He reached out and stroked a callused thumb over her cheek. “Which is the reason you should let me back into your life. Think about it, Ru, and you’ll realize I’m right.”
The nickname swirled inside her, tickling those old memories that had once made her heart skip beats on a regular basis.
When Red strode back to his car, Abby Ruth’s heartbeat was still triple-timing.
She soothed herself with some NASCAR on the big-screen TV she’d installed in Lil’s front parlor. Lil still sneered at it every time she walked by the room, but she’d been known to sit down and watch an MMA bout from time to time. There was more to that Southern belle than she let on. And more to Red and their past than Abby Ruth had ever let herself think about.
“Abby Ruth, about that man outside earlier…” Maggie’s voice came from the hall, her footsteps following.
Abby Ruth squeezed her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep to avoid the questions about Red’s unexpected arrival.
She’d just settled deeper into the cushions when the house shook on its pier and beam foundation. Without bothering to grab her boots, she ran for the front hallway in her stocking feet, sliding across the slick wooden floors.
“What in heaven’s name?” Maggie hollered from the kitchen.
“I don’t know,” Abby Ruth yelled back, “but whatever it is, it’s out front.” She jerked open the door only to find Maggie’s truck halfway up the steps, one front tire on the porch and one hanging off the side, with the engine revving at what sounded like five thousand RPMs.
Maggie came flying out onto the porch behind her. “Lil!” Maggie jumped forward and started tugging on the driver’s side door. “It’s locked!”
Abby Ruth skidded around to the other side and jerked open the passenger door. Lil’s forehead was pressed against the top of the steering wheel, and dots of blood dripped onto her lap. Without thinking twice, Abby Ruth crawled inside and wrenched the ignition to the off position. Then she reached beyond Lil’s thin little back and popped the driver’s side lock.
When Maggie swung open the door, Abby Ruth said, “Call 9-1-1. Now.” Good Lord, we’re keeping Teague in business this week. He’s going to kill us.
* * *
The last place Abby Ruth wanted to be today was in another doggone hospital, but a few hours after the ambulance took Lil to the Bartell County Hospital, she was in the small waiting room along with everyone who lived at Summer Haven and Jenny’s little family. Even Marcus and Red were there. Just waiting for news about Lil.
At least all of this mess was keeping the heat off Abby Ruth’s personal life. Red was not something she was prepared to discuss. Which wasn’t much of a worry the way Maggie was pacing. Lord, if her heart was beating half as fast, she’d be the next one in a hospital bed. “Calm down, Maggie. She’s in good hands,” Abby Ruth said, taking Maggie’s clammy hand into her own.
Finally, one of the nurses, a handsome strapping young man, came in and said Lil was awake. He glanced around at their entourage. “She can’t handle this many visitors. Two people, three max. And only for five minutes or so.”
Teague was already standing.
“Want me to come with you, Maggie?” Wouldn’t hurt Abby Ruth’s feelings to not have to go in a hospital room, but she’d do it for Maggie’s sake. And Lil’s.
“Please,” Maggie said with a squeeze to Abby Ruth’s hand.
The nurse led them to Lil’s room then stepped aside.
“Oh, Lil,” Maggie said. “You look like a marionette, with the IV line running from you like that.”
Truth was, Lil had never looked so tiny and frail, and on the rolling table beside her sat a stack of those puke bowls. Poor old gal.
Maggie rushed to her side, her hand hovering over Lil’s without actually touching it. “You scared the fire out of us.”
“I’m sorry about your truck.” Lil’s voice was small and scratchy.
“Don’t you worry about that.”
A blonde thirty-something doctor walked in, her stethoscope bouncing against her white coat. “She was actually very lucky. That pokeweed is some mean stuff.”
“So she didn’t have a heart attack?” Maggie asked.
“Not even close,” the doctor said. “For someone who weighs what she does, the amount she had in her system could’ve killed her.”
“What do you mean? How?”
Lil squeezed Maggie’s hand. “I was poisoned, Mags.”
“I’ll be damned,” Abby Ruth said.
Teague’s face went all serious and sheriff-like. “Lil, if you feel up to it, I need to ask you a few questions.”
“I can handle it,” she said.
“Only a few minutes, and don’t overtire her.” The doctor gave an I’m-the-boss nod and walked out.
“Do you have any idea how this might’ve happened?”
“I think it was something in the tea or sandwiches.”
Maggie blinked and grabbed for her phone. “We probably need to contact the diner and let them know before others pop up sick.”
“Not necessary. I wasn’t in a restaurant,” Lil said. “And this isn’t food poisoning.”
“What are you saying?” Teague asked.
“I’m saying that I don’t think this was an accident at all,” she croaked. “I’m almost certain Rosemary Myrtle meant to kill me.”
* * *
Lil watched confusion flash across Maggie’s face.
“You were with Rosemary Myrtle? Why didn’t you tell me that’s where you were going?” Maggie lowered herself into the chair next to the bed.
“I don’t know. I should’ve told you she invited me to tea.” Lil closed her eyes. “I didn’t want you to feel left out.”
“I think I need a word with Miss Lillian alone,” Teague said, shooing everyone out, and proceeded to pepper her with questions.
Lil had to hand it to him. That boy was dedicated to his job, so much that he was willing to hold the little plastic bowl for her every time she needed a break in her explanation in order to be sick.
“I’m so sorry,” she groaned after he handed her a wet washcloth for the tenth time. “This can’t be fun for you.”
“But catching crooks is.” He smiled. “So let’s see if we can get to the bottom of this. The other ladies told you I picked up Charlie Millet out at Summer Haven, right?”
“Yes.” And it made her even more miserable that she’d ever believed he was a nice man.
“I didn’t have long to interview him before I was called out again, but he admitted to being involved in a gunrunning scheme. He was kinda tight-lipped about the mastermind behind the whole thing, though, saying he probably wouldn’t make it out alive if he rolled over.”
“Rosemary Myrtle is your mastermind.”
Teague slowly shook his head. “I can’t believe it. A woman like that selling illegal arms is akin to a woman like you…” His head jerked up and his face went red. “I…ah…just meant…”
“Which is exactly the reason you should believe me when I tell you I know what I’m talking about. When I was away, I met plenty of women who’d done bad things. And although I was initially blinded by Rosemary’s family name and gracious behavior, it’s clear now she’s a snake in the grass. You have to catch her, Teague.”
“Well, this isn’t completely up to me. Your friend Charlie mentioned the ring operates up and down the East Coast, from Florida to Virginia. I’ve already called in the ATF. They’re setting up a sting operation.”
“I feel responsible,” Lil said. “And want to help in any way I can.”
“Right now, the best way for you to help is to get well.”
She filled him in on every detail she could recall. “Teague, promise me you’ll keep me in the loop. I don’t want anyone else hurt by this horrible woman.”
Teague gently patted her hand. “Leave it to the professionals now. Based on the pickup and drop-off schedule we got out of Charlie Millet, the teams will be in place at the mausoleum day after
tomorrow, and I think things will get cleared up pretty quickly with all you’ve been able to tell us.”
But as soon as Teague was out the door, Lil rang for her nurse. When the young man entered her room, she said, “I believe my friends are still outside in the waiting room. Could you please send them in?”
“Mrs. Fairview, you’ve been very sick. You need to rest.”
“Young man, if you don’t fetch Maggie Rawls, Sera Johnson, and Abby Ruth Cady right this minute, I will get out of this bed and walk into the waiting room myself. And believe me, I will not be held responsible for the mental anguish you or anyone else suffers from seeing my wrinkled old fanny from the slit in this hospital gown.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He scooted out of the room so fast that Lil couldn’t hold in her chuckle. Nice to know she still wielded some kind of power.
Once Maggie, Sera, and Abby Ruth were all gathered in her room, Lil said, “If Abby Ruth’s guns are in the mausoleum and we want to recover them, you’ll need to get back there tomorrow morning, because the ATF has figured out Rosemary’s drop schedule and they’ll be all over that place day after tomorrow.”
* * *
Although it was hard for Sera to shift gears back to her own problems, which seemed so small now, Maggie had insisted she needed to make things right with Marcus. Sera planned to do that tonight.
After an exhausting day at the hospital, they knew Lil would be okay. But Teague had asked them not to make her recovery common knowledge. To the rest of the world, mum was the word until the ATF could take down that awful woman.
Sera would be lying if she said she hadn’t daydreamed about leaving her life with Marcus behind to move back to Summer Shoals, but it had become crystal clear in the moment she’d broken his trust that she couldn’t live without him. She could visit the gals here anytime, but if she ended her marriage with Marcus, there’d be no going back.
How could she have ever thought badly of the man who’d stayed by her side after she called to tell him about Lil? He’d had every reason not to show up. Not to come. Not to care.
Please let him forgive me for the biggest mistake ever.
Before all that craziness with Bad Charlie and Lil’s poisoning, she and Maggie had already set up everything for tonight in the garage.
Now, she gave the garage where Lil’s daddy’s Tucker Torpedo had once been parked one last look. Everything was in place. She and Maggie had pushed an loveseat to the center of the bay. In front of it, an old trunk held an antique silver champagne bucket, two crystal flutes, and an already chilled bottle of Taittinger Comtes de Champagne.
She had more than one mistake to make up for. Since the day she’d met Marcus, she’d never missed a single one of his movie premieres. Not until she was living here in Summer Shoals. And she regretted that now.
This wouldn’t be quite the same as premiere night, but she hoped Marcus felt the sincerity of her gesture. She hooked her laptop into the TV they’d moved from Abby Ruth’s room and clicked into iTunes. The video immediately began to play, and emotion rose in her chest as the studio logo filled the screen. Forcing herself to stop the film before she became engrossed, she hit pause and backtracked the video.
Oh, no. The pillows weren’t evenly spaced on the loveseat. She pounced on them, fluffing and shaping. Once they were perfect, the flutes caught her attention. One was out of line with the other.
She chuckled to her herself because that brought back memories of Lil’s trouble with Jessie’s gauntlets. Still, Sera adjusted the glasses until she was happy with their position.
Nerves. She knew her fussing was all nerves, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. This night was so important.
She slipped out of her clothes and into a sequined blue evening gown that had been hanging in Lil’s closet from a past charity event. It was only tea length on Sera, but it hugged her slim frame perfectly.
She swept a hand down the skirt and tried to breathe away her butterflies. Don’t wait. Go get him now.
She went inside the house, and excitement and anticipation pushed her up the stairs with the hem of the skirt floating behind her.
Marcus walked out of their room just as she stepped on the landing. He looked her over from her up-do to the diamond earrings he’d given her for their tenth anniversary to the dress hugging her curves. “Wow,” he said. “What’s this for?”
“It’s for you. Marcus, I’m so sorry for the things I’ve done recently.” She approached him, silently worried about his reception, but he opened his arms to her. Relief and pure love streamed through her. “I’ve been selfish. Made so many mistakes.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his chin on top of her head. “I’ve been selfish too.”
She stepped back and looked into his eyes. “I love you. As much as I ever have. I’m sorry for what I’ve put you through. Can you forgive me?”
A slight smile played on his lips, and he tilted his head. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re a smart man who loves me enough to see past my screw-ups.”
Chuckling, he smacked a kiss on her lips. “That’s my girl.”
“Now that we have that settled, it’s time for you to come with me.” She tugged him down the stairs and out to the garage.
The look on his face when she sat him down, handed him a glass of champagne, and hit Play on his latest movie was nothing less than stunned. A smile spread across his face, and he drew her down to the loveseat and hugged her close. “You can always surprise me.”
Her heart full, Sera snuggled close to his side, and they watched Marcus’s masterpiece in rapt silence until the last credit rolled and the last chord of the music faded away.
He turned to her, his handsome face filled with contentment. “Thank you, my darling Sera.”
She smoothed a hand over his cheek and kissed him. When she finally drew back from the sweet embrace, she asked, “So is that a yes about forgiving me?”
“A forever and always yes.”
Chapter 24
While Sera was out in the garage seducing her hunky hubby last night, Abby Ruth had barely slept a minute. Anticipation about returning to the mausoleum for her guns—and if she was honest with herself, a little envy at her friend’s ability to make up with the man she loved—had kept Abby Ruth flopping from one side of the bed to the other all night.
At eight forty, she waved Maggie out of the house and knocked on the garage door. Apparently, the two love birds had nested in that loveseat last night. Sera came out wearing bedhead and a very canary-ish smile.
“It’s time to roll,” Abby Ruth said.
“It’s a beautiful day.” Sera twirled a circle and held her hands up to the sky.
“Yeah, yeah. We know you got luckier than a pair of loaded dice at a craps table, but we’ve got to go.”
They climbed into her dually and headed to Holy Innocence. When they piled out of the truck and she looked up at the building, she thought holy innocence, my sweet hind-parts. There was nothing innocent about running guns out of people’s resting place.
“I wish Lil could be here with us,” Abby Ruth said. “She deserves to help us recover my guns and take down that Myrtle woman.”
“We’re not taking down Rosemary Myrtle. Teague and the ATF people are. And he’s going to be very unhappy when he finds out we came back to the mausoleum.” Maggie looked around the parking lot as if expecting police to pop out from behind every car. Which was silly because Lil had told them that the police and ATF stakeout wasn’t until tomorrow.
“Which is exactly the reason he’ll never know.” Abby Ruth waved away her concern.
“Won’t he be suspicious when they don’t find your guns and they magically appear back in your possession?” Sera asked.
“By that time it won’t matter. What could he do, take away my birthday?” The boy wasn’t stupid enough to give his future mother-in-law a hard time. Cop or not, he knew when to zip his lip.
Abby Ruth strode toward the f
ront door, pushing the baby stroller they’d picked up at the thrift shop before leaving Summer Shoals. After all, it wasn’t as if the three of them could simply walk out of the mausoleum with an armload of guns.
They approached the guard, different from the one Lil had hornswoggled into believing they were ATF. This guy’s grandfatherly face broke out in a wide grin. “Hello, ladies.” He hopped off his stool and bent toward the stroller. “And who do we have here?”
When he reached for the blanket, Abby Ruth shimmied the stroller out of his reach. “Shh. She’s asleep. My poor daughter, she’s struggled with a colicky baby. An angel in every way except for those tummy aches. So when we can get her into a peaceful sleep, we don’t wake her up. Ever.”
“Oh.” He drew back. “I hear you. My grandbaby screamed his head off for the first eight months of his life.”
Once he waved them on and they were inside, Maggie said, “I don’t care how many times we’ve done this sneak-around stuff, it always gives me indigestion.” She muffled a burp behind her fist.
“This one will be an absolute breeze,” Abby Ruth assured her, rolling the stroller into the elevator and poking the down button. “An in-and-out job.”
Sera slid her a look. “You say that, but you’re not the one who’ll be worming your way inside those vaults to pull out caskets. My luck and we’ll end up opening one with someone’s Aunt Alma in it.”
“I’d bet my right leg that not one of those crypts in the Myrtle alcove has a single body in it.”
“From your lips to God’s ears,” Maggie muttered.
Once on the lower level, they made straight for the alcove Michael guarded. Abby Ruth looked him up and down. “I used to think you were a pretty good guy, but you’ve sure let a lot of stuff slip by you on your watch.”
Maggie lightly swatted her arm. “Hush up. You don’t get a total pass because you’ve been sick. Have some respect.”
Abby Ruth parked the baby buggy and pulled a tarp from the cargo net. Once she and Maggie had that along with a “Maintenance Work” sign hung across the alcove’s entrance, they all went to work checking the granite facings. Sure enough, most of those within reach came off easily, and the crypts were missing the spacers normally between the facings and the caskets. “Let’s get these puppies out of there.”
Under the Gun Page 23