“Can I go now? I won’t tell Gabe, I promise.”
As soon as Sami nodded, Gary was headed to the door. “Thank you!” she called after him. The other women were breaking open water bottles. It had been a real workout.
“Ray’s going to fight back harder. I think Gary was afraid to really let loose on us,” Sami warned.
“We’re ready for him.” Sadie rubbed her hands together. “We know what we need to do and how to do it. The black bag over the head was a genius idea. It totally disoriented him.”
“You’re welcome,” Becca grinned. “I read too many spy novels obviously.”
Lacey nudged Sami. “Go ahead. Call him.”
She took a deep breath and grabbed her phone, punching in a few buttons. She put it on speaker so the other women could hear as it rang. She was about to hang up when Ray answered.
“Ray.”
Sami swallowed hard. She’d underestimated how difficult it would be to talk to him. “Ray? It’s Sami James.”
“Sami, it’s about time I heard from you. I guess you got the message I left you at your apartment.”
Sadie had a pissed off expression and her middle finger high in the air, pointed directly at the phone. Sami had to concentrate to keep a straight face.
“I did. Listen, I have some money for you.”
“You better.” Ray’s voice was cold. “It better be a lot of money. I’ve been waiting for you. I don’t want to have to go send another message through your friend.”
“I came into some money. That’s why I left Orlando. You can have it all if you’ll leave me alone once and for all.”
There was a pause and she thought he wasn’t going to go for the bait. “How much? It better be five figures or you’re wasting my time.”
Relief flooded her body and she grinned at the women listening intently.
“It is. Fifty thousand. All you have to do is come get it.”
“I’ll be there tonight. Where are you?”
Ava waved silently in the air and Sami nodded. “I don’t have it yet.” Ray swore but she continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “I’ll have it by the end of the week. You can meet me on Friday night around eight o’clock. I’ll give you the address.”
“Fine. Let me get a pen.”
Sami recited the address and directions to Original Sin. “Come to the back door behind the building. I’ll let you in.”
“I want cash, Sami. Don’t try and pawn off a rubber check on me.”
The women were grinning and pumping their fists in the air. “Don’t worry, it’ll be cash. I just want this over with. Once I give you the money, you’ll leave me alone, right?”
Sami tried to put as much naiveté into her words as possible and Ray seemed fooled. “Of course, Sami. You’ll never see me again.”
Ray hung up and Sami high-fived Sadie. “We did it!”
Sadie hugged Sami. “Now we only have to wait.”
Sami shook her head, grinning evilly. “Actually, we have something else to do.” She picked up a heavy flogger from a table. “We need to practice with some of this stuff. We’re not going to actually hurt him, but I want Ray so scared he’s peeing his pants. I want him to leave me alone from now on.”
Cassie eyed the implements on the walls and tables. “We put him on the cross and swish these things around, telling him you know the truth, that should do it.”
“I hope so. I’m done with Ray Campbell. On Friday, I’m taking my life back.”
* * * *
Sami pushed a plastic tombstone into the soft earth in the front yard, stepped back, and smiled. The yard was coming together and already it had a spooky, scary air. When Jason and Gabe had told her the entire street in their neighborhood decorated their houses and lawns for Halloween, Sami had been excited. Halloween was a popular holiday in Plenty to begin with, but this was icing on the cake.
It was Tuesday evening and dusk was starting to settle over them, but the neighborhood was lively as everyone seemed to be out tonight setting up graveyards, flying ghosts, and screeching witches.
“We need more cobwebs to hang from the trees. I want this to look awesome so we can send pictures to Gran. She’s already bugging me for them. Apparently, they decorate at the rehabilitation center, too. She wants me to bring her more plastic spiders on my next visit.” Sami pointed to the two large oak trees in the front yard. Gabe grimaced but obediently began to climb the ladder to string the intricate webbing from the higher branches. Jason pulled into the drive, smiling as he took in the activities of the street.
“Deputy Jason reporting for duty.” Jason gave her a mock salute and clicked his heels together. “I’m guessing I’m not even going to get a beer before you put me to work.”
“You can get a beer and change. Gabe’s doing a great job, but he’ll need help stretching those cobwebs.”
Jason looked up at Gabe perched on the ladder. “We have cobwebs? I thought we had a couple of tombstones and an old ghost.”
Gabe laughed almost pitching himself off the ladder. “I gave her a decoration budget and she and Sadie outdid themselves. We’ll be out here until midnight putting all this stuff up.”
“Some of it’s for the inside of the house.” Sadie laughed as she unboxed a strand of skull lights. “We’ll have the best haunted house on the street.”
“I want to win,” Sami said. “The homeowner’s association is having a contest and with all this stuff we should win first place.”
Jason scratched his head. “What do we win?”
“I don’t know. Bragging rights?” Sami shrugged. Wasn’t winning enough? She didn’t need a prize.
“Hey, neighbors.” Logan and Meyer were walking up the sidewalk. “Plenty sure takes its Halloween seriously. We’ve never seen anything like it.” Logan looked around at the decorations. “This is amazing. Some of this is worthy of being in a haunted house or maybe even a movie.”
Meyer stepped closer to the tombstone reading the funny limerick written on it. “Here lies my nagging wife. Now she’s dead and I’m loving life.”
The corners of Meyer’s lips tilted up. “Poor woman was probably miserable.”
“Most men are more trouble than they’re worth.” Sadie started wrapping the strand of lights in the bushes.
“I don’t know about that.” Meyer came up beside her and started to help her. “Some men are worth it.” He gave Logan a meaningful glance. Sadie’s face turned bright pink.
“A few, I guess. What brings you gentleman here tonight?”
Logan laughed softly and pitched in on Sadie’s other side, effectively closing her in so if she moved either to her right or left, she’d run into one of the men. “Are you tired of us already? You’ve only been working for us for two days.”
Sadie looked speechless but Logan seemed to take pity on her. “Actually we came to tell you what we found in our investigation. It’s quite interesting. Fascinating, really.”
He had everyone’s attention. They all stopped what they were doing, and Gabe descended the ladder to put his arm around Sami’s shoulders. She leaned against his strength as her heart rate accelerated. She’d already called Ray to make arrangements to see him. She hoped she wouldn’t hear anything tonight that would make her second guess her decision.
Logan took the lead. “Ray Campbell is only one of his names. We found his real identity. His real name is Ray Harold. We found out quite by accident. I went to talk to some people that might know him and visited a coffee shop near the hotel you used to work at. She remembers him coming in every day. One day he paid by credit card. The name on the credit card was Bill Gardner. The reason she remembered is that the name was different than what he’d told her his name was. She asked him about it, worried about a stolen credit card and he made up some excuse about using a different name because he had an old girlfriend who wouldn’t leave him alone.”
Gabe frowned. “How did that help you find out his name was Ray Harold?”
“When I ran Bill
Gardner,” Meyer answered, “you wouldn’t believe what came up. Wants, warrants. This guy has a bunko sheet a mile long.”
Jason shook his head. “You must have it wrong. He deals drugs. It should be a vice record.”
Logan grinned. “No, it’s bunko. Ray Campbell Harold Gardner is a con artist and wanted in about ten states.” He turned to Sami. “You never held on to his drugs. You didn’t do a damn thing illegally. He only made you think you had so he could extort money from you.”
Sami sagged against Gabe for support. She wanted to believe him, but… “But Marion said it was drugs and Ray didn’t even argue with her. He acted like it was true. It had to be drugs.”
Meyer nodded. “Ah yes, Marion. She was in on it, Sami. Marion is actually Sandra Harold. She’s Ray’s sister. They play this con in hotel after hotel, snagging some young naive girl and making her think she’s done something wrong. They also run other cons on old people and people with poor credit. Basically, anyone who is desperate or trusting. They’re real pieces of work, those two. Their parents were grifters themselves. They come from a long line of this. They learned at their parents’ knee. That’s why it comes so naturally and smoothly. It’s simply the family business.”
“And I was the most trusting of all,” Sami said dryly. “God, I am so fucking stupid. I bought it hook, line, and sinker. No questions asked.”
Logan put his hand on her shoulder, his expression one of sympathy. “If it makes you feel any better, Ray was running this con with about two dozen people at any given time. That’s a lot of trusting people. He’s a professional at this with no remorse. He made it look real.”
Gabe pulled her into his arms. “You didn’t do anything wrong so you’re completely free of this guy. If he shows up here, we’ll call Ryan and throw him in jail.”
“He’ll probably spend the rest of his life behind bars.” Meyer handed a thick file to Sami. “Here are all the details. You’ll see he spends money as fast as he gets it. He has a gambling problem but terrible luck. He couldn’t pick a winner in a one horse race.”
Sami didn’t need to read through the details. She caught Sadie’s eye and shook her head. They weren’t going to say anything to the men. The only thing that had really changed was how it would all end. Sami had assumed she’d be kicking Ray out of Plenty. Now, she would be handing him over to Sheriff Ryan. But not until she told Ray she knew everything about him and what he’d done. He’d messed with the last innocent young girl.
This innocent young girl was going to give him a run for his money.
Chapter Twelve
Sami crossed and uncrossed her legs as she checked the clock on the wall for the hundredth time. The rehearsal dinner was in full swing in the bar area of Original Sin and the clock was slowing ticking toward the time when Ray would arrive. All week she’d been worried he would show up early but it appeared this one time, he was doing as she asked. Her stomach tumbled as she thought about what she’d planned to do and what she needed to do.
She motioned to Jillian across the room to join her.
Jillian sat next to her and leaned forward so no one would overhear. “I have a message from Leah. She came down with the flu so she didn’t make it tonight. Is this going to mess everything up?”
Sami shook her head. “Change of plans. I’m going to talk to him alone. The idea was crazy and it doesn’t prove that I’m not scared of him anymore. Only one thing will do that.”
Jillian played with the charm bracelet wrapped around her left wrist. “I don’t mind telling you I’m nervous hearing you say this. My husband is the sheriff, and I’m not sure I feel comfortable sending you in there by yourself.”
“I’ll tell him that I had to do this myself. I have to stand up to Ray. Finally. He’s been running my life too long.”
Ava rushed toward them, looking nervously over her shoulder. “Shit, my men are following me around all night. I can’t get one minute on my own. I’m afraid I won’t be able to duck them at the right time.”
“The plans have changed. We don’t get to have any fun tonight,” Jillian smiled. “Sami feels she has to do this on her own.”
Ava looked shocked. “You can’t be alone with him. What if he comes armed or something?”
Sami chewed on her lower lip. “He won’t. I’ve always been so terrified of him he never needed a weapon. I was a complete pushover. I won’t be tonight.”
Ava squared her chin. “How can we help?”
“Give me ten minutes alone with him then send in Ryan. I just need him to know I’m not his bitch any longer. I just need to stand up to him. Then Ryan can take him away.”
“You all look very serious over here,” Becca joined the group with a giggle.
Jillian nodded to Sami. “The plan is off. She’s going in by herself.”
“The hell you are. What if he tries to hurt you?” Becca asked.
“I’ll knee him in the balls or grab a flogger and whip him with it.” Sami tried to smile and joke.
“Maybe you should carry a flogger just in case? Hide it behind your back,” Ava suggested.
“Don’t worry about me. A dozen or more huge, burly men will be just on the other side of the door. I’ll be fine. I have to do this. For me and for Sadie.”
Ava peered over Becca’s shoulder. “What’s going on over there?” She nodded toward Sadie, looking flustered, flanked by Logan and Meyer. “Is something going on over there? Should we be matchmaking?”
“I don’t think we need to,” Becca said. “Logan and Meyer seem to be doing just fine on their own. I told them if they moved here they’d find the perfect woman. I just didn’t realize Sami had to bring her to Plenty.”
“Sadie’s not looking for a man right now. She’s been through a lot in her life.”
Jillian laughed. “When you’re not looking is usually when they find you. Besides, they seem like really good guys. I bet they’ll treat her right.”
Brayden came up behind Ava and put his arm around her shoulders with a big grin. “Who’ll treat who right?”
Ava nodded toward Sadie, Logan, and Meyer. “We think they make a nice trio.”
He pursed his lips in thought. “Sadie doesn’t look like she’s too sure about it.”
Becca smiled. “We’ll see about that. They work together on a daily basis. It will either end up love or hate.”
Sami glanced again at the clock on the wall. It was time. “Excuse me, but I think I need to visit the ladies room.” She set her drink on a table and stood up.
Becca, Ava, and Jillian all stood up as well. “I think I will, too,” Ava said casually, not making eye contact with Brayden. “I need to freshen up my lipstick.”
“Me, too,” Becca and Jillian parroted. Sami turned so no one could see her eye roll. By the time they got to the hallway where the restrooms were located, Sami was sweating in her brand new dress. She peered over her shoulder, but no one seemed to following them.
“That was smooth,” Jillian said sarcastically. “We should have just held up a sign that said, ‘Look, we’re up to something we don’t want you to know about.’”
Sami rubbed the back of her neck. “It can’t be helped now. Luckily, the men don’t seem any wiser to what’s going on. I need to get into position. Does anyone know where Cassie and Lacey are?”
Jillian pointed to the door to the playroom. “Don’t worry about the others. I’ll wrangle them. You take your place. This will be fine. I can feel it in my bones.”
Sami wished she could say the same. A knot of dread had formed in her stomach and her legs felt like lead as she adjusted the lights in the playroom and took her position in front of a table of toys. This could be a disaster in the making and Jason and Gabe would be livid, not to mention Ryan.
She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. There was no time for second guessing her plan. She needed to be confident and determined. She needed to face Ray and this would be her only chance. If she didn’t do this, there would be something missin
g from her life. She needed this closure to move on. Gabe and Jason would have to understand. Understanding this was understanding her.
Cassie cracked open the back door. “We hear a car coming up the drive and some lights. It’s time.”
Sami licked her dry lips and rubbed her clammy hands on her dress. She was a freakin’ mess and Ray hadn’t even arrived yet.
“Okay. Send him in and then get back into the bar.”
It felt like forever but was probably only a few minutes when the back door opened and Ray entered the playroom.
It had only been a few weeks since she’d last seen him, but she was looking at him through new eyes. What had once seemed menacing now seemed weak. His jaws were becoming saggy and a paunch was starting to build around his middle these last two years. Life had made him soft, while it had made her strong.
He wasn’t expecting her to be different and surprise would be on her side tonight. His expression was smug and she couldn’t wait to change it to one of dismay. He wasn’t going to fuck with anyone again. She’d have her say and then turn him over to Ryan in the next room.
She schooled her features to express only fear. He’d expect her to be cowed by his bluster and she didn’t want to tip him off too early. She needed him arrogant and complacent. In fact, she was counting on it.
He walked into the room and stopped a few feet from her, looking around. “Interesting meeting place, Sami. I never pegged you as a freak, but then I guess we didn’t date long enough for me to find out how you liked it. Too bad. We might have had some fun.”
She shuddered at the thought of their few dates and her naiveté. She shrugged her shoulders. “I work here. You didn’t leave me many options.”
He stepped closer to the St. Andrew’s cross, running his hand over the gleaming wood Gabe had so lovingly handcrafted. “Your problems are not my problems, Sami. I’ve told you that over and over. Now, as fun as this little reunion is, I don’t want to spend my Friday night in some pissant, backwater town. Where’s my money?”
His belligerent tone almost made her lose her temper but she swallowed the emotion. She needed to stay in control. Everything was riding on her shoulders.
Plenty of Chances [Plenty, FL 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 14