by Kym Roberts
It was time to ask the most important question. “Why did you kill her?”
John Luke stared at me. His head jutted out toward me as if he was trying to rehear the question I’d asked. Then he pulled his chin back and chuckled. Chuckled.
My fist clenched. The music disappeared. All I saw was the ugly mouth of an abuser who had killed his girlfriend because he thought she had the audacity to cheat on him with her boss.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t kill Ava. She’s at home, stewing over a broken nose.”
His words sank through my thoughts of violence. “You didn’t kill her?” I asked.
John Luke’s face lost all signs of humor and he seemed to sober up a bit. “What do you mean? Are you telling me Ava’s dead?”
I nodded. Suddenly I was very sure that he didn’t kill Ava, and I’d once again just delivered the news of her death in a completely inappropriate way. I felt ashamed of my behavior. Not that he deserved the curtesy of the news being delivered in a different manner, but still, my behavior was wrong. From the crinkle in his brow, I wasn’t sure if he was going to cry, cuss, or turn violent. I couldn’t read him.
“What did she do? Did she jump off the bridge? That stupid . . .” John Luke was no longer talking to me, he was gazing over the pool table without seeing any of the balls in play. But I was listening to every word he said.
“She was always threatening to end it all. Put me out of my misery. I guess she gone and done it after all. Good riddance.”
I’m not sure how it happened. We were standing face-to-face. Close enough to touch each other. I was staring into his eyes and the next thing I knew, John Luke was on the floor holding his nose. Blood was dribbling through his fingers and onto the floor . . . and my hand hurt more than all get-out.
Fuzz buckets.
Chapter Nineteen
Boone was the first one to grab me. I wouldn’t have fought back if he’d just tried to keep me from going after John Luke, but he spun me around and tried to put some kind of choke hold around my neck. The pressure felt like he was crushing my throat and stealing my breath. I scratched his arm and stomped on his feet. I heard a loud crack and saw the end of a cue stick clatter to the floor next to John Luke. Boone grunted in my ear and his arm loosened a tad, allowing me to breathe. The next noise he made was a bit higher than a grunt, and his arm fell away. I rushed forward as a group of cowboys descended upon us. I turned to see Boone legitimately cupping his jewels this time. Scarlet was grinning like a pet raccoon, and I got the distinct impression she’d delivered on her earlier threat—from behind Boone.
As the men quickly surrounded us, I immediately recognized the bouncer who’d been keeping an eye on Boone and John Luke, but it was the other faces—the ones I knew—that threw me for a loop. Faces from Hazel Rock—in Fort Worth, a hundred and eighty miles from my hometown.
They were bull riders. The cowboys who rode into my hometown once a year for our Cowboy Invitational and stole the show. Leading the pack was the rodeo star Dalton Hibbs, who had captured Scarlet’s heart with his dangerous good looks, blond hair, and blue eyes. Boone didn’t stand a chance. Dalton threw one punch with his overbuilt riding hand that normally kept him from falling off a bull, and Boone was on the floor next to John Luke.
Cowboys everywhere were looking for the next face to punch as more bouncers rushed through the crowd and formed a protective circle around the two men on the floor, making sure no one else got involved.
Scarlet squealed and jumped into the arms of her boyfriend, and as her hat fell off her head, I heard several bystanders ask, “Is that Scarlett Johansson?”
“No!” I answered before the rumor could spread. “That’s Dalton Hibbs and his girlfriend.”
A little awe sparkled in the eyes of some of the crowd. Everyone in Billy Bob’s knew Dalton Hibbs. He was as big as it got in the rodeo circuit.
“I want to press charges,” John Luke said through his hand as one of the bouncers helped him up to his feet. He staggered but pointed a bloody finger in my direction. “She broke my nose.”
Scarlet stopped kissing Dalton for a moment to say, “He punched her first.”
I thought about the moment John Luke’s fist had encounter my nose. It wasn’t really a punch, and I couldn’t say he assaulted me, but I could tell the bouncers he was wanted in Hazel Rock.
“This is John Luke. He’s wanted in Hazel Rock, Texas, for domestic violence assault, and I believe the police want to question him in regard to a homicide.”
“I didn’t kill Ava, I just punched her in the nose!” John Luke insisted.
Several men turned angry eyes toward John Luke, and he seemed to recognize that his words wouldn’t win hearts, but they did influence the crowd in Billy Bob’s. He closed his mouth as two cowboys I knew had to be stopped by the bouncers. Dusty Lamb and Travis Sinclair were full of testosterone that was demanding to be released, and that seemed to egg on the entire crowd.
A couple of off-duty cops working at the bar immediately calmed the vigilante atmosphere I’d created. My heart sank as Abbey pulled one aside. He nodded several times and then turned to look in my direction. I tried to smile, but failed miserably.
He and Abbey approached the circle, where Boone was starting to gain his legs with the help of two bouncers. John Luke was flanked by a couple of bouncers who plopped him in a chair and gave him a towel and a bag of ice to stop the bleeding.
“That’s him,” Abbey said.
“He’s the one who hit you?”
“Yes, sir. This afternoon at my house when I wouldn’t get him a beer. He backhanded me across the face.”
In the full light from the pool tables I could see an abrasion running across Abbey’s face that I hadn’t seen while she’d been behind the bar. My guilt disappeared. I was wrong for what I’d done, but John Luke was a monster who needed to be stopped. He might not have been a murderer . . . yet, but he’d hit two women in three days, and his days of creating domestic violence statistics had come to an end. This time, he was going to be held accountable.
The officer put John Luke in cuffs and then turned toward the bouncer. After that, I didn’t see what happened to John Luke. Travis took one look at me, grabbed my hand, and hauled me outside. We were three blocks away before he finally said something.
“You’ve got a knack for finding trouble.”
“You’ve got a talent for arriving at the right time to rescue me.”
During the last rodeo, I’d ended up in a stock pen with one of the meanest bulls I’d ever seen. Turned out, he’d been drugged, and Travis was the first to arrive to help me. At the time, I thought he’d been the one who threw me over the top of the stall. Now I knew he was more the type to throw a woman over his shoulder.
“Princess, from the punch I saw you throw, I’d say you’re the last woman in town who needs rescued.” He grabbed my hand and looked at my knuckles. “Although you could use a doctor for that hand.”
The knuckles on my left hand told a story I was glad the cops hadn’t seen—three were bleeding and the middle two were swollen and turning a nasty black and blue.
“Huh. The last time I punched someone, you were in Hazel Rock. Maybe trouble follows you.”
Travis flashed that million-dollar grin all the rodeo fans adored. “Darlin’, that’s a given.” He put two of his fingers in the palm of my hand. “Can you squeeze my fingers?”
I squeezed them and winced. “Yeah, but it doesn’t feel very good.”
“No crunching or grating sensation?”
I shook my head.
“Then I’d say we need to get it cleaned up and get some ice on it. Where are you staying?”
“In Dallas.”
He looked up at me through long lashes. “We could go to my hotel. It’s right down the street.”
I knew what Travis was implying. We’d had a doub
le date with Scarlet and Dalton the last time he’d been in Hazel Rock. It had ended poorly when Dalton was arrested for a murder he didn’t commit, but before Travis had left town, he’d kissed me and said he’d be in contact. We’d texted a few times, but there was no commitment between us. I wasn’t a fool. A guy in his position wasn’t a one-woman man.
“I think that would compound the list of bad decisions I’ve made on this trip.”
Travis grinned. “I think that’s the first time a woman has said I was a bad decision. If I wasn’t married to the rodeo, I might have to sweep you off your feet and marry you.”
It was my turn to grin. Travis was a nice guy, and someday, when he was ready, the right woman would let him do just that. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that woman. “A man like you can stand to be knocked down a peg or two.”
“True, but let’s not publicize it. Okay?”
“Deal.”
My phone beeped and saved both of us from the moment becoming uncomfortable. I looked at the text and saw a picture of Cade at the diner with my daddy. They were having dinner and a beer together. Cade had texted: Your dad’s in good hands. I smiled. Daddy must have told him I’d been worried sick, and Cade decided to send the photo to put me at ease.
I texted back: Thank you!
Anytime, Princess.
Travis looked over my shoulder. “Ah. So the mayor has finally made his move?”
“What? No, it’s not like that.”
Travis smiled. “I think it is.”
My phone rang before I could respond, and the caller ID showed Scarlet’s name. “Are the cops looking for me?” I asked as I answered the phone.
“No. Where are you?”
“I’m down the street with Travis.”
“Really?”
“It’s not like that.” I smiled at Travis, who leaned in for Scarlet to hear.
“She shot me down. I’m heartbroken.” Travis grabbed his chest, and I pushed him away with my good hand.
His chivalry, however, didn’t disappear. “Have a seat. I’ll go into the restaurant and get some ice for your hand.”
I took a seat on the cement planter outside the barbecue place we’d stopped in front of, mouthed thank you, and waited for him to return.
“Why aren’t the cops looking for me?” I asked Scarlet.
“Because I told them it was self-defense.”
“There were too many witnesses who saw that it wasn’t.”
“Abbey and the bouncer said that it was.”
“Get out.” I couldn’t believe the two lied for me.
“I’m not kidding.”
“Did you know the guys were in Fort Worth?” I asked.
“No. Dalton was supposed to arrive sometime tomorrow for the rodeo this week, but when I told him we were heading to Fort Worth, a few of them headed this direction early.”
“How did they know we were at Billy Bob’s?”
“I texted him while we were at Target and told him it wouldn’t be the same without him there.”
“Oh.”
I could hear the grin in her voice. “It was a heck of a surprise. Listen, the officers wanted to know if you wanted to press charges on Boone, but when they ran him through the computer, he had a felony parole violation, so they took him into custody on that.”
“A parole violation?” Geez, I knew how to pick ’em.
“Yeah. He was on parole for armed robbery. They said if you wanted to press charges, to stop by the police station. Dalton was none too happy with us.”
I’d hate to hear what Mateo would have said if he’d arrived with Dalton. Luckily, he didn’t have to know—unless John Luke said something to Mateo’s detectives when they questioned him regarding Ava’s murder.
I’d cross that bridge when I had to.
“Is that you, sitting in front of Riscky’s?” Scarlet asked.
I looked back toward Billy Bob’s and saw Scarlet and Dalton walking hand in hand. I waved and we hung up.
Dalton still looked ticked off, but he hugged me and said he was glad I was okay.
“Sweetie, can you give me a few minutes with Charli?” Scarlet asked.
It was obvious Dalton didn’t want to leave us alone, but he walked over to the fountain and gave us some space.
“Charli, you know I wouldn’t normally ask this . . .” Scarlet hesitated, and I knew exactly where this conversation was headed.
“Of course you can stay with Dalton,” I said. “You never get to see him, and I live right across the street.”
“I know, but this was supposed to be a girls’ weekend.”
“We both know that’s not true. We set out to get a confession from John Luke, and we did it with witnesses to boot. John Luke is finally going to pay for what he did to Ava and Abbey. Our mission is accomplished. If I could use your car, I can drive to the hotel and pick you up in the morning.”
“Are you sure you can drive?”
I sucked it up and flexed my hand, not letting her see any sign of pain. “It looks worse than what it is. Please go. You deserve this after the day we’ve had.”
“What about you?”
“I have a king-size bed waiting for me. Nothing sounds better than that.”
Scarlet hugged me around the neck, and I realized how tender my throat was but kept it to myself. “You really are a princess,” she said.
“I think John Luke might disagree.”
Scarlet laughed, and Dalton and Travis returned with my ice. After a few minutes of gentle but painful administrations from Travis, we all walked to Scarlet’s car where Scarlet grabbed her bag and her health food and transferred it to Dalton’s rental. Travis kissed me on the cheek and told me he was just a text away if I changed my mind.
We both knew I wouldn’t, and I hit the road feeling very alone.
An hour and a half later, I was in my hotel room feeling worse than ever. I’d showered and was standing in a dark room wearing a T-shirt and underwear, looking at the view of Reunion Tower glowing in the Dallas skyline. The bed looked too big for one person, and the quiet I thought I’d enjoy was deafening. When my phone buzzed, I welcomed the interruption.
“Hello?”
The smooth baritone on the other end warmed me from the inside out. His question, however, made me feel as low as armadillo droppings.
“How was the concert?” Mateo asked.
“I . . . ah . . .” I decided to come clean. “We didn’t go.”
“Was Billy Bob’s everything you thought it would be?”
“You knew? I’m struggling here not to upset you, and you already knew?” I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or ticked that he’d tested me.
“I wanted you to know that you didn’t want to lie to me.”
That was the last thing I’d expected him to say. “What? That doesn’t make sense.”
“You miss me.” His voice held enough confidence for ten men.
I rolled my eyes. “That’s not true. Scarlet and I are having the time of our lives.”
“I have no doubt Scarlet is having the time of her life . . . with Dalton in Fort Worth. How’s your hand?”
“You know about my hand?” How did he know about my hand? “Then you probably know that Travis took care of it,” I said.
“Travis is at Billy Bob’s.” His confidence wasn’t shaken in the least.
Unbelievable. “Do you have spies watching me?”
“I have a buddy on Fort Worth PD who happens to work off-duty at Billy Bob’s. I got an interesting call from him about an hour ago.”
“So why didn’t you call and chew me out earlier?”
“Why would I chew you out?”
“For interfering in your case.”
“You helped the case.”
“You admit it?” I smiled.
�
��I admit it. I don’t like it. You could have been seriously hurt going after John Luke like that.”
“He’s not the killer.”
“I know.”
“Because your buddy called and told you he was beating Abbey Parson while Ava was being killed?”
“Because I have gas station video of him in Fort Worth at the time of Ava’s murder.”
“How did you get that?”
“My detectives are the real thing, Charli.”
I cringed. I’d just insulted him without meaning to. “I’m sorry. I know they are. Did you hear that John Luke confessed to hitting Ava in the nose the morning she died?”
“I did. Thank you for that. We’d already planned on filing charges on him with your dad’s testimony, but that adds to our case.”
“My dad?”
“Yeah, after John Luke beat her, Ava went to your dad for help.”
Of course she did. Because that’s the kind of man my daddy was. “They weren’t . . .”
“Dating? No, they’ve been friends for years. Your dad was the first to recognize she was in trouble with John Luke. He told her he’d be there for her if she ever needed help, and he was.”
My eyes filled with tears. “I should have seen that.”
“Probably, but I also think you want him to be happy and you saw Ava as someone who could potentially make him happy.”
He was right. I did want my daddy to fall in love again—to feel the companionship he’d had with my mom. I sniffed and grabbed a tissue off the desk before I started blubbering.
“Tell me about our room.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Our room? You mean the one I’m standing in all alone with an oversized king bed and a balcony overlooking the Dallas Skyline with Reunion Tower glowing in shades of pink?”
“Is it pretty?”
“It’s gorgeous.” I watched the tower turn from dark pink to light pink and I thought of home and the Book Barn Princess. “Wait. I’ve never seen the tower pink before. Did you—”
“It pays to know people.”
“You had them turn the lights pink?”