In Wyoming, you stopped to help a neighbor even when it was inconvenient. If he didn’t, he’d expect Mrs. Bishop would run up one side of him and down the other when she found out about it.
He and Grant got out of the truck at the same time and headed over to look under the raised hood.
“Hey, Billy. Trouble?” Probably a stupid question, Jesse thought.
“Hey, Jesse. Yeah, damn thing quit on me. Just up and died.” He nodded at Jesse, then Grant.
Then he looked over his shoulder at Jesse’s truck.
He turned back to inspect his car’s engine. “You boys headed over to the truck stop on the interstate?”
Jesse understood the reference, of course. Other than The Axel, the saloon that was open every night but Sunday, there was no place to buy alcohol in Branchton. The town wasn’t dry, there just happened to be no place to buy the stuff, and the closest place to pick up beer to take home was ten miles to the northwest, by the on-ramp to the interstate.
“No, we’re on our way into town.”
“Left Annie sleeping at your place, huh?”
Jesse felt his cheeks heat. He’d known that at some point people would begin to make the connection, as he and Grant planned to spend every spare minute with their woman. Sooner or later, folks would begin to wonder and go fishing, the way Billy had just done. He and Grant talked about it some and decided the best way to handle it was to be honest, but not chatty. He hadn’t thought, however, that such a fishing expedition would embarrass him. He looked at Billy’s face, and relaxed when he saw nothing more than mild interest in the man’s expression. Of course, considering Billy’s reputation for having more than one bed partner at a time, he hadn’t really expected him to be judgmental.
Before he could respond, Grant reached under the hood toward the distributor cap. “Here’s your problem, Billy-boy. One of your lead wires came loose.”
“Well, shut my mouth and call me Nancy,” Billy muttered.
Jesse wondered that the man didn’t seem more chagrinned that he’d missed something so basic.
“Well, Nancy, that should get you on your way.”
“Thanks for stopping. This heap will run now. You go on and get those libations and get back to your lady.”
“No libations,” Grant said, standing back to give Billy room to finish reconnecting the lead. “And no Annie back at the ranch, either.”
“What?”
Billy’s quicksilver change from affable goofball to man on the edge had Jesse taking a step back.
“Annie’s at her apartment.” Jesse knew his tone reflected his confusion.
“Shit! Damn it to hell. I thought she was safe and sound back at your ranch. Couldn’t the two of you have kept her busy in your beds for just one damn day?”
He slammed the hood down but Jesse moved just as fast, using his left hand to shove Billy against that hood.
“Excuse me?” Every one of Jesse’s senses flashed red alert. He felt Grant tense beside him, and made room for the other man when he stepped forward. They were a solid unit and if Billy possessed even half a brain, he’d realize they could have him on the ground hurting without breaking a sweat.
Billy put his hands up in surrender. “Back off. I didn’t mean any insult. But we’ve got a potential problem.”
Just then a loud buzzing sound broke the tense silence. Billy visibly paled.
“What the fuck was that?” Grant asked.
“GPS signal. Set to go off when the device reached specific co-ordinates. Okay, forget potential problem. We’ve got to move, now. Annie could be in serious danger.”
Billy shook off Jesse’s hold and ran for the truck. Jesse didn’t waste any time arguing, and neither did Grant. Spinning on his heels, he ran to the driver’s door and wrenched it open. “You better tell us what the fuck is going on, Billy.”
Billy all but dove into the cab from the passenger side, sliding to the middle of the bench seat, so Grant could get in. “I will. I’ll tell you everything on the way to Annie’s.”
* * * *
“What are you doing here, Rick?”
Annie tried to keep the fear out of her voice. Rick Rutherford had a gun in his hand. Jim’s brother had always scared her more than a little, even without a weapon in sight, even before he tried to force himself on her. And she knew, looking in his eyes, that he was recalling that time even as he his insolent gaze raked over.
“Now is that any way to greet a member of your family, babe? After all, now that poor Jimmy boy has gone to his reward, I’m the head of the Rutherford clan.”
Annie decided to ignore that. As far as she was concerned Rick had never been a member of her family. But she figured saying that would only piss him off. Instead she asked, “When did you get out of prison?”
“Two weeks ago today. Want to hear something funny? That hole I was in was called ‘Wyoming’. And then here I found you’d run away all the way out here, another Wyoming.”
“What are you doing here, Rick?” she repeated.
“One thing about being on the inside, you learn how to work the system. Like you got extra points if you attended Sunday services. So over the last couple of years, I’ve had a lot of Bible reading crammed down my throat. They knew how to do things in those Old Testament days, did you know that? Guy dies, his brother takes over his stuff—including his wife. Maybe I’m just here to do my Christian duty. Or maybe I want to take my turn being your Teddy Bear. You still have that ratty old thing, Annie? I promise I’ll be a better bed mate than he has been this last year.”
A cold dread settled in the pit of her stomach. Annie felt terror wind through her, a black fog that slithered and churned. She couldn’t let him see her fear. But how to answer him? How to respond in a way that wouldn’t set off his temper or let him scent her terror? Words and phrases and attitudes she’d seen Jim employ in the past rushed into her mind. She seized them, the only lifeline she had.
“So you came all the way out west just for a piece of ass? I find that hard to believe. I know Jim had to have told you what a failure I am in the sex department.”
Rick laughed, but the humor didn’t reach his eyes.
“Old Jimmy, he was a real son-of-a-bitch, wasn’t he, babe? Of course, Ma thought the sun rose and set on his asshole, but you and me, we know different.”
Annie’s terror climbed, and so did the certainty that she was in very real danger. “I want you to leave, now.” She would fight him, if it came down to that. She would fight and claw and kick with every bit of strength she possessed. She’d never fought back in the past, never fought against the verbal and emotional abuse, and that failure had eventually led to much, much worse.
Never again.
By God, no man was ever going to hurt her again without getting something back in return.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m going to leave. Eventually. After I’ve had my fill of your cunt…and your mouth, and your ass. I like it nice and rough and before I’m done, I can guarantee you’re going to like it that way, too. But before we get to the fun and games, we’ll take care of business first.”
“We have no business between us. And I’m not going to let you touch me.”
“Oh, honey, you won’t be able to stop me.” He waved the gun he held for emphasis. “But as I said, business first. I’ll take the necklace.”
“Necklace?” Annie didn’t have to feign confusion. Necklace? What necklace? “I don’t have any jewelry. Despite the fact that Jim worked in jewelry stores for all the years of our marriage, he never once bought me any jewelry. If you think he did, maybe he gave it to one of his girlfriends.”
“So you knew about the bimbos? Thought you did. See, Jimmy wasn’t as smart as he thought he was. And neither are you, although you’re good. Really good. But, of course, I mean the glittery and expensive gems we stole just before I got sent away.”
When Annie only stared at him, he shook his head.
“What do you know? Innocent little Annie really is i
n the dark, and Jimmy did keep his mouth shut for a change.”
“Jim stole something from the store? When? How?”
“You really don’t know about it, do you? Well, that’s all right. You don’t need to know all the hows and the whys. Just get me the piece, I’ll take a few more pieces, and be on my way.” He leered at her, and Annie’s stomach turned over. She wondered if barfing on him would deter him.
“You’re crazy. I don’t have any necklace. Now get out of here. I’m expecting friends.” The lie slid easily from her lips. “You’ll be in deep shit if you get charged again, won’t you? Threatening, attempted assault. That gun you’re holding will make it all the worse for you. Maybe this time, they’ll lock you up and throw away the key.” Too late she realized letting him see her loathing was the wrong move.
“Bitch. Maybe the necklace can wait after all. You’ve been living without a man’s hand for too long. Sounds like you need a good going over, with my belt and my cock.” He pointed his gun at the ceiling, and Annie heard a click. Then he laid the weapon on the kitchen counter.
Rick moved so fast, Annie didn’t get a chance to try and escape. Clamping both hands on her arms, he dragged her forward.
Annie screamed, and he spun her around, slapping a hand over her mouth. She struggled, but she was no match for his strength. He pulled her back flush against the front of his body. The ridge of his cock pressed against her bottom, and terror gave her added strength. She dislodged his hand and screamed again.
He threw her to the kitchen floor, hard, falling on top of her. Winded by the fall, Annie struggled for breath. Rick pushed himself up, roughly turned her over so she lay on her back, and straddled her. He put one hand over her mouth again and reached for her blouse with the other.
She heard fabric tear and felt cool air wash over her bra-covered breasts. He grabbed her left breast and squeezed hard. His eyes glittered with arousal, his pants tented with his erection, and Annie knew without a doubt he was going to rape her.
He must have read her thoughts in her eyes, because he grunted and reached for the waist of her shorts.
“Let’s get these off you. First, I’m going to fuck you. Then I’m going to beat you.” He levered up just a little as he worked her shorts down and then off her. He missed the thin silk of her thong, but of course that garment would be no protection for her or barrier to him. He flicked his gaze down at her, and stroked his fingers over her mound.
She bucked and thrashed, desperate to escape his touch.
“Eager little cunt, aren’t you? Let’s see if you can move that well when my cock is buried deep inside you.”
Struggling, screaming against his hand, Annie’s vision blurred from her tears. Rick raised himself up on his knees, and she heard the sound of his zipper opening.
Annie fought to breathe even as the panic tightened her chest, made the blood roar in her ears. Her heart pounded, louder and louder, until it rivaled a crack of thunder. Above her, Rick stiffened, his face a mask of surprise. His hand slid away from her mouth and she desperately sucked in air as he crumpled, half-trapping her with his weight. Crying, desperate, she pushed to get out from under him, wiggling until she broke free., Skittering back, she realized he hadn’t moved. A red stain grew on the back of his shirt below his right shoulder blade. Annie jerked her gaze toward the door.
Veronica stood beside her kitchen table, gun still pointed in a two-handed grip.
“Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” Annie wiped at her tears.
“Are you all right, Annie?”
“Yes. Yes.” Shaking, she reached for her shorts, but couldn’t seem to be able to stand up to put them on. So she wiggled into them as she sat. Rick hadn’t moved, and she was shaking too much to tell if he was breathing or not.
“Is he dead?”
“I really don’t care one way or the other,” Veronica said in an oddly detached voice. “There’s only one thing I care about.”
Annie’s relief turned to confusion, and then horror, as Veronica slowly pivoted to aim the gun at her.
“I’ve waited long enough to get what’s coming to me. I had hoped to accomplish my goal and move on before that piece of slime even got out of prison. Oh, well. I’ll take what I can get. But there’s one thing I need, the one thing I followed you here to this hick town for in the first place. Get me the necklace, Annie. Now.”
Chapter 19
“Veronica? What…what are you doing?”
Shit, shit, shit. Veronica’s gaze drifted over to where Rick Rutherford lay, unmoving. Had she killed him? She’d never killed anyone before. Come to that, she’d never even shot at anyone before. But she’d had no choice. She couldn’t stand by and let him rape Annie.
“Look, Annie. I’m sorry. Really. You’re a nice woman. I even kind of like you, which is unusual for me. I don’t generally like women. But I’ve got to have that necklace.”
“I don’t understand any of this.”
Annie had moved away from her brother-in-law so that she sat against the archway between the kitchen and living room, but didn’t seem to have the energy to move much further. Veronica considered for one moment what the best course of action would be. Generally, there weren’t too many people in the center of town at this time on a Sunday night. Only Annie, who lived over her store, and that goof-ball Billy Woods, who had a room above the shop he rented a couple of blocks away, actually lived in what was laughingly called the ‘downtown’ district of Branchton.
There were always people in the fields outside of town, taking target practice or actually hunting. One shot on a summer Sunday evening wasn’t going to raise any alarms or make anyone even wonder what was going on. So Veronica probably had a bit of time. And after what Annie had just been through, she didn’t mind giving her an explanation. She was already working the angle in her mind, what her story would be if she got stopped later. She’d be out of the country with the goods within twelve hours, but she wanted to go back to New York. She’d say she shot Rutherford out of fear for her friend, and then she’d become so unnerved, she’d run. Necklace? What necklace? Annie must have been confused by the trauma she’d suffered.
It could work.
“Okay, likely no one in Hicksville here is going to investigate the sound of a gunshot, so I can spare a minute or two. About three years ago, I met this smooth talking salesman on a Friday night when I happened to be bored and looking for a little action. I was at a bar in Manhattan, The Euro, and this guy looked good, smelled good. I didn’t know at the time that he was married.”
“Jim.” Annie’s voice sounded flat, and Veronica winced.
“Yeah. Anyway, we sort of hit it off and stumbled into an affair. Then, one night when he was trying to impress me, he told me how he was being entrusted with a special assignment. Algernon Piers, the owner of Piers Telecom and Piers Data Net, had requisitioned a special cleaning and inspection of Aphrodite’s Tears.”
“He wanted to inspect…what?”
Veronica’s patience began to waiver. She needed to get this done and be gone. “Aphrodite’s Tears. It’s a necklace, gold filigree and tear-drop diamonds, dozens of them. Legend has it that the necklace was a gift to Paris, an apology of sorts for the trouble the goddess had brought him, and a token he was to bestow on the woman Aphrodite had given him—Helen of Troy.”
“Helen of Troy?”
Annie’s tone of disbelief grated. “Look, the legend is just bullshit, we both know that. Bullshit the rich attach to their baubles to make them sound more important than they really are. But the necklace is worth more money than either one of us could normally hope to see in a lifetime.” Veronica wasn’t a villain, had never set out to hurt anyone. She’d only seen a chance to grab something for herself. The gems in the hands of a perennial loser like Rick Rutherford might fetch him half a million. He’d have to break the piece, sell off the diamonds which in turn would need to be re-cut.
But sell the necklace whole to a collector—to the right collector—and the pro
fit would be in the millions.
Veronica had already contacted such a collector who lived in the Cayman Islands. The man was Greek and ridiculously sentimental when it came to ancient gods and goddesses, which was good for her.
All she had to do was get the necklace to him and she would have everything she had ever wanted for the rest of her life.
“Veronica, I’ve never seen this necklace. I didn’t even know it existed until tonight. I had no idea Rick had gotten Jim involved in one of his schemes.”
“No. It was my scheme. Rick was all for stealing it from the store, but that would have been stupid. Instead, we waited until the day after it was returned to the Piers penthouse apartment. A security consultant was arriving that afternoon to change the set up for the safe. Fools should have seen to that first instead of having that big party. They deserved to have it stolen. So in the wee hours of the morning, after everyone in residence was either passed out from too much booze, or exhausted from cleaning up after the rich and bored, Rick broke in and stole it. My plan, not Jimmy’s and certainly not his.” Veronica gestured at the still unmoving man on the floor. It looked like he was still breathing, so she guessed he wasn’t dead yet. “The plan was to keep the gems hidden for a couple of years until the best buyer could be located. A buyer who coveted the thing and wouldn’t care if it was stolen. But then Rick knocked over that 7-Eleven and ended up back in prison, and Jimmy…I won’t lie and say I’m sorry he’s dead. By then, I’d discovered what a bastard he was.” Veronica shook her head. “Look, Annie. I just saved your ass. Give me the necklace and I’ll be gone.”
“I don’t have the necklace. I keep saying this, but no one seems to be listening to me.”
“Rick seemed to think you did. He might be a prick, but he’s not completely stupid.” Veronica believed Annie hadn’t known about the necklace. But if Rick thought she had it, then it had to be among the things she’d brought with her from New York.
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