Ryan shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe Macey carries a telescope with him. Just keep your eyes peeled for anybody unusual.” He’d just uttered the words when a young woman with purple hair and a nose ring the size of a bangle bracelet walked by. “As if that’s going to be hard to do.”
Jessica laughed and stared down the street. Her gaze drifted over the crowd in front of her and came to rest on a young man watching two girls singing as they strummed guitars. He wore short pin-striped pants, a waist-link jacket that sported big silver buttons and a safari hat with goggles. But the thing that really set him apart was the monocle that covered his right eye.
“Ryan, it’s steampunk,” she whispered.
He turned to stare at her, a quizzical look on his face. “Steampunk? What are you talking about?”
She nodded in the direction she’d been staring. “Tommie didn’t know what to call it, but Kenny Macey dresses in steampunk clothing. And he doesn’t carry a telescope. He wears a monocle.”
Ryan’s mouth dropped open, and he followed her gaze, his eyes growing wider as he took in the appearance of the man Jessica pointed out. “That must be him. Let’s go.”
They ambled forward until they were even with the man. Then Ryan strolled around to his left side while Jessica took her place on his right. They waited until the performers had finished their song and the crowd had started to disperse before they spoke.
“Mr. Macey?” Ryan said.
The man turned a startled look to his left. “How do you know my name?”
Ryan pulled out his badge. “Memphis police. I’d like to talk to you a minute.”
“I don’t have anything to say,” he replied and turned to walk away, but Jessica blocked his way.
“Oh, don’t be like that, Kenny,” she said. “We don’t mean you any harm. Just want some information from you.”
He glanced from Ryan to Jessica. “I don’t talk to cops ’cause I don’t have anything they want to know. Now, get out of my way.”
Ryan and Jessica both stepped closer until Kenny was trapped like the cream filling of a chocolate cookie sandwich. Jessica smiled. “That’s not what your friend Tommie Oakes told us. He said you could help us a lot. Especially with a friend of yours named Lee Tucker.”
At the mention of Lee’s name, Kenny’s face turned white and he glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t say that name too loud,” he cautioned. “You never can tell who might be listening. Now, get out of my way. I’m leaving.”
Ryan laid a restraining hand on Kenny’s arm. “Look, Kenny. We don’t want to cause you any trouble, but we need some information. Now, we can do this here and be friendly about it, or I can have backup here in minutes, and you’ll be in a police car headed downtown for questioning. It’s up to you.”
Kenny bit down on his lip and glared at Ryan and then Jessica. After a moment, he released his breath and shook his head. “All right. What do you want to know about Lee Tucker?”
“Then you do know him?” Ryan asked.
“I know him, but he’s not a friend of mine. He doesn’t have any friends. What do you want with him?”
“I’m a bounty hunter,” Jessica said, “and he’s a fugitive. Skipped bail, and I mean to bring him in.”
“And he’s also wanted for questioning about a double murder a few years back and the more recent ones of a private investigator down on the riverfront and a convenience-store clerk,” Ryan added.
“Wouldn’t surprise me any if he was involved with all of them,” Kenny said. “Killing is what he’s good at.”
Jessica’s eyes grew large. “What do you mean?”
“I mean he’s a hit man. He takes money for killing people. Don’t care who they are or what they do as long as he gets paid.”
“Does he work alone or does he work for some organization that hires out killers?” Ryan asked.
Kenny shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. From what I hear, though, he’s been working for the same guy, doing his dirty work, so to speak, for a few years now. But I don’t know who his employer is. I heard he was some big politician, but I don’t know for sure.”
Jessica cast a quick glance at Ryan. “Thank you, Kenny. You’ve been a big help.”
Ryan pulled his card from his pocket and handed it to Kenny. “If you think of anything else you can tell us, give me a call at that number.”
Kenny took the card, glanced at it and stuffed it in his pocket. Then he turned and slipped into an alley between two bars. Jessica could hear his footsteps as he hurried away from them, but the darkness swallowed him up. He was lost to sight in seconds.
She sighed and shook her head. “Well, that’s another indication that Lee Tucker is working for a politician. But who?”
Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know, but the car he was traveling in was registered to Senator Mitchum’s campaign. I guess his headquarters is the place to start. Want to go there with me tomorrow?”
“I do. What time shall I pick you up?”
“You don’t have to. I called to get a rental car after I got home, and it should be ready for me by the time we get through here. I’m to pick it up from their all-night office on Poplar. Would you mind taking me by there on our way home?”
“I’ll be glad to, but do we have to go yet? It’s been so long since I’ve been down here, I’d like to enjoy the atmosphere.”
He smiled. “Have you had dinner? We could get something to eat.”
“I’d love that. Do you remember the time you brought me to Beale Street to celebrate my birthday?”
His eyes sparkled in the soft lamplight and he nodded. “Want to go back to the same restaurant?”
She closed her eyes and licked her lips. “I would love to have some of that crab soup and jambalaya pasta.”
“Then let’s go.” He held out his arm, and she looped hers through it.
Laughing, they walked down the street toward the restaurant where they had once shared an evening that Jessica thought was magical. She didn’t know if history was repeating itself, but it felt good to be here with Ryan, to laugh with him and to be free of the negative feelings she’d harbored against him for years. Tonight she didn’t want to think about murders or corrupt politicians or even overprotective brothers. She wanted to have a good time with the man that she was just beginning to feel comfortable with again.
Her happy mood hadn’t altered a few minutes later when they followed the hostess in the restaurant. They were led to a table near where they had sat the last time they’d been here. Ryan held her chair as she sat down and scooted her closer before he took a seat across from her.
He gazed at her across the flickering candle that sat between them and smiled. “It feels right to be back here with you even if it’s not your birthday.”
She smiled and glanced up as a waiter arrived and poured them each a glass of water. When he’d walked away, Jessica leaned back in her chair and took a sip from the glass. “Well, you may not remember, but I do have a birthday coming up soon.”
He arched an eyebrow and nodded. “Oh, I remember all right. I’ve never forgotten your birthday.”
There was something in the tone of his voice that made her sense he was hiding something from her. She folded her arms on the table and leaned closer. “What aren’t you telling me?”
His face flushed, and he picked up his water glass. “Nothing.”
She shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “I could always tell when you were hiding something from me. What is it?”
“You’re imagining things,” he said as he glanced over his shoulder. “Where is that waiter? I’m getting hungry.”
She reached across the table and grasped his hand. His eyes widened in surprise as he turned to look at her. “Don’t change the subject, Spencer. Tell me what I want to know.”
He glanced down at her hand on his, and he swallowed. “I just meant I remember your birthday. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Jessica frowned and released his hand. She stared at him, but for some reason he couldn’t seem to meet her gaze. Suddenly a thought struck her, and she gasped. “You’re the one.”
He jerked his head up and cast a startled look in her direction. “The one?”
A smile curled her lips, and she shook her head slowly as she crossed her arms and settled back in her chair. “For the past four years I have gotten a notification on my birthday from the children’s hospital where I volunteer that an anonymous donor has given money in my honor. I’ve wondered who it could be, but I never thought of you. But it was you. Wasn’t it?”
Ryan’s face had turned crimson. He took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes.”
Jessica frowned. “But why?”
His gaze raked her face. “On your birthday that first year after we’d gone our separate ways, I kept thinking of when we came to this restaurant. I was so miserable because I missed you so much. I wanted to do something for you, but I knew you wouldn’t even open a card from me, much less accept a delivery of flowers. So I decided you would like a donation to the hospital. It didn’t matter that you wouldn’t know it was from me. I would know and be happy with the fact that maybe I had done one thing you could be happy about.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “Oh, Ryan, there were lots of things you did that made me happy, but maybe nothing so much as this special gift. Thank you for honoring me when I wasn’t being very lovable, and thank you for giving to the hospital that has a special place in my heart.”
Ryan swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “I did it because you have a special place in my heart, Jessica.”
She tried to speak, but her throat had constricted. He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. They sat staring into each other’s eyes, lost in their own thoughts, and only pulled apart when the waiter arrived to take their order.
The heady feeling of happiness hadn’t left her two hours later when she pulled her car to a stop in her parking spot in the rear of her apartment. Ryan, in the rental car they’d picked up on the way back, stopped behind her, turned the engine off and walked around to wait for her to climb from the car.
She stepped out and smiled at him. “You didn’t have to follow me home.”
He held up a hand to stop her protest and shook his head. “I wanted to. I know you’re capable of looking out for yourself, but I had a reason for wanting to see you home.”
She placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head to one side. “And what is it?”
His gaze drifted over her face. “I’ve had such a good time with you tonight, I didn’t want it to end. Not many hours ago, we were dangling over a river and expecting to crash any minute. Then tonight we ate dinner in a restaurant that holds some special memories for me. And I want to hold on to every minute I can.”
“So do I, Ryan,” she said. “Want to walk with me to the door?”
He placed his hand on her elbow and guided her up the walkway to her apartment’s back door. They stopped on the porch and she glanced up. “That’s strange. The porch light is off. I turned it on before I left. The bulb must have burned out.”
“Do you want me to replace it before I leave?”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll get the superintendent to do it tomorrow. But thanks anyway.” She took a deep breath and pulled her key from her pocket. “I had a wonderful time tonight, Ryan.”
“So did I,” he murmured. “It’s so good to be able to talk with you again and feel like the past has been put behind us.” He put his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “It is behind us, isn’t it, Jessica?”
Her heart skipped a beat at the intense look he directed at her. She nodded. “Yes, it’s behind us.”
Before she thought what she was doing, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek. She’d meant for it to be a friendly kiss to cement their new friendship, but as soon as she’d done it, she knew that was not what it was at all.
“Jessica.” Ryan’s hands slipped from her shoulders and he pulled her closer, his lips close to hers in invitation.
She realized the decision was hers. Pull away or yield to what he was offering her. She didn’t hesitate, but slipped her arms around his neck and drew his head down. Their lips met, and Jessica’s knees weakened. It was as if neither wanted to draw away, but Jessica finally pulled back and stared up at him.
“R-Ryan,” she stammered. “I—I don’t know...”
He placed his finger on her lips and smiled. “Shh. Don’t say anything right now. This is something we can talk about later.” He released his hold on her and took a step back. “Now I think I better get out of here.”
She gulped a deep breath to try to calm her racing heart and nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning?”
“I’ll be here about nine, and we can go to campaign headquarters. Good night, Jessica.”
“Good night.”
She watched as he headed to his car and drove away before she unlocked the door and flipped on the kitchen light. Still reeling from the emotions Ryan’s kiss had produced in her, she stepped through the doorway to the living room without turning on the light. She’d taken only one step into the room when an arm circled her neck and the barrel of a gun pressed against her head.
Her first thought was the memory of telling Ryan someone could probably break into a bank easier than into her apartment. So much for that assumption.
A warm breath fanned her face as a man spoke into her ear. “Good evening, Miss Knight. A friend told me you want to meet me.”
“Wh-who are you?”
His hand released her neck, but the gun pressed harder against her head. She could tell the man was reaching into his pocket, and then he held something up in front of her eyes. Even in the pale light filtering from the kitchen, she knew right away what it was.
“Where did you get Ryan’s card?”
The man chuckled. “I took it off Kenny Macey’s body just after he left you and your boyfriend. Now, why don’t you tell me why you’re so interested in me.”
* * *
Ryan drove to the end of the apartment complex but stopped in the driveway before he pulled out into the street. He couldn’t quit thinking about Jessica and how beautiful she’d looked tonight at the restaurant. It had been a wonderful evening...and then he’d ruined it.
How could he have kissed her? It had taken him four years to even get Jessica to listen to his explanation about what had happened between them. Now that they were resolving their differences, he’d had a momentary lapse in judgment and kissed her. And she had pulled away. Would she ever let him near her again?
How could he face her again if he didn’t apologize? He raked his hand through his hair and then propped his elbows on the steering wheel and buried his face in his hands. This couldn’t wait until morning. He had to do something tonight.
Before he could talk himself out of what he knew he should do, he’d shifted the car into Reverse and wheeled around to head back to Jessica’s apartment. As soon as he pulled to a stop at her walkway, he jumped from the car and strode toward the door, the words of the apology he intended to say racing through his mind.
He jumped over the two steps that led to the small back porch and knocked on the door. When she didn’t open the door right away, he banged even louder. “Jessica! I know you’re in there. Open up.”
He was about to knock again when the door opened, and she stood before him. He looked past her and noticed that she hadn’t turned on any lights other than in the kitchen. She stood there staring at him, one hand resting on the side of the door and the other hanging to her side. “Ryan, what are you doing back here?”
Her voice sounded
tight, different. He was afraid he’d blown it with her. But he wouldn’t give up without a fight. “We need to talk. Can I come in?”
She hesitated a moment and then blinked. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. We can talk in the morning.”
He shook his head. “This can’t wait until morning. I can’t wait until morning, that is. I don’t want to worry that I’ve done something to upset you.”
She blinked again and darted a sideways glance at the door. “You haven’t done anything wrong. It’s just that I’m not feeling well, and you need to go.”
Ryan narrowed his eyes and studied her face closer. She did look pale, and her hand at her side was clenched in a fist. “What’s the matter with you?”
Her eyes shifted toward the door again and he wondered why she kept doing that. Couldn’t she even stand to look at him?
She blinked again and sighed. “I don’t know. I think it’s a repeat of how I felt that night we were at the rock concert.”
Her words hit him like a slap in the face. She was trying to tell him something. And he got the message. The memory of that night was still fresh in his mind. He raised his right hand slowly and reached inside his coat for the gun holstered on his belt. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, keeping his voice even. “I hope you recover quickly like you did then.”
“I do, too. I have a feeling I will.”
Her eyes locked with his, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. Then he lunged at the door, throwing all his body weight against it. A loud groan split the air as something—someone—thudded against the wall. He saw a man’s hand holding a gun emerge around the side of the door, but Jessica was ready. She grabbed the man’s arm with both her hands, raised her knee and brought the man’s arm down in a bone-splintering crash across her thigh.
A strangled cry rang out from behind the door, and the gun tumbled to the floor. Ryan scooped it up, pulled the door forward and pointed his gun into the face of Lee Tucker.
Fugitive at Large Page 11