned out. Her small car rounded a bend a few yards ahead. Before he reached that same bend, he heard the sound of the crash. Screeching tires and breaking glass. It was an unmistakable sound and it had his heart leaping in his chest. Then a black Nissan came flying around the curve, taking that bend on two wheels in a squall of rubber and the smell of hot brakes.
Going after the other car wasn’t an option. He had to get to Lacey. Rounding the bend, he saw the gap in the guard rail. It wasn’t crumpled from an accident. It had been carefully cut through with an acetylene torch. And over the side, he could see the red glare of taillights angled up toward the trees.
With a curse, Jack ran across the road and then stopped immediately. It was steeper than he’d realized. Steep enough that getting down there on two legs would be all but impossible. The car was upside down, flipped over and resting against a tree that was growing out the side of the embankment. Below it was a sheer drop of at least fifty feet.
“Lacey?”
“I’m okay,” she cried out. Her voice was tremulous. “I’m just stuck. The seat belt is jammed.”
Jack scanned the area again. The whole thing was unstable. The tree wasn’t nearly strong enough to hold the weight of the car for too long. And getting to her on two legs wasn’t an option, not unless he wanted to break one in the process. Then they were both screwed.
Squatting down, he said, “Lacey, I’m going to do something and it might freak you out… but I need you to trust me, okay?”
“Don’t try to come down here, Jack! It’s too dangerous Just call for help,” Lacey demanded.
The tree groaned, the bare limbs rattling. Waiting wasn’t an option. He kicked off his boots, then began shrugging out of his clothes. Naked, he yelled back to her, “We don’t have time.”
He felt the power ripple through him, then his bones began to twist and move beneath his skin.
7
Lacey had no idea what was going on. She’d rounded the bend in the road and then swerved to avoid crashing into the all too familiar black Nissan. Only there hadn’t been a guard rail there. A huge gap had been cut into the guardrail and before she could correct the steering, she sailed right through it. Her car had flipped down the embankment. All the windows were shattered. There were little pieces of tempered glass everywhere. She was sore, but she wasn’t really hurt. Looking out the now empty space where the window should have been, her gaze landed on Jack. She didn’t have a completely clear view of him, mostly just his lower legs. But as she looked at him, she noticed that he seemed to be stripping. What the hell was he doing?
His clothes landed in a pile on the ground next to him and then there was this strange shimmering light. And then he was gone. In the place where he’d stood was an enormous brown bear. Her brain was processing the information she was seeing, but she couldn’t accept it. It wasn’t possible. Things like that didn’t happen. The hot, protective and seemingly amazing guy that her friend had set her up with did not just turn into freaking bear.
Even as she thought it, a scream bubbled up inside her. He wasn’t just standing up near the road. He was moving down the embankment, heading straight toward her. His paws were massive, the shaggy coat rippling with the terrifying strength in the muscles beneath it.
“Oh, God! Oh, no, no, no. I hit my head. I hit my head really hard. I’m hallucinating and none of this is happening,” she told herself, almost chanting the words.
The ground all but trembled beneath his weight as he lumbered toward the mangled door of the car. The bear’s head lowered, looking in through the remnants of the window at her. This his paw slipped inside, hooked the mangled door and with a dea
fening roar, the metal was ripped free of its hinges and tossed aside as if it weighed nothing. Then he reached in again, his sharp, dagger-like claws shredding the seat belt. She landed on the upholstered ceiling of the car with a soft thud. It didn’t hurt, really, but she was far from comfortable.
It was Jack. It had to be. The bear’s actions were too deliberate, too precise and calculated for it to be anything else. “How is this possible?” But of course there was no answer. Because he was a freaking bear. Or she was losing her mind. Or suffering a brain bleed. Something! Anything made more sense than what she was interpreting as her current reality.
The bear moved back, retreating from the opening that had been created. Perhaps it was habit, or maybe just some need to feel like she was in control of things, but Lacey’s purse was lying next to her so she grabbed it before crawling out. Once out of the car, she managed to climb to her feet, but she stared at her surroundings with dismay. It would be impossible for her to get back up to the road. The incline was so steep she’d never make it. A glance behind her and Lacey bit back a scream. The dirt, rocks and the tree trunk that had been against the passenger window had kept her from seeing the sheer drop off on the other side of the car.
A low, snuffling sound pulled her back to the more pressing and immediate situation. The bear. Once her eyes were on it, it stared back at her with a kind of intelligence that should have been impossible. Then it turned, planted it’s feet on the embankment and looked back at her. It’s intent to carry her up the incline was obvious.
Still not trusting her own senses and judgement, Lacey uttered a single word as a question. “Jack?”
The bear lowered its head in acknowledgement.
“I don’t understand,” she said, hating that she could hear tears in her voice. She was afraid because she didn’t understand, but she didn’t have any fear of the creature in front of her. And that was perhaps the most telling thing of all. “Not at all. But you asked if I trusted you, and I do.” With that, Lacey stepped forward and looped draped herself over the bear’s broad back, looping her arms around his neck. The thickness and the softness of the fur was a shock to her. The clean, spicy and woodsy scent was strangely familiar also.
The Bear’s Blind Date: A Howl’s Romance Page 4