Beautiful Bounty (The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros. Book 1)

by Nightingale, MJ

  Cassie noticed the man was carrying a bag, and practically pushing a woman out the door. She shrugged and went back to her magazine. The girl was definitely Ronnie. Her hair was different, but it was her all right. The man, well, he was smoking hot, thus her second look. But obviously he was a little too controlling for her tastes. She liked her hockey players anyhow. Gary just missed her. He’d left only minutes earlier, and though she was tempted to call it in, she didn’t. Gary would be angry, and she didn’t want to make Gary angry. Especially if she had a shot with him as he’d suggested. But if he didn’t show up, or call like he promised, she’d reconsider calling the police tomorrow. There might be a reward in it.

  ***

  “Ow,” Ronnie winced as they made their way out into the parking lot. He was steering her towards his car quickly. She gave him a dirty look, and then remembered their plan in case there were prying eyes, and was grateful he remembered.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Just trying to make it look good.” He threw her bag into the backseat, and shut the door making his way around to his side of the car.

  The only place in town open twenty-four hours, was a Dunkin Donut’s, and that would have to do. They had a few appetizing items, and it was where they were headed. Once in the car, Ronnie slunk down into the seat to be less visible. There were not many cars out on the road but she wanted to do her part as well. If they were going to try again for a confession with Gary tomorrow, they had to keep up the pretense that she was an unhappy, and unwilling passenger while out in public. There was no way he could find out they were working together.

  ***

  But, it was already too late for that. Gary came to the hotel shortly after they left his cabin. He’d given them a ten minute head start. He figured the bounty hunter would be staying in town here. He’d wanted to be positive they were headed back to Florida, and he was in the clear again as Ronnie tried to lead him to believe. He needed to check out the situation for his own peace of mind. The stakeout was interminable and Gary grew more uneasy with each passing minute. He spotted the rental car right away. It hadn’t budged for hours. When midnight came and went, he decided to go take a risk and go into the lobby. They were obviously not going to make the flight the bounty hunter mentioned.

  Cassie worked at the hotel, and he hoped she was working tonight. He’d had a little fling with her last summer when he and Ronnie split up. She’d been creative, he remembered fondly. His cock stirred a bit. He needed to get laid, and soon. Maybe he’d take her out if Ronnie was out of the picture and he could breathe again. Then, he’d leave town. Go back to Bangor. Spragueville was getting on his last nerve.

  Cassie caught his eye right away and gave him one of her typical come hither looks.

  She was definitely a hockey whore. If you played, she was on you like white on rice.

  He waved, and before he could ask anything, she was already speaking. “Gary, baby.

  So nice to see you. What brings you by?” she asked, batting her heavily laden eyelashes.

  “Hey doll, just in town for some R and R for a few weeks. Then off to Canada I go to work in my dad’s company.”

  She pouted, but leaned over the counter giving him a bird’s eye view of all she had to offer. It wasn’t much, but he acted pleased anyhow. She was definitely no Ronnie in that department. A boob job would do wonders for her figure, and maybe some lessons on applying the right amount of make-up.

  Gary pretended to be interested because he wanted some information. He hoped she had some. “Yeah, I’m in town until this Ronnie thing blows over.” He went straight to the point. “I never should have gotten back with that trouble maker,” he added for good measure.

  He watched her reaction, knew she had been upset their little fling had been so brief. He also saw something like fear pass over her features, and his interest piqued.

  “Yeah, I could have told you that,” she laughed uneasily when he raised his eyebrows suspiciously. “In fact I think I did mention miss goody two shoes wasn’t so innocent.”

  He nodded and leaned on the counter, getting closer. “Yeah, you were right.” He gave her his infamous smile. “Can you believe the bitch tried to call me? Wanted me to be a character witness for her! I’m not going down with that ship. I don’t care how big her tilts are,” he joked. He purposefully glanced at Cassie’s cleavage again faking interest.

  When he glanced up to look at her again he saw that fear. He needed to see if she knew something. She was just acting too strangely. “Maybe you and I can hook up while I’m here Cassie,” he threw her the bone first, wagged his eyebrows at her suggestively, then pounced. “My folks want me to keep my nose clean while I’m here, and they found me a place in the company up north until this shit blows over, but it doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun as long as we are discreet.”

  She was still acting nervous, but was definitely interested. She licked her lips. “Oh, sure babe. Sounds great. I’d love to. I’m not working tomorrow night,” she informed him, smiling and glancing over his shoulder briefly.

  Fuck! Someone was coming. He should have asked to talk in the office. He began to sweat, but didn’t turn around hoping whomever was getting off the elevator wasn’t Ronnie and the bounty hunter.

  “Mmm, sounds good. I’ll call you.” He said the words softly so as not be overheard, hoping it had come off sexily instead. When he saw her face relax, he looked behind and saw an older man stepping out of the elevator; he let out his breath. He needed to make this quick. He needed info. He turned back to Cassie. “You know, when I got that call from Ronnie, it kind of scared me. It looked like a local call.”

  Cassie again appeared suddenly nervous. “Well,” she started. She didn’t want to ruin her chances with hooking up with hometown hero, Gary Campbell, but she thought she had seen his ex. She hadn’t been sure.

  “What?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  “Um, I did see this girl, who kind of looked like Ronnie come in about two hours ago with some guy, but she was blonder so I wasn’t sure.”

  Bingo, he thought. He smiled to encourage her to go on.

  “Yeah, but she was holding the guys hand, and so, I didn’t think nothing of it.”

  Holding his hand? What he fuck? Gary needed to think. What did that mean? Was she holding it, or was he leading her in here? His heart hammered in his chest. He needed to get out of here.

  “You sure?” he asked.

  “Well, um, yeah, that’s what it looked like,” she answered, but she seemed uneasy.

  “Listen Cass, I’ll call about tomorrow. I got your cell,” he murmured, already turning before she could reply.

  “Okay, call me,” she cooed after him, but he was already through the sliding glass doors before she finished her sentence. Then a few minutes later, Cassie saw Ronnie again. And this time she was sure it was her. Her, but blonder. And this time, the dude hadn’t been as nice. Strange. When Gary called, she’d tell him maybe she’d been wrong. Ronnie didn’t look happy to be with him.

  ***

  In his car, Gary sat thinking. He pulled out his cell, and checked flights from Bangor. The dude said he would get her on the next flight. But they’d missed that one. They’d have to leave soon, if they hoped to make the next one. He decided again to take a chance and wait to see if they left the hotel soon. He resumed his stake out on the rental car.

  But, the hand holding had thrown him. Did Cassie really see her or had she said that to make him doubt Ronnie more? Why the fuck would she be holding his hand if the guy was a bounty hunter bringing her in? Yes, maybe Cassie just said it to make him worried, and make herself look better in his eyes. Women did shit like that. She hadn’t even been sure it was Ronnie although he was. His nerves were at an all-time high. He didn’t know how much longer he could take this shit. He had royally fucked up. Why had he agreed to bring all those drugs from Jamaica? God damned Brimeyers, his drug connections, they’d pressured him, said it would be an easy score. He pounded the stee
ring wheel in frustration. Sweat began to accumulate on his brow, and under his arms. This situation was getting more and more fucked up by the minute. He was about to start the car and just head home, pack and get the fuck out, when he saw the lobby doors begin to open. His heart lurched in his chest.

  He saw them right away, and breathed a bit easier when he saw how roughly the dude was holding, practically pushing Ronnie to his car. He saw her angry reaction and that made him feel better too. She didn’t look happy at all. She wasn’t with this dude. But when they left, he decided to follow them. Be sure they got on the highway. When they passed the exit to the interstate, his heart which was already hammering picked up even more speed. Fuck! Where the hell were they going? They continued on for two more blocks and pulled into the drive thru of the Dunkin Donuts. Calm down he told his racing heart, as he passed by the store and made the U-turn. Just getting coffee for the road, he thought. But when he drove by again, and they were parked, his nerves picked up again. WTF? He pulled onto a side road, and shut the car’s engine off. He’d wait and see how long they would be. Maybe just fixing the drinks.

  Thirty minutes later, when they pulled out, he knew there was no way in hell they were making the second flight. Fuck! Fuck! His hands slammed the steering wheel of the car again as he continued to watch them. When they finally departed, he followed them right back to the hotel. He was fuming. The only good thing was he was manhandling her again. He wanted to leave, but there was no way in hell he could. Not until he knew what the fuck was going on. He wanted Ronnie out of Maine, and the fucking bounty hunter too. Glancing at the clock, he decided to go back to his cabin and get a few hours of sleep and resume his watch tomorrow morning. A quick check on flights told him there was a late morning flight. They’d better be making that one, he fumed as he headed back out onto the road. They’d better. That’s all there was to it. There was no way he was going to be at peace until they were far the fuck away. The sooner the better.

  ***

  Gary drove home slowly feeling pretty confident they were staying put for the night. He had a lot of thinking to do. Ronnie had no clue he was deeply involved in the drug world. She thought he merely had done drugs on occasion. She had no idea he had also been dealing on campus. His parents gave him plenty for school, but it wasn’t the money that drew him in. He got a really nice allowance. It was because he despised living under the Campbell thumb, and his parent’s constant scrutiny. His life was all mapped out for him, and it ate away at him. His father pushed him to study forestry. Life in the family business was not something he wanted to pursue, and when the hockey thing hadn’t worked and his high school dreams faded when reality set in and his lack of real athletic talent had become apparent, he began to look elsewhere for the success that eluded him. He wanted excitement, and counting trees for the rest of his life wasn’t going to cut it.

  His life before Ronnie and college had been fun. He was the local hockey star. Girls had thrown themselves at him. He’d done pot in high school, tried other things in college, but he hadn’t really been into the drug scene.

  It was one night when he bought some coke for a party that it clicked for him. He paid a grand for the small vial he had gotten for a frat party. He stayed in the bar, and had a drink before heading to that party, and witnessed his dealer make ten more such transactions in the half an hour he had been there. Who knew Spragueville’s local tavern keeper Johnny “Boy” Brimeyer had such a lucrative little side business. That was ten G, easy money in a tourist town. He could do that. He could do it in Bangor with the college kids easy.

  The following weekend, he approached Johnny Boy, his dealer, offering his services on campus. Johnny hadn’t thought he was serious at first and laughed him off. Why would the rich kid want to deal drugs? Gary practically had to beg the older man for the chance. He eventually wore him down, and the two struck a deal.

  He earned very little at first, until Johnny and his brother, Freddy, who directly oversaw him, knew he could be trusted. In four months, he was earning five grand a month, and sometimes got bonuses. Yes, the Brimeyers had been pleased with him. He was helping to make them some pretty hefty profits.

  But then, Johnny and Freddy soon came up with a new plan. They didn’t have enough drugs to meet the needs of their new expanded market. His family and their travels were well known, and soon they began to expect him to smuggle shit in for them from out of the country. He balked at first. He didn’t want to go that far, but the guys were really putting on the pressure. If he wanted to move up, he had to put in his part. He started small. Taking shit out from Canada, and bringing it state side. But for big scores you had to go further south. He brought some shit back for the Brimeyers from Mexico last summer, and over Christmas Break from Canada again. It was at their suggestion he go to Jamaica for them, and he came up with the cruise idea. A graduation gift from his parents to him and his friends turned into a shit load of dope, meth, coke, and pills for the Brimeyers. He researched on the net on how to smuggle it in inside the snorkeling and scuba gear. But, somehow the dog sniffers caught onto it.

  Luckily, he put the shit in Ronnie’s gear and not his own, and doubly lucky he managed to sneak away making it look like he was just going to the restroom. He had always been a fast thinker. He felt guilty passing it off onto Ronnie, but there was no way in hell he could do jail time. Poor Ronnie had no clue the shit he was into.

  When her name and face were all over the news, his parents controlled and watched his every move. They’d yelled and screamed at him for getting involved with such a low life, and used their connections to keep his name out of the papers. If they only knew! But they didn’t. They were just as clueless as Ronnie was.

  Even the Brimeyers ordered him to lay low for a while. He knew enough to listen to them and that’s why he followed his parents’ orders. Last winter, another dealer of theirs just disappeared. He considered calling them now, but then thought better of it. If they thought trouble was brewing they might think it wise to get rid of him too.

  He pulled into his parents’ garage with the Toyota he was using. It was used by the servants and maid for shopping trips to town, and he closed the garage door. He then walked back to his cabin to think. Maybe they would make the next flight, he prayed. No need to panic and bring in the Brimeyers yet. A good night’s sleep, and a drive into town in the morning to make sure the car was gone would mean the coast was clear. Nobody had anything on him. Not even Ronnie.

  If he flew the coop now that would only make things worse and bring suspicion down on his head. He didn’t want the Brimeyers to worry either or send someone looking for him. He still didn’t know how far their reach went.

  He opened the door to the servants two bedroom cabin and made his way inside. Yeah, a good night’s sleep was what he needed. Maybe a smoke too, he thought, as he pulled out a little baggie he stashed in the butter compartment of the refrigerator. That would calm him and allow him to get a little sleep. He sat at the kitchen table to roll his joint, and to think.

  Ronnie woke early. She was nervous, and as soon as she began to move, Nikko’s eyes fluttered open. She didn’t think she would ever get over the startling blueness of those penetrating eyes. His complexion dark, and his angular chiseled face broke out into a sexy smile. He was just too handsome. And, he’d told her he loved her again and again in the night. Each restless turn she had made resulted in him pulling her close to him and murmuring those words to her soothingly. And, she had yet to say it in return.

  Despite their late night and their lovemaking, she was wide awake. His brothers would be here early to come up with a plan to get Gary to confess. It could all be over today, but she didn’t feel relief. Because it still could all come crashing down upon her. There was the very real possibility this plan of hers wouldn’t work.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” Nikko smiled down at her. “You okay?” he added when she just smiled sadly at him.

  “Just nervous,” she admitted.

  “
I understand,” he murmured and nuzzled his face into the top of her head drawing her closer. “Whatever happens, babe, I am here. I’ll be with you.” He tried to instill as much courage into his words as he could muster, but he was afraid too. For her. Her idea to get Gary to talk with her, to record a confession, was rife with risk. Risks he didn’t know if he wanted to take. But he, too, saw no other options at this time. She had no evidence, and no witnesses to testify she hadn’t put drugs in her gear other than Gary. Him testifying on her behalf was beyond a longshot at best. His family probably feared it would tarnish their name. The guy had no record, no priors, and was from an upstanding family with lots of money and lots of pull.

  Last night, after Nikko spoke to his brother and uttered those concerns, he encouraged Ronnie to call her mother so she wouldn’t worry about her. Lou needed to keep their lawyer unaware of her daughter leaving the state for as long as she could. He also hoped to warn her the police may come looking around on occasion to ascertain Ronnie’s whereabouts on behalf of the prosecution. No one could know she had skipped bail.

  Ronnie had done that. Her mother was greatly relieved to know Nikko was with her, and his brothers were also on the way, and planning to set up some kind of sting. She also reluctantly informed Ronnie her attorney had called again to report that Gary’s parents were successfully preventing the local PD from questioning their son. Her lawyer, Mr. Stimson, was working through the red tape, getting court orders to require him to testify and submit a deposition, but it took time to get the subpoenas signed by local Maine judges who were greatly influenced by the very generous Campbell family in their political campaigns.