by Taylor Anne
****
“Shit, Colby.” Graeme stood and wiped his hands down his jeans. “What the hell are you doing here? You think you could’ve picked a better time to show up?” He didn’t care if Colby knew he was pissed.
Graeme shifted from one leg to the other. Damn uncomfortable to be caught like this. But what the fuck. Colby should’ve knocked or hollered or something instead of bursting in like that. Okay, maybe he did try to get their attention, but when he saw they were busy he could’ve left quietly. He stood in front of Abby, blocking Colby’s view of her while she straightened herself up. “I knocked several times. When Abby didn’t answer I wanted to make sure everything was okay. Sorry man, didn’t realize you were here. I didn’t see your truck outside.”
“It’s not. I’m in Cooper’s car. You should’ve recognized it. How in the hell did you miss it?” Colby ignored the question. They would talk later. “And how in the hell did you not see me?”
“I saw you. Business, man.”
“Fuck you, Colby.”
Abby straightened her disheveled self and picked up the discarded roller brush from the cloth, putting it in the paint container. She laid a gentle hand on Graeme’s shoulder. “Chief Fox, I didn’t mean to alarm you. I’m fine though, really.”
“Well, I was passing by and thought I’d stop and pick up that sliced tire.”
“I’ll go get it out of the storage room and meet you outside.” She ducked her head and marched out of the door before either one of them could say otherwise. That left Graeme and Colby alone.
Graeme watched her walk down the hallway until she turned out of his sight. He put the lid on the paint can and began picking up the other supplies. “Okay man. We’ve been friends a long time. I know this is business, but you could’ve come back later.”
“Sorry man. I was here and wanted to examine that tire. When I walked in and saw the two of you, I thought she heard me. Otherwise I would’ve left.”
“Right. Since you’re here, what’s going on? And you have to keep me updated on the situation with Abby.”
“I’ll tell you as much as I can. Right now we’re keeping a close eye on things.”
“I examined the tire. No doubt the slit was intentional.” Graeme ran a hand through his hair. This whole ordeal was so frustrating. And the fact that Abby didn’t bother calling him really ticked him off. Did she think he didn’t want to hear about these things? Well, he guessed that was probably what she thought considering he refused to help the other night. But the tire incident changed things altogether.
“But we don’t know if it was directed at Abby or just a random act. You know how teenagers get around here sometimes. That detective in New Orleans said she has a gut feeling something isn’t right, but she doesn’t have any hard evidence to justify that. Just a feeling.”
“I know all about gut feelings. And it’s usually best to follow them through.” Graeme and Colby walked into the living room. “What about that detective? Laci Ramsey? What’s your take on her?”
Abby said she was a very close friend of hers, but he wanted to find out for himself if that detective was on the up and up.
“She’s clean. Been with the department right at five years. Went straight into law out of high school. No surprise since her father and brother are in law enforcement. She’s had the same partner for those five years. No red flags. And she seems genuinely concerned about Abby.”
“That’s good. Just keep your ears open.”
They stopped in the doorway and watched Abby roll the tire down the driveway. She propped it against Colby’s car. She stepped back and ran her hands down her dirt and paint streaked shorts. Her hair had splotches of green paint in it and her face had a smudge of dirt, probably from handling the tire. She had to be all sticky with the paint all over her. Damn, even as unkempt as she was, she was still one gorgeous woman. Graeme was getting hard just watching her. He shifted from one foot to the other hoping Colby didn’t notice.
Colby laughed.
“What’s so damn funny?”
“Looks like you got your hands full with this one.”
Abby turned away from the car and walked toward the doorway where the men were standing. “I’m going to take a shower while you two talk. Be back in a few minutes.”
Dammit, he just lost his chance to wash the paint off her. Colby tried to stifle another laugh.
“Kiss my ass, man.” He opened the door so Colby could walk out. They stood on the porch talking when what Graeme really wanted was to punch his friend in the face. About fifteen minutes later, Colby slid his sunglasses on his face. He nodded his head at Abby, who had just walked up beside Graeme. “Ma’am, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll be in touch with Detective Ramsey and let her know about this tire situation.”
Abby stood next to Graeme. “Thanks Chief Fox. I’m going to call her also.”
“Drop the chief. Call me Colby.” He raised his hand and waved before getting into his car.
“Go do your job,” Graeme grumbled to his friend. It was past time for him to leave.
Graeme placed a hand on Abby’s elbow and guided her into the living room. She pulled her arm out of his and stood next to the full-length window, staring out of it. Right now all he wanted was to pull her into his arms and pick up where they left off before interrupted by Colby, but the masked expression on her face warned him not to try. Was she regretting getting carried away earlier? Was he the only one who wanted to reclaim what they shared once? Or did the tire incident remind her of the reason she was here in the first place?
He walked over to stand behind her. “Call your detective friend and see what’s going on with the case. I want to talk to her and give her my number.” He propped his left leg up on the windowsill and rubbed at the sore muscles in his thigh.
Abby turned around. She watched him massaging his leg, then stepped away from him to get her phone. She placed the call to Laci and told her about the tire. She then put the phone on speaker so they both could listen to an update on the case.
“We are keeping a close eye on these guys. As far as we can tell they are staying close to this area. We’ve identified the gun used to shoot the victim as belonging to one of the men identified at the scene. The van was also found abandoned and their fingerprints as well as the victims are all over it. We’ve submitted pictures, fingerprints, and the ballistics of the gun into evidence. It should be an open and shut case.” Laci sounded confident.
“Keep me informed,” Abby said to her friend. “Graeme wants to talk to you.”
Abby took the phone off speaker and handed it to him. He took it from her with his free hand.
“Detective Ramsey, this is Graeme.”
“Graeme, Abby has told me about you. And please, call me Laci.”
“Okay. Colby is keeping me updated and I would appreciate the same from you. I’ll give you my number. I’m closer to Abby than the police and can get here in minutes if need be.”
Abby stood next to him while he talked. She could only hear his side of the conversation with Laci. Her expression gave nothing away; he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. His hand stilled on his leg. She reached down, lifted his hand, and replaced it with hers. Gently at first, she massaged his thigh. Her fingers were magic on his sore muscles.
“So, Laci, are you expecting a trial date anytime soon? It sounds like there is enough evidence against them.” Abby pressed harder, massaging the tight muscle through his jeans. Her fingers found the ridge of the scar on his outer thigh. Her eyes focused on her hands, her brow wrinkled. Every muscle in Graeme’s body tightened. He gripped the phone. No one other than doctors and nurses touched his leg. Not even—
“The D.A. hopes it will go to trial within the next month or so. He’s pretty sure they can get a conviction with what they have, but everyone involved wants the big guys. We want to wait for another stupid move from LJ and Alonzo so we can get a name of their supplier. If we don’t get it soon though, we are
going ahead with the trial and will try to get the info some other way. These guys haven’t stopped since the incident Abby witnessed.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing we can arrest them on, but their names have come up from several informants. More drug dealings.”
So far he had gotten nothing but good vibes about Laci, but he decided to throw a few questions out there to see her reaction. “Is all of this taking place in New Orleans? Or have they branched out? Are these guys targeting anyone else?”
She hesitated briefly. “Are we still on speaker phone?”
“No.”
“Okay. We’ve only had reports of incidents here in the city. If you’re asking me what I think you are, the answer is no, we have not seen any activity around Abby’s family.”
He nodded, although Laci couldn’t see that. She understood his underlying meaning. “Good. So you are monitoring that.”
“Most definitely. They are like family to me also.”
“Okay, keep us posted.” Abby’s touch brought back memories of the reason he had the scar in the first place. Trying to save a woman. And now that same injury could possibly keep him from saving this woman. He couldn’t live with himself if it came to that.
“I will. Thanks Graeme. And tell Abby I’ll call her later. Bye.”
Abby’s finger traced the scar through his jeans. Her fingers were gentle, yet firm on the roughened skin. She started just above his knee. He couldn’t take this any longer. Her touch held more emotion than he could handle right now. When her hand traveled midway up his thigh, he circled her wrist and pulled her hand away. “Laci will call you later. I have to get back to the bar.”
Colby’s timing was perfect. If he hadn’t shown up, there’s no telling how far Graeme and Abby would’ve gone. And he couldn’t afford to get involved with her that way now. He had already convinced himself to leave things the way they were—a one-night fling. He turned from the confusion in her eyes and walked out of the door to Cooper’s car.
Chapter Seven
Sitting on the deck, Abby watched two children playing on the beach. They appeared to be working together to build something in the sand. Their parents sat next to them underneath an umbrella. The dad kept a watchful eye on the children while the mom was engrossed in reading a book. The little girl, probably about three, picked up a small bucket of sand and brought it to her brother. He would be a few years older than she. It was obvious he was the mastermind of the artwork, while the sister hauled sand and water when needed. He packed the sand and then both kids stood and admired their work. Abby could just make out a smiley face with water filling the eyes and mouth. Not bad.
Abby smiled, remembering all the times she and Brooke sat in that same spot making faces, castles, forts, and anything else they could dream up. To be that carefree again. A strange feeling distracted her from her thoughts. She scanned the area. There were people all over the beach and in the water. No one appeared to be looking her way, but the feeling that she was being watched wouldn’t leave her. She shook her head to try and clear it. This was ridiculous. No one knew where to find her. Laci would call if there was anything suspicious with the men Abby saw in New Orleans. Just to make sure she hadn’t missed a call, she unlocked her phone and checked the call list. Nothing. Just being paranoid.
A half an hour later Brooke showed up at the house carrying two bags filled with sausage links, po-boy buns, BBQ sauce, and chips. Together they lit the charcoal pit and grilled the sausage. When everything was ready to eat, they packed it all up, grabbed a blanket and some chairs and headed down to the water’s edge.
“How did you manage to get away from the Bed and Breakfast all day today?” Abby knew her cousin. If there was work to be done with her business, she would not be here relaxing and enjoying herself. She was such a workaholic, but her hard work had given her a successful Bed and Breakfast business here on the beach.
Brooke wrapped up their trash and stuffed it in a garbage bag. “I’m not expecting any customers for a few days. Yesterday me and my crew cleaned, cooked, and got everything ready so we could take today off. It will be awhile before we have much free time because we are booked solid for the next several months.”
“You really do have a good group of people working for you.” Time to soak up a little sun. Abby lowered the umbrella that had been shading her. She poured a handful of sunscreen in her hand and rubbed it all over. As she was putting away the lotion, another strange feeling crept up her back. Same thing as earlier on the deck. She zipped her beach bag and looked around. Nothing or no one seemed suspicious. Trying to blow it off, Abby struck up another conversation with Brooke before her cousin fell asleep under her shade. “So why aren’t you spending your one day off with that hunk of a husband of yours?”
Brooke giggled. “My hunk had to go out of town for a few days on business. He won’t be back until Friday.” She lowered her sunglasses and peeked sideways. “What are you doing? You’re so distracted this afternoon.”
Damn, busted. Abby wanted to tell her, but she couldn’t right now. Laci said it would be best if she told no one what was going on. “Nothing. Just watching the people.” She inhaled the tangy salty air. “And enjoying nature.”
They spent all afternoon being lazy on the beach. Abby could lay there all day listening to the crashing of waves on the shore. It was the most peaceful sound she knew. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, blocking out the daunting feeling that she was being watched.
After taking a short nap, the women went back up to the house and put away their things. “Come on, let’s go have a drink.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” The closest place to have a drink would be at Graeme’s bar. Abby wasn’t sure she wanted to face him right now. She hadn’t seen him since the day before and his actions still confused her. One minute he acted like he wanted to help her and the next he shut her out. What’s more confusing was when he acted like he wanted her, then in a split second he shut down.
“Oh come on. Let’s finish this girls’ day with a few drinks.”
Brooke grabbed her arm and tugged. Abby shook her head, buried her emotions, and clasped her cousin’s hand. They trudged through the sugary sand down to Tucker’s.
Walking through the doors, Abby glanced around nervously. They sat at an empty table next to the open window. Graeme was behind the bar mixing drinks. He looked up when they took their seats. He waved at them in acknowledgement before he turned around to grab a bottle of liquor off the shelf behind the bar. Abby’s eyes were drawn to the mirror that Graeme was now facing. Something about that mirror caught her off guard every time she went into the bar.
She saw his reflection and gasped when she realized he was watching her through the mirror. His dark eyes locked on hers. Her heart rate jumped up a notch. She wondered what he was thinking. Was he remembering the same things she was? The one night they spent together. The emotions of the night that could not be denied, even seven years later. Or could he be thinking about yesterday when they were lost in the moment, rekindling some of that fire from long ago? What would have happened if Colby hadn’t shown up? And she wondered why Graeme put up barriers like he had done several times? She could see it clearly in his expression when he shut down. His eyes went void of feeling. He’d done it several times when they were together. And he was doing it right now. The bricks were building around him. What was it that triggered him to throw up those walls?
Abby watched as he turned back around to scan the full bar. He leaned through the open window to the outside tables and barked out, “Cooper, leave the women alone. I need you in here.”
Cooper sauntered inside. He took his cap off and ran his fingers through his blond hair before pulling the cap low over his eyes. He started talking to Graeme and after a couple of minutes Graeme’s posture relaxed. He slapped Cooper on the back and pointed to the table where Abby and Brooke sat. Cooper made his way over to them.
“Evening ladies. What can we get for you?�
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They placed orders for beer. Cooper left their table and stopped at the table next to them before going to the bar to fill the orders.
Brooke pinned Abby with a stare. “Okay, girl, what’s up? You’ve been distracted all day. Now you can’t take your eyes off Graeme. Something going on there?”
She waited until Cooper set their drinks down before she said anything. She couldn’t say what had her so distracted at the beach, but Abby was certain Brooke would think it was the secret she was about to tell her. She had to get this off her chest. She hated keeping this from her cousin all those years. “Remember I told you I spent the night with someone at your wedding?”
Brooke’s eyes lit up. “Yeah. Go on.”
Abby smiled. “It was Graeme.”
“I knew it.” Brooke’s palm landed with a thud on the table. She jumped up and hugged Abby, ignoring the curious glances from others in the room. Then she sat back down and took a long drink of her beer. “I told Kyle from the beginning I thought you two hit it off. Why in the hell did you wait so long to tell me?”
Abby shrugged. “I’m really not sure. I’ve always wanted to tell you, but I guess with Graeme and Kyle being best friends I didn’t want to take any chances of messing that up.”
“Well it wouldn’t have messed anything up. We both thought you two would’ve made a great couple.”
Again, that feeling that had been with her all day swarmed through her mind. She didn’t see anyone in the bar that she had seen out on the beach earlier. But her heart was pounding in her chest. Her palms were sweaty. Thoughts cloudy. What the hell was happening to her?
“And now?” Brooke’s eyebrow arched.
“Huh, what did you say?”
“I asked what’s happening now with you and Graeme?”
Abby tried laughing off her distraction. “Now I’m not so sure what’s happening. It’s confusing.”
“He’s a good man, Abby. Been through a lot of shit in his life, but deep inside, he’s awesome.”