It was damn sure a hell of a lot more money than he had left.
Smith’s mind shot back to a time when he’d been waiting to see the man, waiting to ask him for more credit for the craps table…at one time he’d thought craps was his game, but now of course, he knew his game was Texas Hold’em. He’d overheard Carp order one of his goons to go and pay a visit to a man who was late paying him, and told his lackey exactly what he’d wanted done to the poor, unfortunate sap.
Carp had looked over, seen him shudder, and known he’d overheard. And what had that bastard said to him at the time?
You can’t let anyone get away with anything these days, Baxter. No, siree, that just sets a bad example, and that’s bad for business.
Smith swallowed hard. His head spun a little and his pulse raced. Desperation filled him. I have to find out what the hell is going on here!
He hefted the second load of canisters, then reentered the club. He set them down neatly where he’d put the first load. He turned to the woman. No recognition lit her face. He didn’t think she’d ever served him. He usually sat at the bar, so it was one of the two owners who grabbed his brew for him.
“Excuse me, miss. Can I use the john?”
“Sure. It’s just through there and to the left.”
He didn’t tell her he knew where the john was. He just headed in the direction she’d pointed. He looked over his shoulder, not surprised when Corinna and Tommy fell into conversation. They seemed to know and like each other, and he was glad for the distraction.
Instead of turning left, as he would need to for the bathrooms, he turned right, and edged forward when he heard the voices coming from out on the floor of the club.
He recognized the guy that owned the place, and two of the big bruisers sitting there he thought he’d seen out and about in town for a couple of years now. Two other guys looked familiar, too, but he couldn’t place…ah, the massage parlor! Yes, that was it. They hung out with the hooker giving those “massages.” Smith nearly snorted. Takes all kinds I guess. Then he put his eyes on the other two men.
They were strangers to him and looked like cops. They were probably the detectives the waitress had mentioned. Then one of them spoke.
“The first thing we have to do is prove beyond a doubt that Bruce Smith is in fact Ralph Baxter, and the best way to do that is through fingerprints.”
Smith nearly passed out then and there. He had to work hard at not making a sound, even as he tried to focus on what was being said. He missed the next little bit, so he edged ever so subtly closer.
“Okay, good. We could probably grab Mr. Smith’s glass later today,” Ethan said. “I expect he’ll be in.”
One of the bruisers nodded. “I agree. If he follows pattern, he should already be in town, on his way to the cleaners to pick up his laundry. His route doesn’t change much from week to week. From the cleaners, he then heads over to eat at Rudy’s, and then he stops in here. Mr. Smith has his regulation two beers and is on his way again in less than an hour. His last stop is always Batson’s Grocery Store.”
Smith kicked the wall as he jerked back. Everything inside him began to feel icy cold. He didn’t wait to hear any more, but turned and headed back toward the back door. He nodded to Corinna, and Tommy, who said a “Thanks, man,” as he walked past him.
Smith wanted to run, but instead, he walked. He got back into his car, started it, and then sat unseeing for a long moment. His ears filled with the sound of his heart pounding.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.” He’d heard his name, his real name. Grant had said he was going to get his fingerprints. What had that other guy said? They would get Bruce Smith’s fingerprints so that they could prove that he was Ralph Baxter.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.” His car was idling, so he pulled out into traffic. He had to think. He had to calm down and think. There had to be a way to buy himself some time. He could get away. He had one more identity and that credit card. He was within two hours’ drive of seven of his safe-deposit boxes. He could clean them out, then become, again, and get the hell out of the area.
Hell, this time he would not only get out of Texas, he’d get out of the country, period.
The kind of money he could pull together in a couple hours would buy him a hell of a nice life down in Mexico.
All he needed was some time, just a bit of time. He needed a way to ensure he’d be left alone long enough to do what he needed to do. He needed another car, and maybe some insurance, too.
Fuck, he needed to have a plan, but more, he needed to buy himself that time to think things through.
He needed to buy it, or barter it. Or, he thought suddenly, maybe he could take it in trade. Insurance. Yeah, he’d get himself some insurance and maybe two of those bastards back at The Dancing Pony would care enough about their piece of ass to hold the others off.
* * * *
“These pretty lingerie sets are going to be perfect. Thank you so much, Summer.” Emily Anne sighed as she handed over her credit card.
“That red bra and the crotchless panties are going to wow those men of yours, and I can just imagine what their reaction is going to be to the paddle and fur-lined handcuffs you got.” Then Summer picked up a small bottle and wiggled it between her thumb and forefinger, smiling. “I knew you’d go for the flavored lube. I had faith in your spirit of adventure.” Summer laughed, and that laugh lit up her whole face. “And it’s my pleasure, Emily Anne.”
As she rang up the sale, Emily Anne thought once again about the question she’d considered asking Summer as she’d driven here from Divine. Finally, she inhaled deeply, decision made.
“Can I ask you about something? It’s not gossip, really. Or maybe it is a little bit, but I mean no harm by it. It’s just…when I was here a few weeks back, you had another customer in here at the same time, a beautiful, tall woman I likened, in my mind, to an Amazon.”
Summer chuckled. “Lucy Carter. I think she’d get a kick out of being likened to an Amazon. What was your question?”
“When I told her I was from Lusty, she got this look on her face, like she’d eaten something really bad. I didn’t understand at the time, but I think I do, now.”
Summer sighed. “I’m sure it wasn’t personal, Emily Anne. It’s just that one of the men she’s in love with, Beck O’Malley…well, he was hurt, and hurt very badly by a woman who left him and went to live in Lusty.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Emily Anne sighed. “Chloe Rhodes. She’s my best friend.”
“Oh! Oh, dear. That’s kind of sticky, isn’t it?”
“The thing is…oh, I know it’s none of my business, but as much as Beck must have been suffering over that break-up, Chloe was, too. And I thought, well, if I could just speak to Lucy, I could let her know that Chloe isn’t a bad person.” Emily Anne felt her bottom lip quiver, just a little. Maybe her feelings for Chloe were over the top, but she really was the closest friend she had. That someone would think badly of her hurt. She inhaled deeply, and worked at getting control of her emotions. “I just think that Beck and Chloe were never really meant to be together.”
Summer tilted her head. “This is something that’s important to you, is it?”
“It is, and I don’t know if I can really explain why. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, lately. Chloe was here, but then she had to leave. Her sister was in Lusty at the time, so she went there, to be with Carrie. And, well a lot of things took place right around then…” Emily Anne realized that unless she told the entire story, Summer wouldn’t understand just what it was she was saying. “Something very traumatic happened just after Chloe came to Lusty. A man who was a sexual predator, and who had been after Carrie from when she was a kid in foster care, came to town. But instead of getting his hands on Carrie, he grabbed Chloe instead. It was a very tense and dangerous situation, and in the middle of it all, Chloe was forced to kill him in order to save the life of Adam Kendall, the—”
“He’s Lusty’s sheriff! I heard about h
ow he organized the rescue of Jayne Sheridan and Toby when they were kidnapped by that crazy French guy. Jayne is now married to Seth Carter—”
“Who is Lucy’s brother! Yes! Oh, don’t you see? It’s all connected, and now Chloe is marrying Grant and Andrew Jessop and Lucy is with Beck and…” Emily Anne frowned, because she couldn’t recall the name of the other man in that triad.
“Patrick Owen.” Summer looked at her for a long moment, and Emily Anne had no idea what she was thinking. But she had a slight smile on her face, so it couldn’t be that Summer thought that she, Emily Anne, needed professional help.
Ever since she’d had her nails done at Chloe’s, she’d been thinking about how everything really was connected. It was as if Karma was crossing over, and then back, tying the people of these two towns together, creating bridges and bonds and making a difference in lives.
Because Chloe had left Beck, she’d been there to be taken in place of her sister, and ended up saving Adam’s life. And because she had fallen in love with those firemen, Beck was now free and there was Lucy, who, Emily Anne just knew in her heart of hearts, was meant to be with him.
It was all connected, and it was all just exactly as it should be.
“Do you know what? I bet if you sat down and talked with her—if you told her everything that you’ve just told me—I’d bet that would help. I think you and Lucy have more than one thing in common.”
Emily Anne couldn’t think what she could have in common with that beautiful Amazon. But she really did want to do this one thing.
“Do you think she would talk to me?”
Summer looked at her watch. “It’s nearly lunch time. Why don’t I call her and see if she has time today to see you. Do you know Divine at all?”
“I really don’t. I know how to get to The Dancing Pony. I’m to meet my men there when I’m finished with what I needed to do. But that’s about it.”
“You just wait right here, and I’ll be back in a moment.”
Summer handed Emily Anne her credit card and the slip to sign, and then she went into the back of the shop.
Ten minutes later, Emily Anne was in Mel’s car, headed toward Divine, with directions to Lucy’s spa and a willing, if not exactly eager, reception awaiting her.
Emily Anne covered the distance from Discretion in about a half hour. Divine was larger than Lusty, and she made a couple of wrong turns but soon she was parking on Main Street, just down from A Divine Retreat. As she approached the store, she admired the ruby-red Ford Escape that was parked just down from it, on the same side of the street. The paint sparkled in the Texas sun and Emily Anne imagined being behind the wheel of the snazzy vehicle and zipping down a country road with the windows opened wide and tunes blasting out from the radio.
Emily Anne passed Divine Ink, and looked in the window, but she couldn’t see anyone. She’d only seen Seth Carter the one time, when he’d brought his little boy into Lusty Appetites while Jayne had been asleep over at the clinic. She wondered how Toby was doing. He’d been a real sweetheart, good as gold, and had stolen the heart of the entire town.
Lucy’s spa was right next door to her brother’s business, and how cool was that?
Emily Anne placed a hand on her stomach to quell the butterflies going berserk inside her. When she thought back on her first meeting with Lucy Carter, she remembered being somewhat intimidated by the woman. Oh, there was nothing Lucy had done to give her that feeling—it was just that the brunette was tall and beautiful and had seemed so self-assured.
Emily Anne smiled. She herself was feeling more and more self-confident with each passing week. She remembered the gorgeous leather outfit that Lucy had bought at Discretion, and thinking that she wished she was brave enough to dare to wear such a thing.
At the rate I’m going, that day may come sooner rather than later. That, Emily Anne decided, was a very nice thought.
As she reached for the door handle she looked in and saw Lucy, her head down, standing by a glass counter, writing in a book of some sort.
The woman with her hair pulled back and up and her attention focused looked different than the one Emily Anne had seen at Discretion. This Lucy looked professional, but just as competent and kick-ass.
Lucy looked up, met her gaze, and smiled.
Oh, what a great smile! It’s her best feature. That smile turned Lucy from seeming slightly intimidating into a woman who looked like she could be a friend. Emboldened, Emily Anne opened the door and entered the spa.
“Hi, Lucy. Thanks for seeing me.”
“Summer thought it would be a good idea if we talked. I agreed for a couple of reasons. I realize that I may have seemed rude to you when we met. I’m sorry for that. I had the feeling at the time that I made you nervous. I’m very sorry if I did. It wasn’t intentional.”
“Oh, no, you didn’t. Well, not directly. It was all me. You looked so confident and…I guess queenly. I told Summer that my first impression of you was of a beautiful Amazon. Actually, I was in complete awe of you.”
“Wow.” Lucy blushed. “You just made my day.”
Emily Anne felt her own face color. “I hope you don’t think I’m pandering. I have a habit of saying what I think—especially lately.” She sighed. Her gaze slid to the glass case that Lucy used as a counter. She could see products for sale, what looked like bees wax body products and…honey? She read the little card by the products and remembered that Beck O’Malley was a beekeeper. The fact that Lucy had his products featured prominently in her spa spoke of the woman’s feelings for the man, in her estimation. “It changes you when you find a couple of men who love you beyond all reason, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, I think it really does.” Lucy leaned against the glass cabinet. “Summer said you wanted to talk to me about Chloe Rhodes, and that I should listen to what you have to say. Would you like to go and grab some lunch?”
“I’d love to, but my men are waiting for me at The Dancing Pony. They’re having a meeting there.”
Lucy looked interested. “Beck and Patrick are there, too, I think. Does that meeting have to do with Chloe?”
Did Lucy look worried? Emily Anne waved her hand, because she shouldn’t be worried one bit. “Not in the way you think. When she and her sister were just kids, they lost their parents in a tornado. The man who had been their dad’s business partner and charged with the duty to see to the estate, stole it. The Lusty Town Trust hired Mel and Connor—those are my men—to see if that man, Ralph Baxter, could be tracked down. Not that he can be charged with the theft, although I don’t think there should be a statute of limitations when it comes to crimes where kids are the victims.”
“I agree with you there. But why are they having the meeting here, in Divine?”
“Because they’ve traced Ralph Baxter to Divine. Anyway, what I wanted to say was, when you think of it, it’s a full circle, you know? Chloe was here and now she’s in Lusty.” Emily Anne shook her head. She needed to tell the whole story. “When Chloe and her sister went to foster care, they were separated. Carrie ended up in a home where the parents were raising a little sociopath. He sexually abused Carrie, and when he got out of prison he came looking for her again. If Chloe hadn’t been there he might have succeeded in his horrible plan. But she was, and because she’d been prepared, she was also able to save the life of Sheriff Kendall.” Emily Anne almost never talked about what Chloe had gone through, because it had been so hard for her. She didn’t know why she was doing it now, but Lucy was listening. She lowered her voice. “She had to kill that awful sexual predator to do it, and even though the man deserved killing, it was a hard thing for her to deal with afterward. But Grant and Andrew were there to help her through it. I believe with all my heart that those two firefighters were meant to be hers.”
Lucy remained silent and Emily Anne wondered if she was making any sense. “When I first met Chloe, it was just after she came to town. Did you know that she is an esthetician, and massage therapist, too, just like you?”
“Yes, Beck told me a little about her.”
“She’s self-employed and has her own place, too. She wouldn’t have anything to do with those two Jessops at first. She was still pretty broken up about having to say no to Beck. She told me that she simply hadn’t loved him enough to say yes, and that it would be worse to accept his proposal and then have it all go to hell in a year or two. I didn’t really understand that at the time, because I had been dumped by my boyfriend a month before and I was still stinging—convinced that no one would ever love me.”
“Beck was more than badly hurt, he was a mess. Even when I was falling for Patrick, and he insisted that Beck, who was always around, was a good guy, I couldn’t figure out why he was so surly, so—” Lucy laughed but it didn’t sound humorous. “He was a bastard at times. And then came Valentine’s Day.”
Emily Anne recognized the look in Lucy’s eyes. She was reliving a painful memory. “Chloe called him to tell him she was getting married. I know. That was the day her men proposed to her.”
“Yeah. I think that was the moment he went into a free fall because until then, he had hope she would come back to him. He was devastated.” Lucy swore as she swiped at a tear.
“Chloe isn’t a bad woman, Lucy. She just wasn’t the woman for Beck. But I think you are.”
Lucy looked up as if to deny what she’d said about Chloe, and then frowned. In the next instant the door opened and a man came into the spa off the sidewalk. Squinty gaze, salt and pepper eyebrows, and hair all askew, at first Emily Anne wondered if he was a homeless person.
Emily Anne couldn’t help but notice how Lucy seemed to go stiff. The tone she used with the man told her as no words could have that she didn’t like him one bit. “The computer store is down the street, sir, remember? Between Batson’s Grocery Store and Divine Auto Repair.”
Love Under Two Private Dicks [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 24