by Kathy Ivan
Tessa pointed her taco at Jill. “You’ll be lucky if I stop at twenty. I’ve got a million of ’em. Did you sign the contract?”
She shook her head. “I will, but I’m having my lawyer look over it first. Ms. Patti insisted. I did, however, sign the lease for the bakery.”
“Yes!” Tessa clicked her bottle against Jill’s. “I am so happy for you. You know I’m going to be your biggest customer.”
“You better be. Oh, you need to stop by and see it, Tessa. I don’t think I could have picked a better spot. It’s on Main Street, not too far from Daisy’s Diner and Gourmet Grounds. Plus, the sheriff’s station is right down the street, so that’ll make people feel safer. Dusty has a sweet tooth, so I can probably count on him keeping me in business.”
Jill took a huge bite out of her taco and nearly swooned as the taste of spicy beef and tomato burst upon her tongue. She’d been too nervous to eat before she met Ms. Patti, then she’d gone by the new store. Only now did she realize she’d forgotten to eat all day. Taking another bite, she practically inhaled the rest of her taco.
“Wow, you must’ve been starving. Glad I decided to bring dinner.”
“Thanks. I kinda got busy and forgot to eat.” She took a quick drink, and reached for the guacamole. This time Tessa let her grab the spoon without swatting at her.
“I’ve made a list of stuff I’m going to need right away. All the big things. We’re establishing a line of credit with a restaurant supplier in Austin. And I’m probably going to need to hire a cleaning crew, because the shop’s been empty for a while, and it needs a ton of TLC.”
“You know you’ve got a handy-dandy cleaning crew, ready to chip in and do whatever you need?”
Jill shook her head, catching on quick to what Tessa suggested. “No, they’ve already done more than enough. I’m not asking the Boudreaus for more help.”
Tessa started to answer, but paused when she glanced at her phone. Swiping her finger across the screen, she laughed and handed the phone to Jill. “Guess again, sister.”
The text message on Tessa’s phone was plain enough.
TELL JILL TO SET ASIDE SATURDAY MORNING. DOUGLAS AND THE BOYS WILL MEET HER AT 8 A.M. AT THE BAKERY, READY TO WORK. THEY’LL BRING ALL THE CLEANING SUPPLIES. SHE SIMPLY NEEDS TO SUPERVISE.
She immediately burst into tears. Was there anything Ms. Patti couldn’t do? Now she’d solved another one of Jill’s problems, before she’d even realized it was one.
“Hey, none of that!” Tessa jumped from her chair, and squatted beside Jill, wrapping her arms around her. “I know she tends to take over, but she never means it in a malicious or mean way. Never, ever. She simply sees a situation, figures out what needs to be done, and then makes it happen.”
“I know.” Jill wiped at her damp cheeks. “I adore her. It’s just…everything. I’m feeling overwhelmed and honestly a bit scared.”
“Welcome to my world. Remember when I first moved here? I adored my family, but once you’ve met the Boudreaus, been around them for any length of time, you realize they are like a force of nature. In the best possible way, of course.”
“I never expected to be part of their world. You are because you’re marrying into the family. The only connection I had to them was Lucas, and that ended a long time ago.”
Tessa leaned back in her chair. “You know, for as long as I’ve known you, even back in school, you never once mentioned Lucas.”
“Sure I did.” Didn’t I?
“Nuh-uh. Not even once. What’s going on with the two of you? And don’t tell me nothing. The few times I’ve seen you together, there’s a sizzle between you that’s more than an old school crush.”
Jill shoved a chip in her mouth, needing a second before answering. She hadn’t deliberately kept her past with Lucas a secret. It simply hurt too much when he’d moved away, and then she’d left for Duke. Throwing herself into her courses, she’d been able to keep the memories at bay, at least for a little while. She swallowed down the chip, which suddenly tasted like cardboard.
“I’m not sure where to start. Lucas and I have known each other forever. We went to school together. For a while, we were close.”
“How close—like boyfriend and girlfriend close? Or more bosom buddies close?”
Trust Tessa to go right for the heart.
“Both. Neither. He was my best friend, the one person I told everything. I had such a crush on him in high school. We hung out together all the time. Lucas was…special.”
A tiny smirk appeared on Tessa’s lips. Jill rolled her eyes, and shoved another chip in her mouth. The guacamole was really good. She’d have to ask Tessa where she got it.
“Special. Is that synonymous for you had the hots for him?”
“Gutter, meet Tessa.”
Tessa swatted her arm. “Shut up. You know what I mean.”
“Yes.” Jill felt the heat flooding her cheeks, knew she was probably bright pink bordering on tomato red, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She’d always blushed at the slightest provocation, and being fair-skinned, it was a trait she’d dealt with her whole life.
“And?”
“Lucas was my first kiss. I’d gone to his house after school, and he kissed me in his mother’s gazebo.”
Tessa squealed and threw her hands in the air. “I knew it! There’s still something there, right? Because I have to tell you, he watches you when you’re not looking. And those looks definitely aren’t the platonic ‘she’s an old school chum’ kind, if you ask me.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. The bigger question here is—how do you feel about him now? Do you still want him?”
“There’s not an easy answer, Tessa. We don’t even live in the same town anymore. Too much time has passed. We’re different people, not the same kids from high school.”
“Doesn’t matter, those are merely obstacles in the path of true love. It’s how you feel in your heart that counts. Do you love him?”
Jill fought the urge to run and hide, because Tessa was asking her all the questions she’d already asked herself. The answer both scared and exhilarated her, because once she said the words out loud, there’d be no more hiding from the truth.
“Yes. I love him.”
“I knew it! So, what are we going to do about it?”
Jill shook her head and pushed away her plate. “Nothing. It broke my heart when he moved away. You and I both know long-distance relationships don’t last. Besides, getting ready to open the new bakery is going to take up all my time. I don’t have it in me to deal with the upheaval of juggling a new business and keeping my heart from breaking again.”
Tessa sniffed, blotting at her eyes with her napkin. “I know I’m playing matchmaker, but I want you to be as happy as I am. You’re my bestie; you should be getting married, opening your bakery, having babies. I want you to have it all.”
Jumping up, Jill wrapped her arms around Tessa, who gave a watery chuckle. “You’re overflowing with happiness, aren’t you? Right now, the bakery is enough. More than enough if I’m going to make it a success. I have to pour all my energy and concentration into it. Anything else, especially a man, is a distraction I can’t afford.”
“But—”
“No. Don’t go getting any crazy ideas, either. I know you. Leave Lucas alone. He’ll be heading back to Fort Worth soon, and off to his next investigation. Living his life the way he wants to—so leave it alone.”
“Fine. But doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Jill started picking up the plates and carrying them to the sink. She paused for a second, closing her eyes, and letting the loneliness wash over her. It didn’t matter what her heart wanted, her mind told her she was making the right choice.
“Want some dessert? I’ve got ice cream.”
“What flavor?”
Jill spun around and glared at Tessa, hands on her hips. “You mean there’s more than one?”
“Not as far as you’re concerned. C
hocolate-covered cherries it is.”
Jill laughed at Tessa’s antics, knowing her friend was doing her best to cheer her up. And it was working.
“Two bowls coming right up.”
Lucas studied the notes he’d made, outlining the things he’d figured out so far. All the facts and figures about gambling in Texas, compiled into several handwritten lists. It astounded him how little was actually known about a multimillion-dollar industry operating beneath the legitimate radar. Where the money went. How much was actually won and lost by the people desperately tossing money at a pipe dream that most likely would never pan out.
Legal lotteries were huge business. The Texas Lottery, established in 1992, had generated over thirty billion dollars in revenue, with those funds going to education, veteran services, and other state programs. Winners, big and small, accounted for over sixty-four billion dollars in prizes. Billions with a capital B. He’d known the numbers were big, but those were only the ones from Texas. Add in the rest of the country, and you’re talking mind-boggling numbers.
But something still didn’t add up. That extra instinctive zap he got when he was on the right track for a story. It hadn’t happened yet, and until it did, he was barking up the wrong tree. Should he do it from a lost revenue perspective, how it was taking money away from the people who could least afford it? Or maybe do it from a more personal angle, an in-depth interview with somebody who’d been personally affected by illegal gambling? How it affected not only them, but those around them. Their families. Their friends.
Zap. There it was. He’d been looking at the story from the wrong perspective. Sure, the money side of things was important. It was a given that a huge chunk of the money from these illegal gaming establishments didn’t make its way back into the legitimate coffers to help out communities, schools, and citizens. No, organized crime made a fortune on the games of chance. Had for decades, even before little mom and pop shops sprang up in every county, every town. Drug cartels gained huge profits by running these sites, and funneling the money back into human trafficking, among other things. It was perverse and ugly.
But did the Average Joe, reading about the facts and figures, get anything beyond the details? They looked at the astronomical numbers, the amounts of money being tossed around, and their eyes glazed over, because they couldn’t imagine seeing that kind of money in their lifetime, and then they moved on to the next thing to read. There was no personal impact. No discussion of how it affected their community, because maybe somebody they knew, somebody they sat beside in church on Sunday, was caught in its clutches.
What if he told people about its impact on one person’s life? How they got started. How they found themselves falling deeper under the allure of making a fast buck. The excitement and adrenaline of the win. The agony and despair at losing. Make it personal. Make them hurt when it impacted the wife or husband, their brother or sister. How they hid their addiction. Define the danger it presented to one lone individual, and how it inevitably spread to include those they loved.
Lucas looked up from his notes, realizing he’d written over three pages of questions needing answers. Yes, this felt right. The personal angle, the lure to get people caring about what was happening, because once you tugged on their heartstrings, you motivated them to make changes.
Picking up the phone, he called Chuck. If he pitched this right, he’d get the okay, because this went beyond a simple investigative piece. It was more than an information dump of facts and figures; it was about an epidemic sweeping the nation.
Now he needed to find the subject of his expose, his person of interest. Somebody with firsthand experience of the rise and fall, the lies and deceit this insidious disease carried. But who?
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Wow, Sis,” Dante turned slowly, examining what she’d accomplished. “I can’t believe how much you’ve done. I’m really proud of you.”
“Thanks. I can’t believe it’s happening. I’ve got a couple of bruises where I’ve pinched myself, to make sure it’s real.”
Dante’s arm came around her shoulder, and Jill leaned her head against him. For the last several days, she’d worked every spare second, whipping the new bakery space into a semblance of order. Unfortunately, her old boss held her to the two weeks’ notice she’d given. She found herself driving back and forth to work at the insurance company, slogging away at the mundane number crunching. Knowing it was temporary, her heart’s dream within her grasp, made it bearable. Although her tail dragged, she worked late into the night every night, cleaning, scrubbing, and painting, until she fell into bed exhausted. Only to repeat the entire process the next day.
“You deserve this.” He sighed and squeezed her tight, brushing a kiss against her forehead. “I know it’s my fault you never got the chance to do this sooner. If I’d gotten my act together, stayed away from Junior and his guys, you’d already have the bakery.”
“Dante, you made a mistake.” At his raised brow, she chuckled. “Okay, fine, you made a bunch of mistakes, screwed up more times than I can mention. But you haven’t gone back, right?”
“Nope. I promise I’m steering clear of the whole gang.”
“Good. I know it’s hard, but it’s for the best. You’ve got a problem, but I swear you’re doing the right thing. No more poker. No more slots. No gambling at all. It’s the only way you’ll stay clean.”
“It’s harder than I thought. I spent almost every day with those guys. Nights in their garages playing Texas Hold ’Em or blackjack. Sometimes we’d go do some slots and video stuff. Smoke a little weed. Getting high and gambling aren’t a good combination, and I got in over my head. Gotta tell you, I never knew those guys were part of an illegal ring. They’re my friends. We played friendly games for penny ante stakes—until we moved things to the club. Then everything escalated.”
“Don’t do it again, and we’re square.” Jill shuddered at the memory of the large men who’d met her at the door of her apartment several weeks ago. They’d demanded payment of Dante’s poker debt. Holding her bruised and broken brother draped between them, it would’ve been obvious to a blind man he’d been roughed up. More like beaten to a bloody pulp. Bruises and bloody streaks decorated his face. Even now, she remembered the stark terror in his eyes. The reality of what he’d done filled her with disgust and loathing for the monsters preying on the weak. And her brother was weak.
Dante had looked pathetic, held between two large men smelling of stale beer and greasy fast food. They’d stood behind a man, obviously their leader, her brother’s body drooping, his legs unable to hold his body’s weight. The middle-aged man, dressed impeccably in a navy suit and blue and white striped tie, called the shots from the way the others never made a move without his approval. He wasn’t tall, probably the same height as her, but he’d exuded an aura of power impossible to ignore. His dark hair was swept back, accentuating the sharp angles and craggy planes of his face. If he’d been smiling, or even showing a modicum of civility, he might have been considered attractive. Instead, goosebumps leapt to attention all over her, and she knew he was dangerous. It was impossible to tell much about him, though he’d barked out an order in Spanish when one of the goons holding Dante backhanded her brother across the face.
His eyes, though, she remembered those. They’d been icy cold. They contained an eerie empty blackness, devoid of any spark of life within their obsidian depths. Whatever soul he might have possessed had long since been lost, because there wasn’t a whiff of humanity visible. A shiver raced down her spine at the memory.
Money. Everything came down to money. The grim-faced leader calmly explained to Jill her brother was beholden to him, owed him a debt. A rather large sum he’d racked up, and he was late paying it back. Dante’s pleading look from swollen and bruised eyes tugged at her, but she’d sworn she wasn’t giving him any more money. Over the last several months, he’d been hitting her up for small amounts. Fifty here, a hundred there, but she’d finally wised up and cut him o
ff.
Until that night.
“Jill?”
She shook her head and took a step back. “Sorry, I was thinking about how much more I’ve gotta do to get this place open.” Grinning up at her baby brother, she noticed how tall he’d gotten. When had her little bro grown up?
“Well, I’m here. How can I help?
“Wait, you’re serious? You’re volunteering to work? Okay, who are you and where is my real brother?”
“Don’t be a dork. I’m a pretty decent worker. At least, that’s what Frank says. If business keeps picking up, he’s going to give me some more hours.”
Jill hugged Dante, squeezing extra hard, because this was the best news. “That’s great! I am so proud of you. You’ve really turned things around.”
Dante’s expression turned serious. “I had my eyes opened the hard way. When they threatened you, threatened our folks—Jilly, I know I’m a stone-cold idiot. I’ll never be able to say I’m sorry enough for what I put you through, but at least I can be your muscle around here. You know, since you’re so puny.”
“I’ll puny you,” Jill quipped, taking a playful swat at him.
“Seriously, Sis, I’ve got a few hours. Put me to work.”
Giving him a playful push, she pointed him toward the back, which still needed the most work. During her late night work-a-thons, she’d focused most of her attention on fixing up the public area. The equipment supply place in Austin couldn’t get the ovens or industrial refrigeration units to her for another two weeks, so she’d directed her energies into cleaning and sprucing up the area people would see first.
The kitchen area, on the other hand, needed a heavier hand. Ms. Patti was coming on Saturday and bringing along Douglas and ‘extra hands’, as she’d put it. Jill knew that meant one or more of the Boudreau brothers would be corralled into doing all the heavy lifting. But with Dante here, she might as well let him reach the things she couldn’t. Like those giant cobwebs on the light fixtures and in the corners, and running a broom over the highest parts of the walls. They needed a good cleaning before any painting could be done.