by Cat Schield
“With what?” Asher growled. “It’s nothing but speculation at this point. I have no proof.” Then he remembered that Lani had called him before the party started. Still smarting from their last conversation, he’d never picked up her calls or listened to her messages. He pulled out his phone and unlocked the screen. “Or maybe we do. Lani called me from Vegas.”
“What was she doing there?”
“That’s where Billy’s mom lives. She went to see what she could find out. I haven’t listened to her message.”
“You’ve been with her a lot. I heard she moved in for a while,” Gina remarked, her voice carefully neutral. “Is it all business? I mean, when you two dated before, it was pretty clear she meant a lot to you.”
“It’s not business on my part,” he retorted, his clipped tone exposing his raw emotions. “She just doesn’t see a future for us.”
“Because...? I mean you were once in love, right?”
“Yes. And my feelings haven’t changed on that front.” Even though he was confessing to the wrong woman, it felt good to admit how he felt about Lani. “I just don’t think I’m the man she wants.”
“So become that man.” Gina’s advice was simple and hard-hitting. “That girl looked at you with heart emoji in her eyes. I’m sure if you put in the effort, she’d come around.”
With his lungs constricting in reaction to his sister’s words, Asher drew Gina into a hug and then hit the Play button on his phone.
Lani’s voice came over the speaker, sounding excited and somewhat annoyed. “Will you please stop avoiding my calls? I know you’re not unavailable so I guess I’m just gonna have to leave another message. I talked to Billy’s mom and it turns out she had an affair with Rusty. He gave her ten thousand and told her to never contact him again. The thing is, she has no proof that Billy is Rusty’s son. She never had a chance to do a paternity test and apparently there were several men she was seeing around the same time. I guess that explains Billy why was so unhappy when Ross and Rusty looked like they were getting along and why he set you up. He thinks he’s Rusty son and resents the fact that he didn’t have all the things growing up that you all did... Well, the plane’s getting ready to take off so they’re making me shut off my phone. I’ll arrive in Dallas in three hours. I’ll call you when I land and we can talk more then.”
The whole time Lani had been speaking, he’d been staring at the screen. Now he looked up at his sister and saw his shock mirrored on her face.
“Wow,” Gina said in awe.
“Wow is right.”
“Now we have to talk to Ross. And tell the authorities.”
“Absolutely.” But his attention was on the dark-haired man making for the exit in a hurry. “Except I think we might be out of time.” He indicated Billy’s rapid departure.
Gina’s eyes rounded. “Do you think he heard us?”
“Maybe.” To Asher’s relief, Billy’s progress was halted by a trio of women. “Can you keep him busy for me? I need fifteen minutes.”
“Where are you going?”
Asher thought about his apartment over the barn and the unlocked front door giving access to anyone on the property. “I’m going to search the guesthouse.”
Twelve
The distance between the main house and the guesthouse where Billy currently resided was a three-minute jog along a tree-lined winding drive. Asher accomplished it in half the time. Heart pounding, his breath coming hard from the sprint, he trotted up the steps to the front door, keyed in the code to unlock the door and entered.
The house’s cool stillness embraced him. Asher knew the housekeeper wasn’t home. Anytime there was a party at the main house, she joined the staff, keeping the food and drinks flowing smoothly from the kitchen to the guests.
Still, running into someone was the least of his problems. He had no clear idea where to begin a search and a limited amount of time to execute it. What did he hope to find? A laptop with incriminating information would be great but he’d settle for a file marked stolen festival funds.
When they’d landed on Billy as a prime suspect, he’d proposed to Lani that they infiltrate the guesthouse while Billy was away, but she’d shut him down. Her methodical approach didn’t involve breaking and entering. But it wasn’t really breaking in when he had the code to the front door, right?
Asher made his way into the study off the foyer. He couldn’t believe his luck. A laptop sat on the large wood desk and he made his way over to it. Even as he lifted the top and peered at the screen, he had to wonder if this was just a decoy. Surely Billy was too clever to leave a bunch of damning evidence lying around for someone to scoop up and run out the door with.
Seconds rushed by as Asher pulled up the browser history and quickly scanned through it. Asher couldn’t see where Billy had used this computer to access any banks. Still, his search had been cursory at best and with time running out he looked around for a place to stash the laptop. If Billy intended to pack up and get out of town, Asher wanted to make sure he wouldn’t be able to take this device with him. The quickest, most obvious spot was underneath the couch cushions. He was counting on the man assuming someone had walked off with the computer and that he wouldn’t search the room.
The bedrooms were on a level above and Asher headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He found an identical laptop to the one downstairs, sandwiched between the box spring and mattress. With excitement pumping adrenaline through his bloodstream, he slid the computer into a laptop case that he found in the closet. With the thrill of the hunt surging, he riffled through the nightstand and dresser before getting even more creative with the search. From their careful concealment beneath shirts and socks, taped to the back of the drawer and even affixed behind the painting over the bed, he unearthed several passports—one with Billy’s face but Asher’s name that he dropped into his pocket—along with a wad of cash, two burner phones and a handgun.
This was not how an innocent man behaved.
Asher glanced at the closet, wondering how many goodies he could turn up there, but heard the front door open. With only one set of stairs leading up to the second floor, he was trapped. Fortunately he’d left everything except for the laptop where he’d found it. Asher eased out of the master suite and crossed the landing to one of the two guest bedrooms just as he heard Billy start to climb upstairs. With his blood thundering in his ears, he slipped behind the door out of sight and wondered if he dared try to slip down the stairs while Billy was packing.
Instead Asher glanced at the window. Maybe he could try to jump and hope he landed without hurting himself. Moving cautiously, he went to the window and opened it. He hadn’t done more than drop the laptop into the bushes below before Billy started cursing. Asher barely had time to press himself against the wall when the other man raced past again.
Deciding this was his best chance to make his escape, and with his ears tuned for the slightest noise, Asher waited until he heard the front door open and close once more. Then he quickly, but quietly, descended to the first floor. After a quick detour to the study to collect the laptop, he headed for the kitchen and the door that led to the side yard. He needed to retrieve the other laptop, but when he opened the door, standing before him was Billy Holmes with a handgun leveled at his chest.
“You.”
Asher was not at all flattered at the surprise on Billy’s face. “Me.”
Billy’s gaze went to the laptop Asher held. “Give that to me.”
“Or what? You’ll shoot me?” He was rethinking his words as the other man smirked. “Fire that gun and everyone at the house will hear. Gina knows what you did. She’s probably already warned Ross. They’ll lock the gates and you’ll never get out.”
“I guess I need a little insurance then, don’t I?” Billy backed up and gestured with the gun toward the car parked in the driveway.
Unsure what the traitor
had in mind, Asher decided to let the scene play out until he saw an opening to act. A suitcase stood beside the car. Keeping a close eye on Asher, Billy popped open the trunk.
“Give me the laptop and get in.”
“The trunk?”
Asher took a tighter grip on the laptop, prepared to swing it at Billy’s head, but the other man shook his head.
“Don’t be stupid. If you make me shoot you, I might not get away, but you’ll definitely be dead.”
All too aware that would be true, Asher made a huge show of reluctance before handing over what he hoped was Billy’s decoy computer.
“Get in,” Billy repeated.
“Why? You have everything you need to get away clean.”
“Except for a head start. So, to throw everyone into a state of confusion, you and I are going for a little drive.”
And before Asher could summon another protest, Billy’s hand holding the gun shot out and everything went black.
* * *
No three-hour plane ride had ever felt as long as this one.
How could she have told Asher he wasn’t the right man for her? Of course he was. She loved him just the way he was. She didn’t want to change him. Why would she? He was thrilling and adventurous and made her get out of her head and listen to her heart. Loving him was a wonderful chaotic ride and she was ready to spend the rest of her life on it.
The first thing she would do when she saw him again was tell him that she loved him. No matter if he was angry with her or indifferent. She wouldn’t hesitate, wouldn’t play it safe. If he believed that the only reason she’d been waiting to speak up was to determine if he was innocent, she’d convince him that her change of heart had come the day they’d visited the festival site on Appaloosa Island. She’d just been too afraid to trust her emotions.
As soon as the plane landed, Lani turned her phone back on and watched the screen light up with notifications. She scanned for a message from Asher, but the only names that appeared were Ross, Gina and the Maverick County Sheriff’s Department.
Cursing the love of her life for being impossibly stubborn, Lani dialed his number again and groaned in frustration when it rolled straight into voice mail. With Asher out of reach, she turned her attention to the rest of her messages, starting with Gina.
We think Billy overheard your voice mail. Ross and Asher are going to talk to him.
“Damn it!”
Lani’s seatmate shot her a dark look and she offered the woman a tight smile and a mumbled apology as she checked the time stamp and saw that it had come in an hour earlier.
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, she had three messages from Ross, each one worse than the last.
Billy knows we’re onto him and he’s running.
Asher went to the guesthouse to stop him.
I’m not sure what’s going on, but Sheriff Battle just called to say that Asher is on the run.
What the hell was going on? Lani dialed Ross’s number, but after several rings it rolled to voice mail the way Asher’s had. She scrolled through her contacts and located the one for the Maverick County Sheriff’s Department. Tapping her fingers against the armrest, she waited for someone to pick up.
“I’m looking for Sheriff Battle,” Lani said when the receptionist answered. “My name is Lani Li and it’s about Asher Edmond.”
“One moment.”
With hold music playing in her ear, Lani stared out the window as the plane taxied toward the busy Dallas/Fort Worth terminal, stopping repeatedly to let other planes pass. Her heart thudded hard against her ribs as her agitation grew by the second.
What had Asher been thinking to go after Billy? Didn’t he know he was already in enough trouble? He and Ross should’ve called the sheriff and let the cops sort everything out. But sitting idly by when there was something adventurous to do wasn’t Asher’s style.
“Sheriff Battle.” The man’s calm, booming voice did little to soothe Lani’s wildly fluctuating emotions.
“Sheriff, this is Lani Li. I’ve just landed in Dallas and I think I know who embezzled the money from the Soiree on the Bay festival and set up Asher Edmond to take the fall.”
“I don’t think you’ve heard, Ms. Li, but Asher Edmond is running.”
“He’s not running because he’s not guilty.” Lani couldn’t imagine what had possessed Asher to take this sort of risk. What was he doing? This might ruin everything. “I think what he may be doing is trying to stop Billy Holmes from leaving town and disappearing.”
“What does Mr. Holmes have to do with any of this?”
“I went to Las Vegas to visit Billy’s mother. I found a connection there to Rusty Edmond.”
A moment of silence followed her words, and then Sheriff Battle said, “Maybe you’d better fill me in...”
By the time she finished explaining everything, the plane had reached the terminal and the woman in the seat next to her was openly goggling. Lani ignored the eavesdropper and willed the passengers to disembark at a faster pace.
“So, you can see why Billy Holmes has to be stopped and questioned,” she added, completely out of breath. “It’s why Asher is chasing after him.”
“If that’s true, then they’re both heading to the airport,” the sheriff said.
“Billy can’t get away.” If that happened, the money would be gone forever and Asher’s name might never be cleared.
“I’ll get ahold of the special agents in charge of the case and my deputy that’s following Asher and fill them in.”
Lani hung up the call and got to her feet. As she joined the line of disembarking passengers, she chided herself for not calling the investigators before boarding the plane in Las Vegas. Yet how was she supposed to know that Asher would do something as reckless as go after Billy on his own? She ground her teeth as the people in front of her slowly shuffled off the plane. When she got ahold of Asher, she was going to kill him. Or kiss him senseless.
Once she reached the terminal, Lani looped her bag over her shoulder and began to jog toward the security gate that led to the arrivals area. She had no luggage, and no reason to follow the crowd to baggage claim. Besides, if Billy and Asher were on their way to the airport, the most likely spot to find them would be at the ticketing level. Only as she passed the doors leading to the shuttle that circled the five different terminals did the magnitude of the search area sap her hope. How could she hope to find Billy amongst the dozens of airlines and thousands of people checking in?
She was racing toward the arrivals area, scanning the faces around her, when she spied a familiar figure exiting TSA. Although he was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, she recognized Billy Holmes.
She angled in his direction, moving fast to intercept him. It wasn’t until she stepped into his path that Lani realized she hadn’t considered how to stop him.
“Billy Holmes.”
To Lani’s relief, he stopped.
His icy blue gaze darted in all directions before coming to rest on her. “Do I know you?”
“I’m Lani Li. I’ve been hired by Kingston Blue to look into the missing funds from the Soiree on the Bay festival.”
His upper lip lifted in a snarl. “Good for you.”
“I’d like to talk to you about your connection with the Edmond family.”
“I’m sorry, but I have a plane to catch and don’t have time to—”
Billy side stepped as if to go around her, but Lani was prepared for his evasion and kept herself in his path.
“I visited your mother today,” she told him, hoping if she delayed Billy long enough, the police might catch up to him. “I know her connection to Rusty Edmond.”
Billy shrugged. “They had an affair. So what?”
“So, you think he’s your father. You think he abandoned you and your mother and you wanted payback. That’s why you stole the mone
y from the festival and blamed Asher.”
“That’s ridiculous. Asher stole that money. Everyone knows that.” He gave her a cocky smile, but tension rode every line of his body.
“I also know about Bond Howard, Bobby Hammond and Brad Howell.”
“Who?” Billy continued to regard her as if she were out of her mind, but Lani saw she had his complete attention.
Her cell phone began to ring. Hoping it was Asher, she glanced down at the screen, but realized it was Ross Edmond. She answered the call, but by the time she glanced back up at Billy, he was gone.
“Damn it!” she growled.
“Lani? Is that you?” Ross sounded upset and confused.
“Yes. Where’s Asher?” she demanded, searching all around her for Billy. She couldn’t spot his tall figure anywhere. It was as if the man had vanished.
“He’s being arrested.”
Anxiety banished all thought of Billy Holmes from her mind. She had to get to Asher. “Where are you?”
“Outside Terminal A.”
As luck would have it, Lani’s plane from Las Vegas had landed at the same terminal.
She ran outside and gaped at the mob scene. Four police cars surrounded a sedan parked by the curb with its trunk open. They had one man down on the ground as another argued and waved his arm toward the terminal. It took her a second to realize that Ross Edmond was the one gesticulating wildly and Asher was face down on the pavement, his hands cuffed behind his back.
She ran over and added her voice to the cacophony. “Billy Holmes is in the terminal. I just saw him. He’s getting away.”
Ross turned to her with a relieved expression. “That’s what I’m trying to tell them,” he said, “but they’re not listening to me.”
Two cops lifted Asher to his feet. One wore the insignia of the Maverick County Sheriff’s Department, the other was a state trooper.
“I was kidnapped,” Asher protested, eyes widening as he spotted her. “Hey, Lani.”
As she rushed toward him, the state trooper stepped in her way and stood with his feet planted shoulder-width apart, hands on his gun belt. “And you are?”