Tangled Lies

by Connie Mann

  Eve huffed out a breath. “OK, fine. Do you have your—”

  “New cell phone?” Sasha said. “Yes, and it’s charged and it’s turned on, and yes, I will text you back when you tell me you’ve arrived in DC. Did I miss anything?”

  Eve narrowed her eyes at her. “And you’ll let me know—”

  “When I get the police files. Right. We’ve talked about this, Eve.”

  Eve sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave.”

  “And you don’t want to be out of the loop on what’s going on,” Sasha said, grinning.

  Eve snorted. “Fine. Yes. That, too.”

  They parked, walked to the terminal, and waited while Eve checked her bag. Then they walked to security together, Blaze trailing three steps behind.

  Eve set her carry-ons at her feet and turned to hug Blaze, who held herself stiffly but didn’t squirm out of her grasp.

  “Thanks for the way you’re helping out, Blaze. I’m glad you’re there.”

  Sasha watched Blaze’s face, her usual glare softening at the words. “They’re family. It’s what you do.”

  Eve pulled back and looked her in the eyes. “It’s what we do, yes, though not every family does.”

  Blaze scowled at Sasha. “Some of us take that seriously.”

  Sasha wanted to snap at her, but this wasn’t the time or place. Instead she hugged Eve when it was her turn. “Be safe, Sis. I’ll keep my phone on, promise.”

  Tears ran down Eve’s cheeks. “I’ll call you as soon as I land. I’ll—”

  Sasha turned her toward the ever-growing line for security and handed her bags to her. “I know. Go, or you’ll miss your flight.”

  Sasha and Blaze waited and waved one last time before she disappeared from sight. Once they were back in the car, Blaze up front and Bella sprawled across the backseat, Sasha said, “So what’s up, kid?”

  Blaze’s eyes widened before she looked away. “Who said anything is up?”

  “You wouldn’t be here right now—not this early—if you didn’t have something to say, so out with it.”

  “Maybe I just wanted to say good-bye to Eve.”

  “And maybe I’m Lady Gaga.”

  Blaze folded her arms and huffed out a breath. “I know you and Eve went to the police station to ask about Tony.”

  Sasha tried to remember when she and Eve had talked about it and whom they’d said anything to. “So after you ran from the room, you came back for a little eavesdropping?”

  “It’s the only way I find out what’s going on. Nobody tells me anything. I’m not a little kid!”

  Sasha looked over at Blaze and was reminded, once again, of how very much she had been like Blaze at that age. “It’s rough to be a teenager, no question. Adults think you’re too young to understand. Or they think you don’t care.”

  “I do care. This is Mama we’re talking about. And nobody tells me anything.”

  Sasha gripped the steering wheel when Blaze swiped angrily at her tears. What was it with crying females this morning? She hadn’t even had breakfast yet.

  “Look, Blaze, nobody is trying to exclude you. Yes, Eve and I went to the police station. We asked for the report on Tony’s disappearance.”

  “What did it say?”

  Sasha shrugged. “We don’t know. They said it will take a couple of days to get it out of storage.”

  “Don’t they have it on the computer?”

  “Not yet. They said they’re working on scanning in all their old files, but they haven’t gotten that far back yet.”

  “That really stinks. So now what? What’s our next step?”

  Sasha turned to stare at her, taking in the stubborn chin and determination in her green eyes. “What do you mean, our next step? When they call, I’ll go take a look.”

  Blaze crossed her arms. “I’m going with you. Now that Eve isn’t here, I’m your partner in this investigation.”

  “I, ah, that is . . .” Sasha tried and failed to come up with a good reason why she shouldn’t have this surly teenager underfoot for the foreseeable future.

  “Don’t even try to get rid of me. I’ll camp out in front of your bedroom door if I have to. I want to help with this. I need to.”

  Sasha glanced at her again and sighed. Oh yeah, she understood. Better than most. “Look, Blaze, you’re welcome to come with me, see what we find out.” She scrambled for the right words and finally said, “But none of that, and nothing we do or don’t do, is going to change what’s happening with Mama.”

  Tears rolled down Blaze’s cheeks as she stared out the side window, but she didn’t say anything. Sasha reached over to take her hand, but Blaze jerked it away and swiped the tears from her face.

  They drove in silence for the next thirty miles, then Sasha pulled into the drive-through of a fast-food restaurant.

  “OK, partner, what’ll ya have?”

  They ordered breakfast and got back on the highway, neither saying a word. But all the way home, Sasha tried to figure out how on earth she was going to find answers for Mama. And how they would all live with them once she did.

  Jesse woke before sunrise and winced when his almost-healed knife wound protested as he sat up. He’d be glad when he didn’t get reminded of his stint behind bars every time he moved without thinking.

  He eased out of the sagging twin bed he’d slept in throughout his childhood summers and padded to the kitchen to start coffee. At some point he’d move into Aunt Clarabelle’s bedroom, but not yet. He wasn’t ready. Besides, he couldn’t see sleeping under flowered sheets and waking up to flowered wallpaper. He shuddered and headed for the bathroom while the coffee did its thing.

  The sun hadn’t yet peeked over the horizon when he trotted down the porch steps to his truck and stopped short, coffee sloshing out of his mug. The security light from the neighbor’s house illuminated the truck. Both tires on the driver’s side were flat. Jesse muttered a curse and marched over for a closer look. Not just flat. Slashed.

  He walked around to the other side and froze. Whoever it was had slit all four tires. He slammed a fist against the side of the truck, then cursed the pain that radiated up his arm while hot coffee sloshed over his other hand.

  He shook out his aching hand and threw the coffee mug onto the straggly lawn. Not only would he lose time he didn’t have, but given the size of the truck, replacing the tires wouldn’t come cheap. He stood for a moment, fighting to bring his frustration under control. He’d known there’d be some who wouldn’t welcome a guy who’d spent time in jail to their tidy little community. But the fact they’d done this right after he arrived showed a level of animosity that ticked him off.

  He just wanted to prep his boat and win the race. And OK, yeah, start over in this little one-horse town. That didn’t seem like too much to ask. Apparently, it was. He wasn’t one to go looking for a fight, but someone had brought this one right to his door.

  He stomped over and scooped up Clarabelle’s flowered mug, annoyed the stupid thing hadn’t smashed. He scrubbed a hand over his face. Whatever. He had work to do. He double-checked the size of the tires, marched back inside, traded flip-flops for tennis shoes, and tossed some water bottles and a sandwich into a backpack. The sky was gradually lightening as he started the two-mile trek to Safe Harbor Marina. That should give him plenty of time to get his temper under control.

  Sasha pulled into the gravel parking area next to the house. She really wanted to crawl back into bed for another hour or so, but she’d told Pop she’d help him at the marina when they got back.

  Blaze opened her door and slid out, then said, “Don’t try to weasel out of this and go without me.”

  “I told you I’d take you with me.”

  “I’ve heard about how much your word is worth.”

  Sasha winced at the accusation. Before she could respond, Blaze slammed the door behind her, and Sasha wanted to yell that she shouldn’t slam doors when Mama was trying to sleep.

  The irony made her sig
h. Oh, that girl could get under her skin. She eased the car door closed—they’d made enough racket already—and looked up, surprised to see Jesse walking down the drive from the road.

  “Morning.”

  He raised a hand in greeting and kept walking. Well, that was rude. She turned and intercepted him just as he reached the shed Pop was letting him use as a workshop.

  “What’s the matter with you, Money-boy? You don’t even say good morning?”

  “I was trying to be considerate by not yelling at the crack of dawn.”

  “I wasn’t yelling.”

  “Didn’t say you were.”

  He nudged her out of the way, unlocked the padlock, and slid the door open. He stepped inside and pulled the chain on the overhead bulb. Weak light filled the space.

  She looked around. “Where’s your truck?”

  He set his backpack on the workbench. “Home.”

  “Why would you walk all this way? It’s got to be, what, a couple of miles.”

  He sighed and spoke without looking at her. “Go away, Sasha. I have work to do.”

  Something wasn’t right. She stepped closer and peered at him in the gloom. “What’s going on?”

  “Somebody slashed the tires on my truck last night.”

  “What? Did you call the police?”

  “No. Just let it go.”

  “Tires, plural. How many?”

  “All of them, OK?” He stepped around her and headed for the dock and The Painted Lady.

  Sasha dogged his heels. “Why won’t you call the police?”

  He stopped, turned, annoyance in every hard line of his body. “Somebody obviously doesn’t want a possible felon in their little town. I expected as much.”

  “It isn’t right. I’m going to—”

  She turned to go and he grabbed her arm so fast she stumbled. He spun her around and waited until she met his eyes.

  “No. You are going to do nothing. This is my business and I will handle it my way.”

  “But it isn’t righ—”

  He leaned in and silenced her with a quick kiss that was over before she’d even registered what happened. She pulled back in shock and looked at his stunned expression. She figured her own probably looked the same.

  “What was that about?”

  “You make me crazy,” he muttered, walking away. “Leave it alone,” he tossed over his shoulder.

  Sasha watched him go, her mouth still tingling from his kiss.

  She heard a noise and spun to see Pop struggling under a heavy box near the marina store. She rushed over to take it from him.

  “Pop, that’s too heavy. Why didn’t you say something?”

  He looked at her over the box. “Would have, if you’d been here.”

  Chastised, she tugged the box from his grasp and said, “Where do you want it?”

  He pointed, and she spent the next two hours moving inventory, cleaning the store, and trying not to think about somebody in town slashing Jesse’s tires.

  Mostly she thought about that unexpected kiss. When she was with him, everything else faded away, and that’s what worried her. She had responsibilities here and was determined to do right by her family. Even in high school, she’d been drawn to more than his sexy smile. The way he seemed so comfortable in his own skin attracted her like fish to bait. More importantly, he’d always treated her like she was a competent, skilled person, not a constant disappointment.

  She shook her head. Now what? She’d heard all the gossip about his time in prison for drugs, and none of it jibed with the man she knew. Which was the real Jesse? Until she knew for sure, she’d have to keep her guard up—for everyone’s sake.

  Jesse hated asking for help, but he didn’t have a lot of options. He set down his wrench and scrubbed the grease from his hands. He needed new tires. Today. Ideally he’d have the truck towed to the tire place, but he didn’t see that happening. He couldn’t afford it. Plan B would be to borrow a vehicle big enough to hold his air compressor and all four tires, so he could replace them in his driveway. Then he’d drive the truck over to get the new tires balanced and aligned.

  He stepped out of the shed and looked around. There was no way he’d ask Pop if he could put tires in Mama Rosa’s pristine Buick. Pop’s ancient pickup was gone, so he couldn’t ask to borrow that. Time for plan C. He’d hoof it to the tire place and roll two tires at a time back to the cottage. It’d be a pain in the butt and take forever since the auto repair and tire place was downtown, at least another mile past his cottage.

  Sighing, he loaded the compressor and a tire iron on a hand cart, locked up the shed, and started walking.

  Fifteen minutes later, he heard a vehicle behind him and turned to see Sasha pull off the road in an old Jeep that looked like it was held together with rust and duct tape. Bella woofed a greeting from her perch in the passenger seat.

  “Hey, Bella.” Jesse walked over and scratched behind her ears, getting a doggy kiss in return.

  “You heading home to call a tow truck?”

  He kept his tone neutral. “Not in the budget. But I am heading to the tire place.”

  She muttered something about small-minded idiots. “Hop in. I’ll give you a ride.”

  “Thanks. Appreciate it.” Jesse finally looked at her, and was glad his expression was hidden behind his sunglasses. Despite his seething frustration about the tires, Sasha could stop him dead in his tracks. She’d changed since this morning. With her gorgeous hair tucked into a tidy braid, eyes hidden behind movie-star sunglasses, and athletic frame wrapped in a snug tank top and shorts, his body took one look and said, Oh yeah, while his mind screamed, Run!

  He never had been very smart. He loaded the compressor in the back and opened the passenger door.

  “Scoot over, Bella.” The dog obediently hopped into the backseat as he climbed in and slammed the door. She put the Jeep in gear and hit the gas, and he grabbed the roll bar, just in case. “You late getting somewhere?”

  “I have a lot to do this afternoon.”

  “If it’s a problem, I can walk, Sasha.”

  “Did I say it was a problem?”

  Jesse looked at the set of her jaw and figured something was the problem. “Mama doing OK today?”

  “I guess. Maybe. I don’t know, OK?”

  “Okaay.”

  “She hasn’t been out of bed today. Pop says it’s because of all the excitement of the party, but I don’t know. I haven’t been around enough to know what’s normal”—she made air quotes—“and what’s not.”

  “I’m not sure there is a normal in this situation, but I get what you’re saying. And it’s really OK. You can let me out here.”

  She waved that away. “Don’t be stupid, Money-boy. I’m going that way anyway.”

  Her irritation fueled his own, so he said nothing until they pulled into the parking lot of Safe Harbor’s only car lot and auto repair.

  “Thanks for the ride, Sash. I really appreciate it.” He gave her a tight smile and Bella another scratch, grabbed the compressor and headed into Safe Harbor Auto.

  A little bell jangled above the door. While vehicles old and new lined the lot outside, the inside was clearly divided between the tire and auto parts sections, with the garage and its work bays in the back. Captain Barry, who had inherited the business from his father but spent his weekends as a charter-boat fishing captain, came out from the small office. When he saw Jesse, the welcome-the-customer smile slid off his face.

  “We’re not open yet.”

  Jesse hitched a thumb over his shoulder. “Sign on the door says you opened two hours ago.”

  “Well, I don’t have—”

  “Look, you don’t have to like me or want me in your town, but my money’s green. I need four tires for my truck.” He rattled off the make and model he wanted and waited.

  Barry cleared his throat and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, not meeting Jesse’s eyes. Finally he said, “Four of them there model don’t come cheap. You h
ave cash? I don’t take no plastic.”

  Jesse nodded. “I have cash.”

  Barry peered out the door. “Where’s your truck? The tires come with alignment and balance.”

  “I’ll put them on myself and bring the truck in for the alignment and balance.”

  Barry scratched his bald head. “Wouldn’t it be easier just to—”

  “It would, if someone hadn’t slashed all four tires during the night.” He hadn’t planned to say anything, but now that the words were out, he watched Barry’s reaction.

  “Well, dang, probably a bunch of kids.”

  Their eyes met, and Barry finally looked away. “I’ll get the paperwork started and get them tires for you.”

  When Jesse rolled the first two tires outside twenty minutes later, Sasha was still sitting in the Jeep with her head against the headrest, eyes closed. Bella saw him and stood on the seat, tail wagging. Sasha sat up and folded her arms over the steering wheel.

  “We can get all four of them in here if Bella sits on your lap. I have bungee cords to tie them down.”

  She still had that mutinous look to her, so Jesse didn’t say anything, just went back inside and came out with two more tires. He helped her secure everything in the back and motioned Bella up on his lap. He waited until they were almost at his cottage before he said, “Thanks for waiting. You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

  She slid her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose and peered at him over the top. “I know you’re not stupid, so quit acting like it.”

  “I could have—”

  “I know. And rolling them two at a time would have taken all afternoon.” She roared into his driveway.

  Bella hopped out of the Jeep, and he followed and hauled the compressor and the tires out of the back. As soon as the last tire hit the ground, Sasha put the Jeep in gear and Bella quickly hopped back in. Jesse reached over and laid a hand on Sasha’s arm.

  “Let me buy you dinner.”

  She shook off his hand. “You don’t owe me anything.”

  He grinned. “Didn’t say I did. I just want to take a pretty lady to dinner.”

  He wished he could see what was going on behind those dark glasses, because her whole body stiffened.